star trek the higher the fewer

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Star Trek: The Next Generation 1987

Alexander Rozhenko: The higher - the fewer.

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Are you a quotes master, in which movie did this phrase get tattooed on someone back: "i never wish to be parted from you from this day on".

QUOTE: "The higher, the fewer" WHAT?!?!?!

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[email protected] no nifty .sig

>In "The Perfect Mate," Alexander said "the higher, the fewer" at least twice. >What the heck did that mean?

-- +----+-----------------------------+----------------------------------+----+ ||///| Keith Lim ( [email protected] ) \ Program in Cognitive Science ||||_| |<<<<| Simon Fraser University \ SFSS Forum (Cognitive Science) |||__| ||\\\| Burnaby, B.C., V5A 1S6, Canada \ SFU Senate (Student, Arts) ||___| +----+---------------------------------+------------------------------+----+ | "Ping"--the machine that goes "Ping", Monty Python's The Meaning Of Life | +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+

sandra guzdek

>for chopping two minutes out of that episode. (Should have chopped out >everything from that episode, except for the scene where Worf burst the >face-in-a-bubble.)

>| "Ping"--the machine that goes "Ping", Monty Python's The Meaning Of Life |

sandra g. * illustrator-for-hire, buffalo ny * [email protected] "I would like some hot chocolate, n'est pas?" "Oh I don't think we have n'est pas, sir. Only Hershey's." --- Neil Simon's _Murder by Death_

Charles Dubuque

Chuck [email protected] [email protected]

Matt J. Martin

########################################################################## ## / ## Progress Before Peace! ## / ## ## // ## Matt J. Martin, Technosociology and Space Politics ## // ## ## ///// ######################################################## ///// ## ## // ## Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN ## // ## ## / ## [email protected] ## / ## ##########################################################################

Bruce E. Haddad

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Ulrich Schreglmann

> I liked Worf in the mud bath. I adore Michael dorn anyway. > >~~~~ Dream sequence >~~~~ > I dream of being a Klingon women like Kaylar (sp?) with Worf.

>~~~~ >~~~~ > Back to reality.

(C)OOL mcmxcii

michael p.herlihy

gary l. schroeder

>We have often seen Data >"sample" someone's voice and then speak in that voice. The effect is >similar to that disjointed, dubbed-in quality in TA.

-- -------------- Gary Schroeder [email protected] Brookhaven National Laboratory "Home of the Big BNL Burger."

gilbert.m.stewart

Steve Karasek

Steve Karasek Steven Karasek [email protected] Box 1045 Washington University St. Louis, MO 63130 USA (314)-935-4587

> It struck me as meaning that the higher your wisdom and understanding of >life, the fewer will be your adversities, and indeed the number of people who >can claim mental equality.

> But then again, maybe they just picked something that sounds weird.

This is what I think is the case.

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Cost of Living Stardate: 45733.6 Original Airdate: 20 Apr, 1992

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http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E20CostOfLiving

Recap / Star Trek: The Next Generation S5E20 "Cost of Living"

Edit locked.

Original air date: April 20, 1992

" Photon torpedoes armed! FIRE! " An asteroid is about to Colony Drop onto a nearby planet but, thanks to some judiciously Applied Phlebotinum , the Enterprise averts the disaster. Well done, everyone; off to the next mission! Only, on the way out of orbit, the ship picks up a bit of sparkly space dust.

Hey, look who's back! It's none other than Lwaxana Troi, Deanna's Plucky Comic Relief mother! And she has a big announcement: she's engaged! Lwaxana announces that she's engaged to a mysterious aristocrat named Campio. However, she's incredibly cagey about the details of her romance when pressed by Deanna. At any rate, she plans on marrying him right on the Enterprise once it picks him up. Upon hearing that he'll be about to "give away" Lwaxana (and finally be rid of her), Picard readily grants permission for the ceremony.

Mrs. Troi also strikes up an Intergenerational Friendship with Worf's son Alexander, who is having discipline problems and who, at Counselor Troi's suggestion, has entered into a "contract" with Worf to establish ground rules. Mrs. Troi sides with the boy on this issue, earning his trust but annoying everyone else in the process. For her part, Mrs. Troi seems to be deliberately trying to undermine their attempts to teach Alexander responsibility, but she sees it as teaching him to be a Blithe Spirit like herself and to enjoy life. To that end she takes him to a Holodeck representation of Parallax Colony, a whole camp of free spirits—except for one Comically Serious dude who spouts Ice Cream Koans in a ridiculously ponderous tone: "Remember... 'The higher, the fewer!'"

This gives Alexander an idea, and he runs up to a perpetually arguing couple (whom they had met a minute prior) and grinds their argument to a halt by interjecting the same "conversation stopper"—an action which pleases Mrs. Troi. During a mudbath, she tells Alexander that each person has a host of little people inside their heads, telling you what you should do, and you should never be afraid to listen to them.

In the meantime, Mrs. Troi admits to Deanna that she hasn't even met the man she's about to marry. They've merely exchanged profiles on the 24th century equivalent of a dating app. Deanna is further aghast that her mother won't follow the Betazoid tradition of going nude at the ceremony. It isn't like Mrs. Troi to subvert her own wishes and inclinations in deference to what others might think, but Lwaxana insists that everything is fine... except for the mug of sausage she gets from the food replicator instead of tea.

The replicator malfunction, it turns out, is not just a random incident ; systems all over the ship are beginning to fall apart. In the course of investigating, La Forge and Data are bathed in a slimy goo which is the waste product from unseen parasites (the sparkly dust) eating the nitrate out of the ship's systems. The good news is, the parasites only eat that specific metal. The bad news is, nitrate is in every one of the ship's systems, including the life support.

As the crew works on this problem, Mrs. Troi is having troubles with the truly hideous wedding dress Campio will have her wear. Alexander comes in to chat, and over the course of their visit, Lwaxana reveals the real reason she's so quick to marry. She may or may not still be under the sexual effects of Betazoid Phase, but one thing is certain: she is desperately lonely in her old age and has become desperate for companionship of any kind.

Campio arrives, and he instantly proves to be both a bore and a prude. Both he and his hyperprotective aide are completely unprepared for Lwaxana's free spirit. Mrs. Troi, in turn, is clearly unimpressed with this stuffed shirt and ducks out of her own wedding-plan-a-thon to have a playdate with Alexander. On their playdate, Alexander intuits Mrs. Troi's lack of enthusiasm for the upcoming nuptuals and repeats back her own lesson about everyone being a collection of different people. Mrs. Troi quickly shoots him down and then just as quickly apologizes, realizing that he is in fact entirely correct.

The Enterprise is still suffering systemic failures all over, including life support and engines. But they've found an Asteroid Thicket rich in metals, and Data manages to lure the sparkly dust parasites over to the asteroids and out of the ship—after which everything starts working again .

On to the wedding! Naturally, Mrs. Troi is late to her own wedding, but when she finally does arrive, we see why: She has arrived in the full buff. Deanna and Alexander especially are quite pleased by this, but Campio and his aide are horrified by the lack of decorum and flee.

Tropes featured in this episode include:

• Be Yourself : Mrs. Troi tries to fit with another race's ultra-conservative views to get married. Alex ends up pointing out that this will make her miserable, and she shows up to her actual wedding in the buff, as per custom for her people.
• What Lwaxana Troi is, and what she thinks Alexander should be. Deanna: We still have to live in the real world, Mother... all of us. Mrs. Troi: She's absolutely right, Alexander. But only when necessary!
• Parallax Colony seems to be a whole society of these. Well, mostly.
• Breather Episode : this episode is considerably lighter in tone compared to the previous one, "The First Duty".
• The Cameo : Campio is played by the late, great Tony Jay , in one of his rare on-screen appearances.
• Character Development : Annoying as many people find the character, and as off-putting as her aggressive manhunting can be, this episode takes a moment to give Lwaxana Troi genuine, relatable motivations besides her bizarre alien menopause: loneliness.
• The Comically Serious : Mr. Ice-Cream Koan .
• Cover Innocent Eyes and Ears : When Mrs. Troi sabotages her wedding by appearing in traditional Betazoid wedding attire , the horrified Erko covers the (elderly) groom's eyes before hustling him out.
• Dating Service Disaster : Campio and Mrs. Troi are so unbelievably mismatched, you can only wonder what exactly the two of them said about themselves in their online profiles. It probably focused on their careers involving negotiations and diplomacy, and their family backgrounds, where the vast differences of style and personality were probably less obvious.
• Defiant Strip : After realizing how miserable it's making her to try to conform with her fiancé's conservative culture (and put up with the disrespect of her own), Lwaxana ultimately shows up to her wedding in traditional Betazoid bridal wear—triggering the groom's horrified reaction and abrupt departure, as she intended.
• Delayed Reaction : Mrs. Troi has an epic one when first introduced to Alexander: Worf: We are having troubles with our... contract. Alexander: It's not fair! Worf: The boy is unreasonable! Mrs. Troi: Well of course he's unreasonable, he's a child! And such a child! You know, making little boys be reasonable only gives them pimples! Deanna: Alexander, this is my mother. Mrs. Troi: Alexander? What a wonderful name! You know, I used to know a handsome warrior named Alexander. Oh, he utterly adored me ! And we went everywhere, simply everywhere together! Have you ever been anywhere, my little— Contract? What contract?!
• Exposed Extraterrestrials : We've heard before that the traditional Betazoid wedding attire is nothing at all, but this gives us our first look at it. At first Mrs. Troi decides to forgo it out of respect for her fiancé Campio's much more conservative culture, but when she realizes what a mistake the wedding is, she cheerfully sabotages it by showing up in the buff after all, leading Campio and his aide to storm out aghast. Deanna: Wedding gown?! Mother, stop. You're telling me you're not going to be naked at your own wedding?!
• Give Away the Bride : Picard is initially annoyed at Mrs. Troi having her wedding on the Enterprise as if it's her own private yacht. He changes his mind, though, when he hears that he's been requested to play the "father of the bride" role. Picard: Nothing would give me greater pleasure than giving away Mrs. Troi.
• Hates Being Alone : Lwaxana reveals this to be part of the reason she is so desperate to marry.
• Hypocrite : During one of Campio's and Mrs. Troi's wedding planning sessions, Campio's aide Erko states, rather snootily, that "a servant may not be present" (referring to Mrs. Troi's manservant Mr. Homn). And what, exactly, does the aide think he is? note  It might technically be more a case of Loophole Abuse , if the aide is some sort of government-appointed handler or staff or some such.
• Hitler Cam : Used when Alexander peers aaaaalllll the way up at Mr. Homn.
• Ice-Cream Koan : "The higher, the fewer!"
• Innocently Insensitive : Alexander's manners are a work in progress: Lwaxana: Well, if you're young and lucky, [you'll marry] someone you like a lot, yes. And if you're older... Alexander: Are you very old? (Lwaxana shoots him a Death Glare , then looks resigned)
• It's All About Me : In addition to Mrs. Troi's ongoing habit of talking about her past lovers entirely in terms of how much they adored her, Picard objects to "that woman continuing to use this ship for her convenience just because her daughter happens to be one of my officers!" Of course, in Mrs. Troi's mind (and true to her self-serving bias), getting married on the Enterprise , in the presence of her daughter and all her "friends," is only logical.
• Intergenerational Friendship : Lwaxana Troi and Alexander, Son of Worf.
• I Was Quite a Fashion Victim : In all honesty, that wedding dress (which had belonged to Campio's mother) is objectively horrible . It's made of tinfoil, people! Mrs. Troi: Oh, bad enough to have to wear anything to my own wedding; but THIS ?
• Jerkass Has a Point : As frustrating as Lwaxana can be, she makes some solid points in regards to Worf's relationship with Alexander. Namely that it is foolish to expect a child to act like an adult, and that the contract between Worf and Alexander is foolish because of the inescapable power differential and because it ultimately undermines the fact that the pair are trying to learn to trust one another. (It's a bit embarrassing that none of this had occurred to her daughter, the psychologist.)
• Kick the Dog : When Picard extends his hand to welcome Campio onto the ship, Campio ignores it and bows. This is the first among many instances of him being rigid and stuck up.
• Loophole Abuse : Worf and Alexander's rocky relationship is established by the fact that Alexander didn't pick up his clothing today. Alexander: You told me that yesterday, not today! Worf: You know very well the same rule applies today!
• Malicious Misnaming : At one point, Mrs. Troi calls Erko, Campio's even stuffier aide, "the Jerko".
• Metal Muncher : The alien parasite eats nitrium alloy, causing the ship's systems to fail.
• No Ontological Inertia : Somehow removing the parasites from the ship is enough to bring life support back online, even though seconds before, everyone except Data was passing out from heat and lack of oxygen. (Although it doesn't magically fix everything; Picard states in his final log that they've had to carry out repairs.)
• No OSHA Compliance : Picard warns Data that the whole bridge crew might pass out in the next few minutes due to a failure in life support. Apparently the bridge has no emergency backup suits or masks to keep the ship temporarily operational in case of a ship-wide life support malfunction. Even airliners have oxygen masks that drop from the ceiling.
• Notable Non Sequitur : Mrs. Troi's woes with the food replicator clue us in to the B-plot. Mrs. Troi: There is no mystery... except for this Petrokian sausage. Tea, all I wanted was some tea!
• Not So Above It All : At the end, Deanna and Worf both join Lwaxana and Alexander for a mudbath — though Worf does seem nonplussed at the concept. Worf : You're just supposed to sit here?
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business : Lwaxana Troi, Daughter of the Fifth House, Holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx, Heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed, is actually going to wear clothing to her own wedding??? Even Deanna, who often scoffs at these traditions, is taken aback by this and lampshades the trope. But it's only later that Lwaxana confides to Alexander that she's willing to do practically anything to alleviate her loneliness.
• Opposites Attract : Played with: Mrs. Troi is ready to marry Campio before ever meeting him, because her "online profile" seems to match up so very well with his. When they finally meet, however, it becomes patently clear that they are completely mismatched, and though they both try to work it through, the relationship ultimately falls apart—although Campio does get a brief little light in his eye at their aborted wedding.
• Pleasure Planet : The Parallax colony on Shiralea VI seen as a holodeck program in is a more child-friendly example where they have jugglers, mud baths and practice "Laughing Hour".
• Runaway Groom : Actively invoked by Lwaxana, by arriving at the ceremony wearing traditional Betazoid wedding garb, i.e. absolutely nothing.
• The Silent Bob : Mr. Homn, as usual, is limited to communicating with his expressions.
• Starfish Aliens : The "sparkly dust" creature that eats the ship's circuitry in the B-plot.
• Talking to Themself : Majel Barrett-Roddenberry plays both Lwaxana Troi and the Enterprise Computer, who interact in this episode, the second time in Star Trek history where two Barrett characters interact directly. Lwaxana is amusingly awkward when addressing the computer.
• Vengeful Vending Machine : One of the early signs that something's wrong with the ship is that when Lwaxana asks for tea, the replicator delivers a teacup filled with some unpleasant-looking sausages.
• Verbal Backspace : Alexander tells Counselor Troi that he wants his father to stop yelling: Worf: I DO N— I do not yell.
• Vitriolic Best Buds : Pointed out with the perpetually arguing couple at Parallax Colony: Alexander: Don't they like each other? Alien Guide: They're the best of friends! Alexander: Then why are they fighting? Mrs. Troi: Well, who are you going to fight with if not your friends?

Video Example(s):

Lwaxana's slow reaction.

It takes over 30 seconds from Lwaxana Troi to react to hearing that Worf and his son Alexander are drafting a contract.

Example of: Delayed Reaction

• Star Trek: The Next Generation S5E19 "The First Duty"
• Recap/Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Star Trek: The Next Generation S5E21 "The Perfect Mate"

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The Higher, The Fewer

My family has a peculiar inside joke, a throwaway punchline that adorns the occasional phone conversation. “The higher, the fewer.” Spoken originally to Warf’s son Alexander by an overly pensive holodeck clown in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation , this little aphorism bears itself well in the world. The higher, the fewer. There are far more Hondas than Aston Martins, far more accountants than Evel Kenevils. The higher the effort required to become something, the fewer there will be who undertake the challenge. The higher the danger, the fewer participants will be willing to take the risk.

Except in the Christian life. And that is incredibly puzzling. Why is it that far more Christians would be willing to stare down the barrel of the gun of their murderous persecutors than are willing to live the hard aspects of discipleship? Why are far more willing to die for Christ than to live for him?

I don’t have any hard and fast data on what I’ve just said. And it certainly is not my intent to scoff at or imply that martyrdom is easy. It’s no act of courage to write from the bomb shelter about the fun of life in the front-line trench. The closest I’ve ever come to being martyred was when an off-duty coworker referred to me as a “fag” for refusing to refill her friend’s Pepsi through the Taco Bell drive thru. Intense persecution, that Taco Bell name-calling is.

Ignatius of Antioch wrote eight letters as his 2nd century Roman guards marched him across Asia Minor towards his impending execution at Rome. Seven were to churches, one to his new friend Polycarp who would one day too die at the hands of the Romans. To the church in Rome Ignatius writes,

Leave me to be a meal for the beasts, for it is they who can provide my way to God. I am his wheat, ground fine by the lion’s teeth to be made purest bread. . . . Fire, cross, beast-fighting, hacking and quartering, splintering of bone and mangling of limb, even the pulverizing of my entire body – let ever horrid and diabolical torment come upon me, provided only that I can win my way to Jesus!

These are no metaphors. It’s staring at your hand, watching the fire melt your skin and muscle off your bones. It’s being sewn inside the skin of a goat and feeling a lion scrape his teeth across your ribcage until your life slowly bleeds out of you. It’s feeling the slow and building pressure, followed by the sharp snap and fire of shattered bones and shredded ligaments again and again and again, punctuated by the sound of your screams and jailer’s laughter.

I, like you, bleach white at the thought of this. Reading causes me to pause and wonder if ever placed in the place of Ignatius of Antioch, what I would say. Would I deny? Would I?

No. Perhaps in the moment I would. But utterly and finally, I could not. For the Spirit of Christ will not let those He indwells deny Him by whom He was sent. The Trinity will not rest at odds with one another. And so it is with all who believe. Whatever the cost, we will follow, knowing that the world has hated our Master and so will also hate us. Certainly our churches would be smaller. Few people are tempted to use God for their own advancement when that advancement takes the shape of a bullet hole in the forehead. The higher the cost of discipleship, the fewer the disciples.

And yet, how puzzling it is that amongst those who would willing to die for Christ, so many of us struggle to live for him in present, easy circumstances. We’re willing to sell our lives, yet reluctant to pay what is a pittance in comparison. How many of us would refuse to deny, but also refuse to pick up the phone, dial that number, and actively work to restore that fractured relationship? How many treasure Christ above life, but give sparingly from their earthly treasures for the advancement of the Kingdom? How many would never blaspheme, but mark their days with slander? How many would never have less than pure worship, but live with impure eyes?

The higher, the fewer? Not this time. Not here. Why is it that those who would pay the ultimate price are so often hesitant or resistant to paying one of far less cost?

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6 responses to “the higher, the fewer”.

Even more perplexing: why would someone who subscribes to religious nonsense quote a show that explicitly illustrates how destructive and backwards religion is and which was also created by an atheist (Gene Roddenberry)? Nice quotation, though.

@not This is a silly response. Star Trek doesn’t portray all religion as “destructive and backwards”. Even if it did, there’s nothing perplexing about using a quote from a source whose worldview you don’t embrace. There’s also nothing unusual about enjoying something created by a person with a different point of view.

it is “Worf” btw, not “Warf” interesting analysis tho

there are clearly more moderate religious people than hard core fundamentalists. Though in this case I believe the appropriate phrase would be “the lower the fewer”.

The phrase Why does a mouse when it spins is one of the nonsense entries in the first world war paper “the Wipers Times”, I had the full quote from my chief draughtsman some 53 years ago, where it all started is to me still a mystery

I might as well point out the corollary of your connect to /the higher the fewer/ to that of marriage, in how daily little things are easily overlooked while the enormous “I would die for you” are rock solid. Divorce is seldom because the husband didn’t take a bullet, but because he stopped loving in his daily gestures. The higher the fewer, except Xianity and marriage, corollaries in themselves. #llap

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Dilemma Resolution Guide: The Higher... The Fewer

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Star Trek The Next Generation: Cost of Living

2 comments:

Thanks for the lovely review, Doc. All good points. The B plot was sort of pointless. I wish they'd just let the Lwaxana plot take the spotlight. I've always liked her, too. This episode kept reminding me of Auntie Mame , and I'm pretty sure that was deliberate. Lwaxana even called Alexander "My little love." :) One scene in particular jumped out at me, for no particularly good reason: it was Lwaxana talking to the ship's computer. Have they ever done that before? I mean, Majel Barrett's two Next Gen characters talking to each other? I also don't know if I ever shared this, although I probably have. One of Peter David's Next Gen novels established that the computer voice wasn't some random person. It was Number One's voice (the second in command from the Star Trek pilot, "The Cage," also played by Majel Barrett). Peter David said in the book that it was Number One's voice because she was involved in the original programming of the starship computers. I think of that every time I hear Majel Barrett as the computer voice. It's not canon, but it should be.

Lwaxana Troi makes a much better grandmother than Worf makes a father. And although she irritates some, I have grown to respect her (especially on DS9, where she had some great episodes). Just like I have empathy for Mrs. Bennet in Pride & Prejudice.

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Published May 14, 2020

Star Trek's Higher Frontier is Out Now

Author Christopher L. Bennett discusses his new book, Higher Frontier, with StarTrek.com.

StarTrek.com

There’s nothing like joining a mission with Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise . And if you’re ready for just that adventure, look no further than Star Trek: The Original Series: The Higher Frontier . Fans of TOS will be delighted to see Miranda Jones on the page and will undoubtedly enjoy the expansion on the episode “Is There in Truth No Beauty?”

We had a chance to catch up with Star Trek author Christopher L. Bennett about all things Trek and writing his latest novel The Higher Frontier .

StarTrek.com: You’ve written several Star Trek novels across several Star Trek series. What do you like most about writing Star Trek books? Do you have a favorite series?

Christopher L. Bennett: I suppose what I enjoy most is the chance to delve behind the scenes, as it were — to expand on what we’re shown onscreen and fill in the gaps, explore the possibilities only hinted at, and tie things together into larger patterns. The first Star Trek novels I ever read were Alan Dean Foster’s adaptations of The Animated Series , in which he expanded greatly on the episodes, fleshed out their background, tied them together into a unified narrative, and eventually even added entire original sequels to the aired episodes. I suppose they influenced my interest in fleshing out the in-between stuff.

As for favorites, I’ve inherited my father’s resistance to the idea of picking a single favorite, since one can like multiple things for different reasons. But The Original Series and The Animated Series were my first (I discovered them so close together in my childhood that I thought of them as a single continuous whole that was sometimes live-action and sometimes animated), so in many ways I find the original cast the easiest one to write for. I know their voices so well that they practically write themselves.

What is your earliest Star Trek memory?

CBL: My earliest memory is of my five-year-old self seeing promos for ST reruns on TV and being curious about them, and then my mother and father letting me stay up with them in their bed a few nights later and watch it with them. I didn’t know what I was seeing at first; I thought the Enterprise was a weird-looking airplane that only flew at night, and that the “planets” it visited were some kind of islands. Star Trek introduced me to space, science, and science fiction and set the course of my life. My memory is pretty vague about most things from my childhood, but I still remember seeing Star Trek for the first time, and even that my first episode was “The Corbomite Maneuver,” which is still my favorite TOS episode to this day. Who is your favorite Star Trek character to write? Is there a Star Trek character you identify with the most?

CBL: I’ve always identified most with Spock, for I often felt like an outsider growing up, and I come from a family of intellectuals where the men tend to be stoic and reserved. When I lost my mother at age seven, I tried to retreat into Vulcan emotionlessness, which only kept me from dealing with my emotions and made things harder on me. Eventually, when Star Trek: The Motion Picture came out and Spock had his epiphany of the value of emotion, I came to a similar realization around the same time, and though I don’t remember for certain, it may well have been influenced by Spock’s insight. I think that’s part of the reason TMP has always been important to me, and why I wanted to explore Spock’s journey in the wake of TMP, as I’ve done in Ex Machina and subsequent tales up through The Higher Frontier .

As far as a favorite one to write, again, I can’t pick just one. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy have been the voices in my head for over four decades now, shaping me as a person, so I relate to all of them in different ways and feel comfortable writing from all three of their viewpoints.

What was it like writing Star Trek: The Original Series: The Higher Frontier ? What do you like most about this timeline?

CBL: I think I’ve already partly answered that. But I’ve always loved the TMP era for its untapped potential. TMP was the most visually stunning and conceptually imaginative Star Trek movie, and I loved the designs of the ship and the multi-species crew we glimpsed, the elaborate worldbuilding that gave a rich sense of a whole world that the movie barely started to explore. And then subsequent movies basically ignored it and jumped forward a decade or more. So I’ve always wanted to flesh out that era and try to recapture its unique flavor. I’m glad I’ve gotten the occasional opportunity to do that over the years, and that I’ve finally been able to return to that era in full force now.

Empaths and telepaths are not new to the Star Trek universe. The Medusans and Miranda Jones appeared in “Is There in Truth No Beauty?” season 3, episode 5. Why did you decide to revisit these characters?

CBL: When I was given the nod to revive my post-TMP continuity, I went back through my old notes in search of story concepts. One of my main ideas was to tell a story exploring the “new humans” mentioned in Gene Roddenberry’s TMP novelization, a human subculture developing their mental powers, exploring collective consciousness, and doing other very 1970s New Age-y stuff like that. My original idea had been to reveal that Gary Mitchell from “Where No Man Has Gone Before” was still alive and was behind the New Human movement. But in the interim, there have been one or two stories about Gary Mitchell coming back (for instance, in Marvel’s Star Trek /X-Men crossover comic in the ‘90s), so I chose to go a different route. A number of my books have tackled some of Trek ’s more implausible concepts and tried to make greater sense of them, as with space-going life forms in Titan: Orion’s Hounds and time travel in my Department of Temporal Investigations books. This was my chance to do the same with the Trek universe’s telepaths.

It occurred to me that a story about human telepaths should involve Miranda Jones, the most powerful human telepath known, and also explore why there didn’t seem to be any human telepaths in the 24th century. Bringing back Miranda and Kollos let me explore a lot of unanswered questions about the Medusans, the galactic barrier, and so forth, and that let me address Gary Mitchell in an entirely different way than I’d initially planned. It also let me tie in with the fate of the Aenar, which Typhon Pact: Paths of Disharmony established as having apparently gone extinct around the time frame I was working in. It occurred to me that if the Medusans were looking for blind telepaths, they would have probably been interested in the Aenar as well, so that let me draw a connection.

Do you have any book recommendations for Star Trek fans?

CBL : Let’s see... The Culture series by Iain M. Banks might be a good option. They portray a utopian galactic civilization that’s a lot like the Federation, if it were a far more ancient and advanced society with ubiquitous artificial intelligence. And it tends to focus on the organization within the Culture that deals with the more ethically ambiguous situations that arise in dealing with non-Culture powers. David Brin’s Uplift series is also a pretty cool space opera with lots of interesting aliens and galactic politics.

What are you working on next?

CBL: I’ve got a variety of projects on my plate, Star Trek and otherwise, including more game scenarios for the Star Trek Adventures tabletop role-playing game. My next two original novels, the duology Arachne's Crime and Arachne's Exile , have just been successfully funded on Kickstarter and should be available soon from eSpec Books. Plus I’ve recently started a Patreon site featuring TV/movie reviews and original short fiction.

This interview has been edited and condensed. Learn more and order the trade paperback, ebook or audio download here .

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Star Trek: The Higher Frontier Book Review

Star Trek: The Original Series: The Higher Frontier By Christopher L. Bennett

Book Description:

“Investigating the massacre of a telepathic minority, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise confront a terrifying new threat: faceless, armored hunters whose extra-dimensional technology makes them seemingly unstoppable. Kirk must team with the powerful telepath Miranda Jones and the enigmatic Medusans to take on these merciless killers in an epic battle that will reveal the true faces of both enemy and ally!”

Book Set-up:

Historian’s Note Prologue Chapters 1-7 Interlude Chapters 8-21 Epilogue Acknowledgments About the Author

The Higher Frontier is set in-between Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . It refers back to Miranda Jones and Kollos the Medusan ambassador from the original series episode Is There in Truth No Beauty? , and the Aenar, the minority group found on the Andorian homeworld (Star Trek: Enterprise: The Aenar ). There is also references to Where No Man Has Gone Before .

On Earth, a group of humans who call themselves New Humans are exploring the rise of their telepathic skills, which they credit to the arrival on V’Ger during the events of Star Trek: The Motion Picture . These humans, including some in Starfleet, have something in common with the Aenar, and when the murders begin to happen to them, it seems there is no safe place for either group; not on the USS Enterprise, not even on a planet in a different dimension. Who these mystery killers are and their motive for murder must be solved before both the New Humans and Aenar are totally annihilated.

The Higher Frontier showed how intolerance and bigotry could be used by others against the being harboring the hatred as well as against the original target.

Captain Kirk was able to make amends for his rather sexist treatment of Miranda Jones in the original series episode. To be honest, I found that unnecessary. As a woman, I consider the original series episodes a product of their times and there is no need for a fictional character to make amends for a show that aired over fifty years ago. Your mileage may vary. Also – the romance between them was totally unnecessary.

It was interesting to see how Miranda Jones has changed over time. Her melding with Kollos has had a positive influence over her, as one have might expected after the events of the original series episode.

The callback to Gary Mitchell was very interesting. Unlike the attempt to fix 1960s writing by having Kirk apologize to Jones, this story element was very welcome, giving Kirk closure and peace.

For me, the most fascinating part of the story was the presence of the Spectres and the effect on their hosts once the hosts were made aware of their presence. I wouldn’t have minded reading more about that.

For the Gary Mitchell bit alone, this book is worth the read, but there is much more to enjoy in Star Trek: The Higher Frontier.

Book Information:

Author: Christopher L. Bennett

Publisher: Gallery Books

Publication Date: March 10, 2010

ISBN-13: 978-1-9821-3366-5

ISBN-10: 198213366x

Star Trek: The Original Series: The Higher Frontier is available as a hardback for $14.40 on Amazon or as an eBook for $11.99. The Higher Frontier is also available as an audiobook. To order, head to the link located here .

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The Higher Frontier

• View history
• 2.1 Cover gallery
• 3 External link

Summary [ ]

Background information [ ].

• In a review for Star Trek Magazine issue 203/#76 (Sept 2020), Michael Clark noted the connections The Higher Frontier made between TOS : " Where No Man Has Gone Before ", " Is There in Truth No Beauty? ", Commander Thelin from TAS : " Yesteryear ", Star Trek: The Motion Picture , and Bennet's previous novels Ex Machina and The Buried Age . (p. 79)
• Author Christopher L. Bennett posted to TrekBBS.com that the cover graphic by Alan Dingman , based on stock images, represents a " Kumari -class cruiser " over Andoria , though no Kumari -type cruisers appear in the story. [1]

Cover gallery [ ]

Star Trek’s J.J. Abrams Advised Chris Pine to Be ‘Less Shatner’ While Portraying James T. Kirk

Chris Pine reflects on playing James T. Kirk in the latest Star Trek movies, and the actor acknowledges those wonderful "Shatnerisms."

• J.J. Abrams advised Chris Pine to embody "less Shatner" when portraying James T. Kirk in the big-screen reboot of Star Trek.
• Pine starred as Captain Kirk in all three reboot films; he says the franchise feels "cursed."
• A new Star Trek movie is part of Paramount's "intent," according to Roddenberry Entertainment's C.O.O.

“Less Shatner.” Those two little words encompassed the advice filmmaker J.J. Abrams had for Chris Pine when the two collaborated on the big-screen reboot of the Star Trek franchise, which began in 2009. Pine was tasked with picking up the enormous mantle of the iconic character, James T. Kirk, who was portrayed brilliantly by William Shatner from 1966 until 1994. Pine said in an interview during his appearance on the Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me podcast:

“I think the biggest correction that J.J. [Abrams] ever had for me was ‘less Shatner.’ Because it’s so deliciously fun. I mean, anything from how he sits in the chair to how he does a double take. There are many… the Shatnerisms are long and deep, and they’re beautiful. They’re beautifully crafted.”

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Pine starred as James T. Kirk in all three of the reboot films, which began with Star Trek (2009) and was followed up by the sequels Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond . Abrams directed the first two movies, but he turned the director’s chair over to Justin Lin for the third installment. And nearly eight years have passed since Star Trek Beyond , and Star Trek 4 has still yet to warp speed into movie theaters.

Chris Pine Believes the Star Trek Franchise Is 'Cursed'

While J.J Abrams’ 2009 reboot certainly isn’t the best of the Star Trek films, both critics and audiences alike enjoyed the U.S.S. Enterprise’s encounter with the rogue Romulan Nero (Eric Bana), which featured the return of Leonard Nimoy as the original Mr. Spock. Abrams’ new vision of the sci-fi phenomenon also made $385.7 million worldwide (per Box Office Mojo ). So, a sequel was inevitable. And in the summer of 2013, Kirk and crew faced off against Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch) in Star Trek Into Darkness .

Star Trek Into Darkness made even more money ($467.4 million) than Star Trek (2009) did globally, but 2016’s Star Trek Beyond didn’t fare as well as its predecessors ($343.5 million), and the reboot series has been in limbo ever since. Co-star Zoe Saldaña (Lt. Uhura) still has hope that Star Trek 4 will come to fruition. But when it comes to the Star Trek franchise, Pine “feels like it’s cursed,” according to an interview he did with Esquire in 2023.

Star Trek 4: Plot, Cast, Release Date, and Everything Else We Know

In March of this year, the C.O.O./President of Development for Roddenberry Entertainment, Trevor Roth, said “there is a plan” for a new Star Trek movie. Roth elaborated on the possibility in the same interview conducted at the SXSW film festival:

“I am not able to say much, but I can say that it is Paramount's intent to figure out the Star Trek side of movies and what's going on there. There's every intent of a new movie coming out in the very near future. There's a lot of secrecy around what's going to happen there. But there is a plan getting into place. And we're very excited to see it return to the big screen.”

Most recently, Pine wrote and directed his first feature film, Poolman. Pine also stars alongside Danny DeVito in the comedic mystery, which opens exclusively in theaters on May 10. And fans can watch the Poolman trailer right now.

Chris Pine Reveals J.J. Abrams’ Biggest Star Trek Captain Kirk Direction: “Less Shatner”

• Chris Pine admits needing to tone down his William Shatner-style acting in Star Trek (2009) to make the role his own.
• J.J. Abrams directed Pine to embody Captain Kirk with "less Shatner" to avoid mimicking the original actor too closely.
• Pine acknowledges the challenge of balancing homage to William Shatner's Kirk while also bringing his own flair to the character.

Chris Pine reveals J.J. Abrams' biggest direction when filming Star Trek (2009) was "less Shatner." Pine took over the role of Captain James T. Kirk in Abrams' rebooted Star Trek movie trilogy, which includes 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness and 2016's Star Trek Beyond . To play Kirk, Pine researched William Shatner's iconic performances as the original Captain Kirk, and he may have adopted too many "Shatnerisms" at the onset of Star Trek (2009).

Chris Pine appeared on NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! podcast to promote Poolman , a new film he wrote and directed. Host Peter Sagal asked Pine about playing Captain Kirk in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek , and how much of his performance was based on William Shatner's . Read Pine's response and listen to the podcast (Pine joins around the 20-minute mark) below:

I think the biggest correction that J.J. [Abrams] ever had for me was ‘less Shatner.’ Because it’s so deliciously fun. I mean, anything from how he sits in the chair to how he does a double take. There are many… the Shatnerisms are long and deep, and they’re beautiful. They’re beautifully crafted.

Star Trek 2009 Ending Explained

Chris pine made captain kirk his own, but will he return in star trek 4, pine is waiting to play kirk again.

With J.J. Abrams reining in Chris Pine's "Shatnerisms", the actor evoked William Shatner's essence in his performance while making the role of Captain James T. Kirk his own. Pine embodied Kirk's youth, vitality, and daring, balancing his mistakes and recklessness with incredible acts of heroism. But Pine's version of Captain Kirk also matured throughout J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies ; in Star Trek Beyond, Pine's Kirk was more seasoned and commanding as the Captain of the Enterprise.

The next Star Trek movie is an untitled Star Trek Origin Paramount officially announced will hit theaters in 2025.

Along with the rest of the Star Trek cast , Chris Pine has been waiting for the chance to play Captain Kirk again. Nearly a decade after Star Trek Beyond hit theaters, Paramount Pictures is mounting new Star Trek movies. Star Trek 4 now has a new screenwriter in Steve Yockey ( The Flight Attendant ), and this next prospective sequel is looked at as the "final chapter" of the Starship Enterprise led by Pine's Captain Kirk . Since Captain Kirk would now be in his 40s in Star Trek 4 , it will be fascinating to see how Chris Pine plays him and whether he will lean into any William Shatnerisms.

Source: NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! podcast

J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies are streaming on Paramount+

Director J.J. Abrams

Release Date May 7, 2009

Studio(s) Paramount Pictures

Writers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman

Cast Eric Bana, Bruce Greenwood, Winona Ryder, Tyler Perry, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Leonard Nimoy, Anton Yelchin, Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, John Cho

Rating PG-13

Runtime 127 Minutes

Franchise(s) Star Trek

Sequel(s) Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Trek Beyond

Star Trek: Lower Decks is ending, but at least Strange New Worlds will journey on

The upcoming fifth season of animated comedy star trek: lower decks will be its last.

Star Trek: Lower Decks is, depending on how you look at it, the most ambitious TV show that Star Trek has ever done. Informed by an incredibly deep love for (and knowledge of) the vast universe of Star Trek lore, the animated series proves that “ Star Trek comedy” is something that can actually exist (beyond episodes of Deep Space Nine where Quark runs around in a dress, anyways), showing the up-until-now only ambiguously demonstrated fact that it’s possible for Trek to have a genuine sense of humor about itself. And now, sadly, it’s ending, as Variety reports that the show’s upcoming fifth season will be its last.

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Created by Rick & Morty writer Mike McMahan, Lower Decks last aired new episodes last October, continuing to tell the story of the U.S.S. Cerritos , one of those Starfleet ships that’s usually doing the other jobs while vessels like the Enterprise are out saving the universe. The series stars Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Noël Wells, and Eugene Cordero, playing four lower-ranking members of the Cerritos crew who end up bonding as friends. The show’s fifth (and now final) season is expected to air before the end of 2024.

It’s not all grim news in Star Trek land, though: Lower Decks ’ Paramount+ sibling, Strange New Worlds , has been renewed for a fourth season, ensuring that the other most joyful Star Trek show currently running will get at least one more run of shows. Starring Anson Mount as Trek pilot character Christopher Pike, and Ethan Peck as a younger version of Spock, the show is a deliberate throwback to the early days of the franchise. It’s also a genuine blast: Quick-moving, smart, and fun, it’s the kind of show that can, say, accommodate a bona fide  crossover with Lower Decks , showing that the two series’ loving but reverential attitudes toward Trek canon are pleasantly simpatico.

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Far fewer young Americans now want to study in China. Both countries are trying to fix that

Didi Tang And Dake Kang

Associated Press

David Moser, an American and associate professor at Capital Normal University in Beijing, poses for a photo at the university, Friday, March 22, 2024 in Beijing, China. Only about 700 American students are studying at Chinese universities, while there are nearly 300,000 Chinese students are at U.S. schools. Without these U.S. students, in the next decade, we wont be able to exercise savvy, knowledgeable diplomacy in China, warned Moser, an American linguist who went to China in the 1980s and is now tasked with establishing a new master's program for international students at Beijing Capital Normal University. (AP Photo/Dake Kang)

WASHINGTON – Stephen Garrett, a 27-year-old graduate student, always thought he would study in China, but the country’s restrictive COVID-19 policies made it nearly impossible and now he sees interest among fellow scholars wane even after China reopened.

Common concerns, he said, include restrictions on academic freedom and the risk of being stranded in China.

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These days, only about 700 American students are studying at Chinese universities, down from a peak of close to 25,000 a decade ago, while there are nearly 300,000 Chinese students at U.S. schools.

Some young Americans are discouraged from investing their time in China by what they see as diminishing economic opportunities and strained relations between Washington and Beijing.

Whatever the reason for the imbalance, U.S. officials and scholars bemoan the lost opportunities for young people to experience life in China and gain insight into a formidable American adversary.

And officials from both countries agree that more should be done to encourage the student exchanges, at a time when Beijing and Washington can hardly agree on anything else.

“I do not believe the environment is as hospitable for educational exchange as it was in the past, and I think both sides are going to need to take steps,” said Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell.

The U.S. has advised its. citizens to “reconsider travel” to China over concerns of arbitrary detentions and widened use of exit bans to bar Americans from leaving the country. Campbell said this has hindered the rebuilding of the exchanges and easing the advisory is now under “active consideration.”

For its part, Beijing is rebuilding programs for international students that were shuttered during the pandemic, and Chinese President Xi Jinping has invited tens of thousands of U.S. high school students to visit.

The situation was far different after President Barack Obama started the 100,000 Strong initiative in 2009 to drastically increase the number of U.S. students studying in China.

By 2012, there were as many as 24,583 U.S. students in China, according to data by the Chinese education ministry. The Open Doors reports by the Institute of International Education, which only track students enrolled in U.S. schools and studying in China for credit, show the number peaked at 14,887 in the 2011-12 school year. But 10 years later, the number was down to only 211.

In late 2023, the number of American students stood at 700, according to Nicholas Burns, the U.S. ambassador to China, who said this was far too few in a country of such importance to the United States.

“We need young Americans to learn Mandarin. We need young Americans to have an experience of China," Burns said.

Without these U.S. students, “in the next decade, we won’t be able to exercise savvy, knowledgeable diplomacy in China,” warned David Moser, an American linguist who went to China in the 1980s and is now tasked with establishing a new master's program for international students at Beijing Capital Normal University.

Moser recalled the years when American students found China fascinating and thought an education there could lead to an interesting career. But he said the days of bustling trade and money deals are gone, while American students and their parents are watching China and the United States move away from each other. “So people think investment in China as a career is a dumb idea,” Moser said.

After 2012, the number of American students in China dipped but held steady at more than 11,000 for several years, according to Open Doors, until the pandemic hit, when China closed its borders and kept most foreigners out. Programs for overseas students that took years to build were shuttered, and staff were let go, Moser said.

Amy Gadsden, executive director of China Initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania, also attributed some of the declining interest to foreign businesses closing their offices in China. Beijing's draconian governing style, laid bare by its response to the pandemic, also has given American students a pause, she said.

Garrett, who is on track to graduate this summer from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, said he is ambivalent about working in China, citing the lack of access to information, restrictions on discussions of politically sensitive issues and China’s sweeping anti-spying law. He had lived in Hong Kong as a teenager and interned in mainland China, and said he is still interested in traveling to China, but not anytime soon.

Some American students remain committed to studying in China, said Andrew Mertha, director of the China Global Research Center at SAIS. “There are people who are interested in China for China’s sake,” he said. “I don’t think those numbers are affected at all.”

About 40 U.S. students are now studying at the Hopkins-Nanjing center in the eastern Chinese city, and the number is expected to go up in the fall to approach the pre-pandemic level of 50-60 students, said Adam Webb, the center’s American co-director.

Among them is Chris Hankin, 28, who said he believed time in China was irreplaceable because he could interact with ordinary people and travel to places outside the radar of international media. “As the relationship becomes more intense, it's important to have that color, to have that granularity,” said Hankin, a master's student of international relations with a focus on energy and the environment.

Jonathan Zhang, a Chinese American studying at the prestigious Schwarzman Scholars program at Tsinghua University in Beijing, said it was more important than ever to be in China at a time of tense relations. “It’s really hard to talk about China without being in China,” he said. “I think it’s truly a shame that so many people have never stepped foot in China.”

Zhang was met with concerns when he deferred an offer at a consulting firm to go Beijing. “They’re like, ‘oh, be safe,’ or like, ‘what do you mean, you’re going back to China?’” Zhang said. “I feel like the (Chinese) government is trying with an earnest effort, but I feel like a lot of this trust has been broken.”

Gadsden said U.S. universities need to do more to nudge students to consider China. “We need to be more intentional about creating the opportunities and about encouraging students to do this deeper work on China, because it’s going to be interesting for them, and it’s going to be valuable for the U.S.-China relationship and for the world,” she said.

In China, Jia Qingguo, a professor of international relations and a national political adviser, has suggested Beijing clarify its laws involving foreign nationals, introduce a separate system for political reviews of foreign students’ dissertations, and make it easier for foreign graduates to find internships and jobs in Chinese companies.

Meanwhile, China is hosting American high school students under a plan Xi unveiled in November to welcome 50,000 in the next five years.

In January, a group of 24 students from Iowa’s Muscatine High School became the first to travel to China. The all-expenses-paid, nine-day trip took them to the Beijing Zoo, Great Wall, Palace Museum, the Yu Garden and Shanghai Museum.

Sienna Stonking, one of the Muscatine students, now wants to return to China to study.

“If I had the opportunity, I would love to go to college in China,” she told China’s state broadcaster CGTN. “Honestly, I love it there.”

Kang reported from Beijing.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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69-year-old man charged in death of beloved ‘Star Trek’ tour guide

MILTON, N.Y. (WRGB) – A 69-year-old man is facing manslaughter charges in the case of a missing New York man.

Friends of the victim, identified as Thomas Krider, said he was a beloved character in the “Star Trek” and entertainment community.

Ronald Rayher was arrested and arraigned on charges of manslaughter in the second degree and tampering with physical evidence.

Court documents said Rayher moved and hid personal effects belonging to Krider from the scene after his death.

Police in New York reported Krider missing on April 6.

The 40-year-old victim, also known as T.J. Green, was an employee and tour guide at the “Star Trek” set tour in Ticonderoga.

James Crawley, a friend of the victim, said Krider was also a talented Elvis Presley tribute artist and “he will be remembered for his kind and trusting soul and his warm, friendly demeanor.”

“We are devastated by his loss and will keep him close to our hearts,” Crawley said.

Rayher is being held on a $250,000 bond. He is due back in court on May 21.

Copyright 2024 WRGB via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.

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California is building fewer homes. The state could get even more expensive

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Ken Kahan makes a living building homes.

A specialty? Luxury apartment complexes in Los Angeles neighborhoods such as Palms and Silver Lake filled with mostly market rate units, but with a handful of income-restricted affordable ones as well.

It can be a good business, but lately less so.

“We have pulled back,” said Kahan, the president of California Landmark Group. “The metrics don’t work.”

Across California and the nation, developers moved to start fewer homes in 2023, a decline some experts say could eventually send home prices and rents even higher as supply shortages worsen.

Developers cite several reasons for delaying new projects. There’s high labor and material costs, as well as new local regulations that together make it harder to turn a profit.

Perhaps the biggest factor — and one hitting across the country — is the high cost of borrowing. Rising interest rates not only make it more expensive for Americans to buy a home, but they add additional costs for developers who must shell out more money to build and manage their projects.

As a result, fewer projects make financial sense to build and fewer homes are built.

“More than anything it is debt costs,” said Ryan Patap, an analyst for real estate research firm CoStar.

In all, preliminary data from the US. Census Bureau show building permits for new homes nationwide fell 12% in 2023 from the prior year and 7% in California. Drops were recorded in both single-family homes — most of which tend to be for sale — as well as multifamily homes — which are chiefly rentals.

Dan Dunmoyer, president of the California Building Industry Assn., said one major reason for the decline is that many for-sale home builders foresaw “a massive downturn” and stopped buying lots to develop when mortgage rates soared in 2022.

Then a funny thing happened. Demand for their product didn’t crater as much as expected, in large part because existing homeowners didn’t want to sell and rid themselves of ultra-low mortgage rates.

“Builders kind of woke up and realized ‘Oh, it’s just us [selling homes],‘” Dunmoyer said. “But we don’t turn on a dime.”

Housing tracker: SoCal home prices at a record

Explore the latest prices for homes and rentals in and around Los Angeles.

March 14, 2024

As for-sale builders restart their engines to take advantage of a shortage of listings, there are signs of improvement. During the first two months of this year, builders in California pulled 35% more permits for single-family homes than during the same period a year earlier, according to census data.

Permits for multifamily continued to decline — dropping 33%.

The diverging paths are probably due to several factors, said Rick Palacios Jr., director of research for John Burns Research and Consulting.

On a whole, single-family home builders have access to a wider source of debt that isn’t as vulnerable to rising interest rates. In the single-family market, the supply shortage has also worsened and home prices are climbing.

Meanwhile, rents in many places — including Los Angeles — have dropped slightly as vacancies have risen, in part because apartment construction has been relatively robust in recent years.

“Single-family solid, multifamily weak is a pretty consistent theme across most of the country,” Palacios said. “You’re hard pressed to find a market where developers and investors are gung ho on apartments.”

In the city of Los Angeles, developers must contend with another factor — Measure ULA.

The citywide property transfer tax took effect last year to fund affordable housing and has drawn the ire of the real estate industry .

Though it’s known as the “mansion tax,” except for rare exceptions it applies to all properties sold for more than $5 million, no matter if they are gas stations, strip malls, apartment buildings or actual mansions. Under the measure, a seller is charged 4% of the sales price for properties sold above $5 million and below $10 million.

At $10 million and above, the tax is 5.5%.

Apartment developers and real estate brokers said additional costs from ULA make it even harder to earn a reasonable profit in what can be a risky business.

That’s because when building apartments, developers often sell their finished product, which would probably trigger the ULA tax for any building over 15 units, according to Greg Harris, a real estate broker with Marcus and Millichap. Even developers who hold onto their properties typically need to take out a mortgage on the finished building — and Harris said lenders are willing to give less because they too would need to pay the tax if they foreclose and sell the property.

“ULA is like the last nail in the coffin,” said Robert Green, a Los Angeles developer. “It couldn’t have come at a worse time.”

Many apartment projects got their start under different economic circumstances and have opened in recent years or will soon. That supply should help keep rents down for a while, but not forever, said Richard Green, executive director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate.

In two or three years, as fewer apartments are finished “we will see rent start to go up again,” he said.

That would be a hit for Californians struggling to find housing in an expensive state where thousands sleep on the streets.

Economic cycles, of course, ebb and flow and construction may rebound.

The Federal Reserve plans to cut interest rates later this year, which may help more projects make sense financially, as could rising rents.

Land sellers could also drop their asking prices to adjust for rising developer costs, including ULA in Los Angeles.

Normally, real estate analyst Patap said he’d expect apartment construction to rebound as land costs adjust downward. But he noted developers say they are also cautious about building in L.A. because of a broader political shift in the city that’s more supportive of restrictions on landlords and more supportive of protections for tenants .

In the city of Los Angeles, multifamily permits dropped 24% in 2023 compared with 19% in Los Angeles County, census data show. (Data from the Construction Industry Research Board show even larger drops: 49% in the city and 39% in the county.)

Laurie Lustig-Bower, a commercial real estate broker with CBRE, said some L.A. landowners have reduced their prices to sell, but “if they don’t have a gun to their head” they are waiting until developers can pay more.

In recent years, state lawmakers have taken action to make it easier to build housing, in part by eroding local control over land use decisions.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has also fast-tracked 100% affordable buildings under her Executive Directive 1 , while the city recently exempted smaller projects from some storm water capture requirements.

Mott Smith, chairman of the Council of Infill Builders, said more must be done to increase the number of new homes in Los Angeles and cited the storm water decision as the kind of steps government should take.

“The city has no influence over interest rates ... [but] what it controls is the process to get a project approved,” Smith said. “There are so many opportunities.”

For now, developers say it’s tough to find opportunities.

Kahan said his company runs the numbers on potential land purchases constantly and at least once a week finds it doesn’t make sense to buy and build.

He expects to purchase some land in Southern California by year’s end, though mostly outside of the city of Los Angeles where Kahan said he’s increasingly looking because of costs from ULA, which unlike current interest rates aren’t expected to change.

So far, Kahan said he’s yet to find a deal that will work — within or outside city borders.

More to Read

Rents are finally falling in Los Angeles. But it’s still not enough for many

March 12, 2024

2023 was slowest year for U.S. home sales in nearly 30 years as high mortgage rates frustrated buyers

Jan. 19, 2024

Southern California home prices fell last month. Don’t expect them to plunge

Dec. 13, 2023

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Andrew Khouri covers the housing market for the Los Angeles Times. Before coming to The Times he wrote about commercial real estate for the San Fernando Valley Business Journal. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and graduated from the University of San Diego with a degree in history.

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