Monthly Archives: January 2026

With fire and sword, 1/29/26

Posted on by Henry

I love some good utopian storytelling. I like Star Trek, for crying out loud.

But there’s a problem with utopian stories that tell you that utopia is possible as an endpoint, as something that can be reached and, once reached, cannot be lost—like reaching Heaven and being blessed and content forevermore. That utopia is static. It’s locked in place, unchanging. And because this promised ‘utopia as an endpoint’ is so stable, so permanent, so inherently capital ‘g’ Good, you can justify any action to reach it.

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New Star Trek reflections, Starfleet Academy

Posted on by Henry

We’ve had another week of sickness here in my home. This meant that I missed Arisia, much to my dismay. My apologies if you had hoped to see me there. I hope you enjoyed it without me.

Perhaps this is a good time to reflect on the newest Star Trek show (Starfleet Academy) and the last one I watched (Strange New Worlds season 3).

Strange New Worlds season 3 was…

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Arisia 2026

Posted on by Henry

I’m returning to panel at Arisia for (what I think may be) my ninth year. I’m not moderating any of my panels this time. I do have the pleasure of opening my con by paneling with E.C. Ambrose and Andrea Hairston again, both of whom I’ve greatly enjoyed paneling with before.

In case you’re curious about attending and want to see any of my panels, here is Arisia’s website and their schedule… and here is my schedule:

Avoiding Essentialism in SFF, Friday 1/16, @8pm

Pirates on the High Seas and In Space, Saturday 1/17, 6:45pm

A Complete History of Time Travel, Saturday 1/17, 8pm

What’s Destiny Got To Do With It?, Sunday 1/18, 6:45pm

The politics of shortsighted dragons, 1/8/26

Posted on by Henry

We’ve broken international law to violate the sovereignty of Venezuela. Why does this matter? The US just did something that’s good for the US, right?

I thought I’d write about stories or games today, but here we are. How about I tell you a story instead?

For decades we have been a dragon atop a hoard of power and wealth and influence…

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Welcome to 2026

Posted on by Henry

Happy New Year! I hope that your new year’s eve celebrations went well if you had them. Getting the most out of my time away from other commitments hasn’t meant partying for quite a while now, but it’s still funny to think of how freeing it feels to check chores and home projects off my list. Next week I’ll return to Fistful’s regular programming… if we don’t all immediately get sick again.