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I'm Stephen Metcalf, and this is the Slate Culture Gab Fest franchise reboot edition.

This is also the daily podcast from slate.com for Wednesday, May 13th, 2009.

On today's program, we're going to talk about J.J. Abrams takes on Star Trek. Wanda Sykes takes on the correspondence dinner. And McDonald's takes on Starbucks. Joining me are Slate's deputy editor, Julia Turner. Hello, Julia. Hi, Julia. Hi, Steve. And our film critic, Dana Stevens. Hey, Dana. Hey, Steve. Here we are for the first time weekly. Yes.

It's been only seven days since I've seen you guys.

I wonder if this will help or make the Esprit de Scalié that much more acute.

As I sat through Star Trek last night, I couldn't help think back to the original TV show,

which I, like most people, watched in my youth and cherish.

And it struck me that that was a television show about eyebrows.

Bones McCoy raising his eyebrow.

But then there was a great John Belushi skit back in the 80s, I think, or late 70s where he did Shatner.

I think they had Shatner coming on the show. He canceled at the last minute and they had a great Star Trek skit they really wanted to go with. And they just put Belushi in the pajamas with the little insignia and threw him out there. And it's a legendary moment in Belushi's career and they said, and he pulled it off beautifully. And it was an impression and they said how did you do it how did you do it he said it was the eyebrow

I realized that all of Shatner's acting is in the eyebrow that and maybe the um the petticoat or whatever

the corset the corset yeah thank you um and and and and but but also spock right Leonard Nimoy right

I mean all of the acting on that show is in the eyebrows and what what I realized the the force of this revelation was this was a show about being a little bit camp but not to camp uh not so camp that the metaphysical pomp didn't get in there with the degree of seriousness and some weird balance was achieved and they created

something absolutely perfect.

Did you feel like this movie somehow did justice to this franchise?

I read your wonderful review and you seemed entirely satisfied with your Star Trek experience.

...