On Thursday of last week, when international space station commander Peggy Whitson welcomed space shuttle Discovery commander Pamela Melroy on board, the meeting marked the first time ever that two female commanders have hooked up (no, not like that) in space. That's a happy addition to the timeline of women's accomplishments in space.

Sometimes I think I'm the only one who still gets excited about nonfictional shuttle launches. It's amazing to me that the same culture that paid George Lucas to crank out his craptastic Star Wars prequels treats the space program like the nerd in high school who liked math and carried around Isaac Asimov novels. (You know, ignore it most of the time, but when it's having a bad day, tape a “kick me” sign to its back and watch it careen down the hall.)

But I get the fascination with space stories. I grew up with E.T. (which is 25 years old this year!), spent one summer in the '80s watching Space Camp until I wore out the tape, and yes, I, too, forked over the money for tickets to those Star Wars prequels, though that was mostly for Natalie Portman. And I do believe we should celebrate women in space-type entertainment, because they encourage us to dream of possibilities outside of our own experience. Here are a few of my favorites. … continue reading

If you’re ever at a Star Trek convention and things get a little boring, here are six words guaranteed to stir the pot. “Best Star Trek captain ever. Discuss.” Entire websites are devoted to the Kirk vs. Picard debate, and it’s not a subject that Trekkies take lightly. Here at AfterEllen.com, however, no discussion is necessary. The best Star Trek captain is obvious.

News of Star Trek XI, directed by J.J. Abrams, has fueled new debate, since the movie’s storyline is a prequel to the original series and requires casting younger versions of Kirk & crew. Our own globalgrrl had a Psychic Friends moment when she correctly put Zoë Saldana in the role of Uhura.

That got me thinking: If an AfterEllen.com woman can cast a part so perfectly, imagine the lineup if AfterEllen.com cast an entire Star Trek film. Especially if the film had an all-female cast. Now we’re talking. I can almost see the marquee. “AfterEllen.com presents: Star Trek L: Revenge of the Manatees.” … continue reading

Sometimes it's hard for me to explain exactly why I love something. For example, I can tell you that I like guitars and women who can sing, but that doesn't really explain why I love Heart. Or I can tell you that I like cheese and beans and guacamole, but that doesn't fully capture my love of Mexican food.

Other times, though, it's easy. I can tell you exactly why I love Star Trek: Voyager, and I can do it with one word: Janeway.

It just doesn't get better than Kate Mulgrew in uniform, running a tight ship, drinking coffee, chatting with Leonardo da Vinci on the holodeck or helping Seven of Nine (make that Annika) embrace her humanity. That last thing was especially fascinating, and has inspired reams of fan fic (I recommend G.L. Dartt's stories if you haven't read them).

But in a recent interview with the Trekdom bloggers, Star Trek: Voyager doctor Robert Picardo reveals that the Captain/Borg interactions weren't always so warm. Mulgrew wasn't very keen on Seven at first: … continue reading