HYGOTS No. 55
October 30th, 2009
In the very beginning, of course, there was only ‘Star Wars,’ which probably few identified as ‘A New Hope.’ Maybe some thought of it as Episode IV. Eventually, two more films, a handful of books, some cartoons, two Ewoks movies (no, seriously), comic books. But, believe it or not, the Jedi and Darth Vader, the Empire and the Republic were not always as prolific as they are today, where you can read a new comic, a new book, a new TV show just about every week and almost never think about the six films that rest at the heart of the world George Lucas created. You can probably thank Timothy Zahn for that.
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan review
October 29th, 2009
Back in 2003, it was a radical idea to reinvent ‘Battlestar Galactica.’ In 2009, where the new version has completed its run, not so much, because it’s become known as a critical success with a small but dedicated following, soon to have a spin-off that further advances the new version of the saga. There’s talk that Bryan Singer wants to do pretty much the same thing over again, for a film. In the event that this happens, perhaps it seems more necessary than ever to provide a single statement about the ultimate worth of this second version (third, if there are still those who consider ‘Galactica 1980’ to be its own entity). Slated to be aired on TV next year but released this week to collectors is ‘Battlestar Galactica: The Plan,’ which promises to deliver just that, the story behind the opening statement to every episode of the series, which recounted the premise about Cylons, the revolt, and well, “the plan.”
Review from the FuturePast – “Century City”
October 28th, 2009
This isn’t going to be a regular column or anything, but I felt it would be of interest here at Lower Decks. Originally airing on CBS in 2004, the show was your standard legal drama with a science fiction twist – it took place in the year 2030. Thus, unlike your standard legal drama, this show was taking on cases that involve futuristic technology and ideas, including cloning, genetic engineering, and nanotechnology. Knowing that, follow me passed the jump for a review of a show from the past…that takes place in the future.
Heroes 4×6 “Strange Attractors” review
October 27th, 2009
The following contains spoilers through “Strange Attractors,” originally broadcast 10/26/09.
The fourth season of ‘Heroes’ is called Redemption, and although you wouldn’t know it by the ratings, the title is supposed to reflect both the arc for the characters and a new path to reconciliation with the fans. You might remember that a similar tack was followed at the beginning of last season, which is story enough to explain the lack of tangible viewership, which in all likelihood means, despite every effort, this will probably be the final season of the series. As one of the remaining and actually enthusiastic fans, I find myself pretty well at peace with this notion. Four seasons is pretty good, especially for a niche show (who knows what even ‘Lost’ would have ended up with had its own creators not announced at the end of an unpopular third season that it had the rest of the story plotted out; the days of this particular brand of fan getting much more, like what used to be routine seven seasons of a Star Trek, much less nine for ‘X-Files,’ are probably long in the past). Regardless of the reaction, however, ‘Heroes’ is still going strong, if playing that get-the-fans-back card pretty strongly.
FlashForward 1×5 – “Gimme Some Truth”
October 25th, 2009
Like last week, this episode of FlashForward focuses on some characters that we haven’t seen much of. Unlike last week, however, the episode also keeps us up to date with the Mosaic investigation. Because of this, it all seems to come together, and the result was an hour that I really enjoyed.
HYGOTS No. 54
October 23rd, 2009
Another film marking its tenth anniversary certainly deserves its place in a column celebrating overlooked achievements. For my brother and me, ‘Wing Commander’ was a sci-fi experience every bit as memorable that summer as ‘The Matrix’ or ‘The Phantom Menace,’ and it wasn’t because we were big gamers or fans of Freddie Prinze Jr. or anything. It was just something that entertained us. I can’t speak for him, but for me, it remains memorable to this day, and well worth revisiting.
Smallville 9×4 – “Echo”
October 20th, 2009
For the second straight week, I’m going to ask that you ignore a part of the plot of a Smallville episode because you will have to look passed it to see the good parts. This week, instead of zombies, it will be Clark’s temporary power to read people’s thoughts. It isn’t a Superman power, and you’re never going to hear from it again. So put it out of your own mind, don’t worry about it, and try to focus on the rest of the episode. Which, actually, isn’t that bad.
FlashForward 1×04 – “Black Swan”
October 19th, 2009
FlashForward decided to take a week to take a deeper look at a couple of characters that haven’t been seen much previously (Nicole and Bryce), illustrating what’s happened to them since the first episode. And while there’s a little movement to the story, it feels a bit like a filler episode after last week’s step in the right direction. In fact, if not for the little revelation at the end of the episode, there wouldn’t be a whole lot there to look at.
HYGOTS No. 53
October 16th, 2009
To be really appropriate with this column, it should have landed about eleven weeks ago (when I wrote about the X-Men back at the end of July). What number is associated with Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy? 42, of course. But I had to wait, because this week was a special occasion for this particular brand of genre fan. The so-called sixth book in the trilogy, ‘And Another Thing…’ was released. There was something of a dilemma when the publisher realized that Adams was in fact dead and so couldn’t complete the book on his own, let alone write it, so Eoin Colfer was tricked into it. Something about being forced to attend a poetry recital if he didn’t. Either way, Arthur Dent was sure to be the brunt of the joke yet again.
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