Musings & Thoughts for Monday, May 24, 2021, or: Leisurely Pursuits in My Corner of the World

Greetings, Dear Reader. It’s late morning here in New Hometown, Florida on Monday, May 24, 2021. Currently, the temperature is 78˚F (26˚C) under sunny skies. With the wind blowing from the east-southeast at 7 MPH (10 KM/H) and humidity at 26%  ̶  unusually low by Florida standards – the feels-like temperature is 76˚F (25˚C). The forecast for the rest of this late spring Monday calls for sunny skies and a summer-like high of 92˚F (34˚C). Tonight, we can expect clear skies and a low of 67˚F (19˚C).

Well, you’ll be pleased to know that my copy of Star Trek: Lower Decks – Season One two-disc Blu-ray set arrived yesterday. If you recall, I ordered this animated comedy series – the first sitcom and second animated show in the storied 55-year-old franchise – because (a) I don’t have a Paramount+ account and (b) I am as much a Star Trek completist as I am an Indiana Jones and Star Wars one. And, as I wrote in yesterday’s blog, I don’t want to repeat the mistake I made with the 2008 Star Wars: The Clone Wars Blu-ray and not buy it when it’s both easy to buy and available for its MSRP or even less on Amazon, only to change my mind years later and have to pay double the MSRP when it miraculously becomes available through a third-party seller.

If you don’t know what Star Trek: Lower Decks is about, here’s the synopsis from the season set’s promotional insert. (I bought the Limited Edition Steelbook, which comes with a detachable insert.)

Series creator Mike McMahan, writer and executive producer of “Rick and Morty”, takes you where no Star Trek series has gone before – to the lower decks! Join rule-breaker Beckett Mariner, aspiring captain Brad Boimler, rookie D’Vana Tendi and part-Cyborg Sam Rutherford as they attempt to navigate the most mysterious corners of our universe with very little experience – and even less authority. Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 1 features nearly 2 hours of exclusive special features and includes guest appearances by Paul Scheer (“The League”), Jonathan Frakes (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”), Marina Sirtis (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”) and more!

I received my package with Star Trek: Lower Decks last evening, and I started watching it not long after that. I had no preconceptions about the show, although I know that just as with every one of the new shows CBS Studios and Paramount have added to the canon, Star Trek: Lower Decks will be embraced by some fans but reviled by others. I’ve seen the same phenomenon of divided fandoms in the other franchises that I’m a fan of, and while I don’t like the divisiveness, there’s nothing I can do about it.

I only watched a few episodes, but I have enjoyed what I’ve seen of the show. It is hilarious, and at the same time it is a heart-felt tribute to Star Trek. There are lots of Easter eggs and overt references to the entire franchise, and it takes its cues from the three series that aired mostly in the 1990s – Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager. There are also references to the 10 theatrical films which starred the casts of Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation. (Heck, the producers even snagged Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis from TNG to lend their voices to animated versions of Capt. Will Riker and Deanna Troi.)

I’ll probably watch a few more episodes of Star Trek: Lower Decks tonight; the Caregiver will be watching American Idol with her new beau out in the main TV, and since reality shows are not my cup of Earl Grey tea, I will stay in my room and watch stuff that I enjoy.

Well, I don’t have much in the way of other news. My copy of Star Trek: Short Treks will be here today, and from what I see in the tracking system, my Blu-ray of Dave Filoni’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated film will probably be here tomorrow.

I also finished reading Art Spiegelman’s The Complete Maus late last week, and I installed Write Brothers’ Movie Magic Screenwriter 6.X[1] on my new Lenovo IdeaPad laptop, but other than that, nada.

So ends this installment of Bloggin’ On in A Certain Point of View, Too. As always, I hope you’re well, Dear Reader, and that you’ll stay safe and healthy in your corner of the world. Peace, and I’ll catch you on the sunny side of things!

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[1] Since Write Brothers updates Movie Magic Screenwriter 6 every so often with tweaks here and there, the version number I bought last week is not 6.0, but it’s also not 7.0. So 6.X will suffice, since I’m too lazy right now to investigate.