Reading For Treasure: Hope from Star Trek and Science Fiction

Reading for Treasure is my list of articles that are worth your attention. Click here for an introduction!

There is a new science fiction sub-genre called hopepunk. According to Wikipedia, hopepunk stories “are about characters fighting for positive change, radical kindness, and communal responses to challenges.” Coined by author Alexandra Rowland as the opposite of grimdark, “The aesthetic of hopepunk is generally agreed to incorporate a mood of gentleness or softness and a sense of self-awareness of weaponized optimism, with a worldview that fighting for positive social systems is a worthwhile fight. There is an emphasis on cooperation as opposed to conflict. There is an awareness within hopepunk works that happy endings are not guaranteed and that nothing is permanent.” Here is the Vox article from which that quotes come: “Hopepunk, the latest storytelling trend, is all about weaponized optimism.” 

Some Star Trek stories could certainly be hopepunk. Emmet Asher-Perrin writing on Tor.com explores the way that the latest incarnation of this franchise, Strange New Worlds, takes the Hero’s Journey and turns it into something far more important and optimistic than the way it shows up in superhero and other traditionally portrayals: “How Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Reimagines the “Hero’s Journey” for the Better.” Be aware there are spoilers in this article. 

CNN also recognized the power of Star Trek’s hopeful outlook: “The New ‘Star Trek' series couldn’t come at a better time.” This article does not have spoilers and is safe for those who have not yet watched Strange New Worlds – and you should! 

Star Trek has improved the real world in many ways: one of the most powerful and hopeful is the work of Nichelle Nichols, who played Lieutenant Uhura in the original series. The article, “From Star Trek to the White House, The World Remembers Nichelle Nichols” from TrekMovie.com is much more than a list of tributes from important voices. It also includes several wonderful video tributes, so scroll to the end. The documentary about Ms. Nichol’s work on the space program, Woman in Motion, it is also well worth viewing. Like all of Star Trek, it is on Paramount+. 

During the worst of the early pandemic and the years that preceded it, I found solace and hope in a quirky half-hour situation comedy called The Good Place. This lovely expert from a book by its creator,  Michael Schur, explores some of the powerful and optimistic philosophic questions that made the series such a delight. The Literary Hub published the excerpt, “Good Place Creator Michael Schur Wonders: What Makes Someone Good or Bad?” If you haven’t seen this series, it is worth a watch! 

Star Trek and several other on-screen science fiction franchises have been working hard to be inclusive. The first of the “Nu Trek” series, Star Trek: Discovery,  features a Black woman in the leading role (and now, finally, as a captain) and all five of the new series have gone where no science fiction show has gone before with representation. Nonetheless, there are fans that were shocked to see that Star Trek (and some other famous series) are so left-leaning. I don’t how they missed the message in earlier incarnations of Trek. So we’ll finish with a little laughter at their expense from Carolos Greaves in McSweeny’s, “This Fictional Universe is Getting Way Too Diverse.” 

I am currently reading A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark. 

Reading For Treasure: I Miss The Good Place

Reading for Treasure is my list of articles that are worth your attention. Click here for an introduction!

It’s been a year without The Good Place and I miss it. The finale rightfully won the Hugo award in December and that made me miss it even more. The tone and ideas of this show are a balm for the daily news.  If you haven’t tried it, I hope these articles will persuade you to watch it!  Yes, there are spoilers below, but this show can handle that. Here are some articles, all from a year ago, extolling, examining, and explaining this magnificent series.

The Atlantic wrote many articles about The Good Place. Here are three of the best: 

“The Good Place Was a Metaphor All Along” which discusses the way this show reflected back upon itself and commented on television and even attempted to better its audience. 

The second article, “The Most Optimistic Show on TV is Over” talks about how “The Good Place has spent four seasons asking weighty questions about the vexing condition of being alive: Can human beings become better? If so, how, and what does that even mean?” 

The third article, although titled, “The Good Place Felt Bad in the End”, really delves into the meaning behind the end of the series and wrestles with some wonderful and meaty questions. 

“How the Good Place Redefines Soul Mates” from Syfy Wire is a great description of the power of this series. It spells out some of the wonderful aspects that make this show far more than a simple sitcom. Warning: this article has some serious spoils, so don’t read it until you’ve finished the series.  

“The Good Place Became the Last Great Sitcom on Network TV By Daring its Audience to Be Better” in Time Magazine is a wonderful testimonial to the power of this program. 

Finally, Tor.com had a wonderful recap and tribute to the series, “What We Owe to Each Other Is to Talk About The Good Place’s Finale” which quickly summarizes some of the shows best moments and accomplishments. 

I am currently reading A History of What Comes Next By Sylvian Neuvel 

Postivitiy is Powerful Medicine

My grandmother did everything wrong: She ate fatty, sugary foods. She never exercised. She didn’t smoke, but she enjoyed her whiskey sours and “happy time.” She was a cook and baker of the old school and she ate what she made. She lived a long and healthy life. For all but her last few months, she was not taking any regular medications, lived on her own, took the bus to the grocery store, and was completely “with it.” She passed away at ninety-eight years old.

Her family thinks we know her longevity secrets. We think we understand why she lived so long and so well: first, she was the most positive person we knew. Negatives glanced off of her. She did not ignore the problems and struggles but approached them with a can-do optimistic attitude that was powerful and infectious.

She was also the most social person I knew. I was aware as a teenager that, if I wanted my grandmother to come to my play, I had to give her the date months in advance. If I wanted to go to lunch with her and celebrate one of our birthdays, I had to be sure to call book early because her calendar was full! I was often amazed that everyone seemed to know my Nana – and not only know her, they burst into smiles when I told them that I was Esther Hirsch’s grandson, “Esther Hirsch! She is amazing!” I know.

As we hunker down and become socially distant, we need to remember these two lessons. The way we approach the world, our attitudes and outlook can shape more than just our mental state. Our connection with others and the community is a lifeline as much as any cold remedy.

As other older folks would outline their physical woes and pains, my grandmother would declare, “I don’t have any conditions!” She didn’t. She didn’t have medical conditions and she didn’t place lots of conditions on anyone. When her sons married, she welcomed their wives and their wives' parents, siblings, cousins, and anyone else who was important to them. Her embrace extended to all the people she loved and the people they loved. She cherished these relationships with dinners, parties, outings, and celebrations. She took no one for granted.

She didn’t text. She had no email. She called everyone. She knew what was going on with her brothers, their wives, and all the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren! She saw everyone. Often I had to share her when we went out to eat. There were cousins from Los Angeles, children of a dear friend who had passed, a friend of a friend, and the neighbor from down the hall. She made no distinctions. Religion didn’t matter. Ethnicity didn’t matter. If you were loved by someone she loved, then she loved you – and now you were family.

As we face the COVID-19 virus separately in our own homes, I need to remind myself of my grandmother. We are not really alone. We can text, email, video chat, and call each other – and we must! We can wring our hands and worry and curse the doom and gloom, or we can take that energy and make positive choices. We can choose how we look at this.

I know my grandmother had down moments. When my aunt passed away, she kept saying how this was not the natural order of things. Life was not always rosy because she wore rose-colored glasses. She was aware of the struggles and the successes.

But she did not let those things color her worldview. Over and over, she would return from a funeral, wake, or shiva and extol the person who had passed and praise their family. When her friends passed away, she connected with and consoled their children. After all, they were all her family.

An optimistic attitude and the loving arms of friends are potent medicines. They can’t cure on their own and they won't replace the precautions we must take now, but they provide positive protection and power. We need all the time, but especially now.

Thanks, Nana. I miss you, and your presence is far more powerful than your absence.