Credit Where It’s Due: The Orville
Let me admit: I’m a mega-nerd. Love Star Trek: The Original Series (1966 – 1969). Waited anxiously for Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987 – 1994). Waited eagerly for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993 – 1999). Sought out and got invested in Babylon 5 (1993 – 1998). Gave every possible clone – like Space Rangers (1993 – 1994) – a chance. Come Star Trek: Voyager (1995 – 2001), I recognised some stagnancy in the franchise, but I still offered a lot of leeway. I was Leeway Les. Never watched all of Star Trek: Enterprise (2001 – 2005) when it first screened, but saw a lot of potential squandered, and…
Make It Blow – Star Trek: Picard
The Ruse There’s a sheer artistry about the latest Star Trek instalment, Star Trek: Picard (2020 – ), but it has nothing to do with storytelling. We begin with shots of space. They’re gorgeous. Then it’s the Enterprise 1701-D, which we last saw way back in Star Trek: Generations (1994). Specials effects have come some way since then. This shot is amazing. I imagine fans of The Original Series (1966 – 1969) felt this way when they saw the Enterprise 1701 on the big screen for the first time in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979). There’s something epic about the Enterprise 1701-D navigating the deepest reaches of space (or,…