In case this news catches you unawares, one of the greatest space sagas of all times -- Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope -- is turning forty years young this upcoming May, 2017 ... and SciFiHistory.Net is offering all of its fans a chance to participate in that month's online celebration of All Things SciFi!

​Where were you when the Star Wars bug caught you?  Was it back then in 1977, or did you get bitten and smitten some time later?  Still, you had to see A New Hope at some point, and what did that experience do for you, mean to you, inspire you to do?  Who is your favorite character?  What is your favorite moment?

​Seriously, I'm looking for any and all takers who are wishing to sound off on the George Lucas creation, so I'm putting out this clarion call to any interested parties: if you'd like to write something in celebration of this milestone, then I'd love to hear from you.

​Now, granted, my job as an online editor is to make sure SciFiHistory.Net is putting out as high quality efforts as is humanly possible, so I'll still have to review and/or edit and/or make changes for the sake of posterity (yours and mine) ... but that's really the only qualifier.  I'd like to have as many folks who'd like to participate, so consider this an online challenge: you want to submit something, then get on the stick.

​Submissions can be sent to me directly as my email -- [email protected] -- and in the meantime May The Force Be With You!

I probably look forward to the next installment of the Planet of the Apes saga like any SciFi junkie does, but there's something about this forthcoming one -- War For The Planet Of The Apes -- that kinda/sorta feels very "been there, done that."  The vibe feels very similar to Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (2014), what with all of the threats of violence and chest beating (by both men and apes, of course).  Still, I'll probably see this one in theatres as that franchise continues to impress both visually and thematically.

​For those unaware, a new trailer just dropped today, and I thought I'd post it via the YouTube.com linkage:
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As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Syfy's Farscape was arguably one of television's greatest Science Fiction properties ever.  It deserves to stand alongside programs like Star Trek, Babylon 5, and The X-Files as examples of mythology done right for all of the ages.  In fact, I've often made the argument that Farscape was the show that Star Trek: Voyager should've been as it launched with much of the same foundation -- the fish out of water sent to the far side of the galaxy -- but did vastly much more with it than Rick Berman and company ever dreamed.

But, I digress ...

​The real purpose of this post is just to inform that all of Farscape's Season 1 and Season 2 listings are live in the Daily Citations.  I had started putting them up ages ago and then forgot where I left off, but last night I spent a little time cleaning up a few areas ... so now they're up and running for all to see.

​As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

I don't know how many of you are currently enjoyed the 'Americanized' Humans' second season on AMC.  I currently have all of those episodes on my DVR (so, yes, I'm a bit behind), but I wanted to offer a quick housecleaning post today to let you know that all of the episode citations for the program's first season are now part of their respective days.

​Interestingly enough, I recently finished watching the first season of the Swedish original (titled Real Humans), and I'm slowly tinkering with a piece on it.  To put it succinctly, I didn't like the Swedish version as much as I did the AMC one, and I couldn't quite hit the nail on the head as to the particulars.  Some of it is tone (the Swedish one is a bit darker, maybe even a bit seedier, and a tad more "adult," for lack of a better term), but it's also hounded by its own politics in the last few hours.  The performances are quite good, nonetheless, and the similarities to the AMC interpretation are strong enough that I suspect most viewers would probably 'dig' it.  A few of the characters don't "translate" over as strongly as do their counterparts on AMC, but (again) those are minor quibbles when evaluating the length and breadth of the story.

​Still, if you're hokey-dokey with subtitles, then maybe pick up a copy on DVD if you're inclined.  Science Fiction fans would probably appreciate what the Swedes accomplish with great ease (effects work are much more practical and in-camera).  Plus, the subplots left out of the Americanized version do give the audience a bit more to think about when the challenge of integrating artificial intelligence into our already messy existence is taken a bit too casually.

​As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

... a little something from today's "Completely Unnecessary" Department ...

​The corner of the web dealing with genre-related projects briefly caught fire over the last few days when it was announced that director Robert Rodriguez was linked to yet another attempted remake of the John Carpenter Science Fiction classis, Escape From New York (1981).

​Now, I'm often taken to task by others when I christen Escape as a "classic."  Yes, the term is most decidedly overused -- especially given the critical community's ongoing insistence on labeling their next personal favorite as "an instant classic!" (if there ever were such a thing) -- but I think the better of the two Snake Plissken features has definitely earned it.  It's one of those rare 'older' flicks that continues to inspire younger and newer viewers who discover it.  It's definitely stood the test of time, thanks largely to Carpenter's crisp and efficient direction in letting a good story simply tell itself.  Its cast definitely pushes the film toward cult status (Adrienne Barbeau has never looked lovelier, and Isaac Hayes gets great mileage out of the perennial 'stink eye' performance), though many went on to even greater fame subsequent to Escape's release, including Kurt Russell who remains a bankable box office commodity from time to time.

​And doesn't Hollywood's ongoing insistence on attempting to remake/reboot/rebrand the franchise in and off itself prove the picture has merits?

​For those new to SciFiHistory.Net, let me be perfectly clear: I'm not a fan of re-imaginings because, quite frankly, I think some pictures are good enough to be left alone.  I have no problem if someone wants to go off and craft some sequel of sorts by using the same character in a different setting (think of what George Miller did with Mad Max: Fury Road, and you get the idea -- different Maxs but same universe), but all too often a re-visitation ends up diluting what made the original such an interesting story to begin with.  There's a danger inherent in going back to the well: do it poorly, and you tarnish the original ... and that's a little lesson I wish someone would teach JJ Abrams.

​Or better yet: why not go out and find something done wrong the first time and then attempt to get it right?  Sylvester Stallone tried to tap into Science Fiction with his take on Judge Dredd (1995), an interpretation that looked little-to-nothing like the judge/jury/executioner I'd read in comic book form.  The film failed -- probably for many reasons -- but thankfully director Pete Travis stepped in with Karl Urban for Dredd (2012), a fantastic version that arguably gave fans of the property what they were looking for.  Since so many good ideas get poor screen treatment, why not find something else other than Plissken and company and give that a go?

​Besides, if you really want to get picky, I'd argue that Escape already was remade: in fact, Luc Besson was sued over how closely his inferior Lockout (2012) tried to capitalize on Carpenter's original, and I thank the stars every day that someone other than me felt that way.  Guy Pearce did his best 'Snake Plissken' impersonation ever, and the President's daughter stood in for the actual President of the United States in the rip-off's peril (an idea already tried in the God-awful Escape From L.A. so don't get me started).  I realize Lockout has its fans, too; I just don't consider myself among them, and I'm ashamed to admit we share the same planet.

​Casablanca?  It's a classic.  Don't remake it.  Citizen Kane?  It's a classic.  Don't touch it.  Escape From New York?  Yeah, it sits on that same pedestal in my house, and -- while Hollywood insists on trying it again -- I think it's best to let sleeping dogs lie.

​As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

For those keeping score, I've not been the biggest supporter of Disney's Star Wars: Rebels.  So far as I'm concerned, the central characters have been largely dimensionless, with Jedi leads Kanan Jarrus and Padawan Ezra Bridger more often bumbling their way through adventures rather than heroically blazing a path for others to follow.

​Now -- in fairness -- some of that is obviously the dynamic of the program.  Rebels is set presumably in the earliest days of the Rebel Alliance, and several of the key figures who play somewhat prominently in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope have only recently come into being on the show (as well as a familiar face or two from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story).  As a consequence, many of Rebels' stories clearly have these 'rebel scum' facing odds far too treacherous for a head-on confrontation, and audiences have instead been treated to fringe worlds and characters far too circumstantial for the program's own good.  Also, it helps to keep in mind that this is a full-blown Disney production; and -- as such -- it's probably a bit more "kid friendly" than Star Wars: The Clone Wars ever way.

​Still, Rebels has grown on me a bit as of late.  This third season has finally put this particular excursion in a stronger light, with the stakes being raised significantly.  Maybe it's taken longer than I would've liked, but I'm starting to finally "get" Rebels' vibe, and I'm liking its new direction.

​In any event, its third season recently concluded with a pretty exceptional two-parter titled "Zero Hour."  SciFi Pulse's Ian Cullen sounded off in a review, and I thought I'd share it for anyone who might be equally interested.  You can follow the link right here for his thoughts.

​As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

Yes, yes, yes ... I realize that much of Who fandom is kinda/sorta split right now, what with Peter Capaldi perhaps not quite being one's particular "cup of tea" as the legendary time traveler.  It's been announced that this is his last season as the Time Lord, and even longtime showrunner Stephen Moffat will be departing for different pastures at the conclusion of this series.

Still, could there be a better time to be a Doctor Who fan?

​The market of late has been lightly flooded with some high quality merchandise, and this morning in my inbox I've received an email announcing that Nerdblock is expanding to now include officially licensed Doctor Who items as part of its bimonthly program.

​For those unaware, Nerdblock is basically a subscriber service of fan merchandise (action figures, clothing, accessories, etc.) that get mailed directly to your address of record every 45(ish) days.  I've always thought that the price is a bit steep (these run about $50 each mailing, and I suppose if you have some disposable income available that there are worse things to be hooked on), but I have been fortunate enough to pick up several of the items (DC Comics things) on the secondary market via eBay and Amazon.com.

​In any event, if you're interested in knowing a bit more, just click the link right here.

​As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

If you were a Science Fiction enthusiast, then growing up in the 1970's had its advantages.

​Late 1960's flicks like 2001: A Space Odyssey and the original Planet Of The Apes kinda/sorta christened much of theatrical SciFi with greater respect from critics, and some of that acclaim helped to fuel so much of the early 70's features.  Soylent Green and Logan's Run kept the interest of academia high, and then 1977's Star Wars doused gasoline on an already burning flame.

​When Hollywood sees a good thing, then inevitably some suit decides to try to achieve a measure of return by giving television audiences a chance to explore their fanaticisms weekly, and this led to a handful of good properties turning up all over the dial ... and who remembers Project U.F.O.?

​It lasted only for two shortened seasons (thirteen episodes each), and -- for better or for worse -- it never really had the level of storytelling that would interest anyone more than the casual SciFi fan.  UFOs and tales of abduction didn't quite come into their heyday until Fox TV's The X-Files pushed the envelope with more intelligent stories of EBEs and what their visits may or may not mean for all of mankind; but Project U.F.O. still tried hard to be something special for those tuning in.

​So here's another housekeeping post for the day: all listings of the program's run are now up and running in the Daily Citations.  You'll see 'em when you see 'em ... and -- if you're interested -- there are some episodes of the show up on YouTube.com.  You might wanna check 'em out on your own as time permits.

​As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

Those who've been around the web for as long as I have will tell you that there's two kinds of people: those who accept DC Comics' movies or those who don't.  I get that the pantheon of heroes comprising the DC Universe aren't all the cat's meow that (apparently) are the Marvel knuckleheads, but I grew up on a steady diet of Batman, Superman, and their various Super Friends, so I'm clearly in the camp that champions a good cinematic release featuring them whenever I can get one.

​So, yes, I'm totally jazzed about the forthcoming Justice League movie, though I'll admit I'm honestly at a loss as to whether or not it will be a two-parter or a single film.  (My understanding is that it was originally planned as two parts, but the lackluster reception of the latest Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice forced Warner Bros. to request it all be chucked into a single flick.)  Last week, the studio dropped a handful of teaser trailers -- each one featuring the heroes in the separate glory -- and, this past Saturday, the released the full "official trailer" in its splendor.

​My only quibble (isn't there always one?) is the Cyborg.  I've seen vastly worse CGI creations, and -- while this one didn't quite win me over -- this one might be hard to swallow.  It's happened before that the pre-release footage of effects shots sets the bar low, and maybe that's the case here.  I guess we'll have to wait for the film to know for certain.

For those who missed it elsewhere, here's the preview:
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As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

Oh, the things we discover ... even when we're not looking for them?

​Do any of you remember the animated Partridge Family 2200 A.D.?  You can do yourself some Googling (if you're seriously that interested) in order to take a deeper gander (be afraid ... be very afraid!).  So very much of what I saw looked very much like an alternate take on the Jetsons (not that there's anything wrong with that), but I honestly don't recall this one from my youth.  Likely, I watched it but blocked it out with years and years of added cynicism.  It's definitely the kind of thing I probably would've suffered through back in the day, though as I've told friends and family I never quite 'got' into cartoons the way most children did.  I was always more of a Thunderbirds kid with animation only sparingly sprinkled throughout my TV viewing regimen.

​In any event, this is mostly a housekeeping post to let you know that I've completed the Daily Citations for all of this ton's history; and you'll see them when they pop up from time to time.

​As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!