Truth be told, I never much cared for The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984).  It was one of those films that had some undeniable charm, but I never found its story all than interesting or all of its 'golly gee, aren't we grand' characters all that ... well ... 'grand.'  Still, as a lover of cult flicks, I can certainly understand why fandom embraced the feature as something more than the sum of its cinema parts, and in that respect I'll always wish it well.

​However, I was caught completely unawares in reading that efforts to mount a television series based upon the property had hit the 'legal snag' (via TheHollywoodReporter.com).  Apparently, Kevin Smith and Amazon Studios had been involved (I do recall reading something about Smith bowing out for much of the same wrangling) in pre-production talks with Banzai's original screenwriter and director; but MGM wants to hash out just who owns what in court.

​No disrespect intended, but the original Banzai didn't have the legs to so much as launch the sequel advertised in the film's closing scenes (perhaps that's where the proposed television series would've headed).  I'm guessing that many of its stars have moved on in their professional careers and may not have been involved (though this kinda thing does look tailor-made for Jeff Goldblum), which would lead me to believe a loose reboot was in order anyhow.

​At this point, I guess "it is what it is," but I won't be looking for this project to line up in front of the cameras any time soon.

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

One of the unfortunate tasks to playing catch-up after returning from vacation is culling through some of the news reports regarding anything of substance for SciFi enthusiasts (such as myself) and sounding off on them, even though I risk appearing 'late to the game.'  Still, important matters do need a bit of further discussion from time-to-time, so bear with me if any of this sounds more than a little redundant at this point.

​Last week, Trek fandom got up on its haunches with the news (Variety.com) that Star Trek: Discovery has cast no less than international sensation Michelle Yeoh for the new streaming program, perhaps a bright spot on the horizon following the news of showrunner Bryan Fuller's kinda/sorta departure from the property.  Yeoh certainly brings with her a track record of interesting accomplishments: while most fans know her best for her work in the more popular films like Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), I tend to like her more thoughtful performance in the oft-misunderstood SciFi sleeper, Sunshine (2007).

​I will, however, reiterate my lack of faith in Star Trek: Discovery; and this stems not so much from any knowledge I may have with plot and/or character points that have leaked onto the Information Superhighway.  Rather, I'm just not thrilled with the fact that I have to pony-up extra cash via CBS's web portal to view the show.  I -- like your father and grandfather -- am an old-school Trek enthusiast; and that means I prefer it best on the perennial boob tube instead of streaming.

What can I say other than "get off my lawn"?

​I'll remain optimistic about the franchise, but I do hope they suffer an epiphany and decide to put it back on the TV dial at some point.

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

Being as old as I am, I tend to "find things" a bit later than most (yes, think of me as your Virtual Grandfather).  That being the case, today's Holiday Alert promising more delights for that special geek, nerd, or SciFi enthusiast in your life is Warrior Woman's Klingon Pop album.

​From what I can tell, this release (available both on iTunes and Amazon audio for those interested) was a little special something from back in late 2014, and I immediately searched it out after hearing a track from it featured on Krypton Radio (today's SciFi-Shout-Out).  The production quality is very, very good, though for some reason it was recorded on a fairly low 'volume' setting (a minor quibble I can fix with some re-engineering via my own audio software); but it's nothing short of a total joy to listen to.

Why not give the gift of Klingon audio this holiday season?

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

Anyone who follows me even casually can probably tell my deepest, darkest secret: even at two years running, I'm very new to this whole 'blogging' thing.  I don't think this makes my particular voice any less impactful: rather, I think that it demonstrates my willingness to change and grow as the needs of SciFiHistory.Net do the same.  And perhaps the biggest lesson I've learned in my short time on the Information Superhighway is that it certainly helps to give some healthy 'shoutouts' to quality smilers who are doing some quality work.

​Today's SciFi-Shout-Out goes out to the happy crew behind Krypton Radio, an incredible audio resource that promises "Sci-Fi for your Wi-Fi!" Not only have they had some incredibly complimentary words to say about my little corner of the World Wide Web, but they're producing fantastic and relevant audio content for like-minded followers to stay abreast of developments important to all of fandom.  I've only been listening to them a short time (vacation has curtailed my free time this past week), but -- having put in myself a handful of years in college radio (back in my day) -- I'm gobsmacked by their attention to production detail.  Serious kudos there, my friends.

Check them out if you have the time or are so inclined, as they've earned an enthusiastic thumbs-up from yours truly.

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

In our continuing attempt to help the geeks, the nerds, and the general social misfits among us, here's another Holiday Alert: Star Trek TNG Garden Gnomes!

Last week (whilst on vacation), I received several alerts regarding this somewhat new merchandise for the silly season (I thought I'd seen these before somewheres but I could be mistaken), and I thought, "Wow, what better gift for the geekiest green thumber out there, no?"  My alert came from Star Trek's official channels, but I believe they've cited ThinkGeek.com as the whereabouts to make a purchase: I'm putting the link right here for anyone who might be interested.

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

Hey, all of you lovable smilers, guess who's back on the blog?

Just a quick note to let you know that I'm back from a family vacation out of state, a time away which necessarily limited my time on the vast information superhighway in lieu of eating and eating and eating and more eating.  I'll get some updates here throughout the week, so keep your eyes peeled!

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

No disrespect intended to fans of the Stargate franchise as a whole, but it's a property I just never quite got into as a viewer.  Now, I realize that some of that sentiment comes from the fact that I only watched a handful of episodes in its first season, and it simply never caught my interest.  I have picked up the complete first season on DVD, and I do intend to watch it at some point if for no other reason than my undying affection for All Things SciFi.  I'll get to it when I get to it.

In the meantime, word has slipped out to the Web today via Empire Online that plans for a remake/reboot have been shelved.  Writer/Producer Dean Devlin sounds off a bit in the article (you can follow the link for the details if you're interested), and he may know more than he's willing to divulge.  For my two cents, Stargate was always a kinda/sorta borderline success as a feature film: I think it did much better on home video and (obviously) once it was launched as a television property ... but a remake?  A reboot?

I won't belabor the point here (I'm frequently tinkering with a deeper piece regarding my disfavor of reboots) but I will say I just don't see the potential audience for a full relaunch.  This isn't to say that I wouldn't like to see the franchise revisited in some way; I just have to question the viability (as a realist, not a SciFi fan) of unearthing something old with little more than what tends to amount to a few fresh faces.

Feel free to sound off should you feel compelled.

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

As I've mentioned before, I don't "podcast" as much as the next online knucklehead; but from time-to-time I do happen across some audio of terrific quality ... and I'm still chuckling over what I've heard of the Star Wars: Best In Galaxy Podcast right now.

Now ... (ahem) ... it may not be entirely family-friendly, depending upon what your predilections are, but the smilers behind this production are incredibly talented and deliver the yucks respectfully of the 'best in galaxy,' that's for sure.  I encourage you to have an open mind when you check out the drama; if so, you'll enjoy it at least as much as I have.

You can find it right here.

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

I haven't been all that enamored with Marvel's return into the realm of Star Wars comics.  Granted, I haven't read each and every installment of each and every miniseries they've launched and completed; but I stand by the fact that I still haven't been all that thrilled with what I have read, though I'm always on the lookout for ideas which appear exciting.

The venerable (cough cough) USA Today has reported the news about Marvel's forthcoming Darth Maul miniseries, and this one does sound a bit more intriguing than some of the other series the company has greenlit.  This one promises to take readers into the days of Maul's background, pitting him as an apprentice under the Force-ful wing of none other than Darth Sidious.  Might we get some exposure to training of the Dark Side?  Let's hope so.

For those raised on an island, Maul has been resurrected (of sorts) in the official Star Wars mythology.  In fact, Star Wars: The Clone Wars first brought the long-thought-dead Sith back for a pretty interesting arc, and the pointy-headed devil has even made a few stops aboard Disney's Star Wars: Rebels (a vastly inferior program, so far as I'm concerned).  I encourage fans to seek out those installments as they've definitely worthy of your time and appreciation.

As always, thanks for reading ... live long and prosper ... and may the Force be with you!