Sci-Fi Shenanigans

Sci-fi crossing the genres of literature (Part 1)

Comparative analysis+literary references=MY AREA OF EXPERTISE!

Well, it does in some ways. After all, I have studied English hardcore for what amounts to at least a decade. So yeah, I'm going to connect stuff, look for literary/pop culture references in my entertainment and design some crackheaded theories when all is said and done. So where do I begin?

Let's start with something I've been kicking around for a year or so now. I think Heroes will become the new Star Trek. Think about it. Both shows endured four tumultuous seasons. Yeah, even as a major Heroes fan, I am already making the prediction that the show will be canceled after this season. However, with that in mind, let's consider what happened to Star Trek. After it was canceled, it hummed beneath the surface of pop culture in convention halls across the country (globe, even). Then it came back to life in the movies and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Its many incarnations have been met with varied expectations, but it has endured. I think Heroes has the potential to do the same, although if it does it will take a much different route to get there. I think it will thrive primarily on the internet after it has left the TV airwaves, but that's not to say there won't be live gatherings and what not. But perhaps in that lull someone will decide that it deserves another chance, perhaps in a somewhat different form. Of course, the kicker is whether or not Tim Kring will have the same dedication to the show concept and the fan base that Gene Roddenberry exhibited. That will make all the difference, and Kring has a lot to prove. If I had pursued the entertainment business track I pined for back in high school (you still tracking clues here?) I wouldn't mind taking the reins (especially since I've been told I'm better at developing intriguing storylines than those who work on the show itself). Time would really have to tell on this one, especially since modern society is not focused on developing things that will endure through the ages (except Toyotas and Hondas, although the older ones I see these days are from the early 90s). Besides, given how much Heroes references Star Trek (and casts its actors say Kring, how 'bout a guest role for Karl Urban? Thanks!), it's begging for this comparison! Maybe we can all luck out and get a super awesome Heroes: The Next Generation. Hey, I'd show up for that!

And since the Trek-a-thon is still going on here (can never be too sure about site drama these days), I gotta mention the conversation I had today with Ribit. We were talking about the acting on TOS when Ribit said it wasn't Shakespeare. We somehow got to talk about Shakespeare references in the Star Trek series, and I mentioned that if J.J. Abrahms even thinks about referencing Romeo and Juliet in future films I would have to choke him myself. I can't stand Romeo and Juliet. While Shakespeare is not my favorite, I prefer the much darker stuff (King Lear, anyone?). And hell, any play that can be twisted into something dark is worth my time. Remind to discuss my plans to adapt Midsummer Night's Dream in further detail later. Anyway, Romeo and Juliet makes me kind of queasy, so any references to it in Star Trek just...no. Just no. However, all of Shakespeare's other works are up for grabs in my book (although it'd be real damn interesting to see how anyone could possibly reference Taming of the Shrew). I don't go actively looking for these references in anything (except when it's an adaptation and is overtly stated as such). However, if it's so subtle it might go unnoticed, I'm game. Just no Romeo and Juliet. If anyone even tries to go that route (which I could kind of see happening with the whole Spock/Uhura relationship and what not), I will have choice words and a couple knuckle sandwiches ready for that witless bastard. I will.