CBS's Under the Dome

Under the Dome is the rarest of the rare: A Science Fiction TV series that is entertaining, exciting and got to finish its full run despite not having the word "Star Trek" in the title.  (And listen I've been a Trek fan since forever. I'm just saying that, other than TOS, Trek has gotten a lot of episodes for most of its series where other shows don't. I'm right.) It's a really cool show, despite being a bit on the weird side. I'm a huge Sci-Fi nerd and I'm the one saying that.

I don't want to get to far into the plot of the show. I'm not big on doing spoilers in general and this show has a lot of surprises that you deserve to enjoy for yourself. Lord knows that I did. I will say that no matter how long this show goes on, no matter how weird it gets, it's never more than five minutes from getting even weirder. Seriously, strangeness abounds. 

I mean, Under the Dome is based on a Stephen King novel and I'm pretty sure all of those are weird. I say "pretty sure" because, although I've seen a ton of movies based on his books, the only thing I've ever read by Stephen King was his book On Writing. I'm not sure I learned as much about writing as I should have, but even this dude's life has been weird in spots. Imagine writing a book like Cujo, that sold like crazy and got a movie and not even being able to remember it because you were riding the white horse. Crazy.

Even as weird as it is, though, it's still a believable tale if you can accept that the town of Chester's Mill was surrounded one day by an invisible, impenetrable and indestructable dome. What follows is some of the best tropes from post-apocalyptic literature and some of the awesome characterization every Stephen King movie seems to have. Seriously, it almost feels like I've met some of these people. 

At first no one knows what caused the dome, where it came from or how it is being powered. Things are revealed over the course of the series and that's where a lot of the weirdness comes from. It's not just the causes that are weird though. Sometimes it's the method of answering the questions or, indeed, the way that people come across the right question to ask.

There is a lot going on politically in the town of Chester's Mill and I don't want to get into all of it, but it will give you whiplash. No one knows who to trust. No one knows who to turn to. Then favorites start to emerge and things get crazy. The whole town turns into one conspiracy theory come true after another and each one weirder than the last. Sworn enemies in one episode are reluctant allies the next and soon best friends before eventually selling each other out and going back to emnity a few episodes later.

The thing is that it all makes sense in context. Every crazy moment is based on something that came before and leads to a logical outcome. I love that about this series. Every time I find myself saying "HOW COULD THAT POSSIBLY HAPPEN!?!?!?!?" The answer becomes "Well, first this happened, then that thing did and after the other thing, it couldn't have gone any other way." There's a reason that King has sold more copies than anyone this side of JK Rowling and it's not because he can't carry a plot.

The special effects for the series are really good for TV too. There are some shooting stars, and several disasters and they all look beautiful. I'd kind of like to see modern movies go back to looking like Under the Dome and spending the money on writers that CBS did for this series. This is a plot and character driven story. The effects add to it, but they're not what the show is based on. Under the Dome is what The Flash and Avatar: The Way of Water could have been if they had made an effort to do more than just look cool.

I want to talk about some of my favorite characters here, but I can't because I'd spoil too much. Trying to talk about what a character is like in a story like Under the Dome without talking about what they go through is basically impossible. I guess I'll just say to watch out for people with the following names: Big Jim, Junior, Barbie, Nori, and Julia. Those are some of my favorites because reasons. And one of my favorite actresses of all time shows up in Season Three, but saying who would risk telling too much. Let's just say I was happy to see her. 

And it's really the acting that makes Under the Dome as much as anything else does. The good guys are good guys, at least until they're the bad guys. The bad guys are bad, at least until they're the bad guys. And Big Jim is the consummate politician at all times, even when he's doing no-politicky stuff. He's also a used car salesmen with all that that implies. I'll shut up now. You'll thank me later.

Wait. That didn't come out right. 

Whatever.

The whole series is only thirty-nine episodes so it's an easy binge. I got through it in basically a week although a lot of that was being stuck in the house not feeling good for pretty much an entire weekend. I'm glad I did though. Other than the fact that I almost didn't get my laundry done that weekend at least. I kind of got wrapped up in what I was watching and lost track of little details like what the day and time were. 

And that's probably the best thing about the series. It's so good, so weird, so believable and you care so much about the characters (whether it's because you want to see them succeed or because you want to see them catch a bullet being a separate issue) that you can get lost and not want to find your way back. 

My one regret about watching Under the Dome is that I'll never get to watch it for the first time again. I really loved this show. Here's hoping we get more book to TV show translations, because this is how you can truly do justice to a long book with rich content. 

Bottom Line: 5.0 out of 5 Pink Stars

Under the Dome
CBS, 2013-2015

Thoughts On the Teaser for the New Star Trek Series

New Crews, New Villains, New Heroes, New Worlds

Those are the words from the teaser for the new Star Trek series, herein known as Star Trek: The New Series or ST:TNS. Don't look at me, they won't give me a real title either. They are the closest thing I have to insider information. They don't make me excited. Hell, they don't even make me happy. Put quite frankly, they make me a little pissed off.There is something that makes for a long lasting series. It doesn't matter if it's Three's Company, The Brady Bunch, Friends, Seinfeld, Battlestar Galactica or freaking Jeopardy. The one thing ALL OF THEM had in common was a central cast, even if it is a single cast of one for Jeopardy.  Even Quantum Leap had Sam and Al and every episode Sam was someone different but he was still Sam. Think about it.

Let's take MASH as an example, because I grew up with that show. Yes, Henry left and we got Colonel Potter. I always liked Potter better anyway. Yes, Trapper John left and we got BJ and there was Frank/Charles too. At the end of the day though, we always had Hawkeye. We always had Radar. Klinger was around from the first season onward as well and, let's face it, MASH just wouldn't be the same without Hot Lips. I had my first celebrity crush ever on her in like 1984.  Yeah, it's like that. And yes, I know the series ended in 1983 but it was in re-runs BEFORE it ended. And then what happened?

Over time, you really grew to love these characters. You felt like you knew them. When I was little I wondered what was in that still that they were always drinking out of. Now I'm bitter because they won't share. The thing is, I had a real attachment to them and so did the rest of the audience. You tuned in every week to find out what they were up to and what was going to happen to them. It mattered to you because they were your friends. When Hawkeye kissed Margaret it was exciting. When Henry got shot down on the way home we were all in shock. (Okay, I was in shock the first time I saw it. I missed the episode the first time around. Something about a wet diaper I was wearing I think.) I could go on, but I think my point here is made. It was the people that had us all tuning in every week.

Here's the thing: ST:TNS is advertised as new crewS -plural. We've all seen episodes of Trek at one point or another that feature multiple starships. The Battle of Wolf 359 comes to mind, as do multiple episodes of ST:DS9 during the Dominion War. The thing was that the Enterprise crew was always the main cast of ST:TNG. The crew of DS9 was, oddly enough, always the central cast of ST:DS9, along with the odd Ferengi here and there, all of which were still in the mix for the war. When our friends went through hell, we went there with them. It didn't matter if it was Kirk taking over the crime syndicate in "A Piece of the Action" or Archer in "Shockwave Part I and II" we went bled with our heroes because they were part of our lives. It doesn't sound like the new series is going in this direction though, and that bothers me.

If, and this is a big if, I'm reading this right, we're not going to get a central cast. If they're going to jump around from crew to crew with no continuing cast of characters, what's the point of tuning in every week and/or paying for the CBS All Access if we're not going to have a crew we care about? Where does the connection come from week to week?  I work for a living. I have kids in another state that I struggle to keep up with. I write. I read. I game. If you're not going to give me a cast of characters that I can get to know and actually give a fuck about why would I tune in?

Listen, we've all heard the debate about what made ST:TOS great. Was it the tech or the message? Was it the first inter-racial kiss or the thought of crossing interstellar distances with about the same amount of difficulty that the US Navy has crossing the ocean now? I've heard nerds rage at each other about this. I've read more on the subject than I quite frankly care to as well, but know this: What made that show work was the crew: Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Sulu, Chekov, Uhura, Scott, etc. When the ship was shaking and Scotty was screaming "I'm givin' 'er all she's got Captain!" what came next mattered to us. The messages were absorbed by identifying with the characters. The tech surrounded them and made what they did possible. In both cases, it was the characters that made us care.

So here is the point: I hope I'm wrong here. We lost a decade of Star Trek on TV because a movie failed to make money and "the audience was saturated." What's going to happen if this series fails because these asshats won't use a formula that they have used time and again for decades? Why would they do this? Listen, I know they're starting a new service and they need a revenue stream to make it viable long term. I know how loyal Trek fans are because I am one. I also know that Star Trek: Nemesis failed because the movies had not stayed true to what worked for the TV show. Now they're trying a new idea, built from scratch, that doesn't stay true to the history of the brand. Here's hoping that it works because I want to see this brand continue to move forward.

The really scary part is that all my other complaints make sense based on this. Think about it this way: Why don't we have an announcement about a cast? Because there's not going to be a steady cast. Why don't we have the name of a new ship? Because there are going to be eleventy bajillion of them. Why don't we have the name of a captain at least? Same reason. Why haven't we seen new uniforms? Maybe those will change. It it's a new crew and a new ship every week they could be using new time periods every week too. Lord knows Trek doesn't have a consistent continuity so there's no reason to worry about screwing it up.

This is a business too and let's think about things this way: How much is it going to cost to continuously construct new sets? How much is it going to cost to constantly be making new uniforms for new actors? How much is it going to cost for the constant changeover in props from episode to episode. If it doesn't make money it'll get dropped. With the extra expenses caused by going from one crew to the next, how is this thing going to make money? I mean, I don't have any stock in CBS so it's not going to make any difference to my bottom line personally. The fact remains that a financial loss has had huge implications for the franchise we all love once already. It could happen again.

Guys, I want to see this show succeed. I really do. But if that's going to happen, it needs to be good. Looking at what I see coming it doesn't look good. I really am afraid this will be it. Why continue making shows if this one fails? Especially given the fact that they gave up on Trek after a successful run with ST:ENT over something that had nothing to do with the show itself. Please, God, let me be wrong but this just looks scary to me.

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Thoughts on Some Star Trek Rumors

I've heard some things regarding a couple of new Star Trek series recently and I'm not sure what to think. Both major rumors I've heard (and they could both be wrong for all I know) have me wondering though, and I guess that's a good thing. I mean, let's face it. I've been a Trek fan since literally before I can remember. My earliest childhood friends were named Kirk, Spock and Bones. Well them and my friend Mike from around the block, but I'm guessing that I probably knew the other three first. I can't help but love anything Trek, for which I blame my father. It definitely wasn't my mom that got me started and don't even mention the words Star Trek in front of my sister. It had to have  been him. He's the one I always watched it with. I could tell stories. (If you haven't heard my Encounter at Farpoint story it 's pretty epic. Buy me a drink sometime and I'll share.) I've always been excited when new Trek series came out and, with at least one of these confirmed, it's a great time. That much being said, I've come to a couple conclusions and found some questions, all based on information that may or may not be accurate. But I'm a blogger: I do rumor, speculation and innuendo. It's who I am. So:

CBS has confirmed that there is a new Trek series starting next January. I'm ecstatic. Yes, I know I'll have to subscribe to their streaming service to watch it. I don't give a rat's ass. A new Trek series is worth ten dollars a month all by itself. I know that's blaspheme to some and you're entitled to your opinion but I disagree with it. I'd bet my ass that someone in marketing got a bit raise for suggesting a new series as a way to promote the service. It remains to  be seen whether it will work or not for sure, but I'm guessing yes. We'll see how it goes.

The rumor I heard is that the new series will be in the original continuity (If there actually is such a thing. Trek has always had a million problems with it's timeline) and set in the time period between Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation. I'm not too sure this is a good idea. See the aforementioned continuity issues. A series set in that time period promises to create more and probably in job lot quantities. Don't get me wrong: I can't wait to see the new series. I'm just thinking that they could find a better time to put it in. There are only God knows how many years of Federation history after the end of the ST:TNG/ST:DS9/ST:VOY time period where a new series could be set. This is where the new series belongs.

Think about it. Technology has progressed a lot in the fifteen years since Star Trek Voyager ended. Do we really want a ship that looks more futuristic than the Voyager, the Enterprise or the Defiant but is from an earlier era? Does that make sense to anyone? Yes, the Enterprise D looks more futuristic than the original Enterprise. That makes sense. It is a much new ship. But to have a more futuristic look on an older ship (and it would have to have  a newer look because the Enterprise D doesn't really look all that futuristic anymore) would make zero sense. There's something else to think about too.

The Enterprise D computer core had a max capacity of a terabyte of memory. When ST:TNG came out that was a lot. It was a science fiction number. No one honestly believed that we'd live to see a computer that big. Now I can go buy a hard drive from Best Buy with that capacity. It would be impossible to get a modern audience to go for that now. It would have to be bigger. Virtual reality is much bigger than it was fifteen years ago as well. A holodeck doesn't seem that far off but it was made clear in the early episodes of ST:TNG that the holodeck was a new thing. Are they going to retcon that? I hope not. I hate retcons.

There's something else I've been wondering about and it's driving me crazy. What in the BLUE HELL is the name of the new series? They have to be preparing their promotional stuff by now. The debut is only nine months out. Why don't we know what the thing is called by now? I get that CBS wants to keep things under wraps for awhile. I'm not asking for plot details or the first view of the new sets here. This isn't some massive spoiler I'm requesting. I just want to know what the name of the show is. Please CBS? I'm not asking you to announce it here. I just want to know.

Here's another question: Who is going to be on this new show? I mean, a TV show takes actors right? Nine months out there have to have been some solid decisions made for the major roles. I'm not interested in the new redshirt who is going to be dead in the first ten minutes anyway but who is the new captain at least? The new first officer? I'm a Trekkie. I need to know.

Ok, so enough about the series we know is coming. I've got another question: Whatever happened to Michael Dorn and his quest for a series called Star Trek: Captain Worf? Is it dead? Is it continuing? Are we going to see it? I want to see it. I think it would be awesome. Worf was one of my favorite Trek characters of all time. I didn't always agree with everything he did but his actions always made sense in the context of his character and the story and he's entertaining as hell. Remember Abraham Lincoln's quote about a house divided? He wasn't a house divided. He was a WORF divided between his loyalty to the Federation and his Klingon heritage. He was coolness personified. BRING BACK WORF!!!

We do, however, need to work on the title of the series. Think about it. It's not Star Trek: Captain Kirk, it's just Star Trek. It's not Star Trek: Captain Picard it's Star Trek: The Next Generation. So while I would love to see a series with Worf as the captain of a Starfleet vessel, I think it needs a new name. I'm serious about wanting to see this. Worf as a Starfleet Captain, trying to maintain his Klingon outlook while captaining a Federation vessel would be beyond awesome. The conflicts between himself and his crew would be easy to believe and hard to bridge. This would be sheer awesome. So make it happen, just with a new name. Name it after the ship. Name it after the era. Just name it SOMETHING and get it on TV. I'm waiting....


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