Space – the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. It’s continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before!
There are few phrases in pop culture more iconic than these opening words of Star Trek. Whether spoken by Kirk or Picard, they stand as the defining ethos of the franchise. Given the legacy of Star Trek, they also serve as a sort of definition of science-fiction in general: an optimistic, adventurous drive for knowledge and transcendence. The debut of Star Trek in 1966 in many ways marked the beginning of modern sci-fi as well as the general public’s perception of it. Despite variances in quality or wider reception over the decades, it still stands as a venerable institution.
I recently overheard a conversation between two coworkers about Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black. When they asked if I had ever seen it, I replied in the negative. Their reaction was one of surprise.
“Really?! Oh, you really have to. You’d love it!”
I replied that I’m sure I would, but honestly — I probably won’t.
Now, this post is not to disparage Orange Is the New Black, which by all accounts really is a great show. However, I’ve come to accept a simple fact: there are many movies, TV shows, music, books, and video games out there that I have not seen, heard, read, or played. And I probably never will. You know what? I’m okay with that.Continue reading I Do What I Want: Bucking the Hegemony of Culture and Doing Stuff for the Fun of It→
I spent my Independence Day weekend binge-watching Stranger Things season 3, and it is now one of my favorite shows. The long weekend is perfect for taking what is really just a long movie broken up into 8 parts, and I’m now sold on the show’s entire nostalgia/horror/popcorn entertainment schtick.Continue reading Stranger Things Is Pretty Much My New Favorite Show→
The game is over. After almost a decade of world-building, the saga of Westeros as told by HBO’s Game of Thrones has come to and end. It is rightfully praised as one of the greatest television shows of our time, and undeniably captured the cultural zeitgeist. And yet it seems that every single person I have talked to, and a majority of the masses online, feel personally bereaved over the ending. “Game of Trash,” I heard it referred to. So many people hated it, felt disappointed or outright angry with how David Benioff and DB Weiss chose to end their epic. Those people, I will argue, are wrong to be so upset. Given everything that has happened in the show over the past 8 seasons, and given the limitations that the showrunners have come up against, I believe that the finale we got is as good of an ending as can be hoped for, and leaves me excited for the final two books in the series. [SPOILERS AHEAD] Continue reading In Defense of Game of Thrones→
Then Play On 