Forgive me a bit of grumpiness, but I've really grown tired with the BBC's never-ending promotion of the new "girl-powered" Doctor Who.  Now, don't get me wrong: I may not be all-in on the whole idea involving the legendary Doctor regenerating as a female of the species, but I'm willing to approach the new stories with some cautious optimism.  Rather, my essential gripe is "let's get on with it already, and where are the new episodes?!"  We've been talking about it forever it would seem, and I'm at the point that I just want the new adventures here so that I can watch them and make up my own mind on the whole affair.

That said, I did read that in order to build up even more interest for this impending new season that BBC America is doing a massive 13-day TV marathon that will include the airing of all modern era Doctor Who episodes.  It's all schedule to kick-off on the Boob Tube September 25th, and those interested in knowing a bit more can read the piece up on Mental Floss right here.

So pop some corn, and pick up some sodas.  Looks like the modern male era is going out in style, Whoovians!

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

I've always argued just how important Science Fiction is to the world of entertainment as well as the greater world at large.

For starters, SciFi's definition is so broad that it encompasses all kinds of stories with fantastic crossover potential to all other genres.  As an example, it's hard to take the traditional Western and cross it over with other types of stories, but Science Fiction can do it, albeit with varying effectiveness: one man's Timerider: The Adventure Of Lyle Swann (1982) is another man's Cowboys & Aliens (2011).  Both of those films take place in the Old West; both have elements tried and true to the original Western formula; and both inject their tales with equal parts Science Fiction (to a degree) in order to spin yarn for respective audiences.

Beyond that simple idea, Science Fiction -- unlike other genres -- has the greatest potential to be used in teaching others the various rights and wrongs of civilization.  Ex Machina (2014) showed the up-close-and-personal risks the individual might encounter when confronting Artificial Intelligence, and every single incarnation of Gene Roddenberry's TV juggernaut Star Trek has cleverly veiled the problems of the modern age with layers of prosthetics in order to make the message a bit more palatable for viewers.

So, yes, THAT'S how important Science Fiction is to mankind.

But don't take my word for it: Wired Magazine had a terrific piece that touched on these sentiments and more.  Those interested can check it out right here.

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

Granted, the screen writings of Jeb Rosebrook might not cause so much as a ripple in most corners of the World Wide Web, but SciFiHistory.Net is hardly any regular corner.  In truth, I grew up with the SciFi films of the 1970's and 1980's, and that makes Jeb's The Black Hole one of the fond memories of my cinema youth.  It was a simple space-based adventure yarn -- far more Fantasy than legitimate Science Fiction -- but it certainly introduced a generation to the ideas of 'black holes' and other cosmic questions about what awaited mankind in the Final Frontier.

Rosebrook passed away this past August 31st, and I wanted to minimally mark his passing with a notice here for likeminded folks to offer up well wishes to a man whose work might inspire us all to keep reaching for the stars.

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

Regular readers here know that I personally never quite get into the whole 'list' idea of blogging.  Now, this isn't to say that I'm against ranking films, books, or anything: it's just that the whole process seems very arbitrary and/or subjective, meaning that it only adds up to impact for the person creating the list, not so much the readers.

Still, occasionally I run across an article elsewhere which gives me a little something to think about; and I'm always up for sharing ... that's why I'm posting a link to WhatCulture.com's 10 Best Science Fiction Films Of The 21st Century.  Those interested in knowing more can access the piece right here.

Again: this isn't to say that I agree with the list.  In fact, there's a few on here I probably wouldn't include, and that's largely because I didn't find them an impactful as others available in the market.  But -- as I said -- that's what I mean about lists: they're only so good as is the person choosing them.

In any event, enjoy it if it's your preference.  As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

I know, I know, I know ... some might accuse me of violating some of the rules regarding 'Spoilers,' but in all honesty Solo: A Star Wars Story has been out for some time, as have many of the basic plot points and story developments.  Given the fact that it's coming available for purchase on home video (digitally and DVD/BluRay) this month, some of the obligatory promotional stories are starting to hit.  In that respect, Insider has a nifty little article regarding Darth Maul's brief appearance in the film right here, and I thought it worth sharing in the spirit of web-based cooperation.  Enjoy it if you will: should you wish to remain unspoiled until the purchase of the video, then ignore it.

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

For those of us who follow these kinds of annniversaries, Star Trek is the veritable 'Mecca' of televised Science Fiction.  This past Saturday -- September 8th -- the series turned an incredible fifty-two years old, another milestone worthy of our time and attention.  There were a host of articles all across the web, many of which were essentially retreads of so much praise and adolation that has been written before.  Still, the following piece over at Syfy.com caught my eye (link), and I thought it worth sharing with interested readers.  It's more of a trivia-style piece, which makes it different from the usual celebratory fare just a bit, and that's why I thought it unique.

In any event, thanks for reading, and -- as always -- live long and prosper!