Science Fiction Stuff

Like Tears in the Rain

2012-01-07T12:38:00.000+13:00

Over the Christmas holidays, I rented Blade Runner (Director's Cut) on Blu-Ray and was pleasantly surprised at how convincing the screenplay, the acting and the special effects were after almost thirty years.

Apparently, there are fifteen odd mistakes in the film, not counting problems with translations and subtitles, but the suspension of belief and the character immersion is such that, even knowing a couple of them didn't spoil the film.

Science fiction is unique as a genre in that it puts science, whether it is speculative, imaginary or real, in the spotlight, but the truly great science fiction stories expose how much more there is to learn about ourselves.

The dramatic conclusion of Blade Runner, with the dying replicant saving the life of Deckard, his mortal adversary, is, perhaps, the greatest scene in science fiction history, as an android comes to understand the true value of life while mankind continues to treat life with disdain. I still remember the first time I heard that speech and the delivery of Roy's final line, "Time to die," with its ambiguity about who would die. Roy had Deckard dead to rights, but Roy saves him from falling and allows him to live on, choosing not to waste yet another life. Roy talks of the impending waste, that with his last breath, his memories will be lost like tears in the rain, and we all realise our memories too will one day be washed away. It is the quintessential human realisation.

In the same manner, my latest short story, Serengeti, explores human emotions and the meaning of our all too brief lives through the eyes of two clones searching for intelligent extraterrestrial life. This is something I think science fiction does better than any other genre. It detaches and divorces us from reality, immersing us in an artificial world, but ultimately drives home real world truths that help us to better understand ourselves.

If you haven't seen the sketchbook for the set design of Blade Runner, it's worth flipping through. There's some great sketches, including at least one that didn't make it into the movie.

I have mixed feelings about a reboot. I just can't see how Blade Runner could be improved. The script writers have their work cut out for them.

Apollo 18

2011-12-11T13:39:00.001+13:00

Apollo 18 is a mockumentary using the kind of fake-realism made famous by The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield, but without the absurd camera shaking that made so many people nauseous, and provided a new use for all those empty popcorn boxes. There's a bit of handy-cam syndrome, but only enough to add a sense of authenticity. There's not enough to distract from the movie itself.

The user ratings on IMDb give Apollo 18 a five out of ten, while Rotten Tomatoes, another user-driven rating system, has the movie at two out of ten. Ouch! But, don't be put off, it's not as bad as all that.

As an author that has been criticised for weak characterisation, I think that's part of the problem with Apollo 18 as well. We, the audience, never really got to identify with the astronauts before they were thrown into the fray. Although the sense of being part of a lunar expedition is carried off very well.

Warning! Spoilers!

On a technical level, the movie has been criticised for the footprints being too close together, too evenly distributed. With the exception of the actual Moon footage spliced in at the start of the movie, the motion of the astronauts is too much like a shuffle and lacks the free, flowing, bouncing motion of an actual moonwalk. Clearly, faking a moon landing in the 21st Century, with a multimillion dollar budget, is not easy. It makes you wonder how they faked four moon landings in the 60s, or, perhaps they didn't, perhaps Armstrong and Aldrin actually walked on the Moon. (sometimes, the simplest explanations are the best)

The use of sound within sections of Apollo 18 was misleading, with the astronauts hearing the alien creatures while on an EVA, something that's impossible in a vacuum.

Also, the alien/rock creatures have absurdly fast motion/metabolism for something living in the coldest place on the moon, a crater that never sees sunlight. And one wonders what these critters feed on when there's not an astronaut to munch on.

Having said all that, however, I think Apollo 18 deserves far more than a two or a five out of ten. I'd rate it as seven out of ten stars. It is an ambitious movie, carried out with an admirable level of detail, particularly within the LEM. The slowly building crescendo of suspense worked well for me. Alien life on the Moon was always going to be a tough sell, but I think they succeeded far more than Transformers: Dark of the Moon, which, ironically, rated slightly better on both IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes.

I found the discovery of a cracked Soviet cosmonaut helmet particularly poignant and moving, given the string of disasters that befell their space program. It was a stunning, vivid reveal within the storyline. And, as for the original poster, with the three-toed wolf-life footprint, I was hanging out for the point we'd see what made those tracks, but it never came. Perhaps it was a case of the marketing department outpacing the writers.

I would have liked to have seen a different ending. The conclusion seemed rushed and was a bit of a let down. But, hey, I've been criticised for both of those points as well with Anomaly, so there's some learning here for all. A slightly different ending and Apollo 18 could have escaped the horror genre, which really doesn't suit the movie at all.

If you have low expectations, you'll be very pleasantly surprised by this movie. It's not Apollo 13, but it's nice to see someone going back to the Moon :)

Conversations with an Alien Hunter

2011-10-20T14:20:00.000+13:00

OK, strictly speaking, this is not a science fiction book, but it contains concepts that are the basis for science fiction encounters with aliens, debunks myths and tells you who gets it right and who gets it wrong.

The book is called Confessions of an Alien Hunter: A Scientist's Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence by Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the SETI institute, but it could have equally been called Conversations with an Alien Hunter... because of its relaxed, informative, conversational style.

And this raises an interesting point about the 21st Century. Never before have so many had such direct access to the relatively few pioneering minds of our time. Today, you can follow scientists like Seth on Twitter or like them on Facebook.

Seth is one of the brave few that still has his direct contact details on the Internet and gets flooded with emails and phone calls. With hundreds of new emails every day, he's gone from senior astronomer to chief correspondent as he juggles public demand against his professional inquiry in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. I'm sure there are some days where he'd be glad to find terrestrial intelligence, while anything beyond that would be a bonus. And this brings us back to Confessions, as it is, in a nutshell, the opportunity to sit one-on-one with Seth and listen to what he has to say on the subject of intelligent alien life. Its soft, easy-going, conversational style makes it enjoyable to read.

In an age where communication moves at close to the speed of light, zipping around the planet through copper wires and fibre optics, bouncing of tin cans in the sky and through cables running along the sea floor there's rarely the chance to have a sustained, in-depth conversation any more, but, ironically, books are filling that niche. Rather than superseding and replacing the written word, the advent of the Internet has ensured books have a place of even greater prominence in that they are the sole repositories of comprehensive knowledge. Catch something interesting in a tweet? Read some titbit in a news article and want to know more? Head for the books.

And Confessions delivers in style. It's everything you wanted to ask after seeing the movie Contact, but didn't know who to approach.

It is fascinating to have the search for extraterrestrial intelligence put in context. Yes, it's been going for decades and they haven't found anything, but do you realise how big space is? I mean, we all know space is big. But do you know how big it really is when you start searching for ET? Seth points out that if you were sitting in orbit around Alpha Centauri, the closest of over two hundred billion stars to our sun, looking for mankind, then spotting the Earth would be like noticing a mosquito circling a light-bulb from 10,000 miles away. The clincher, though, is the mosquito circles some 25 feet away from the light-bulb and never gets any closer. And that's the view from our closest neighbour!

Searching for extraterrestrial intelligence is, then, perhaps the most adventurous undertaking in the history of science.

The Arecibo telescope, made famous by the movie Contact, is located in Puerto Rico with a dish measuring 1,000 feet across. It's capable of holding 373 tennis courts and is so sensitive that the dish can detect signals one-trillionth the energy of an ant taking a single step. These guys may not have found ET yet, but it's not for lack of trying. The reality is, our galaxy is astonishingly big. Shostak points out that if the largest, most comprehensive SETI search to date had been conducted on a haystack, we would have made a particularly thorough search through roughly a tablespoon's worth of hay and determined there were no needles...yet...

So patience is the order of the day, but, as Shostak points out, Moore's Law not only ensures ever faster computers for our home office/study, it means our ability to trawl through millions of frequencies is growing exponentially. Within the next couple of decades we'll have gone through a sizeable portion of our haystack and, as we suspect there are thousands of needles buried within it, we should end up pricking our finger.

SETI's research is becoming the basis for better, more accurate science fiction stories. Recent releases, like Anomaly, have shot up the charts as hard science fiction novels because they steer away from the Hollywood caricatures and provide a more intelligent view of how an alien is likely to interact with us, what they would look like, how they would react to human idiosyncrasies, etc. And, no, they're not going to look anything like Dr. Spork or Worf.

There's a whole bunch of extraordinary insights throughout Confessions, but I won't spoil it for you, suffice to say, Hollywood gets it all spectacularly wrong. If you enjoyed Contact, you'll love Confessions.

World War Z

2011-10-15T13:33:00.002+13:00

Although, strictly speaking, zombie books and movies are in the category of horror, not science fiction, World War Z is the exception to the rule.

The title, World War Z, is an allusion to World War 2, and the parallels are obvious. The novel is written in the style of a historical review after the fact, in much the same way as overviews of WWII were the rage in the 1950s, explaining to a population that saw the war locally how things actually transpired globally. In the same way, World War Z provides answers once the fight is over.

Rather than the classic fight-or-flight survival concepts explored by most zombie flicks, WWZ looks at the social, political, military and medical implications of a world wide outbreak of zombies. And, in that regard, it offers some plausible, believable aspects of political science and social norms for consideration, each of them familiar to us but slightly altered by the flesh-eating horde.

Corporal punishment, as an example, is reintroduced by the United States of America. Although putting someone in stocks and conducting a public flogging sounds medieval and highly unlikely, as the political leaders in this story point out, "What else were we supposed to do? Throw them in jail? Who would guard them? Who would feed them? With 200 million zombies swarming over the Continental US, we needed every able bodied man, woman and child in the fight. And, besides, public humiliation is a powerful deterrent." And with compelling insights like this, WWZ takes us on a global tour of the post-war world, interviewing key survivors and looking at the escalating stages of the war.

As tempting as it is, I won't steal the thunder of Max Brooks and the military solution he contrives to stem the horde of the living dead, but I will add that such a heartless, unethical proposition is entirely plausible given the threat of human extinction.

This is not a book about zombies eating brains with guts flying everywhere, this book is about the social, political and military response. There's a little blood and guts, but gore is not the dominate theme of the book. And it captures the different cultural attitudes of the German's, the American's, the Pakistani's, the African's, the Chinese's, etc with surprising clarity and realism. There's the big man African dictator syndrome, the war weary Europeans, the isolationist Israeli's, those in denial, those profiteering from the misery and those that are bureaucratically incompetent and inert in front of the tsunami of the undead.

Oh, and the audio book version is compelling listening, reminiscent of the old radio broadcasts for War of the Worlds. You can get 10 free samples from various chapters as podcasts from the Apple store.

World War Z is a must read and when the movie with Brad Pitt comes out in 2012, I'll be lining up to see it.

Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel

2011-10-01T12:15:00.000+13:00

You know any movie with a title that sounds like a documentary is a gutsy move so it has to be brave and adventurous and FAQs is exactly that.

The cult TV series, Dr Who, was the first pioneer in the art of in-situ sci-fi, where no effort is made to dress up the story with special effects. At first glance, such an approach, with an old-style police box, some geezer with a scarf, bow tie or wearing tennis shoes with a suit, seems a little tardy, but the focus quickly settles on the characters and their interactions over sensational, spectacular effects and a classic is born. Frequently Asked Questions succeeds in the same vein because the characters are believable, their reactions come across as unscripted and their response to each twisting turn through space-time is believable, even when the story veers off on speculative angles.
Warning: Spoilers!

With only a handful of special effects, 90% of the story takes place in a quiet, unassuming British pub over a pint of beer as our dopey lads ponder various science fiction premises over some warm ale, but when a time-leak opens up, somewhat appropriately, in the public toilets, a zany series of jaunts into the future and the past unfold with unpredictable yet hilarious consequences. Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse of the Heart has one wondering if the retro-styling throughout the movie was intended to place it in the early 80's, certainly, it could pass as occurring from any point forward of then and you'll leave this film determined never to sing Bonnie Tyler while going to the bathroom.

This is not a movie you can watch just once.

The first time through, you're left feeling somewhat bewildered and confused but that's OK, as all the characters are feeling the same way, so you end up feeling like you're the fourth time traveller, along for the ride, but without a beer. Second time through you'll start picking up on the humour and feel like one of the in-crowd, like you've got some insider knowledge that allows you to sit back and enjoy the ride. By the third time, you'll find yourself splitting your sides with laughter as the cascade of subtle British humour finally hits home.

I can't rave too much about this movie. It's five stars from me. But, whatever you do, don't watch it once :)

Cowboys and Aliens

2011-08-30T14:44:00.000+12:00

This post should come with a spoiler alert, but, honestly, you can't spoil this movie.

Sure, there's some dead pan acting from Daniel Craig and a few too many raised eyebrows from Harrison Ford. Sure, Sam Rockwell's talent is wasted on a cliché riddled stereotypical performance of the classic introverted struggling bartender, and even Olivia Wilde fails to make Western period fashion look good, but... somehow... this is still a thoroughly enjoyable film.

There were plot holes you could drive a semi-truck through. The "bad" aliens look like a mash-up between something from Independence Day and the Morlocks of the Time Machine.

How our bad-ass evolutionary-throwback aliens ever developed faster-than-light travel is anyone's guess. But then, as if to make this all the more sublime, we find out that pretty young Ella is a "good" alien that's assumed the form of Olivia Wilde. Where's your space ship, Ella? Surely you've got some kind of advanced weaponry we could use? No, OK, we'll stick with bows and arrows, spears and the odd gun then.

Ok, I've got that out of my system.

So why is this a good movie? Why is this a movie you cannot spoil?

The answer to that is simple... the kids. My kids loved this movie and it brought out the kid in me.

Both girls rated it 9/10. And, to be honest, once I suspended my disbelief, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde and Sam Rockwell all together in a Western action adventure film with aliens thrown in for good measure, regardless of how preposterous it was.

And, yes, I jumped too when the aliens sprang forth. I found myself jumping in my seat as much as my nine and ten year old daughters.

So... is it a classic that will stand the test of ages? No.

But it succeeds at what it sets out to accomplish, which is to provide the audience with a damn good roller coaster ride.

Get a bucket of popcorn, a coke and sit back and enjoy the ride.

Monsters DVD Release

2011-08-21T16:24:00.001+12:00

Monsters was a 2010 low-budget film with big ambitions, that, I think, worked extremely well. It is War of the Worlds for Gen-Y.

The film was largely criticised as having shallow, obnoxious characters that weren't likeable. But, for me, this is what made it work so well. The characters are true-to-life and not intended to be plastic Hollywood replicants or idealistic stereotypes.

The main lead comes across, at times, as an obnoxious asshole, while the leading lady is pretty but a little dazed by everything, but by the end of the film, they've been transformed by their experiences, so it's faithful to its Gen-Y leanings. And this gives the movie the realistic, documentary-style feel it was looking for, with the dialogue and acting being largely impromptu and natural.

The premise of the movie is that a returning space probe crash-landed in Mexico, contaminating the area with alien DNA that finds itself on fertile ground.

Six years later, the quarantine zone has spread to cover the lower states within the US, and our normal-joes find themselves trapped on the wrong side of the border with the mating season about to begin.

The movie is made all the more remarkable when you realise it was shot for less than $500,000, with only two dedicated actors. Everyone else you see is a ring-in, normal people asked if they'd "run screaming in that direction," for the next five minutes, etc. The "camera dolly" for the motion shots was a folded up jacket rested on the open window of a van driving slowly down the street.

There was also some criticism that a lot of the footage was filmed without the expressed permission of those in the area, but you have to remember "the film crew" was a bunch of mates in the back of a van, not a movie team sealing off an area for days on end.

The CGI was the result of the director sitting in his bedroom for six months, editing video footage using Adobe software, so I didn't expect too much but was pleasantly surprised at the stunning results. There's not a lot of special effects, but that makes the film more gritty and gives it far more substance that films that throw millions at their CGI teams.

I really liked this movie and am looking forward to getting my hands on the DVD release to look a little further behind the scenes. I think it's an exceptional piece of work by a bunch of amateurs and shows up several big-budget Hollywood blockbusters.

If you haven't seen Monsters, you should.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

2011-08-08T23:09:00.001+12:00

Although this post needs to be prefaced with a spoiler alert, it's important to note that the biggest spoiler is, of course, the title of this movie. The apes win.

The Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a brilliant remake, reinventing the rebellion of intelligent apes first seen on the silver screen well over thirty years ago.

Rather than providing a movie review, I'd like to focus on one aspect of the movie that worked remarkably well, and that is the use of non-verbal communication.

Screenwriters Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa did what few other recent screenwriters have done over the past few years and that is to take the time and care to methodically plan a storyline that is largely devoid of contrivances.

The story has a natural feel to it, strengthened by their use of non-verbal communication, which was always going to be so important about a story with apes, orangutans and chimpanzees.

Once young Caesar is brought home, the movie switches gears and a sense of pathos is built with the audience.

We see the young chimp constantly pressing up against an ornate glass window in his attic room. The window has a peculiar circular pattern.

Casear stares out through the glass he could so easily break, watching children playing on the street, people arriving in cars, confrontations with the neighbours, etc. He sees the world through that window.

Then, when imprisoned, our juvenile chimpanzee scratches the rough design of his beloved window on a concrete wall and falls asleep leaning against it. That simple imagery effectively conveying the idea of a comfort blanket to all those watching.

Still later, after the uprising has begun, we catch a fleeting glimpse of the same motif scrawled over a stop sign. It has become the symbol of the rebellion, having journeyed with the young Caesar through his adolescence into adulthood, its fleeting curves representing his life's journey.

It's the soft touches, the subtleties like this that allow Rise of the Planet of the Apes to communicate so effectively without words.

If you haven't see Rise of the Planet of the Apes, what are you waiting for?

The Secret to Sequels

2011-08-04T22:59:00.002+12:00

Why is it that any movie with the number 2 in the title tends to be a flop?

There are exceptions to the rule, but generally speaking, the ratio of bad sequels to good ones is 20:1. In this post, we'll explore the recipe for an awesome sequel.

Firstly, why do producers make sequels?

Sequels are attractive to creators and to publishers because there is less risk involved in returning to a story with known popularity rather than developing new and untested characters and settings. Audiences are sometimes eager for more stories about popular characters or settings, making the production of sequels financially appealing

In other words, sequels are a lazy way to make a buck off us poor saps.

But what about successful sequels, like Terminator 2 or Aliens. What is it about those sequels that made them great?

This is where it gets interesting... The secret to making a great sequel is not to repeat the storyline, but to reinvent it. For some reason, the only person in Hollywood to figure this out is James Cameron.

Terminator 2 didn't copy the original premise of Terminator, it reinvented it, adding a twist, with Arnie becoming the good guy. When it comes to Aliens, Cameron took a horror film and turned it into an action adventure/thriller.

James Cameron understood that if you copy a work of genius, you're left with a poor imitation, so he reinvented rather than regurgitated. If only Michael Bay learnt the same lesson.

The key to a great sequel is to reinvent not repeat.

That brings me to Star Trek. All of its official incarnations have been repeats and, predictably, have failed to reignite the passion that the original series had, even with its cardboard set props.

How could you reinvent, twist and revive a sequel to something as iconic as Star Trek without it becoming a boring repetition? Well, I suspect it's already been done but nobody noticed.

Look closely at the characters in Firefly and you'll see an anti-cast, an alternate universe for Star Trek.

Mal is an anti-hero based on the archetype, Kirk
Instead of representing the established order like Kirk, Mal stands against it.
Zoe and Inara are the rational, logical counterpoint to Mal, as Spock is to Kirk
Wash has Sulu written all over him
Kaylee is the cool-headed Scotty
Dr Simon Tam has the same fiery relationship with Mal as Bones had with Kirk
While Book has the more rational, constructive side of Bones
Jayne is a beefed up, muscle-bound Chekov (ok, that's the weakest of the comparisons)

You get the point. Firefly captured the imagination of sci-fi fans because, knowingly or unknowingly, it provided a fresh reboot, a twist on an iconic story rather than being just a shallow imitation.

There certainly are numerous original aspects to Firefly, like the River character, and I don't mean to demean that. But both Firefly and Star Trek are openly modelled on the Western wagon trail, while Star Wars is a reinvention of the swashbuckling adventure on the high seas. So they, themselves, are rejuvenated common story lines.

Bring on a reboot of Star Wars.

Cheers,

Peter

How a new Star Trek TV series could work

2011-04-25T13:38:00.001+12:00

Simon Gallagher over at Obsessed With Film has written an excellent account of how a new Star Trek series could be (and should be) made in this brave new world of Science Fiction TV.

Although I don't agree with his views on the new JJ Abrams Star Trek reboot (which I think has brought the entire idea of Star Trek back to life), I do agree with his observations regarding the franchise in general. Read his article here.

Falling Skies Preview Trailer

2011-04-25T13:29:00.003+12:00

All is not lost it seems in the real of Science Fiction TV these days with the arrival of a Stven Spielberg produced newcomer.

From Wikipedia: 'Falling Skies' Falling Skies tells the story of the aftermath of an alien invasion; It follows a group of survivors who must band together in order to fight back against the invading aliens. The group, known as the 2nd Mass, is led by history professor Tom Mason who, in search of his son, must put his extensive knowledge of military history to the test as one of the leaders of the resistance movement.

Chloe Armstrong Wallpaper 1920 x 1080 (1080p (HD))

2011-04-21T16:03:00.004+12:00

Chloe Armstrong Wallpaper 1920 x 1080 (1080p (HD))

"V" Finale : SGU and other stuff...

2011-04-21T13:51:00.002+12:00

Hi everyone, I am back, sort of. I have found it somewhat difficult to write anything sci-fi related recently due to the fact that certain networks *Cough-SyFy-Cough* have cancelled my favourite science fiction show at the moment. (RIP SGU)

(Minor Spoiler)
There is hope however, in the form of "V" (or "V" 2009). This is a show which I was excited about, then not too bothered about, then excited about again. I felt that although it had some wonderful moments, it was very inconsistent as a sci fi show.

That all seemed to change however when I saw the name 'Marc Singer' appear at the beginning of the final episode. A little bit of excitement came through me as I was suddenly transported back to the 1980's as I thought of everyones favourite resistance hero, Donovan.

This time of course, Marc Singer was not going to be running around in skin tight jeans anymore with a gun, no instead he appears to be the leader of an undergound 'real' resistance movement called "Project Aries'.

The future looks good for the new incarnation of 'V', I just hope that this will bring the show a little closer to the realm of Science Fiction and slighty more away from the regular drama that it often diguises itself as.

SGU (Stargate Universe) is in it's final few episodes, and I am sure there are many SGU haters out there that are ever grateful for that. It is however, interesting to note that these so called 'fans' of Stargate in general are now partly if not fully responsible (IMHO) for the death of the Stargate franchise in general. The producers are cleaning out their desks, there are no more TV movies planned. It's over.

This same fate happened a few years ago to another Science Fiction franchise, perhaps you have heard of it. It was called Star Trek.

Star Trek was and is one of the most enduring SciFi franchises ever, and with good reason. It was exciting, dull, experimental, crazy, soapy, epic and fun all at once. But (thankfully) shows like The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager were all somewhat immune to the plague of bloggers, youtubers, and general nastiness that web based sci fi 'fans' can generate.

Star Trek: Enterprise was a superb show, which I have to admit, I did not like at first, but I gave it a chance. Sadly, the show was launched right in the middle of an explosion of unrestricted internet opinion and bad press. No longer were TV ratings and DVD sales the only measure of a shows success and survivability. ST:E suffered greatly from this swath of 'fan' criticism, which I have to say would 99% of the time be quite simply, nasty, uneducated nonsense.

SGU has suffered a similar fate.

I do hope that all the Stargate fans out there who helped kill this show will one day take another look at it and see it for what it was. An epic, dramatic, tense science fiction show with tonnes of grit and spades of entertainment.

RIP SGU.

Return of Scifi Stuff and the Return of SGU

2011-02-14T10:12:00.000+13:00

Well, I have been away for the last couple of months on a nice big vacation having good times. That was until I was sitting in Toronto and received a TXT from my mate in New Zealand saying that he just heard the news that Stargate Universe has been cancelled!

Now, as annoyed and shocked as I am, I have to admit, I am not surprised. Space Above and Beyond, Flash Forward, Firefly, Caprica, Enterprise. All the good shows die far too soon, and why is this?

Us science fiction fans (the good ones) generally have a very open mind as the genre requires (otherwise we would just watch soaps) but I can't help but want to judge so many of my so-called fellow sci fi colleagues who do nothing but spout negativity about shows such as SG:U. I don't know if the blame can really be laid upon these people for the cancellation, I suppose if the ratings are too low then that's that.

I look forward to the remainder of SG:U and hopefully they will be able to wrap up some of the story lines....

On a brighter note, there is a few campaigns out there petitioning to save this awesome show.

http://www.facebook.com/SaveSGU
http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?saveSGU
http://www.savestargateuniverse.org/

Stargate Universe, Review

2010-12-01T09:36:00.002+13:00

OK, I'll get straight to the point!

Episode 8, "malice' was nothing short of brilliant. Amazing cat and mouse story, excellent villain, superb camera work and editing, great fx, drama and tension, the whole thing was simply superb and in my opinion, one of the strongest episodes of this show to date.

My favourite moments had to be when Rush was told that Amanda Perry, his friend who he loves a great deal, is now dead thanks to Lucian Alliance member Simeon. The moment he finds out, storms off down the corridor, yells and smashes his fist into the wall was one of those small moments which makes Stargate Universe stand apart from its predecessors by a country mile.

Episodes 6 and 7 were great too, 'Trial and Error' brought us Young having a vision of Destiny being destroyed over and over, Eli finally gets into a romantic relationship with a beautiful Lucian Alliance crew member (Ginn), Rush continues to manipulate events from the secret bridge.

'The Greater Good' has Destiny encounter and alien spacecraft lying dead in space, Young and Rush investigate only to accidentally trip the engines and send the craft off in a direction away from Destiny. Rush communicates with the crew and tell them to get Amanda Perry on board asap to help out. Once aboard, Rush secretly communicates with her about the bridge and tells her to get there without revealing anything to the crew. All is finally revealed of course and the crew are not happy, including one fist swinging Col Young who decides to hammer Rush in the face. Interestingly, Rush and Young come to an understanding, a crossroads perhaps and they leave the alien ship together.

Finally, Episode 9, 'Visitation' was an interesting one. The people who were left on the alien world during the first season return in one of Destiny's perfectly refurbished shuttles. Everyone is rightly suspicious and they are kept in isolation until Destiny's crew are happy that they pose no threat. Turns out they are all dead!

For some reason they were reanimated and sent back to Destiny, perhaps by the aliens who created that world.

I thought at first that this was just an excuse to get a shuttle back in the program for the Destiny crew to use, and I think it probably was. However, the story was good and I can't really fault it too much, I liked it. Perhaps in a more Star Trek way, but I liked it all the same.

Sci Fi Stuff.

Star Trek 2 : Movie Poster Revealed

2010-11-08T09:07:00.001+13:00

It might be unofficial, it might be a hoax, but nevertheless, as soon as I saw this I got a little excited. I saw this over at Nerd reactor, you should check out their site for the full details.

Star Trek 2, Summer 2012

Stargate Universe Season 2. The First Five.

2010-11-03T21:46:00.002+13:00

For a variety of long and boring reasons, I decided to hold off on writing anything about the first few eps of SGU season 2 until now, but now that we are 5 full episodes into the new season, I thought I'd better get off my arse and put finger to keyboard.

As the season kicked off, we got a quick resolution of the main cliffhanger. Scott and Greer hid underneath the ship to escape the deadly radiation and quickly hook up with Chloe and Eli to help retake the ship. Rush has a way of getting the Destiny away from the deadly pulsar, but chooses to steal power away from the shields, forcing Destiny to stay in range of the pulsar, thereby levelling the playing field with the Lucian Alliance.

TJ is back on the mysterious alien planet which they landed on last season, at least it seems that she is, in her mind. She has been shot and is in some kind of bizarre coma. Either she is hallucinating or she really does have some kind of spiritual connection to that planet and the crew members they left there.

Meanwhile, the Lucian Alliance round up all the Destiny crew members they have and dump them on a planet which has come into range of the gate. Rush frustrates their efforts by constantly interfering with the ships systems. After an ultimatum by Rush, a power struggle ensues within the ranks of the Lucian Alliance.

Ultimately, Destiny is back under control of the good guys, with some bad guys in tow, locked up and kept secure. Now it appears that two separate crews must learn to co-operate, reminiscent of Star Trek Voyager, albeit quite a bit darker.

As things progress, one of the major developments of the show occurs in the second episode when Rush is alerted via a crashed system, that a code of his has finally been cracked. The code which gives him the location of Destiny's bridge and the ability to control more, if not all of her systems.

In true Rush fashion, he of course does not reveal any of this information to Young or any of the others. He discusses his findings with a memory of his dead wife, Gloria. Throughout this episode and the next few, he manipulates Destiny's course, dropping in and out of FTL as he steers the ship in search of more resources, to the crews bewilderment.

There are some notable moments in the first five episodes, including an excellent crash scene and a desperately dark but gripping scene where Col Young must put a friend out of their misery. Destiny docks with a damaged seeder ship and find an unknown alien race within it.

Episode 4 looked like it was going to be just another drama episode, with Eli and Wray using the stones to return to Earth. Eli must visit with his mother to find out why she is not taking her HIV drugs anymore. Upon realising that her lapse in physical and mental health is due to the fact that she no longer has contact with her son, Eli reveals the truth, and of course she does not believe his story until he receives permission from Wray to bring his mother aboard Destiny via the stones. The moment she sees her son again and understands what he is really up to, is inspirational.

Lastly, a dud.

Science Fiction always has the odd dud episode here and there and I have to say that generally SGU has not had a single one, until now....

... Scott is infected on a planet by an alien plant which seems to extend across a vast landscape and experiences a vision of himself on Earth where members of Destiny play parts in his life as family and friends during his impending marriage to Chloe. Some great moments, but overall, eh..

I have to say though, it's a great start to what hopefully will become a superb second season. I really do love this show!

DO NOT CANCEL IT, SYFY!

Don't Miss This!! Epic Stargate Universe Trailer Now Online!

2010-09-23T20:31:00.000+12:00

Stargate Universe 2nd season trailer. Holy Smashing Shit Fuc*!!!!!!

HD Wallpaper: USS Enterprise NCC 1701-E

2010-09-09T14:47:00.004+12:00

Here is another incredible image of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701E.

Model by Paul Trenkler, Converted to Lightwave by Matthew Christou, Image by Robert Wilde.

The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E) was a Sovereign-class Federation starship operating in the late 24th century, and the sixth Federation starship to bear the name.

The Enterprise-E was launched in 2372, on stardate 49827.5 and was, at the time, the most advanced starship in the fleet. She was built at the San Francisco Fleet Yards in the orbit of Earth.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard assumed command shortly after the vessel's christening, just over a year following the destruction of her predecessor. Most of Picard's crew from the USS Enterprise-D were reassigned to the Enterprise-E. (Star Trek: First Contact). More From Memory Alpha >>

STARGATE UNIVERSE (SGU) Season 2 First Photos

2010-09-08T21:08:00.001+12:00

DaemonsTV has some nice shot for the 2nd season of Stargate Universe, check them out here!

Damon Lindelof Talks Star Trek II (2 or 12?) XII

2010-09-04T12:42:00.001+12:00

http://www.trektoday.com/content/2010/08/lindelof-star-trek-xii-like-dark-knight/

'V' : Jane Badler Returns

2010-08-11T18:52:00.000+12:00

How can this not be good news!? everyones favourite lizard femme fatale returns to the new 'V' tv show as Anna's mother! Holy crap this is gonna be good!

No video as yet, but in the meantime, enjoy this classic moment from the original 'V' when Jane Badler as Diana dispatches Pamela with her usual sexy evilness.

Source: Den of Geek

New Caprica Episodes: Trailer

2010-08-11T18:38:00.003+12:00

A quick glance at this new trailer definitely reveals what seems to be a noticeable increase in action and visual effects for the remaining episodes of the Battlestar Galactica prequel: Caprica.

I like the show a lot, but it has definitely been very slow in establishing itself, but this video has peaked my interest and I an definitely looking forward to the new episodes! enjoy.

Stargate Universe, Season 2 Trailer.

2010-08-09T15:24:00.002+12:00

Stargate Universe Trailer for season 2.
I don't think it is anywhere near as good as the 1.5 one, but I am sure the show itself will still be awesome!

Star Trek iPADD.

2010-08-09T13:48:00.002+12:00

I knew it would not be too long before we started seeing the 24th Century PADD design incorporated into Apples iPad via a clever app.

Great idea, and you could argue that yes, it really was only a matter of time. This is not the first device to be forseen by Star Trek. It certainly won't be the last!

Sources: Gizmodo.

Dr Martin Luther King and his influence over Star Trek

2010-08-09T09:41:00.003+12:00

'Here you are on the command crew in the 23rd century, fourth in command, while we're marching in the streets for equality'

Having been a long time Star Trek fan, I am already familiar with Dr Martin Luther King's influence over Nichelle Nichols decision in the 1960's to leave Star Trek. He convinced her to stay. For very good reasons.

I would wager that many Star Trek fans are already well aware of this event, in fact I would say it is actually quite famous in the Star Trek fraternity, especially among those (like me) who subscribe to Roddenberry's ideology, but it is nice to see it getting a little bit of media attention, albeit over 40 years late.

'Thank God that someone knows what I'm trying to do. Thank God for Dr. Martin Luther King'.

Read the full story are the Montreal Gazette.

Galaxy Class Dreadnought Wallpaper

2010-08-01T21:08:00.002+12:00

Well people, since there has not been a great deal happening in 'my' world of Sci Fi recently and because I also have been away on holiday getting married, I have certainly neglected ScienceFictionStuff.com a little....

So, in order to keep myself and hopefully you happy while we patiently await the return of Stargate Universe, Caprica, V and maybe some news on the Star Trek sequel, I have uploaded this incredible HD wallpaper of the NCC-1707-D Galaxy Class Dreadnought from the 'All Good Things..' TNG finale.

Credit, where credit is due. This incredible image is by Lemonwolf. Prologic9, Eremitic Wolf and Polygone. Guys I do hope you don't mind me publishing this....I love it!

Stargate Universe "Incursion Part 2" Insane Cliffhanger !!!

2010-06-13T00:07:00.001+12:00

I am going to get right to the point.

Not since Battlestar Galactica's 'Pegasus' or 'Lay Down your Burdens Part II' have I seen such an incredible cliffhanger ending in a science fiction show.

In a nutshell, The Lucian Alliance have taken control of Destiny and to make things worse a nearby pulsar is blasting the ship with deadly Gamma rays and X-Rays every 46 minutes.

They must find a way to fix the FTL drive so they can get the hell out of there before the shield fails and everyone is killed.

Greer and Scott exit the ship in Spacesuits between radiation bursts to help fix the ship, while at the same time, Colonel Young and Camile Wray must negotiate with the murderous Lucian Commander Kiva.

Basically, in the last few minutes, everything goes absolutely pear shaped and everyone we know and love are pretty much screwed.

This is a brilliant finale which uses interaction of well written and developed characters rather than just good production and eye candy.

The tension in the episode is almost tangible and there are several WTF moments as things turn from bad to worse. The power play between the Lucian Alliance and the Destiny crew is well balanced between some touching moments between Eli and Chloe who are still navigating their way through a distant part of the ship.

An excellent episode. I cannot praise it enough. SGU, you have my vote for Sci Fi show of this year and for the foreseeable future.

www.sciencefictionstuff.com

Stargate Universe "Incursion Part 1" Review

2010-06-09T23:40:00.000+12:00

Consistent. That is the word from ScienceFictionStuff.com about this episode, consistently great, engaging, dramatic and tense.

Here we have the direct follow on episode from last weeks 'Subversion' where Dr Rush has been kidnapped in the body of Colonel Telford by the Lucian Alliance and taken to another 'Icarus-type' planet where he is forced to make a connection to the Destiny using the holy grail of Stargate addresses, the coveted 9th chevron.

The Lucian alliance wants this as bad as everyone else does, why? I am not entirely certain given that I have not been a long time fan of SG1. But I assume the motive of the Lucian Alliance is to get hold of Destiny and use its power and secrets to some kind of 'negative' ends.

Needless to say, the Lucian Alliance do indeed manage to force Rush to make a connection and they get through the gate to Destiny just as Samantha Carter enters orbit in an Earth Battlecruiser to take out the Lucian Alliance base.

Too late, the Lucian Alliance soldiers are on Destiny, but colonel Young knows of their arrival in advance after finally getting the information from Telford. However, the bad guys are far better equipped than the Destiny crew expects and and bloody firefight takes place, killing some and displacing others.

I give this episode a 7/10 Rating. It could have been fare more hardcore, but they did well. Some of the scenes with Chloe and Eli roaming the empty corridors of Destiny trying to find their way back to friendly territory were a bit laboured, but all in all it did not detract from the main power play which of course is between Colonel Telford, Dr Rush (repatriated back in his own body) vs Kiva (Rhona Mitra) who has taken control of some of the ship and fully intends to expand her territory.

Another great episode and I cannot wait for the finale!

P.s. I have never been much of a Lou Diamond Philips fan, but I have to say, he is again 'consistently' good in this, the finest of the Stargate shows.

Stargate Universe Episode S01E18 'Subversion' Review

2010-05-28T09:53:00.003+12:00

"Col. Telford is suspected of espionage after Dr. Rush has a disturbing dream about a covert meeting with the Lucian Alliance. Col. Young investigates the matter with the help of Gen. Jack O'Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson." (TV Guide)

Aha! I was correct. Last weeks episode was a filler indeed while the writers were busy working on the big finale to season 1, which has been set up but this episode 'Subversion'.

We begin with Dr Rush having what seems to be a bit of a nightmare. He is on earth and is having a secret meeting with the Lucian Alliance where he reveals all the details regarding the Icarus project to them. This is not a dream however, it is in fact a bleed through memory from Col Telford with whom Dr Rush had previously inhabited via the communication stones.

All signs point to Col Telford as a traitor and Rush immediately informs Col Young of what he has seen. A clandestine investigation into what Telford is up to ensues.

Welcome back to Col Telford and the awesome Lou Diamond Phillips!

I have not been a longtime Stargate fan so I really don't know much about the Lucian Alliance, but it certainly seems as though they are quite ruthless and determined to get aboard the Destiny and conquer the holy grail of Stargate lore, the 9th chevron.

An awesome episode, with brilliant performance from all involved. It is a pleasure to see Lou Diamond Phillips step back into the role of Colonel Telford.

8/10

muzz @ ScienceFictionStuff .com

'V', Season one Review

2010-05-23T17:38:00.006+12:00

The re-imagined 'V' Tv series has just aired it's finale for season 1.

I wrote a review a while back on the mini-series in which I gave it 5.5/10. I felt as though the series was more of a regular American drama in the guise of a Sci fi show, but now having just watched the finale 'Red Sky', I have to admit, my interest has risen a great deal higher.

I do find that this show seems very slow at times but it certainly has matured into a very good slice of modern science fiction television. The show has remained contemporary and intriguing with its exploration of human emotion, freedom fighters, terrorism, health care, torture and rebellious youth.

I find that many of the characters are very thinly developed with the exception of Anna, wonderfully portrayed by the fantastic Morena Baccarin who for me at least, keeps my attention on watching this show, Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans has become very good to watch also, as her character constantly walks the knife-edge between the FBI and the 5th Column and Joshua (Mark Hildreth) as the 5th column contact within the New York mothership.

If many of the other characters were to get their head bitten off by an alien lizard or shot by a human terrorist, I hate to admit it, I would not care.

But the show remains watchable, mainly due to the interplay between the manipulative V's and the foolish naive humans!

In a nutshell, these are my top reasons why you should bother watching all of season 1 of 'V'

Morena Baccarin (charming, beautiful and deadly)
See the stupid misguided humans
Freedom fighters become terrorists (it never gets old)
Manipulation of media and the public
Nice FX
Paul McGillion! (with his Canadian accent)

Stargate Universe Episode S01E17 'Pain' Review

2010-05-18T12:32:00.003+12:00

I knew this one was coming!

Was it a filler episode? hell yes. Why? because this is what often happens in Sci Fi TV whenever an cliffhanger is approaching. I can only assume that the writers and producers have something absolutely fantastic in store for us once the season gets to the big finale.

Having said that, this was not an entirely cliched installment in the Stargate franchise from what I could see. Star Trek has been far more guilty of writing the same old 'everyone on board goes crazy' episode in the past.

I enjoyed this episode, there were some wonderfully violent and disturbing moments throughout where our characters get into some scary situations.

My only disappointment and issue is that the Destiny has somehow managed to traverse the vast distance between galaxies very quickly. But I suppose this was necessary to get on with things.

All in all, not too bad, not too great.

4.5 / 10

sciencefictionstuff.com

FlashForward Cancelled? WTF!

2010-05-15T14:34:00.003+12:00

WTF indeed!

Can someone tell me why 'V' which is quite a good show gets renewed, but 'Flash Forward', which is absolutely brilliant and at least 50 times better than V ever could be, gets cancelled?

This is a goddam disgrace!

Stargate Universe Episode S01E16 'Sabotage' Review

2010-05-13T09:19:00.005+12:00

What Happened?

As the Destiny starts to enter the void between galaxies, Colonel Young informs the crew that as soon as Destiny jumps back into FTL, any hope of rescuing Scott, Chloe and Eli will be gone. One of Destiny's FTL drives then explodes without warning and the ship comes to a halt. Stranded in the void. It does seem however that the Destiny is still within range of a gate at the leading edge of the galaxy and the stranded crew members manage to dial back aboard Destiny after all.

Young informs Eli and co, that if the FTL drive cannot be fixed, then they will all be dialing back to the planet which they just came from. Rush explains that even without FTL, Destiny will eventually drift toward the other galaxy, but their bones will be long gone by then.

Rush must call upon help for this one and he gets an old colleague from Earth to come aboard Destiny using the stones to help with the FTL repairs. Dr. Amanda Perry (Kathleen Munroe) is brought aboard Destiny in Camille's body meanwhile Camille gets to visit her lover back on earth. Dr Perry however is severely disabled and requires a massive amount of help to breath and eat. This is of course, where the sci fi genre does what it does best. Creating drama out of a 'what if' situation. Amanda's time aboard Destiny is one of wonder and happiness as she gets to experience life once more in an able body, she can feed herself and express some long lost passions for her old colleague, Dr Rush.

Repairs must begin on the FTL drive and using the robot discovered in one of Destiny's holds they get to work.

Several weeks later, the repairs are still under way and the reason for why the engine exploded is made clear. The Blue aliens are still hunting Destiny and another showdown ensues between the two parties.

Any good?

Hell yeah. There has been some criticism of this episode due to the romantic scenes between Rush and Perry, however I thought it was a great way of developing Rush's excellent character even more.

The scene between a sullen Eli and Perry is a gem when she states that although they are trapped millions of light years from home, she would give anything to be there.

The lesbian relationship between Camille and her lover are wonderful to watch. Especially given the disabilities.

The production value as always, is superb with wonderful shots of Destiny hanging between galaxies and more great usage of contemporary music. In this case, Julian Plenti's 'Only if you run'. (video below)

bring on the next one!

Predators, Movie Review.

2010-05-11T08:25:00.003+12:00

If you are bad at sports, no worries. The predators will not even mind you when they will be back hunting for more bad healthy humans. The plot of the story revolves around Adrien Brody, the main character and a badass mercenary type, and other various deadly other humans being abducted and taken to the world of the Predators, where Super Predators are waiting to hunt them down for fun. You must be thankful you are not the type of those feisty aliens.

This new twist to the beloved Predator series stars Adrien Brody , Topher Grace, Laurence Fishburne, Danny Trejo, Alice Braga, Brian Steele, Derek Mears, Walton Goggins, Carey Jones, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, Oleg Taktarov, Louis Ozawa Changchien. The movie was helmed by Nimród Antal while Robert Rodriguez is the producer.

The official announcement of Predators was made on April 23, 2009, with Rodriquez as the producer in his comfy chair. He also happened to write a script titled Predators even before he filmed the famous Desperado. Alex Young of Century Fox studio called Rodriguez to revive the individual franchise of Predator. Rodriguez at that time was also looking for a director and writer for his script. That was the start of the creation of Predators.A month later, an unknown writer was found, Alex Litvak, to pen the movie.

In recent interviews regarding the film, Rodriguez commented, "Maybe people will forget all the bad sequels and only think this one and the original exist”. Indeed, Predators will feature the notable characteristics of the original aliens in the first movie. Only the more upgraded aliens, the Super Predators, will look slightly different, although the similarities are still there.

This film would bring more weight in the box office if Schwarzenegger will lead the actors. The roles of Brody and Fishburne should have gone to Schwarzenegger is he was not running California. There was however, an attempt by Rodriguez to snag Arnold Schwarzenegger to be the lead actor again. Obviously, it did not materialize. While definitely not a star-studded film, this movie is yet to see how well it can do in the box office. Its plot sounds familiar, only this time the humans are being preserved in the alien’s home world to become rabbits for hunt. This film will either make or unmake the entire Predator series that have seen some drawbacks from some bad sequels in the past.

This movie will be released on July 9, 2010.

Movie Review of Jonah Hex

2010-05-05T15:38:00.000+12:00

The upcoming Jonah Hex in film has stirred speculations, so this article should be able to give a more balanced view to the movie. The plot of the film was not that bad but this movie suffers much from the execution of the actors.

The film begins with Jonah riding on his horse dragging 3 dead bodies behind him. He rode into the town and delivered the body to sheriff to claim his bounty. As he realized that he was double-crossed, he uncovers his Gatling gun from his horse and blasted the sheriff and his deputies off with it. He then finished off the town with his six-shooter. That was the most exciting part of the movie. The next scenes would all be crappy acting and downright slaughter.

After that only exciting part of the film, we were given a background story how he was given supernatural abilities by an Indian tribe after he was forced to watch his family burn. The man who masterminded the killing was General Turnbull (John Malkovich) who was in hiding, and was planning to steal a government blueprint to build a super weapon. Acting on the intelligence report that one of his generals is trying to commit treason, the President of the United States ordered Jonah Hex to be found. He was forced into the military to stop the General Turnbull from stealing the plans. Eventually, given no choice but to obey, Jonah set out to find his family's killer.

Along his journey, he met a prostitute Megan Fox, in the character of Leila. There was no backstory for the Megan's character except that Leila was trying to save some money to buy some land, and that she had some feelings for Jonah. Megan was only present in the film for about 10 minutes and her acting was even more than terrible.

One of Jonah’s cool abilities is to speak to the dead. He was able to find General Turnbull's facility by talking to the General’s dead son. He went to North Carolina to track Turnbull but was ambushed along the way. He killed all attackers except Turnbull who managed to escape. Jonah informed the President about Turnbull's intention of blowing Washington DC using his giant canon that shoots an orange orb into a city.

The eventual meeting of Jonah Hex and Turnbull was not that climactic. That was the problem. The rhythm of the movie was not even although the plot lines are good. With such a good story, the movie has a very good potential but its rhythm might be the determining factor in the box office.

Stargate Universe Episode S01E15 'Lost' Review

2010-05-03T15:26:00.000+12:00

Following on from last weeks episode where we left Eli, Chloe, Greer and Scott trapped in some ancient ruins of an alien world, the crew of Destiny are desperately trying to find a way to turn the ship around, or start re-tracing their steps via the stargate to all the worlds which are still in range.

Unfortunately a roof collapses in the ancient catacombs and Greer is buried under rocks and separated from the others. Scott decides to abandon Greer (suspiciously quickly I thought) and take Eli and Chloe the hell out of there and start using the gate to dial nearby worlds in an effort to catch up with Destiny.

Greet remains trapped and as we found out before, he is very claustrophobic. We see Greer going back to his childhood where his abusive father locks him in the cupboard and dumps him on the street. Its a fascinating look at one of the shows best characters and I hope they expand on this in due course.

Greer eventually manages to escape the rubble on his own and races to the gate where he just misses Eli, Chloe and Scott as they vanish through it to the next world in the chain, or the previous one. With a 50/50 chance they decide on one route, not knowing whether it will being them closer to Destiny or farther.

On board Destiny, power is failing even thought the reserves are full and Dr Rush discovers a troubling fact. Destiny is at the very edge of the galaxy they are in and very soon will be entering the vast empty space between galaxies. This means of course not only will they not be able to reconnect to any of the previous gates to save their friends, but they may well not have another stop for supplies for quite some time.

The ending will make you beg for more.

sciencefictionstuff.com

Stargate Universe Episode S01E14 'Human' Review

2010-05-01T14:51:00.000+12:00

Spoilers

Rush is back on Earth, going through the motions as a professor at University. His wife is dying of a terminal illness and he seems unwilling or unable to give any help, love or support to her. Given the tone of this episode it was apparent that Dr Rush has not used the communication stones to get back to Earth, but instead is reliving a memory or a dream of what happened in the days leading up to his departure for the Icarus expedition. Daniel Jackson (Michael Shanks) makes an interesting cameo in this episode.

As it turns out, Dr Rush has decided to sit in the ancient chair aboard Destiny. In effect he has become a human USB memory stick and vast amounts of data is being copied into his brain. The memories he is experiencing are part of the interface to keep his mind occupied in a Matrix-like environment. (feel free to correct me if I am wrong)

Meanwhile, Eli, Chloe, Scott and Greer go through the Stargate to visit a planet with ancient ruins. They make a few wrong turns and with some irresponsible use of C4, they become trapped. This is of course a major issue given that the Destiny is always on a countdown to its next FTL jump.

In what is fast becoming classic Stargate Universe theme, things are definitely not wrapped up nicely and neatly in the final 5 minutes of the episode and we get ot hang on until next week to discover the fate of several characters...

Best bits:

We finally get to know why Dr Rush is such an insufferable bastard of a man.
Robert Carlyle's performance when he finally opens up to his deceased wife is golden.
The Destiny jumps into FTL leaving several of the crew stranded.

Stargate Universe Episode S01E13 'Faith' Review

2010-04-27T14:20:00.003+12:00

With a similar theme to Battlestar Galactica when they find New Caprica and Star Trek Voyager when they discover humans in the episode '37's', the crew of the Destiny are faced with a situation where they find themselves placed in a newly formed solar system and a suspiciously perfect planet.

In order for the Destiny to continue on its pre-programmed FTL route, the ship must first navigate a wide elliptical orbit past a star. This allows some of the people on board Destiny approx 1 month to explore this new world.

Civilians and military must work together to build shelter and dig the latrines.

Water and food is abundant. The tranquility of the planet is tempting and of course it comes as no surprise that many of the crew and civilians decide to stay. But this planet should not be here.

A wonderful development with TJ makes the whole idea of staying off the ship a whole lot more appealing.

Another superb installment from the most grown up of the Stargate shows.

Stargate Universe "Divided" S01E12 Review

2010-04-12T20:13:00.004+12:00

What; Dr Rush suspects that following the events of "Space", there may be an alien device aboard Destiny which will allow the aliens to find them again. After a remote Kino search, Young, Scott and Greer board the shuttle and head off to quickly dispatch the Alien ship

Rush and Camile initiate a coup d'état against the military personnel aboard Destiny just as the ship comes under attack from the aliens as soon as they drop from FTL. This time, 3 Alien vessels have arrived and Dr Rush brings the shields to full power in an attempt to wait out the attack without wasting energy firing back at them.

Colonel Young and most of the other military personnel have been isolated by the civilians in a co-ordinated maneuver to split the ship into 2 camps. Some of the civilians end up on the military side and vice versa.

Young and Greer escape via some space suits and manage to get to the other side where Rush is in control of the weapons and shields.

It is soon discovered that Rush himself has an alien tracking device lodged in his chest and was scared stiff that if Colonel Young found out, he would soon be killed. Using the communication stones, a surgeon is brought from earth and the tracking device is removed.

Good Points:

Things are getting serious between the civilians and the military, great conflict.
Some reasons for why the communication stones 'malfunctioned' are explained
Great FX

Bad Points:

Bringing the surgeon from earth still takes away from the feeling of isolation.

Verdict;
7.5/10

Flash Forward "Queen Sacrifice" Ep 15 Review

2010-04-12T19:46:00.004+12:00

It has been another superb week for Sci Fi Tv and ABC's persistently impressive Flagship show 'Flash Forward' it still running high up the Science Fiction list in this blogger's estimation.

What happened:
With a hint of overall story arc including some more developments of the strange Dyson Frost, this episode has gone back into character and drama development territory. Nothing wrong with that, I have already invested quite a bit of time with these characters so I do mind following them.

Keiko and Bryce get some more screen time in this episode, although they still do not get to meet. But they come quite close. Unfortunately, Keiko has fallen in with some guys who seem quite happy to hire her for the engineering skills she possesses and ends up getting done arrested by the immigration dept.

An FBI molehunt is also underway and one of our favourite characters has just been labeled, by herself. Or has she?

Good Points:

We learn that Dyson Frost has had heaps of Flash Forwards and has a great deal of information which hopefully is yet to be revealed
Yuko Takeuchi is just absolutely brilliant to watch as Keiko and we get really sucked into her world and desire to meet Bryce.
Surprise twist.

Bad Points:

Perhaps a little bit too much melodrama in this one, but I forgive them!

Verdict:

7/10

Take Time to Travel to the World of Avatar

2010-04-08T12:07:00.005+12:00

Guest Post:
A former marine, Jake Sully, has been confined to a wheelchair due to his broken body. But soldiers always have the heart of a soldier. Thus, he agreed to be recruited to travel to the human outpost in Pandora light years away; it is where rare minerals can be mined to be used to resolve the energy crisis that the world is experiencing.

However, since Pandora's atmosphere is toxic that no human can infiltrate, an Avatar Program was launched to create biological body to be driven by a human. Human consciousness is then linked to the avatar's to have overall control of the body naturally. The avatars are engineered to survive the toxic atmosphere of Pandora since it is the combination of human DNA and the DNA from Na'vi, the native of Pandora.

Reborn with his avatar body, Jake Sully can now walk freely and able again with full of enthusiasm. To infiltrate Na'vi was Jake's mission since they have become the obstacles in mining the needed minerals. But Neytiri, a beautiful female Na'vi saved Jake's life and made him soft enough. Neytiri's clan wanted to take Jake to be a part of their family. He then began to understand the way of life of the Na'vi which put him in a dilemma especially when his relationship Neytiri became deeper and deeper each day.

Jake will soon face the ultimate challenge in his life when he will lead the Na'vi to an epic battle of survival and love.

The Good Points

The Technology used in this movie is not just about the astonishing and spectacular display of pyrotechnics but also about a love story between different entities.
The movie is not your typical 3D movie. It has more different ambient which you have not witnessed before.
Every scene is breathtakingly special that even without effects; you will feel the power of emotion over action.
It seamlessly connects the human world and the world of Pandora in your imagination.

The Low Points

None so far.

This is a guest post from one of the writers of Big Pond News. If you are fond of watching Sci-Fi Movies, visit one of the websites with the largest collection of High Definition Sci-Fi Movies.

Stargate Universe is Back with 'Space' S01E11 Review

2010-04-06T14:34:00.006+12:00

Stargate Universe explodes back on our screens in their mid season opener 'space'.

What:
Colonel Young (Louis Ferreira) abandoned Dr. Rush (Robert Carlyle) on the last planet along with a crashed alien ship. Camile Wray (Ming-Na) is not too happy about Youngs explanation and fully suspects him of abandoning Rush purposefully.

In the aftermath, Young tries to contact Earth via the communication stones but instead finds himself aboard an mysterious alien vessel. Young orders the crew to stop using the stones until they can figure out what went wrong. Camile Wray suspects that Young is lying again, in an effort to stop her from sending her own report back to Earth.

Meanwhile an alien vessel has just shown up on Destiny's doorstep. Young immediately believes that this must be the same alien vessel he visited via the communication stones for it is too much of a coincidence. After an attempt at communication in the ancient language, the alien ship sends back just one word in English. 'Surrender'.

The crew try their best to ready Destiny for battle and the enemy ship sends out smaller craft just like the one which detached itself from Destiny at the end of the pilot 'air'.

A battle ensues and Chloe is taken hostage. In an effort to find her, Young resumes the use of the communication stones and of course he ends up switching bodies with one of the aliens again. As he walks through the ship looking for Chloe, he finds Rush instead and frees him.

Rush and Chloe escape together and once back aboard Destiny, Rush agrees to keep quite about framing Young for Murder and Young stays quiet about leaving him behind.

Good Points:
Everyone loves a good space battle and this one is very good. It was definitely not overdone and each shot seemed to enhance the episode and story appropriately.
The aliens looked convincing, refreshing and they seem quite nasty. I just hope they keep them this way and do not soften the threat a la the Borg, Wraith or god forbid Species 8472.
Robert Carlyle as always has a stand out performance as Dr Rush and his character still maintains the 'we hate you but need you' persona.

Bad Points:
Chloe just walks into the beam of light as the aliens arrive and practically yells 'Please kidnap me!"
I am not too sure if it is bad or not, but the communication stones error was never explained and helped everyone escape. I hope they let us know why in due course, otherwise this convenient plot device just got a whole lot more 'convenient -er"

Verdict:
7/10

Flash Forward "Better Angels" Review

2010-04-06T14:24:00.005+12:00

Spolier Alert

What Happened:
Demetri, Janis, Simon and Vogel head off to Somalia undercover as employees of Red Panda on an aid mission in search of clues to one of the mysterious towers responsible for the Somalian blackout in 1991.
They encounter a group of murderous gun toting Somalians and the leader who saw his fellow villagers black-out in 1991. He is deadly serious and the team try to win him over to re-interpreting his own vision of himself as as a future Somalian leader.

Bryce tells Nicole that he has cancer and Olivia attempts to get daughter Charlie to tell her what she saw in her flash forward revealing more revelations about Mark Benford.

D Gibbons makes an appearance via some old VHS tape and he has a message from the past to tell Dimitri.

Good Points:

As always, the production value of FF is superb and the scenes set in Somalia with all the action are utterly eye-grabbing.
Vogel seems to have been involved with Mark's impending death.
Dimitri offers to help Janis conceive her child before she misses her windows, he knows she is gay and happily tells her that he will make her 'gayer!'. Brilliant!
D Gibbons message to Dimitri at the end of the episode will leave your jaw hanging.

Low Points:
None.

Verdict:
9.5/10

Introducing, Project Arbiter. An Indie Short Film.

2010-03-31T15:08:00.006+13:00

Well, today I got a very interesting email from David, the co-producer of Project Arbiter, who are looking to drum up support for a Sci Fi short film project. The production value looks superb.

Check out the trailer below.

Project Arbiter is a sci-fi espionage story that demonstrates how a small quiet victory tips the balance of power and foretells the outcome of World War II.

Created by a group of passionate and innovative filmmakers, the Project Arbiter team is skilled at mastering limited resources while aspiring to high professional standards, especially with regard to the end result, the quality of what you experience on-screen. We hope you will join us in realizing our goal to make a rich and compelling short film. Set in 1943, the height of WWII, this is a story about an experimental O.S.S. unit code named.

Thousands of feet above Northern Europe a small plane carries a skeleton crew of the Allies best, including Special Fields Op. Captain Joseph Colburn. His handler, Major Thomas Hardy does a final review of the mission’s grim intel: infiltrate a mysterious villa on the Polish border and uncover its secrets. Colburn emerges donning a prototype suit, which can temporarily render its occupant invisible.

As the plane’s bay doors howl open Colburn begins to put on the skull-faced helmet when the plane is rocked by an anti-aircraft shell. Rapidly losing air pressure and altitude, now there’s no question... this is a one-way mission.

Head over to www.ProjectArbiter.com , support them and find out more, it's looking bloody good!

Caprica Wallpapers

2010-03-28T20:39:00.007+13:00

1920 x 1200 : Caprica Wallpaper : Zoe Graystone

1920 x 1200 : Caprica Wallpaper : Daniel Graystone

1920 x 1200 : Caprica Wallpaper : Joseph Adama

Caprica Wallpaper : Daniel Graystone and Joseph Adama : 1920 x 1200

Caprica Wallpapers, Daniel Graystone, Zoe Graystone, Joseph Adama,

Robert Carlyle Interview 'Stargate Universe'

2010-03-28T19:50:00.010+13:00

As an aspiring Actor, Sci Fi fan and Robert Carlyle fan myself, I thought I'd post what is one of the best and obviously honest interviews I have ever seen. Carlyle discusses why he made the unusual step of taking an acting role in the Science Fiction genre.

Robert Carlyle is the Scottish actor on Stargate, Dr Nicholas Rush, Actor, Interview

Flash Forward 'Blowback' Review

2010-03-28T14:38:00.005+13:00

Spoiler Warning: Flash Forward continues to impress in the latest episode 'Blowback' which is more of a character episode than a main story arc one.

In a nutshell...

Aaron Stark (Brían F. O'Byrne) and his daughter Tracy (Genevieve Cortese) who is still drinking to excess and still hiding from 'Jericho', the private military contractors who tried to kill her in Afghanistan.

Flashback 15 years and Aaron is being visited in prison by a teenage Tracy. We find out that Aaron was locked up for a somewhat violent crime. Couple this with his marine training and Aaron seems to be an even tougher cookie than I gave him credit for.

Tracy is then kidnapped by 'Jericho' after being sold out by Mike and in a classic revenge plot, we see Aaron on a personal mission to hunt down the people responsible, one after another, which in turn brings him closer and closer to fulfilling what happened in his own 'flash forward' where he ends up in Afghanistan looking down upon his wounded daughter.

Laying credibility upon Aarons 'mission' is that fact that we really believe him when he tells the director of 'Jericho' 'that the guys he should really be afraid of, are the ones with nothing left to lose.'

Meanwhile, Demetri's fiancée, Zoey (Gabrielle Union) has decided to file for a freedom of information act upon the FBI and the Mosaic taskforce so she can find out more about Demitri's impending murder and how to prevent it. Demitri is not happy about her throwing her weight around his office and harassing his boss Stanford Wedeck.

Also, Mark Benford is working with Lloyd Simcoe to piece together more of his drunken vision of the future and they uncover a few small pieces here and there including some more information about the real D. Gibbons.

Additionally, Janis Hawk (Christine Woods) being one of the few people who really do want their 'flash forward' to come true, pursues her desire for a baby and gets onto the fertility clinic to make it happen.

This episode did not blow me away like the last 2 and I would love to find something to complain about, but I can't. This is just another great episode from a superb show!

8.5/10

Flash Forward: Revelation Zero I & II

2010-03-26T09:40:00.011+13:00

It has been 3 and 1/2 months since Flash Forward was on the air in its excellent cliffhanger episode titled 'A561984' which indeed left us hanging over in Hong Kong without a clue of what is going to happen next.

Revelation Zero as the title suggests, sets about answering a few of the questions we still have about the whole Flash Forward crisis. Many TV shows give you a little bit of a revelation here and there to keep the viewer interested, but often don't tell us a great deal because they don't want to play their cards all at once. The great thing about Flash Forward is, they have so many complex cards to play! There are so many revelations in this 2 part episode, I am confident it will make your jaw drop no less than 3 times.

We finally discover who suspect zero is, we find out what the deal is with those rings, Dominic Monaghan's character Simon Campos gets more development in these 2 episodes than many of the other players have had in the series so far and we also get to understand a little bit of what involvement Lloyd and Simon's experiment really did play in the blackout.

Personally, I also never get tired of seeing the awesome visual effects shots of cars crashing, helicopters and planes crashing (we even get to see shots of the blackout in Sydney and Paris in this one!) as the blackout occurs and thankfully, due to the clever use of jumping backwards and forwards, my thirst for eye candy seems to get regularly quenched.

In addition to advancing the story, the writers have again used the technique of going back to the day of the blackout to introduce even more, new colourful characters for us to follow, including a high rise window washer (wonderfully portrayed by Gil Bellows) who finds a powerful surge of belief in God after he miraculously survives the blackout and goes on to preach gods word to others who have trouble making sense of their lives after the blackout.

There are plenty more questions to ask, and plenty more answers to come our way and in the best tradition of shows such as Babylon 5, Flash Forward will answer say, 6 of your questions while at the same time giving you 7 new ones.

Any show that can successfully pull of this technique is worth of my time. And Flash Forward is indeed, worthy.

9.5/10

www.sciencefictionstuff.com

More Stargate Universe Clips!

2010-03-25T14:32:00.002+13:00

Pop Culture Zoo managed to grab some new info about the next Stargate Universe Episode titled 'Space', have a wee nosey @ it right here

Jeri Ryan Photos

2010-03-22T15:02:00.004+13:00

Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine, Star Trek Voyager.

Jeri Ryan

Since it has been a little bit slow this week, I have decided to upload some awesome images of everyone favourite Rehab Borg. Seven of Nine, Jeri Ryan.

Stargate Universe Wallpapers II

2010-03-22T14:44:00.003+13:00

Robert Carlyle as Dr Nicholas Rush

David Blue as Eli Wallace

Stargate Universe Wallpapers I

Stargate Universe Widescreen Wallpapers

Stargate Universe New Aliens, new Enemy.

2010-03-19T20:26:00.006+13:00

Ok fans, I'd love to be able to break some amazing news about Stargate Universe and it's apparent new Alien foe, but I guess I am actually just fishing (Not real fishing because I am absolutely hopeless at it and not too fond of the squid bait smell, it gets into everything!)

So if you have any ideas, speculations or theories about these new aliens in the image above (taken from the new trailer)? go ahead and leave your creative responses in the comment section below!

The best creative answer gets a gold star!

Science Fiction Stuff .com

Alaina Huffman : Tamara Johansen photos

2010-03-16T15:52:00.005+13:00

First Lieutenant Tamara Johansen
Alaina Huffman : Stargate Universe

Alaina Huffman (born April 17, 1980) is a Canadian film and television actress, also known professionally as Alaina Kalanj.

Alaina may be best-known for her role on the Canadian television series Painkiller Jane, in which she played Maureen Bowers. Most recently she played Dinah Lance/Black Canary on Smallville. She is now a regular cast member in the TV series Stargate Universe.

Stargate Universe : Trailer for the rest of Season 1

2010-03-14T13:15:00.010+13:00

If you are not a Sci Fi fan, just take a moment to watch this trailer anyway. Surely you have to admit that this looks pretty badass! Stargate Universe has been a little slow to pick up a sizeable audience, but hopefully if this little trailer gets enough airtime it will convince the naysayers that this show really is something to look out for. Don't let the name fool you!

Stargate Universe, Trailer for Season 1.5

Caprica Wavering a Little...

2010-03-13T11:22:00.004+13:00

Yep, I have to admit, I did not rush into watching the last few episodes of Caprica with great enthusiasm. Instead it was more of a cautious curiosity that has kept the rest of my attention on this series.

After a few weeks I decided to finally watch the next episodes 'Reigns of a Waterfall' and 'Gravedancing' back to back.

I find that the show seems to struggle a little when it comes to convincing us of the environment. Given that this show is taking place a long, long time ago on a planet far, far away. (sorry I could not resist) I read another blog somewhere who criticised the show for its use of disposable hi tech e-sheets one moment while using rotary phones the next. I can understand this, but I am not sure if this is enough to put me off what is definitely a very good show, story wise and character wise.

One thing I do love is the character of Sam Adama. The brutish, tattooed and ruthless gangster is a homosexual! 'great' I thought and why the hell not? who is to say that homosexuality is considered soft, fragile and a little gay on Caprica anyway? (jokes). This is where my interest peaked. I realised that there may more to explore in this Caprican society from a what if? sci fi angle than I first imagined.

I also really liked the scene in one episode where Sister Clarice and the rest of her husbands and wives all wake up after a good nights sleep. To the regular viewer this of course might look like some sort of Mormon orgy, but hey, it's just sci fi, taking us down the path of 'what if?' and 'why not?' once more, albit in a more contemporary setting.

Caprica is a bit slow. But then some of the best shows are.

I am sticking with it.

Science Fiction Stuff .com

Oscar Winning Star Trek.

2010-03-08T17:34:00.008+13:00

Well it may not be the most coveted of the golden statues but nevertheless, Star Trek has finally gained an Academy Award!

The 'Best Make Up' award was accepted by Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow on behalf of the 40 people who worked on this area of the movie.

Star Trek has been nominated for 4 Oscars at the 82nd Academy Awards.

Make Up :Star Trek
Sound Editing: :Hurt Locker
Sound Mixing: :Hurt Locker
Visual Effects: :Avatar

Science Fiction Stuff

Star Trek @ The Oscars.

2010-02-03T08:51:00.006+13:00

Well I knew it was too good to be true. Even with the expanded categories, Star Trek still managed to miss out on all of the top Oscar award nominations.

Star Trek did manage however to grab nominations for Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Visual Effects and Make Up. From what I recall, even Star Trek: First Contact managed to get a nomination for that last one.

One bit of good news for Genre fans is that the awesome 'District 9' did manage to secure the nomination for Best Picture and Screenplay. Proving that our favourite genre has not been completely ignored.

As predicted, 'Avatar' has managed to grab 9 nominations including Best Picture, Director, Music and Visual Effects. As the Oscar favourite I am not entirely surprised.

But as much as as I loved 'Avatar', this blogger would have preferred a little more Kudos thrown in the direction of Star Trek.

110% Biased!

First regular 'Caprica' episode hits the Zombiebox...

2010-02-02T18:48:00.006+13:00

...and in glorious HD too!

The episode 'Rebirth' S01E02 or 03? was the first regular episode of the series to hit our screens after the well received pilot episode in 2009.

Zoe Graystone is the first Cylon. She seems to be aware of what she is and wants to continue to live as Zoe, although she also is well aware of her deadly mechanical body and wastes no time asserting 'herself' with it, especially to those people around her who are a little rude. One technician pays for his lack of respect by having the tip of his finger bitten clean off.

The relationships are by far the most important element of this show. As we all know, there is no starship porn anywhere to be seen. The Graystone and Adama families are coming to terms with the loss of their loved ones in the bombing of the Mag-lev train. Zoe's friend Lacy knows of the copied personality and consciousness of Zoe residing inside the prototype Cylon and she eventually manages to make contact with her.

This episode laid a few foundations which seem very solid for future episodes to come and I am sticking with it. Caprica has not blown me away as yet, but knowing what these guys did with BSG, I have faith....

Sci Fi Stuff

Avatar : The Belated Review

2010-01-27T11:33:00.008+13:00

I am quite probably the last blogger in the whole world to finally give my 2 cents to this movie but there are very good reasons.

I hate going to crowded cinemas! I am one of those guys who gets pissed off at the unnecessarily loud reactions of 'Ooohh" 'Ahhh' and "ow!' from my fellow cinema goer. Therefore I decided to wait, wait then wait some more before heading off to my local 3D Multiplex in Albany, Auckland.

The hype was everywhere and I often like to compare the views of others before I go. What I find is that a bandwagon of common viewpoints seems to form, such as. 'It's a great film but there is hardly anything original in the plot. Armed with this, I decided to finally check out James Cameron's latest blockbuster with some balanced enthusiasm.

The movie really does have a magical theme to it, where it manages to suck the viewer (old and young, men and women) into the world (moon) of Pandora. I found it alien yet familiar. The sheer richness of life that the designers have conveyed is worth an Oscar on its own.

The basic plot of the movie is very much familiar to anyone who has seen 'Dances with Wolves'. The similarities are quite obvious. Having said that, Dances with Wolves was surely by no means the first movie to tell the story of someone being enchanted by a marginalised people on the other side of the fence. Personally I think that this story is a classic one, albeit not entirely original. I had no problem with it.

If I had to criticise this movie it would be for two things in particular (emphasis, only if I had to!)

1. The Na'vi were too familiar. Perhaps because this was mainstream Scifi, they felt it necessary to 'water down' the alienness of it all and what I think they ended up with was an alien culture which seemed to rotate throughout the film from African, Native American, then Alien and back again.

2. One TINY little thing! (And I reckon the editor should have sorted this out) this one line. 'for our children's children!' when Jake Sully is recruiting the other tribes to help attack the evil 'Sky People' this line is absolutely dripping with cheesy goodness.

That's all. You've read the other reviews, you know the story. Overall I thought the movie was excellent, helped in part by the awesome 3D screenings (I saw it twice).

It left me feeling inspired, awed and also a little down at the thought that such places may exist, yet seem so out of reach for the human race thus far. This is not a bad thing though, all good sci fi should inspire us all to 'look up' and this one does, it really, really does.

Science Fiction Stuff.

Sci Fi Links

2010-01-25T14:56:00.004+13:00

Sites we like!

After Avatar, What's next for Wellywood?

2010-01-24T17:43:00.003+13:00

According to these 2010 Google Images, it appears that the pace has not stopped for Wellington (Wellywood) and the Stone Street Studio sets which were previously used for a plethora of recent movies including 'Avatar' are already set up for the next big thing.

Stone Street Studios in Miramar, Wellington, New Zealand (Taken From Google Earth)

A close up of a movie set in Stone Street Studios in Miramar, Wellington, New Zealand
(Taken From Google Earth)

I don't know which set this movie is for, but I'd like to know. I used to live in Seatoun and just took for granted the amazing work that goes on there in Wellington and I was lucky to be able to do some contract work on the Lord of the Rings World Premiere as well as some on set video work with King Kong. maybe I should move back to Wellington?

A slight bit of concern about the money that the New Zealand taxpayer has paid to the cost of Avatar has kicked off here in New Zealand now that the movie is breaking all the records...

The Government has defended the scheme which saw blockbuster film Avatar get nearly $45 million in taxpayer money.

Avatar recently won big at the Golden Globe awards and is on track to be the biggest grossing movie of all time, having sold more than $1.6 billion of tax credits.

Much of the digital post-production work was done in New Zealand via Weta Digital, and the makers received $44.69 million from the Large Budget Screen Production Grant (LBSPG).

Science Fiction Finally Going to get Award Recognition?

2010-01-14T20:57:00.006+13:00

Could our chesrished genre finally be about to be recognised in the mainstream? will the typical Oscar viewer raise an eyebrow if and when some of our beloved science fiction movies are nominated? surely District 9 and Star Trek at the very least can grab some attention in the awards industry over the coming months, here's hoping!

from IO9: The Producer's Guild of America, a key predictor of Oscar nominees, has released its Best Picture selections for 2009. Three of its ten choices were science fiction blockbusters, which could mean the genre is getting long overdue mainstream critical recognition.

As guest blogger extraordinaire Marc Bernardin noted on Monday, Avatar has emerged as a legitimate contender to win Best Picture at next year's Academy Awards. Apparently it's time to add a couple more genre films to that list, as the PGA also nominated District 9 and Star Trek for Best Picture. Joining the science fiction trio are Up, Inglourious Basterds, An Education, Invictus, Precious, and Up in the Air. Read more >>

Star Trek XII / II gets a release date!

2010-01-09T23:16:00.006+13:00

Trekmovie has announced that the current release date for the 2nd installment of the rebooted Star Trek franchise is just 18 months away!

TrekMovie has confirmed with trusted sources that today the team behind the film decided to shoot for mid-Summer, with June 29, 2012 penciled in as the tentative date, setting the movie up for a big 4th of July opening. More from Trekmovie >>

Flash Forward DVD is coming!

2010-01-08T20:23:00.005+13:00

In February, the incredible ABC Science Fiction show, 'Flash Forward' will debut on DVD and about time. Already I am planning on converting friends and family to this amazing show {insert evil laugh here}

According to TVShowsonDVD.com, Flash Forward Season One: Part One will hit the shelves on February 23, 2010. I cannot wait!

Read more over @ BuddyTV.com

Science Fiction Movies get top Award Nominations

2010-01-08T20:16:00.003+13:00

Finally, the best entertainment genre of them all is starting to get more and more recognition!

Science-fiction blockbusters made a surprisingly strong showing in the nominations for the Producers Guild of America awards, with "Avatar," "District 9" and "Star Trek" among the 10 nominees announced this morning.

The PGA Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year film award is a reliable bellwether for the Academy Award for best picture. Last year's PGA winner, "Slumdog Millionaire," went on to capture Oscar's top prize. In fact, 13 PGA winners over the last two decades have gone on to win the Academy Award for best picture.

This year, the PGA has followed in the footsteps of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' decision to expand the best-film nomination list from five to 10 movies. Their eclectic group of films, which ranges from blockbusters to small independent productions, may mirror the academy's choices, which will be announced Feb. 2.

Read more from the LA Times >>

Finally an Original Sci Fi Idea : Flash Forward

2009-12-30T14:19:00.007+13:00

Because there is not a great deal of science fiction TV around at the moment now that 'Stargate Universe' and 'Fringe' are on hiatus, I decided to take some advice from and friend and give 'Flash Forward' a chance.

I was dubious from the start. From what I saw it looked like a show with a single plot device to drive it and all we would see would be a bunch of FBI agents running around trying to solve it, much like many other shows (CSI, Criminal Minds) which have saturated our Zombiebox.

But then I started watching and after about 5 minutes, I was completely sucked in.

As soon as I saw the infamous name 'Brannon Braga' in the titles I knew right away that this was going to be good and the awesome direction from David S Goyer helped pave the way for one of the best sci fi series I have seen in many years.

And it is indeed 'Sci Fi' but 'Flash Forward' is probably one of those Sci Fi shows for people who hate Sci Fi or at the very least I would describe it as 'Sci Fi for Beginners' much like Fringe or perhaps V 2009. But make no mistake, already I think this show has far more potential that either of the other two combined.

If you don't already know the plot then here it is.

(from Wikipedia)

Premise: A mysterious global event causes nearly everyone on the planet to lose consciousness for 2 minutes 17 seconds, during which people see what appear to be visions of their lives approximately six months in the future—a global “flashforward”.

A team of Los Angeles FBI agents, led by Stanford Wedeck (Courtney B Vance) and spearheaded by Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes), begin the process of determining what happened, why, and whether it will happen again.

Again, it seems like the show rests on a single plot device but already the potential for many different story lines comes out of it. The characters have to deal with a variety of problems after the blackout. During which many of them saw visions of their own future. Everyone 'Flashed Forward' to the date April 29Th 2010 and most have vivid recollections of what they saw. One person sees her marriage over, another sees themselves investigating the very phenomenon itself and uses the memories to begin the investigation.

Some people however, did not see anything and therefore must speculate why? Are they sleeping 6 months on the future? or are they dead?

Check out more over at ABC and get watching. Trust me, you will not be disappointed.

9/10

Iron Man 2 Trailer with Mickey Rourke as 'Whiplash'

2009-12-22T13:30:00.005+13:00

I never really expected much from Ironman but I was surprised at just how great a film it was. this new trailer makes the sequel look even better and I for one am delighted that Mickey Rourke is in it!

Enjoy!

From Captain to 'Sir'. Patrick Stewart to be Knighted.

2009-12-21T16:29:00.004+13:00

My all time favourite actor Patrick Stewart is to be honoured by the Queen in the New Year Honours list.

The legendary British actor who of course starred as the steadfast Captain Jean Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation will be recognised for his 50 years of performance work.

According to the Mirror.co.uk

The screen and stage legend will receive the gong from the Queen for his services to drama. Stewart’s award will cap an incredible career that has spanned 50 years of film and theatre.

Palace sources said the Queen is a huge fan of the 69-year-old, who played Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation. One observer said: “It’s a fantastic accolade for a fantastic actor.

“He is a man at the very top of his trade who has mastered both popular TV and classic roles.”

Thank God! Stargate Universe gets a 2nd Season

2009-12-15T15:27:00.005+13:00

I was worried for a moment that all the negative reviews and bad ratings for "Stargate Universe" were going to cause its untimely cancellation.

I love this show and I hope that the second 20 episode season due to start filming early in 2010 will win over the skeptical traditional Stargate fans and new fans alike.

The really is not a great deal of new Sci Fi around on TV at the moment so keep SGU coming!

from Gateworld...A 20-episode season will begin filming in early 2010 for a fall premiere. Meanwhile, the second half of Season One will return in April.

Work on the first episodes of Season Two is already underway in Vancouver, British Columbia, where the show’s writing team has hammered out storylines and already started writing scripts...

Read more @ Gateworld!

V 2009 : Miniseries Review

2009-12-10T21:23:00.008+13:00

After watching all 4 episodes of V 2009 I have to say, yes I will keep watching it but I am a little underwhelmed.

It was a great show for normal TV, but not a great sci fi show. I was surprised that this got picked up by ABC instead of somewhere like the SyFy channel.

'V (2009)' has been made into a mainstream show and perhaps this is a good thing, maybe it will make more people watch sci fi. (which can only be a good thing :-)

Morena Baccarin is superb and I probably would have changed the channel prematurely if she had not been in it. She was so awesome in Firefly I just had to see how this turned out, indeed her fellow Firefly cast member Alan Tudyk also makes this show worth a look.

V 2009 moves along very quickly and by the time the first episode ends we already know all the main details. The 'visitors' are lizards, they have been here for years, and operate in terrorist-ish 'sleeper cells' they have evil intent upon the human race and they have a 5th column who are on our side.

Let the resistance begin.

'V 2009' feels like more of a clean cut all-American prime time drama show with Aliens. The production quality is standard and doesn't really bring anything new to the viewer. The limited visual effects are very good but I have to say, I thought the classic saucer shaped motherships looked way better. (but that's just my personal opinion)

One little thing did raise my eyebrow. Did the visitors purposefully build their ships so that the underside can turn into a giant TV screen?

Adjusting to a new version of a classic show is not easy, but I admit, this show has one very big strength which should keep it afloat and quite separate from the original. The central theme behind humanities positive reaction to the visitors is 'devotion'. The idea is that the 'visitors' arrive just when we need them. The world (America) is in turmoil. War, recession, terrorism and 'cough, cough' healthcare.

That's right, the aliens are here to provide healthcare to one and all.

At this point I must state that I am not American and I live in a country which provides free universal healthcare, (which I love) but I am well aware of the debate in the USA and it is surely no mistake that the writers have written this idea into the show.

But what are they saying? are they saying that the Aliens are a metaphor for the pro UHC lobby? I don't know. But it is very interesting and probably a little provocative.

Overall a very interesting show. It definitely has more substance to it which seems to only bubble under the surface. But the characters so far have been quite unimpressive, however time can surely change that.

As a sucker for all things set in space, I have to say that the final shot of episode 4 where the camera pulls back from Earth, flies through the cosmos and stops at an alien world where a massive alien armada is about to set off (2nd wave) looks pretty damn cool.

I look forward to seeing the series proper.

5.5/10

Stargate Universe 'Justice' Review

2009-12-07T09:41:00.006+13:00

Spolier Zone!

Beware the 'Trial aboard a spaceship' episode! They have been done too many times!

Thankfully the writers at SGU already know this.

After a crew member in found dead aboard the Destiny, the ship is turned upside down for the murder weapon. The death appears to be a suicide, but there is no gun. During a search of the ship, Eli finds the gun in Colonel Young's quarters.

A trial begins and ends very quickly and it is determined that there is not enough evidence to convict Young, but there is enough doubt to make him stand aside. Colonel Young is removed from command and replaced by Camile.

Finally, Dr Rush has a civilian in command of the ship and he can get on with what he wants to do. Which is of course getting someone to sit in the ancient chair and see if they can unlock the secrets of the ancient ship.

While this is all happening, the Destiny makes a stop at a planet where they find a crashed Alien spacecraft. Rush is desperate to go and see it however Eli and Young has discovered new evidence proving that Dr Rush is the one who planted the gun in an effort to get rid of Colonel Young.

A vicious showdown ensues between the two of them on the alien world and in a superb cliffhanger, Rush is stranded. The Destiny resumes its flight back into FTL.

Did anyone else remember the strange ship that detached itself from the Destiny at the end of episode 3 'Air'? Maybe this is the ship that they have found?

Dr Rush finally has to face some consequences for his manipulative actions and Colonel Young gets to come out of his shell some more from the somewhat dour character that he has been so far. Having seen such a tender and loving side of Camile in the previous episode, this is fantastic to see her acting as more of a tough bitch.

An excellent episode which kept me watching right to the bitter end.

8.5/10

Will Star Trek make it to the Oscars?

2009-12-02T14:58:00.005+13:00

Probably not, but you never know. With expanded categories in the Oscars for 2010, could any science fiction movie get in? if the answer is yes, then surely Star Trek and District 9 could be contenders.

(following from Airlock Alpha)
No one ever thought when Paramount Pictures announced it was doing a new "Star Trek" movie that such a film could ever even begin to be considered for Oscar nomination.

But then again, no one thought the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences would expand its Best Picture nominees to 10.

Paramount isn't letting this one slip away. The studio will send out screeners of three of its films to potential Oscar voters Dec. 8, according to The Los Angeles Times, including J.J. Abrams' recent film, "Up in the Air" and "The Lovely Bones." Read more >>

Stargate Universe 'Life' Review

2009-11-27T09:35:00.004+13:00

Stargate Universe continues to impress with its greater emphasis on drama and characters compared to previous incarnations of the show.

In episode 'life' we see the ancient communication stones being put to use again as Scott and Camile take their turn to visit home. We finally get to see Ming-Na's character 'Camile' getting some decent screen time. Her same-sex relationship with her lover back on Earth is utterly convincing and surprising to watch on a Science Fiction series.

Scott has to deal with a former lover who has since had his child, 8 years ago without his knowledge.

Back on Destiny, hopes are raised when Rush discovers another 'Icarus-like' planet approximately 1 year away therefore giving the crew an opportunity to get home. This is too late for one of the crew members who has just ran out of medication and is causing all sorts of tension and arguments to ensue. In the middle of all this, Johansen is conducting a psychiatric review of everyone on board Destiny and we are not entirely surprised to see that almost everyone is not exactly thrilled about their situation, well except Rush perhaps.

8.0/10.0

Reasons why the list '100 Reasons Star Trek XI Sucked' Sucked!

2009-11-26T10:01:00.023+13:00

Because I love Star Trek so much, I feel like it is my solemn duty to defend it against the nit-pickers. But the reasons below why Star Trek XI sucked on the YouTube video transcends nit-picking. It is a simpleminded attack on 2009's best movie to date and also a movie which is generally considered to be one of the best Star Trek films ever. The movie is flawed, no doubt about it. But the reasoning behind those who are determined to smash it is flawed even more.

Here is the first video: I won't bother posting them all, you can seek out the rest on YouTube. I cannot find numbers 80 - 100, presumably the nitpicker has not uploaded them yet, or else he ran out of steam.

Here is my official rebuke to '100 reasons why Star Trek XI sucks'.

1. Lens Flares:

Who cares? Lens flares might not be your thing but I'd hardly say that the movie sucked because of it. Also, I personally found that they blended the exterior shots with the interior shots very well. but there are lens flares in life and I personally think they add more realism to the moving image. Were they overused? Perhaps,

2. Romulan Skinheads:
This one is based upon the reasoning 'why don't they look the same as before?' Well my friend, you may have missed this small point. This movie is a reboot; it’s the same reason why the buttons on the Enterprise Bridge don't have toothpaste caps for buttons anymore.

3. Daddy Kirk:
Um, this one makes no sense, sorry. Is this some kind of protest at Hollywood casting?

4. CGI Eyeballs Alien:
What the problem with this again? Too different from the norm for you? why do you even watch Sci Fi if you are going to criticise the look of an Alien. If you hate this, then you must be absolutely disgusted by a Ferengi.

5. Nokia Product Placement:
And the problem is? Cellphones? Who said it was a cellphone? How do you know that Nokia do not make the communicators? Perhaps Nokia was absorbed into the new economic world order....I dunno.

6. Beastie Boys:
Again, and the problem is? This is a superb song and I found it worked really well with the scene of a young rebelious Kirk. What song would you have used?

7. Robocop, 'Utterly Pointless':
Can you please explain why this is utterly pointless? Personally I thought it looked awesome. Does there have to be a back story for every single person in the film? Perhaps his 'Robocop-ish' suit was for protection from the elements while flying a hoverbike at some dangerous altitudes, who knows?

8. There's Canyons in Iowa?
Um, yes there is. This is a Science Fiction film and it is set in the future. In the future there are man-made canyons in Iowa, probably quarries. yes.

9. Little Kirk is Neo:
Because he jumps out of the car going 80 Mph (was it going 80mph?) this makes it worthy of some silly comparison to the Matrix?. Um ok.

10. Why is that shitty music still playing after the car has gone over the cliff?
Well this is an interesting point. During the production of film and television and even some creative home made videos, there is a vital but little known area called 'editing'. This is where a soundtrack is overlayed upon the moving images for dramatic effect. Click here for more info.

11. Gasoline.
Prices? Peak Oil? Mate, even a 6 year old with half a brain could come up with a reason for this. How about, um perhaps it’s not Gasoline. Maybe it’s an alternative fuel that they are using in the Mustang? My god, they are already doing that now, in 2009! 'The Future Begins!'

12. Time Travel
And the problem is? Time Travel is an often used device in many Sci Fi genre film and TV shows, your point?

13. Shaky cam
Again, your point? This is again used for dramatic effect, used very effectively in such awesome shows as Battlestar Galactica, Firefly and even some of the External shots of Babylon 5. All brilliant science fiction. Did they suck too? Shaky cam is a technique often employed by many film and tv shows.

14. Kirk is a bar hopping drunk ass Jerk.
Yes. Yes he is.

15. Budweiser product placement.
Yes, they have Budweiser in the future and they probably have Scotch whiskey too, is that bad also? They probably even have ale from other planets...Omg!

16. Your Mom's a whore.
??? I guess you started to run out of ideas when you got this far.

17. If Vulcans hate humans so much, why don't they study math in their own language?
Perhaps you have once more forgotten the entire point of breaking the communications barrier to advance the story in almost all Sci Fi shows. They are speaking English for the benefit of the audience, the readouts are also for the benefit of the audience, um just like every other sci-fi film or TV show ever made.

18. British Vulcans
American Vulcans?

19. Spock's fake plastic hair.
Is it plastic? Looks like hair to me.

20. Uhura Sex object.
Did someone edit some porn into your version of the movie? I think I missed that scene.

21. Chris Pine, douche bag.. Ken Doll.. Kirk is now a drunken lout.
Well I don't know Chris Pine so I do not know if he is a douche bag or not, what is a douche bag anyway? Ken Doll? ... Again, you have a problem with Hollywood casting? Was Shatner a Ken Doll too in his day? Perhaps. Drunken lout? Well at the beginning of the movie he got drunk in one scene, I guess this makes him a drunken lout. ???

22. Green Alien Bimbo
You said she needs a better paint job? Looked fine to me. Looked...um.....Green. Was that not the point? a bit of humour and homage to TOS?

23. Comrade Chekov, could that Russian accent be more outlandish?
Probably not, but again is that not the point? You forgot to also mention that his accent is completely inaccurate with regards to his pronunciation of the letter 'V', but again, it's just like Koenig did it, did you hate him too?

24.
Where is 24? you suck.

25. The Macbridge.
Looks awesome to me and I hate Mac's!

24. (Oh there it is) Balloon hands.
2 words my friend, 'comic' and 'relief'.

25. Transporter Beam, why does it now swirl around like the Tasmanian devil?
My god, you are correct. When I first saw the new Transporter beam effect I thought 'hang on, why did they copy the Tasmanian devil?' then I thought 'why did the Tasmanian Devil copy a Tornado?' then I thought 'why did that Tornado copy the effect of my flushing toilet'?

26. Why is it that their HALO master chief suits don't burn up in the atmosphere? And what's with those parachutes?

There is a common thread running through the sci fi genre and Star Trek in particular. It deals with 'Technological advancement'. Advancing technology is part of the very core of speculative fiction and they use this to explain why they can fly faster than light and teleport people.

You have a problem with the suits not burning up in the atmosphere, but you are ok with teleportation?

27. And all of a sudden Sulu has a sword?
Yes Sulu has a sword.

28. Space Drill. Why does it not burn up in the atmosphere? How does this thing work? And why? Why not use explosives? Trying to drill a hole in the ground from space is the mostrediculous thing ever invented.
Romulans can fly at warp speed, defeat the inertia of faster than light acceleration, fire complex weapons of mass destruction and you are wondering why their fucking drill doesn't 'burn up'. Um, again, because it’s made of some super fucking spider silk alloy from a hill tribe in the outer reaches of Mongolia OK? Who knows!

Should Scifi writers explain every single thing to cater for people like you in the audience who yell 'how's that supposed to work!?' or 'that's impossible!'

Explosives?. In Star Trek they can fire intense fictional beams of destructive power and you would prefer they lobbed a few grenades?

Drilling a hole from space is cool. it looks cool and lets say. oh I dunno, given that the purpose of this ship is to 'mine'. Then maybe, just maybe whatever it is they mine might be dangerous and require the Romulan crew to remain at a safe distance.

29. Then they tell us some bullshit about turning a planet into a black hole...WTF?
They did not 'turn' the planet into a black hole.

Red Matter is a fictional material in Star Trek and you are trying to debunk it? (Slaps forehead)

30. Leonard Nimoy. He serves no other purpose in this movie. Besides being a gimmick, blah blah blah.
Leonard Nimoy is a legend. He refused to participate in Star Trek: Generations for the reason above, but in this movie he is a vital component to explain the back-story and to teach his younger self about what he has learned in his own experiences with logic and feelings.
You are a fool to dismiss his role.

31. Convenience.
Are you talking coincidence? Because I agree with you, there are a few coincidences in this film which do seem suspicious. But then, coincidences happen every day. I am not going to trash this film over this point, but its easily the best one you have come up with so far. Well done. 31st time lucky I guess.

32. The Future is 'lame'. 200 Years from now, we still use Nokia Phones, still have to deal with sexually harassing beer swilling assholes, still drive fossil fuelled cars, vaccines have toxic and dangerous side effects and they still haven't improved the wheel chair.
How do you know we still use Nokia Phones? Who is guilty of sexual harassment in the film? How do you know the car is fossil fuelled? Vaccines have always had side effects, the new ones in the future probably will also. Again, 2 words 'comic relief'.

Wheel chair? How would you improve it?

33. Captain Pike (enter pointless ramble here)
How can I rebuke a pointless ramble? Oh, I just did.

34. Star Trek Earwig
You are confusing this creature with the ones from The Wrath of Khan. This was to be homage to Star Trek II. Besides the creature went into Pikes mouth, not his ear.

35. Jokes about farm animals
Uhura's line in the bar was not the funniest line ever written. But it was not too bad I thought. Why would you say that this is a reason the film sucked?

36. Enterprise built in space in the teaser, but on the ground in the movie.
I cannot remember seeing any 'space' scenes in the teaser do you? It was built on Earth.

37. Somebody needs to tell the cameraman about tripods.
Whats the problem with this? You don't like the angle of that shot? So?

38. Lens Flares again.
You are definitely running out of steam I think.

39. Unlikeable characters
Most people (fans and non-fans) agree that the characters were excellent. Steam running out.... getting desperate to reach 100!

39. Red Matter.
39 again? can nitpickers not count? What’s wrong with the term 'red matter' exactly? Why it is not explained? um, let’s see...probably because this is a science fiction movie. I bet if someone offered a seminar to explain it, you would show up and wait while everyone else stands outside and laughs at you.

40. Nero
So you don’t like the baddie. fine, I did not particular like him either but Eric Bana did a great job of what he had and brought more life to an otherwise thinly developed character. He looked mean and acted mean though. Good enough.

41. This movie sucked way too much like Star Wars.
Your opinion is noted.

42. Kirk is abandoned on Hoth where he runs into a Wampa.
I guess its the same as Kirk being abandoned on Rura Penthe (I mean Hoth) and running into a Small Mammoth (Wampa) your point? (Fox News!, Its all connected people!)

43. There's always a bigger fish?
Need more coal?

44. Sidekick Alien
Wasn't exactly the most poignant character in the movie but the problem is?

45. Pikes says that Starfleet is a peacekeeping force. The Peacekeeping forces of today are interventionists blah blah blah...
Um, so you think that Starfleet's role of peacekeeping somehow negates its Prime Directive? Can you please explain this to me? How do you know that? what makes you think for one moment that Starfleet intervenes with pre-warp civilisations?

46. Explanation of the nickname 'Bones' is stupid
Why? how is any nickname properly explained? do you have some kind of official documents which detail the rules of nicknames?

47. Idiotic sex jokes, lost in space Pseudoscience
Can you explain this one better please? you make no sense.

48. Scotty just happens to be on Hoth (Delta Vega)
Agreed, one hell of a coincidence. I would have changed this to include Scotty in a different way but I would not say the movie sucks because of this flaw. Just silly.

49. Jeffrie's tube. The Enterprise has a willy wonka tube as well.
Problem? water turbine uses tubes. Would you prefer they used something else?

50. Enterprise Engine room looks like a boiler room
Personally I think this was one of the more realistic aspects of the film. Why would the engine room be carpeted with shiny plastic walls (likeTNG)?. I would expect a futuristic Engine room to probably look more like a futuristic boiler room....probably. TNG hater too?

51. Where is Nurse Chapel and Yeoman Rand for more sexual harassment opp's
Again with the sexual harassment, please explain where Kirk sexually harasses someone? please explain!

52. Mindless action.
In what way was it mindless? Jerky etc etc? go and buy new glasses if you cannot follow what is going on.

53. Phaser Pistols behave like Stargate guns and have the same sound effect.
Those phaser pistols were an excellent homage to 1960's design and looked and sounded fucking awesome.

54. Old Spock meets new Spock.
So he changed this fucking mind! oooooooo, what a terrible thing to do in a film, besides the crisis was over, why not meet him?

55. Old Spock tell Kirk to piss off Young Spock so he can take command. Drinking being a heel (Heel?) cheating on tests, and being a cocksucker (?) makes him a manipulative slimebag.
Drinking (once) cheating (Kobayashi Maru cheat was central to Kirk's Character), being a cocksucker and a manipulative slime bag. So what the problem here? sounds like this was a young Kirk to me? how do you know that he wasn't. Why watch an origin story at the risk of not liking the young characters?

56. Galaxy Quest is better...blah blah blah.
Sure, you have your opinion. Galaxy Quest was an awesome film for sure, but then I could also say that 'Notting Hill' is better than 'the Matrix'. Not exactly comparable though I think.

57. Someone forgot to tell the guy who plays McCoy that we wasn't really supposed to be playing McCoy in a real Star Trek film blah, shitty take-off, blah, insult the intelligence of anyone who watches it blah blah...
Karl Urban did a superb job (as you said afterward) and whats the point of this criticism again?

58. Sulu played by Korean actor.
And you admit that this one is a bit 'nit-picky' ???? my god man! what about the 57 before and the rest yet to come? good lord.

59. JJ is crap
Whether you agree or not. The fact is we can now look forward to a rebirth of Star Trek thanks to JJ Abrams. If Michael bay had made this film (like you said) then the film would have had no story at all. It would have been badly cast (JJ's casting was spot on) the editing would have been at a nightmarish speed and he probably would have found a way to get the US military and some US flags in it somehow. If this film had failed, it would have spelled the end of Star Trek. Thank god people like you, are in the minority.

60. 'Enterprise' is better even with its pandering, dumbing down and sex scenes.
Bro. Are you ok? do you have an aversion to Sex?

61. Alternate timelines do not explain everything.
You are right, they don't. But rebooting a movie for a different fucking century does. Based on this logic, would you prefer that the new Battlestar Galactica characters walk around in the 1970's sets wearing the same 1970's capes?

62. Starfleet Academy.
Whats wrong with it? You mention of developing characters is silly. These characters have already been vastly developed in every other TV show and movie. This is a prequel.

63. Kobayashi Maru
My god. What did they do to upset you? They pretty much re-created this scene, exactly like Kirk explained in 'The Wrath of Khan'. What more do you want?

64. Three Years Later
Let me see the 3 years! let me see the 3 years! why? what did we lose? Kirk in class, acting arrogant (I thought you hated that).

65. Kirk grabs Uhura's boobs
Dude, this was by accident. It was not harassment. two words. 'comic relief'. Your constant intention to paint Kirk as a pervert points to something deep within your own psyche I think.

66. Everyone gets promoted.
No they don't. The ship is full of cadets. 3 of them get promoted.

67. Admiral Archer's Beagle.
Yes. Your point? Admiral Archer is 156 years old. So? problem? Connections to old shows are good, they make it fun for the Star Trek audience. Also this was probably the 11th Beagle that Archer had for all we know.

68. Nero and his henchmen never age.
How do you know this? did you see extra scenes of the movie that the rest of us did not? or are you simply saying that because they do not look too different 25 years later? Romulans live much longer, this was established Trek lore...long long ago.

69. Nero Screams then kills Capt Robau.
You broke out laughing at how ridiculous it was? Not in the cinema I hope!, I would have fucking crucified you if you did that in the cinema while I was there. (Movie fans hate people that do that) Nero kills Spock because he furious to discover he has arrived somewhere in the past and has lost Spock, and therefore his ability to exact revenge upon him and his kind.

70. The Romulan Mining ship. Why would a simple mining ship be armed to the teeth with missiles, lasers and enough firepower to destroy a planet?
Again, if you actually watched this film you would already know that it does not.

The Romulan ship has no lasers.

It does not have enough firepower to destroy a planet.

It does have missiles, yes. Is it so wrong that a mining vessel which may be subject to hijacking for its precious cargo vital to the Romulan economy not have some missiles for protection?

71. Perhaps it (the Nerada) was copied from Stargate Sg-1
Looks similar, you are right.

But if you are an avid fan of any scifi, I think you will agree that coming up with a completely 100% original starship design can be difficult since almost all shapes and sizes have already been done by someone.

72. Why are they wading around in puddles on a Spaceship?
because there is a great deal of moisture build up in the mining machinery. That's why.

73. Its nice to have all those fancy ledges and platforms to fight on.
So....you would prefer to make a film with sets that have no ledges or platforms? Weird.

74. Wouldn't the black hole suck in the entire solar system?
No. They were not in the solar system, they warped away. If you had actually watched this movie, you would know this.

75. Beating us over the head to remind us this is Star Trek.
So you are upset that Scotty has an accent, Checkov has an accent and they repeat lines from the old show. Was this not the point in making a Star Trek prequel? would you have preferred they deleted all these things? This is one insane reason for suckage.

76. I can't wait to kick some Romulan arse
Brilliant line. Whats wrong with it? fans know the moment we saw him dressed in red that he wasn't going to kick anyone's arse. Also did you not note Kirk's reaction to the line? he was a little confused by the eagerness of the 'red shirt' too. You missed the whole point of that scene dude.

77. Miniskirts.
This movie did an excellent job of blending the 1960's TOS look and feel in an updated setting. Everyone loves a mini skirt my man!

Well, not everyone. You obviously don't and I wonder why?

78. Stop telling me I'm a trekkie.
So if you wanted a reboot, you want a 'full' reboot minus the uniforms, romulans etc. You make no sense! what are you actually saying here?

79. Did I mention the lens flares?
Yes you did. I like them. Especially during the scene where the Enterprise arrives above Vulcan. The flares added to the sense of chaos.

80. This was basically Star Wars with a bit of this and that.
No it wasn't. You say that it failed to achieve anything that Star Trek was originally about. Like what? this was one movie.

Did you want all the morality and optimism of Star Trek in one package? This film had to re-establish Trek without alienating the mainstream audience by bombarding them with the morality tales that we have come to know and love.

Personally I think this was a good move. Besides, Kirk did offer an olive branch to Nero (very Trek like) and the future Earth looks pretty clean green and good to me. I want to live there.

81. ?

So, after 80 reasons why Star Trek Sucked, I'd say that maybe 2 of your reasons have merit. Thats a pretty bad ratio if you ask me. It's also painfully obvious that you went into this film with the intention of hating it. Your reasoning proves that you did not actually watch the movie properly since many of your reasons are either simply innacurate or prove you lack of knowledge of Trek lore, such as your errors in numbers 29,36,66,67,68,70 and 74.

To read more hate talk from the Fox News of Sci Fi, head over there now and say 'hello'.

I patiently await the rest...

Stargate Universe 'Time' Review

2009-11-18T09:10:00.008+13:00

Ok, here it comes. Stargate Universe's inaugural 'time-travel' story.

Many of the 'I hate time travel' people have already stopped reading this so I might as well continue.

They did a good job. Yes thats right, SGU has brought a little more originality to the classic time-travel plot line.

The crew of Destiny end up in a jungle on a planet looking for supplies when they spot a dead kino lying on the ground. The memory banks are full and they return to Destiny to watch....themselves.

That's right, we watch them, watching themselves. We find out a great deal about the characters as they playback footage from the Kino about their disastrous time on a planet that they never visited for more than a short while.

People are killed and Alien creatures swarm the crew but in an interesting and quite original approach to the time-travel plot, they manage to conclude the episode in such a way which had me scratching my head for a bit.

I know I am not explaining this very well, but trust me this is an excellent twist on the classic TNG-esque Time Travel storyline.

7.5/10

ScienceFictionStuff.com

Stargate Universe 'Earth' Review

2009-11-11T10:55:00.005+13:00

Stargate Universe just gets better and better.

I said in a previous review that one of the only things I did not like about the show was the communication stones, but I have to admit this show was absolutely superb and it would not have happened without this plot device.

The crew of Destiny contact Earth, where the powers that be have discovered a way to 'possibly' get them all back home. Eli, Chloe and Young use the stones to swap bodies on Earth and while the plan to save them is being hatched they all go off on a it of a personal journey. Eli visits his mum but cannot tell her that he is actually Eli because she would not be able to handle it. Some very touching scenes ensue and Eli's character development suddenly gets a major boost.

Some hilarious moments happen between the characters in their 'alternate' bodies and the episode ends on a particulary disturbing note.

This episode had comedy and drama all in one.
A fantastic episode with some superb moments for all the major characters!

8.5/10

ScienceFictionStuff.com

Finally Spotted R2D2 in Star Trek

2009-11-01T23:32:00.010+13:00

Well, I hunted and hunted for images of R2D2 in Star Trek and I scoured the web for an image of it. All the images I found online all are wrong. Like the one below (which of course an image of the Enterprise shuttle)

But here is the REAL one! Hooray!

Hi Res Version!

As you can see, R2D2 is floating through the debris field in a shot where the director obviously figured out that the audience attention would of course be on the giant Romulan ship, while completely ignoring this little robot floating gently to the left of the screen.

But here he is! Undeniable proof that R2D2 somehow was transported through space and time in order to witness the destruction of Vulcan.

I guess the chances are that he was then sucked into the black hole and sent far far away with all the debris from Vulcan...

*Update, although I found this a while back, it was the good folks over at Gizmodo who finally received confirmation from a source at ILM that this is the real deal. (thanks for the linkback!)

*Update, some people online are saying that this image is Photoshoped but I want to help prove that it is not. The best way to do this I have found is to play your copy of 'Star trek' with Media Player Classic and use the amazing frame advance feature to get the still... that's how I done it.

I am truly amazed that I seem to be one of the few people who spotted this, yay for me! lolz.

Stay tuned to ScienceFictionstuff.com with high speed internet from Comcast
$150.00 every year

keywords: star trek r2d2 easter egg, rs-d2 in star trek

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Stargate Universe Images and Wallpaper

2009-11-01T21:33:00.005+13:00

Younger members of the Stargate Universe Crew
Download Image

The crew of the Ancient Ship 'Destiny'
Download Image

Stargate Universe Wallpapers II

ScienceFictionStuff.com

Stargate Universe, Water

2009-11-01T18:48:00.005+13:00

The water on board Destiny is running out because an alien creature from the desert planet that we saw in episode 3 has somehow made it aboard and is hogging all the water whenever someone opens the tank.

Colonel Young and Lieutenant Scott make their way through the Stargate to replenish their supply of water from a barren ice world, meanwhile the whispy cloud of miniature alien razor blades manage to rip apart one of the crewmembers who confronts it in a corridor.

Stargate Universe is still throwing out really good episodes and this one was very good. 'Water' did not have quite the feel of jeopardy of previous episodes and there is not a great deal of action in it, but the usual characters all have great moments to shine.

6.5/10.0

ScienceFictionStuff.com

Star Trek 2009, Deleted Scenes review

2009-10-30T18:34:00.006+13:00

It arrived!

One day after I ordered it from Mightyape and 40 New Zealand dollars later, I ripped open the package to check out the deleted scenes from JJ Abrams 'Star Trek'.

My verdict. Good. Not great, but good.

I was kinda hoping for some really mean visual effects but the deleted scenes really only had examples of what might have been. I will say this, I can understand completely why they took these scenes out. The movie is much better without them.

Nero gets captured by Klingons is probably the most eagerly awaited scene for many a fan and it certainly fills in a few holes for the Nerada and crew. The set piece for the Rura Penthe scene is quite big. A large outdoors set with plenty of extras who probably are very pissed off that they never made it to the final cut. Nero is interrogated by a Klingon who has a rather 'soft' voice for a Klingon (I presume they would have Klingonified his voice in post) and soon breaks free after he beats the shit out of the guards and then runs to a cell where he releases 'Ayel' declaring that awesome line from the trailer 'The wait is over!'

I found it interesting that we never actually see the Klingons per se, they are always hidden behind a ridged helmet. I wonder why? Definitely another homage to Enterprise and the TOS.

We also see in more detail how Kirk was able to plant the subroutine into the Kobayashi Maru test by way of a little trick with Gaila, the Orion slave girl.

Winona Ryder gets much more screen time in the deleted scenes than the movie itself. She has a scene with her husband (Sarek) over the naming of their child 'Spock' and a very good confrontational scene with Sarek when young 'Spock' gets into the fight before Sarek talks to him about it.

There is a very funny scene where Kirk apologies to the green girl over using her. But realises after his speech that this is someone else. Its funny, but again I can see why they removed it.

Even after many many months, I still think that this re imagination of my favourite Sci Fi franchise has still been a massive success and I cannot thank JJ Abrams, the producers and writers enough for bringing it back to us.

By the way, am I the only one who noticed that Nero has part of his ear missing, a la 'Chopper Reid'...awesome.

Long live trek.

ScienceFictionStuff.com

Stargate Universe, Darkness and Light

2009-10-25T20:52:00.011+13:00

Spoiler Alert: At the start of any new TV show, the chances that most of the characters are going to die off is a cataclysmic event are pretty slim.

But, having just watched the Stargate Universe episodes 4 and 5 (Episodes 'darkness' and 'light') I was actually thinking for a moment here and there 'will they? won't they!'

Often in sci fi you can see the solution to a crisis coming a mile away and that's OK, because it is scifi and we love it.
There is usually a somewhat predicable technological solution to almost every crisis.

Stargate Universe (so far) is different, they almost convince you that there is absolutely no hope for our characters this time.

The good ship 'Destiny' is still on its pre-programmed mission of...well...we don't know. But one thing is for sure, the 'Destiny' has an appetite for survival.

We spend most of episode 'Darkness' watching as our characters as the ship runs out of power and the ship slingshots itself around a planet to enter an area ripe with supplies, unfortunately Destiny has changed course after the slingshot and it is not heading toward any planet. It is heading toward the sun.

As the ship approaches the star, the only working shuttle is made ready to fly to the nearest habitable planet for only 17 people, 15 of which are drawn by lottery. The rest must remain aboard Destiny, where they will soon be killed as the ship enters the sun.

Plenty of time is taken for the characters to accept the inevitable and I kept waiting for Dr Rush to come running with a magical technical solution to the problem. But he never does, thereby holding the suspense for much longer.

Of course, a solution ultimately arrives, but not before they must retrieve the shuttle in a nice reversal of last minute danger before Destiny jumps back into FTL, leaving them stranded.

It usually takes me a few episodes to convince me of a shows worth. This one has had me hooked from the start.

I cannot wait for the next one!

ScienceFictionStuff.com

Stargate Universe, the Verdict

2009-10-14T20:48:00.005+13:00

*Minor Spoiler Zone

What did you think?

I'll tell you what I think. So far I think this newest incarnation of the seemingly invincible and ever enduring Stargate franchise is bloody good. No doubt with its darker tones and more battlestar-ish feel that the writers and producers are aiming to gather a slightly more serious audience to the table.

Being Scottish I am ever so slightly bias toward the fact that one of my favourite actors, Robert Carlyle is playing one of the leads, if not the lead in the show and at first I thought he was just another clone of the smart doctor on board who everyone hates, but needs, I am already wondering if there is more to his character than that.

This, I think is the intention. More character development... already I am only 3 episodes in and I want to know more about what happens to these people who are stranded 'several billion light years from home'. In particular my immediate attention is drawn to Ronald Greer, Eli Wallace and Nicholas Rush (Robert Carlyle)

Interestingly this new Sci Fi Premiere seems to favour drama over action, since to be honest there really was hardly any action at all, except during some flashbacks to the attack on Icarus Base.

Stargate Universe (SG:U) is definitely trying to break new ground in the realm of Sci Fi and that just fine by me.

Things I love about it so far:

Internal Conflict (always a good thing)
Interesting Characters
Great Music
Great FX
Emphasis on Survival over Adventure (Adventure seems incidental)
and a Huge New (Ancient) ship to explore!

Things I don't really like about it so far:

Those daft communications stones, that's it!

Sci Fi Stuff...

ScienceFictionStuff.com

Star Trek 2009, The Haters, Criticisms and Rebukes.

2009-10-14T13:35:00.022+13:00

I simply cannot believe the sheer number of articles on the web which are completely hammering JJ Abrams reboot of Star Trek, actually scratch that, I can believe it. I guess I just forgot for a moment while I was wrapped up in the incredible resurgence of Star Trek that there is a size able, vocal minority out there in the Sci Fi fraternity which simply cannot help but be dour, joyless nerds who care about nothing but the minutiae.

Yes I know that all Star Trek fans are probably considered nerds anyway, but what I am talking about is 'NERDS!' not nerds, ok?

There is an absolutely staggering amount of haters out there who absolutely MUST find fault with a movie which lets just remind each other for a moment, is 'Sci Fi' as in 'Science Fiction' as in, 'lets face it it's a bunch of made up shit' which we love, of course.

So, even though sci fi is a bunch of made up shit and we love it, these guys (and gals) cannot help themselves. OK I know that this is a free world and I am not telling anyone not to criticise this film, but when that criticism blindly finds fault with the contents of a film which exist entirely in fiction, I cannot help but want to hit these people.

Here are a few of the main criticisms flying around the Internet at the moment.

1
:Janeway Pi Alpha 47
Cadet to Captain? What is this? Did someone submit a piece of fan fiction to the studio that got somehow got swapped with an actual movie script and no one noticed?...read the full post

OK, yes I admit, Kirks move from Cadet, to XO, to captain was remarkably quick. However if you take it in the context of the story and situation then I think it makes it more believable, bearing in mind that Sci Fi does rely upon its fans to 'believe' many things. Here is my rebuke:

Primary fleet in the Laurentian system, leaving the remainder made up of mostly cadets and young officers with a few senior ones such as Captain Pike.
We already know that Pike likes the idea of 'leaping without looking' and he thinks that this is something Starfleet has lost.
Historically we also know that soldiers are promoted very very quickly during wartime and with the decimation of the 7 Federation ships this is effectively a war and the Enterprise is all that stands between Nero and Earth.
So Kirk is promoted to XO, (probably also thinking that he could be dead at anytime during the crisis). Pike is taking a chance on him and he is right to do so. (leaps without looking)

So, bearing in mind that his command decisions as 'acting Captain' saved the goddam planet from dissolving into a black hole and ending up god knows where (It could have ended up in the Farscape Universe, what a bloody nightmare!), lets give the guy a break and make him Captain, no?

2
:Tiki's review
'The main bad guy apparently was lost in space for 25 years, but pshh, didn't age a day.'
read more

Here we bloody go again. Ok, listen up Tiki, this is Sci Fi. Lets just say that maybe, just maybe those pesky Romulans might not age as quick as we do, OK? lets just say that maybe they live much much longer!.... wait hang on a moment, this was already established in Trek, DECADES AGO!

3
:whytheysuck.com
This guy makes several very well written and thought out criticisms of the movies but throws a cheap shot about the 'fucking dog'.
With Star Trek’s medical science I can buy the idea of a 140 year old Jonathan Archer. I can not buy the idea of a 94 year old Porthos. Not even Phlox is that good a medic. read more

They never mentioned for one moment that this was Porthos. People often buy the same breed of dog to replace the one that dies, this could have been Porthos XI for all we bloody know... in fact, why am I even rebuking this comment? Jesus I have been dragged down by all the gloom....

SOMEONE HELP ME!

ScienceFictionStuff.com

JJ Abrams Speaks more about a Star Trek Sequel

2009-10-13T12:18:00.005+13:00

Star Trek II (Star Trek XII) or Star Trek 12!

Last we heard from JJ Abrams was that Star Trek 2 needed to be an allegory to societal issues of today much like Rodenberry’s vision was so many years ago. “It needs to do what [the late 'Trek' creator Gene] Roddenberry did so well, which is allegory.

It needs to tell a story that has connection to what is familiar and what is relevant. It also needs to tell it in a spectacular way that hides the machinery and in a primarily entertaining and hopefully moving story.

There needs to be relevance, yes, and that doesn’t mean it should be pretentious. If there are simple truths — truths connected to what we live — that elevates any story — that’s true with any story.”

Read more from Fused Film >>

ScienceFictionStuff.com

Battlestar Galactica - The Plan

2009-09-29T18:20:00.003+13:00

First it was November, and then it was this fall.

Now “Battlestar Galactica: The Plan” won't air in 2009 at all according to the Syfy channel and Chicago Tribune columnist Maureen Ryan.

The much anticipated movie, which is a new take on the pivotal events of “Battlestar Galactica,” will tell the story of the attack on the Twelve Colonies from the point of view of the Cylons.

Fans are eagerly anticipating the release and with much reason. The show ended in April, which left a lot of fans wanting more after only four seasons. Edward James Olmos, the director and legendary Adm. William Adama in the series that ran from 2003 to 2009, has said on numerous occasions that when “Battlestar” fans see “The Plan,” "They’re all going to have to go back and watch the entire series again.”

The DVD will still be released Oct. 27, and there's no word from Syfy that this street date will change.

Battlestar Galactica - The Complete Series DVD & Blu-ray

2009-09-29T18:08:00.006+13:00

From the Guardian...

There are still (foolish) people who refuse to watch this on the grounds that a) It's like that dumb show from the 1970s or b) It's not enough like that dumb show from the 1970s.

Both groups are seriously missing out because the revamped Galactica might just be one of the finest shows television has ever produced.

Taking the bare bones of the original, it places humanity on the endangered species list in the opening miniseries, when 12 colony planets are attacked by the Cylons (a robot race mankind created decades previously), reducing humanity to around 50,000 souls. In this version, there are no aliens or goofy, episodic helping-out-a-planet-in-peril plots.

In fact, other than having created robots and having discovered a way to travel faster than light, they're not too different from us. They smoke, drink, use telephones, listen to the radio, have ill-considered sex and argue. A lot.

Read More >>

Wallpaper: USS Kelvin, Starship

2009-08-27T11:48:00.010+12:00

Federation Starship Hi Resolution Image and Wallpaper
USS Kelvin NCC-0514
2200 x 1200 (Original Size)
Wallpaper Sizes Download : 1920 x 1200 : 1920 x 1080 (HD)
1680 x 1050 : 1440 x 900 : 1280 x 800

This is my 2nd effort at rendering this incredible mesh by Tobias Richter.
I played around with the lens flare for quite a while until it looked just right.
Render time took approx 1 hour on a 2.8Ghz Pentium D 3.25GB Ram!

USS Kelvin Hi Resolution Image / Wallpaper
1680 x 1050 : 1440 x 900 : 1280 x 800

USS Kelvin mesh by Tobias Richter - Composited and Rendered in Lightwave by ScienceFictionStuff.com

This is my first attempt at rendering the amazing USS Kelvin Mesh by Tobias Richter from The Light Works.
I tried to get some nice shadows on the hull from a very close angle, in retrospect I think the image is too close but I still like the angle.
Please let me know what you think in the comments!

Wallpaper: Star Trek Space Battle

2009-08-24T21:06:00.016+12:00

USS Voyager, USS Cairo, USS Defiant, USS Esk
Download Full Size Star Trek Wallpaper

1920 x 1080 : 1920 x 1200 : 1680 x 1050

USS Voyager and USS Cairo are the first to open fire on a Suspected Romulan probe detected in the Terran System circa 2380:
I rendered this image 4 times with one basic shot, one with more light on the runabout and 2 with a yellow light on the Excelsior and Voyager hull to make the phasers look more realistic ( My good mate Kendall pointed out that I have got the emitter wrong on the excelsior slightly wrong. I checked the blueprints and of course, he is right)
The phasers were done in photoshop using a combination of Gaussian blur, ripple effect and noise.
I also added noise to the overall image to make the hulls look a little more realistic.
Voyager By Sarod / Excelsior by Eric Peterson / Danube by T.Slanitz / Defiant by Jonas Ljungberg Phasers, Phaser Lighting, Rendered and Composited by Muzzerino www.sciencefictionstuff.com

Wallpaper: Nebula Class Starship

2009-08-24T11:23:00.023+12:00

2 Nebula Class Federation Starships
USS Edinburgh NCC-5255 and USS Auckland NCC-2366
orbiting Earth's Moon Circa 2381

Download Full Size Starship Wallpaper
1680 x 1050 : 1440 x 900 : 1280 x 800

Nebula Class Federation Starship USS Sutherland
passes 'Dione' during refit testing circa 2378

Download 1920 x 1080 (HD) 1680 x 1050

I always loved the design of the Nebula Class Federation Starships and this mesh by Flat Eric is amazing. The only change I made was to the shape of the main deflectors central component. The mesh has a very round dish and I felt that the more rectangular one was more like the series. Please let me know what you think in the comments!
The Nebula-class was a type of Federation starship that was in service in Starfleet during the latter half of the 24th century.
Construction of the Nebula-class was spearheaded under the authority of the Yoyodyne Division, and ranged in construction dates from as early as 2363 to as late as 2367. Vessels including USS Phoenix and USS Sutherland where constructed at this time at both the 40 Eridani A Starfleet Construction Yards and later the San Francisco Fleet Yards orbiting Earth.
The Nebula-class was equipped with multiple phaser banks, located at various points along both hulls, as well as multiple torpedo launchers. The Nebula-class had a maximum effective weapons range exceeding 300,000 kilometers.

Star Trek Wallpaper rendered in Lightwave 3d and Adobe Photoshop : Mesh by Flat Eric
Additional Info by Memory-Alpha

Wallpaper: Galor Class Cardassian Warship

2009-08-23T22:06:00.016+12:00

After messing around in Lightwave and Photoshop, I decided to create some Star Trek Wallpapers. Please let me know what you think in the comments!

1920 x 1080 Wallpaper

Cardassian Galor Class Warship 'Gorand' on routine patrol along the Federation border

Galor-class cruisers were the primary class of warship by the Cardassian Guard during the latter half of the 24th century.
The arsenals of Galor-class warships vary, though typically they are armed with numerous phaser arrays. Although the Galor-class vessels were decidedly inferior to the Federation's Galaxy-class starships, they proved to be very effective against Miranda-class and other older Federation starships.

Star Trek Wallpaper rendered in Lightwave 3d and Adobe Photoshop
Additional Info by Memory-Alpha

Transformers 2 : Mini Review

2009-08-12T10:35:00.009+12:00

Ok, I finally bit the bullet and went this last weekend to my local multiplex in Auckland to go and see the movie that knocked Star Trek off the No1 spot at the box office.

In a nutshell? 'Style over substance' that's it.

Don't get me wrong, its kinda what I expected anyway so I was not actually disappointed, but the film definitely lacked some important elements such as...

Storyline
Characters
Narrative

What the movie did have was...

Awesome CG
Megan Fox ( Wallpaper here )

Also what I found interesting was that almost the entire 2nd half of the movie was just an advert for the might of the US Military.

Destroyers, Carriers, Bombers, Choppers, you name it, they are all here, but the fact that a movie like this could topple a movie like Star Trek at the box office says a hell of a lot more about the general cinema-going audience than the movies if you ask me.

2/5

Brannon Braga Speaks about Enterprise and the new Star Trek Movie

2009-08-11T17:52:00.006+12:00

The topic of "The Are The Voyages", the controversial TNG tie-in finale of Enterprise, came up, and Braga again was very candid, saying:

Braga: I will take full blame for that episode, for those that didn’t like it. In retrospect, it was a very cool idea, that in the end was a mistake. The concept was was to have Manny do a final two-part finale, but then have a final final episode send a valentine to all of Star Trek over the last eighteen years. We just thought it would be a cool concept to show the Next Generation’s crew looking back, though the holodeck, at Archer’s crew. It is a high concept, but I am not sure it came together.
Read more @ Trek Movie >

WTF was Nero up to for 25 years?

2009-08-11T17:45:00.003+12:00

Well, now we will know!

"STAR TREK: NERO" #1 (IDW Publishing): Remember how Romulan villain Nero (played by Eric Bana) was supposed to have been waiting 25 years to catch Spock after getting caught in that crazy time-bending portal? What was he doing all that time? Well, if that plot element from the recent "Star Trek" movie has been keeping you up at night, you can sleep safely knowing that IDW is kicking off a new series this week that chronicles Nero's off-camera machinations. Written by Mike Johnson and Tim Jones, with art and covers by David Messina, "Nero" follows in the footsteps of IDW's previous, well-received "Star Trek" titles that not only earned kudos from comics fans, but from the Trek faithful, too. It's as close to a sure thing as you get in the world of comics based on movie and television projects, so go ahead and grab a copy.

Read more @ Em Tee Vee

Star Trek 2 ( The New One )

2009-08-11T08:05:00.002+12:00

Orci and Kurtzman speak!

"We had about a 15-minute to half-hour discussion with the whole gang and went off on our separate ways," "We're still in the re-reading and taking it all in phase before we actually sit down and start designing the film."

"We have to comb through everything and make sure that we leave no stone unturned because that was the approach that I think we were looking for on the first movie," states Kurtzman.

"And when you pitch an idea, sometimes someone will be like, 'Well, that's like that one episode,'" adds Orci. "Even in trying to stay away from it, you can crash back into it."

Read More >>

Stargate Universe Trailer in HD (Long Version)

2009-08-07T13:58:00.005+12:00

I have to say, it looks bloody good and I am delighted to see that Robert Carlisle retains his Scottish accent. Kudos to him!

Stargate Universe (abbreviated as SGU) is an upcoming military science fiction television series, part of the Stargate franchise. Stargate Universe follows the adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team on board the Ancient spaceship Destiny.

Transported to Destiny in a distant corner of the universe and unable to return to Earth, members of the team are forced to remain on the vessel and fend for themselves. The cast is Robert Carlyle as Dr. Nicholas Rush, Justin Louis as Colonel Everett Young, David Blue as Eli Wallace, Brian J. Smith as Lieutenant Matthew Scott, Jamil Walker Smith as Master Sergeant Ronald Greer, Alaina Huffman as Lieutenant Tamara Johansen, and Elyse Levesque as Chloe Armstrong.

Battlestar Galactica is programme of the year

2009-08-07T13:48:00.004+12:00

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Long snubbed by the Emmys and Golden Globes, "Battlestar Galactica" got some love from the Television Critics Association during the weekend.

The final season of the Syfy cable channel's acclaimed drama was named program of the year by the group on Saturday.

HBO picked up more awards than any network -- three -- with "True Blood" named best new program, "Grey Gardens" winning achievement in movies, miniseries and specials, and "The Alzheimer's Project" taking achievement in news and information. Read more at Reuters>

Eugene Roddenberry and the legacy of 'Star Trek'

2009-08-07T10:05:00.003+12:00

Eugene Wesley “Rod” Roddenberry, the only child of Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett Roddenberry, recently took some time to talk to Hero Complex’s Linda Whitmore. He has a couple of irons in the fire. First, with the annual Star Trek Convention coming up this week at the Las Vegas Hilton, Rod plans a tribute to his mother, who died in December at age 76. Rod lives in the San Diego area and was at the recent Comic-Con International to promote his current project, the comic book series “Days Missing.” Along with his career in science fiction, he has collaborated with NASA, Cal Tech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Kennedy Space Center to promote space exploration. He was frank, articulate, humble and undeniably logical when he talked to our resident "Trek" specialist, Linda Whitmore.

That’s not “Star Trek.” “Star Trek” was never science fiction. “Star Trek” was about people, humanity, characters. That was just thrown into the bubble of science fiction.

Read more @ the latimes.

Why You Should Watch Star Trek Enterprise

2009-07-19T20:13:00.015+12:00

1: Cogenitor:

This is the name of a 2nd season episode where we find the chief engineer 'trip' in a moral dilemma. The Enterprise encounters the Vissans, a species with 3 genders. One of the genders occupies only 3% of the population and serve only a single purpose, to produce offspring as a 'Cogenitor' for couples of the other 2 genders.

Trip has a problem with the way the Cogenitor is treated, 'it' has the same mental ability as any other member of the Vissan species but is treated as an object with no equal rights.

This is classic Star Trek at its best and the writers of this show "Enterprise" do an incredible job of this one by bringing us a dilemma where everything that appears to be 'right' is completely against the nature of anyone who watches this. This has issues such as Slavery and Human Rights all over it and the episode has a sting in the tale that will send your jaw halfway to the floor.

2: Outgunned

We are an enlightened species, intent on making peaceful contact with alien races, so reluctantly we as humans in our new age of enlightenment we will take the minimum amount of offensive weaponry as possible, OK?

Previous Star Trek shows never really made many story lines about weapons and why should they? The USS Enterprise, Voyager and certainly the Defiant were always a good match for any potential enemy they encountered. But here, during humanity's first days in deep space, we see the characters constantly struggling to come with ways to defend themselves. Eventually in one episode, Archer admits that he although his intention to explore peacfully never wavered, 'he needed those weapons, and a whole lot more'

Seeing these Star Trek characters struggling to bring peace and human values to the galaxy without the the desire of being armed to the teeth is an interesting development.

3: Borg

Everyone's favourite Star Trek villain's appear in this show too but hang on, there is a very good reason why. The Ultimate Plot Device!

Remember in the movie First Contact when picard fires Quantum Torpedoes at the Borg sphere attacking the surface? Well the destruction of the sphere had sent wreckage to the surface of the Earth (The Arctic) and a few well preserved Borg drones have been preserved in the ice. You can imagine the utter carnage that ensues!

22nd century humans of course do not have the slightest clue how dangerous the Borg are and take nowhere near enough precautions, this makes a great episode for a Star Trek viewer since we already know what these bloody Borg are going to do. Some great action, music and drama make for an excellent Borg episode and of course the last outing of the Borg in the Star Trek franchise ever. Not to be missed!

4. Vulcans

Never have the Vulcan characters been so extensively developed before like they have in this series. We find that mind melding is considered a 'dirty' practice and that there are Vulcan sects such as the 'Syrannites' who do not follow the traditional path and are considered rebels and terrorists. Vulcans during this time struggle to keep their emotions in check when things get serious and they prove to be in some cases very unstable and dangerous given that their technology is way better than Starfleets.

5. Humbled

One 1st season episode sees Captain Archer reluctantly having to ask for help from an arrogant Vulcan commander (who is constantly looking over his shoulder) to rescue a shuttlepod trapped inside a comet. The Enterprise is equipped with a magnetic grapple, whereas the Vulcans have a tractor beam. Seeing the Starfleet ship as somewhat puny and simple compared to the Vulcan vessel is again, another departure in typical Star Trek lore.

Caprica Review

2009-07-19T12:45:00.013+12:00

Spoilers..

Watching the pilot episode of Caprica I definitely thought 'this is a little slow' compared to Battlestar Galactica. But then, we really should not compare this show to Battlestar Galactica anyway since from the outset it was very clear that this would be a whole new format for the Battlestar Galactica saga.

There are no Space Battles, no External Scenes in Space whatsoever (At least not in the pilot)

This show is set on the planet Caprica, 58 years before the fall and approx 18 years before the 1st Cylon war.

The only familiar elements in this show are the child' William Adams' (Adama) and his lawyer father which we knew about in BSG. The whole idea of this show seems to play upon the ethical conundrum that comes into play when a parent loses a child and has an opportunity to bring that child back, using artificial means. Here we have the birth of AI.

The Birth of the Cylon.

There is one hope for this show in my mind, that it will 'trick' non sci fi viewers into watching it.

In fact I reckon there are plenty of scenes where you could be watching for a good 20-30 minutes without realising for one moment that this show is actually set on another world, over 150,000 years ago. (hopefully this will trick those sci-fi haters out there :-))

I reserved judgement until he very end of this show before I decided if I liked it or not, and I do, I like it a lot.

I can tell you this for sure. This is no 'Crusade'. (The Ill-fated Babylon 5 Followup Show)

This is no cheap spin-off to a successful show for the sake of making more money. There are solid ideas here, solid ideas indeed. But how long will they last?

This is the show outline given by Wikipedia:

Whereas the dark, post-apocalyptic reimagined series revolved around a final bid for survival, Caprica is preoccupied with a world intoxicated by success. "It's about a society that's running out of control with a wild-eyed glint in its eye," states Ronald D. Moore.

The Twelve Colonies are at their peak, self-involved, oblivious and mesmerized by the seemingly unlimited promise of technology. Framed by the conflict between the Adamas and the Graystones over the resurrection of loved-ones lost in an act of terror, the series will explore ethical implications of advances in artificial intelligence and robotics.

Set against the backdrop of a society with technology a few decades ahead of our own, Caprica is more of a regular drama than a traditional space opera. Instead of space, violent conflict and a plot driven by action, Caprica features cityscapes and unfolds in stories which focus on corporate, political, familial and personal intrigue. With the troubled relationship between two families at its center, the series has even been likened to classic 1970s and 1980s prime time soap operas Dallas and Dynasty, garnering accolades such as "television's first science fiction family saga."

Though Caprica is a prequel, it is self-contained and viewers can join without having seen Battlestar Galactica. While it will explore elements of the backstory of the reimagined series, notably the emergence of artificial life and its progeny the Cylons, it will do so in a manner which requires no prior knowledge.

I for sure recommend you get this show on DVD and give it a go!

Sci Fi Stuff