Joshua M. Patton🖖🖤💛

Former reporter, NOW: Senior Writer @CBR. Dad. Veteran. #Yinzer. Storyteller. Hermit. He/Him. #BlackLivesMatter #TransRightsAreHumanRights @joshuampatton.com

[Joshua M. Patton🖖🖤💛 @JoshuaMPatton]

Nothing I write starts with the thought, "Oh, I can SELL that." (Though, that may explain a lot.) Whether short fiction, nonfiction, or even poetry, they all begin something I'd like to read. And I hope you might, too.
Find my books on Amazon or TikTok Shop (links in reply)

[Cheo Hodari Coker @cheo_coker]

Never stop writing.

[Joshua M. Patton🖖🖤💛 @JoshuaMPatton]

@WillingBlam Now the Gummy Bear theme somg is stuck on a loop in my head. (This is NOT a complaint.)

[Joshua M. Patton🖖🖤💛 @JoshuaMPatton]

just the same.
My family had fun at #TheMandalorianAndGrogu, and that is what made it "feel" like #StarWars. It's not overly serious, but it's not a farce. It has everything a good installment of this universe should. That's what "earns" the "right" to be a "movie" not a TV show.

[Joshua M. Patton🖖🖤💛 @JoshuaMPatton]

While it's currently trendy to be down on #StarWars, it's the "critique" around #TheMandalorianAndGrogu that feels lazy and uninspired, NOT the movie itself. It's a fun space adventure with heart and a subtle message. It also does things visually the TV show NEVER did. Go see it!

[Joshua M. Patton🖖🖤💛 @JoshuaMPatton]

In fairness, #TheMandalorianAndGrogu is NOT the same as past #StarWars i.e. a 'great mythological epic' pushing the boundaries of what is possible in film. That's not a bad thing, since that's not a sustainable storytelling model. The movie delivers moments of spectacle and heart

[Joshua M. Patton🖖🖤💛 @JoshuaMPatton]

Of the 14 #StarTrek films, which is the most perfect? What if I told you, nearly unquestionably, it's #StarTrekTheMotionPicture? Here is an essay arguing just that. And I know some folks just skim the headline, but you MUST read this one to understand why.
https://t.co/q57tzbLu5R

[Joshua M. Patton🖖🖤💛 @JoshuaMPatton]

As #TheRookie continues its run of success, #TheRookieFeds failed to repeat it because of an ill-advised storytelling choice. With a new spinoff in the works, the burgeoning franchise may have figured out exactly how to avoid repeating its mistake.

https://t.co/ZsoUj5WR47

[Joshua M. Patton🖖🖤💛 @JoshuaMPatton]

I will forever love both, but when #StarTrek and #StarWars shared the big screen in the early 1980s, the USS Enterprise beat the Millennum Falcon in the space battle race, and with far less money for effects. I explain exactly what I mean at the link.

https://t.co/gCSIe0QSV2

[Joshua M. Patton🖖🖤💛 @JoshuaMPatton]

Sometimes my job is REALLY cool. Talking to Jenette Kahn, the woman who made #DCComics truly great, is cool. But learning something new about the origin of #LoisAndClark (one of my favorite shows as a kid) is really cool. #Superman fun facts at the link!

https://t.co/ErdKDn5ceh

[Joshua M. Patton🖖🖤💛 @JoshuaMPatton]

With the debut of #TheMandalorianAndGrogu, the #StarWars universe will undergo a significant shift that continues what #Andor started. Check out what I mean at the link. #MayTheFourthBeWithYou #RevengeOfTheFifth #RevengeOfTheSixth

https://t.co/Ou7dIdASc7

[Joshua M. Patton🖖🖤💛 @JoshuaMPatton]

It's the 60th anniversary of #StarTrek, and that means looking back at all the ways it has influence pop culture and the world. One that doesn't get talked about enough is it essentially invented the modern blockbuster, shared-universe movie franchise.

https://t.co/lxJ5LzPkYb

[Joshua M. Patton🖖🖤💛 @JoshuaMPatton]

The one upside to #StarTrek moving past the "Kelvin Timeline" is that now that it's finished, the period of reappraisal can begin. Like everything else, these films have their flaws, but they are still a fantastic weekend binge-watch!

https://t.co/O1j80IhDcy

[Joshua M. Patton🖖🖤💛 @JoshuaMPatton]

Much has been said about the influence #StarTrek had over the past 60 years, but -- for better or worse -- it created the "blockbuster, shared-universe franchise" that dominates entertainment. I explain what that means, and how they did it at the link:

https://t.co/lxJ5LzPkYb

[Joshua M. Patton🖖🖤💛 @JoshuaMPatton]

While this #StarTrek series is one of the more popular new ones for how much it loves this universe, the show broke a firm, specific rule instituted by Gene Roddenberry himself. And it was that much better for doing so. I explain at the link:

https://t.co/KgslnD68tB

[Joshua M. Patton🖖🖤💛 @JoshuaMPatton]

Even though there was no official #StarTrek canon back then, Gene Roddenberry himself tried to "erase" an entire series (and some of TOS), but it's since become one of its most influential. And it's also the only one to win an Emmy for its stories.

https://t.co/YVda0PhFKV

[Joshua M. Patton🖖🖤💛 @JoshuaMPatton]

The way #StarTrek reflects modern-day politics is not some kind of new "agenda." Not only has it always done that, #DeepSpaceNine's most political episode is both set in and about the mid-2020s in America. (Note: I wrote this on election night 2024.)

https://t.co/otq5RT3XWr