T.V. on the PBS channel.” He says, “My older siblings also had a huge passion for science fiction, which was pushed onto me at a young age, and I quickly fell in love with it.”
When we inquired as to what his favorite franchise was, it was no surprise when he answered with Doctor Who. He said although he had a huge passion for both Star Wars and Star Trek, his passion for Doctor Who began for him at a very young age, which brings nostalgia to the franchise for him. We also inquired about his favorite novel, which he said was, The Canticle for Leibowitz, which he read in grade school. The book has a very dark and apocalyptic theme to it, which he said interested him so much because of the warnings it portrayed about our society.
When we asked Mr. Opal why he liked Sci-Fi, he responded by telling us it was because it often conveyed warnings and what-if scenarios. He said that the way the different franchises so easily and mysteriously warn us of our own society made them so interesting, because they always bring up a, “what if”, question. He said that if he were to live in a Science Fiction realm, he would choose the Star Wars world, because it still has a mythical aspect to it with the Force and the Good-vs.-Evil portrayal, which he says makes it more interesting and leaves more questions unanswered.
At the end of the interview we asked him who his favorite character in any science-fiction franchise was, after a long time of thinking he responded with, “although the obvious answer would be Luke Skywalker, I would have to say Doctor Who (David Tennant), because of the ability to travel time and travel the universe using a telephone booth would just be so thrilling.” Overall, Mr. Opal might appear as your typical english teacher, but if you ever have the opportunity to talk to him or take Science Fiction with him, you will learn that his passion for science fiction is really something to be admired.