Posts

Posted on

A Summer of Trek

July 2025 saw the release of a new book of academic essays on Star Trek. Second Star To the Right: Essays in Leadership in Star Trek (Vernon Press), edited by Jason A. Kaufman and Aaron M. Peterson, features 18 chapters reflecting on how Trek teaches us to lead with a strong, guiding vision for the future. My chapter in the book is called “No Room for Bigotry on the Bridge: Star Trek, DEI, and Cultural Competence” and reflects on Star Trek from the vantage point of 10 years teaching about the beauty of religious diversity and the importance of cultural competence to aspiring nursing students. You can check out the volume and pick up a copy here (or request it from your local academic or public library). Many thanks to the editors for including my chapter—and for their own high-minded leadership.

But 2025 was a summer of Trek for Central Ohio more broadly, as it happened, and I was fascinated to be a part of it. Through my excellent 501st Legion friend Tom Betti, I became aware that a new Trek exhibit would be temporarily installed at the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio (DACO), located in downtown Lancaster at the Reese-Peters House, from May 31-August 31, 2025, titled “Star Trek & Worlds Beyond.” The exhibit of over 150 props, costumes and artifacts from the Trek universe(s) was a collaboration between DACO, the Paramount Archives (curator Randall Thropp), the Trumbull County Historical Society and the Museum of Science Fiction and Fantasy Arts, a new permanent collection planned in Warren, Ohio to house a huge donation from Modern Props’ John Zabrucky, some of which were on display.

Continue reading “A Summer of Trek”
Posted on

Why the Harry Potter books are better

This essay originally appeared on the Hogwarts Professor blog on May 26, 2017. It has been lightly edited and updated.

“Professor Strand, which is your favorite Harry Potter movie?” a student asked recently as class began.

Emily’s well-used copies of the Harry Potter series. Photo by Emily.

“I’m sorry,” I replied, “did you ask, ‘which is my favorite Harry Potter BOOK?’”

“Oh, yeah, right. Which book,” she said, unfazed. A few students murmured their understanding of her error, but most simply waited to see how much class time the question would chew up (a favorite pastime of my students: baiting instructor into digressive pop culture conversation).

I wasn’t altogether surprised by her phrasing, as I had encountered the same movies-as-primary attitude in a college-aged Potter fan just a few weeks before, as I attended a collegiate Muggle Quidditch tournament. Seeking an understanding of the viability of Quidditch on its own terms, I had asked one of the players if everyone on her Quidditch team was a Harry Potter fan, or if some players simply played for love of the sport. She informed me most were indeed big Potter fans, but there were one or two players who, she said, despairing of their poor taste, “haven’t seen any of the movies!” (Their attention to the books: not mentioned.)

Then two weekends ago, as I gave my lecture about the symbolic meaning of Quidditch at the Roanoke Harry Potter festival, two different (young adult) audience members challenged me on my assertion that James Potter was a Quidditch Chaser. “James was a Seeker,” they politely insisted. I tried to explain that on the level of symbols – which is the level on which Quidditch operates best – James has to be a Chaser, because that position corresponds to his role in the larger narrative. James is a member of the Order of the Phoenix and a goal-scorer in the fight against Voldemort, but not a Horcrux hunter (like Harry and RAB, both of whom were Seekers, on the pitch and off). Thanks to Google and the proliferation of smart phones, we discovered the source of confusion: in a 2000 Scholastic interview with J.K. Rowling, the author stated definitively that James played Chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, although in the book she has McGonagall identify him only as “an excellent Quidditch player.” (SS 152) However, the 2001 Warner Brothers film adaptation of Sorcerer’s Stone misidentifies him as a Seeker, disregarding the nuances of a complex narrative symbol system. (And not for the last time.)

Continue reading “Why the Harry Potter books are better”
Posted on

Man(dalorians) and the Machine

This post was originally given by Emily as a paper for DePaul University in Chicago’s Pop Culture Conference: A Celebration of Star Wars on May 4, 2024.

From its origins, Star Wars has been centrally concerned with our human struggle against the Machine. As early as 1973, Lucas wanted to depict “a large technological empire going after a small group of freedom fighters.”(1) Darth Vader is an emblem of encroaching technological domination and the loss of individual choice, vulnerability, and transcendent connection with others; the emblem of his Empire is a cog. But another Machine-man has, of late, come to dominate the franchise: the Mandalorian. Stories of Mandalorians reveal a rich heritage of belief and tradition. Yet they perennially hover on the brink of extinction—often due to their own technology and warlike ways. From Din Djarin to the Fetts to Sabine Wren, Mandalorians offer a nuanced—even ironic—exploration of Star Wars’ central concern with technology and how to use it without becoming it.

The Mandalorian; Disney/Lucasfilm

Many sources inform Lucas’ preoccupation with machine existence in Star Wars. One is arguably most important: Arthur Lipsett’s 1963 art-house short for the National Film Board of Canada entitled 21-87. It is a mind-blowing 10-minute experience, available on the National Film Board of Canada’s website. Lipsett was a scavenger who pieced together his colleagues’ rejected material into highly symbolic montages. 21-87 juxtaposes images and audio of modern, machine-based existence (always absurd or horrific) with those of human suffering and of humans in natural, dignified states of wonder. The film derives its name from a recorded discussion about the mechanization of society. A voice, arguing mechanization fulfills the human desire to “fit in,”(2) says, “And somebody walks up and you say, ‘Your number’s 21-87, isn’t it?’ Boy, does that person really, uh, smile.”(3) This audio is repeated at film’s end, leaving the impression that the Machine Age will triumph—if we let it. Lucas watched the film two dozen times as a student, fascinated by its grim message about the Machine age as a threat to our humanity, yet also the potential of nature, art and transcendent spiritual connection to overcome it. (In the film, Lipsett featured recorded dialogue calling such spiritual power and connection “a Force… or something,” and this phrase seems to have stuck in Lucas’ mind.) 

Continue reading “Man(dalorians) and the Machine”
Posted on

Rogue One and the Paschal Mystery

As this year’s holy week and Triduum celebrations commence, I’d like to repost an article I wrote for another blog in 2017, soon after the release of a film that is often named as the best of the new Star Wars films: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016). Not only is this film in need of further attention here on Liturgy and Life, but the timing is good too: in the Great Paschal Triduum, Catholics celebrate the Paschal Mystery of Christ in a prolonged, three-day liturgy that begins on Holy Thursday, moves through the triumph of the cross on Good Friday and concludes at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday with the initiation of new members and a festive celebration of the Resurrection. A liturgist friend calls this three-day season (the shortest in the Church year) “Paschal-palooza,” and rightly so. During the Triduum, we Catholics perform the symbolically richest, most lavish rituals we have to glorify a God who saves us by sending his own son to show us what conformity to God’s will really means (spoiler alert: it’s death). Yet death does not have the last word, and we are sanctified by the saving power of Christ’s humility “to the point of death, even death on a Cross” (Phil. 2:8).

Rogue One always struck me as a film with a lot to teach us everyday people about the Paschal Mystery: the loving self-sacrifice that brings new life and new hope. In a 2023 “Actors on Actors” interview between Star Wars stars Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader) and Diego Luna (Cassian Andor), Luna reflects that what makes Rogue One (and its excellent, must-watch Disney+ spin-off Andor) special is there are no Jedi—the magic is absent from this corner of the galaxy far, far away. The ordinary people of these stories must rely on themselves—and only themselves—to solve galactic problems. They are, Luna said, “simple, regular people doing extraordinary things.” Christ’s ultimate actions are meant to inspire and guide us in the same way: he was one of us—our brother, our friend. Being more like Christ does not mean learning magic or developing superpowers. It means learning to listen to and follow the will of God. Any simple, ordinary person can do it, but one must have faith, hope and—above all—love. These three gifts are exemplified by characters in Rogue One.

Continue reading “Rogue One and the Paschal Mystery”
Posted on

Star Wars: Essays Exploring a Galaxy Far, Far Away is here – so let’s celebrate!

The second of two collections of scholarly essays I’ve co-edited with Dr. Amy H. Sturgis is now released: Star Wars: Essays Exploring a Galaxy Far, Far Away was published in July by Vernon Press and is now available in hardcover and e-book formats! (See below for purchasing info and a discount code.) The first of our co-edited collections was released in May: a “twin” volume to this one, dedicated to Star Trek (check out my blog announcement with all the details on that volume by clicking here.) And importantly, you’re invited to some fabulous, virtual book launch events to celebrate! See below for all the details.

About the book

The book is a collection of ten essays exploring Star Wars from many different angles: from the evolution of how Twi’leks are treated in the franchise (and what that says about Star Wars‘ relationship to “the Other”) to how Star Wars and Harry Potter use similar storytelling devices to set their heroes on their destined paths, to the invented languages of Star Wars, to the way Star Wars tie-in media (books, comics, etc.) has developed over time and why that’s important. These essays are engaging, insightful, accessible, and as up-to-date as we could possibly make them, with significant treatments of new shows like Andor and The Book of Boba Fett. It also contains a beautiful foreword written by Ian Doescher, author of the Shakespearean Star Wars adaptations (which are brilliant, in case you’ve never read them).

I’m particularly excited about this book’s release because not only was I the lead editor for it, I also have a chapter in the book on a topic I am very passionate about: the influence of an obscure, 1964 art-house film, Arthur Lipsett’s 21-87, on Star Wars. In my chapter, I demonstrate how the central message of Lipsett’s film–a dire warning about the encroachment of technology on humanity’s ability to connect with nature, each other and the divine–becomes a central concern in all eras of Star Wars storytelling, from A New Hope to The Bad Batch and Andor (especially Andor!). Check back on the blog for more posts about Lipsett’s work and its importance to Star Wars that follow on from my chapter in the book.

Continue reading “Star Wars: Essays Exploring a Galaxy Far, Far Away is here – so let’s celebrate!”
Posted on

Star Trek: Essays Exploring the Final Frontier is here!

For the last two years, I have had my head down on some big editing projects. In 2021, I received invitations to submit a few book proposals to academic publishers, and now I’m happy to say that 2023 promises to be a big year for publications for me.

And the first resulting book has now arrived! My good friend, teacher and one of my partners in editing, Amy H. Sturgis (visit her website here) and I are proud to announce that our first co-edited volume, Star Trek: Essays Exploring the Final Frontier is now published by Vernon Press! The book is available at the publisher’s website here, on Amazon, and other places academic books are sold.

Continue reading “Star Trek: Essays Exploring the Final Frontier is here!”
Posted on

The Invisibility Cloak and the Incarnation

Christmas in the Harry Potter saga is always special. In an already magical world, the Christmas scenes in Potter (always snowy!) bring a heightened sense of magic to the story, bordering on the religious. It’s telling that the story finally drops its first and only overt references to religion—two Christian scripture passages—on Christmas in the Godric’s Hollow churchyard scene in Deathly Hallows. Each and every Christmas, Harry somehow gets a glimpse of the type of hero he must become to solve the problem at hand, and that problem is always Voldemort: the problem of sin and death itself. Funnily enough, Christmas, in the Christian sense of salvation history, also manifests the hopeful beginnings of the solution to the problem of sin and death. This is no coincidence. At Christmas, Harry often receives important gifts to help him in his quest, just as humanity received the gift of Jesus Christ, the light of the world, to help and guide us on the way to eternal life. The gifts and lessons Harry receives every Christmas show him that his own heroism must be patterned after this same Christ in his incarnation: God who becomes human, to show us that true honor, true heroism and true godliness lie in humility and loving friendship. 

Continue reading “The Invisibility Cloak and the Incarnation”
Posted on

New Podcast Introduces “Hidden Figure” Fr. Clarence Rivers

Fall is my favorite time of year, but this Fall is extra special, as it marks the release of a project that has been a long time in the making: a new podcast exploring the life, legacy and my own brief, personal encounter with Black Catholic priest, composer and liturgical pioneer, Fr. Clarence Joseph Rivers. Since November is Black Catholic History Month, there’s no better time for this launch.

From the official press release:

“The podcast seeks to introduce Fr. Rivers to Catholics of any color who have never heard of Rivers or the profound impact he made on the way Catholic worship looks and sounds today. 

“Created and co-hosted by Emily Strand (of the podcasts Beyond the Words and Potterversity), Meet Father Rivers seeks out individuals who knew Rivers at all stages of his career—from the youthful optimism of his early years to the disillusionment and isolation he seemed to experience toward the end of his life. Strand and guests dialogically uncover hidden truths of Rivers’ (and their own) personal history, revealing both the gift of Blackness and the impact of racism and oppression—historical and ongoing—in the American Catholic Church.

Continue reading “New Podcast Introduces “Hidden Figure” Fr. Clarence Rivers”
Posted on

Writing Well

As a writer, I spend a lot of time editing other people’s work. As a college instructor, that means commenting on student papers with the goal of eliciting stronger, clearer, better supported and thus more effective writing. But I also review and edit the work of adults writing in professional settings. Regardless of the writer’s age or place in life, I see many of the same mistakes and weaknesses. 

I’ve been asked a few times recently if I would articulate some basic advice for the benefit of those who’d like to strengthen their writing (especially those who will face my own red pen at some point in the process). So here we go. I’ll aim this toward prose writers (academic and non-academic), although some of the principles will apply for fiction and perhaps even poetry. And I’ll try to keep it succinct, in the interests of proactively following my own advice:

Continue reading “Writing Well”