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A Message from the Universe
The Pleasure of Prequels.
I’ve been watching prequels lately — namely the Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney+ and the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds series on Paramount+. What’s so entertaining for me about watching these (without any alternate-timeline nonsense) is that not only do I get to learn lots of missing information about these beloved characters, but I can get caught up in the suspense of the story knowing that good ol’ Ben Kenobi is going to live to a ripe old age, and that delightful little Princess Leia is going to grow up to be a champion of the Rebel Alliance. Captain Pike isn’t going to have that accident for quite some time, and young Spock, Uhura, and Nurse Chapel still have a lot to learn before they serve under Captain Kirk.
Yes, I am a sci-fi fan — all things Star Trek and Star Wars, and Firefly and Doctor Who including Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. Plus Timeless and anything and everything about time-traveling do-gooders.
Ever since I was a girl I’ve been captivated by real-life space exploration. I vividly remember Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon on July 20, 1969, which I watched transfixed with my mom and dad and little sister on our black-and-white TV, with a bowl of popcorn (53 years ago, next week). In fourth grade, I wrote a school report about the harrowing account of Apollo 13. I’ve…
