Tagged: Sci-Fi

Star Trek Movie Annotations

Star Trek Movie Annotations

The new Star Trek movie has been blowing people away, providing an introduction for new fans and an alternate time line that allows for even old fans to be surprised.

Every article and review has mentioned how time travel is being used to explain/justify this reboot, this new take on things where old rules are broken or, at least, revised. And yet, it is clear that the writers involved have an affection for what came before, making many references to the canon old school fans know and love.

Thus, we have put together this list of references and nods to other Trek stories. BE WARNED, SPOILERS ABOUND BELOW. If you have not yet seen the new Star Trek film, DO NOT continue reading so you can fully enjoy the story later for yourself.

And while, we’re on the subject of Star Trek, for anyone interested: Today, May 12 at the Paley Center in New York (formerly the Museum of Television and Radio), I will be part of a panel that is meeting to discuss how different leaders in sci-fi drama compare to James T. Kirk. There will be a discussion with the audience and trivia questions as well, so feel free to attend. The panel begins at 6:30, but if you come at 5 pm, there will be a big-screen viewing of the original Star Trek pilot “The Cage” featuring Captain Pike and a younger Spock. More information can be found at this link.

And now, your list of continuity references.

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Review: ‘Star Trek’ Season One on Blu-ray

Review: ‘Star Trek’ Season One on Blu-ray

All eyes are on what J.J. Abrams and his team have done to reinvigorate public interest in Star Trek. The reason the franchise, created by Gene Roddenberry, needs any attention at all is the result of inept studio focus during the 1990s and beyond. To Paramount’s management at the time, [[[Star Trek]]] was a cash cow to be milked dry as often and in as many ways as possible. Any care about creativity was a lucky happenstance, not by design. Therefore, they let [[[Star Trek: Voyager]]] limp along on their UPN network only to be followed by the even limper [[[Star Trek; Enterprise]]]. The film series, featuring [[[The Next Generation]]] characters, kept hitting the reset button until [[[Nemesis]]], which had a disinterested director foisted upon the series at a time it really needed to improve its game given the critical drubbing the television version of the franchise was receiving.

By the time [[[Enterprise]]] was canceled and Nemesis got ignored at the box office, everyone agreed it was time to let the entire behemoth rest. Some argued forever, others wisely knew Paramount would never let it go so bet on three to five years.

What everyone seems to have forgotten is what Roddenberry got away with back in the 1960s. Today, we’re reminded of that once more with the release of the first season of the Original Series on Blu-ray. The 29 episodes that NBC aired during the 1966-1967 television season have been carefully restored, remastered, and augmented for today’s technology and audiences.

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IDW and ComicMix Join Forces

IDW and ComicMix Join Forces

  • News
  • March 26, 2009

Well, we’ve been hinting at this for about six months now. Some of you traditionalists have been asking when and how and where and when you can buy printed versions of the ComicMix comics. I’m proud to announce that we have partnered up with our friends at IDW (where GrimJack and Jon Sable Freelance and Mars last appeared) to produce one graphic novel and two comic books each month, starting this fall. Plus hardcovers and omnibuses and such, as the market demands.

O.K., I’m one of those traditionalists as well, and while I love reading this stuff online (particularly on my iPhone), I’m looking forward to seeing them in print. And I’m looking forward to running my typical long-winded introductions in the trades and letter columns — yet, genuine letter columns! — in the comics.

So if you’d like to email us a letter for publication, just post ’em as comments to the comics. Oh, yeah, we’re starting off with GrimJack: The Manx Cat and Jon Sable Freelance: Ashes of Eden in mini-series format. As if we should start somewhere else? IDW’s press release, for the record:

SAN DIEGO, CA (March 25, 2009) – IDW Publishing, a leading publisher of comic books and graphic novels, has begun an innovative partnership with ComicMix.com, a free website offering new and classic comics. Through this multi-year agreement, IDW will publish graphic novels, books and comics for ComicMix.com properties, enabling both companies to expand their offerings to customers and retailers, and combine their audience reach.

“ComicMix has a great line up of original and classic brands that are currently only available online, and despite the shift to the virtual world, there is still something unmistakable about reading a real-life book” said Greg Goldstein, chief operating officer of IDW. “IDW is known for producing some of the highest quality books in our industry, and we are looking forward to offering this to fans of ComicMix properties.”

Beginning in the fall of 2009, IDW will release trade paperbacks of ComicMix comics, as well as monthly comics, including many new stories that have previously been only available online at ComicMix.com. Initial titles will include GrimJack: The Manx Cat by John Ostrander and Timothy Truman, Jon Sable Freelance: Ashes of Eden by Mike Grell, and Hammer of the Gods by Mark Wheatley and Mike Avon Oeming, among others.

“This is a bit of a homecoming for many of us at ComicMix, because we have had a professional relationship with IDW Publishing over the past several years,” ComicMix Editor-In-Chief Mike Gold noted. “We’re honored to be among such first-rate comics and graphic novels. Quite frankly, I don’t think the ComicMix properties could find a better publishing home than IDW.”

The partnership with ComicMix allows IDW to distribute comics via mobile devices, increasing the company’s growing digital, downloadable publishing program, which already includes several major titles such as Star Trek: Countdown and Ghostbusters.

About IDW Publishing

IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. As a leader in the horror, action, and sci-fi genres, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including television’s #1 prime time series, CBS’ “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation;” Paramount’s “Star Trek;” Fox’s “Angel;” Hasbro’s “The Transformers;” and the BBC’s “Doctor Who.” IDW’s original horror series, "30 Days of Night," was launched as a major motion picture in October 2007 by Sony Pictures and was the #1 film in its first week of release. In April 2008, IDW released "Michael Recycle," the first title from its new children’s book imprint, Worthwhile Books. More information about the company can be found at IDWPublishing.com.

About ComicMix.com

Organized in 2007, ComicMix.com is the free website for brand-new comics, news, opinion and historical research. Organized by comics veteran Mike Gold (DC Comics, First Comics, Image Comics), Internet pioneer Brian Alvey (WebLogs Inc., Blogsmith, AOL, Netscape) and print and online publishing vet Glenn Hauman (Random House, Simon & Schuster, BiblioBytes, DC Comics), ComicMix has been leading the comics industry in the production and online distribution of new comic book stories by major talent.

SciFi Channel becoming Syfy: So yeah, f*** you

SciFi Channel becoming Syfy: So yeah, f*** you

  • News
  • March 17, 2009

The Sci-Fi Channel is going through its fourth logo in a decade, and its third network name. It was created as the Sci-Fi Channel, then became just Sci Fi, and as of June 7th, 2009, it will be known as SyFy.

Yes, we know April’s fool isn’t for two weeks. This is, sadly, real.

Response to the change has been, shall we say, unenthusiastic.

One commenter noted that the new name stands for "so yeah, f*** you" since they feel as if that’s what the attitude toward their fanbase seems to be, noting their horrible fan relations as compared to, say, ESPN. Another noted that it’s yet another attempt to remove the science from science fiction, which certainly seems to be working well over there.

Apparently, one of the reasons for the name change is that you can’t trademark Sci-Fi. To quote the press release, SyFy "firmly establishes a uniquely ownable trademark that is portable across all non-linear digital platforms and beyond, from Hulu to iTunes. Syfy also creates an umbrella brand name that can extend into new adjacent businesses under the Syfy Ventures banner, such as Syfy Games, Syfy Films and Syfy Kids."

So SyFy is just CyA, as it were.

In other news, the parent company is changing their name to NyByCy, so they can compete in Australia.

ComicMix Quick Picks – March 8, 2009

ComicMix Quick Picks – March 8, 2009

The weekend’s list of quick items:

Anything else? Consider this an open thread.

Buck Rogers returns in May with 25 cent #0 issue

Buck Rogers returns in May with 25 cent #0 issue

  • News
  • February 24, 2009

Dynamite Entertainment announces that its upcoming Buck Rogers comic book series will blast off in May with issue #0 with the low low cover price of 25¢.

"We’re planning Buck’s launch to be one of our biggest of 2009, one that will propel him into the comics future, "said Dynamite President Nick Barrucci. "We could think of no more appropriate way to welcome fans to this totally fresh take on one of comicdom’s first heroes than to offer his first new comics adventure in years at this incredible introductory price."

"Dynamite’s reinvention of Buck Rogers will follow the path Dynamite has blazed with its previous successful titles, and to ensure the comics audience can read the launch, we’re releasing the comic at a .25¢ cover price.  Dynamite is proud to be instrumental in re-inventing and continuing the legacies of  historical characters and their worlds with creators who can execute great stories.  We’re equally proud of the consistent critical and fan responses to our efforts, and are confident that Scott Beatty and Carlos Rafael will deliver.  We’re confident that Buck Rogers will extend Dynamite’s own tradition of creating and bringing together generations of fans in the most thrilling way possible, which is why we are launching it at an Introductory Priced.  This will allow retailers to stock it, and fans to try it, and see the quality, inexpensively."

According to series writer Scott Beatty "I can’t begin to describe my excitement in working with Dynamite and the Dille Estate to chronicle the all-new adventures of science fiction’s original spaceman, Buck Rogers."

"Buck is a sci-fi icon. We wouldn’t have STAR TREK or STAR WARS or many of the familiar trappings of the genre without the trails blazed by Buck with his trusty ray-gun and jet-pack. And with that in mind, I’m humbled by the fact that I get to work with such an important and indelible literary creation.

Featuring covers by John Cassaday on the series– and a special variant cover on issue #1 by Alex Ross– with story by Scott Beatty, and interior art by Carlos Rafael, Dynamite predicts Buck Rogers will be the smash hit sci-fi and adventure series of 2009 (and beyo-o-o-o-nd).

Batman sequel on hold until 2011

Batman sequel on hold until 2011

  • News
  • February 12, 2009

According to E! Online, a sequel to The Dark Knight is two years away. At least.

Director Christopher Nolan has inked a deal with Warner Bros. to helm Inception, based on his own screenplay. The sci-fi action film "set within the architecture of the mind" aims to begin shooting this summer and hit theaters in summer 2010, according to the studio.

This probably shouldn’t surprise anyone, though. It was three years between Batman Begins, and last year’s The Dark Knight. In between, Nolan made The Prestige, starring Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman as rival magicians.

The only potential problem, of course, is if they want to do another Terminator sequel for 2011, which would keep Bale’s schedule very filled and could conceivable dilute the impact of each film in theaters.

Nathan Fillion: On voicing Steve Trevor

Nathan Fillion: On voicing Steve Trevor

  • News
  • January 29, 2009

Nathan Fillion, star of Joss Whedon’s “Firefly” and “Serenity,” will do double duty this March as the voice of Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman, the next entry in the series of DC Universe animated original PG-13 movies due on March 3, 2009, with a preview showing at the New York Comic Con, and is also taking the title role in “Castle”, premiering on March 7th on ABC, which features Fillion as a hugely popular mystery/horror writer who helps police solve crimes– think "Murder She Wrote" with Stephen King, but nowhere near as stiff.

Fillion, a fan favorite as Captain Mal Reynolds, as well as Captain Hammer in “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog,” found time away from the grasp of DC Voice Director Andrea Romano (right) and his unrelenting Halo addiction to chat.

QUESTION: Can you describe the challenges of bringing Steve Trevor to life?

NATHAN FILLION: The challenge I find is just trying to use my natural voice and trying not to put on too much of a voice.  I tried to just keep it nice and easy and relaxed. He’s a little bit wry, he’s a little bit dry. I can do that. And a couple of times I actually slipped in a little bit of a southern accent. 

Steve Trevor is not a complex guy.  He’s got a façade up, he’s got a defense up, but he drops it a little bit because he does care about Diana.  I like that he’s got a bit of an arc, he’s got something to learn.  I think that’s what makes a good character and a good story.

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Patrick McGoohan, 1928-2009

Patrick McGoohan, 1928-2009

  • News
  • January 14, 2009

Patrick McGoohan died Tuesday in Los Angeles after a short illness, his son-in-law, film producer Cleve Landsberg, said. He was 80.

Patrick Joseph McGoohan was born March 19, 1928 in Astoria, Queens, NY, raised in Ireland and the UK. He rose to fame in the British film and TV industry by starring in the 1960s television series Danger Man (renamed Secret Agent when exported to the US) playing John Drake, a role which made him the highest paid actor in England at the time.

McGoohan won two Emmys for his work on the Peter Falk detective drama Columbo, and more recently appeared as King Edward Longshanks in the 1995 Mel Gibson film Braveheart. He portrayed the father (and predecessor) of the Phantom in the 1996 movie.

But he was most famous as the character known only as Number Six in The Prisoner, a sci-fi tinged 1960s British series in which a former unnamed spy is held captive in a small enclave known only as The Village, where a mysterious authority named Number One constantly prevents his escape. McGoohan not only starred in the series, he created it, and wrote and directed many episodes. It’s currently being remade as a miniseries for AMC.

At the time of his death, McGoohan was mostly retired, living in Los Angeles, California with his wife of 57 years, Joan Drummond McGoohan. Along with his three daughters, he had five grandchildren (Sarah, Erin, Simon, Nina, and Paddy). On June 11, 2008, he became a great-grandfather to Jack Patrick Lockhart.

To promote its new reinterpretation of the show which just wrapped shooting and scheduled to premiere in November, AMC started streaming the original series in full screen last week. If you’ve never seen them before, go look.

‘The Dark Knight’ wins five People’s Choice Awards, gets WGA nomination

‘The Dark Knight’ wins five People’s Choice Awards, gets WGA nomination

  • News
  • January 8, 2009

The Dark Knight won a total of five People’s Choice awards last night, including favorite movie, favorite action movie, and favorite cast. Christian Bale was named favorite superhero and won, along with the late Heath Ledger, the favorite on-screen match up category.The film also was nominated yesterday for outstanding achievement in writing for the screen during the 2008 season by the Writers Guild of America. Winners will be honored at the 2009 Writers Guild Awards held on February 7 at simultaneous ceremonies in New York and Los Angeles.

Other genre friendly wins last night: Heroes won the People’s Choice award for favorite sci-fi/fantasy show and "Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog" won for favorite online sensation.

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