Star-Crossed

  There are many things that I regret and am very bitter about when I think about Year 12, my first year of A Levels. I regret not taking my AS subject more seriously. I regret not saying 'no' more often; I would have avoided the stress of multiple commitments and responsibilities if I had done this. I regret doing five subjects but the subject that I am most bitter about is History. My course was American History so we did Civil Rights from 1945- 1968, then Presidents from 1968-2001. I was really excited to learn about this period because I find it all so intriguing and fascinating. However, unfortunately, I had a terrible History teacher who taught the course in a very poor way. So, I wasn't able to get much out of it, which was very sad. But enough dwelling on sad times, this post is about a new TV show that I'm really into,'Star-Crossed'.

  'Star-Crossed' is a sci-fi drama that is set in the near-future. It follows the romance between a human girl called Emery and an alien boy called Roman after his species, the Atrians, crash land on Earth. The aliens are rounded up by the humans and made to stay in a confinement camp known as 'The Sector', where they have curfews, locked gates, 24hour armed security and monitory devices to ensure that they do not step out of bounds. Ten years after their initial arrival, seven Atrian teenagers are chosen to be the first to attend high school with humans, on a trial integration programme.

 What initially drew me to the show is the way that similarities can be drawn between the 'Atrian 7' and the 'Little Rock Nine', and I had a nerd moment with myself because I remembered something from the sham that was my AS History year! (My rambling intro wasn't for nothing, folks).

The 'Little Rock Nine' were the first group of African American students to enrol at Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957, due to previous segregation laws. They were met by angry mobs, protests, verbal and physical abuse and had to be admitted under the protection of the US Army. It was a very difficult year for the African American students (one of the girls even had acid thrown at her!) but it was a very important milestone in the fight for equality and at least four of them eventually graduated from the school and went on to university.

  It is evident that 'Star-Crossed' took inspiration from this as the Atrian 7 are met with similar scenes and it can even be said that the human terrorist, anti-integration organisation that is shown on the show, the Redhawks, were inspired by the KKK and its alien counter-part, 'The Trags', the Black Panthers.The show deals with issues such as acceptance, intolerance and the fear of 'the other' that is inherent in most humans. Although these issues could be explored in more detail, instead of just taking a back seat to the predictable love-story, it's still a good show nevertheless. Furthermore, some critics have criticised the way that the only things that makes the Atrians seem 'alien' are the tattoo-like markings on their faces but I think this is effective as it shows how ridiculous prejudice is because there is no real difference between them and the humans.

  If you like the sound of 'Star-Crossed' and would like to check it out for yourself, it shows on Sky1 at 8pm on Fridays in the UK and there is something in it for everyone from cool futuristic shizzle to a bit of romance and an exploration of deep issues.

Rating- 6/10.