As it turns out, there were two finalists for grabbing on to J. J. Abrams newest sci-fi series creation — HBO and Apple. That shouldn’t surprise you because while HBO won out on basically what is profit by association, both companies are huge on diversity. Abrams has been subtly or overtly present on the political diversity wagon for some time, so expect some type of universal weirdness in this new sci-fi series no matter how much sense it makes in the grand scheme of things. The important thing is, everyone needs to get represented.
Take, for example, Abrams approving of an African-American Stormtrooper in Star Wars. Anyone who knows anything about Star Wars knows that the Stormtroopers are clones. Cloned by the thousands. They all look exactly the same, think exactly the same, and have exactly the same abilities. The technology of mass production goes back to the days of Henry Ford, I believe. Some people think that the black Stormtrooper is creative, or diverse, or unique. It’s not. It’s dumb, especially in a sci-fi movie that takes place in the future with super advanced technologies.
Abrams also got his hands on the beloved Star Trek franchise by sneaking in his advocacy of gay rights and equality by the brief scene where Sulu was meeting his husband (or wife), with a daughter in tow. Of course it was Sulu who was gay, not Chekov or Uhura. If you think there wasn’t any influence placed on him by George Takei and his ilk, you have been living in a cave. Star Trek TOS and the movie franchise functioned well without Abrams “help.” Again, he shows his ignorance of the characters because the entire TV series WAS about diversity. Amazingly enough, people in the 1960’s were sophisticated enough to know what was going on and didn’t have to have it spelled out for them.
But this is another reason why HBO and Apple were the finalists. They like to treat people like they’re stupid — and it seems to work. After all, the bottom line is the bottom line, and if it takes diversity to get it there, so be it. I was just hoping that something new would come out of the sci-fi genre that focuses on the genre and not the politics. That probably makes me stupid.
“Demimonde” is about mom being left in a coma after a car accident and her daughter and hubby are transported into another world where they engage in battling some monstrous force. Maybe the daughter is androgynous and the monstrous force is trying to get her to make up her mind and identify with a gender. But the father is also androgynous, and the only one who knows who she is has been left behind in a coma. That would give plenty of room for diversity.
According to sources, HBO is looking to Abrams creation to follow “Game of Thrones” in popularity. His last successful TV series, “Person of Interest” lasted 5 seasons but its ratings fell off the cliff after season 4. In contrast, “Game of Thrones” continues to increase the number of viewers after season 7. Apple may have won by losing.
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