It looks like we'll have a fictional Space Force before the real one gets off the ground.
Steve Carell and Greg Daniels, who previously teamed up on the U.S. version of the beloved sitcom "The Office," are making a "Space Force" comedy series for Netflix, the streaming giant announced Wednesday (Jan. 16).
Carell will star in the show, which draws its inspiration from the new military branch that President Donald Trump wants to establish to help secure American dominance of the final frontier. [Presidential Visions for Space Exploration: From Ike to Trump]
"The goal of the new branch is 'to defend satellites from attack' and 'perform other space-related tasks' or something," states a teaser video for the show, which Netflix posted on Twitter Wednesday. "This is the story of the men and women who have to figure it out."
President Trump began publicly musing about the possibility of a Space Force in March 2018, then called for its establishment three months later. But standing it up requires more than a presidential decree; only Congress can create a new military branch.
The latest thinking envisions the Space Force as an independent service within the Air Force, in much the same mold as the U.S. Marine Corps, which is a bona fide branch but is officially part of the Department of the Navy.
Mike Wall's book about the search for alien life, "Out There" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate) is out now. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us @Spacedotcom or Facebook. Originally published on Space.com.
