Beyond The Coda

I'm tired. So very, very tired. Partially, it's due to the fact I didn't sleep last night. It's very muggy in London at the moment, and I spent the night tossing and turning in the sort of humidity that would put Dagobah to shame. But I was also kept awake by an anger of such intensity that I kept running over things in my mind, begging to go online to Facebook and reply to far too many messages, with far too many swear words than would be healthy for a platform I share with my mum. Somewhere around 04.27, I realised something. I realised why I was tired. And it had nothing to do with finding the cool side of the pillow. I'm tired of Star Wars . More correctly, I'm tired of Star Wars  fandom. It's no secret that The Last Jedi  has, shall we say, divided the fanbase. There's no denying it was a Marmite movie. But love it or hate it, it was Star Wars . I'm not going to delve into the intricacies of the arguments here, I've done that bef...

I was quite surprised when the Channel 5 continuity announcer warned us, ahead of Will & Grace last Friday night, that the programme contained "offensive language". Will & Grace isn't exactly known for its coarse language. Mildly objectionable stereotypes on occasion, but nothing offensive.   I watched the whole episode with an ear turned for anything that might make a censor blush, but to no avail.   As it so happened, my husband missed the episode so I was obliged to watch it again the next day. On a second viewing... still nothing, nada, zilch.   Apart from one possibility.   At one point a guest character uses the phrase "Cheers, queers". In context, it is a totally benign usage of the word; indeed the character himself lampshades it by pointing out that it's said with appropriate "tone and intent". Within the narrative he means it without malice, even humorously, a symbol of, perhaps grudging, acceptance. In r...

WARNING! THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI PLEASE SCROLL PAST THE SPOILER HOOJIBS TO READ MORE... At the time of writing I've only seen The Last Jedi once, albeit at a midnight showing on release day to try and prove something about my fan credentials. Seeing the reaction to it, however, has really made me question whether I want to be included under that "fan" banner any more. You see, internet snowflakes, trolls and troglodytes are calling for the head of anyone involved. There was even a petition online pleading with Disney to wipe the whole thing from canon and delay filming of Episode IX in order to remake The Last Jedi ... a petition which the originator claimed he regretted, yet was somehow not withdrawn until after it had amassed 45000 signatures in very quick time. First, let's get one thing straight... Rian Johnson didn't ruin the Star Wars saga. George Lucas has bee...

It’s over 50 years since Star Trek first hit American TV screens and it reached the BBC in July 1969, just a week before Neil Armstrong took humanity’s first steps in its own wagon train to the stars. In those 50 years-ish, the whole franchise has been at the forefront of making history and pushing all sorts of boundaries. From the famous first interracial kiss to being an inspiration to real-life astronauts, Star Trek can likely lay claim to being the most aspirational umbrella of speculative fiction in history. There have been some truly outstanding attempts to show the whole of humanity’s potential, whether directly such as the inclusion of the Russian Chekov during the real life Cold War, or through analogy like Sisko’s Prophet-induced vision in Far Beyond the Stars . It’s also been a genuine inspiration to real life events – the very first Space Shuttle is called Enterprise , although it never left Earth’s atmosphere, and this idea came full circle when Enterprise’s ficti...

Hello there... If you've found your way here, I'm guessing you're a regular and/or former reader of my column which has been published - and well-supported - by GeekPlanetOnline for the last nine years... Queer Eye For The Sci Fi . If you are...great! If not... welcome! The original concept was a regular (ahem) column in which I discussed elements of LGBT representation in science fiction and fantasy (aka "genre") media. From Doctor Who 's "gay agenda" to, erm, discussion about gay characters in Doctor Who , via zebras and Klingons and bears (oh, myyyyyy...) I hope my columns have at least entertained, if not informed and maybe even provoked some thought and discussion. For me, I'm happy if they're read and it is for that that I will be forever grateful to everyone over at GeekPlanetOnline for giving me what some might call my first break*. Sadly, but for the very best reasons, GeekPlanetOnline is closing its doors soon. However, I...

For the purposes of clarity and explanation... All views expressed here are my own and should not be interpreted as having any link or reference to any organisation or individual I have, or had, connections with. This includes, but is not restricted to, my current employer and the team at GeekPlanetOnline who formerly published my Queer Eye for the Sci Fi column. I use the umbrella term LGBT+. This is to avoid exclusion of any group based on sexuality, gender or any other trait. I personally believe that, however well-meaning, the extended version of LGBTQQIP2SAA is merely another way for straight cis-gendered people to point out differences, rather than to celebrate inclusivity. You may disagree. You have that choice. I generally work at UK release schedules. If I do discuss something before a UK release, I'll mark a spoiler alert. Once that release date has passed, I believe anything is fair game for a UK-based blog. As Moira Stewart used to say... if you don't wan...