"The Imitation Of Life..."

Alien: Covenant | “Prologue: Last Supper"

The official prologue to Alien: Covenant introduces the crew of the mission as they gather for a final meal before entering cryosleep.

Set aboard the Covenant, a colonization ship on its way to a remote planet to form a new human settlement, the main crew (all couples) and their android, Walter, enjoy their final meal together before cryosleep.

Conceived by Ridley Scott and 3AM, directed by Luke Scott, and produced by RSA Films.

Ridley Scott returns to the universe he created, with ALIEN: COVENANT, a new chapter in his groundbreaking ALIEN franchise. The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise, but is actually a dark, dangerous world. When they uncover a threat beyond their imagination, they must attempt a harrowing escape.

In Theaters - May 19, 2017

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I am so looking forward to seeing this latest installment in the Alien series. And now, for reasons other than that it's sure to be another great thriller from Ridley Scott...

One of my favorite past-times is identifying who I think are the hidden gay characters in television and films.  To be honest, I think it bugs my husband when I want to point them out to him.  But more and more often, "we" are not hidden anymore, but our lives are openly portrayed on the screen, and the power of this is immeasurable... I can still remember, as a boy watching late-night television and seeing the film, "The Boys In The Band" for the first time.  Seeing a wide-range of gay-identifying characters on the screen and realizing the hope that it inspired in me probably saved my life.

Thinking back to being a confused and scared boy trying to come to terms with a reality that everyday I was being told was wrong, was important to me... It's still important that "we" be able to see and identify with characters who are like us. It confirms what we all know deep inside, but many still spend years denying - that we are normal too.

Now this is why I feel this issue and this film is truly important... in reading through people's online comments on this film, lots (and I do mean lots) of homophobic comments are being made about the fact that a gay couple are among the colonist selected for the mission in this film.  It saddens me to read so much ignorant ranting, although in the Trumpian age, I am not surprised.  But what most bothers me it that people attempt to use "logic" to justify their hatred.

A common theme amongst the haters, is: "Why would there be a gay couple on a colonization mission, they can't reproduce, this is just some Hollywood PC BS..." So here's my response to the "logic" of the haters...

"We" are there because it makes perfect sense (scientifically speaking). If "gay" was not good for the survival of our species, then natural selection would have eliminated the trait from the human genome long ago. And yet, same-sex attraction, pair-bonding and mating behavior is exhibited by not only humans, but by virtually all animal species as well...

And this is why, in humans as in most species, the same-gender attracted members serve as surrogate parents and assist in ensuring that the offspring of the species survive. Same-sex attracted animals are frequently observed to parent orphaned offspring of their species. And this same behavior is widely practiced in human culture as well.  Moreover, amongst we humans, the "gay super uncle/aunt phenomena" is widely recognized.  "We" dote and fawn over our nieces and nephews and provide additional resources to ensure their success and by proxy the extension of our own gene pool. So why wouldn't enlightened scientist of the future planning a colonization mission to another planet not know of the benefits of having a gay couple included in the party?

Astronaut Sally Ride, PhD aboard STS 7 in 1983

And then, let's not forget that "we've" already been astronauts in real life... Although we have yet to see an openly gay astronaut "slip the surly bonds of Earth..." Sally Ride was not only America's first woman in space, but she was also following her death in 2012, revealed to be a lesbian, who was survived by her partner of some 27 years, Tam O'Shaughnessy.

Of the more than 300 Americans who have gone into space, I doubt that Sally was the only LGBT person. Perhaps in the near future, as America's next generation of manned space flight takes to the stars we will see in real life, that what the cinematographer's art bring to us in science-fiction today.

Finally, I am so delighted that amongst the cast of Alien: Covenant is the talented and openly gay black actor, Jussie Smollett. Smollett is following in the footsteps of Neil Patrick Harris and others, by refusing to be type cast as a strictly "gay" character, or for that matter, even a stereo-typically portrayed black character. I am glad to see that Hollywood understands that while it might help to understand a character, you don't have to be heterosexual to portray one, in the same way you don't have to be gay to portray a gay character (think James Franco, Daniel Radcliff, et al.)

So, next time you're watching a film or television program, look for "us," I promise you that "we" are there... And as we move forward, you may not have to look so hard anymore.

"Fear Eats the Soul"