The restorative properties of good sci-fi

I’ve recently discovered Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and it is filling up my cup of human kindness in a way that I was not prepared for.

Growing up I watched a reasonable amount of OG Star Trek and loved shows like Lost in Space and Doctor Who but Star Trek: The Next Generation hit me like a truck and I remember loving that show, Deep Space Nine and Voyager with an intensity that you only get at that time in your life, probably about 12 to 16.

So it’s really satisfying now to tune into a SNW and be immediately put into an almost meditative state. The universe is so familiar, the sounds, processes that they follow, the rules, rituals and things that matter all so recognisable and comforting but at the same time with a modern outlook, the secret to keeping these massive franchises alive for successive generations. I feel the same about the new series of Doctor Who and Ncuti Gatwa being cast as The Doctor.

I come away from an episode more centred and reminded of ideals that are engrained in me, probably through exposure at an impressionable age.

Oh and I really want to be as cool as Captain Pike when I grow up :D