As you have no doubt heard, the NASA online poll to name a new space station module has gone in a landslide to the write-in name candidate, "Colbert." NASA never promised to name the space station after the poll results (the poll itself was quite clear on this point), but simply swore to take the poll results "into consideration."
The big news here isn't that "Colbert" won. After all, Colbert issued several calls to his viewing audience to stuff the ballot box, and provided a link to the poll on his website. No, the big news in this story is that "Colbert" beat out the write-in candidate "Xenu."
I know several people (myself among them) who voted for "Colbert" not because they were particularly fond of the man, or of doing his bidding. But because they simply refused to allow the name "Xenu" to win.
Xenu is the pivotal figure in Scientology's founding combination of creation myth and Original Sin. According to Scientology's founder L. Ron Hubbard, Xenu was the "dictator of the Galactic Confederacy" who brought billions of people to Earth 75 million years ago. He then nuked them, but not into oblivion. Their spirits remained, and "form around people in modern times, causing them harm."
The second biggest bit of news is that "Colbert" bumped out NASA's own option, "Serenity." Given the solidarity and drive of the Browncoats (fans of Joss Whedon's short lived show "Firefly"), I'm mildly surprised that they didn't push "Serenity" into first place.
The NASA poll was a race with three horses: Colbert fans, Scientologists, and Browncoats. It was Colbert to win, Browncoats to show, and Scientologists to place. Strange times, indeed!