Tretakoff Musings

In case you hadn't known, I'm kind of a Trek fan. I got hooked on rerun of The Original Series (TOS), then, after being skeptical, got completely pulled into The Next Generation (TNG); TNG is still exceptional, and I could watch an episode any day or time. Deep Space Nine (DS9) kind of lost me, but Leslie turned me on to just how great the last season was. Voyager (VOY) was a bit aimless, but rediscovered that TNG vibe towards the end. Enterprise? Oooh boy. They should have stuck with the movies. However, who has not wanted to point their remote at the TV and watch the bolt of energy fly out from it? Well, combine your TOS Star Trek Phaser and your boob tube control habits to get this killer remote. I actually have a TNG one from my old Sharper Image days, complete with sound effects, but this looks to be a bit more comprehensive. And be on the lookout for the new J.J. Abrams TOS movie prequel next year. Lost meets Star Trek? Count me in!

Imagine a world of network TV with quality shows like LOST or 24...that don't go stale. This New York Magazine article makes a compelling argument for just that, and it's hard to refute. My coworkers are getting tired of the mysteries of LOST this season, and 24 has clearly jumped the shark. With competition from Netflix, HBO, Showtime, and the web, it's time to start thinking this way.

Look, I know LOST is all about conspiracy theories and puzzles but the new season has me asking an unexpected set of questions: what is it about characters of color that the writers don't like? Michael? Gone, along with his son. Michelle Rodriguez? Killed, after an absurdly short arc. And now, one of the best actors (an fellow OZ alumni to the aforementioned MIA Michael, Harold Perrineau Jr.) and characters on the show, Mr. Eko (played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) has been killed. Yes, I was happy to see the sense of menace back to the island. But you can't tell me that we could not have killed a few of the extra white people? Seems we've got plenty of those on the island. Heck, get rid of Sayid, Jin and Sun, and it's practically a milk farm. C'mon, guys. I like watching the show, and love the storyline, but the big mystery this season is why, with an expanding cast, the characters of darker complexions are being eliminated. Not cool.