There’s a longstanding in-side joke rumor in “The Corner” that Kathryn Lopez, editor of National Review Online (that would be me), hates Star Trek. That’s not quite the case. In fact, I was a huge Star Trek fan at age 12. I then moved on (to C-SPAN).
Since there are more than a few male writers in The Corner who are Star Trek addicts, freaks, fans, experts who didn’t, my occasional attempts to crackdown on long Star Trek threads in the midst of breaking political and wartime news and analysis were met with hostility. Frequent, bitter references to “the K-Lo ban” would infuriate and confuse Corner readers for years.
As an olive branch, and a marketing ploy, last year during a fundraising drive, I offered readers to, essentially, pay me to lift the ban. (Not entirely true — the money raised didn’t exactly go to my bank account in Switzerland. More like made it possible for our tech team to stop fighting over that last slice of stale bread for their weekly meal in the NRO dungeon.) We raised money to help keep us rocking and rolling for another bit and I keep my campaign promises.
So, today, the ban is lifted. Star Trek runs free and wild on National Review Online. Let me know what you think.
I know you will.