CW's new series Star-Crossed

I just downloaded and finished watching the first episode of a new TV series titled Star-Crossed

Description from IMDb:

About an epic romance between a human girl and an alien boy when he and eight others of his kind are integrated into a suburban high school 10 years after they landed on Earth and were consigned to an internment camp.

I'm guessing the show, from the title, is attempting to set itself up as a Science Fiction revisioned interpretation of old Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

My personal impression?
While I can see the show having potential appeal to some teens, and young adults, the show, for me, did not stand the test of verisimilitude, otherwise known as suspension of disbelief.

Why?

Well, without spoiling anything; some aliens crash land here on Earth.
We've seen that paradigm portrayed with films and series like District 9 and Alien Nation, and a somewhat with another new series titled Defiance, where Aliens arrive here as refugees.
The same applies with this series.

My first complaint about the series is that the Aliens, other than a few cosmetic 'tattoos" look no different than humans.
This is a pet-peeve of mine with shows about Aliens.
"Hi, I'm an alien because I have spots, or an unconventional haircut, or pointy ears".
Right.

While I can see from a budget perspective the benefits of human-looking 'aliens', as well as from a perspective where this story (I'm guessing) is going to be Romeo and Juliet SciFi, but, I otherwise have substantial difficulty in seeing any portrayal of alien species as resembling human.
At least in Star Trek and Star Wars there was some effort in adding prosthetics, masks, and other bits.
Here, with this story, what qualifies as alien?
Spots.

On top of that, on arrival, at the site of the crashed spaceship, the Aliens are immediately dealt with as hostile with zero attempts at even trying to talk.
"Oh look. It's humans with spots on, holding their hands out in peaceful non-hostile surrender. Let's shoot them!"

That sets the stage for the whole planet having a hostile racist attitude toward these humans with spots on.
The hostility, toward the humans with spots on aliens, most of all, is what really gets me with this show.
They crashed.
They were shot for no reason.
They were rounded up and imprisoned.
There's very little to no reason for anyone to automatically treat the 'aliens' with any kind of hostility.
Exposition filler for the show claims the hostility is derived from everyone thinking the aliens are invading.
Really?
Everyone?

I'm fairly certain we've progressed as a society beyond treatment of folks that just happen to look different like 1950s segregation America.

The show just don't jive.

So, yeah, we have humans with spots on, and everyone hates them because they crashed their ship, because crashing spaceships is a clear sign sign of invasion.

I'm giving the show a thumbs down

reply to post by AliceBleachWhite


I thought some of the same things you did, but for other reasons. My girl friend was looking forward to the show.
What I take from it is that they are showing humans in internment camps. Showing military vehicles driving through towns. Showing bracelets that you scan, that have all your ID info on them. You see protests. You see peaceful people being an enemy. You see that these same peaceful people do not show respect for America (pledge of allegiance)...

Star crossed, yes it's a take on Romeo and Juilet, as Star crossed lovers (fate), with the double entendre of being from different star systems.

I generally give a show about 3-5 episodes before I bail. I am weird though as I don't care for the storyline or characters for themselves.. I care about the symbolism. I like the subtext.

The aliens looking human may be dissatisfying to a scifi fan, but for me it holds potential for a greater meaning, which seems to be a central theme, don't judge differences, as we are all one thing. Racism (true racism between separate races) is very powerful, and all you need is a little fear, and you're off to the races.. Or do you think the US government would just have a tea party with ufos? Seems they usually chase anything unknown with great mistrust, and just as much firepower.

You may recall one of the special "alien" plants is actually saffron which is also on Earth. Thinking about this it means that they likely have a relation to the earth bound humans. Could be time travel from Earth even. Maybe they escaped a great flood and that's why they are carrying Seeds on board, haha.

Who knows. I need the show to develop more before I say how I feel about it, but the acting, and the story feel sub par so far. It could be just so there is room for the wider implications to sink in though.

S and F

reply to post by AliceBleachWhite


The show is simply another aspect of a normal trend toward furthering enlightened thinking. It may be instigated to some extent by funding and pressure from some sources, an entirely normal response to other stimuli, or more likely, a combo of both. Either way, natural or forced, it should be viewed as social engineering

Its ploy is making itself attractive to the young, and spreading the concept of diversity which is another word for the old term of "integration." We've seen this countless times and in the largest sense, it is absolutely necessary for the advancement of the human species. Taking exception with that grand purpose is dysfunctional on an individual basis and to the common collective. Yet, admittedly, I'm falling short, but being an old geezer, that failing is of little consequence.

It's on the CW network, so it's crap.
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