#Star Trek: Discovery (2017 tv)

[abs0luteb4stard]

W A T C H I N G

(Season 2)

[thebiballerina]

Billy Cranston, Power Rangers (2017): Autistic

Harold Finch, Person of Interest: Cane user, I don't recall the precise injury.

Geordi La Forge, Star Trek: The Next Generation: Blind

Airiam, Star Trek: Discovery: Uses cybernetics/prosthetics due to significant injury (? I don't quite recall how specific the show gets, but definitely a disability.)

RB with your favourite disabled characters.

I'm starting @disabledcharacters and need a starting point.

Also, looking for members to create edits (one gifset a month) and help with the queue.

Please message me if you are interested.

[stra-tek]

Star Trek: Flip-up Communicator history

Star Trek pilot "The Cage" (1964)

The very first version. It's like those see-through game controllers from the 1990's!

Star Trek: TOS (1966-69) The iconic model. Possibly inspired the concept of mobile phones. The case is made from a chopped up Sterling Plastics pencil case.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

A bulky militaristic look. Modified from a real life army radio

Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (1983)

A return to a more classic shape. I think the inner part is from some ATM machine plastic model, but I might be confusing my Trek prop trivia.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)

The Search For Spock version with added buttons which remind me of ancient TV remotes.

Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-2005)

Trek's first prequel, set over 100 years before the time of Captain Kirk brought back flip-up communicators after many years of tapping badges in the 24th century.

Star Trek (2009) U.S.S. Kelvin

At the birth of his son and when the Prime and Kelvin timelines split, George Kirk's communicator is a simplified, button-free version of the classic TOS one.

Star Trek (2009) U.S.S. Enterprise

Designed with input from Nokia, the Kelvin Universe version of the classic Trek communicator. 2013's Into Darkness confirms it receives text messages, too - but I'd hate to try typing out a message with that weird button😂

Star Trek: Discovery (2017-)

Another modernisation of the classic TV series one, this time with an animated screen on place of the moire pattern from TOS. Inside that case is an iPhone for the graphics. For the first time in Trek, it's made explicit that the communicators are also universal translators enabling everyone in a room to understand everyone else (even though nobody's lips should sync up and you should hear overlapping voices which only ever happened in Star Trek Beyond)

Strange New Worlds (2022-)

And back to the TOS series version, with some very minor changes. Strange New Worlds is also the first time it's called a phone in dialogue

[seriesdepelicula]

Colección series vintage, hoy STAR TREK : THE ORIGINAL SERIES (TOS) , en español se llamó VIAJE A LAS ESTRELLAS y también LA CONQUISTA DEL ESPACIO. Es una serie de TV de ciencia ficción creada por Gene Roddenberry y que salió al aire en tres temporadas entre los años 1966/1969 y con 80 capítulos con 29 para la 1ra , 26 para la 2da y 24 para la tercera y última, mas un capítulo extra en el año 1988. La serie esta ambientada en el siglo XXIII y sigue las aventuras de la nav e espacial ENTERPRISE NCC-1701 al mando del Capitan JAMES T.KIRK (𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿), su primer oficial el Sr SPOCK (𝗟𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗡𝗶𝗺𝗼𝘆), el oficial medico en jefe LEONARD McCOY (𝗗𝗲𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗞𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘆), la oficIal en comunicaciones NYOTA UHURA (𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗵��𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗡𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝘀), los pilotos SULU Y CHEJOV (𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗶 y 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝗼𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗴) y el ingeniero de a bordo SCOTTY (𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗗𝗼𝗼𝗵𝗮𝗻), todos ellos convertidos en celebridad con el paso del tiempo, algunos mas otros menos. Cuando la serie se estreno en 1966 no fue un éxito de inmediato pues la audiencia era baja y también los ingresos por publicidad e incluso antes de finalizar la 1ra temporada ya se hablaba de una cancelación.Su productor original Gene Roddenberry se alejó en la 3ra temporada y al final de esta, la serie fue cancelada. Sin embargo la serie fue extremadamente popular luego de una redifusión en la década del 1970, tanto que fue seguida de 10 series más y algunas de pronto estreno.

1-Star Trek: La serie animada: Se emitió entre 1973 y 1974.  2-Star Trek: The Next Generation: Se emitió entre 1987 y 1994.  3-Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Se emitió entre 1993 y 1999.  4-Star Trek: Voyager: Se emitió entre 1995 y 2001.  5-Star Trek: Enterprise: Se emitió entre 2001 y 2005.  6-Star Trek: Discovery: Se emitió entre 2017 y 2024k.  7-Star Trek: Picard: Se emitió entre 2020.  8-Star Trek: Lower Decks: Estreno 2020 y concluye a final 2024. 9-Star Trek: Prodigy: Se emitió entre 2021 y 2024. 10-Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Estreno 2022 y aún al aire.   11-Star Trek: Starfleet Academy: Se estrenará en 2025.

Obviamente que la franquicia no se quedo solo en la creación y emisión de series, sino que también se crearon películas, que hasta la fecha son 6 con los personajes de la serie original, el Capitán Kirk, Spock, Uhura y otros.

1-Star Trek:The Motion Picture (1979). 2-Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). 3-Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984). 4-Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986). 5-Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989). 6-Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991).

Con el resurgimiento de la franquicia, gracias a una nueva serie llamada Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), llegaron otra saga de películas con el Capitán Picard (𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝘁), que en total fueron estas 4:

1-Star Trek: Generations (1994). 2-Star Trek: First Contact (1996). 3-Star Trek: Insurrection (1998). 4-Star Trek: Némesis (2002).

La franquicia se tomo unos años de descanso, hasta que en el 2009, Lanza una película, que fue finalmente trilogía, con el Capitán Kirk mas joven, interpretado por 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝗣𝗶𝗻𝗲.Las películas fueron:

1-Star Trek (2009).   2-Star Trek Into Darkness (2013). 3-Star Trek Beyond (2016).

También habra una película nueva, que retomará el personaje de la emperadora Philippa Georgiou, interpretado por la actriz 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗼𝗵, cuyo personaje apareció en la serie Star Trek Discovery (2017):

1-Star Trek: Section 31 (2025).

Quedo grabado para siempre en nuestros oidos el introito de la serie original y todas las demás, la voz de su capitán que decía “El espacio: la ultima frontera. Estos son los viajes de la nave estelar «Enterprise», en una misión que durara cinco años, dedicada a la exploración de mundos desconocidos, al descubrimiento de nuevas vidas y nuevas civilizaciones, hasta alcanzar lugares donde nadie ha podido llegar antes”. Mi puntaje para esta icónica serie es 8/10.

[suometar]

Scifi/odd/mystery indie film rec list

Someone asked me to create rec list of less known/indie scifi/odd/mystery films, and, well, it kind got out of hand. Oopsie. You can thank my hubs who writes a review of all films we've watched. These all have been given at least 3/5 stars from me and/or him. Enjoy!

I'm not fully sure if these films are all indie, but I'm quite convinced you at least haven't heard about most of them:

Another Earth (2011)

Archive (2020. On my Top 10 forever fave film list)

Automata (2014)

Boss level (2020)

Brainstorm (1983)

Breach (2020)

Coherence (2013, SO GOOD)

Color out of space (2019)

Coma (2019, russian, is available with english and german dubbing. Effing gorgeous film)

District 9 (2009)

Donnie Darko (2001)

Dual (2022. Fun fact: it was shot in the town in Finland where I was born)

ExistenZ (1999)

Gattaca (1997)

Girl on the Train (2016, mystery)

Hardcore Henry (2015)

High-Rise (2015, also highly recommend the J.G.Ballard book the film is based on)

Ink (2009. On my Top 10 forever fave films list)

Intrusion (2021)

Lobster (2015)

Melancholia (2011)

Memento (2000)

Minor premise (2020)

Moon (2009)

Oxygen (2021, French)

Pi (1998)

Poor Things (2024)

Predestination (2014)

Primer (2004, can’t emphasize enough: this is a MUST for every scifi film buff. Goes without saying, on my Top 10 list)

Prisoners of the Ghostland (2021)

Splice (2009)

Sunshine (2007)

The Blackout (2019, Russian)

The Discovery (2017)

The Endless (2017)

The Invitation (2015)

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

The Repo-men (2010)

The Trip (2021)

Upgrade (2018)

Upside down (2012, technically fantasy but what the heck. Pretty as hell)

Vivarium (2019)

Westworld (original film from 1973)

Scifi/horror:

Blood red sky (2021, German)

Cube (1997) & Cube 2 (2002) (the rest are meh)

Event Horizon (1997, I wrote a homage to this film into my book :3)

Kyrsyä - Tuftland (2017, Finnish, it’s available online somewhere and en subtitles are available. Might require some digging though)

Additional mentions, not necessary indie films but MUST SEE:

12 Monkeys (1995)

Contagion (2011)

Dune (1984 + the new ones)

Ex Machina (2014)

In time (2011)

Logan’s run (1976)

Old (2021)

Prospect (2018)

Soylent green (1973)

Tetris (2023)

The Andromeda Strain (1971)

A Quiet Place (2018, 2020)

Split (2016, also the whole film series)

In general worth a watch (all basically under odd at least):

All Darren Aronofsky films

All M. Night Shyamalan films

All Yorgos Lanthimos films

TV shows (not indie, just worth the watch):

Dark Matter (SYFY, 2015-2017. First EP sucks, then it's absolute golden. A kin to Firefly)

Dark Matter (Apple, 2024. Based on a book with the same name by Blake Crouch)

The Expanse (Originally Netflix, moved to Amazon. Both TV show AND books. Oh the books are SO GOOD and better than the show imo)

Severance (Apple. I can't yell enough of this. It's just mindbogglingly good)

The X-Files (duh)

Star Trek: The Next Generation (yeah yea, I'm a trekkie)

Star Trek Picard

Resident Alien (SYFY, 2021-)

Foundation (Apple, 2021- *chef's kiss* goes for the books too)

[alexzalben]

Apple TV+'s Monsterverse Series Gets a Title... And Godzilla

Apple TV+'s Monsterverse spinoff series has a title: MONARCH

MONARCH: LEGACY OF MONSTERS

...and some first-look images revealing Godzilla is in the show.

Today, Apple TV+ announced the title of its highly anticipated sci-fi drama based on Legendary’s Monsterverse as “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,” and unveiled the first images from the 10-episode series starring Kurt Russell, Wyatt Russell, Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto, Anders Holm, Joe Tippett and Elisa Lasowski.

Following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco and the shocking revelation that monsters are real, “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” tracks two siblings following in their father’s footsteps to uncover their family’s connection to the secretive organization known as Monarch. Clues lead them into the world of monsters and ultimately down the rabbit hole to Army officer Lee Shaw (played by Kurt Russell and Wyatt Russell), taking place in the 1950s and half a century later where Monarch is threatened by what Shaw knows. The dramatic saga – spanning three generations – reveals buried secrets and the ways that epic, earth-shattering events can reverberate through our lives.  “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" is co-developed by Chris Black ("Severance," "Star Trek: Enterprise," "Outcast,") and Matt Fraction ("Hawkeye”). Matt Shakman (“Wandavision”) directs the first two episodes. 

Hailing from Legendary Television, the series is executive produced by Black, Fraction and Shakman alongside Joby Harold (“Obi-Wan Kenobi,” “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts”) and Tory Tunnell  (“Spinning Out,” “Underground”) from Safehouse Pictures, Matt Shakman ("Wandavision"), Andy Goddard ("Carnival Row, "Downton Abbey"), Brad Van Arragon ("Yellowjackets, "Carnival Row"), and Andrew Colville (“Severance,” “Star Trek: Discovery”). Hiro Matsuoka and Takemasa Arita executive produce on behalf of Toho Co., Ltd., the owner of the Godzilla character. Toho licensed the rights to Legendary for “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” as a natural byproduct of their long-term relationship with the film franchise. Legendary Entertainment’s Monsterverse is an epic entertainment universe of interconnected stories that bring together popular culture’s most titanic forces of nature. Witness humanity’s greatest battle for survival as we fight for our world in the face of a catastrophic new reality—the monsters of our myths and legends are real. Beginning in 2014 with Godzilla and continuing with 2017’s “Kong: Skull Island,” 2019’s “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” and 2021’s “Godzilla vs. Kong,” the Monsterverse has accumulated close to two billion dollars globally at the box office and is ever-expanding, with the highly anticipated sequel “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.”

[timetraveltournament]

welcome to time travel tournament!

in this tumblr poll tournament we will be submitting & voting for our favorite time travel media, be it a movie, book, video game or whatever else.

this is hosted by @daryfromthefuture (yes i know, my main blog is my bttf blog, but this is a tournament and i will make sure this stays fair for everyone, please trust me on this), and the timezone for the polls is PDT (pacific day time, GMT-9).

i will open 32 slots for various time travel media to be submitted up until monday, may 1, 11:59 PM. polls will start on monday, may 8, at around 7:30 AM.

please only submit whole pieces of media and not just one specific episode/chapter, otherwise it might get too complex and niche with the submissions.

i will also accept time loop media.

remember, bring your faves up and not the others down. this is purely for fun and everyone has their own preferences :]

feel free to submit a picture along with your media that i can put with the polls!

list of submitted media below the cut:

back to the future trilogy (movies, 1985-1990)

milo murphy's law (cartoon, 2016)

classic dr who (tv, 1963-1989)

dr who (tv, 2005-present)

life is strange (video game, 2015)

meet the robinsons (movie, 2007)

midnight burger (podcast, 2020)

hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy (book series, 1979)

the time machine (book, 1895)

bill and ted trilogy (movies, 1989-2020)

the magic treehouse (book series, 1992)

the adam project (movie, 2022)

russian doll (tv series, 2019)

groundhog day (movie, 1993)

happy death day (movie series, 2017-2019)

ivan vasilyevich changes his profession (movie, 1973)

somewhere in time (movie, 1980)

steins;gate (anime, 2011)

star trek discovery (tv, 2017)

terminator (movie franchise, 1984-2019)

loki (tv, 2021)

timeless (tv, 2016-2018)

interstellar (movie, 2014)

looper (movie, 2012)

[elastijubilee]

Favorite TV Shows Ever (in no exact order):

Frasier (1993-2004)

Cheers (1982-1993)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)

Angel (1999-2004)

Schmigadoon! (2021-present)

Pushing Daisies (2007-2009)

Fringe (2008-2013)

Westworld (2016-2022)

Alias (2001-2006)

I Dream of Jeannie/Bewitched (I couldn't pick, ok?) (1965-1970) (1964-1972)

Honorable Mentions (Some who honestly may be faves depending on how I feel):

That Girl (1966-1971)

The Golden Girls (1985-1992)

Saturday Night Live (1975-present)

30 Rock (2006-2013)

Bob's Burgers (2011-present)

The Middle (2009-2018)

Poledark (2015-2019)

The Muppet Show (1976-1981)

Key & Peele (2012-2015)

Grimm (2011-2017)

Doctor Who (2005-present, and I'll watch classic at some point)

Xena: Warrior Princess (1995-2001)

Community (2009-2015)

The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)

The Big Bang Theory (be mad) (2007-2019)

Daredevil (2015-2018)

Other TV Shows I've Enjoyed A LOT:

The Owl House

Gravity Falls

Dead Like Me

Lost

I Love Lucy

Futurama

Supernatural

Arcane

Parks and Recreation

The Office

Firefly

The Nevers

WKRP in Cincinnati

News Radio

Wings

The Nanny

Married with Children

MadTV

M*A*S*H

Big Brother US

That 70s Show

The Burns and Allen Show

My Hero Academia

Black Clover

She-Ra: Princess of Power

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

Plus, there are others that I have liked and enjoyed throughout my life but these are the top ones and ones I've watched the most...in some cases I'm still finishing some and they could change placement in this hierarchy.

TV Shows I Hope to Start Someday:

True Detective (hopefully soon)

Miami Vice

Poker Face

Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies

Black Sails

The Expanse

Yellowjackets

Yellowstone

Weeds

Breaking Bad

Better Call Saul

Star Trek Discovery

Wonderfalls

Crystal Lake (whenever that comes out)

Mare of Easttown

That 90s Show

Timeless

Revolution

Dark

1899

Orphan Black

A League of Their Own

Fraggle Rock

Barry

Top Shows I Saw the Potential or What Others Like But Either Wasn't for Me or I Had Strong Critiques of:

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

Centaur World

Star Vs. the Forces of Evil

Voltron

Single Parents

The Great North

Once Upon a Time

Glee (haven't finished yet but s1 was great with some fun stuff in s3 and everything else I've seen has been up and down and really awful in places)

Galavant

Dollhouse (though I'm thinking about picking up again bc I remember ep 4 being a lot better than the first 3)

Scream Queens season 2 (but maybe nobody likes that one?)

American Horror Story

The Muppets (2015)

Series I need to start watching again to know how I'll feel and it's been awhile:

Black Clover

Central Park

The X-Files

Battlestar Galactica

[anotheruserwithnoname]

A few thoughts about the Doctor Who 60th

I haven't been posting about the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who because the show lost me back in 2017 and it double lost me with The Timeless Children (I've read the script and had discussions with unfortunates who have seen it). So I've been observing the goings on related to the 60th anniversary essentially as an outsider. And as an outsider, I have a few observations now that the BBC, true to form, only this week confirmed that the 3 David Tennant/Catherine Tate anniversary specials will be airing as a 3-week mini-season on Nov. 25, Dec. 2 and Dec. 9 on the BBC (outside the UK you need to have Disney+ to see them now; I've seen no mention of cinema screenings, though that may be because there's no single production this time). Plus, Russell T Davies has been teasing an apparent 4th story (probably a mini-episode) that is speculated as being for Children in Need which is I think Nov. 17.

The first thing is, while 60 is not generally considered the same level of milestone anniversary as 50 anyway, I've noticed general apathy. Back in the 50th, you couldn't ignore the anniversary whether you were a Who fan or not. Hell, in the weeks leading up to the 50th even shows unrelated to Who snuck in references (I've forgotten most of them but Marvel's Agents of SHIELD had a toy TARDIS visible in one scene, etc.). There was a lot of promo for the cinema screenings worldwide. Books, audios, documentaries, the An Adventure in Space and Time TV movie. This time, you'd be forgiven for thinking "Oh, is that in November?" Most of the excitement I've seen has been coming not from general fandom but from fans of the actors (if Jenna Coleman was appearing in one of the specials, I'd be all over it).

I'll be very curious to see how the ratings numbers hold up. While numbers from Disney+ may be difficult to gauge directly, the numbers from the BBC will tell a tale. I expect them to be pretty good because Tennant and Tate are very popular, as is Neil Patrick Harris, so I would expect them to be higher than anything from the previous era - or, indeed, the Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi years (50th anniversary special not included). If they are not... I bet the BBC narrative changes, because if Tennant, Tate and NPH aren't enough to bring viewers back, then I don't know what will.

If things go well, I would still not take ratings success on the specials as any guide to future ratings once the Ncuti Gatwa era begins. Certainly, ratings after the 50th didn't really retain momentum. And that was before Moffat's successor ushered in the most fanbase-destroying era of any franchise (and I'm including Marvel Phase 4 and Star Trek Discovery in this). Between the casting decision to the Timeless Child retcon that turned away many who had cheered and supported the former - well, the BBC ratings tell the tale, right? It's been reported that the BBC was even going to cancel the series (that came from Chibnall, not some Youtuber, and while he couched it in claims that it was budget and logistics that nearly sank it, there was a time when the BBC was willing to shell out for the show; and lots of shows and films still got made during the pandemic, so that's no excuse). Likely the only reason it's still on is because RTD came back (plus the Disney deal likely helped too) and they threw a Hail Mary pass by having Tennant be a surprise buffer Doctor. They aren't just offering us a plate of memberberries by bringing him and Tate back - they're trying to make fois gras with them.

After the specials air ... then what? Will anyone catch that Hail Mary? Yes, we have the Ncuiti Gatwa era coming. All I have ever seen of Gatwa is the few seconds in the trailer. I have not seen any of his other work, nor does it interest me; it would be like me predicting how Peter Capaldi would play 12 based on Local Hero and listening to a Dreamboys record. So no judgement or assumption on how well or how poorly Gatwa will play the role; RTD chose well with Eccleston and Tennant and Gatwa could end up ranking alongside Tom Baker and Capaldi. And as with every new Doctor there will be a viewership spike from the curious. But if his era follows the same downward trajectory as his predecessor (+1) - and if the Disney+ ratings end up being low - I would expect the BBC to announce a series finale special to wrap it up and cut their losses. Especially if Disney - which is not averse to cancelling shows (try watching Willow: The Series) - pulls out.

[redheadbigshoes]

“Coming out Story” trope (A LGBT character comes out of the closet and reveals their sexual identity to their friends, family, and associates)

*Reminder that all the media included here does not necessarily portray the characters as something positive, this is just about which media has this trope.

*Pls check parental rating if you’re a minor.

MOVIES:

MLM: I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, Two Of Us, Beautiful Thing, Get Real, Handsome Devil, Naomi And Ely's No Kiss List.

Lesbians: Gray Matters, Blockers, V For Vendetta, Margarita With A Straw, The Half Of It, Saving Face, Trapped: The Alex Cooper Story, Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives, Steam, 100 Girls, Crush, Dating Amber.

Gays: Bent, C.R.A.Z.Y., Trevor, Cursed (2005), Dating Amber.

Sapphics: Desert Hearts, I Can’t Think Straight, First Girl I Loved, Pariah, Sappho, Across the Universe (2007), A New York Christmas Wedding, The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love, Holly Slept Over.

Bisexuals: Margarita With A Straw, The Craft: Legacy, Plan B (2021), Kissing Jessica Stein, Cassanova Was A Woman.

Trans/non-binary: They/Them (2022), 3 Generations.

LITERATURE:

Trans/non-binary: Parrotfish.

Gays: Boys Like Us: Gay Writers Tell Their Coming Out Stories, The Mortal Instruments, Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda.

Lesbians: Testimonies: Lesbian Coming-Out Stories, A Woman Like That: Lesbian And Bisexual Writers Tell Their Coming Out Stories, The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali.

Bisexuals: A Woman Like That: Lesbian And Bisexual Writers Tell Their Coming Out Stories, Running With Lions, Just Juliet, Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating.

Sapphics: Sing You Home.

MLM: Hero, Autobiography of Red, The Best at It.

TV:

Gays: Will & Grace, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Happy Endings, General Hospital, Gossip Girl, Glee, Neighbours, Shameless (US), Dear White People, October Faction,

Trans/non-binary: Degrassi: The Next Generation, Transparent, Supergirl (2015), Star Trek: Discovery, Feel Good, First Day, The Umbrella Academy.

MLM: Six Feet Under, Ugly Betty, Noah’s Arc, As The World Turns, When I'm Sixty-Four, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Played for Laughs, Interview with the Vampire (2022).

Lesbians: South of Nowhere, The L Word, Glee, Pretty Little Liars, Supergirl (2015), Runaways (2017), Fresh Off The Boat, Almost Family, Batwoman (2019), Dates, Trinkets, Never Have I Ever, Tipping the Velvet, The Republic of Sarah, The Sex Lives of College Girls, Reboot (2022).

Sapphics: All My Children, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Skins, Faking It, The Wilds, Impulse.

Bisexuals: Neighbours, Brooklyn 99, Proven Innocent, Gossip Girl (2021), Twenties, The Bisexual, Avocado Toast.

Aro/Ace: Koisenu Futari.

Pansexuals: Schitt's Creek.

[alexsbrain]

Unpopular Opinion: Star Trek is at a Crossroads

*Spoilers: Please do not read unless you have seen all episodes of season 3 of Picard*

With the culmination of the final season of Star Trek: Picard due to land next week, it seems that Star Trek and the fandom are at a critical juncture. A quixotic crossroads. Since the relaunch of the franchise on the small screen in 2017 with Discovery, the fandom has become more fractured. This rift is not a simple one which can be explained along lines of age, gender, race, geography, politics, or sexual identity. The newer shows have been dragging the franchise forwards in many ways. With the nostalgic callbacks in season three of Picard packaged in more modern aesthetic and narrative tropes, many fans seem torn between this schism. What the Borg queen might call “those who live like shattered glass.” Through reactions and events surrounding Picard’s third season, I hope to delineate this schism. The essence of Star Trek is currently being debated among fans. Can the franchise heal this rift, and should it?

There are four eras of Star Trek. The original series and subsequent films (1966-1991), the Berman era (1987-2005), the Kelvin timeline (2009-2016) and NuTrek (2017-present), which arguably begins with Discovery. Usually, everything pre-Disco is lumped into Legacy Trek, but the rift between Original Series and Next Gen fans in the late 80s or the vitriolic hate spewed at DS9 in the 90s offers a case study into the various rifts that exist within the fandom.

Star Trek fans are not a monolithic group. Unlike ethnocultural groups, Trekkies have much in common with the Queer community. Only bound through their shared love of something, their identity as a Star Trek fan, as opposed to a shared location, language, or lineage. What unites the fandom is their love of Star Trek. Although many fans might share similar reasons for their love of Trek, everyone’s journey into it and their love of it is unique. 

Unlike other franchises, Star Trek has a set of ideals, or guiding principles, that can be used as a moral code in interacting in the real world. However, not all fans adopt these moral codes or philosophies of peace, dignity, equality, respect, understanding, and collectivism. Some fans seem oblivious to the very message the franchise has been exposing for over fifty years.

Many fans, both long term and new, were looking forward to season one of Picard back in 2020. It would be an understatement to say the show has been divisive during its run, with many fans settling into various camps of the validity of the show either as a whole or through a seasonal rankings system. The absence of Patrick Stewart’s co-stars from TNG, save for Spiner, Frakes, and Sirtis's small contributions, was seen as a wasted opportunity. “We want reunions and cameos,” quipped the fandom, and so for the third season many fans got what they wanted. A re-uniting of the magnificent seven, the crew of the Enterprise D. Older, wiser, and ready for one last mission before they ride off into the proverbial sunset.

When Enterprise went off the air in the spring of 2005 the television landscape was vastly different. Not only was broadcast/cable TV still the predominant delivery of the format, but shows were still mostly episodic in nature and American series still produced over twenty episodes a season. The big-screen relaunch in 2009 with Star Trek seemed to jettison much from Legacy Trek and this is where the rift between the fandom starts to widen further. 

To not update Star Trek to modern storytelling conventions would have been absurd.

During Star Trek’s small screen fallow period not only were there formatting upheavals in television, shorter seasons, serialization, mystery boxes, and the habit of killing off beloved characters but the delivery system of television changed. Broadcast/Cable TV was being usurped by streaming services and the funding model of TV drastically changed. Within this time span of twelve years, the essence of the medium changed, so that when Discovery launched in 2017 the show not only radically altered the Star Trek format familiar to most fans, but it started driving another wedge within the fandom. To not update Star Trek to modern storytelling conventions would have been absurd. Star Trek is set in the future and has always been pushing the boundaries of narrative storytelling. 

Not only did the format of Discovery upset swaths of the fandom but the inclusivity of the show and darker tone, reminiscent of DS9, continues to ruffle feathers. Picard and Strange New Worlds were thought of as a bridge between this rift within the fandom, yet early in season one of Picard it became clear that the trappings of Legacy Trek were dead. What many loved, Berman-era storytelling was never coming back. Strange New Worlds blends episodic and serialized storytelling but has been described by one podcaster as the “Vegas” version of the planet-of-week model. Devoid of the hard-hitting humanist stories science fiction is known for.

It would be too simplistic to define this rift as generational, or Legacy versus NuTrek, and not fully capture the nuances of the divide. There are several good-faith critiques of the newer shows by fans. Many feel the newer iterations of Trek are too dystopian as they lack the optimistic utopianism present in Legacy Trek. Some argue the high-minded science fiction stories are missing, serialized storytelling is not working for the franchise, and some simply think the new shows are visually too dark. With the relaunch of the Enterprise D, many fans shouted praise as they could finally see the interior of a starship again. The inclusion of the Borg this season seemed like a no-brainer, considering they were the baddest of the bad on TNG, and tie into Picard’s trauma and identity, his last hurdle, but some fans rolled their eyes with aplomb at their return decrying, “not again.”

The dialing down of Seven’s and Rafi’s relationship seems to be the heteronormalizing of season three. It might just be that a breakup or strained relationship was better for dramatic purposes, but it seems like we’ve really returned to 90s Trek when Queer stories and identities were heavily bubble wrapped in metaphor. Yet if, as one Tweeter commented, the Borg stand partially as a metaphor for the Queer/Trans journey/identity through Seven of Nine, then the mass assimilation of the youth by the Borg is rather a tragic and regrettable statement on how Gen Z is perceived further dividing the fandom. Gene Roddenberry’s vision was one of unity and if Star Trek cannot seem to unify the fandom in some fashion, then perhaps it’s failing. Or perhaps us fans are failing it somehow.

Others say the franchise was already in tip-top shape before season three of Picard which points towards Discovery’s torch-baring, its popularity and revamping of the franchise.

While season three of Picard is seen as a return to form for the franchise by many, there are fans who think the season is mediocre at best, riddled with cliché, that when you strip away the nostalgia and critically analyze the show it appears full of holes. Others say the franchise was already in tip-top shape before season three of Picard which point towards Discovery’s torch-baring, its popularity and revamping of the franchise. Disco gave birth to five new series after all. This points to an identity crisis of the franchise that plays out within the fandom. What is Star Trek actually? And where the heck is it going?

Again, there is no monolithic answer. Some fans love the totality of the franchise, others are here because they love space and science, for others it’s optimism, some the philosophy and moral tales, others the exploration of humanity, the diversity both on screen and through IDIC, and some simply for the starships and space battles. For instance, the lack of a weekly Federation saucer-type starship in seasons one and two of Picard was remedied for season three and we got the Titan-A, but again, some fans are sick of staring at its dimly lit bulkheads.

A small quadrant of the fandom will never seem to be satisfied with the franchise at present. These keyboard warriors range from the anti-progressive, subtle plot hole decriers (if one thing is off it throws me out of the narrative types), toxic misogynists, and retcon/canon inconsistency haters. There is probably nothing the franchise can do to appease this small yet vocal segment of the fans. For the anti-progressives the answer is simple, turn back the clock. In a small manner the third season of Picard has managed to do that. Not only has the old TNG gang reunited on the D but the two Queer characters have been heteronormalized for most if not all, of the season and the youth have been co-opted by an interconnective hivemind hell-bent on eliminating the unassimilated. Yikes.

What outsiders might not understand about the fandom is its unrelenting discourse on the thing they love. Respectful heated arguments are par for the course, yet since the relaunch in 2017, the occurrence of a more toxic discourse has intensified. This coincides with the assholing of humanity through social media. 

Some fans announced Star Trek is “back” much to the chagrin of fans who said the same thing in 2017.

What should have been the bridge between this rift in the fandom, season three of Picard, has simply increased the schism. Some fans announced Star Trek is “back” much to the chagrin of fans who said the same thing in 2017. Additionally, Discovery fans are often positioned in a defensive stance when talking about the show on social media. Coincidentally, many of these fans are BIPOC and/or Queer. Discovery represents to them the olive branch of inclusivity that was merely nascent, or missing, in Legacy Trek. The quiet announcement of the show’s cancellation seemed like a slap on the face. However, in the current streaming world five seasons of a show point towards its success rather than its failure.

Of course, days later a new series was announced in the Disco 32nd-century timeline, Star Fleet Academy. In gestation in one form or another since the 80s a Star Fleet Academy show is long overdue. The initial reaction to the announcement and its setting, Disco’s timeline, was divisive amongst the fans. Some fans are not content with the branching out of live-action instalments, trying to appeal to different fans identities, they seem to want all the series to speak to them, often in a white cis-gendered heteronormative voice. 

Ever since Gene Roddenberry decided to create a new show in the 80s without the original series cast members Star Trek bifurcated. Each new installment has further split the fandom. Time has created a strained community that is both inclusive and exclusive, content and discontent, grateful and unappreciative, progressive and conservative. By definition, Star Trek is now contradictory. The fandom is mostly an enjoyable experience, but fans still have to block and mute each other, defend their show and their identities, nay their mere existence to others, and many face harassment.

If Star Trek is many things to many people how does a franchise appease the vast majority of the fans? With Strange New Worlds' future uncertain after season three, its lack of abundant representation for marginalized groups within series regulars, and the eventual launch of Star Fleet Academy in the 32nd-century there will be a chance for the franchise to create a new live-action series in the next couple of years. One targeted at the adult audiences of Discovery, Picard, and SNW. The answer to these questions might lie in Matalas’s pitch for a Star Trek Legacy show. A chance to bring back characters/actors/storylines from Legacy shows and mix them with newer characters and possibly dare I say, new enemies and antagonists. However, the progressivism of Discovery and its inclusivity has delighted a large swath of the fandom, they finally felt seen and heard and not bringing that forward to an adult-targeted live-action Star Trek outing could spell the death of the franchise by abandoning the very ideals of Roddenberry-ism.

Everyone who blubbered like a baby at seeing the Enterprise D again and said “There’s no crying in Star Trek” needs to take a long overdue look at themselves in the mirror.

How can a show set in the future not be progressive? This is one of the key issues facing the fandom. In a perfect world, a Legacy show would combine the best of NuTrek with the best of Legacy Trek. The show would resemble all peoples of the world, have kick-ass starships, and have fabulous storytelling with old and new friends. With one episode left to go, Picard has been both a huge success and something of a step backwards. Everyone who blubbered like a baby at seeing the Enterprise D again and said “There’s no crying in Star Trek” needs to take a long overdue look at themselves in the mirror. Star Trek provides hope to many, hope that we as a species are going to survive, prosper, and learn to celebrate our differences. When the fandom cannot even celebrate differences within the fandom there is a serious problem. To quote Cassius, “The fault…is not in our stars, but in ourselves.”

[todayworldnews2k21]

Michelle Yeoh set to return as Emperor Philippa Georgiou in new ‘Star Trek’ movie | CNN

CNN  —  Live long and prosper, Michelle Yeoh. After winning a best actress Oscar for her role in “Everything Everywhere All At Once” last month, Yeoh is preparing to step back into the Star Trek universe to reprise her role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou in the new “Star Trek: Section 31” movie. Yeoh was first introduced as the character in 2017, when the Emmy-winning “Star Trek: Discovery” TV…

[theultimatefan]

FAN EXPO Philadelphia Returns May 3-5, With Lopez, Gunn, Day, McKenzie Among First Stars

Fans of all things pop culture have marked their calendars for the return of FAN EXPO Philadelphia, set for May 3-5 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. With the show fewer than four months away, the guest roster for the pop culture extravaganza gets off to a huge start with the first nine standouts in what will be a star-studded lineup.

First to the post are headliners Mario Lopez (“Saved by the Bell,” “Access Hollywood”), Sean Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy, “Gilmore Girls”), Felicia Day (“The Guild,” “Dragon Age: Redemption”), Ben McKenzie (“Gotham,” “The O.C.”), Holly Marie Combs (“Charmed,” “Picket Fences”), Adam Savage (“MythBusters,” “Unchained Reaction”), Michelle Hurd (“Star Trek: Picard,” “Law & Order: SVU”), Sofia Boutella (Rebel Moon, The Mummy) and Jason Lee (“My Name is Earl,” The Incredibles).

Lopez first gained attention for his role as “A.C. Slater” on “Saved by the Bell” from 1989-1993 and its reboot in 2020-21. He also served as host for the syndicated entertainment newsmagazine shows “Extra” and “Access Hollywood.” He also starred in the police drama “Pacific Blue” and had a recurring role on the daytime drama “The Bold and the Beautiful.”

Gunn played "Kraglin" in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and its sequels in 2017 and 2023, as well as providing the physical performance via motion capture for "Rocket Raccoon" in the films plus Avengers: Infinity War, Endgame and Thor: Love and Thunder. He also portrayed "Kirk Gleason" throughout the seven-year run of "Gilmore Girls" among his 60+ acting credits.

Day has more than 100 credits, from films to TV series to voice work, with many highlights including a 66-episode run on “The Guild” and recurring spots on “Supernatural” and “Eureka.” She teamed with original series host Joel Hodgson for a five-year run on the recent iteration of “Mystery Science Theater 3000” and had her first big fandom exposure in a recurring role as “Vi” on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

McKenzie, who portrayed the lead character “James Gordon” in the hit Fox TV show “Gotham,” was born in Austin, Texas, appearing in theater productions and a few TV shows including “The District,” “JAG” and “Mad TV” before the success of “The O.C.” launched him into stardom. His film roles have included Junebug opposite Amy Adams and 88 Minutes with Al Pacino. The University of Virginia graduate’s starring role in “Gotham,” which regularly hit nearly seven million weekly viewers, followed the Commissioner’s life before Batman came onto the scene.

Combs starred in "Charmed," which ran for eight seasons and has adopted a huge, loyal following since, as "Piper Halliwell," one of three witch sisters fighting evil in modern day San Francisco. That followed her breakout role in 88 episodes of the hit series "Picket Fences" and later led to appearances in more than 30 series and movies and a long run as "Ella Montgomery" on "Pretty Little Liars."

Savage, best known for his work as the co-host of the Discovery Channel series “MythBusters” and “Unchained Reaction,” has made his mark in the entertainment world as a special effects designer and fabricator, actor, educator, television personality and producer. His special effects work on such films as Space Cowboys (2000), Galaxy Quest (1999), Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002), The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and others earned him acclaim that led to the “MythBusters” gig and front-facing success.

Hurd has appeared in a wide variety of projects, notably in regular roles in “Star Trek: Picard,” “Blindspot,” “Hawaii Five-0,” “The Glades” and “Law & Order: SVU.” She had her first extended exposure as “Dana Kramer” on the daytime drama “Another World,” and last year co-starred opposite Jonathan Bennett and Cedric the Entertainer in the feature film The Plus One.

Boutella played the lead character in last year’s Netflix action-adventure feature Rebel Moon: Part One: A Child of Fire, a follow up to her role in “Rogue Heroes” a year earlier. She co-starred opposite Tom Cruise in the fantasy-adventure film The Mummy in 2017 and was also top billed in the science fiction drama Settlers and Prisoners of the Ghostland alongside Nicolas Cage and Nick Cassavetes in 2001 and the horror film Climax in 2018.

A native of Southern California, Lee is a photographer, producer, director, and actor. Having established a successful career as a professional skateboarder during the sport's pivotal late 80s and early 90s period, Lee would go on to pursue acting, which would lead to working in film, television, and voiceover, and with such directors as Kevin Smith, Lawrence Kasdan, Cameron Crowe and Rebecca Miller.

Single-Day Tickets, Three-Day Passes, Ultimate Fan and VIP Packages for FAN EXPO Philadelphia are available now. Advance pricing is available until April 18. More guest news will be released in the following weeks, including line-up reveals for additional headline celebrities, comic creator guests, voice actors and cosplayers.

Philadelphia is the eighth event on the 2024 FAN EXPO HQ calendar; the full schedule is available at fanexpohq.com/home/events/.

[anshraa99]

Michelle Yeoh set to return as Emperor Philippa Georgiou in new 'Star Trek' movie

CNN  —  Live long and prosper, Michelle Yeoh. After winning a best actress Oscar for her role in “Everything Everywhere All At Once” last month, Yeoh is preparing to step back into the Star Trek universe to reprise her role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou in the new “Star Trek: Section 31” movie. Yeoh was first introduced as the character in 2017, when the Emmy-winning “Star Trek: Discovery” TV…

[aqsaa8685]

Michelle Yeoh set to return as Emperor Philippa Georgiou in new 'Star Trek' movie

CNN  —  Live long and prosper, Michelle Yeoh. After winning a best actress Oscar for her role in “Everything Everywhere All At Once” last month, Yeoh is preparing to step back into the Star Trek universe to reprise her role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou in the new “Star Trek: Section 31” movie. Yeoh was first introduced as the character in 2017, when the Emmy-winning “Star Trek: Discovery” TV…