StarTalk Radio - The Best of Both Worlds

Episode Date: March 28, 2013

Neil deGrasse Tyson takes us where no fan has gone before: an exclusive interview with Star Trek: TNG stars LeVar Burton and Brent Spiner at San Diego Comic-Con 2012. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to new episodes ad-free and a whole week early.

Welcome to StarTalk, your place in the universe where science and pop culture collide. StarTalk begins right now. Welcome to StarTalk Radio. I'm your host, Neil deGrasse Tyson. I'm an astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, where I also serve as director of the Hayden Planetarium. And I've got with me in the studio one of my favorite co-hosts. I'm sorry, not the favorite co-host. You're in an ensemble of favorite co-hosts, Leanne Lord.

Well, hello there. I'm in an ensemble. Fantastic. Well, welcome back. I'm so glad to be back. It's been too long. It really has. Oh, hello there. I'm in an ensemble. Fantastic. Well, welcome back. I'm so glad to be back. It's been too long. It really has. Oh, my gosh.

We want much more of you. Listen, you have my number. Just call me. Well, we got you on this one because I happen to have separate knowledge that there's a geek side of you that is like totally into science fiction. Yes. And earlier this year, I went to Comic-Con San Diego for my very first time. I was a Comic-Con virgin.

Oh, my God. My heart beats wildly. You got to go. Is it fluttered? It is. It really is. Is it warm in here? Oh, my gosh.

And so what was very cool is as I was wandering the floor, well, first, I was warmed by the reception that I got just being there. I was about to say, you would be considered a superstar. Well, I didn't know because famous actors go there, right? And I got just being there. I was about to say, you would be considered a superstar. Well, I didn't know because, you know, famous actors go there, right? And I'm not an actor, you know. Yeah, but they're just cashing in. They don't have any real, you know, geek street cred.

Well, that's interesting you say that because when people came up to me, actors I would have judged as famous would walk by and they would see them, but then they'd stay with me. And I realized that, well, actually, I could tell them stuff about the universe. Exactly. As the other people can pretend to tell them things if it's in a script. You actually know. But it meant they cared about the real knowledge. And so I felt as though I was an emissary of my professional community of astrophysicists.

An emissary of science. Is that on your business card? Representing my community. And in that way, I was re-infusing this deeply inspired and active organization. Just all these people who love science and have, as it is captured in the storytelling of science fiction. Wow. I wish I could have been there.

No, it was gorgeous. And you know who I bumped into? Who? Oh, LaVar Burton and Brent Spiner Oh my god I'm having a Star Trek moment What does that mean biophysically to you? Biophysically?

I can neither confirm nor deny That certain biophysical things Are happening to me at the moment Well they, you know So for those of you, if you didn't know, okay, LeVar Burton on Star Trek. Geordie. Geordie LaForge.

Geordie LaForge. And Brent Spiner was Lieutenant Commander Data. Data. Love Data. Data. You know, he's one person I thought he should maybe be Datum, Lieutenant Commander Datum, the singular of Data.

But that's another conversation. Wow. I think you've hit the outer level of geekdom sir I didn't think that was possible They were in Star Trek The Next Generation series And they were at a booth Signing autographs

Okay And so I managed to nab them And get them to talk to me For Star Talk Are you serious? On the floor of Comic Con And so Does your life get any more awesome?

So I've got that interview And that's going to be this hour. So let's, in fact, go straight there and find out how, in fact, my lives had intersected with theirs in the past. So what a privilege to have both you guys here. LeVar, let me start with you. you might not have known is that in your days with Reading Rainbow, you did a program profiling the closest public school to ground zero from the terrorist attacks on September 11th. Right. And that was my daughter's school. And so...

P.S. 234. P.S. 234. Your daughter... She was in first grade. Wow. In fact, it was her third day of school, was September 11th, 2001. And so they obviously have to leave the school. They can't return to the school.

The school is used as an evacuation center. Yes. And a year later... We came with the Reading Rainbow cameras. And the point was to really show our audience the progress of that community that lived right there at ground zero. That's important because a school is part of a community. Absolutely. And that was a large part of the message that this community was affected. And this school was a large part of the healing that needed to be done and how the community really was able to use the school and the staff and faculty as a resource

for the healing of trauma from that day so i just want to publicly thank you for that effort absolutely because you know things come and go and people don't remember to remember. Right. And so you created a beautiful product there. Thank you. And we still have it. Thank you. If I was VHS back then.

Right. Yes. I believe I can get you a DVD now. Neil. All right. And also, Brent, you know, we have an intersection of some years back. I remember getting a phone call that there was a play being produced on Broadway that featured scientists,

astrophysicists in particular, and then you guys show up at my doorstep. You and Helen Hunt. Yep, and John Turturro. And John Turturro. And Linda Eamon, who's a fantastic actress. And Matthew Warchus, who's a world-class director. We all came to your office.

And the play's called Lifetimes Three. Yeah, Lifetimes Three. Yasmina Riza wrote it, who wrote God of Carnage and Art. It was an amazing play about astrophysicists. So I guess you came to me because you needed acting? Exactly. You know what? We needed to know what are these people like, these science heads.

And I wanted to know how to portray them effectively. What are these people like? These crazy astrophysicists. Science heads, you know? And I wanted to know how to portray them effectively. And my character, by the way, was a real son of a bitch. And I based him totally on you, actually, after that meeting. You never told me that. Yeah. No, not totally. Just your personality.

No, but I went and saw the play, and it was interesting because it was circumstances from three different views. Exactly. The premise of the play was really that, you know, they always say baseball is a game of inches. And I think life is a game of inches, really. And that's sort of what it was about, is that at any given moment, something can happen, something can be said that will completely change the dynamic of the moment and of the rest of time after that. And so the play was about a young guy and his wife. He was an astrophysicist, invited his boss and his wife to dinner, and they showed up one night too early. and they showed up one night too early. And in each of the three different vignettes, the exact same scene played out,

but at some point in the scene, someone said something different, and it all changed and went off in another direction. And you kind of realize that could happen anywhere, anytime, that there are billions of possibilities for every single moment of life. All different variations on a theme that... Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

And so I was honored that you guys felt that I could contribute to your performance. Please. And, I mean, all three of you. I mean, you know, Helen Hunt. Yeah. All there sitting in my office at the Hayden Planetarium. Oh, I remember. You couldn't even listen to me because you were looking at her the whole time.

No, no. I thought I was hiding that. No, not at all. Apparently. You were transparent, as they say in science. So I feel pseudo-genetically connected to the two of you, so thanks for coming to StarTalk here. Glad to be connected to you. Welcome back to StarTalk Radio.

I'm Neil deGrasse Tyson. In this show, we're listening to my interview with LeVar Burton and Brent Spiner on the floor of Comic-Con 2012 in San Diego. Leanne Lord, you've never been to a Comic-Con. I have never been to a Comic-Con. But you're a geek girl. I am, but I'm broke geek girl is how this has transpired, everybody. So if you want to send donations to get Leanne to Comic-Con, feel free. Well, you know, Comic-Con is not just sort of the Star Trek.

You know, maybe the Star Trek fan base began this whole culture. Right. I mean, I've been to a Star Trek convention. Exactly. But, of course, Comic-Con is like the super set of all of these. So there are fans of all the superheroes. Batman, Spider-Man, X-Men, Doctor Who even. And Supernatural, the hit TV series.

So what an experience it is to go there. And everybody is as crazy as you think they would be. Wow, way to paint that picture. But we're featuring my interview with LeVar Burton and Brent Spiner. You know, they were in The Next Generation Star Trek, which was the resurrected form of the show that came out in the late 80s and early 90s. So let's pick up more with my interview with them, just because they agreed to do this from the floor of Comic-Con.

You could feel the energy in the air. I have it on good rumor, LeVar, that you and one other character in The Next Generation were the only ones in the group that were actual Star Trek fans from way back. Is that a fair statement? I think that is a fair statement. And the other actor would have been Whoopi Goldberg. It was.

Oh, excuse me. It was Whoopi. Whoopi and I both were largely influenced by Gene's vision of the future, mainly because it was a representation of a future that included people of color. Which no one else was doing. Well, not no one. I mean, there are a couple of instances in science fiction literature. Arthur C. Clarke, notably.

Okay, but it took him to do it, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. But it was very rare, very rare to see representations of the future that featured heroes who looked like us. Right. And for that reason, it was a very easy future to embrace. And so you became a part of that. You not only saw it as a future that could happen, you actually joined it.

Right. How many people get to do that? I'm telling you. I love my life. Okay, so now the rest of these guys then, they had to learn the stuff, learn the culture, right? Is that right, Brent? I just learned the lines, Neil. I still don't know what it's about, I'll be honest with you. So I guess, yeah, the actor, well, they just have to make you believe, that's all. Well, that's it. That's it. You have to make yourself believe, and then

everybody else believes. Oh, that's all, that's okay, right. You're believable in your portrayal. Exactly right. You have to do it with absolute conviction. And once you do that and make real choices of how to do it, then the audience will go along with you. Okay, so now, who would win a game of chess between you and Spock as Data? Well, let me think. I mean, Spock was smart, but he was no Data. You know, he could probably beat Picard. I mean, Spock was smart, but he was no Data. You know, he could probably beat Picard.

Yeah, of course. And me, certainly. But not Data. Not Data. My gosh. Okay, so Data can kick some Spock butt. Oh, please. That'd be a cage match kind of thing, right? That's how you do that?

You know, I'd like to see that, actually. Because, you know, he's much older than I am. I know I could take it. And so, LeVar, I mean, I was especially intrigued by your visor. I mean, everyone was. I mean, that's an extraordinary device that I would just want to own. Right. You know, who wouldn't want to see the whole world in every possible wavelength of light?

Exactly. I wasn't close enough to the series to know why one year they just took it off. Yes. See, I always maintained that, and I love the visor. It's a very iconic piece of Star Trek hardware. Gadgetry, yeah.

Exactly right. And Rick Berman always maintained that the visor was one of those ways that we telegraphed the nature of the technological sophistication of the 24th century. And I had to agree. However... Right, because if it's just people walking around, it's just a play set in the future. It's not a participant in the future.

But I always wondered that if our technology was so damn sophisticated, why couldn't we put that technology in something a lot smaller than the visor? Like, say, the size of an eye. Now, there's an idea. Okay. But, you know, I had a similar thing when I first met Gene Roddenberry. He said, would you mind changing your appearance? And I thought, well, he's going to give me a couple of pair of ears or something, whatever. And he said, no, I'd like to change the color of your skin.

I'd like you to be a different hue. And I thought, well, all right, why not? And I said, but, you know, don't you think in the future that they would be able to devise skin that would look like skin? And he says, what makes you think what you have isn't better than skin? That was Gene Roddenberry. So there was no way to argue. Right, right. There you go.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Roddenberry. So there was no way to argue. Right, right. There you go. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So what I wondered was if you could get one of those visors but put it as the window on the deck. Right. And you just have a dial, just dial it up. The lens through which we all see. We all see, so it's not

just you. Right. Because telescopes are kind of like that. They are. You know, we get all our data from all the bandwidth. Right. That's right. That's right. You know what? It's interesting and not many people know this and i wonder if you remember there were sides that gene wrote for the audition process of next gen and there was a scene between jordy and data where they discussed and they were just meeting for the first time and they discussed how data's brain and Geordi's eyes saw the world from a similar perspective they saw through to the truth of things and so they decided to form a team and call

themselves but where were the the the perceivers this is an early concept and the perceivers never made it into the pilot, but the relationship between Geordi and Data absolutely did. Well, because then that gives me a place to come through into the show to feel like I'm connected to the reality of the real universe. I mean, not to overstretch a metaphor, but today there's so much non-viewing the truth, you know, in politics, in the world.

And there you guys were just seeing it as it is, laid bare, in fact. Laid bare in the facts, laid bare in its appearance. And so when I think of the first series setting a watermark for just exploring culture, but in a new kind of way, where you can get closer to it without having your guards up. Right. Getting closer through a lens of the future. Yes.

Right? Yes. You know, Neil, there are many things I admire about you and always have enormous respect for you. Well, thank you. My gosh. But now, seeing that you have Starfleet sideburns makes me even more respectful.

Very few people notice this. Thank you. They come to a point. It's my homage. It's my homage. When I see that, I know we are starting right here on Earth right now. It begins with you, Neil. It begins with you, Itik. But I can't act. I can't act. I can't. It is the authentic you, I think, that is really... I can teach you. He's taught many porn stars.

That's right. And so you'd be in excellent company. Okay, so if the acting moment arises, I'm going to call on the two of you. Please. And I'm going to say, give me some... You've informed my characters before. I helped you. I hooked you up.

That's right. I'm going to call on you. I want to come to the Hayden Planetarium and bring my Reading Rainbow cameras, and I would like to sit down with you. My gosh. I will so be royalty. And share you with the Reading Rainbow audience. You will so be royalty.

I'd love that. But you've got to know somebody. Brent, can you hook me up? I probably could. Yeah, I'll give him a call. All right. Cut, Brent. Oh, my gosh, you guys. You guys guys are fun so tell me about science growing up

with you where'd you grow up sacramento california really okay california boy california and did science mean anything to you as a kid um science fiction meant a lot science you know outside of a regular student in science chemistry had a Had a chemistry set. Yeah? Didn't burn anything up? Not so I could actually be held legally accountable. So your chemistry set came with a legal document at the end. There was a disclaimer. How to absolve guilt. There was a disclaimer. Absolutely.

Made stink bombs in high school. That's fun. Yep. So were you a nerd kid? I'd have always been a geek. Always. I mean I didn't have a pocket protector but some of my best friends did. That you admit to. Yeah and you do you have any science in your history? Well you know I'm from Houston Texas. Oh so you know space? Well I know space from I had a TV and we used

to watch all the space shots. Being in Houston and having the space program move there in my lifetime was unbelievably exciting. But my relationship to science, we lived in a very hot climate, you know, in Houston, and basically my total association was using a magnifying glass to torture doodle bugs, you know. So you had the sun, and you exploited its presence. Exactly. I learned so much about solar energy from that experience. I confess that I got a lot of mileage out of my magnifying glasses. God, definitely. They're completely useful.

Oh, they are magic. So anything else? Did you collect rocks or anything? No, I didn't really collect. You know, unlike LeVar, I was actually very cool as a young person. So collecting rocks was not... I didn't really do that. I collected chicks. Welcome back to StarTalk Radio. I'm your host, Neil deGrasse Tyson. In this show, we're listening to my interview with Star Trek actors LeVar Burton and Brent Spiner from the floor of Comic-Con 2012, San Diego.

In this next clip, we're going to learn about the roles that they've taken on far away from the Star of Comic-Con 2012, San Diego. In this next clip, we're gonna learn about the roles that they've taken on far away from the Star Trek universe. So I hail from New York where New Yorkers care about their Broadway. You guys thinking of doing any Broadway anytime soon? You know what, I'm dying to do another Broadway show. Just to reconnect with some? And I love doing it.

I love being on stage and having a live audience. You know, there's a community in New York that doesn't exist in the movie business, but it is in the theater. And if you're in a play, and you go after the show to Joe Allen's or whatever, and you see all the other actors from all the other shows, everybody's like, Hey, how you doing? What are you doing?

I'm coming to see your show. And it's a real community. Have you ever thought about it? Oh, I used to think about nothing else i mean when i got the job in roots i was a sophomore at usc studying i didn't even mention we didn't even talk about roots yet oh my gosh what's roots nah we know what roots is man roots my gosh and here's the connection. That scene that happened every time with a new child.

The father taking the child, presenting it, uplifting the child to the heavens and saying, Behold. That became iconic. The only thing greater than yourself. When my daughter was born, I made the same gesture. As did I. I got a photo of it, too. There you go.

She was like five pounds eight, so it's like, I got large hands, just there it was, held it up. How could you not, right? That was powerful. That's right. My initial desire was to graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in drama from USC, move to New York, and hustle my way onto the Broadway stage. Ben Vereen was my idol. Still is.

I saw him in the original Jesus Christ Superstar. Really? Yeah, oh yeah. You say that like, I didn't know you were that old. That's the way you said that. Was I that transparent? Science. Science.

Science. Science. Science. You know, it's amazing the connection between science fiction and science. It's a really fine line. It's almost nonexistent at this point. I just did a thing for, you know, the XPRIZE? Oh, yeah, of course.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And there's many of them now. I mean, it used to be just who can send up a ship and back. Now can you go to the moon? And they also added field. So they're biology XPRIZES now. They've got a book of all of the things they want to accomplish. But the thing that I

participated in was they're offering a prize now to anybody who can come up with a medical tricorder that will scan the body and diagnose. 13 different diagnoses and be affordable to the consumer. And they've got three years to come up with it,

whoever can do it, $10 million. And they're pretty sure someone's going to do it. You know, I worry that if the world ever loses science fiction, that dreams... They lose innovation. Absolutely. Without question, the link between science fiction literature, our imaginations, and our ability to manifest in this realm is inextricable.

It is our imaginations that produce everything that we have accomplished. It's not only imagination. You've got to see something that you want to have. That's right. That's right. Because it's futures. They're dystopic futures, of course. You're right.

You're absolutely right. But it's got to be so tasty. Oh, I was trying to talk to these guys at XPRIZE. I said, next time you've got to go for the transporter. Because doesn't everybody want to go from one place to another in a blink of an eye? And they said, well, we're working on it. You know, that's not tomorrow. No, it's not tomorrow.

They said 2020 they'll have it. But the fact is, you know, in 1865 when Jules Verne wrote Trip to the Moon. Yeah, from Earth to the Moon. The idea of going to the Moon... Yeah, from Earth to the Moon. Earth to the Moon. The idea of going to the moon was inconceivable. The idea of a rocket was inconceivable. And yet we did it. Not only did we do it, we went there and we brought them back.

Within 100 years, right, essentially. So I have to ask, was there a particular story theme that impressed either of you that you were in? Well, I kind of think the most significant one to me was an episode called Measure of a Man, in which my character was on trial, basically to decide whether or not he was sentient, whether he was a sentient being. One of the best acknowledged, best episodes

in the seven-year run of Next Gen. And whether, if he was not sentient, were we creating a race of slaves, a different kind of race of slaves, or did he have his own right to his own existence? And it's a fascinating episode. How about you? Well, for me, Neil, it's probably not a single episode,

but the idea that Gene infused Star Trek with, there's an acronym, IDIC, I-D-I-C. Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combination. That's new to me. Ah, it's a core tenet of the Star Trek philosophy. Infinite diversity in infinite combination and that we have respect for all of the diversity that life presents throughout creation.

And Star Trek diversity is far greater than the diversity of what we find here on Earth. So what a model that would serve us. Absolutely. Absolutely. We hopefully reach a time where we celebrate the differences in people instead of letting them separate us. And what I love about Star Trek is if you reverse engineer that idea, then it has to begin here on Earth before we can get out there in the heavens. What concerns me is people say,

oh, let's have a new rules where we're all friendly in space. And I'm thinking, well, if that succeeds, why couldn't you do that down here? Otherwise I got no confidence. We would have to do it here before we get out there. Just as an existence proof that we're capable of it. That's right.

Exactly right. Welcome back to StarTalk Radio. I'm Neil deGrasse Tyson. And I've got with me Leanne Lord. Hey. Leanne, you're tweeting at Leanne Lord, aren't you? Yes, I am. But she's L-E-I-G-H-A-N-N. Yes, my parents got creative. They did. All right. Well, I follow you. Thank's L-E-I-G-H-A-N-N. Yes, my parents got creative.

They did. All right. Well, I follow you. Thank you. And I follow you. I need the occasional laugh in my day. Just the occasional. But that's not why I have you.

I got you on the show because you're a Star Trek geek today. I am Star Trek geek and loving it. I'm going to bash it. A geek tricks. Ooh. I'm going to put that on a t-shirt. Ooh. So in this show, as you know, we're featuring my interview with LeVar Burton and Brent Spiner from Star Trek Next Generation.

Yes. I ran into them at Comic-Con 2012. That was my first ever Comic-Con. Stop bragging. I'm sorry. And it was in San Diego. And we learned in the previous segment, of course anyone listening knows, that so much science fiction, especially that of Star Trek, influenced technologies that are with us today. For me, the favorite one,

that was the flip phone. The Motorola flip phone. Which of course was, you know that was inspired by the- Absolutely. That was the communicator. The communicator. But now it's like,

if you've got a flip phone, it's like, what's wrong with you? We're past that already. Yeah, that's special needs right there. Special needs. Give up a flip phone, it's like, what's wrong with you? We're past that already. Yeah, that's special needs right there. Special needs. Give up the flip phone, y'all. Move on. Keep it moving.

Keep it moving. Moveon.org. Moveon.org. And so I've often said that technology and our inspiration for the future can be fueled by the space program itself. Yes. And Brent Spiner and LeVar Burton have had intersections with NASA that reflect some of this. In fact, they've had paths that cross with NASA astronauts. Ooh.

So have you met any astronauts? I have not met any astronauts, but I'm open. You've got to get out more. I need to go to Comic-Con is what I need to do. Get out more. I do. Well, yes. Let's find out how Brent Spiner's and LeVar Burton's lives intersected NASA.

Gosh, we had an amazing experience. We went to Washington. The cast of Star Trek was invited for the 30th anniversary of Alan Shepard's first space flight. So there we all were, along with... This would be 1991. Yeah. Yeah, it would have been. Yes, right?

Exactly. And we were there with... Are you proud of me for knowing what I'm thinking? That's fantastic, man. You did the math. Am I just awesome? Yes. Wow.

But we were there with all the Mercury astronauts. I mean, all of them. All of them, with the exception, of course, of Gus Grissom. Right. But his wife was there. That's right. And it was crazy. They were treating us

like we were heroes. And they, of course, were the real heroes. We were the pretend heroes. And it was exciting. Well, that's, you know, of course, here at Comic-Con, the actor is the person, right?

That's right. And I used to think that was creepy, but then I thought, you're the And I used to think that was creepy, but then I thought, you're the closest they have to the real thing. If you do a really good job as an actor, they're living a fantasy. That's what they're doing.

Well, it's sort of like Joseph Campbell's stuff, you know? The power of myth and the hero's journey. Right, exactly. And that's really what it is. The power to want to believe. Absolutely. And Gene really tapped into that in terms of the whole universe

and the mythology that he created in Star Trek. And the idea that there would come a time in the evolution of humanity where we would have resolved all issues of race and class and economy, right? Right, right. You had the replicator, I guess. Yeah.

So the scarcity of resources was a non... Does not exist. And it's amazing what that just takes out of the equation. That's right. And that subsequent to that point in our evolution, we would really pool our resources planetarily and go exploring. So the message here, I mean, it's deeper than I think most people embrace. They may know it, but they don't think it,

that science and technology might be our only path that allows us to reach a future of peace and harmony. It is. That's transcendence, really. That is it. Yeah, but how many actors get to say that they're in a series that taps those... You know what? We were just lucky to fall into it. It was a gift.

It really was. It was not a plan. Did you think it was just a short revival and it would get forgotten again? I thought we were going to do one year because it was pre-sold for one year. And I thought, that's it. It'll be one year. Because it was canceled originally, right? People forget.

It was canceled after 72 episodes. Yeah one year. Because it was canceled originally, right? People forget. Yes, the original after 72 episodes. Yeah, the stuff got canceled. And so it's a little audacious to say I can come back again. We can do better than that. Yeah. But it really caught fire. And when we were on the air, I think we were the only sci-fi that was on the air at that point. Now it's all sci-fi and fantasy.

It's all over the airwaves. And, of course, New York City got the Enterprise Yes, space shuttle. That's right. I was there when it came at Kennedy So so, you know, it's on this piggybacked on the 747 So I'm at JFK and it comes in and it just did a low pass and then took off again. It was just showing off I watched I watched that on TV. Oh, yeah, I watched it as it did that flyby. My heart leapt. I mean, it was... Fantastic, yeah. And that's the culture feeling the future through the myth.

Yes, that's right. That's right. Welcome back to StarTalk Radio. I'm your host, Neil deGrasse Tyson. In this show, we've been listening to my interview with LeVar Burton and Brent Spiner from Star Trek The Next Generation, right from the floor of Comic-Con 2012, San Diego. In this final segment, we'll hear about what's been keeping them busy these days, proving that, of course, after all, there is life after Star Trek. So what projects are you doing now?

Well, I've got a web series I'm doing called Fresh Hell. It's sort of... You know what? Let me tell you about Fresh Hell, because my friend is much too modest to do it justice. Well, actually, he's not, but I'm tired of hearing him talk. Yeah, I appreciate that. Honesty between longtime friends, yeah?

Fresh Hell is Brent's web series, and I have said for a long time that very few people use social media and understand new technology and its power the way that Brent does. And it is some of the funniest stuff you will ever find on the internet. Freshhellseries.com. That's it. Oh, okay. And I have to say that of all the episodes, probably the funniest one we've done is one with LeVar. And what happened to that? Well, basically, the basic premise is I've done something horrible

that we call the incident. And we don't say what it is, but it has ruined my life, my career, and I have lost everything. All my money, all my friends, everything. And I'm trying desperately to get myself back to where I once belonged. And we call this, by the way, a sit-traj,

because it's both... Sit-, a sit-traj, because it's both... Sit-com, sit-traj. Well, it's heartbreaking underneath it. There is a subtext that really is sort of heartbreaking, but in this one particular episode, I go to LeVar to borrow some money because I've got this idea about teaching a class of porno actors how to act.

And LeVar is the person who's going to give me some dough. The old friend who gets hit up yet again. For an investment. For a loan. At some point in almost every episode, someone has reason to say, at least I'm not Brent Spiner.

Then you know you've succeeded. Exactly. But you know what? Honestly, it is so much. It makes someone's life feel good, right? That's what it is. And it really is about, and everyone goes through this, there's another incident that we don't talk about that's an even bigger incident,

which is that I made the mistake of getting older. So I've been dismissed from this fraternity that I've always wanted to be a part of. And it's not just about show business or it could be anyone in any field. A lot of people are going through this right now and that's the trash part of it, you know. So what you've formalized is what was happening naturally in the press. We all get some kind of psychological pleasure that bad things were happening to an actress or a singer or a performer. Who is it that cracks her car up or is shoplifting? Lindsay Lohan.

Why does that sell unless you're going to say, well, I'm better than them in this way, even though I don't have their money. It's true. And it's kind of, there is a sad reality that we love to put people on pedestals, but we love even better to knock them off. Yeah, that's weird. You know, I don't even know what to make of that. It's that schadenfreude thing, right? I don't know what that's about, but it's a part of the human... It's a very human thing. Very human. And how about you? What projects you got?

Just released the Reading Rainbow app. Okay. A bottom-up reinvention of the television series as an interactive journey of exploration and discovery for kids on tablet computers. The target age is what? The three to nine-year-old, that child who's in the process of making a decision as to whether he or she will be a reader for life or not.

So what got you going there? I mean, that's, of course, noble, but not everybody does that. Well, I grew up in a house where reading was like breathing. My mother was an English teacher, and you pretty much either read books in Irma's household or you got hit with them. You got slapped. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

You were going to have an encounter with the written word. A relationship with the books. It's a really beautiful app, though. I mean, really, they did a smashing job with it. It's fantastic. So if we get it as popular as Angry Birds. I love Angry Birds. Actually, Angry smashing job with it. It's fantastic. So if we get it as popular as Angry Birds... I love Angry Birds. Actually, Angry Birds uses real physics.

It does. And now we've got Angry Birds in space. Angry Birds in space. That's right. I believe that all of this media that we are so fond of consuming, no matter what it is, it is all educational. The question is, what are we teaching? what it is. It is all educational. The question is, what are we teaching? And so we know that our kids are as attracted to these tablet devices as we are, and that they are as engaged

by them as we are. And that genie's out of the bottle. We're not going to be able to put that genie back in. And so my goal is to be a part of a balanced diet of what our kids consume. Beautifully worded. Can't even touch that. Let that one get in. Let me rephrase that. Gotta love Star Trek. Of course.

What an influence it's had on the country, on the world, on people's dreams for the future. You know, when I see Comic-Con, I see that as the continuation, the spreading and the continuation of the dream of geeks, I guess. The dream of geeks. What do geeks dream of out here in Nerd Nation? I'm just saying. I think that if they took over the world tomorrow, that would not be a bad thing. It would be a much cooler place to live, I think. Who's to say we have not already?

Oh, you speaking from the geekdom yourself. I am. I'm highly positioned in the ranks as I am. You've been listening to StarTalk Radio. Find us on the web at startalkradio.net. And we also tweet, startalkradio. I tweet at Neil Tyson if you want to check that out. We're brought to you in part by a grant from the National Science Foundation.

And let me give you a tweet of the week, a simple one. And the geek shall inherit the earth. As always, this is Neil deGrasse Tyson saying keep looking up. Signing off for StarTalk.