Sarah Silverman: A Lot Of Black People Are Into Sci-Fi


The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.

Resolved: Black people like Science Fiction (Even Obama is a Trekkie). Sarah Silverman arrived at that "Eureka" recently. Let's face it, before Obama -- and before the South Carolina primary -- most black people would not have expected to see an African-American in the White House. Taking that perception into account, why not have harmless escapist fantasies about life in a galaxy far, far away where former Colt 45 pitchman Billy Dee Williams can be an administrator on Bespin, the Cloud City, and Uhura could be Lieutenant Commander of the USS Enterprise? Even Jazz God Sun-Ra and Funk founder George Clinton, two of the coolest cats in the music industry, borrow heavily from the Sci-Fi genre, incorporating intergalactic themes into their performances. And don't even get the Wu Tang Clan's RZA talking about Marvel comic books (Or, for that matter, eccentric uses for the science fiction-ish colloidal silver).

Black people love the sci-fi.

In the appropriately-titled Geek monthly -- which probably has quite a few African-American subscribers.

"Jeff Reaud: What do you watch on TV?

"Sarah Silverman: I watch so many shows. let's see. Mad Men. Lost. 24. I know I am forgetting big things. Americas Next Top Model. Project Runway. Law & Order. All of the Law & Orders. Dexter. I love everything. I don't really watch comedies. I watch drama, but whenever I see 30 Rock, it's so fucking funny. I like The Office too. But it's sad. it's funny and it's sad.

"JR: What about sci-fi? You were on an episode of Star Trek: Voyager, correct?

"SS: Yes, in 1997. I was in a two part Star Trek: Voyager episode with Ed Begley, Jr. (Editor's Note: The episodes in question are "Future's End," Parts 1 & 2 from Season 3)

"JR: Do people recognize you from the episode on the street?

"SS: Can I tell you, all black people not all black people, but the people who recognize me from Star Trek: Voyager, shockingly -- black people. That's how I realize a lot of black people are into sci-fi. I never knew that. I think that's really interesting. It's a cultural phenomenon."

We need more African-American themed Sci-Fi, other than Blade, The Gossett-with-child feature Enemy Mine and Forest Whittaker's greatest mistake, "Battlefield Earth."