Paramount Drops Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has been cancelled after only two seasons. Starfleet Academy was a little beacon of hope for the future that has been snuffed out by the merger of Paramount Skydance & Warner Bros. Sure, there was a cowardly upswing of toxicity with bot attacks and review bombings towards the show, but I’d bet a cargo holds worth of gold-pressed latinum that pleasing the monsters who will give the yay or nay to the merger is at the core of this warp-core breach.

It does not bode well for the future on several levels; for Star Trek of course and, more directly, for accessibility to information that isn’t from the unofficial state-run ‘Department of Truth,” that this merger will usher in. "1984" was not supposed to be a user manual, yet here we are. The Paramount/Warner merger is a blow to the First Amendment, to Journalism, and to any voice that does not genuflect to the powers that be and the idiocy that they bring in their wake. I did a quick Google search and the ACLU from Arizona encapsulates this point succinctly…

“Freedom of the press, protected by the First Amendment in the U.S. Constitution, ensures that media can report, publish, and disseminate information without government censorship or intimidation. It is considered a cornerstone of democracy, essential for holding officials accountable and informing the public. Key principles include the prohibition of prior restraint and the right to investigate government actions.”

Journalism and shows like Star Trek & The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (also owned by Paramount who owns CBS) are in the process of being dismantled. Their crime? Showing and telling truth to power. When a Paramount falls in line with the powers that be they sacrifice the truth for the favor of an emperor who is wearing no clothes. A false king whose insanity & greed has brought us to war and sacrificed any good standing we had at one time not all that long ago with the entire world.

“But the new Star Trek is woke!”

Stop. The “woke” gripe against any Star Trek series holds no water. If you think #StarTrek is “woke” then you have watched Star Trek, but you have never really seen it. No, the simple beauty of Star Trek isn’t the technology or the science, it is in the idea that we, humanity, learn to live together and move forward together into that undiscovered country, the future. There is a well known quote about Star Trek from Gene Roddenberry…

“Star Trek was an attempt to say that humanity will reach maturity and wisdom on the day that it begins not just to tolerate but take a special delight in differences in ideas and differences in life forms. If we cannot learn to actually enjoy those small differences, to take a positive delight in those small differences between our own kind, here on this planet, then we do not deserve to go out into space and meet the diversity that is almost certainly out there.”

I read my daughter that quote and, heartbreakingly, she said, “We do not deserve the stars.”

So, why bring the axe down now? Starfleet Academy was smartly written. They told a full story in one season’s time. This story must have ruffled feathers due to the narrative of the battle of ideologies between Nahla Ake (Holly Hunter) & Nus Braka (Paul Giamatti). Ake, the voice of reason & Braka, the voice of chaos. Braka wants to destroy the Federation. He’s a loud, obnoxious, man-child, lying, bullying, tyrant of a leader who through manipulation & violence gains power. In the end he makes his case as to why he should be the leader of the new galactic order & destroy the Federation.

Ake using facts proves that Braka is wrong & makes the case for facing the future without fear or terror to worlds of beings. To the various space-faring races in attendance & to the galaxy, who is watching the proceedings, Ake says in her closing argument, “Who do you want to go into the future with?”

Braka & Ake

As a sixty year old franchise, Star Trek has always used allegory to tell stories about issues of the day that historically effect us all. Paramount cancelled Star Trek for being Star Trek. And, in all reality, this is what cancelled Star Trek. Paramount wants to please Trump’s administration so that their merger with Warner Bros. goes through, make them nearly a monopoly to shape the message of what people read, hear, & see. They would be the mega-corporation condoned voice of the state. In the show the galaxy sides with Ake, in reality, Paramount sided with Braka – a Trump proxy, all for greed & power.

It does not bode well for the future of Star Trek, at least with its present masters at the helm. The “Star Trek: Year One” concept, which would have been a wonderful pickup from “Strange New Worlds” would have been worth seeing come to fruition since we are owed two more years on that initial five-year mission. Star Trek Legacy, and any other potential projects including movies or anything else franchise related will, much like Kahn’s crew on the Botany Bay, be put into stasis.   

When Star Trek is gone from Paramount Plus, I will not be far behind. I will drop it like an overheating phaser. They have proven to be poor stewards of what they had and now that I see what they want to usher in to the world… well, no thanks. I’ll put my $15.00 a month towards other things. I encourage you to do the same. The only thing corporations care about are dollars. I’m almost done giving them any more of mine. You see, I know who I want to go into the future with and that has nothing to do with the chaos that the current administration and their toadies at Paramount are willing to sow.

To the cast & crew of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Thank you for carrying the torch of Star Trek further. You have much to be proud of. I am looking forward to season two and know that your contribution to the narrative of Star Trek – of the future, has been indispensable. One day, I firmly believe, that we – humanity, will be worthy the stars. You have helped light the way and I am grateful. 

LLAP

CAP’S COMICS

“I’d like a comic book.” Mother Hen casually said about a month before Christmas.

“You know, I have a bad ear,” I said, “but I would have sworn on a stack of Bibles that you just said that you wanted a comic book.”

“No, you heard me right.” She said.

“Which comic book?”

“The Amazing Spiderman number… five seventy something.” She said.

“Why?” I asked. Now yours truly wanting a comic book not very big news, Mother Hen wanting a comic book, on the other hand, lent itself to having Rod Serling step from around the corner of the doorway and literally explaining the reasons to me.

“Who are you looking for?” she asked me as I searched for Mr. Serling.

“Huh? …Oh, no one…” I said taking one last look at the doorway. “So why do you want a Spiderman comic?”

“Stephen Colbert is on the cover and he is still in the running to be President of the United States in the Marvel Universe. There’s a story written by Joe Quesada in there too.” Oh she was speaking my language. I met Joe (the head of Marvel Comics) Quesada in Philadelphia a few years back and heard him speak. At the time he mentioned that he wished there was no such things as secret identities and discussed how cool it would be if Tony Stark held a press conference just to say, “I’m Iron Man.” That was before he did that in the comics, in the movie and in the whole “Civil War” story arc. There are a lot of Colbert fans out there who would be grabbing up the variant issue.

And so it came to pass, Gentle Reader that yours truly set off on a quest to find the Stephen Colbert issue of The Amazing Spiderman. After a bit of research I found the number (573) and that there were three covers; the regular cover with Venom and the Scorpion, the minor variant cover with Anti-Venom and the Scorpion and, the issue that geeks and Colbert fans are clamoring for, the one where Stephen Colbert is saving Spiderman and emulating the same pose from Amazing Fantasy # 15 (Spidey’s first appearance). I covered the South Jersey area looking for it. I went to three comic book shops before stopping in over at IT’S A TOY STORE (see: http://evilchickenscratch.blogspot.com/2008/11/its-toy-store.html) and they steered me in the right direction.

“Yeah, they have a copy over at CAP’S COMICS in Millville.”

“Millville!? …Cap’s Comics?” I said, truly surprised. It’s just not like me to NOT know about a comic book shop in the South Jersey area. “How long have they been open?”

“Since about February.”

“No kiddin’.”

“Nope.”

So with hot tip in hand I placed a call to CAP’S COMICS. They had it and I said that I’d be there post haste. And I was. Like many of the characters that it deals in the storefront itself is like a secret identity but lest there be no doubt a Comic Book shop is there at 1301 N. 10th St. Suite G in Millville (N.J. 08332 – that is). I paid a fair price for the issue and struck up a great little conversation with the owner – who is not only a nice guy but he’s also a Comic Fan! Believe it or not that’s not always a prerequisite for being in this line of work. We talked Iron Man, Silver Age and Red Hulk for about forty minutes or so and, I gotta tell ya, I can’t wait to get back there. I picked up a card, which says, “Silver age, bronze age and back issues also collectibles. New comics every week. 10% off all subscription titles.” Their hours are Wednesday 6:00 – 9:00 PM, Thursday 6:00 – 9:00 PM, Friday 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM, and Saturday 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM. Their phone number is 856-825-5779. I can tell you CAP’S came through for me (and Mother Hen) and if there’s something that you’re looking for, I bet they can do the same for you.

Too cool.

I’m thinking about getting the Red Hulk graphic novel; hey it’s been a while since I’ve read any comics and I’ve got a lot of catching up to do. Fortunately, CAP’S COMICS is there to ease my transition back.

EXCELSIOR!