Is Starfleet Academy really that bad?

The latest Star Trek series to stream on Paramount+, Starfleet Academy, has managed to garner a significant amount of negative press, but I have to ask if it's anywhere near as bad as its detractors would have us believe. After watching the first five episodes to drop, which constitutes half of the first season, my response is a wholehearted 'not really'.

To understand my take on this, I have to put it into the perspective of other streaming Star Trek series and one dreadful made-for-streaming-TV movie. Starfleet Academy is decidedly light years ahead of the dreadful Section 31 movie, and for my money is even superior to the animated Lower Decks series. I still don't understand why the moronic drivel of Lower Decks is so beloved. I still haven't been able to bring myself to watch the entire final season. 

At its worst, Starfleet Academy has moments that are equally as cringe-worthy as pretty much all of Lower Decks, and borrows way too much from the silly side of Strange New Worlds, but at the same time, it has shown its ability to bring viewers pleasingly thoughtful fare, especially in the fourth and fifth episodes, which focus on specific characters' paths of self-discovery. In episode four, Jay-Den Kraag (Karim Diane), a dispossessed Klingon, gains a sense of belonging, in worlds of both Starfleet and the Klingon Empire. While this at times feels like a re-tread of Worf's journey through Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, an impression bolstered by Diane's performance, which all too often feels like he's trying to channel Michael Dorn's performances as Worf, it is redeemed by the nuance and growth Jay-Den experiences by episode's end. 

Speaking of DS9, episode 5 is an artful homage to that series as SAM (Kerrice Brooks) attempts to discover the true fate of Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) at the end of DS9. Although the elder Brooks (no relation to Kerrice) does not appear in the episode, she does share a couple of scenes with Cirroc Loftin, reprising his role as a middle-aged Jake Sisko, who helps her discover, Wizard of Oz style, that the answers she was seeking differed greatly from the truth that she found, which was perhaps inside of her all along. 

As the remaining five episodes of Season 1 drop, one can only hope the show will continue along the path of the two most recent ones as it charts its own course, unique from where previous iterations of the franchise have been before. Yes, it feels kind of soapy at times, but it is intended to appeal to a younger generation of viewers, a demographic to whom that type of content would appeal. Let's face it, those of us who came aboard with the original series represent a demographic that will, before too long, be aging out. 

Brightening up an older car

 There are few things that make an older car in otherwise good condition look tired than hazy headlights.

For the past 30 years or so, virtually all cars have come with clear plastic headlight lenses. They give manufacturers greater latitude in designing vehicles' front ends, but over time, the sun and road grit conspire to make those lenses look dull, yellowed, and hazy. In the worst cases, they are almost opaque, diffusing forward illumination to make the lights considerably less effective.

One might think the simplest solution is just to replace the headlights, but this is an expensive proposition that can cost in the hundreds of dollars, and there is really no need for this, as the existing lenses can be polished and restored without a lot of effort. You can have this professionally done, but it is also a good driveway project that can be done in an hour or two, and for less than the cost of a tank of gas. 

A quick Internet search will bring up any number of home remedies, including toothpaste, to clear your headlights, but the one thing they all have in common is they don't last. You have to repeat the process every few months, and some store bought kits have similar shortcomings. 

I have tried kits from several different manufacturers on various cars, and the best of the lot seems to be one called Cerakote, which involves a three-step process that returns the headlights to like-new condition with no power tools required.

The kit purports to come with everything needed to do the job, but there are a few things needed that aren't in the box. Since it involves abrasives and caustic chemicals, it is advisable to mask off the painted areas around the headlights, just to be on the safe side, even though the instructions make no mention of this. Also needed is a container of water, such as a bucket or spray bottle, which the instructions do mention with regard to washing the headlights before beginning the process and for wet sanding them in step two. You will also need a roll of paper towels.

So, the three steps are actually four, if you include washing loose dirt off of the headlights and then masking off around them before beginning the process. We'll call that the prep step or step zero. 

The first step using items from the kit is to remove the deteriorated sealant coating from the headlights with the included wipes, labeled with a large numeral one on each packet. Because the chemicals on the wipes are caustic, you should wear one of the two pairs of nitrile gloves included in the kit, which provides a total of eight wipes, four for each headlight. The instructions suggest wiping in a circular pattern and changing wipes frequently as they take on a nicotine-stained hue. This discoloration will be minimal by the fourth wipe. 

After this first step is complete, wipe off the remaining solvent with a paper towel and discard the first set of gloves. The headlights will look clearer as you perform this first step, but they will become hazy again as they dry. 

The second step is wet sanding with the provided sanding discs and applicator. Start with the 2,000-grit disc then follow up with the 3,000-grit one. The kit includes two of each, one for each headlight. Sand gently in straight, horizontal lines across the headlight lenses and use plenty of water on both the sanding discs and the headlight surface; otherwise, you will likely scratch the lenses. The instructions suggest sanding for three to five minutes with each disc. 

After the sanding step is complete, rinse the headlight lenses off with water and wipe them off with a paper towel to remove any remaining grit, then dry them thoroughly. Use towels, a blower, or just let them dry naturally. The important thing is to make sure they are completely dry before moving to the final step of applying the ceramic clear coat.

This last step is where the magic happens. The ceramic clear coat finally gives the headlights a like-new finish and protects them from hazing over again. Put on the second set of gloves and be prepared to be bowled over by a strong ammonia odor when you open the packet to extract the wipe. There is one wipe for each headlight. The instructions suggest applying one coat of sealant in overlapping horizontal strokes, making sure to cover the entire headlight surface. This is by far the quickest step, but you will need to wait a minimum of one hour before driving the vehicle and don't touch the headlights while the sealant is curing. 

Once this entire process is done, you will have spent about two hours taking your headlights from hazy to amazing. They will not only look like they did when the car was new, but you will be able to see much better at night. And Cerakote guarantees these results for as long as you own the vehicle.  Of course the best part is the satisfaction of having done this yourself.