Most of us will be glad to see the back of 2020. COVID-19 has made it the most miserable year of modern times, with mounting deaths, economic destruction, massive social disruption and everyone apparently getting a lot stupider. Now that we have a few viable vaccines, there’s some light at the end of the tunnel, but even so, don’t expect sunshine and roses in 2021.
But hey, at least you can pick your way through the infectious wasteland we once called our society with an official Star Trek face shield! ViacomCBS has just announced a partnership with PPE manufacturer Shield Pals and unveiled a new line of products aimed at the virus-conscious Trek fan. Both variants feature an “alert, condition red” message on the front, with one of them showing the Starfleet Medical logo and the other saying the shield is property of the USS Discovery.
Shield Pals co-founder Chris McCormick has said the following about it:
“As longtime fans of the show, we couldn’t be more thrilled to bring Star Trek to our modular line of protective face shields.”
The shields will fit most adults and children and are produced from “impact-resistant” polycarbonate material. The whole thing can be disassembled for sterilization if you’re using it in an especially high-risk location and they cost $24.95 each and can be bought on the Star Trek online store.
One of the many effects of the pandemic has been sci-fi and fantasy conventions moving online rather than taking place in person. This isn’t great for those working the convention circuit as you can’t charge for a meet and greet and commemorative photo over the internet. As of right now, the major events are still claiming that they’ll go ahead as usual in 2021, though you have to imagine that this depends on how our battle against the virus fares.
After all, the surviving Star Trek: The Original Series cast members are now all in their 70s and 80s and spending a day giving hugs to random people is a big no-no. Heck, The Next Generation‘s crew is getting up there in years, too, so they’d better watch out as well.
Published: Dec 23, 2020 03:48 pm