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The Short Treks return with a couple of animated episodes, “The Girl Who Made the Stars” and “Ephraim and Dot”. Star Trek hasn’t been animated since The Animated Series but they come back with two 7 minute shorts that approach the material in very different ways. In doing so, the series manages to find a newfound sense of whimsy and fun.
“The Girl Who Made the Stars” is animated in the style of a poor man’s Pixar, and it features Michael Burnham as a child. When she becomes scared of the dark, her father tells her the story of the “girl who made the stars”. An old African legend, the story tells the tale of a young girl who challenged her elders and ventured out into the dark. After being chased by monsters, the girl finds a friendly spirit who gives her the stars of the universe. She grows up to become the queen. It’s a simple parable, but it fits into Trek well and manages to be both charming and thematic.
In “Ephraim and Dot”, the franchise explores its history through the inclusion of a species from Discovery. A Tardigrade lays eggs in the Enterprise, but she is chased off by Dot, a security/repair droid. Desperate to get back to her eggs, the Tardigrade (Ephraim) chases the Enterprise as it goes through its five year mission. Eventually, the Enterprise is destroyed in Search for Spock, but unlikely allies manage to save the day.
In this podcast, Wes and Clay get together to examine Trek’s return to animation and whether or not is works in this day and age. They discuss the aesthetic difference between the shorts and how they both manage to work in different ways.
Plus!
The guys talk about vinyl versus digital, animation studio shut downs, and their favorite animated films!