Starfleet Academy and Lots of Words

Today I was finally able to get myself out of bed by tricking myself. Really all I did was simplify things and break it into smaller steps.

It’s funny how if I was going to work, I could get out of bed just fine. It’s different when someone is paying you to do a job. It’s much harder when it’s just you expecting things from yourself.

I was able to meet the challenge quota of 2026 by 8:45 pm tonight, which means I’ll be able to go to bed at a decent hour again. I’ll use the same trick to get myself up tomorrow as well. After I have a few more days of successfully getting up earlier, I add in the “You must go downstairs and write for an hour requirement.”

The short story Io am working is up to a bout 11,500 words long. It’s the longest story I have ever written and the first written over the entire length of a week or more. Normally I just write stories in one long session of 6 to 12 hours with breaks in between.

But I was able to write a total of 3000 words today which feels great!

We had a bit of a snowstorm here today, so I didn’t go for my usual lunchtime walk. That did allow me to get in some extra writing which I’ll take as a win right now.

This morning, I watched the new Star Trek series: Starfleet Academy. After seeing the trailers for it I thought it was going to be a bit cringe. I told myself they aren’t making these for me anymore; they have a new audience they are trying to reach. Some of the promotional posters would have been great for Beverly Hills 902110 but seemed odd for the Star Trek franchise.

Nonetheless, I went in with an open mind. The first season of a Star Trek series ca be a bit wobbly until they find their feet. This was true for STNG and all the others. Remember Riker without the beard? And first season Commander Warf?

The first episode was not as bad as I thought it could be. Some of the art direction baffles me. All the shiny lights and moody glows get over done for my taste. And maybe that’s the point. The lack of restraint.

The bridge has 50’s diner vibes to me and seems like a waste of valuable space in a spaceship. This is true for the entire design esthetic of the show. The first episode even has one of my favorite actors, Paul Giamatti. But he seems like he’s over acting in this role as a villain. There is also a scene where the captain’s number one gets a rule breaking teenager who has survived on his wits alone for the last 15 years to drop and do pushups. The kids didn’t even want to be there. It seemed like lazy writing to me. There was no build up for who this character was.

They are also doing that annoying trope where the characteristics of a given race are flipped for a main character. For example, they have a Klingon character who doesn’t want to fight.

On the plus side it was good to see Robert Piccardo revise his role as the holographic sickbay doctor. He still has it.

I’m not yet sold on Holly Hunter’s take as Captain Nahla Ake. There’s a relaxed quality to her performance that seems off for a Star Fleet officer. But time will tell if she’s on to something I can’t see yet.

Time will tell all.