TV Series: Binge Watch Star Trek and Beyond!

Binge-watching is bad for your brain. Well, there are some out there who say that binge-watching is unhealthy. That might be true and I suppose if you’re a youngster you might do some extra research to be sure that you’re not damaging your brain. (How binge-watching is hazardous to your health.)

But I am already beyond the half a century mark (50+). Video streaming is a new form of entertainment, that wasn’t around when I was growing up. So I am going to take advantage of video streaming sites like Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Viki, etc. In particular, I plan to enjoy all of those old TV shows that I remember watching on television when I was younger and also TV series that I never got a chance to watch when they were being aired.

Binge-watching is necessary because there are so many seasons/episodes. If I view one a week or one episode a day, it might take 100 years! LOL. Sometimes I also enjoy binge-watching movies in certain genres, like sci-fi. 

Star Trek and Beyond!

(NOTE:  Do not confuse the subheading above with the 2016 movie "Star Trek Beyond").  I simply meant to say I started with the original 1960s series and then went beyond to all of the spinoffs.)

The TV series that I decided to binge-watch is “Star Trek” and all of the other “Star Trek spinoffs”. Why? Because Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock made quite an impression on me as a child. The program had a talented and diverse cast. People from various backgrounds and ethnicities were represented “equally” and back in the 60s in America that was considered ground-breaking. I never watched the Star Trek spinoffs like “The Next Generation”, “Deep Space Nine”, etc. when they were on TV. But we have a Netflix subscription and it has all of the Star Trek episodes, except for “Star Trek: Discovery”. Here is a recap of what I have binge-watched thus far. No spoilers just a few “hints”.

Star Trek: The Original Series (1966 – 1969)

In 1966, I was 11 years old. Rewatching this series was a wonderful trip down memory lane. Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Lieutenant Uhura, and all of the others I remembered so vividly. I honestly can’t say that I have a favorite episode. But I can say that I was disappointed with the last episode. That TV series should not have ended like that.

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987 – 1994)

This series was an excellent follow-up to the original series. My two favorite characters were Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Data. The Starfleet crew was even more diverse. They had a Klingon on board who was in charge of security. If you watched the original series you will recall that the Klingons were The Enemy. This series introduced Another Enemy far worse the Klingons. The Borg. If they don’t scare you, it’s because you’ve already been “assimilated”. (Hint.) Like the original series, I don’t have a favorite episode in this series either.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993 – 1999)

The crew/cast is “even more diverse”. In addition to humans, there are Klingons, Ferengis, Cardassians, Bajorans, and a species who were even scarier than The Borg. They were called The Dominion. My two favorite characters were Commander Benjamin Sisko and Odo, the Changeling. Incorporating the character Vic Fontaine, played by James Darren in the holodeck was a very creative piece of scriptwriting. My favorite episode in this series is “Badda-Bing Badda-Bang”. Commander Sisko is very talented. (Hint.)

Star Trek: Voyager (1995 – 2001)

A starship lost in space trying to get back home. My favorite characters are not the stars of this show. They are a part of the supporting cast. I love Mr. Neelix and Seven of Nine. In my opinion, this series is not as interesting and engaging as the other series. But it is imperative that I watch it to The End. I have to know how they get home. What a hook!

Original Source

Today in 1966: #StarTrek (TOS) debuted in the U.S. The original starship Enterprise studio model used in the TV show is in our collection: https://t.co/Y6LNJ1sDxC #StarTrekDay #AirSpacePhoto pic.twitter.com/Lki0fhfkMz

— National Air and Space Museum (@airandspace) September 8, 2020

#StarTrekDay

been boldly going for 55 years 💛
— happy #StarTrekDay ! 💫 pic.twitter.com/eg2OkLpx8s

— star trek gifs (@tosgifs) September 8, 2021

Vintage Sci-Fi TV Series: The Twilight Zone (1959-1964) ~ Most Memorable Episode

“The Twilight Zone” was a popular TV series that aired from 1959 to 1964. It was hosted/narrated by its creator Rod Serling. The man was a genius!! Sadly, he lived a very short life: 50 years. Rodman Edward Serling (1924 – 1975). Even though this TV program only lasted for 5 years, it left an indelible mark in the history of science fiction entertainment.

Anybody who has watched this classic TV series probably has one particular episode they remember. Some people say that the most popular episode was the one titled “To Serve Man”. I don't know if it was popular because of the content OR because of that creepy looking guy with the funny-shaped head.

🤗If you would, contrary to heart recommendations against too much salt, pour baby pour! The Kanamits are partial to salty delicacies!🎨"To Serve Man" aired on March 5, 1959😳#RodSerling #TheTwilightZone #ToServeMan #Scifi pic.twitter.com/hE0EVdo2PH

— Author🦑John DeLaughter🦑 (@HPL_JDeLaughter) March 10, 2022

But to me the most memorable episode was “The Rip Van Winkle Caper”. The moral of the story was twofold:

(1) One can plan for the future but one can not predict the future; and

(2) Avarice and greed are probably timeless human characteristics.

Here's the plot. These guys get together to steal gold. One of the guys is a scientist. He tells his friends that they can steal the gold, and evade the law enforcement authorities by getting into this time capsule. They will go to sleep for several years, like Rip Van Winkle, and when they wake up in the future, they won't have to worry about going to jail for committing the crime. They reason that, in the future, law enforcement won't be looking for them because it will be assumed that they died many years ago. When they arrive in the future, they reason that they are now free from being fugitives from justice, and THEY'RE RICH! They can go to the secret place where they hid the gold, divide up the gold amongst themselves, and start living the good life! Right?

Uuuummm ... not quite. Because even in the future, there is no honor among thieves. They are still avaricious and greedy. They try to kill each other, and only one of them survives the double-crossing and the betrayal. That one who survived found himself with a lot of gold and in a hot desert. No humans around for miles. And also … no water. By the time he does see human beings, he tries to get help for himself, offering to pay them in gold, however … he drops dead! The humans who had stopped for him were confused by my his words and behavior.

April 21, 1961: Twilight Zone's "The Rip Van Winkle Caper" airs. You steal a shipment of gold, but how do you spend it? Hey, it's the fifth dimension: Hibernate for 100 years. Sounds like a fool-proof plan, right?

Written by Rod Serling. Stars Oscar Beregi and Simon Oakland. pic.twitter.com/EYNtIURUlN

— The Twilight Zone (@TheNightGallery) April 21, 2022

The humans remark to themselves: “He seemed to think that gold was valuable.”

It turns out that in the future, gold was worthless!! Humanity had changed to the point where there was no need for gold. That was a fact that the thieves had not even considered.

This episode aired in April 1961. Out of all of the Twilight Zone episodes I watched, that one made an impression on me and the life lessons learned have stayed with me to this day.

Rod Serling (1924–1975), the creator of the #TwilightZone, was born on #Christmas Day.

He lived for just 50 years, but his gift to all of us is timeless. pic.twitter.com/XsS4h7uyDK

— Sony Movies (@SonyMoviesTV) December 25, 2018

An Invitation to Come With Me on My Star Trek Adventures

Welcome! Please come with me and boldly go where I (and millions of other Star Trek fans) have already gone and will happily go again! ☺

Gene Rodenberry’s Star Trek series really made a name for itself and earned the reputation that allowed for all of the other ST spinoffs. Any program that wants to carry on the Star Trek tradition should be worthy. It’s 2020+ and my Star Trek lust is not being satiated. I viewed a few episodes in three different series that have the name Star Trek in the title and … in my humble opinion … they don’t live up to the name. Hey! It’s an opinion. Feel free to disagree. We all have our peculiar tastes when it comes to entertainment.

First, let’s recap the Star Trek series being used as my basis for comparison.  (Let's also thank online streaming services like Netflix for allowing fans to binge watch these memorable TV shows.) 

Star Trek: The Original Series

The TV show aired back in the 60s (1966-69) and was considered groundbreaking because of its diverse cast, which included an African-America female high ranking officer, Lieutenant Uhura; and a Vulcan first officer, second only to the captain of the USS Enterprise, the logical and the incomparable Mr. Spock. Imagine. Before man had a mission to go where he had never boldly gone before, Vulcans had already boldly come to us. An advanced civilization had to come and give us ignorant humans a helping hand with our exploration efforts. It’s interesting. Considering that during our space explorations we found that there were so many other “sentient beings” in the universe, one may wonder why the Vulcans chose to ally with the humans and landed in the United States of America for their First Contact. That question is answered in another Star Trek series called Star Trek: Enterprise, which did not air until 2001 after several other ST spinoffs happened in between.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

The show ran from the late 80s into the early 90s (1987-1994). It will always be remembered for Captain Jean Luc Picard, he was very commanding and very wise; the android named Data, he was incredibly smart and very handy to have around; and an extremely scary enemy called … The Borg! Hey! Why fight them? “Resistance is futile”. So what! We fought them anyway!

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

This series aired throughout the 90s (1993-99) and quite frankly, I liked the episodes where they were in the holo suites more than the episodes where they were facing off with a real enemy, The Dominion. The most memorable characters were Captain Benjamin Sisko and Odo, the changeling. (Image: Deep Space Nine Station.)

Star Trek: Voyager

This series began in 1995 and ended in 2001. Can you believe it? They got stranded in outer space, in the wrong quadrant, and the entire series was about them trying to find their way back home and get home before they were too old for their relatives to still recognize them. So get this! A 24th-century state of the art starship with no GPS to give them directions when they’re lost. It’s believable. Sometimes we humans are very creative and inventive but in the process of building things, we overlook an obvious and critically important feature. Who was the scariest enemy? The Vidians. These beings were suffering from a disease so they went everywhere stealing organs from everybody else. They didn’t ask for organ donors. They just took what they needed. What must it feel like to have your lungs disappear? One second you’re breathing. The next second? NO AIR!! Who is the most memorable character in this series? Seven of Nine. She was a Borg drone, who was captured by The Borg when she was a child. By the time she was found by the crew of The Voyager, she was a young woman. Captain Janeway was determined to give her back her life so that she could live as a human again. She succeeded. Out of all of the characters in all of the Star Trek series, I am never going to forget Seven of Nine.

Star Trek: Enterprise

This series is the prequel. Star Trek: The Original Series began without ever explaining how the United Federation of Planets began. It ran from 2001 and 2005 and honestly, nothing about the show was memorable. But it did explain how and why it was decided that we should boldly go where no man had ever gone before. Even if we do cross paths with sentient beings who think they are a superior race or just don’t really like us very much and want to fight a war. If you think about it, it’s really not that much different from living on planet earth.

So now it’s the 21st century and here’s where I am in my Star Trek adventures.

Star Trek: Picard

I watched only one episode because it was offered free of charge for the curious who might be willing to pay to watch the entire series. It was OK. To be honest, since it bore the name “Picard”, I had higher expectations. I’m content to wait until I can binge watch all of the episodes for free at some later date when its novelty has word off.

Star Trek: Discovery

I watched some episodes and I have several complaints.

• Number 1: The lighting is awful! For many scenes, it seems so dark.
• Number 2: The Klingons wear way too much make-up!
• Number 3: The special effects are serious overkill.

This series was launched in 2017. By this time, the original Star Trek series was 50 years old.

Star Trek Continues

I was searching for streaming apps and stumbled across this series. You will recall that the mission was supposed to last for 5 years, only the show was canceled after 3 seasons. Somebody decided that since the original Star Trek series was cut short and fans were terribly disappointed, they would continue the old show only … with new actors playing the old parts for Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Bones, Scotty, etc.

• Number 1: The replacements have no strong screen presence at all! They are like cheap imitations or really bad counterfeits of the original cast. My opinion.
• Number 2: If the first episode is an indicator, it’s a good series to watch if you want to compare it with your imagination. Surely you must have wondered what the Star Trek series would have been like had they actually completed the 5-year mission. I am not that impressed, however, in all fairness, the creators of this series get an A++ for their honorable intentions.

♦ All I can say is… once upon a time … there was an awesome TV show called Star Trek that set the standard for all the other science fiction space exploration television series that would come after.

Original Source

#StarTrekDay

been boldly going for 55 years 💛
— happy #StarTrekDay ! 💫 pic.twitter.com/eg2OkLpx8s

— star trek gifs (@tosgifs) September 8, 2021

Space Sweepers (2021): Sci-Fi Korean Drama Movie

Space Sweepers is a sci-fi K-drama film, released in 2021, currently streaming on Netflix. 

You do not need much imagination to figure out that it's about people who sweep space collecting junk and debris. There are junkyards on Earth. Why wouldn't there be junkyards in Space?

• PLOT SUMMARY: “The year is 2092, and Earth is borderline uninhabitable, overrun by arid deserts and the dry orange color grading of Blade Runner 2049. Everyone who can afford it has moved off the ruined planet to live in orbit on a seemingly utopian colony named Eden, built and ruled by a megacorporation.” (Quote Source: Space Sweepers review: Netflix sci-fi movie feels like Cowboy Bebop | Polygon)

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Meet the Victory Team

Tae-ho, Captain Jang, Tiger Park, and an android named Bubs are the crew of space sweepers who find Dorothy. The name of their spaceship is Victory.

In 2092 space debris is like gold or currency. Space sweepers explore space collecting junk and selling it. While exploring some debris to see what they could salvage to sell, a team of space sweepers finds a little girl in the wreckage. They figure she's a missing child and somebody will probably pay handsomely for her to be returned. Seems like a logical deduction.  Only ... 

A Little Girl is Not Debris, But She Can Be a Bomb!

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Song Joong Ki’s Movie ‘Space Sweepers’ to Possibly Return with Two More Sequels | KDramaStars

K-Drama Review: L.U.C.A.: The Beginning (2021) | Make the World Better By Making Better Humans

L.U.C.A.: The Beginning is a Korean drama about a mad scientist who thinks he's good enough to be like God. In fact, he's convinced himself that he can make better humans than God.

This series is 12 episodes, released in 2021, currently streaming on Viki. As for the genre? It has elements of crime and mystery and elements of science that might have the viewer wondering if it's science fact or science fiction.

• According to current science, the Last Universal Common Ancestor, L.U.C.A. Is the ancestor of all living things, and is estimated to have lived some four billion years ago, when Earth was a mere 560 million years old.

First, a woman supplied her ovum and a man supplied his sperm. You don't need to be a scientific genius to know that is the beginning of human life. But! Suppose after you joined the ovum and the sperm, you combined human DNA with DNA from jellyfish, fruit flies, electric eels, and other animals. Now! Is the baby a human? A monster? A half-human, half-monster?  

Ryu Joong-kwon (played by Ahn Nae-sang) is a scientist who thinks that ethics hinder the research and advancement of science. He found people who were willing to fund his unrestricted research, so he was able to perform numerous kinds of scientific experiments. Only one of his experiments was successful. He genetically engineered an artificially enhanced child who was named Ji Oh. 

• L.U.C.A. stands for Last Universal Common Ancestor. Ji Oh (played by Kim Rae Won) is L.U.C.A.  This is his beginning.

Glitch (2022): Alien Sci-Fi Korean Drama Series ~ Only on Netflix.

Hong Ji-hyo (played by Jeon Yeo-been) thinks she may have had an encounter with aliens when she was in middle school. By the time she becomes a young adult, she has been receiving psychiatric treatment because her parents are convinced her belief in aliens is a mental illness. They want her to get married and be “normal”. Her boyfriend announced that they were going to marry and her parents were thrilled. But then her boyfriend suddenly vanishes. Her parents think she chased him away. But she is convinced that he was abducted by aliens and goes to look for him.

The series is 10 episodes and it's about a young woman who searches for her missing boyfriend and uncovers cults and conspiracies about aliens. The storyline goes from weird to weirder to weirdest to … THIS IS FREAKING UNBELIEVABLE!!

The cast for this K-drama did a good job of acting. It was a believable sci-fi TV series. LOL.

Original source

Duty After School | K-Drama Sci-Fi Series Based on a Webtoon

Duty After School is a Korean drama sci-fi series based on a webtoon by Ha Il-Kwon.  It's 10 episodes, released in 2023, and currently streaming on Rakuten Viki. 

*****

High School Seniors Earn Credits for College

It's your last year of high school and the last thing that you're thinking about is … FIGHTING ALIENS! And it's not a video game or anime. It's REAL!

For about a year there have been some strange-looking spheres floating in the skies. Were they dangerous? Did they pose a threat? Nobody knew. Nothing ever happened. Well! According to the news that was reported to the general public, nothing happened. The military knew a different story but the higher-up officials who headed up defense operations did not want to cause mass panic and hysteria. 

Seongjin High is a typical high school with a typical graduating senior class of boys and girls. There's the girl that all the guys like, the besties who always stick together, the nerds, the outcast, the class clown, the bully, etc. One day the homeroom teacher for Grade 3 Class 2 announces that early admissions to college or university have been canceled. Instead, the students will serve in the military. No worries. Their service will be translated into credits that will count toward their future education.

That announcement on that day changed their lives forever!!

Each episode of Duty After School poses a new challenge for these kids to overcome. The characters are very diverse and the differences in personalities often cause clashes. 

• Some are selfish and immature, and their fear makes them think only of themselves. They are not team players but they will stick with the team because … it's safer when you stick together. 
• Others prove to be brave and loyal and emerge as leaders who can take charge when serious decisions must be made. They will make a sacrifice for the team if they have to.  

Fortunately for all of them, Platoon Leader Lee Choon-Ho (played by Shin Hyun-Soo) is an excellent role model.

• Viki viewers gave Duty After School a rating of 9 out of 10 stars. I agree.

• Read full review on PopGeeks.com. 

The Elysian Kingdom is Cute, Adorable and Very Touching

This post is a quick review of "The Elysian Kingdom".

My son subscribed to Paramount+ streaming service and let me create a profile so I could watch some of the movies and TV shows.

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐤: 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝𝐬 (𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐) 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭+ 𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬.

It's kind of cute and adorable.  A Star Trek junkie like me would like it just because it's Star Trek!  So far I like all of the characters.  A lot of the actors and actresses are new to me.  I'm not familiar with any of their other acting credits.

It's in Season 1 and I have made it up to Episode 8 titled "The Elysian Kingdom".  

Image credit

It was "cute and adorable".  I liked it because, even though I am an adult, I still love reading children's fairy tale picture books.  This episode was based on a picture book that Doctor M'Benga (played by Babs Olusanmokun) often read to his daughter Rukiya (played by Sage Arrindell).  

Without giving too much away, let's just say the episode touched on a very sensitive parenting topic and the difficult decisions parents sometimes have to make concerning their children.  Kudos to the way that the writers handled this sensitive and delicate topic.  It was very touching.

Created my #profile on Paramount Plus - Stream Live TV, Movies, Originals, Sports, News, and more https://t.co/GNfG85Am74 ~ Ready to enjoy my mountain of #entertainment. Plans start as low as $4.99/month. Cancel any time. #StarTrek fans can watch #Picard. @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/lOM1qQFzoI

— My Shopping Channel (@goshoppingbees) April 12, 2022

CBS All Access is now Paramount+, an even bigger collection of premium #entertainment. Subscribe to Paramount+ & watch live #sports, breaking #news, iconic #movies, and #TVshows ...
~ https://t.co/2eAhValZFg #freetrial @primevideo @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/lEA8D1csAt

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