This book is a diary written by Padame Amidala during the
events of The Phantom Menace. I read this book before I watched the movie so
the big reveal that Padame and Amidala are the same person was spoiled for me
from the get go. It is fun though and I have always liked epistolary novels.
One of the first film roles Leslie Nielsen was ever in and
long before he came to be known for his comedic chops, this is a great classic
science fiction film. Nielsen plays Commander Adams who leads the crew to
Altair IV to find out what happened to an expedition that was sent there 20
years before. They find the only two members of the expedition still alive, Dr.
Edward Morbius and his daughter Altaria. Morbius warns everyone that there is
some sort of evil force on the planet that killed the other members of the
expedition and tells them to leave. Adams refuses and this causes the evil
force to target the C-57D. The reveal at the end is still one of the best plot
twists in cinema.
In this latest version of the adventures of Superman,
Batman, and Wonder Woman they join forces with the Martian Manhunter, the Green
Lantern, Hawkgirl and the Flash to fight the armies of darkness. This Green
Lantern is not Hal Jordan from the Superfriends franchise but John Stewart. We
also have Wally West instead of Barry Allen as the Flash. A fun version of
these characters.
This movie came out shortly after the first Avengers movie
and deals with some of the aftermath of that movie. It takes place at Christmas
time, but came out in the summer. Basically Tony Stark is suffering from some
PSTD after almost dying flying a bomb into space. Meanwhile, a new villain
calling himself the Mandarin has been setting off bombs. When Stark’s friend,
Happy Hogan, is hurt in one of these bombings, Stark decides to threaten the
Mandarin. When the Mandarin retaliates, Stark has to investigate. A really fun
holiday movie featuring one of my favorite superheroes.
A wonderful Holiday Star Wars fanfic. Basically Darth Vader
kind of has a Christmas Carol moment where Qui Gon Jin, Obi Wan Kenobi, and an
uncorrupted Anakin Skywalker come to tell him where he messed up and what he
can do to save himself. A cool trick that she uses is that every one of the
“ghosts” are introduced to the audience with a different font style: Jin is
underlined, Kenobi is italicized, and Skywalker is bold. She uses this to show
you when one or other of the ghosts are talking even when he is being visited
by the other ghosts. This was part of a
holiday challenge and one part of that challenge is that you needed to
reference a Christmas song. Yesac chose the classic “Do You Hear What I
Hear”. Here is a link to the fanfic and
a link to the song.
Taking place between Endgame and Guardians of the Galaxy 3,
the Holiday special is the Guardians at Christmas time. In the special, Mantis
and Drax decide to kidnap Kevin Bacon in an effort to cheer up Peter who is
still reeling from the loss of his Gamora. They think that this will be the
perfect Christmas present for Quill. Hilarious hijacks ensue. It really is a
lot of fun.
When a meteor crash lands on earth during Susan’s wedding
she is suddenly transformed into a 50 foot tall woman who is subsequently
captured by the government and taken to a secure location. There she meets Dr.
Cockroach, BOB, the Missing Link, and Insectosaurus. When an alien named
Gallaxhar attacks earth attempting to gain the radiation that Susan absorbed,
the government decides to release the monsters in order to take down the alien
threat. There are many call backs in the movie to classic scifi that make it
fun for fans of the genre. However, you do not need to have seen any of these
movies to enjoy the movie. Zany fun for the whole family.
This was my first introduction to the character of
Supergirl. In this version of the story, Superman’s cousin, Kara, lives in Argo
City, a Kryptonian community that survived the destruction of Kryrpton. When
the Omegahadron that powers the city is accidently rocketed into space, Kara
leaves to attempt to retrieve it. She tracks it to Earth where she finds that
the Omegahedron was recovered by a witch named Selena. Discovering the same
powers that her cousin found on earth, Kara has to defeat Selena and retrieve
the Omegahedron.
You may have noticed that I skipped part II. I’m not a big
fan of part II, but if you are, great! It did fill in some blanks when I
finally did watch it! In Part III, Marty and Doc Brown go back to the 1800’s.
It’s a weird Western with crazy time traveling shenanigans. Marty sees that Doc
Brown is slated to die from an old photo of a gravestone with his name on it.
He goes back in time to try to save Brown. He meets his ancestors and can’t be
McFly so he claims to be Clint Eastwood. A fun fact: In the movie A Million
Ways to Die in the West, the main character stumbles on Doc Brown and a quickly
hidden Delorian.
One of my favorite giant monster movies of all time! Them!
tells the story of giant mutated ants terrorizing a small town first in New
Mexico and then Los Angeles. This is an atomic age movie so the ants are
mutated by the bombs detonated in the New Mexico desert. Some fun facts about
this movie: they first filmed it in color but decided that the ants were “too
pretty” and changed it to black and white to make them seem more menacing.
Watch out for a pre Spock Leonard Nimoy as random soldier…
Like the book it’s based on, I’m not sure about this scifi
horror movie. It’s certainly a lot more creepy than the book is and the visuals
are more graphic. In the movie they call the phenomenon the Shimmer. As the
scientists explore the Shimmer they determine that it distorts and transforms
everything including their own DNA. They can refract into other beings and
there are some truly horrific scenes involving a transformed bear and humanoid
plants. Truly a creepy addition to any Halloween madness.
To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure how I feel about this
book, but it fits into my current theme of SciFi horror for Halloween so here
you go.
The story begins with four women entering an area known as
Area X. No one is ever named in the story. When the “biologist”, who is our
main character, inhales some spores in a tower she begins to mutate into
something else. Everyone slowly starts to go mad and kill one another while the
biologist slowly turns into something not quite human. It is the first of the
Southern Reach Trilogy.
On Halloween of 1938, Orson Welles broadcast a chilling version of the War of the Worlds. The script closely resembled real radio broadcasts about World War II that was currently raging in Europe. Many listeners tuned in after his disclaimer at the beginning and thought that Martians were really attacking the world. It caused mass panic as people tried to escape the nonexistent aliens. The broadcast is really great. Just the right amount of terror for a Halloween episode. I have listened to the original Welles’ production as well as a remake featuring Lenoard Nimoy, Brent Spiner, and Gates Mcfadden. I suggest listening to it for your Halloween pleasure. Listen to the original broadcast here:
The Attack of the Clones begins about 10 years after the end
of The Phantom Menace. Separatists led by the menacing Count Dooku, played by
the ever intimidating Christopher Lee, are threatening the Republic and Anakin
Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi are sent to discover what is going on. They learn
that the Republic has been secretly planning for war for a long time and has
started building a clone army to be the army of the Republic. Also Anakin is
reunited with Padme, who he secretly loves. Tensions are starting to mount, and
we begin to see the descent that will cause Anakin Skywalker to become Darth
Vader.
This is the English version of the original Godzilla movie that came out in 1954. The
story remains relatively the same except that American actor Raymond Burr was
inserted into the story as a reporter in order to bridge the gap between
American and Japanese audiences. The director, Ishiro Honda, saw the movie The
Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, and noticing the appeal of the movie decided to make
his own dinosaur movie. The original Godzilla movie is a lot darker than later
entries in the franchise. Godzilla is awoken by the nuclear bomb testing in the
sea of Japan. In the first couple of scenes it harkens back to a very tragic
event that occurred in March of 1954, The Lucky Dragon incident. The crew of
the Lucky Dragon was caught in a nuclear weapon test. The crew all died of
radiation poisoning and a whole shipment off fish had to be discarded.
And of course this was not Japan’s first encounter with
nuclear/atom bombs. Hiroshima and Nagasaki stand as a testament to the effects
of these bombs. Hondo took his experience with these weapons of mass
destruction and inserted it into his scifi film, making it far more darker than
some of the American outings. And that is what makes this movie powerful. For
Americans, the effects of these bombs are mainly academic or something that
happens to someone else. Honda lived it.
The story begins about three years after the conclusion of
the movie. Apophis comes through the Stargate and kidnaps a female soldier and
kills the others. General Hammond pulls Colnol Jack O’Neill from retirement to
deal with the new threat. Joining Jack are Daniel Jackson and Captain Samantha
Carter. After the first episode, alien Teal’c also joins the team. The first
story arc deals with the Gao’ld. In the course of the show the team also meets
other “gods” including the Asgard. The show was great and one of the best
offerings of the Stargate universe.
This fanfic is a series of short stories about Tony Stark
and his relationship with the original Jarvis, his parents’ butler. Jarvis
basically took care of Tony because his parents couldn’t be bothered. This is a
great story about the relationship between these two men and how Jarvis shaped
Tony in a way.
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10956617/1/The-Butler-and-the-Iron-Man
In 1965 Gene Rodenberry premiered his first foray into the
Star Trek Universe in an episode called “The Cage.” This followed Captain Pike
and his crew as they navigated the vast universe of space and encountered a
race of highly telepathic aliens. The series was not picked up. Later he
premiered the first episode of what would become Star Trek with Kirk and the
like. Footage from “The Cage” was used in the original series episode “The
Menagerie” when they needed a cheaper episode. And there it remained, Star Trek
canon but nothing really came of it. Then Pike and his crew showed up on Star
Trek Discovery. Trekkies got a backdoor pilot of how the original series could
have played out if Rodenberry could have gone with this first pilot. Then
Strange New Worlds came out. This is the series that could have followed “The
Cage.” We have everyone, Pike, Number 1, Spock and the series is delightful. It
is a look into favorite characters that we don’t get to see much of. It reminds
me of classic Star Trek with an episode of the week type format instead of
story arcs. It is Star Trek as I remembered it. Plus you can be in on the joke
of the longest pilot to series in history…
The first book in a series of four (including a prequel),
The Hunger Games gives us the nation of Panem. Panem is what used to be North
America. Every year the twelve districts must send a boy and a girl from ages
12-18 to participate in the Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.
Primrose Everdeen is drawn as a tribute. Her sister, Katniss, volunteers to
take her place. And the fact that Katniss volunteered will change the course of
Panem forever. I thought this was the best book in the series. The action of
Katniss trying to survive the Games was one of my favorite parts.
Based on the movie that came out in 1988, Alien Nation is
about a group of aliens that crash lands on earth and then has to assimilate to
earth society. The Tenctonese were bred as slaves by a cruel overseer race. It
is a police procedural where a slight racist human detective Matthew Sikes is
forced to work with “newcomer” George Francisco. As their friendship grows,
Sikes starts to question many of his former opinions on the newcomers. The
series used the concept of the aliens to examine racism and bigotry in a way
that audiences at the time would accept. It only lasted one season, but there
was a series of five movies that tied up loose ends in the series.
Sara is abducted by the evil Mil. When she wakes up on a
neighboring planet she has a new body and is the nursemaid to a seemingly
imbecile named Harlan. But then she finds out that Harlan has been drugged in
an order to take over his world. She knows that if they are to both survive,
they need to escape and return to take back what has been taken from Harlan.
One of my favorite science fiction books of all time!
Filmed in sepia tones, Sky Captain reminds you of a classic
serial movie of the 1930’s. It takes place in 1939. The titular Sky Captain is
a mercenary for hire called in to help defend the world from killer robots that
are capturing German scientists. He and old flame, Polly Perkins, go on a quest
to find out why. They find that a Dr. Totenkopf is trying to destroy the world
just like a James Bond villain. A very fun movie for anyone who likes either
contemporary or vintage Science Fiction movies.
On Xhaldia people are mutating into strange beings with
extraordinary powers. The Enterprise is sent to discover what is going on.
Along the way they get help from beings from different reality. The Uncanny X
Men. A wonderful crossover novel that pays tribute both to the X Men and Star
Trek. I love the relationship between Storm and Picard and the one between
Wolverine and Worf. This is the third book in the series, the first two being
graphic novels. This one is the direct sequel to Star Trek/X-Men: Second
Contact. An enjoyable book.
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In my humble opinion the best official movie version of this
classic story. (Orson Wells’ radio play is also pretty good and Independence Day
is basically an unofficial remake). Dr. Clayton Forrester is fishing near Linda
Rosa, California when a strange object crashes in the desert outside of town.
It is Martians that have come to take over the world. Forrester’s love interest
is the lovely Sylvia. Sylvia has two important roles in the story: to scream in
appropriate parts and to wax sentimental about how this must be a Judgement
from God. I love this movie. It is definitely a product of its time, but can be
enjoyed for what it’s worth. Just don’t watch it from a secular/feminist lens!
Here’s the entire movie in 30 seconds as performed by bunnies:
http://www.angryalien.com/1005/wowbuns.asp
Perhaps one of the first cartoon versions of the Justice
League, this is where I was first introduced to many of DC’s iconic characters.
I knew about Superman and Wonder Woman, but this was my first introduction to
Batman, Aquaman, and the Green Lantern. I liked this iteration of Batman
because he was not so broody as he was in later adaptations (and I guess in the
comics too). I also learned of other
heroes like the Wonder Twins. I watched these out order, relying on the reruns
on Cartoon Network. I think my favorite season was season 4. This was when we
were introduced to the Legion of Doom with many of DC’s most iconic villains
like Lex Luthor and Cheetah. It’s a fun romp down memory lane!
The movie is based on the classic novel Treasure Island by
Robert Louis Stevenson. Jim Hawkins meets an old pirate who gives him a map to
a hidden treasure on a far away planet (in this case). He is warned to stay
away from the cyborg (again in this version of the tale). The visuals in this
animated feature is quite impressive as they combine science fiction elements
with the historical context of the original novel. For instance, the space
ships resemble sailing ships. One of my favorite adaptations of Treasure Island
by far.
By far one of the best versions of Superman. Although I love
Henry Cavill, Christopher Reeve will
always be my Superman. This movie is just as campy as you could like from a
1970’s superhero movie. It also raises all the questions that I always wondered
about Superman. Why can no one recognize Superman as Clark Kent when he takes
off his glasses? Why does his home planet take away his superpowers? How does
everyone know that kryptonite will take away his powers? You can’t really watch
a Superman film and expect these questions to be answered. Really you just need
to enjoy the movie for what it’s worth. This is an origin story for Superman,
starting on the planet Krypton where Clark’s father Jor-El decides to send his
son Kal-El to earth. He is found by Jonathan and Martha Kent and is raised as
their son Clark. His main nemesis in this movie is the evil Lex Luthor who
wants to cause the West Coast to fall into the sea so that his desert property
becomes oceanfront. Superhero mayhem ensues.
In the year 1985, teenager Marty McFly goes to visit his
eccentric friend Doc Brown. Brown has managed to build a time machine in a
DeLorean with plutonium that he has stolen from terrorists. When the terrorists
come to kill Brown, McFly runs away and is transported to 1955. He meets
younger versions of his parents and Brown. He enlists Brown’s help in returning
to his own time all while trying not to change the past. The first and last
movies are the best ones in this franchise. I never much cared for the second
one.
I really have mixed feelings about the prequel series. On
the one hand, I grew up on the original trilogy so I know what happens. I know
that the adorable little Anakin Skywalker becomes one of the most notorious
villains in science fiction history. I feel that the special effects are subpar
to the original series because Lucas relies too much on early CGI instead of
the great practical effects that they had in the original. But there are some
good things too. I really like Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi. I like Qui-Gon
Jinn as a character. And It was wonderful to once again dive into that galaxy
far far away. I recently rewatched Phantom Menace with a friend. Because I knew
that it did not compare to the original trilogy, I was able to enjoy it for
what it was. The prequel trilogy along with the show The Clone Wars is
essentially Darth Vader’s origin story. It shows the decisions and
circumstances that corrupted the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and led him to
give into the Dark Side of the Force to become Darth Vader. We know the
outcome, but it is interesting to see the path that led there.
Enjoy this song by Weird Al that gives you the entire plot
in 5 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEcjgJSqSRU
Based very loosely on Ray Bradbury’s The Fog Horn, the Beast
from 20,000 Fathoms was one of the first giant monster movies. It was also one
of the first movies with special effects by the master Ray HarryHausen. In the
movie, scientists set off an atomic bomb in the arctic and wake up a
Rhedosaurus, a fictional dinosaur created for the picture. The intrepid
scientists need to destroy the dinosaur and save humanity. This movie also
inspired the original director of Godzilla and we all know where that franchise
has gone!
This was everyone’s first introduction to the Stargate
universe. The movie starts in 1928 where Catherine Langford’s father first digs
up what would come to be known as the Stargate. 66 years later Catherine
invites Dr. Daniel Jackson, Egyptologist, linguist, and conspiracy theorist to
examine the Gate. He determines that it creates an artificial wormholes between
planets. Going through the wormhole, Jackson, Colonel Jack O’Neill and a group
of Air Force personnel arrive on the planet Abydos where a version of Ancient
Egyptian society still exists. Our characters learn that the earth was invaded
millennium ago by the Egyptian god Ra who is actually an alien being who
possessed humans to extend his own life. The people on Abydos are the
descendents of those people that Ra abducted so long ago. When Ra returns to
the planet, it is up to our heroes to overthrow him once and for all. A fitting
pilot to a great franchise.
The wonderous thing about Dr. Who is that he can really
appear anywhere, anyplace. The crossover potential is endless because he is not
contained by space and time.
This particular fanfic begins on the bridge of Picard’s Enterprise. Captain Picard is called to the Bridge to witness a most peculiar craft, a blue police box floating in space. On board they discover the 11th doctor who is from an alternate universe. The Doctor does not know how he came to be in this universe and after repairing the Tardis goes on a quest throughout Star Trek history to try to find a way back to his own universe. He meets Picard’s crew of course, but also Spock and Kirk, Archer, and the crew of Voyager. As the Doctor travels through the timelines, he finds references to a “doctor” who saves time and space but cannot find any official record of him. He decides to find out what happened to the doctor before returning to his own universe. The plot twist at the end is really something. If you are a fan of either Doctor Who or Star Trek I really suggest this fanfic.
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9319253/1/A-Captain-And-A-Madman
I liked enough of these episodes to talk about it here. You
will figure out after a while that although I love Star Trek there are some
series and movies that I have not seen and don’t really want to see. I have
also decided to post my Star Trek blog posts in chronological order, so
although several series aired before Enterprise, it is the first one that I am
reviewing.
Enterprise covers the first crew of the Enterprise led by
Captain Jonathan Archer. I actually really liked the theme song and the
characters. I think my favorite episode is the second episode of the second
season called Carbon Creek. In this episode, Vulcan T’Pol reveals that her
ancestor T’Mir and her shipmates were actually the first to make contact with
humanity when their ship crashed outside of Carbon Creek. They then lived as
humans until they could be rescued.
I also feel that the show was cheated in their final
episode. Instead of giving the crew a true series finale they decided to make
it all a hologram program ran by Riker during the events of Next Generation.
Not only does Jonathan Frakes look much older than he did during Next Gen, but
the idea that it was all his hologram program cheated the characters out of
their own time to shine. However I did like the last five minutes where all
three captains of the Enterprise give the opening speech. It can be heard here.
1984 is a classic of dystopian literature. It’s world is
horribly real and it does not end happily. More contemporary dystopian
literature has the protagonists throwing off the government and emerging into a
brighter future. Not so in 1984. When it’s over Big Brother is still in power
and Winston has been broken into once again accepting Big Brother’s rule over
his life. It is a little depressing. However, it is a classic and its message
is clear. Life doesn’t always end happily ever after and the good guys don’t
always end. I listened to this as an audio book. The reader had a nice pleasant
reading voice (he was a British man) and I did enjoy listening to it. Following
is my favorite reference to 1984:
The introduction to Babylon 5 tells us that the Babylon
stations were the universe’s last chance for peace. It failed…Before the
Babylon stations were built Earth had just gotten out of a devastating war with
the Minbari, an advanced alien species. The Minbari captured a human commander
to question him and then abruptly surrendered even though they were winning the
war. The first season, follows this commander, Sinclair, as he navigates
keeping the alien species on Babylon 5 from each other’s throats, especially
the Centauri and the Narns who have a long history of animosity.
The second season sees the sudden departure of Sinclair as
he is shipped off to be the human ambassador to Minbari. In his place comes
Sheridan, who brings his own brand, of
justice to the role. Behind the scenes, the actor who played Sinclair, Michael
O’Hare, was diagnosed with schizophrenia and was unable to continue working. He does come back as a guest star to tie up
his story line later in the series.
What I love about Babylon 5 is that you come to love all the
characters, even the stinkers. The Centauri are pawns in the war the main
antagonists, The Shadows, are waging on the rest of the universe. (For the
record the Shadows are evil and you do not love them). I do love the Centauri,
and the Narns, and the Minbari. The Shadows antithesis are the Vorlons who have
appeared in many mythologies as angels. The first Vorlon we meet, Kosh, is kind
if a little aloof.
The show did lose momentum in the 5th season. The
problem being that they dragged their feet in renewing the series leading to
many of the main cast to leave for other projects. But the first four seasons
are solid. It ends too. There are no loose threads. There was rumors that a
remake was in the works. My answer, please no!
On Basilisk Station is an epic science fiction opera taking
place in deep space. It is the first of the Honor Harrington books. The Kingdom
of Manticore is much like Great Britain. Our main character is Honor Harrington
a new captain who is assigned to Basilisk Station which is in the backend of
nowhere and is where people are sent when they want to get rid of them. But
when the president of Manticore’s enemies, The People Republic of Haven,
attacks it is up to Honor to protect Manticore from oncoming invasion. My one
complaint of this book is that Weber spends way too much time explaining how
the technology works. It has a tendency to pull me out of the story while I’m
reading. I’ve seen Star Trek and Star Wars. I understand light speed, people.
Anyway, if you enjoy epic science fiction I would suggest this book.
The human race is losing a battle against aliens that have
the ability to time travel. They can learn from each death each defeat and make
sure that it does not happen again.
Major Bill Cage is a public affairs officer who has no
combat experience. He objects to being sent to “cover” the front lines and is
thus demoted to private. Cage dies in battle but is covered in the alien’s
blood that allows him to hijack the alien’s ability. He then seeks out Rita
Vrataski who he learns once had a similar power. Together they set out to
destroy the Omega that controls the alien hosts.
This book is about one of my favorite characters in the Star
Trek universe. Sarek, Spock’s father. Taking place when Amanda, Spock’s mother,
is dying the book gives you some insight into his inner turmoil and grief as he
loses his wife. Of course just when he should be home with his wife, duty calls
Sarek away. Can Spock forgive his father for “leaving” his mother when she
needed him? Can they reconcile long enough to face together the threat to the
Federation? One line that stuck out to me in the book was when Spock comments
how surprised he was to see the similarity between the Vulcans and the
Romulans. I know it’s canon that Romulans and Vulcans share a common ancestor.
What I found hilarious when reading this line was that the Romulan Commander in
Balance of Terror is Mark Lenard, who would go on to play Sarek in later Star
Trek media.
I have been trying to think of what to actually do with this
blog. I started it because Google seemed an easier platform than others. I then
started a wordpress blog because I noticed that only those with Google accounts
could comment. I then started using it as a means to force myself to watch some
of the movies that I have on my shelves. I have now decided to branch out of my
fantasy blog and do a blog on Science Fiction
Quatermass and the Pit or Five Million Years to Earth is
technically a sequel to The Quatermass Xperiment and Quatermass 2 and is based
on an earlier BBC television serial. You do not need to have seen any of the
earlier media to understand the plot of this movie.
The movie begins when they start to build a new London
Underground near a place called at Hobbs End, a place with a long history of
mysterious happenings. While digging they find a five million year old ape man
and a very mysterious object. At first the Object is suspected to be an unexploded
bomb, but when mysterious things start to happen as they try to get into the
Object, Quatermass begins to think that something else is at work. This is a
great slow burn Sci-Fi horror.
