Paul Levinson's Blog: Levinson at Large, page 34

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 2.6: Jimmy Kirk

An excellent episode 2.6 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on Paramount+ tonight, in which we get to see much more of James T. Kirk, introduced in this episode as Jimmy, as he helps Uhura save an intelligent life form that lives in deuterium, an essential fuel for starflight.

That's a good story in itself. But the real payoff comes in seeing young Kirk and Uhura work together, capped off with Kirk meeting Spock for the first time, and the threesome sitting at a table as the camera pulls away and the credits roll.

This is really what Strange New Worlds is most about: giving us precious knowledge about what our heros in the original Star Trek were all doing before we met them on the Enterprise in the TV sets in our living rooms in the 1960s. Last week, we got a tender, powerful episode featuring Spock and Nurse Chapel. Two weeks before, we saw James T. Kirk and La'an Noonien-Singh. These episodes are carefully constructed, and build upon each other.

Tonight we briefly saw James and La'an together again, in conversation. There's clearly some romantic energy between them. But the greater thrill was seeing James Kirk and Nyota Uhura. And then Spock joining them at that table at the end.

And all of this takes places, of course, on a ship captained by Christopher Pike, whom we also know from Star Trek: TOS and that iconic two-part episode. I can't recall a prequel series that does this as well at Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. It's on its way to providing a priceless foundation to what we grew up watching all those years ago, when The Beatles were playing on AM and then FM radios, Marshall McLuhan's books were brand new, and NBC had this extraordinary series, starting a story that, like The Beatles and McLuhan's work, is still very much with us today.

Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music

View more on Paul Levinson's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on July 20, 2023 20:09

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 2.5: Chapel and Spock

Last week's Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 2.4 was about forgetting, and it's not that I forgot to review it, I was just a little too busy, and I just saw 2.5, and that was so good, so special, that I'll say definitely see 2.4, it's excellent and you'll like it, but I'll get right to my review of 2.5. It was outstanding.

[Spoilers ahead ... ]

Chapel and Spock were already my favorite couple -- they've been that since the first episode of this second season -- and it was great to see their relationship start to flourish in 2.5. The vehicle for that was a clever piece of science fiction, with a rich human payoff -- Chapel and Spock are in a shuttle accident in which Chapel is not hurt but Spock is, and an advanced alien species "repairs" him, but mistakenly makes him completely human. Chapel finds out that Spock deliberately diverted the damage from her to him, because she was more vulnerable, and of course that makes her love Spock more.

Spock starts this episode still betrothed to T'Pring -- I thought they broke up last season -- and in addition to the humor of Spock pretending to be at least half-Vulcan to placate T'Pring's mother, I was glad to see T'Pring tell Spock near the end of the episode that they should take some time off. This set up the kiss between Chapel and Spock at the end perfectly.

About that kiss: good to see and, although their story ultimately will be limited by what we saw of the characters in their future and our past in Star Trek: TOS, I'm hoping for as much of that as possible in Strange New Worlds, including, who knows, maybe even a kid or two who could pop up in some new Star Trek series in years to come.

Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music

View more on Paul Levinson's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on July 13, 2023 22:05

Foundation 2.1: Once Again, a Tale of Two Stories

Foundation is back on Apple TV+ with the first episode of its second season. Here's a review, with no big spoilers.

Here's what this first episode of the second season is most like: the first season of Foundation on Apple TV+. Here's what it's significantly not much like: Isaac Asimov's novels, upon which this series is supposed to be based. But you knew that, and I said that, already. In fact, I just did, when I said the first episode of the second season is most like the first season.

And, to be clear. as I said in my reviews of the first season back in 2021, the dissimilarity of this TV series to Asimov's novels doesn't mean that it's all bad. But nor can I help not being disappointed, not missing the trilogy that I read and loved three times, and the sequels which I read once and loved not as much but well enough.

Once again, my favorite part of the TV series are the Cleon clones and Demerzel -- Cleon wasn't cloned in the novels and Demerzel was very different, but their rendition in the TV series is often superb. This continues in episode 2.1. Lee Pace as Brother Day is once again a powerhouse. Same for Laura Birn as Demerzel. And Terrence Mann as Brother Dusk is simmering and outstanding, and Cassian Bilton as Brother Dawn is memorable. All told, they tell an exciting, high intellect, high octane story vividly. And, yeah, they're the bad guys (I guess).

The good guys, who are supposed to be Hari Seldon and the Foundation, are not nearly as impressive. Jared Harris is a great actor, but he's been put in a box in this TV series, and even when he screams and yells he barely breaks through. And as for the rest ... Gaal and Salvor, well, I don't think I'd mind at all if they were almost unrecognizable from the characters with their name in the novels, if they'd been given a riveting story. Instead, we get mental gymnastics and proclamations of profundity with not much substance or appeal.

But I'll keep watching, because I enjoy the clone story, and I still have some hope somewhere that the TV series will deliver some of what I most enjoyed in the novels.

Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music

View more on Paul Levinson's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on July 13, 2023 19:54

Outlander 7.3: Time Travel, the Old-Fashioned Way

Well, not time travel, but communication from the past to the future, was a central -- and endearing -- part of Outlander 7.3.

[Spoilers follow ... ]

Of course, if you think about, written messages from the past show up and inform the future all the time. That's what happens every you read one of Plato's dialogues, a Charles Dickens novel, etc. And of course it happens any time someone brings one of Mozart's works to life -- and, more recently, you can hear the Beatles singing as if they made the record just yesterday.

But Brianna and Roger getting that box of letters from Claire and Jamie was just wonderful, and in some important ways very different from Plato and Dickens. Brianna and Roger didn't know whether Claire and Jamie had survived -- indeed, there had been an obituary in the papers which said that Claire and Jamie had perished in a fire. The box of letters proved what I think it was Ian who aptly said -- you can always believe what you read in the papers.

Of course, where time travel is involved, that unreliability of newspapers is especially true. Every drop of the time travelers hat can change what a future looking at a newspaper from the past is proclaiming. Time travel can supplant what that newspaper is saying with something much better or much worse.

I'm very glad the change was for the much better in Outlander 7.3. Claire and Jamie deserve it. The episode was also a great proclamation of their deep love, and that was also so good to see.

And I'll see you back here next week with my review of the next episode in this so far splendid seventh season of this classic.

Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music

View more on Paul Levinson's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on July 02, 2023 14:01

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 2.3: Time Travel and Alternate Universes

Well, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds continues not to disappoint, with a strong episode 2.3 that serves up time travel ala "City on the Edge of Forever" and "Assignment Earth", two of the very best episodes of the original series.

[Spoilers ahead ... ]

Not only that kind of time travel, but SNW 2.3 also brings back Captain James T. Kirk, as La'an Noonien-Singh finds herself in alternate universe with the Federation having a different name and Earth on the edge of destruction. Her job of course is to make sure that does not happen, and in a story that is both tender and tough she cannot bring herself to do anything but protect the boy who will become Khan in our Star Trek universe, while she also must endure Kirk dying, even as she may be starting to fall in love with him. (Apparently James T. Kirk is irresistible in all universes.)

The episode is capped off with the revelation that there are time-cops in our universe, whose job is to make sure the timelines stay put. This is a nice call out to Asimov's The End of Eternity, and a welcome staple in any time travel story done right.

Which this one is. Strange New Worlds continues to mine the tropes of Star Trek in every episode, and that's very good to see, since those tropes are still the best things going in any science fiction in outer space story. It may well be that this season may do nothing but that, but that's more than ok.

See you back next week with my next review.

Like alternate history? Check out "It's Real Life," FREE, award-winning alternate history about The Beatles

Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music

View more on Paul Levinson's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on July 01, 2023 15:25

Silo 1.10: Three Truths

Well, it's there is Silo 1.10 -- the season one finale -- but it's precious little. The truth that we see, that is.

[Spoilers ahead ... ]

So let me make sure I have this right. Juliet goes outside the silo, but she doesn't die, because the tape that Martha used to seal Juliet's suit sealed it from the poison gas that's just outside the silo. But it's not in the air all the time. The world outside the silo is apparently not completely barren and dead (but see the next-to-last paragraph of this review). The poison is sent outside by Bernard, to kill anyone who leaves.

But Juliet also discovers that what she's seeing outside, and what the people inside the silo are seeing outside, is an illusion. The green grass and the birds -- illusion. The former sheriff and his wife lying there, dead -- illusion. But that raises even more questions.

Did Sheriff Holston and his wife die or not? If they didn't have the protective tape that Martha provided for Juliet's suit, then, presumably they did. But if they did, then why put up a bogus image of them lying there dead on the green hill? Why not show them really dead? And if they're alive, where are they? For that matter, if they're dead, where are their bodies now?

The three truths are that Juliette is alive, the landscape is bleak, and there are many silos.

About which we'll no doubt learn much more in the next season, which I'll no doubt be watching and reviewing here.

Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music

View more on Paul Levinson's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on June 29, 2023 21:17

Outlander 7.1-7.2: The Return of the Split

Outlander is back for its seventh and next-to-final season, with two superb and very different kinds of episodes, 7.1 and 7.2, on Starz last week and this.

[And big spoilers ahead ... ]

Episode 7.1 was a rip-roaring adventure, as Jamie does all in his power to save Claire, but she's saved by good old Tom Christie, who makes the ultimate sacrifice to go the gallows instead of Claire. It was great to see Jamie back in action, and though I'll miss Tom as a strong character, that was certainly a noble way to go.

Episode 7.2 was something else entirely, so sad I almost couldn't write this. Brianna and Roger's decision to go back to the 20th century to save their new baby was 100% logical, but I don't think there was any other episode in all of Outlander quite so worthy of tears, borne of Jamie and Claire thinking they may never see their daughter again, and she thinking the same about them. Optimist that I am (I haven't read the books), I'd bet that they would, but it's still something to see the pain all three were going through, and hats to Sam Heughan, Caitríona Balfe, and Sophie Skelton for their really fine acting. And while I'm at it, here's a shout out to Andrew and Matthew Adair for playing an excellent little Jemmy.

The story will take on -- or take on again -- an exciting multiple dimension, as we see the family, now expanded, split again between two times -- spanning two hundred years, as Claire correctly says. There are all kinds of possibilities here, and I'm glad I have no idea how they'll play out. But based on these two two top-notch episodes of this penultimate season, I'm confident we'll be in for a breathtaking, heartbreaking, heart warming story.

Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music

View more on Paul Levinson's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on June 26, 2023 21:43

Silo 1.9: I Knew It! But What Then?

I knew it!

[Spoilers ahead ... ]

I said in my review of episodes 1.1 and 1.2 of Silo (I haven't read the books) that the display of what was outside the silo might have been what we would in our world, off the streaming screen, call a deep fake. And it makes sense -- the best way of keeping people inside is to convince them that what was outside was death, almost immediate.

And this of course raises all kinds of questions. Who else is outside? Everyone else who left the silo and maybe the children of some of these escapees? Maybe also people who survived the catastrophe that led to the creation of the silo in the first place, if that's indeed the reason it was created. Not that much time has passed from when the sheriff and earlier his wife went outside. But people in the silo had been doing just that for a long time. What happened to them?

And in particular, how come they never came back to the silo, to let their loved ones know that there was a beautiful world, with birds flying, outside. I guess there's a possibility that what Juliet saw on the screen was itself a fake, but I doubt that.

One thing is very clear. Whatever is going on outside, it hasn't resulted in the silo being liberated. Why not? That big question mark may or may not be fully answered, or answered at all, in next week's episode 1.10, finale of this first season. But that's what second seasons are for. And I have a feeling there will be many more seasons to come in this riveting narrative.

Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music

View more on Paul Levinson's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on June 23, 2023 18:00

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds 2.2: Racism and Fascism in the Courtroom

One of the great things about the original Star Trek back in the 1960s was how it addressed then current issues like racism and fascism. The crew encounters a humanoid species with faces that have two colors, black and white, and which was left and which was right determined which was the superior variant of the species ("Let That Be Your Last Battlefield"). Or, in another episode, Kirk and Spock go to planet with a Nazi-like regime ("Patterns of Force"). Kirk has to pretend to be a Nazi, and Shatner plays the part perfectly with some casual sieg heils.

Well, sadly, as we know all too well, fascists and Nazis are still very much a part of this world, and Strange New Worlds takes a different kind of crack at addressing this in episode 2.2, with Lt. Commander Una put on trial because she hid her Illyrian genetic modifications, illegal in Starfleet. So, yes, Star Fleet is the vehicle of the fascism and racism, including a Vulcan lawyer who is able to recite the policy chapter and verse.

The trial itself is venerated plot device in TOS, most notably in "The Menagerie," the two-part blockbuster with introduced Pike himself in the Star Trek universe. The courtroom at Starfleet headquarters in San Francisco is adeptly presented, with the SNW crew watching the proceedings via video on their ship. Hey, our Supreme Court should get a clue about the value of video, not to mention the upcoming trial of Trump.

TOS excelled in its mix of action and heady philosophic issues, and it was a real pleasure to see SNW going forward with this tradition. I think more than ever that Strange New Worlds is the very best of the new Star Treks that are now with us.

Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music

View more on Paul Levinson's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on June 23, 2023 11:47

A Good Time to Talk about Cellphones

It's been 50 years since Martin Cooper famously put in a call in his handheld cellphone in April 1973. And I've now been interviewed twice about how this now ubiquitous device has revolutionized our lives:

on WDET (NPR) Radio, 9 September 2022, How cellphones affect our modern liveson BBC World, 17 June 2023, Controlled and connected: 50 years of the cell phone

And my book, Cellphone: The Story of the World's Most Mobile Medium, and How It Has Changed Everything, which I wrote on the fly in 2003, in between two science fiction novels, and in my first year as Chair (ugh!) of the Communication and Media Studies Department at Fordham University, is suddenly getting a lot of attention and sales.
So, it's a good time to talk about cellphones -- in contrast to talking on or via cellphones, when you're not using them to text, take pictures, listen to music, or roam the many fields of social media (for my thoughts on which, see my New New Media).
And speaking of pictures on the phone and music, you might enjoy this demo from 2020.

Paul Levinson's books ... Paul Levinson's music

View more on Paul Levinson's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on June 18, 2023 12:07