Interesting essay written by Greece's former finance minister and leftist economist.

It looks like the embargo on Section 31 reviews has lifted, so feel free to use this thread to link to reviews, so the main feed doesn't get too cluttered with them.

I didn't even know there was a premiere in London on Wednesday, but there we have it.

Highlights: the person who saw the movie described it as "fun," "silly," and "Guardians of the Galaxy meets Fifth Element meets Mission: Impossible".

There's also a full, recorded-from-the-audience Q&A with Michelle Yeoh and Robert Kazinsky.

I’ve made a bizarre observation: commemorative plates tend to be associated more with Star Trek or Star Wars more than other franchise (Stargate seems to have some, too.), and I kind of wonder why.

Obviously, they’re not actually that popular anymore and have faded into kitsch, as the only plate that seems to have come out since DS9/VOY era is the Lower Decks Tom Paris plate - there are no DSC, PIC, Kelvin, or even ENT plates, while newer Star Wars plates don’t seem all that common as well unless you want paper plates.

I’m wondering if it has to do with 2 factors, still somewhat true today but especially in the 1990s:

• Both Star Wars and Star Trek are decently large fan bases with large proportions of very passionate fans that are more likely to make purchases based on their fandom.
• Both tended to attract (and still do) an upper middle class to upper class demographic (Somehow, Bezos can call himself Trekkie 🤦‍♂️) with more disposable income to spend on collecting.

These would have made the plates commercially viable, meaning to both inside and outside observers, plates became a stereotype of the fandoms.

Anyhow, what are your thoughts?

P.S. Wow, this is starting to feel like a meta version of Daystrom.

A big disclaimer at the top here that I am going to be discussing familial death.

Hello to everyone reading this. Not sure why I am greeting you, the reader. Last week my maternal grandfather passed away. He was in hospice care with bone cancer and overall poor health. The lead up to being admitted into hospice was a sudden and unexpected turn. During my grandfather’s final days, my family set up a computer at the foot of his bed so we could watch shows with him. Regardless if he was awake or not I took time by his side and watched Enterprise. As an important side note, I have always lived with my grandparents (I’m Filipino; this is a cultural thing).

In the week since my grandfather’s passing, I have been rewatching Enterprise. When the show first broadcast in 2001, I was 10-years-old. I grew up watching TNG, seeing First Contact and Insurrection in theaters and going on The Klingon Encounter attraction at Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas. For me, my grandfather was the Star Trek fan who I looked up to. I watched it because he did. So when Enterprise premiered, it was the first series I was old enough to watch in completion during its first run broadcast. I remember my grandfather being excited for “Broken Bow”. He let me stay up late on Wednesdays (and later Fridays if I recall correctly, when the timeslot changed) to watch with him.

Getting to watch Enterprise at the age of 10 to 13 (“These Are the Voyages…” aired four days before my 14th birthday) had a big impact on me. I didn’t realize till later as an adult when I finally took the time to watch all of Classic Trek and then all of New Trek (circa November 2023) how much Star Trek meant to me. You’d be hard pressed to not find me wearing a badge on a daily basis. As a Southern California resident, I drove out to Beverly Hills to attend the advanced screening of the Discovery finale in May. Then in August I finally attended my first convention: STLV.

I am writing this as my way of being reflective. Watching Enterprise with my grandfather is one of the happiest memories from my childhood. I miss my grandfather so much. Each time I watch an Enterprise episode, I feel like a kid all over. This brings me joy during a time of grief. I intimately associate Enterprise with my grandfather.

Someday in the future I want to get a tattoo of the mission patch in honor of my grandfather.

Okay, the title may be a bit of comedic overstatement. What I really mean is I love the Lower Decks soundtrack and think Westlake may have been meant for Star Trek. I don't know what it is, but it truly evokes TNG era background music but on steroids.

I can't wait for the second volume. RIP Lower Decks - may the next few years prove to be the "Search for Lower Decks" (minus the butchering of a good Vulcan character, the pointless death... okay, maybe that wasn't the most apt comparison).

Da ist ein #startrek #Stammtisch in #Heidelberg in Gründung: https://rheinneckar.events/events/1a222761-94be-4840-a27c-d8af6c0e2966

#trekkies #rheinneckar
@StarTrek@mastodon.social @startrek@startrek.website
@startrek@loma.ml

I have already seen everything Trek some more than once already. I always get a bit sad on the last few episodes of a series. I am going to miss the characters and seeing them continue to grow and interact with each other.

The same thing happened when I finished my rewatch of DS9. I think it hit my harder with DS9 since that those characters had such a good chemistry with each other.

Once I finish Voyagers I plan to start watching TNG right away. I havn't done a complete watch through of it for many years. I usually get the first 2 or 3 seasons before getting distracted. I have been looking forward to watching it again.

I do appreciate the more realistic lifespan, starships are massive investments that should last at least a few decades and are designed with continuous upgrades in mind (unless they're called "Enterprise" apparently).