Some Love for The Penumbra Podcast

This past week, I stumbled into the Penumbra Podcast through a random tweet in my timeline. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen it mentioned, but this time I bothered to look into it and give a listen. Now, I’m struggling to keep myself from devouring the whole series in short order. Despite my attempt at restraint, I have already gotten a ways into season two and can’t help but listen to multiple episodes everyday.

Hyperion City is wonderful and horrible and breathtaking all at once. I’m a sucker for a sci-fi setting, but the world of Juno Steel is particularly interesting to me in how it portrays the typical faults of a futuristic society in its own unique way. Plenty of futuristic dystopias involve overpowered corporations, nosy and expansive media empires, and the contrast of the haves vs the have-nots, but the Penumbra Podcast manages to include these tropes without making them seem tired. I’m still very early in Second Citadel’s storyline, but I find the world building to be interesting, particularly because of how much they have to communicate through primarily character dialogue. There’s so much information to be packed in about the humans and the monsters and the world they inhabit and, without much in the way of narration, the writing has to clever to get the audience the information they need.

That’s only one of the ways the dialogue in the Penumbra Podcast really shines. It’s fast paced and witty, but the show doesn’t devolve into pithy quips without any depth. The show handles drama and romance and deep existential brooding with the same skill as comedy. Some of this is because of the great writing that produces stunning poetic narration and hilarious exchanges, but the acting plays a key role, as well. The voice acting is strong enough to make those well written words land. The combination makes for a riveting radio play, the likes of which I never imagined existed.

The excellent writing and acting bring the story to life, but what makes these stories so automatically important to me is their unabashed queerness. No one in Hyperion City is straight and it’s never important, expect for in the way it is extremely important for a listener who’s starved for that representation. Personally, I prefer the Juno Steel storyline over the Second Citadel one because the cast of characters and setting in Juno Steel resonate with my own identity and experience more closely. And I love sci-fi. That definitely plays a role, too.

I’ll run out of episodes of Juno Steel before too long, but for now I can take comfort from this queer sci-fi detective story. A genderqueer protagonist fighting crime on Mars is exactly the hero my younger self never imagined having and exactly the hero I’ll always need. I see myself in Juno and that’s strange and new and at times uncomfortable. It’s a good uncomfortable, though.

I hope I can one day make something that will change someone’s life the way the Penumbra Podcast has managed to change mine. It’s been a week since I found this podcast, but I know it will be a touchstone for the rest of my life. Stories have the power to bring light and clarity to a reality that is dark and muddled. I want there to be more stories out there like the Penumbra Podcast to give us some light out here (and I want to make them myself).

Hidden Treasure

Disney has made many rightfully acclaimed movies, but some of their movies have been overlooked. There’s enough of them that I suppose it makes sense that a few are going to end undervalued and disappointingly forgotten. In my opinion, of these forgotten movies, Treasure Planet has neglected worst of all.

Treasure Planet’s movie poster. Image found https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Treasure_Planet

Treasure Planet was released in 2002, and was a fantasy-sci-fi remix of Treasure Island. It is a masterpiece of world design and complex characters. The backgrounds and settings of the story are breathtaking from the start. The canyons filled with machinery are ripe for exploration and the taste we get in the chase scene only makes me wonder what all that machinery is for and what is hidden in that labyrinth of rock and metal. The Benbow Inn, perched on the cliff, piers jutting out into the air is both charming and intriguingly alien. When our protagonist, Jim Hawkins, does leave his home planet and seeks Treasure Planet, we get to see the stunning moon shaped city, gorgeous space-scapes, and wondrous other worlds.

And this beautiful universe is filled with unique technology I have always longed to get my hands on. Who doesn’t want a holographic storybook filled with the adventures of treasure seeking pirates who sail ships through space? Or a window that changes its view? Or a hoverboard that rockets through the air powered by a glimmering sail? Treasure Planet has technology that hovers on the line between magic and science. All of it feels machine-like, metal and constructed, but has a glow-y, beyond understanding aspect that they never try to explain away with faux science. The design of the technology makes the setting all the more wondrous.

The characters that inhabit this world are also endearing. The various alien species are diverse but fit in the same universe in a coherent manner. The creators walk the fine line of making it clear that theses creatures are not all the same without letting that world building take over the plot. The personalities and motivations of the cast of characters are believable and engaging. From minor pirates to our honorable captain to the adorable blob-like sidekick, all of the characters are memorable.

I’ve kept my discussion vague here intentionally. I don’t want to give so much of the details away that a first watch loses its magic. I can rave about Treasure Planet endlessly, but that will never express every wonderful detail. Do yourself a favor and go watch this under appreciated yourself. I promise you won’t regret it.

Exploring the Stars

Star Trek’s ideals helped form me. The idea of ‘boldly going’ to unknown places in the stars was exactly what inspired 16 year old me to study astronomy. Stories of strange planets, weird space phenomena, and intriguing alien lifeforms were exactly what drew me to studying the vast expanse beyond Earth. Of course, most of astronomy is not like Star Trek at all, but the driving force to explore is still there at the core of both. So, if I had to blame something for my astronomy degree, I’d blame Star Trek.

I was extremely hesitant about Discovery when it was announced. Star Trek was a core pillar of my childhood that I didn’t want tampered with. I was worried what this new series would be like. I’d heard it was set pre-OS, which set alarm bells off in my head because, well, let’s face it, Enterprise was mostly a hot mess. The trailers didn’t convince because they looked so different from what I expected of Star Trek. I wasn’t excited for Discovery and at first I didn’t watch it.

Then, despite my hesitance, I actually watched Discovery. I loved it. The show holds true to the heart of Star Trek. It managed to introduce new material without distorting previous canon, enriching the world of Star Trek. Discovery also has a cast of characters I adore and, after the first two seasons, I was certain I could not love the show more. What I fool I was!

All rights to CBS. Image found at https://www.cbs.com/shows/star-trek-discovery/about/

A Season of Exploration

Season 3 of Discovery was brilliant from the start. The Star Trek world redesigned for a far future century was breathtaking. The technology of a new time built upon previous Star Trek staples in a logical manner and the design of new interfaces and gadgets was coherent and pleasing. I love the sets of this new age of Star Trek, with their mix of clean, futuristic white locations and dark, almost diesel-punk scenes. I particularly enjoyed marketplace of episode one, with it’s combination of high-tech and seedy-ness, the saloon like set on episode two, and the federation headquarters from the later episodes. The design of Book’s ship, both on the outside and interior, was great as well, particularly since some much of Star Trek takes place on massive ships, built to be home to numerous crew members. To see such a small ship was an interesting change.

“The world of Star Trek Discovery in the latest season felt new and familiar all at once and I can’t wait to explore it further next season.”

Micheal’s introduction to this new universe was exciting, sometimes funny, and sometimes heartbreaking. The mystery of where was Discovery in the first episode left me on the edge of my seat and the fate of the federation seemed more unclear than ever. The show portrayed the fall of an empire, destroyed by the Burn, which I find to be compelling. The world of Star Trek Discovery in the latest season felt new and familiar all at once and I can’t wait to explore it further next season.

True Character

What truly made season 3 a masterpiece, though, was the characters. Micheal, always a great protagonist, is even better, changed by her time in the future. She makes mistakes and wrong turns, but through it all I felt like she’d come into her own. Michael seems to fit better here, far in the future, than she did back in her native time. Tilly had so many amazing moments and isn’t stunning to compare who she is now to who she was back in season 1. Character development is a wonderful thing. Tilly proved herself to be a good leader and I we’ll get to see more of that in the future. Saru sort of backslid over the season and I was confused about why he was suddenly less talented at leading the crew, but in the end of the season I understood their direction a bit more. The bridge still had stars, though, as the crew got more time in the limelight and each excelled in turn, particularly in the last couple episodes. Detmer did some great flying, Owosekun was talented as always, and the crew’s teamwork kicks some serious ass in the final episodes of the season. Season 3’s new characters took the cake, though.

Book’s got depths we’ve only begun to see. I always like a character on who’s willing to bend a few laws to do what’s right and Book is a particularly good example of that archetype. I’d love to know more of what happen in the time between Michael’s and Discovery’s arrivals in the future, because Michael clearly knows more about Book and the workings of the new century than the audience ever got to see. Their references to past shared adventures makes me hope for future media to flesh out those tidbits. With Book, of course, comes Grudge. Or maybe I should say the opposite since Grudge is a queen. Grudge scenes never failed to make me smile.

This season’s opposing leaders had some great scenes together. I look forward to seeing what Admiral Vance is doing next season.

Image belongs to CBS. Image found at TrekMovie.com.

The two new leaders introduced were both fascinating new characters. Osyraa ticked all the boxes for a good villain: Ruthless, moral grayness, clever, and powerful. Even with her meeting her demise, I’d bet fragments of the Chain will carrying on her legacy in the coming season. Osyraa has left a mark on the Federation’s future. On the side of the Federation, we have Admiral Vance, who I think showed his best qualities when facing Osyraa. He’s a cautious leader and, while I was initially suspicious of the Federation of the new era, I think he genuinely means well. (Watch him be revealed as a secret conspirator in some evil plot now that I’ve said that.) I hope we get to see more of the Federation’s leadership, including Admiral Vance, between what diplomatic missions Discovery has to rebuild the Federation in season 4.

“I don’t think I could be more the target audience of Adira’s story if I tried.”

Of all of the awesome characters introduced in season 3, Adira Tal was the life-changer for me. I don’t think I could be more the target audience of Adira’s story if I tried. A too smart, 16 year old kid, who doesn’t feel like a ‘she’, in over their head and trying to be an adult about it? I fit that description not long ago, when I was starting college as a high school drop out, two years early. I was determined to study some stars and prove anyone who underestimated me wrong. Adira’s story spoke to me. You ever watch a scene and feel that prickle on your skin like eyes are watching you because you see so much of yourself on screen? It’s uncomfortable and cathartic and consoling all at once. I felt that a lot watching Discovery Season 3. All of the scenes with Adira, Gray, Paul, and Hugh, hit me hard. There’s nothing I could write to explain how I adore these characters, but I’m sure I’ll have a whole post about it in the future.

I could say a whole lot more (there’s a bunch I love about this season I haven’t even mentioned), but the short version is I love Star Trek Discovery. Expect this blog to have many entries on this show. If you haven’t watched it, you should. Discovery holds a special place in my heart not just because it is Star Trek, but because it dares explore the Star Trek universe and tell new stories. Season 3 takes this even exploration further than previous seasons and that’s what makes it shine.