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The latest episode of "Star Trek: Lower Decks," titled "The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel," takes place on the Cosmic Duchess, a massive, massive vacation cruise ship that has been outfitted with multiple enclosed, environmentally controlled vacation biomes. The ship includes a ski resort, a beach resort, a tropical river, and a slot machine-encrusted casino. The Duchess looks a lot like Earthship Ark from the short-lived 1973 Harlan Ellison sci-fi series "The Starlost," but it's unlikely anyone will understand that reference.

Early in the episode, Lieutenants Mariner (Tawny Newsome) and Boimler (Jack Quaid) enthusiastically read a list of the Duchess' amenities. Mariner notes that they have 240 24-hour spas, an indoor water park, and, perhaps bafflingly, an underwater dry park. No one knows what an underwater dry park is, but they're eager to try. Boimler also notes that one of the space casinos has a bunch of Dixon Hill slot machines.

Ignoring for...

Through the lens of Idw's tenth anniversary, founder Ted Adams and Idw editors and creators addressed a packed room about a wide variety of new projects. Adam Schlesinger liveblogged it, and we also got other info (funny about that)-- here are the highlights:

Jeff Webber talked about the iPhone comics. Idw already has 80 titles available on iTunes now, with much more on the way. Webber talked about the power of the iPhone as a distribution system to capture non-comics fans, which is natural, given the changing nature of comics distribution out of comic book shops and into bookstores and the internet. Apparently, non-typical comic readers enjoy slideshows, rather than a zoomed in page, because it’s easier to read. Also, the swiping from panel to panel increases the interactivity of the medium, which draws non-typical comic fans in. Chris Ryall concluded that 20% of top 100% of book sales on iTunes have been from Idw.

Fans of Harlan Ellison know that when he’s not happy, we hear about it. It might involve his invoking the name Cordwainer Bird on a screenplay or writing about the horrendous experience or, in some cases, both.

Ellison was involved in the creation of The Starlost, a science fiction series for CTV in Canada and the experience was so bad, it has become legendary. Now, Vci Entertainment is releasing the 16 episodes on four DVDs in a $49.95 box set due out November 4. Extras include The Starlost Sales Pitch: “This is a long-lost piece that was sent to the networks to sell Starlost for syndication. It stars Keir Dullea and Executive Producer Douglas Trumball. It's only been seen by a few, this is a rare gem.”

Created in 1973 and starring 2001’s Dullea, the producers kept misunderstanding what science fiction was all about or let their budget limitations hamper their imaginations. Vci...