Christine Feeley is a writer for Hollywood Insider and as a fan of all things film and television, she is very passionate about gender equality within the entertainment industry as well as how it can be used to promote social change. She hopes to bring an enriched perspective to the world of entertainment through her alignment with Hollywood Insider’s mission to share meaningful and positive content with audiences.
May 25, 2020
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Photo: ‘Space Force’/Netflix
Steve Carrell and The Office creator Greg Daniels have teamed up again in a new comedy that centers around General Mark R. Naird (Carrell), a four-star general with dreams of running the Air Force, who initially laughs off the idea of a “Space Force” initiative before being appointed the head of it.
In the new trailer, released on May 5th, it becomes clear that this assignment places General Naird in way over his head, as evidenced by a series of setbacks including a rocket launch failure with damages equivalent to the cost of “four new middle schools” and a denigrating phone call expressing his apparently expected incompetence by a fellow general who is overheard saying: “He is blowing it just like you thought … Yeah, it is a complete shitshow.”
The trailer culminates in Carrell meditatively singing “Kokomo” by the Beach Boys in his office, decidedly as means of coping with the newfound stress that comes along with leading the newest branch of the United States military.
Carrell’s goofy yet motivated character and his ensuing antics are reminiscent of his previous role as Michael Scott on The Office,but this new undertaking is a definite step up from managing a paper company.
A new workplace comedy, but a more non-traditional workplace
The show takes place at a remote base in Colorado that is presumably the new “Space Force” headquarters, where General Naird and his team of scientists and “Spacemen” must follow the POTUS’s wishes for “complete space dominance.” Their primary mission seems to be returning to the moon, as Naird proclaims, “Fifty years ago, our country put a man on the moon. Well guess what kids, we’re going back.”
While the name of the show is a definite nod to Trump’s launch of the U.S. military branch by the same name, its actual creation was surprisingly unrelated. According to Carrell, it began with a positive reaction to just the title “Space Force”, while the actual concept of the show was developed later on. However, the show does not seem like it will shy away from incorporating politically satirical elements, as evidenced in a scene in the trailer where a character analogous to Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez says, “Your attitude seems to be ‘give us money and don’t look while we militarize space.’” But despite the definite potential to be a parody of the U.S. military branch, Carrell and Daniels made it clear that they wanted it to be a more complimentary reflection in a Q&A.
“We wanted to make sure that we were being accurate and more than respectful — I would say complimentary — of the military virtues that Steve’s character holds,” Daniels said. “We have astronaut advisors, science advisors, and our military advisor, Mark Vazquez, has been very useful in teaching us about military behavior. Both Steve and I have relatives in the military who we love and respect, and hope are going to enjoy watching the show.”
The highly-anticipated ten-episode season boasts a remarkable cast that has only served to heighten the excitement of its impending release. Featured alongside Carrell himself are Lisa Kudrow, who plays General Naird’s wife, as well as John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz, Diana Silvers, Fred Willard, Noah Emmerich and Jane Lynch, the rest of whom are surely to aid in the imminent chaos and humor of getting this newest military branch off the ground.
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Christine Feeley is a writer for Hollywood Insider and as a fan of all things film and television, she is very passionate about gender equality within the entertainment industry as well as how it can be used to promote social change. She hopes to bring an enriched perspective to the world of entertainment through her alignment with Hollywood Insider’s mission to share meaningful and positive content with audiences.
