Are you a fan of sci-fi? When I was growing up, my father read lots of science fiction paperbacks. He worked in aerospace, so I always wondered if he knew something that our government was keeping from the public. The idea of aliens from another planet visiting Earth fascinated me, so I also became a sci-fi fan.

My favorite shows to watch are the Star Trek series. Who can resist Nextgen, as fans call it, with Patrick Stewart as Jon-Luk Picard? Or the concept of an android with no human emotions (some days that is appealing). Then there was Voyager with a female captain and a holographic doctor. Deep Space Nine may have been my favorite. The idea of prophets guiding species was appealing, not to mention a shapeshifter and a person having the memories of multiple lives living in them (that actually seemed exhausting to me). I also loved how they presented Earth as a paradise where there was no poverty and no wars.

I have a license to Paramount Plus, so not only do I get to rewatch all my favorites, but I get to see the latest shows like Picard and Discovery. Each celebrated the old characters and introduced new ones along with interesting worlds.

What I most like about these shows is how different species work together for the betterment of the galaxy. They are also the classic good vs. evil theme, but with the interesting twist of space travel to alien worlds.

When the world we live in stresses me out, I turn on one of these and I always feel more hopeful. Maybe one day we will all work together for good, and Earth will become the paradise presented in Deep Space Nine. Until then, I’d be happy to be stranded in the delta quadrant on Voyager. Neelix always seemed like a fun guy to hang around with.

Choose to be a light!