SciFi Scholar

Cartoon Network - Green Lantern and Thundercats

2011-11-13T03:39:00.001-05:00

Cartoon Network is airing specials leading up a a series of new DC Comics cartoons in 2012. I watched Green Lantern and Thunder Cats.

Green Lantern was awesome, and comparable in quality to Clone Wars. In the last couple years, in addition to the Ryan Reynolds live action movie, there have been a few very good Green Lantern cartoon movies. The hour long episode leaves Hal Jordan and Kil-o-wag trapped on the "frontier" fighting Red Lanterns.

Thunder Cats wasn't as good, but was still kindof cool. The style is more anime-like than the original, and reminded me of Inuyasha. Liono is a gawky teenager, which is a big change. Panthro has side burns. Snarf, who I was of course most excited about, is much skinnier and didn't say "snarf" once.

Terra Nova

2011-11-01T15:30:00.001-04:00

So, Terra Nova has quickly moved from a show I watch at some point after I see it recorded on my dvr, to a show that I actively look forward to. It's like lost in space and land of the lost wrapped into one.

Also, were there a lot of Doctor Who costumes this halloween?

Watch Stargate Universe, Tuesdays @ 9 on SyFy

2010-11-09T21:34:00.000-05:00

I blogged reviews for most of last season's Stargate Universe episodes. This season, I haven't written much. Actually, I haven't done any Sci Fi blogging for months.

Now, SyFy cancelled Caprica. That's disappointing, but not altogether unexpected. I liked Caprica. I thought it was an amazing concept, and -- like "V" (another winner) -- the show was visually appealing. That said, however, it was slow paced, and at times perhaps a bit full of itself.

Stargate Universe is a totally different animal, but fans are nervous that SyFy will get rid of it too. SGU has about 25% higher viewership. It is also a thought-provoking show, and somewhat slow paced. The difference, however, is that the SGU characters have depth. Where Caprica was really consumed by its concept, and the characters were merely dragged along with the plot, SGU is more character driven, or at least it is trying to be. The plot and concept are merely the backdrop for character driven stories.

In SGU, a group of military and science personnel are transported to a starship in another galaxy. They have no plausable way to reach home, but do have some limited contact with Earth. It is loosely tied to the Stargate franchise, but is very different than the prior series.

What I think is fantastic about SGU is that it tackles the idea of prolonged life in space in a somewhat realistic manner. Much like ABC's ill-fated "Defying Gravity." The idea of faster than light travel, and being in a far-off galaxy, are obviously science fiction, but dealing with separation from Earth, and general life aboard a space ship, are issues that humanity will likely be dealing with in the near future.

More important, it's entertaining. I enjoy really bad sci fi shows, so my taste isn't necessarily a guage. In fact, I have a whole litany of shows that I really liked which were cut short before their time (some became cult classics, others just faded). A more trustworthy reviewer is my wife, who is not particularly a fan of sci fi, but nonetheless sits through it with me (most of the time). She hated Caprica. Absolutely loathed it. SGU, she's still not a fan, but says it's better than Caprica.

I think the problem with SGU and shows like it is that they are geared towards a more intelligent audience, not the average person. It will never get the ratings of a mindless reality tv show, because it is not geared towards that audience. But, we need shows like this. Have you seen the movie idiocracy? That's where we're headed.

So, the reason for the post. In an abundance of caution, people have organized an SGU Awareness campaign, and are asking people to use twitter and facebook to show how much they like SGU. SGU is one of the few shows that actually cares about it's fans. In fact, producer Joseph Mallozzi put up a blog post asking fans to write in suggestions for the next season. I think that's pretty cool, and that's the kind of show I want to see on the air.

Doctor Who -- "Victory of the Daleks" Review -- Season 5, Episode 3 -- US Airdate 4.30.10

2010-05-02T15:22:00.001-04:00

We have Daleks! So there's a new doctor, a new companion, and a redecorated Tardis. Now, however, we can rest assured: this is Doctor Who.

Sure, part of me wants to say "not the Daleks again," but it is Doctor Who afterall. And they came back in style. There were three weak Daleks, who had degraded to the point that their DNA could not be recognized as Dalek (hence, they could not use the progenitor device they had found to resurrect more Daleks). The Daleks leave the doctor with a choice: let them escape or let the earth be destroyed. He chooses to save the earth.

Somehow, this ties in to the cracks in space-time that have been popping up this season. The Daleks did something. There's a few other oddities. First, Amy can't remember the Dalek invasion; second, has anyone noticed that the Tardis won't land with precision? So, we are in store for a large story arc, and it seems good.

This episode was incredible. Not only do you have the Daleks, but there is Winston Churchill commanding a group of World War II fighter planes to fly into space and attack a flying saucer. How cool is that?

The writer for the episode was Steven Gattis. He is one of a few people to both act in and write for Doctor Who (playing Doctor Lazarus in season 2).

Stargate Universe, Episodes 12 and 13, Divided and Faith

2010-04-20T09:03:00.000-04:00

In Divided, with Rush back on board, the civilians attempt to take over the ship from the military. The military took it back, just in time for an abrupt encounter with an alien race that demonstrated why the ship needs a strong military presence. There are inevitable Battlestar Galactica comparisons, but SGU is clearly charting its own course. It's great how Eli has a foot in both camps. Cloe, formerly known as "the Senator's daughter," seems to be growing into a bit of a politician.

In Faith, the ship lands in a star system that seems to have been recently created by a powerful alien race, and some of the crew want to stay on the planet. We learn that TJ is pregnant (my wife had a few comments about how predictable this conversation was). Lt. Scott and Cloe seem to have patched things up, and Lt. Scott was going to stay on the planet. A beacon was set off, possibly notifying the aliens that someone is on their planet, and this episode will probably have a follow-up at some future point.

Doctor Who -- "The Eleventh Hour" --- Season Five, Episode 1

2010-04-18T10:55:00.000-04:00

Well hello there Matt Smith and Karen Gillan. Nice job.

Before the episode aired, there was an "intro to Doctor who" special, where Matt Smith (the new Doctor) and Karen Gillan (the new companion, Amy Pond) discuss the series. They seemed have a sincere appreciation for the franchise, and brought some excitement to it.

The episode started, as they sometimes do, with the Tardis flying out of control. The Doctor's regeneration wasn't focused on as much as Tennant's first appearance, and there weren't many special effects (just one CGI snake thing, and a few scenes of the Tardis flying). What the episode did have, however, was a real story (I knew Steven Moffat wouldn't let us down).

The Doctor first meets Amy when she is a child, a la "the Time Traveler's Wife" (which I coincidentally watched this weekend -- not bad). The Doctor tends to create some real issues for people, and apparently Amy spent the rest of her life waiting for him.

This episode paid homage to the last four years, and tied in a lot of the elements that fans were looking for, but also had its own feel. Matt Smith is to David Tennant in several ways, but a little more absent-minded-professor in contrast to Tennant's suave demeanor. He saves the Earth from an alien race, similar to Tennant battling the Sycorax in his first episode, but there's no sword fight. Instead, Smith first saves the planet, then calls the aliens back to let them know that he is the Doctor and the Earth is protected.

There's intimations of a large story arc involving an ominous "silence" causing cracks in the universe. Unlike the Russel T. Davies story arcs, where they didn't tell us about it until the middle of the season, then flashed back so we could see how everything tied in, Moffat lets us know right up front that we're headed for something big.

Amy Pond is especially interesting. There was a comment in the pre-show special about how the series is really about the relationship between the Doctor and the companion. Amy Pond is something of a composite of the prior companions. She has a personality that is reminiscent of Martha Jones (brazen, outgoing, strong willed), and also seems to have Martha Jones' attachment to the doctor. She looks like a combination of Rose Tyler and a young Donna Noble (maybe it's the red hair), and the Doctor wisps her away the night before her wedding a la Donna Noble. It will be interesting to see how they develop this character.

From the coming attractions, it seems like there's a lot to look forward to: Daleks, vampires, some interesting blond woman flying the tardis, a new sonic screw driver, and all sorts of stuff.

Will they bring back Captain Jack (John Barrowman)? (Who, as you may or may not know, is now on Desperate Housewives).

Stargate Universe, Episode 11: Space -- US Airdate 4.2.2010

2010-04-03T13:57:00.001-04:00

Universe may very well be the best series of the Stargate franchise. I have been a fan of the Stargate series since it started, but Universe breaks the mold. It's clever, accessible, and well written.

In "Space," the Destiny crew has its first alien encounter. There are language difficulties, and the aliens are very alien. They didn't make the episode "about" the aliens though, which was great. The show stuck with character development. The strength of this show is the character interactions, and seeing how they deal with new situations and being thrust into this new existence. They aren't getting back to Earth anytime soon, and they are developing their own colony on destiny.

Rush comes back! In the last episode before the mid-season break, Justice, he had been abandoned on a planet. I didn't expect to see him back so quick, but it was well done. With Rush back, there are renewed tensions with the Colonel, and now they are justified.

In my suggestions for Season 2, I had said I wanted to see more of the greenhouse they are developing on Destiny, and apparently the writers are on the same page. I also said that I wanted to see them use some of our newly acquired understanding of exoplanets, and they hinted that they would.

This was the first episode penned by Joseph Mallozzi, one of the show's producers who also maintains a blog.

* Episode 10: Justice
* Episode 8: Time
* Episode 7: Earth
* Episode 6: Light
* Episode 5: Darkness

Caprica - The Imperfections of Memory

2010-03-15T09:03:00.003-04:00

Every week, viewers fall a little deeper down the Caprica rabbit hole.

This week, Adama tries to find Tamra (his recently deceased daughter) in New Cap City, which is like a virtual reality Grand Theft Auto. He's awkward, like someone playing a video game for the first time. He gullibly tries to fly like Superman, or Neo at the end of the Matrix, only to be told that he isn't in a "fantasy room." (Apparently there are rooms where you can fly). The writers clearly have a lot of growth in store for this character, and the actor, Esai Morales, does a terrific job.

Sister Clarice (Polly Walker, who was also in Rome) is devious and willing to use Zoe's mom; Zoe is devious and willing to use her dad's assistant. In both instances, however, they seem to see the humanity in the other characters. Sister Clarice has an almost sexual relationship with Zoe's mom, but is also trying to convert her, and listens to her; Zoe seems to really like her dad's lab assistant. At the same time, Clarice thinks Zoe's avatar is the key to apotheosis (i.e. deification); and Zoe is trying to escape the lab and get to Geminon.

As far as Clarice and Zoe's mom, through their discussions we find out Zoe's mom went crazy for a couple years and went to the hospital at Delphi to recover. Zoe's mom got high, and referenced the cryptic "these things have happened before, and will happen again" from BSG. Odd.

The show ends with the dad looking at the Cylon and saying "Zoe?". How has he not thought that before?

Stargate Universe - Suggestions For Season 2

2010-03-02T09:28:00.002-05:00

SGU writer/producer Joseph Mallozi has invited fans to give suggestions for the show's second season on his blog. He did this, of course, in the context of giving a recipe for haggis (which I have never tried, but he gave a good review for - it sounds kindof like sausage).

Here's my suggestions:

1. Which character would you like to see explored more?

* TJ (the nurse) - her role has grown into an all purpose medical officer, despite a lack of training, so her character needs equal growth;

* the senator's daughter - keep the sex appeal, but give her some depth;

* the angry soldier - I like him so far, he seems to have a lot of personality on his own, and I'd like to see him have more complex relationships with other crew members;

* we need a new scientist or two.

2. What aspect of the show would you like to see exploited more?

Life on the ship, alien worlds. I like that they went to a gas giant, we haven't seen that before in stargate, or really anywhere else. The alien worlds can be more - alien. You guys could play with different gravity levels and habitats. Maybe visit a moon, a hot jupiter, a mega-earth, an ice planet with an advanced society living in an ocean under the ice, or a tidally locked planet. Our real-world knowledge of other solar systems has grown a great deal, and SGU has a perfect opportunity to explore that.

3. What aspect of the show would prefer to see minimized?

The ship doesn't have to be on the verge of catestrophic failure every episode. The stones and trips to earth should stay in, but perhaps be much less prominent (which may have been the plan all along). TJ could use them to learn more medicine, maybe a couple classic characters could visit (McKay or Samantha Carter would make sense). Oh, and Telford. Just kill off Telford, preferably in some interesting yet undignified way (an alergic reaction to a bee sting, slipped in the bathroom and drowned in a toilet, kicked by a donkey... something like that).

4. What was your favorite “story moment” from the first half of SGU’s first season?

Either in "Time" where everyone got killed, multiple times, and Scott was left screaming to himself, or when the colonel left rush on the alien planet. The music montage in "Life" was also surprisingly great, although I don't know if you'd want to do that again.

5. What element (I’m leaving this one wide open) would you like to see added to the series as a whole?

I want to see a greenhouse on the ship, and some life - more than the potatoe. In fact, a botanist (or ameteur wanna-be botanist) would be a very useful character. Give the crew some purpose. Don't make the series about one evil race; that's too done. Maybe give us a few alien races (perhaps one of which Rush alignes with and goes after the destiny with Kahn-like vengeance), and some interaction among the alien races (maybe an outpost or something). Maybe let them deal with the language barrier, give it some realism.

Caprica - Another Sky

2010-03-02T09:24:00.001-05:00

So, Tamra Adama started kicking ass in V-world. If the cylons view humanity based on how they treat the robots, and how they act in V-world, maybe the destruction of the human race wasn't a bad thing.
The fade between the real world and v-world was about as cheesy of a sci-fi effect as I've ever seen. Not that it'll bother the show's core audience.

A lot of this episode was about the Adamas, who desperately needed some development.

Zoe, however, was there. Her dad had an investor's meeting, talkingut how the cylons were the future. Zoe strutted around the room, very proud, then her dad ordered her to rip her arm off. Father-of-the-frakkin-year.

Caprica

2010-02-28T00:14:00.000-05:00

Caprica is a new Sci Fi series from Ron Moore, Star Trek alumn and creator of the recently-ended but wildly-successful Battlestar Galactica remake. In BSG, the cylons, a race of robots, destroy most of humanity. We followed the survivors as they came to grips with their new lives as space-faring nomads, searched for a new home, and made peace with the Cylons.

In Caprica, set 58 years before BSG, we see the development of the Cylons. The human race lives on 13 colony worlds, which are technologically advanced but not really that much more sophistocated than we are. The main religion is polytheism, polygamous marriage is legal, drugs are legal, and things are just a little bit different across the board.

In BSG, show-runner Ron Moore developed a complex mythos wherein the Cylon war is part of an ever-repeating cycle of human evolution and destruction, with debatable evidence of an overarching design. BSG also explored racism, democracy, religious zealotry, and various other compelling themes. Caprica provides an opportunity to explore those same themes in a different context.

In the premier, Zoe -- the daughter of a rich scientist who created a virtual reality internet -- creates a copy of herself within that internet who can think, act, and exist independently. The original Zoe then dies in a train bombing (planned - to her surprise - by her boyfriend), and we learn that she was connected with a monotheistic terrorist sect.

Zoe's father is trying to create an artificially intelligent war robot. He learns about Zoe's avatar and -- either to help his research or bring his daughter's copy into the real world (maybe both) -- downloads the avatar into his robot.

RELIGIOUS COMMENTARY

Much of the commentary so far has been about the show's religious themes. This commentary seems to mostly be from athiests and agnostics who believe that Sci Fi should be ideologically sterile, or that science and religion are opposing forces. The show hasn't seen much commentary from religious conservatives, despite generally having a libral slant.

Maybe I'm missing something, but the show is not preaching to anyone, or trying to unmask some greater truth. Ron Moore is not (and should not try to be) some type of prophet. The show is not making a political or religious statement, it is exploring the idea of religion and religious conflict in a broad sense.

Personally, I think it's thought provoking. The monotheists are looking for "apotheosis," which is derived from a greek work meaning to become deified (like Hercules going to Olympus). The polytheists reject the idea of a moral absolute, hence a pantheon where there can be multiple opinions.

In my view, science and religion are not opposing forces (unless, of course, someone takes a narrow view of either). Religious awareness is part of human consciousness, even if that awareness is nihilism or purely philosophical.

TECHNOLOGY

Zoe's avatar/cylon is an amazing concept. Like Ghost in the Shell, it can be seen as Zoe's soul. It also ties into our recently-developed internet society, where people do have an online persona and it is not inconceivable that a very well designed AI could pass for a human online. Any avid Discovery Channel or National Geographic fan has probably seen a dozen specials on robotics and artificial intelligence.

I think we'll see other people become Cylons as the show moves forward. Perhaps the cylon models all started out just like Zoe, and eventually got flesh-and-blood bodies. Many people think that Daniel Greystone will become a cylon because BSG once mentioned a failed Cylon model named Daniel. Ron Moore, however, has said that this "daniel" cylon was just an errant comment and wasn't meant to have a whole seperate back story. Who knows.

DRAMA

The issues with Zoe's parents are intriguing, and very different than any character on BSG. Her dad is a mad scientist, and you don't know whether his motivation is building the cylons or saving his daughter. Her mom doesn't know about the avatar, and calls the cylon a monster. You think "ok, she didn't know," then she holds a press conference and calls her daughter a terrorist. This girl is going to have issues. Isn't an angry teenage girl a great personality for a heavily armed war robot?

CAST

Alessandra Toresoni, who plays Zoe, recently gave an interview to Wired Magazine where she explains the character, and herself, a bit. For those of you that wondered, she is in fact over 18. She seemed a bit excentric, and reminded me of so many over-sexed theatre majors and drama students. She confirmed this in a recent appearance on the Soup. It's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it seemed like the character isn't a huge departure from her actual life as a wealthy kid whose dad is a computer engineer.

Patton Oswald is extraordinarily entertaining as Sardo, a late night talk show host.

CONCLUSION

Overall, I think this show has a lot of potential. It could stand alone without having watched BSG, but I am not coming to it with a clean slate and can't imagine what that's be like. It is more nerdy than BSG, and there is teen drama, which will make it a very different type of show.

The world itself is also wide open for development. It is a whole fictional universe, and so far Moore has done a great job keeping that universe interesting. Even the architecture is cool and just a little different.

I WANT A MOON BASE!

2010-01-28T19:25:00.002-05:00

Listen Obama, we want a moon base. Period. Now get it done!

According to CBS news, NASA is getting $6 Billion in funding, but claims it needs $9 Billion to build a moon base or have any further human space flight.

So, what you're saying is that we were able to do more in the 1960s with a shoe-string budget than we can today with billions of dollars. Back then, computers were bigger than cars. Now, we each carry little computers in our pockets that are a billion times more powerful. And you're saying we can't get back to the frakking moon! It's right there, we can see it!

Give me a really big balloon, a few tanks of helium, a box of bottle rockets, some duct tape, a lighter, an egg timer, and a pocket knife. I'll get us up there. You wait and see.

Seriously, we're in this huge depression, but we found exta-solar planets, the best movies for the last couple years have been about space exploration (Wall-e, Avatar, Moon, Star Trek 09, etc.), and Spirit and Opportunity are household names. The world has put its hopes into space exploration. It's 2010 - this is supposed to be the year we make contact.

Come on Barack, what happened to the "hope." You say we can't go back to the moon; I say - Yes we can!

Now, I don't know who to blame. The government has tens of billions of dollars to help banks screw over the little guy, but can't fork up another 3 for the future of humanity. Give me a break.

At the same time, NINE BILLION DOLLARS! How could this possibly cost nine billion dollars? And that's not just the moon base the other 3 is needed for, that's the moon base plus manned space flight. The Kepler telescope was already launched, so where is the first 6 going?

Where's Michio Kaku when we need him?

Desperate Housewives -- Episode 613 -- "How About A Friendly Shrink"

2010-01-19T00:39:00.000-05:00

This weeks episode was about... umm... therapy. Clever writers.

Orson was a nice guy for most of the series, now he's an ass. He is in a wheelchair, but being a jerk.

Bree tries to get him to be polite and say please, but does it cruely - teasing him with food. Orson accuses Bree of nursing home negligence, yelling "please hit me in the legs this time, there's no feeling there" when his nurse showed up.

Katherine is still crazy as a loon. Now she's in a mental ward. Karen McClusky (also crazy, but old) comes for a visit and talks about her Goute. Katherine complains that no-one will accept her again and she'll have to move - the most sane thing anyone on the show has said in a long time.

Katherine's daughter is in the picture again, dating Danny Bolin. She's kindof plastic-y, prompting my wife to ask "is she supposed to be a real person?"

So, Katherine's carb-watching vegiterian daughter goes to what's-her-name's house for a traditional italian dinner. She talks about moving to New York to model, and what's her face says she can be a porn star as a backup.

Juanita's new private school divides the kids into groups: giraffes, chipmunks, beavers, and leopards. Juanita is a Leopard. Which Susan - who works at the school but is completely clueless - believes are the dumb kids.

Gabby sneaks a peak at the kids math homework, and thinks the leopards are the smart ones and the giraffes are slow.

Obviously they are both wrong, and the kids are actually put into groups by a magic sorting hat.

Tom thinks he and Linette need counseling, and is encouraged by the gay couple. Tom signs up first, and starts keeping a journal. Why'd they make Tom Scavo the emotional one? Or... was the journal a clever ploy to passive-aggressively get Linette to deal with the fact that one of her twins died.

By the end of the episode, they tie everything up.

Bree and Orson have a blow out, with Bree wheeling the poor guy onto the lawn. Bree, no, not the hose! He is a cripple. Geeze Bree! Stop! "Somebody call the cops on Bree," my wife yells outloud. Then, of course, she gets that he's upset about being in a wheel chair, and all is well.

Ha! Gabby and Susan go to the principal's office. Susan complains about not seeing MJ since she starts working at his school. all of the women on this show are F-ing crazy. You don't hear what happens, but it's implied that dumbledore showed them the sorting hat.

Porn star goes shopping with italian woman, they bond.

Then, there's Katherine in the loony-bin. "What're you doing back here," the loon asks McClusky. She's a patient, obviously. Then - aww - the whole block shows up to take her back. Cue violin music, literally.

District 9 Review

2010-01-17T23:40:00.000-05:00

I wasn't sure that I liked this movie, but as I continued watching it I found that I was hanging on every word. The basic plot of District 9 is that an alien space ship arrives in Johannesburg South Africa in the 1970s. It floats over head, like the ships on V, and eventually we get into the ship and bring the inhabitants down. They were malnourished and sick, and some sort of virus had killed all of the higher-ups in the society; only the worker bees of the bug-like aliens were still alive. The aliens are called Prawns, because of their resemblance to the sea creature. Similar to ancient technology on Stargate, the prawn technology is genetically coded so that it can only be used on Prawns. The aliens are kept in a concentration camp and, one person, who was in charge of raiding the camp for weapons and serving eviction notices to move the prawns to another camp, was struck by some goo that started turning him into a prawn.

The South African setting is interesting. There are clear apartheid references, but it didn't overwhelm the movie. Some of the most alien parts of the movie were, in fact, related to things that are or were recently really happening in Africa. Some of it was comic, but overall the alien concentration camp, reproductive licensing restrictions, prohibition against weapons, etc., were very real. In fact, the Nigerian Witch doctors killing and eating the aliens in order to try to "gain their powers," is straight from news stories (See Telegraph UK; UK Guardian) where witch doctors steal children, particularly albino children, for the same sort of canabalistic rituals.

The attempts at humor weren't laugh-out-loud funny, and it was a very dry humor, but it didn't fail. At first, I thought: eviction notices, really? Later, however, I realized that the writers were trying to say show that they didn't take themselves too seriously. It wasn't as-if they were trying to be funny and the movie just became corny. The humorous aspects didn't detract from the movie at all, and without them it would have been overwhelmingly serious, and almost preachy.

This was a very different type of movie. Cinematically, much of it was shot as a documentary, somewhat similar to Blair Witch or Cloverfield. What made this movie different than Blair Witch or Cloverfield, however, is that it didn't have a spooky barely-seen monster. Like several other alien movies, ranging from E.T. to Battle for Terra, as well as the recent blockbuster Avatar, humanity is the bad guy in this one. More like ET, and less like Battle for Terra or Avatar, the human hubris and xenophobia was also very realistic and timely.

Also unlike Avatar or Battle for Terra, the aliens aren't easy to identify with, but the writers pulled it off. Much like the alien bugs in Starship troopers, you see a lot of aliens getting killed in large explosions, with little sympathy. By the end of the movie, however, there is one alien and his son who you start to identify with.

AROUND THE WEB

* Official Site
* Wikipedia
* IMDB
* Rotten Tomatoes
* Amazon.com

BLOGS

* IO9, District 9's Neill Blomkamp Explains Why He Won't Make Big Budget Movies

* SciFi Wire, Will District 9 Sequel Be A Prequel Instead?

Reviews:

* Dead in the South
* I.E. Lester
* Dan's Media Digest

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan - Review

2010-01-13T08:53:00.001-05:00

I have waited to see this movie, and SyFy finally aired it. As you may already know, it got horrible reviews. The criticism was well-deserved, but - always the optomist - I think The Plan had some redeeming merit. I feel like I saw what the writers were trying to do, and I appreciate it, even if they didn't do it well. Edward James Almos, who directed the film, also shares some blame. Overall, however, if you loved the series you'll want to see this movie; and, if they eventually do another remake, the Plan may have a significant influence.

The movie was mostly about Dean Stockwell's character, John Cavill, Cylon #1. He had a very small role for most of the series, and then was presented as the mastermind uber-villian in the final episodes. In this movie, we see more of his character, and learn how he manipulated the other cylon's. In an odd twist on the idea of internal struggles, as the movie progresses, one of his copies becomes even more ruthless through life on Gallactica (eventually murdering a little boy), while the other realizes the war was a mistake while living with Anders and the Caprica resistence.

"The Plan," was less about the Cylon's plan than it was about the writer's "plan" for the series. Clearly, Almos and the writers wanted to go back and remake the whole series with the added plot elements from the final seasons, such as the "final five" and Cavill's manipulation of the other Cylons.

It was more of a special feature than a movie. It was like a series of deleted scenes, which were meant to explain the behind-the-scenes mechanizations of the Cylons. The problem, however, is that the mystery behind the Cylons is what drove the show. The idea that it was all John Cavill, in his crazy quest to be loved by his mother, just doesn't cut it. Even if that were the explanation, it could have just been done better. Squeezing in a highlight reel of a dozen good episodes just made it choppy.

On the brighter side, Dean Stockwell really gives a good performance. The scenes on Caprica were terrific, the opening destruction of the colonies was done well. It was worth watching, but I'm glad I didn't go out and get the DVD.

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan - Review

2010-01-13T08:51:00.001-05:00

Doctor Who: End of Time Part 2 -- Review -- US Airdate: 1/2/2010

2010-01-07T09:04:00.005-05:00

This was a great special. It may or may not have been as good as last season's finale, but it was still really good. The last couple specials hinted at current events (exploring Mars and the recession), but this one was all about the Doctor.

One interesting aspect of the episode was the Doctor's decision to take a gun from Wilfred. A staple of the Doctor Who character has been that he doesn't carry weapons. No doubt, his sonic screw driver probably has more fire power than the pistol he took, but he took the pistol anyway, and used it.

The finishing montage was sortof a tribute to the Russell Davies / David Tennant run. We had an adipose and a jaduun at the bar with Captain Jack; he saved Martha (who apparently marries Mickie) from a Santaran; he stopped by Donna Noble's wedding (fitting, since he met her in a wedding dress and her last fiance was killed as part of an alien plot); and the last person he visits is, of course, Rose.

We got a glimpse of Matt Smith as the new Doctor. He made a self-depricating crack about his effeminate hair, there were explosions in the Tardis, abd he started steering the Tardis out of a crash. The only real impression of him that we got was that he was youthful and exhuberant. Smith is, in fact, the youngest actor to play the Doctor. This was a stark and perhaps purposeful contrast to Tenant's repeated commentary about how old he was and how Time Lords live too long.

A few things were left hanging, possibly for Steven Moffat and Matt Smith to pick up. First, the Doctor said that something was accelerating the Ood's development, and I wouldn't be surprised to see that explored next season.

Second, the woman who appeared to Wilfred turned out to be a Time Lord, dissenting from the Time Lord's plan to conquer the universe. They never explained how she was able to communicate despite being "locked" in the time war, so there is an opening for a plot that brings back at least some Time Lords.

Third, there was also a reference to the weeping angels (in the context of the dissenting Time Lords being punished), and we already know that the weeping angels will reappear next season.

RELATED POSTS

* Doctor Who, "End of Time: Part 1" Review

AROUND THE WEB

* BBC America
* Wikipedia

REVIEWS

* Airlock Alpha
* FlikFilosopher
* TV Squade
* The Star-Ledger, NJ, BY Alan Sepinwall
* Guardian.co.UK, Blog
‎
* Sci Fi Wire, Goodbye, Doctor Who : David Tennant's exit interview and As Doctor Who 's David Tennant exits, the Master is reborn

Heroes - Upon This Rock / Let It Bleed - airdate 1/4/2010

2010-01-07T08:57:00.001-05:00

Where to start?

Hiro is now communicating only in sci fi, comic book, and pop culture references. I love it. Ando finally admits he's the sidekick, but he's really not. He's the C3P0 to Hiro's R2D2.

Over at Airlock Alpha, they opine that the writers have no idea what to do with Hiro, so they keep infantalizing him. I agree. Similar to Super Peter from the first season, Hiro's powers were just too good to keep going. The trip to medieval Japan was great. Since then, however, it's been downhill.

I thought they were doing something good this season by matching him with Charlie, but that just disappeared, literally. The character has a tremendous amount of potential, if they don't kill him off.

Nathan's still dead (except he's probably inside Syler's head, stopping him from killing). Claire and Peter aren't taking it too well, and - despite their off-set issues - had a few scenes together. Both of them speak through their teeth, which irks me.

Peter is kindof being a douchebag, moreso than usual, but his brother's supposed to be dead so I'll cut him some slack and call it acting.

The first scene has Claire provocatively picking up trash with her shirt partially unbuttoned. Who knows why. She seems half-sold on the carnival and, frankly, the whole sprouting grass in the desert thing sold me too. At one point, she cuts herself while Peter is using the Haitian's power-blocking power, and comments that "it's good to feel pain."

The show ends with Syler looming over the Claire's window saying "hello cheerleader." Could they be setting up some strange S+M relationship between Syler and Claire? Will there be some sort of love triangle involving Gretchen? Incidentally, if Claire's power let's her heal, does she have the same permanent-virgin problem as the young vampire on True Blood?

Speaking of Gretchen, despite being abandoned by vagina-tease Claire in the last episode, she left a note at the dorm saying that she was out. Apparently, Californication was filming. Or, was she kidnapped, or perhaps killed by Syler? (Incidentally, I borrowed the phrase "vagina-tease" from an anonymous source, who is welcome to reclaim their intellectual property in the comments).

HRG, Claire's dad, is still hanging out with his old mistress/partner. He beats the crap out of the speedster knife guy (Edgar), and then tries to be friends with him. When HRG says, more or less, that he's going to raid the carnival, kill a lot of innocent people, and take the rest from their homes, the speedster flees. It's been up in the air for years whether HRG is a "good" or "bad" guy, and he is one of the most complex characters on the show. I think it's now settled that he's just bat-shit crazy.

You don't get to see Syler interact with people for very long because he's so much of a better actor than everyone else, and it shows. The carnival guy, however, is holding his own.

Sci Fi Science - How To Build A Starship

2010-01-07T08:50:00.003-05:00

In this episode, Michio Kaku looked at more readily achievable designs for an interstellar ship. He discounted Plasma as too slow, and recommended an antimatter rocket. He mentioned a laser grid and carbon nanotube lattice to protect the ship from space debris, but in the end referenced a general "force field." You can watch the video here.

I still watch this show; I like it, it's engaging, and I know this guy is an expert. It irritates me, however, because so much is taken for granted or not explained. Perhaps it's because it's only a 1/2 hour long, but a lot of things are just given as conclusions, or presented as-if we have the technology (cue Million Dollar Man theme), when we don't.

Michio made an appearance on the Astronomy episode of Bill Nye's 100 Greatest Discoveries. He had on a nice suit, cleaned up well, and really showed that he knew what he was talking about.

Doctor Who -- "End of Time: Part 1" Review -- US Airdate 12.26.2009

2009-12-27T14:41:00.002-05:00

The episode definitely lets the viewer know that this is the end. We all, however, know that already. In the show, the Doctor knows it already. So, the writers had to come up with something more suspenseful than the Doctor's Death. It's a matter of how the end happens that provides the suspense, and we are just starting to see the pieces falling into place.

Wilfred Mott! Donna Noble's grandfather. He is a fantastic character, and I am really glad to see that he has a big role in the last episodes.

The possible downside, the Master turning everyone on Earth into copies of himself. In any other show this would have seemed really wierd and just silly. On Doctor Who, however, I went with it. Also, my wife thought it was too dark.

I was right about the return of the Time Lords (not to pat myself on the back), but it didn't happen how I expected. I believe we got our first glimpse of precisely how the Time Lords would be depicted in the Russell T. Davies series with the Master's flashback to childhood. Despite this, I pictured them somewhat like Kryptonians are generally depicted (crystal palaces and all white). Instead, they looked a little more like the Ori from Stargate, and were definitely presented as bad guys. I thought there might be one quasi-ghostly Time Lord, instead there was an army. We have a lot of shows doing alien invasion plots, Smallville, V, and I'm sure I can think of others. Doctor Who, undoubtedly, will be the best.

Russell T. Davies and his team are clearly trying to make these last few episodes enduring. Last episode, we saw the first colony on Mars: a huge issue at the moment, and something which some people alive today could see in their lifetimes. This episode, President Obama announces the end of the recession. Not only did this year's Christmas special air the next day in the US, it also had relevant American political commentary. Very cool.

AROUND THE WEB

io9, "Davies' Doctor Who Revival Was A Miracle, But Its Ending Remains Uncertain," by Graeme McMillan

Den of Geek, Doctor Who: The End Of Time Part One review, by Simon Brew

Doctor Who -- "Waters of Mars" Review -- US Airdate 12.19.2009

2009-12-21T22:27:00.002-05:00

The much-anticipated US premier of "Waters of Mars," David Tenant's third-to-last episode as the Doctor, has received mostly exemplary reviews.

In this episode, the Doctor visits the first Martian colony, which is about to be destroyed. It is one of those rare "fixed point" events that the Doctor can't change. But, he tries.

The setting of a martian colony in the near future (2059) is fascinating. This could be reality (minus the zombies, probably) if we continue to commit ourselves to space exploration. It was a much-appreciated dose of realistic futurism.

The colony had multiple agricultural domes, around what appeared to be a central living space. The crew was multi-cultural, but small; they used the recently discovered martian glacier for water; and had an escape shuttle. This was a cutting-edge view of what a colony might look like.

In writing the story, however, Russell Davies did not get bogged down in the cool setting. It was a classic Doctor Who story, with alien flesh-eating zombies. As one of final specials under Davies' control of the series, it makes sense that Russell Davies would want to do an episode that incorporates some of our modern-day plans for space exploration.

The negative comment that I have about this episode is that it was "just" a great Doctor Who episode. It was not the Earth-shattering epic I had hoped for. It does, however, set up the final two episodes. In the last season, things got progressively more exciting, and then little comments here and there got strewn together to make everything fit. Most likely, that has been happening with the specials, and we'll see everything start to come together on December 26.

What stood out about this episode was that the Doctor was companion-less. In prior specials, even when he was between ordinary companions, he would adopt someone: Astrid Peth from the titanic episode; the English Guy in "the Next Doctor;" and the cat burgler in "Planet of the Dead.". He always has someone to make him check his ego and try to be a force for good.

In this episode, the Doctor tries to change a fixed event and goes a little power-crazy. He proclaimed that he is the "Time Lord Victorious," and boasted that the laws of time (which even the Daleks seem to somewhat respect) should obey him. In fact, he does change the fixed event. He saves two people's lives; just like he'd saved that family in Pompei. He had wanted to do more, however, and apparently it was only the colony's Captian's death that was "fixed." I'm curious to see where this is going.

The final episode, "The End of Time," is a two-parter. It will air in the UK on Christmas and New Years, and - thankfully - in the US on BBC America on 12/26/09 and 1/2/10. The gap between airdates has always bugged me. Why do they get a Christmas special and we have to wait until the Summer? Either the BBC wised up or there was some political intervention, but either way we now get to see the Christmas episode right after Christmas.

The End of Time will feature many of the past characters, including Captain Jack, Donna Noble, and Rose Tyler. Notably, "The Master," a crazed Time Lord who also escaped the destruction of Gallifrey, will be returning.

Is it possible the doctor will try to save Gallifrey; or, at least a few other Time Lords? When the cast was first listed on IMDB, I recall one character being listed as "Time Lord," but it quickly changed. Now, there is a character named "The Second." Will there be another Time Lord in the mix? The classic Doctor Who Episodes sometimes had other time Lords, and I believe even visited Gallifrey. We could be in for a whole new era of Doctor Who.

Another possibility is getting Rose Tyler back. That, however, might be a mistake. The Rose Tyler story had closure, a good ending, and she got her own Doctor.

Also, the rumor is that the Doctor's companion in The End of Time will be Donna Noble's grandfather, which should be fun.

Next year, when Russell T. Davies leaves, the series will be taken over by Steven Moffat. Steven is the award-winning writer who penned some of the best Doctor Who episodes, including Blink, the Girl in the Fireplace, and the two-part Silence in the Library/ Forest of the Dead. Speaking of Blink, there has been mention that the Wheeping Angels will make a return, facing a new doctor, next season. Don't blink, not even for a second.

AROUND THE WEB:

* Wikipedia

* IMDB

* Sci Fi Stream / Airlock Alpha, "Waters of Mars Soaks BBC America in Viewers," by Michael Hinman; "Review," by Alan Stanley Blair ("It's been a long time since we heard the familiar groans of the Tardis materializing, and as David Tennant steps out and looks upon the red planet, you can't help but feel a pang of regret that this is the beginning of his final days as a Time Lord.... Unlike previous adventures, "The Waters Of Mars" provides a much different side to the Doctor – we see him give up and back away from the human race.")

* IO9, "Doctor Who Saves The Day, Brings In New Fans," by Graeme McMillan. ("Over a million viewers tuned into the American premiere of "The Waters of Mars," giving BBC America its highest ever primetime rating."

* Slice of Sci Fi, "Waters of Mars Review," by Michael Hickerson. ("dark, scary and troubling... dark, scary and troubling ... while the first 45 or so minutes are entertaining enough, it’s in the final 15 minutes that the story really kicks it into a different gear.")

* Den of Geek, "Waters of Mars Review," by Simon Brew ("there’s a genuine feeling pumping through much of Waters Of Mars that for the first time in a long time, there’s nothing that the Doctor can do... Davies damn sure knows how to tantalise and build-up an audience... There’s no immediacy to the cliffhanger, rather a festering feeling of impending doom. It works all the better for it, too.")

* FlickFilosopher.com, Review, ("I’ve watched this episode three times now, and every time, it’s the same thing: I tell him -- I tell him -- to leave, to get away from there, to remove himself from the equation. And does he ever listen? No. This is the Doctor’s pathology: he cannot help from interfering.)

* TV Over Mind, Review, by Paul Kerton ("Its nothing totally original, both influenced by its own previous episodes, and obvious references to modern zombie productions... the story itself is almost superfluous to the underlying tale of The Doctor's descent into his darker, more dangerous and reckless side... It is a far stronger episode than the previous Easter Special 'Planet of the Dead'")

* Monsters & Critics, "Review," by Tracy Brown ("an extremely satisfying, compelling and emotional episode... All in all, this was the first special that actually felt, well, “special”. While 'Planet of the Dead' was fun, it really wasn’t more than an ordinary Doctor Who episode with more expensive production values.")

Sci Fi Science with Dr. Michio Kaku

2009-12-06T18:55:00.000-05:00

"I am Michio Kaku, theoretical physicist and science fiction entheusiast." This has to be amazingly good, right? Dr. Michio Kaku, rock-star theoretical physicist from the CUNY Graduate Center, hosts this new series. Kaku has been noticably absent from science specials lately (he tends to make a cameo in practically every show), and was apparently filming this new show. In it, he takes Sci Fi concepts, explains the cutting-edge physics associated with them, then comes up with his own plan for how to solve the problem.

The first two episodes were great. One was on faster-than-light travel, the other on parallel universes.

FASTER THAN LIGHT TRAVEL. The faster-than-light episode was possibly the best explanation of this concept I've seen. Creating a warp field to move faster than light apparently takes massive amounts of "negative energy," which Kaku explains we can only currently produce in small quantities. The graphic used to illustrate the "wave" of space-time that a ship traveling in a warp field would generate was fantastic. The laws of physics aren't violated because you ship has not exceeded light-speed relative to the bubble of space around it, and there's no rule against space itself expanding or contracting faster than the speed of light. In fact, we already know it expands faster than the speed of light.

PARALLEL UNIVERSES. The other episode was "parallel universes." Always a good topic. It was clear that this was absurdly theoretical, and Michio really didn't have the same confidence as he did with the faster-than-light episode. His idea is to put a ton of energy in one place, and it will either create a mini big bang (letting a new universe bubble off our own, if the "bubble universe" theory is right), or it will create a bridge to a universe in a parallel dimension (under M-theory). Then, of course, you need to keep the "gate" open. Yes, he referenced Stargate. To do this, Michio again uses negative energy.

In the parallel universe episode he threw in two of his own Sci Fi ideas, which I loved. One: a giant particle accelerator around the asteroid belt; two, sending a "seed" of human DNA to grow a civilization in the parallel universe. What got me about the seed idea is that I had a similar idea to the DNA seed, which I might use for a future short story. If we can't break the light barrier, we could send an ark ship with everything it would need to set up a basic colony using robots, then clone people and animals.

The first people would have to be raised by robots and holograms, but it could expand human civilization out of our solar system without breaking the light barrier, cyogenically freezing people, or having generation ships. We could send the ship to a dense star cluster, where interstellar travel would be easier for them.

Great minds Michio, great minds.

TELEPORTATION. Kaku's best explanation for possible future teleportation is scanning each person on the molecular level using a high-power MRI, transmitting the data using x-ray lasers (because more information can fit on the beam), and then re-assembling it using a high-tech 3D printer. The downside, of course, is that this is really a type of cloning, and makes a copy of the person being teleported at the destination. Unfortunately, that leads to the idea of either having a clone, or killing the person who was "teleported."

INVISIBILITY. We already have the technology to bend certain types of radiation in order to make particular meta-materials "invisible" to them. In the future, if we expand this concept to a meta-material that can bend visible light around it, we have an invisibility shield. The problem is that we wouldn't be able to see through it, but that's easy enough to solve with a tiny viewscreen.

Now, here's my qualm. The idea of the show is to give realistic plans for science fiction science, but the line between real and theoretical physics is extremely blurry. For example, several of the concepts rely on negative energy. The idea of negative energy, however, is borderline theoretical. Many scientists believe that negative energy has been observed in laboratory conditions through the Casimer Effect. Due to quantum physics, individual sub-atomic particles (which act as both particles and waves) pop in and out of existance constantly in "empty" space. The electromagnetic energy from these waves is known as zero point energy (hence the ZPM in the Stargate series), because it is the energy of empty vacuum. By putting two conductive plates a very small distance apart in a vacuum, we can limit the number of waves that come into existence in the space between the plates. Thus, in that space between the plates, the energy is less than the zero point of the vacuum of space (i.e., it's energy density is negative). The higher vacuum energy outside the plates, when compared to the energy between them, is observed as a very small pressure pushing the plates together.

Despite negative energy being barely proven under extreme laboratory conditions, Kaku makes it seem like we're "thisclose" to using it for practical applications. It's inherent in the nature of the show, so its only a half-criticism, but hopefully future episodes give us a more realistic idea of how close we actually are to these technologies.

Battle For Terra

2009-12-06T11:55:00.000-05:00

A war between Earth and the terraformed colonies on Venus and Mars has destroyed all three planets, and the remnants of the human race set out to conquer a new home, Terra. Terra, however, is already occupied by a peaceful race of wide-eyed aliens, who float. Everything on Terra floats. There are whales in the sky. It is a great imaginative story, that is both intelligent and fun.

Luke Wilson plays the main human character, Evan Rachel Wood plays the main Terran character, and David Cross plays an amusing robot.

Star Wars Clone Wars -- Episode: Brain Invaders

2009-12-06T11:45:00.001-05:00

Another great Clone Wars episode. The Anikan et al. are fighting mind-controlling alien bugs, reminiscent of Starship Troopers or the Gua'uld on Stargate. The alien bugs take over the clones, as well as a Jedi Padawan, and Asoka is left to control the situation alone. Overall, the series is light and fun. The opening aphorism was "attachment is not compassion," prompting my wife to comment "who said it was?"

This episode raised a few deep thoughts regarding how expendable the clones are. At this point in the story, Jengo Fett is dead, and Boba is off becoming the bounty hunter we all know and love. In the Legacy of the Force book series, there was an interesting Story Arc about clones who had went AWOL during the clone wars, some of whom became Mandalorians. The bulk of that story arc was written by Karen Travis, and I could see a similar story line in the Clone Wars series.

Stargate SGU -- Episode: Justice -- Airdate: December 4, 2009

2009-12-06T11:30:00.001-05:00

There's a murder onboard the destiny, and the prime suspect is the Colonel. The top IOA official, Camile Wray, serves as the prosecutor (and also prospective replacement), and the Colonel asks Cloe to be his defense attorney. She protests, saying she doesn't know what she's doing, and he tells her "it's more politics than law." The trial goes forward, with no particular procedures in place, and in the end someone gets stranded on a desolate planet.

This episode, the Season Finale, gives us a little insight into where the show is going. The Destiny crew are in a "state of nature," a la John Locke (the philosopher, not the guy from Lost), and must come up with their own rules for society. The individual members are figuring out how they can be useful, and settling into their roles. For Cloe, I see some sort of ambassadorial or political future developing. Eli is the go-to tech guy.

The show has been called Battlestar-Voyager, due to it's clear influence from Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek Voyager. It's definitely grittier than Voyager, with a somewhat similar plot but a very different set of characters. There is a clear comparison between Colonel Young and Admiral Adama, but a few differences as well. Colonel Young fits into a sortof George Washington archetype. He's a strong military leader, but ready to retire, and concerned about the big picture. Adama, on the other hand, was all military, and then wanted to retreat from public life altogether.

[Caution, Spoilers]. The fight at the end was fantastic, and opens up terrific possibilities. Will Rush, abandoned on that planet, end up becoming like Kahn? Will he fix the ship, or align himself with an alien race, and then become the villian? Or will he eventually work find the Destiny, work his way back onto the ship, still greatly untrusted. They clearly have a big plan for this character.

And Colonel Young? What the hell. Sure, Rush framed him for murder, but to abandon him on a planet? It seemed very out of character. Eli obviously didn't approve, yet didn't say anything.

Other Reviews:

* Episode 8: Time
* Episode 7: Earth
* Episode 6: Light
* Episode 5: Darkness

Harlan Ellison and Star Trek

2009-12-01T21:15:00.004-05:00

Many Sci Fi blogs have reported that acclaimed Sci Fi author Harlan Ellison recently stated that he would like to write the sequel to J.J. Abrams' Star Trek reboot. (See ScreenRant). The comment may have been half-sincere, half tongue-in-cheek, but who knows.

Ellison has an interesting history with Star Trek. In March, 2009, Ellison sued Paramount for failing to pay him royalties for an episode of the original series that he wrote. The case settled on November 17, 2009. Now, less than two weeks later, he is saying that he'd like to write the next movie (apparently indicating that Roddenberry had approached him a long time ago with the idea of writing a movie, and he already has some ideas).

Ellison's episode of the original series, "City on the Edge of Forever," led to a great deal of fighting with Gene Roddenberry about the edits. Ellison's writing often consists of dark, trippy, counter-culture rants against the system. In the original script City on the Edge of Forever, there was -- among other things -- a sub-plot about drug dealing on the Enterprise. The episode was highly edited to conform with the series' optimistic view of the future, and won a Hugo Award for best teleplay. Ellison called the edits an "inept treatment," and later published the original script in a collection of screenplays (which won an award from the Writers Guild of America). He has repeatedly criticized the franchise over the years, saying in the preface to an anthology of Doctor Who novels that "Star Trek can turn your brains to purée of bat guano." (See Memory-Alpha). In context, of course, he was explaining why Doctor Who is the best Sci Fi series ever, which I can't disagree with.

Ellison is known for being rather quarrelsome, as well as having an enormous ego. In the mid-80's, he reportedly punched a literary critic. Of course, at the same time, he is legitimately one of the most celebrated Sci Fi authors of the twentieth century. His short story, "'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the TickTockMan," is one of the most-reproduced and well-respected short stories of all time. It is an in-your-face story about a future society where being late is serious criminal offense. The Harlequin runs around the city, like a hybrid Batman-Joker, messing with clocks and making people late. A true hero for those of us who are punctually-challenged. As part of Ellison's the F-You to the Man, the story is written in a style that would make many high school English teachers cringe. The narrative jumps all over the place, there are run-ons, irrelevant commentary, and all sorts of broken "rules."

The Star Trek franchise has evolved a bit over the years. The Next Generation did, in fact, have an episode about drug dealing on the Enterprise, and Ellison worked with TNG's Jonathan Frakes on a Sci Fi series in 2006 without incident. Ellison's antics do not appear to have changed much, but his rebel-looking-for-a-cause writing style is likely much less controversial than it was forty years ago, and fits with Abrams' somewhat darker view of the Star Trek Universe. Who knows, perhaps involvement in the next movie was discussed in the context of the settlement negotiations.

Heroes -- The 5th Stage -- Airdate: November 30, 2009

2009-11-30T23:15:00.001-05:00

Syler-Nathan continues the Jeckyle and Hyde routine. Peter borrows the Hessian's powers in order to fight him, with the hope of giving Nathan control. Nathan, however, is still upset that he's dead, and doesn't think he can keep control of Syler. Nathan tries to commit suicide by jumping off a building, but Syler gets up unscathed (no surprise there). I like this story line, but it has to start going somewhere.

We see a bit more of the carnival, and it's even more cult-like than I thought. Claire, however, is drinking the cool-aid. She brought her gal-pal along for the twenty-plus hour ride (remember how distraught Claire was without her), and then decided to stay: leaving the poor girl to drive home alone. Gretch, You deserve better!

The Carnival guy says that he is really after someone else. Who could it be?

And, where or when is Hero?

And, what'll happen if Syler-Nathan takes Carnival guy's powers? Is that where this is going?

Best Christmas Presents For A Science Fiction Fan -- Part 1: New Releases

2009-11-28T20:00:00.003-05:00

This is the first part of a series on great holiday gift ideas for a Sci Fi fan. Below are ten must-have new releases. The best of 2009. Some are just fun and exciting, taking advantage of the newest special effects technology and Hi Def formatting. Others are cult or literary classics. Some are both.

1. Star Trek 2009: This "reboot" or "re-imagining" went over extraordinarily well, breathing fresh life into the long-running franchise. Romulans jump back in time and kill Kirk's father, twisting the well-known story and giving a slightly changed origin story for all the major characters. Zachary Quinto (Syler, from Heroes) does an outstanding job as Spock.

2. The Day The Earth Stood Still: Based on a a classic 1951 film of the same name and a great short story called "Farewell to the Master," this is one of those movies that makes people remember why (or realize) they love Science Fiction. The basic story is that an alien race (part of a galactic police force or government) visits the Earth to test humanity. The occupants of the craft are a human-looking person and a giant robot; and the man is shot almost immediately upon arrival. In this version Keanu Reeves makes a great alien. John Hamm (Don Draper from Mad Men) plays the head of NASA.

3. Star Trek: The Original Series: All three seasons of the before-its-time original Star Trek series have been remastered using modern computer graphics to give the shots, particularly planets, stars, and the like, a more realistic feel. This beloved series is a must have for any dvd/blu-ray library.

4. Land of the Lost: Based on a 70's cult-classic tv show, which was re-made in the 90's, this is one of one of those fun movies that you know you will want to watch 10 years from now. Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, and Anna Friel are hilarious.

5. Star Wars: The Clone Wars: This is the cartoon that was missing from my childhood. Each episode starts out like an early 1900's serial radio show. The stories are riveting, fun, and just mature enough that you can watch them as an adult.

6. Doctor Who: This is one of the most influential and longest running Sci Fi series ever. "The Doctor" is a Time Lord, a member of an alien race from the planet Gallefrey (which was destroyed in the Time War). He is, essentially, immortal. But, every time he dies, he has to regenerate into a new body. Thus, the series has continued on for decades. David Tennant's final eposodes as the tenth Doctor are currently airing as specials. The specials that have aired so far have been "The Next Doctor," "Planet of the Dead," and "The Waters of Mars." The last special, a two-part episode called "The End of Time," will air on Christmas in the UK, and sometime shortly thereafter in the US. The link above is to the Fourth Season.

7. GI Joe: A lot of action an explosions, and a decent story. The first live action GI Joe film (which they clearly hope to build into a franchise), gives an origin story for COBRA, the origins of COBRA Commander, and the story of how Duke joined the Joes. A few of the vehicles were also classic 80's toys. Christopher Eccleston (the 9th Doctor Who), plays the villian. It left me wanting to see a sequel.

8. Battle For Terra: Having destroyed their own world, humanity sets out to conquer a world occupied by cute, big-eyed, peace-loving, floating creatures. We need to change the atmosphere to survive, so its us or them. (Full Review).

9. Torchwood -- Children of Earth: This Doctor Who spin-off always looked like it had great potential, but I hadn't really watched it until this mini-series. It's terrific, fast-paced, and intelligent.

10. Transformers -- Revenge Of The Fallen: People either loved or hated the first Transformers movie. The first one had the advantage of never-before seen computer renditions of the much-loved childrens toys. This second installment, however, could not get away with just being visually stunning. It didn't amaze me, but it wasn't bad. A few of the scenes took place in space, which was cool. They went to ancient Egypt a' la Stargate -- not original, but always entertaining. I hope they make another one.

HONORABLE MENTION:

* Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Not technically Sci Fi, but still great. Why not?

* X-Men Origins -- Wolverine: Another great installment in the X-Men Franchise. I had hopes of seeing the greatest movie ever made. It wasn't quite that good, but it wasn't bad.

* Knowing: Nicholas Cage saves the world once again. If you hate Nicholas Cage movies; you won't like this one. If you are a fan, however, then this is a must have.

HAVEN'T SEEN BUT WANT TO:

* Moon: Available January 2010, this is one of those make-you-think Sci Fi movies. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

* Battlestar Galactica: The Plan: This movie follows the story of the recently-conclude series from a different angle. In the series, we followed colonies of humans whose planets had been destroyed by the Cylons, self-aware semi-organic machines, as the search of the mythical planet earth, where their ancestors are believed to have come from. In this movie, we follow the story as seen by the Cylons.

Heroes -- Thanksgiving -- Airdate 11.24.2009

2009-11-23T23:15:00.009-05:00

Its official, I like this season. It all seems to be coming together.

Hero is apparently involved in a time-travel murder mystery where he will inevitably cross paths with another time traveler who, like him, is suffering from a tumor. The episode ends with him saying "we have to save Watson, beam me up Scotty" and then disappearing. Either the dreadlock guy really messed with his mind, or he figured something out (noting it with a quirky Sherlock Holmes reference) and decided to teleport (noting it with a quirky Star Trek reference). Don't you just love Hero?

Claire just has a lot of angst, is thinking about dropping out of school, then re-kindles her relationship (platonic or otherwise) with Gretchen and heads off to the carnival. Claire is upset because her parents are getting divorced, and thinks no-one understands her. The one time her issues really have nothing to do with the fact that she's a crazy immortal mutant, she makes it all about that. Claire, you are normal! You are extremely normal. Get over yourself. Also, you may notice that the hair and make-up people are trying hard to give her a slightly less stepford look.

The Nathan/Syler debacle comes to a head, with both minds fighting over Syler's body a la Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde. Syler is so evil, its great.

* You can watch the episode online at NBC.com

Prior Reviews:

* 10/30/2009 -- Claire's Lesbian Kiss

Stargate SGU -- Episode 8: Time -- Airdate: 11.13.2009

2009-11-14T11:24:00.003-05:00

The crew has been saved from disaster yet again, probably. This time, it was a parasite in the water they collected from a previous planet. As my wife has pointed out many times, there are two main types of SciFi episodes: tribbles and the Apocolypse. I'm waiting to see an SGU "tribbles" episode, but so far the series has been great.

This episode featured time travel. A solar flare messed with the gate, causing a wormhole back in time. This allowed the crew to send itself a couple messages, thus saving the day.

The interesting thing was that similar scenarios played out in each timeline. Cloe had two very nice death scenes, and Scott was left alone on an alien planet after seeing all of his friends die (also flexing a little acting muscle). This seemed purposeful, playing back to the "destiny" theme, wherein the main characters have their courses laid out for them.

Heroes 10.30.09 - Claire's Lesbian Kiss and Other Identity Crisis

2009-11-09T09:16:00.002-05:00

First off, Claire's lesbian kiss seems to be panning out into more than a gimmick. Kudos writers, kudos. Gretchen (partly writing, partly quality acting) became a much richer character. And Claire didn't say no. I don't know if I can listen to Claire yell "Gretch!" for the rest of the season.
This episode gave hope that the season is going somewhere. The Pinochio's Carnival plot could develop into something great. The second season was too similar to the first. The idea of converging story-arcs can be used repeatedly witout getting stale, but I don't know if the show could survive another season of saving the world from an apocolyptic prophesy.

This season seems to be dealing more with internal struggles and identity crisis for the heroes.

Stargate Universe: 11.6.09 -- Who is in command?

2009-11-09T09:13:00.001-05:00

The Colonel but heads with General O'Neal over a risky escape plan, Col. Telford temporarily takes command, and the crew assert themselves against Earth and show some solidarity.

On some blogs over the last couple weeks, the Colonel's believability as a military commander who behaves democratically was questioned. In this episode, we get some of his back story, showing that he was ready to retire and just wants to be home with his wife.

Stargate Universe: 10.30.09 -- Almost destroyed by a sun, what motivates Rush?

2009-11-09T09:06:00.001-05:00

Unfortunately, Eli has fallen victim to the "nerd who doesn't get the girl" paradigm. In a twist though, the girl is now sleeping with Lt Scott while still being very affectionate (apparently in a "just friends" way) towards Eli. They capture the emotions of a High School nerd so well.

As the ship hurtles towards a Sun and a lottery is drawn to see who will escape in the shuttle, Rush nobly volunteers to be taken out of the lottery, but then the Colonel questions whether he knew all along that the Destiny would make it. Come on Col. Young, we all knew that the destiny would make it.

The episode continues the subtle-as-a-sledgehammer "destiny" theme, wherein the characters are just along for the ride. Rush keeps teetering between being untrustworthy and being the only competant person on the ship. There have to be some other scientists in the group, somewhere, but no-one's showed up yet.

Rush is the Daniel Jackson / Rodney McCay character, the one who is always a few steps ahead, but something is missing. Other than wanting to be on Destiny, where (allegedly) they ended up by chance, I don't see any motivation. Daniel Jackson had his quest for his kidnapped wife, and later became a moral guardian for the galaxy. McKay was obsessed with his own intelligence, and driven by arrogance. As Atlantis developed, McCay also became very loyal and devoted to his friends, who accepted him despite his social awkwardness. What drives Rush?

Smallville 11.6.09

2009-11-09T08:59:00.001-05:00

This week's Smallville was one of the best in a long time. The story behind the "Candorians" is explained. The group had their blood taken by Jor-El, at the insistence of the Kryptonian counsel, to create an ark to send to earth. Each of them is a clone, with the memories of the person who was copied up-to the time when their blood was taken. Jor-El and Zod were in the ark, and you get to hear some of their back story.

A couple years ago, there was a terrific book called "the Last Days of Krypton," which was all about Jor-El and Zod. The untold story of Krypton is a riveting topic. Unlike other franchises, Superman let's writers re-imagine the story with each incarnation. Smallville, therefore, can rewrite the Superman story in a variety of ways.

Jor-El modified the ark so that the Candorians would not have powers. Zod surmises, however, that they can use Clark to gain power.

The Universe - Liquids In Space

2009-10-23T19:44:00.001-04:00

The Universe - "liquids in space." Every episode of this show is amazing. I had just read a week or so earlier that saturn's moon titan has liquid methane lakes, and then they have this episode. Our understanding of things beyind our planet is changing at a frantic pace. If you learned something in school, it's probably outdated. If you learned something a year ago, it's probably outdated. Did you know jupiter's "surface" is a liquid hydrogen ocean?

Our understanding of life is not only carbon based, but water based. That's the dominant liquid on our planet, and the main component of almost all life. What we consider the "habitable zone" is the zone where water can be found as a liquid. If other planets have a different dominant liquid, it makes sense that perhaps life could also be based on that. On titan, for instance, there could be fish in the frigid methane lakes, with their cells full of methane rather than h2o. For us, it's too cold to support life, for the titan fish, however, earth's water would be like lava.

Californication - awkward or sexy?

2009-10-23T19:42:00.001-04:00

The show ends with agent moulder/ hank moody teaching a writing class, with three salacious love interests (the dean's wife, his TA, and a student) in the same room: one with no panties, one being coy, and one glowing because they just had sex. Then, of course, he skypes his wife.

Bored To Death

2009-10-23T19:41:00.001-04:00

I like this show. It's goodhearted, but mature. Each episode has a neatly packaged single-serving detective story. Good fun.

Ted Danson "gets in touch with his femanine side" by calling a male escort; Jonathan gets involved with a convict with some unknown connection to a russian gang; he screws up his chances with his ex, but it seems like it might be time to re-assess his goals.

Mad Men

2009-10-23T19:38:00.001-04:00

Sallie is carrying this show! Sterling cooper is being sold. The brits are manipulating coop. Roger gave a decent speach about Don. Don's an asshole to his wife and his mistress. Betty is showing restraint with her love interest, but it's nice to see that she'll have someone when they get divorced. And, betty may have figured out the whole Don/Dick thing. Will that somehow help them reconcile, again?

Then there's Peggy Olsen. She's going to hook up with Kinsey, I know it. Then, of course, the two of them will join the women's rights movement and she'll sue Sterling Cooper because she's only making 1/3 what the men make.

Desperate Housewives

2009-10-23T19:35:00.001-04:00

"I'm tom scavo and I like big breasts." There's something wierd with that new family, but it seems to be the dad, who was apparently having an affair with Julie. Katherine is crazy as a loon.

Curb Your Enthusiasm - 10.18.09

2009-10-23T19:32:00.001-04:00

Sunday Night's curb was fantastic. Larry dates two women in wheelchairs, confirms that the word "brother" is not necessarily racist, and gets beat up by Rosie O'Donnell multiple times. All tastefully done, of course. I could not stop laughing, and kept laughing for about five minutes after it ended.

The Quest For King Arthur - history international.

2009-10-23T19:27:00.001-04:00

I didn't know where I would get my king arthur fix without "Merlin." This didn't quite do it, but I definitely learned stuff. And who better to narrate a documentary on arthurian legends than Patrick "Captain Picard" Stewart.

The special describes how the arthurian legends evolved from, among other things, pre-roman heroes, a roman leader a-la "the last legion," a rebel who fought the saxons, french myths, and a dose of pure fiction. Fun stuff.

Smallville 10.16.09

2009-10-23T19:19:00.001-04:00

Lois and Clark continue their furtive flirting. How long can they drag this out? How long until Clark finally flies? We may never know, but at least the last couple seasons have had real development. There was a lull for a year or two, but it's gotten pretty good.

The overarching plot for this season, with the kryptonians, seems no-where to be found. That may be a good thing. The episodes have been great, with a lot of character development, and movement towards a more classic superman story. Perhaps everything will tie in later on, and we'll see that each of the last few episodes were pieces of a bigger puzzle.

My wife is mad they got rid of lex and Lana. Lex will come back eventually, of course, but the transition helped the show grow up. Lana, who knows?
What is going on with Green Arrow? He's a great character, and I'm glad they're giving him a bigger role, but the tragic/conflicted ex-hero thing will only last so long.

Star Wars: Clone Wars 10.16.09

2009-10-23T19:12:00.001-04:00

Padme goes undercover, spying on an ex-boyfriend, and Anikan gets jealous. You won't like him when he's angry. There's a nice scene where Padme decides to agree to the mission specifically because Anikan doesn't want her to. She throws a "duty comes first" line back in his face. Padme uncovers seperatist plans, the ex-boyfriend/traiter helps save Padme, but ends up beimg left behind by Anikan to be executed. When you piss off Anikan: you die. It's that simple.

This show is just pure enertainment. Yes it's a cartoon. But it's awesome.

Stargate Universe 10.16.2009

2009-10-23T10:08:00.001-04:00

Last week, they fixed the oxygen scrubbers in just the nick of time. This week, they run out of power, and the Destiny ship stops in a system with a possibly habitable planet but without a stargate. After going through the atmosphere of a gas giant, they are headed towards a sun. What'll happen next? The ship will of course refuel, but how?

The formula for the first couple shows seems to be setting up a theme: the ship is in control. The plots have been very simple so far, and slow moving, but captivating.

The pace of the show is different from the previous stargates. There's no evil alien race yet, which is a good thing. The lost far from home plot may have been influenced by shows such as battlestar galactica, and star trek voyager, which similarly had people stranded on a ship for a long journey.

The romance between Eli and the Senator's daughter is going quickly, and seems like it might depart from the classic "nerd is too shy to get the girl" plot. She's certainly not shy, as the shower scene showed. The show got a lot of slack this week for being sexist, but I think it's too soon to tell.

Star Trek 2009

2009-05-17T18:15:00.000-04:00

Watch Online Buy DVD Buy Blu-Ray

The new Star Trek Movie, Star Trek XI, was Amazing! It was supposed to be a "reboot," and definitely did breath refreshing new life into the franchise. In fact, the 2009 Star Trek is the highest grossing, and most critically acclaimed Star Trek film yet. (Rotten Tomatoes; Wikipedia).

The film kept continuity with the overall series, but provided a fresh look and feel. It was slightly grittier and more realistic than the prior Star Trek movies, borrowing somewhat from Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica. The uniforms weren't plasticene, the bridge was more cluttered, the aliens were more dramatic, and the transporter special effects changed just enough to make them feel new. Most significantly, it was much more fast-paced than many of the other Trek films.

The series desperately needed a "reboot." The last Star Trek film, Nemesis (2002), was a flop. The last good Star Trek film, First Contact (1996), was back in the days of dial-up internet.

The original Star Trek series was responsive to Vietnam and the moon landings; the Next Generation and the first five films were responsive to the Cold War, the Space Shuttle, and the Hubble Space Telescope (maybe not the Voyage Home, but that was just fun -- there were whales).

It was time for something new. Over the last few years, we have: (1) discovered planets outside our solar system; (2) discovered water on Mars; (3) reclassified Pluto; and (4) fought the Iraq war. Deep Space 9 and Voyager were decent, but were simply spin-offs of the Next Generation. Enterprise was a great idea, but was done by the same team that did the next generation and its spinoffs, and lost its viewers when it spent a complete season on a single, marginally-entertaining, story.

There are already plans in the works for a sequel, with a reprise of the Kahn character (Kahn!!!). Notably, there are discussions that Shatner -- who was noticably absent in this film -- will have a role in the next one. (MSNBC).

Plot (Spoilers Will Follow): The movie begins with George Kirk, Captain Kirk's father, who takes control of his ship and sacrifices his life fighting off time-traveling romulans, saving his crew and wife (who givers birth to Kirk during the attack). We then meet a rebellious young Kirk (listening to Beastie Boys), who decides to join Star Fleet. We see him outwit the Kobayashi Maru, the often-referenced impossible situation simulator, and then the cadets are rushed into action to quell a crisis on Vulcan. As it turns out, the same ship that killed Kirk's father is trying to destroy Vulcan, and succeeds! Captain Pike is captured, and Kirk, Sulu, and an unknown red-shirt (who, little surprise, doesn't make it) valiently "space jump" into the atmosphere in an attempt to save the planet. Young Spock goes to the surface just in time to save the Vulcan high counsel, but the planet doesn't make it.

Old Admiral Spock was also pulled in from the future. He watched his planet die, marooned on a Hoth-like moon. With young spock in control of the enterprise, and Kirk getting out of line, Spock jetison's Kirk to the same moon. Kirk meets old-Spock, and they find Scotty, who helps them beam back aboard, take the ship from Spock, and fight off the Romulans.

There were numerous classic Star Trek
references, but frequently with a new twist. For example, Uhura and Kirk famously had the first on-screen interracial kiss. In this film, Kirk is rejected by Uhura, and she ends up with Spock.

Shatner-gate. Leonard Nimoy (Spock) was chosen to pass the torch onto this new cast, and William Shatner was no-where to be found. This was surprising, since Shatner -- quite literally -- wrote the book on Young Captain Kirk. (Star Trek Academy: Collision Course; WilliamShatner.com; Simon & Schuster; TrekToday.com). The change, however, was not necessarily bad. Old Spock had a recurring role in the Next Generation series, and the story line was well interwoven. Adding Shatner just for Shatner-sake would have been contrived.

This movie, largely, was about Spock. That said, however, it would have been nice to have good

ol' Bill. Apparently he was offered a cameo as a hologram on a birthday card, but declined the

role. (MTV). Not doing a cameo makes sense. The audience would have just asked: why? In my opinion, Shatner should have done the final voiceover. That, at least, would have had some symbolism to it. Luckily, there is talk about bring Shatner into the next film. (TrekToday).

(Note: CinemaBlend has additional side-by-side comparisons)

Cast. A lot of risks were taken in casting, but they appear to have all paid off. Every performance was strong. Chris Hemsworth did an unbelievable job as George Kirk, leaving the

audience in tears before the opening credits even begin. His next role is the lead in Thor. (SciFi Wire).

Zachary Quinto (Syler from Heroes) plays young Spock, and -- as expected -- does a phenominal job. Rolling Stone gave him "major props," and said that he "gives the film a soul...

deliver[ing]... 'Live long and prosper' like a massive screw-you salute to the Vulcan Establishment!" (Rolling Stone). He also received a rave review from the Huffington Post.

Chris Pine did an outstanding job as Kirk. Pine is a relative newcomer, with a resume including

only a few prior roles (including one episode of Six Feet Under), but he was believable, and has generally received high praise from critics, including Kevin Smith. (MTV.com). Following Shatner, and playing opposite Zachary Quinto, a bad performance would have doomed the film, but Pine pulled it off in spades. Screenology called him an "intergalactic Bond."

Leonard McCoy was impressively played by Karl Urban, a Sci Fi veteran from the Lord of the Rings movies and a regular on Hercules the Legendary Journies and Xena Warrior Princess. Although McCoy was only a supporting role in this film, he threatened to steal the show in the scenes he was in, and will clearly be a major force in the next film.

Although not a major role in the film, Ben Cross played Spock's father, Sarek. The role had previously been filled by the late Mark Lenard, a Trek veteran who had -- in addition to his recurring role as Spock's father -- played a Romulan Commander in several of the classic episodes, and a Klingon Captain in Star Trek the Motion Picture. (See Memory-Alpha).

Others notable performances included Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead) as Scotty, and John Cho (Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle) as a sword-fighting Sulu. Eric Bana (Hulk, Troy) makes an impressive romulan. Finally, Bruce Greenwood deserves a great deal of credit for his rendition of Capt. Christopher Pike. Pike is frequently refrenced in the television shows. He was the captain in the series pilot, and was a central figure in one of the series' best episodes. The film also had several cameos, including Tyler Perry (of Medea) as a random bartender, and Greg Grunberg (Matt Parkman, from Heroes) as Kirk's angry step-father.

The Caledon System

2009-04-22T11:21:00.000-04:00

I.

"... and that is why you cannot tell your people about us yet," explained the short fleshy alien.

"I understand," responded the United World President, deferentially escorting the less-than-welcome visitor from his office.

Once the door had completely shut, the President walked behind his desk and leaned his head and forearm against the glass of a large window, thinking: why me?

II.

Finn stared mesmerized through the viewport as his shuttle approached Outer-Belt Station. It was a spectacular sight. The station was located in the large asteroid field that surrounded the solar system. Each asteroid was unique, spinning slowly in its own direction and shimmering with a distinctive hue.

From a distance, the Station looked like another star in the sky: a glistening silvery speck. As the shuttle approached, however, the green glow of the garden spheres became distinct; and the myriad of passageways and spheres that comprised the Station revealed themselves in gradually increasing detail as an intricate three-dimensional web rolling peacefully in space.

As the shuttle grew closer to the Station, Finn stared, awe-struck, at the greatest achievement in history: the station from which, if all went well, his world would launch its first manned ships out into the galaxy. In his youth, Finn had dreamed of being part of this project.

"What's on your mind Finny," said Elizabeth, one of the two other engineers who had been recruited from Mid-System Colony for this top-secret and as-yet unexplained assignment.

Finn acknowledged Elizabeth with a smile. "It's amazing, isn't it," he answered, "any one of those stars could have a planets just like ours."

"Under different circumstances, I would enjoy the view," responded Elizabeth.

The third recruit, Dolan, chimed in from across the cabin. "I know exactly what you mean. Whatever excuse the government gives us, we still did not choose to be here. We're just pawns in someone else's game. It taints the whole experience."

Finn shook his head with a quiet laugh, "it's just another government contract; the whole secrecy thing makes the people 'in-the-know' feel special. I don't like it either, but I seriously doubt there's any crazy conspiracy."

"You laugh," said Dolan, "but you wait and see. This thing is huge, whatever it is."

Blummn -- the shuttle's announcement tone sounded -- we'll be docking in fifteen minutes, please return to your designated seats and fasten your safety harnesses.

III.

Upon disembarking the shuttle, guards escorted Finn, Elizabeth and Dolan to a theater-style classroom where dozens of people were already seated. From their dress and demeanor, the group was evenly mixed between civilian contractors and military personnel. The three sat together toward the rear of the room.

A woman in a dark military jacket stood waiting at the podium. She paused to assess the room before speaking, feigning calmness and control with a moderate degree of success.

"My name is Admiral Bolyn," she began. "What I am about to tell you is not to be discussed with anyone outside this Station."

"You have been summoned here by the United World Government because we are facing an enormous threat -- a threat to our way of life and perhaps our very existence. Several months ago, we were contacted by a powerful alien race. These aliens brought a dire warning: we are about to be invaded.

There were some gasps, but most of the people in the room were too befuddled for any reaction at all.

Admiral Bolyn signaled for a door to be opened near the front of the room, and two guards promptly responded. An alien waddled through the doors, and Dolan leaned his head slightly towards Finn and Elizabeth and whispered: "I told you this was going to be big."

"This is Bill," Admiral Bolyn explained. "We have been working with him for the past several months converting this Station into a defensive outpost with shields and advanced weaponry. Outer-Belt Station is by far the solar system's largest and most well-equipped ship yard, and it is the only facility capable of mounting an adequate defense against this alien invasion."

"We are alone," she said. "This Station is the solar system's best and only hope."

With that, Admiral Bolyn stepped back from the podium and, with a rehearsed gesture, signaled for Bill to come forward.

Bill timidly approached the podium and addressed the group, speaking in their language, but slowly and with a strange accent. "Over two-thousand years ago, my race ventured out into the galaxy. Thirteen ships were launched from my homeworld, and each was to return home after a 500 year mission. During that time, my planet fell into a dark age. All contact with the ships was lost; and the space program was forgotten.

"The ships maintained periodic contact with each other, and developed their own culture. As one generation after another was raised in space, the return home took on a religious significance. 'The Gathering,' they called it.

"When the thirteen ships finally arrived home, they found a world that had been ravaged by war, famine, plague, and despotism. Their paradise had been lost. Several of the ships simply left; they had no particular attachment to my world.

"Four ships, however, stayed and fought. They called themselves the Children of Gathering, and preached that their arrival was the fulfillment of a great prophesy. According to the official history, those on the planet saw the ships as an invasion force, and attacked almost immediately upon their arrival. There is, of course, some disagreement over who fired first.

"The ensuing war was bloody and violent. The COG ships -- which had advanced more quickly than the world they left behind -- easily conquered the planet. After a time, the Children of Gathering brought great hope to my troubled world, and many were pleased with the prospect of a great new empire. Those who were not so pleased were silenced.

"The COG leaders have now set their sights on this system. They are emboldened by a sense of divine purpose, and have bolstered their support with fear that your people are about to venture out into the galaxy yourselves and will strike first if given the opportunity.

"I am part of a small resistance effort. We do not have great numbers, or resources, but I am here to help in whatever way I can. The COG will be here in approximately one of your months, and this station will be their first stop. Unless we stop them here, they will conquer this system."

IV.

Weeks passed quickly as the recruits mastered their new assignments. Finn was assigned to communications; Dolan to command crew; and Elizabeth to environmental control.

Today was the day; the COG arrival was imminent. Across the Station, the pervasive and deafening silence of anxious anticipation undercut the bustle of last minute preparations. A cadence of "ready… ready… ready…" echoed through the corridors as each system was double, triple, and quadruple checked. According to the sensors, the COG ships would reach the Station any minute. The tension was palpable.

"Full power to the shields, arm all weapons," commanded Admiral Bolyn with the certainty of all-or-nothing commitment. Everything was functioning perfectly, like a single organism.

Then, everything went dead.

After an eternal second, there was a click and a hum as the emergency lights engaged. In the Communications Room, Finn immediately thought of Elizabeth, who was working two doors down in the same corridor.

Finn looked through viewport and saw an enormous COG ship looming over the station, handily picking-off the small group of fighters that had been hiding in the Station's periphery. The Station was defenseless; the shields were down; and the weapons were off-line. Finn heard the desperate cries of the fighter pilots ringing in the headset on the table in front of him. Communications were in perfect working order. He had done his job well, and took some comfort in that.

On the command deck, Admiral Bolyn defiantly barked orders, as the command crew frantically pulled out circuit boards, checked fuses, and ran an assortment of tests. Dolan immediately knew what had happened: sabotage. There had been no faults; no alarms; nothing to signal a malfunction. Even if there had been a malfunction, he though, the shield and weapons were entirely separate systems. There was no way both would malfunction simultaneously.

Then, a series bright flashing pulses filled the large screen of the command center. Dolan turned to look as glowing orbs erupted from the COG ship and zipped toward the Station. In an instant, the cold clarity of pure rage filled Dolan's mind as he realized that the alien "resistance" had betrayed them. Dolan looked at Bill, into the alien's beady little eyes; and the alien looked back.

In the alien's expression, Dolan saw overwhelming regret, failure, and loss. Dolan's anger and hatred immediately melted away. As the two looked at each other, there was a moment of communication beyond words and they realized that they were, in fact, the same. Although their own deaths were certain, both felt hope.

Elizabeth looked up as Finn rushed into the room. He reached out to her; their eyes met; and a bright light filled room. For an instant, Elizabeth felt love. Finn felt it too -- and a tinge of regret. Nonetheless, his confidence in the alien religion had not faded.

Without a sound, everything was gone.

V.

It would take days for news of the Station's destruction to reach the inner solar system, but the United World President knew immediately.

The President sat behind his desk, again joined by his alien visitor. The alien had just shared the news of the Station's destruction, which he had received via an instant communication device.

"We do not blame you for working with the resistance," the alien arrogantly began, "nor do we blame you for the hostile actions towards our envoys."

"We have learned in our travels that whenever two cultures meet there is conflict; or the appearance of conflict, which is often one-in-the-same. Indeed, we have been to your planet before. First with probes, then in person. We knew what to expect. Your conduct was anticipated, and appropriate steps were taken.

"Just as our return from the stars fulfilled prophesies on our world; your world's prophets seeded anticipation of our arrival. Two of your people, true patriots, holding fast to traditions descending ancient cults, foiled your seditious plot."

"It is better this way," said the alien, "a protracted fight would only have delayed the inevitable and increased the loss of life. Under our rule, you will have freedom. We will teach you democracy, and improve your way of life. History will judge these events favorably."

The President saw, to his bewilderment, that the alien sincerely believed what he was saying. It was partially true: more likely than not, over time, the two cultures would merge and both would benefit. That, however, did not change the fact that the COG had just killed hundreds of people, destroyed a great scientific achievement, and barbarously conquered the solar system by force. The two stared at each other for a moment, both wondering how the other could be so naive.

With that, the Children of Gathering, having branched out from their native planet -- Earth -- conquered the Caledon System.

Need a Break From Sci Fi? Become A Doctor (or Prostitute Who Was Formerly A Doctor's Companion).

2009-02-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

Below are four actors who have recently moved from Science Fiction to dramatic television roles.

1. Mary McDonell, two time Oscar Nominee, is known to Sci Fi fans as Laura Roslin, President of the Human Fleet on Battlestar Galactica. Now, however, she has taken a role as Dr. Virginia Dixon on Grey's Anatomy. Her performaance as Dr. Dixon is so good that I did not realize who she was for several episodes. It may be the Clark Kent effect (no glasses), but they are also incredibly different characters. Laura Roslin is bold, but emotionally reserved, while Dr. Lowe is a stutterer with an anti-social disorder.

2. Billie Piper, aside from being incredibly hot, is also a respectable actor. With her role as Rose, everyone's favorite Doctor Who companion, likely over (although you never know), Billie Piper now has a starring role in Showtime's "Secret Diary of a Call Girl." As is suggested by the show's title, she plays a Hanna, a.k.a Belle, a prostitute (but a high class, better-than-spitzer quality, prostitute). Although there's a lot of teasing, the show is not pornographic; it deals mainly with how Hannah, an otherwise respectable girl, deals with her double life.

3. Kevin McKidd, whom I shall forever refer to as "Vorenus," was the lead role in a Sci Fi time travel series called Journeyman. Like Quantum Leap, Time Cop, and similar shows, Journeyman was doomed to a short run but will undoubtedly have a cult following and late-night reruns ten years from now. Now, just like President Roslyn, McKidd has also earned an M.D. and is playing Dr. Owen Hunt on Grey's Anatomy. Like almost all of the doctors on Grey's Anatomy, Dr. Hunt is psychologically disturbed. He is not having an affair with a ghost, yet, but he is a trouble Iraq war returnee who is struggling with post-traumatic stress. Dr. Hunt has similar soldier-like qualities to Vorenus, but it seems like the show has a lot of growth in store for him.

4. Kathryn "Katee" Sackoff played Kara Thrace (A.K.A. "Starbuck") on Battlestar Galactica, has now joined Nip/Tuck as Dr. Theodora "Teddy" Lowe. She has only appeared in two episodes so far, but it was interesting seeing her in another role. I can't say whether the new role will show off her range, however, since thus far Dr. Lowe seems like Starbuck with a medical degree, complete with fake tattoos. Hopefully the show lets her distinguish herself from her previos role.

Battlestar Galacta

2009-01-30T01:29:00.000-05:00

FRAK!

Battlestar Galactica is ending. I've watched it periodically since it started, and last season my wife started watching with me. She hated Stargate Atlantis, but -- despite great effort on her part -- could not help liking Battlestar Galactica (as well as Dr. Who, but supposedly only because of David Tennant).

Basically, the show is about 5 human "colony" worlds who are conquored by the Cylons, artificially intelligent semi-organic robots that the humans (presumably) created. For the colonists, Earth is a myth.

Shortly after the five colonies were destroyed, and humanity was relegated to a small fleet of ships being hunted by the Cylons, it was discovered that some of the Cylons are basically indestinguishable from humans.

The key distinction (until recently) was that the Cylons were immortal, and could download into new bodies when they died. That gives someone a big advantage in a war. There were originally 8 Cylon "models," each with thousands of copies.

Gaius Baltar, humanity's most brilliant scientist, was manipulated by one of the more attractive human-looking Cylons into revealing military secrets that helped the Cylons conquer the five colonies. He was then haunted by a ghostly version of the Cylon.

The humans go looking for the mythological sixth colony, Earth, and through various interactions with the Cylons, some diplomatic relations are established. There is a Cylon civil war, and half the cylons help the humans destroy the "resurrection ship" which lets them download into new bodies. Now there is nothing separating the Cylons from humans.

Eventually, the humans find Earth, only to learn that it was destroyed thousands of years ago by a nuclear war. And... that's where it leaves off.

The major characters are Admiral Adama and President Laura Roslyn, the leaders of the fleet; Lee Adama, the admiral's son who is a member of the legislature; Starbuck, a tom-boy fighter pilot who is essentially an adopted part of the Adama family and, apparently, is some sort of new Cylon. There are several others, most of whom have been revealed to be part of the "final five" additional Cylons that even the other Cylons did not know about.

Then there's Gaius Baltar, the scientist who was duped by the Cylons into aiding humanity's destruction, then was charged with war crimes, then became vice president, and now is a religious figure (having adopted the Cylon religion).

So, here's my prediction (the fun thing about this show is that it is not entirely predictable). The humans and cylons are actually the same species, and have been bouncing back and forth between Earth and these colony worlds for eons: destroying Earth, then re-establishing themselves on the Colonies, then destroying them again, and returning to Earth just as the radiation has ebbed enough for them to re-inhabit the planet. Starbuck is a Christ figure, and Baltar will become her John the Baptist.

SHORT STORY

2009-01-10T12:38:00.000-05:00

I have been working on a short story for the upcoming Bantam/Spectre Sci Fi Short story contest. It is my first "real" short story, and it has definitely been an experience.

I decided to do a short story for two reasons. First, I have outlined a few novels in the past but I never finish them, so this was a manageable project. Second, every one of my favorite fiction writers has honed their skills writing short stories. Arthur C. Clark's "First Born," who are the driving force in his Space Odyssey series and his Sunstorm series, were first introduced as the back-story behind an interesting character in an early short story (for which he won a Hugo Award). Isaac Asimov's Foundations series started as a collection of short stories, and you can see the development in his writing ability between the first three books of his first Foundation novel (which were each originally published seperately over the course of several years).

So, my short story started as a little note on the pad next to my bed. A single paragraph, about a character looking out the window of a shuttle while he approached mankind's first interstellar ship yard. I enjoy science magazines and television specials, so my back-story is a feasable view of humanity's level of progress as we prepare for interstellar travel. That's how I started. No conflict, just a back story, and I named three characters.

From that, I added a conflict: a classic fight-for-survival invasion story. I finished off the short story quickly (it has a 2000 word limit), but when I read it there were numerous problems. My characters were completely flat, and the plot was almost entirely predictable. My one plot-twist at the end did not help to salvage anything.

So, I did a re-write. I kept the basic outline, but changed one fundamental assumption that put the whole story on its head. I don't want to say exactly what it was, because when I publish the story I want it to be a surprise. I changed the perspective of the entire story, which allowed for a subtle political commentary. The commentary is non-specific and does not take a moral stance, but instead takes a basic conflict in society and mirrors it in multiple ways within the plot. Hopefully, the reader will not see the connection and really understand this theme until the second read, and will then re-examine their own assumptions that they made when first confronted with the various mirrored sub-stories. The story now had an original idea, and an identity. I also added a bit more personality to what was now six characters, and even included a little love story sub-plot.

Triumphant, I sent my wife a copy. Her response, with the brutal honesty that I had hoped she would give me, was to scrap the whole thing and start over: the characters are boring, and most of the plot doesn't make any sense.

She did compliment two of the characters though. The first was a minor character who I didn't know what to do with. I wanted him in the story so he would balance my main character, but he didn't really move the plot at all. The second was more of a deus ex machina. Apparently, the interaction between these two filler characters was the only thing that worked in the whole story. I was surprised, but when I re-read the story she was completely right.

I re-read the story, and saw that her criticisms were well-founded. I liked my idea though, particularly the unique twist I had come up with on the second draft, so I started a third draft. I knew drastic change was necessary, so I re-evaluated my characters. They needed motivations, personality, and growth.

My filler character had something of a life of his own (I think he was angry that I didn't think he was important), so I let him take over the show. My hero was a mindless zombie, a pawn, so I made him one. Other characters needed depth, so I made them bad guys. I left most of the story the same, but added some evil to my otherwise boy-scout characters. I also took a flat bad guy and made him a conflicted good guy.

Then, I looked at motivations. Why were things happening? I contemplated adding back-stories to some of the characters -- family tragedies, etc. -- but it felt too forced. So I did the best I could with generic motives.

I have one or two more rounds of edits to go, then I will submit it. A few characters work, and a few I'm not too happy with. They don't grow much, there was only 2000 words, but the successful characters at least grow a little. For those who don't, hopefully their lack of growth can be played off as purposeful hubris.

The plot I'm happy with. There's a story arc -- a buildup, a crest, then a big explosion (literally and figuratively) -- and some original thought.

What have I learned? My novel outlines were naive. In its current form, my story is at least mediocre, but originally it was garbage. A short story is a lot easier to rewrite than a novel, and it made it easier to zoom in and out of the large and small picture to make changes. Moving forward, I want to write a few more short stories. Perhaps I will take my favorite novel outline and work a portion of it into a short story. I want to make them longer, without losing the tightness and coherence that was forced by a 2000 word limit.

I also want to focus on character development. When I write another character, I want to develop the character, give him or her a personality, with flaws and assets, then drop them into a story where I know they will grow. Now I have a better sense of what issues I will face when crafting a complete story, so I will have them in mind while I'm writing my next one.

SCI FI NEWS -- December 2008

2008-12-22T09:49:00.000-05:00

* In November, Hubble found both Carbon Monoxide and Carbon Dioxide on a hot Jupiter 65 light years from earth. Although there is always the possibility of finding cloud people in a gas giant, it is doubtful whether such a different type of life form would use the same chemistry as we do. The discovery is more important because it shows that the process works, and that we are getting closer to finding all of the essentials for life on a small rocky world like our own. More coverage, here here, and here. Then, scientists using the Spitzer telescope found water vapor on the same planet. More covereage here, here, here, and here. Cloud people, are you out there?

* The San Francisco Bay Guardian has review of a local movie (local to them, I don't know if it's in New York yet), called "TimeCrimes," where someone repeatedly goes back in time creating copies of themselves, "brainy" Sci Fi.

* ComputerWorld Magazine has a discussion on how Sci Fi writing is NOT about predicting the future, including discussions with several prominent Sci Fi writers.

* The Sci Fi Channel has it's best year ever, #5 in adults 25-54. According to Crain's business, the station has broken out of the "science fiction ghetto."

* The Day the Earth Stood Still was a breakthrough movie in 1951. Keanu Reeves participated in a Q&A session at Cal Tech.

* from io9, a group of Sci Fi writers reveal their daily writing routines.

* The LA Times has a list of 13 upcoming Sci Fi remakes.

* A group of undergrad students discovered a new exoplanet, officially named OGLE2-TR-L9b, but unofficially dubbed ReMeFra-1 (after the students names). The students discovered the planet while testing an algorithm that automatically searches for light fluctuations (which may indicate a transiting planet) in a large database of stars. The find is notable because the star in question is a fast rotating star, making it difficult to locate planets through gravitational wobble. More coverage here and here.

* Forrest Ackerman, the famed writer who coined the name "Sci Fi," died at 92.

* io9 has a historical piece on Sci Fi from 1904 - 1933. In another post, the io9 writers discusssexual repression in Sci Fi.

* A Canadian newspaper interviewed a few Sci Fi authors on "what is Sci Fi?"

NEWS

2008-11-25T10:12:00.000-05:00

* FYI -- The tibetan glaciers are melting incredibly fast.

* Scientists have discovered a sea slug that utilizes photosynthisis.

* A meteor was filmed streaking across the Canadian sky.

* The Mars Rover is not bringing back soil samples.

* A Super-Jupiter orbiting extremely close to Beta Pictoris, 70 light years away.

* NBC's Chuck sounds like it might be worth a look.

* Scientists discover that every eight minutes, magnetic tunnels ("flux transfer events") form between Earth and the Sun. I have a feeling these are going to be big, from the sound of it, they are enormous natural particle accellerators.

* Canadian scientists, using a land-based telescope in Hawaii, have taken an uncontested visible photograph of an exoplanet. The scientists found not just one planet, but a

multi-planet system. The system is HR8799. It is located 128 light years from Earth, located in the Pegasus constellation. See the story, here, here, here, here. and here. As is often the case with discoveries, there is a debate as to whether this was the "first" visible photograph. At virtually the same time, Hubble imaged another exoplanet, named Fomalhaut b, 25 light years away in the Pisces constellation.

* 63 Light years away, scientists have detected carbon dioxide in an extrasolar planet, HD 189733.

* In October, three asteroid belts were found orbiting Epsilon Eridani, a star within the three-star Alpha Centauri cluster (a mere 4.36 light years away). In 2000, scientists discovered a Jupiter-mass planet in a similar location to our own jupiter, and the inner asteroid belt is in the same location as our own (fueling speculation that there are small rocky planets within the system's habitable zone). The middle asteroid belt is thin, and the outer belt is in roughly the same location, but much thicker, than our Kuiper belt. The system is only 850 million years old, compared with 4.5 billion for our Sun, and thus appears to be a younger cousin to our own solar system. See the Discover story, here, and Space.com, here.

* Randomhouse/Bantam-Spectra is having a Sci-Fi Short Story contest. I plan on winning.

I'm Getting Married!

2008-10-27T08:30:00.001-04:00

I'm getting Married November 1st to my wondeful fiance, Stephanie Lifrieri.

Exoplanets

2008-10-21T19:48:00.000-04:00

* A Jupiter sized, but 20-times denser, object -- named COROT-exo-3b -- has been found. The "object" is more massive than lead, and scientists are debating whether it is the most massive exoplanet found to-date, or the tiniest brown dwarf (failed star) found to date.

* According to Discover Magazine, planet hunter Geoff Marcy (whose team was one of the first to find a multi-planet system) has predicted that we will find an earth-size planet by 2010 and a potentially habitable planet by 2012.

* A new-found planet, WASP-12b, which is 1.5 times the mass of jupiter, orbits its star in a single day, and is so close to its parent star that its surface is hotter than some stars.

* The "Venus Express" satellite, in orbit around our near neighbor, has been photographing earth in an effort to determine what we should be looking for when searching for earth-like planets. From Venus, Earth looks a lot like -- well -- Venus does from Earth. One key difference is the near-infrared reflection of photosynthetic plants.

* European Space Agency Scientists have discovered the most Earth-like planet to date, 1.5 times the size of eath, with a possibility of liquid water; at the same time NASA is developing a method for looking at dust-trails around inner solar systems to determine whether small rocky planets are present.

Sci Fi News: October 1 through October 21, 2008

2008-10-21T19:32:00.000-04:00

THE SCI-FI BIZ

New Scientist comments on the future of the sci fi genre.

io9 has a post on the history of product placement in Sci Fi.

The SciFi Channel promoted Thomas Vitale to it's executive VP position (apparently they are holding onto my resume for when the CEO spot opens up).

IN THE MOVIES

Brad Pitt has been slated to star in a Sci Fi adaptation of The Odyssey.

A Kevin Smith deep-space Sci Fi comedy.

ON THE TELE

SciFi's new show "Sanctuary," got great reviews, here and here. I will probably be adding it to my DVR.

Popular Mechanics took issue with the "human electromagnetic field" that was the basis of last weeks' episode of Fringe.

JUST BECAUSE

It's the TARDIS!

In The News: Week Ending July 4, 2008

2008-06-27T08:13:00.001-04:00

* David Tennant may be replaced as the Doctor! What Doctor? Dr. Who! Tennant has not confirmed the rumor and, according to his website, playing the Doctor has been a dream of his since he was a child. Tennant is the tenth incarnation of the doctor in the fifty-plus year old series, which maintains continuity through the notion that the doctor -- an human-looking alien time traveller -- can "regenerate" into a new person rather than die. I started watching the series about six months ago. My fiance was initially reluctant to watch, but has since reneged on the pretense that she thinks Tennant is hot.

* Spain has declared by statute that Apes are legal persons. (U.K. Guardian). Also, last month, the EU Court of Human Rights accepted an appeal on the issue of whether Apes are legal persons under the EU Charter. (LiveScience, Associated Press). Fans of Arthur C. Clark, a Science Fiction author famed for accurately predicting many scientific and cultural developments of the past century, may recall that his second-to-last book, Sunstorm, published in 2005, describes a not-to-distant future where apes and highly advanced artificial intelligence systems are considered "legal persons (non-human)."

* The Phoenix lander is on Mars! The first huge discovery was water ice below the martian surface (or, what is believed to be water ice). Then, soil analysis revealed that Martian soil is likely suitable for plant life. (Read the Coverage from: Scientific American, New Scientist, Discovery News, ).

* In a recent legal decision, the one of the co-creators of Superman was allowed to re-claim their copyright to the original character appearing in Action Comics Volume 1. Further proceedings are scheduled to determine what role the original character played in the larger franchise. (Read the full story at: My Law Blog).

* In other news, NASA will be launching a solar sail, just to prove that the concept works, and New Scientist contains an article proposing that robots be launched into space to automate satallite repair.

SciFi Scholar

Cartoon Network - Green Lantern and Thundercats

Terra Nova

Watch Stargate Universe, Tuesdays @ 9 on SyFy

Doctor Who -- "Victory of the Daleks" Review -- Season 5, Episode 3 -- US Airdate 4.30.10

Stargate Universe, Episodes 12 and 13, Divided and Faith

Doctor Who -- "The Eleventh Hour" --- Season Five, Episode 1

Stargate Universe, Episode 11: Space -- US Airdate 4.2.2010

Caprica - The Imperfections of Memory

Stargate Universe - Suggestions For Season 2

Caprica - Another Sky

Caprica

I WANT A MOON BASE!

Desperate Housewives -- Episode 613 -- "How About A Friendly Shrink"

District 9 Review

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan - Review

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan - Review

Doctor Who: End of Time Part 2 -- Review -- US Airdate: 1/2/2010

* Airlock Alpha

* Sci Fi Wire, Goodbye, Doctor Who: David Tennant's exit interview and As Doctor Who's David Tennant exits, the Master is reborn

Heroes - Upon This Rock / Let It Bleed - airdate 1/4/2010

Sci Fi Science - How To Build A Starship

Doctor Who -- "End of Time: Part 1" Review -- US Airdate 12.26.2009

io9, "Davies' Doctor Who Revival Was A Miracle, But Its Ending Remains Uncertain," by Graeme McMillan

Den of Geek, Doctor Who: The End Of Time Part One review, by Simon Brew

Doctor Who -- "Waters of Mars" Review -- US Airdate 12.19.2009

Sci Fi Science with Dr. Michio Kaku

Battle For Terra

Star Wars Clone Wars -- Episode: Brain Invaders

Stargate SGU -- Episode: Justice -- Airdate: December 4, 2009

Harlan Ellison and Star Trek

Heroes -- The 5th Stage -- Airdate: November 30, 2009

Best Christmas Presents For A Science Fiction Fan -- Part 1: New Releases

Heroes -- Thanksgiving -- Airdate 11.24.2009

Stargate SGU -- Episode 8: Time -- Airdate: 11.13.2009

Heroes 10.30.09 - Claire's Lesbian Kiss and Other Identity Crisis

Stargate Universe: 11.6.09 -- Who is in command?

Stargate Universe: 10.30.09 -- Almost destroyed by a sun, what motivates Rush?

Smallville 11.6.09

The Universe - Liquids In Space

Californication - awkward or sexy?

Bored To Death

Mad Men

Desperate Housewives

Curb Your Enthusiasm - 10.18.09

The Quest For King Arthur - history international.

Smallville 10.16.09

Star Wars: Clone Wars 10.16.09

Stargate Universe 10.16.2009

Star Trek 2009

The Caledon System

Need a Break From Sci Fi? Become A Doctor (or Prostitute Who Was Formerly A Doctor's Companion).

Battlestar Galacta

SHORT STORY

SCI FI NEWS -- December 2008

NEWS

I'm Getting Married!

Exoplanets

Sci Fi News: October 1 through October 21, 2008

In The News: Week Ending July 4, 2008

* Sci Fi Wire, Goodbye, Doctor Who : David Tennant's exit interview and As Doctor Who 's David Tennant exits, the Master is reborn