Sixty years ago Tuesday, Star Trek aired its first episode, "The Man Trap.” I first caught the show in syndication in the late Seventies, and have been a Trekker ever since. As a kid I was hooked by the action, adventure and aliens, the courage of Capt. Kirk and the intellect of Mr. Spock, but in time I came to appreciate the show's thought-provoking stories of an optimistic future. Star Trek tells us that, centuries from now, humanity just might overcome its self-destructive ways and venture far beyond our own Solar System to become part of a vast, diverse, peaceful interstellar republic under the rule of law.
I think we still need that kind of uplifting storytelling these days, and I'm glad to have you all playing this game with me as we continue to tell our own Starfleet story.
Went to see "Hamilton" on Wednesday night, for the 2nd time since 2017, mainly because Christopher Jackson (who originated the role of George Washington) is back for a return engagement and I never had a chance to see him. The musical is fantastic, I already knew that, but wow was this a thrilling experience--even more so than the first time. We had insanely good seats and the immersive quality was especially intense, as was the opportunity to see the cast's expressions and the finer details of the character interactions.
But what really struck me--and the reason I'm mentioning this to you guys--was the different vibe that 2026 brings to the overall theme both of revolution and of how to maintain a democracy once (seemingly) obtaining it. Toward the end of the first act...uh, spoiler alert, I guess?...the Battle of Yorktown/World Turned Upside Down number (youtube.com/watch?v=m4UCqtsWJOk) ends with the company celebrating the hard-fought win along with handling the losses, and when the question is asked if they'll finally be truly free, Washington makes the harsh point: "Not yet." Although that resonated in 2017, God knows, it really feels surreal and urgent this year.
Even if you watch the linked video (which is from the 2016 Tony Awards of the original cast, w/o their usual prop guns out of respect for the Pulse shooting, which had just happened), as great as it is, it doesn't give you even 25% of the adrenaline and urgency that all of us in the theater felt in the current environment and the energy the cast was beaming out. (Pun!) As familiar with the score and story as I am, the Yorktown moment when Hamilton et al. are battling and it's nothing but the action, the red and white lights and LOUD bass/strings/drums overwhelming, us gave me a thrill I haven't had in the theater in a long, long time.
So... I dunno exactly why I'm rambling. I'm grateful to you, EH, for naming our ship the Yorktown. As we're on Cavinre with a despotic leader and autocracy, I hope we get the chance to spark something, or assist in some minor way (to the extent a 7-person crew can).
Also, if you haven't seen the show, or haven't in a while, I hope you'll get the chance to see it live if you're interested. I think we can all use that fightng energy!
"Tell your brother that he's gotta
Rise up!
Tell your sister that she's gotta
Rise up! When are these colonies gonna
Rise up?"
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