The media was abuzz on April 8 concerning the impending release of a documentary that made a startling claim. The claim itself is pure cockamamie, putting forward 400-year ago discredited theory that the Earth is the center of the universe. But the doc is getting press all the same thanks to the power of money, specifically the fact that the filmmaker was able to score an ironically high-profile narrator.
The film in question is The Principle, made by noted anti-Semite “geocentrist” Robert Sungenis, and the narrator in question is actress Kate Mulgrew, who played Captain Janeway in the television series Star Trek: Voyager. It’s especially interesting that the star of a Star Trek franchise, whose fans aren’t exactly keen on pseudoscience and faith-based dogmatism, would agree to be the voice of such a dubious project.
The knee-jerk reaction is to assume Mulgrew must believe that all of the world’s scientists are somehow wrong about heliocentrism. The truth, though, is far more mundane and just a little sad. When confronted concerning her involvement in the project, Mulgrew claimed it was just a paycheck to her, and she had no idea as to the details of the film she narrated.
But regardless of her remorse, Mulgrew’s name is still attached to the doc. Add to it some decently slick-looking production and you get a documentary so outlandish it normally wouldn’t pass a high school film class getting written up in the AV Club, Slate, EW and several other notable web publications.
Just further proof that if you have enough money you can get people to listen to you, no matter how far-fetched your ideas. And, for an added Hollywood lesson, you need to get a star attached. Don’t worry about that. If you’ve got the cash, you can apparently make it happen, no matter how dumb your idea.
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