The Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Spy, and Superhero Genre

[sneakypete]

It gets even better.   The first season was meh, but then....

@Sanguine

Sometimes it takes a while to "set the stage" for a complex drama. I see the first season of any new drama as nothing more than plot development/introducing the characters and their character.

I do expect more starting in season 2,though.

[kevindavis007]

The recent hard deceleration burn maneuver, flipping end for end instead of swooping around like a fighter plane, was a breath of fresh air. Finally, someone 'gets it'.

I agree.  There is so much pew pew pew I can handle.


I was also surprise on how they portray the UN.

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

We shall see Bezos is a big fan of the show.

Doesn't matter, I'm not giving him $10/mon.

[ABX]

Doesn't matter, I'm not giving him $10/mon.

They actually take a loss on Prime. It is a loss leader to attract customers. So if you buy prime, you are causing Bezos to lose money.

https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/02/22/amazon-prime-instant-video-is-a-huge-loss-leader.aspx

:)

[kevindavis007]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olZoFR2XROs

[sneakypete]

They actually take a loss on Prime. It is a loss leader to attract customers. So if you buy prime, you are causing Bezos to lose money.

https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/02/22/amazon-prime-instant-video-is-a-huge-loss-leader.aspx

:)

@AbaraXas

I don't give a rabid rats ass about Bezos one way or the other,but anybody that can't find 10 bucks worth of entertainment on Amazon Prime in 30 days just ain't trying.

[kevindavis007]

This is the trip that I was talking about:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3WVXe_gkXg

[verga]

Just started watching  "The Expanse" , please tell me it not just going to be them searching for this girl.

[kevindavis007]

Just started watching  "The Expanse" , please tell me it not just going to be them searching for this girl.

Trust me it is not..

[Formerly Once-Ler]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/fox-disney-announce-new-deal-1529496937

21st Century Fox Agrees to Higher Offer From Disney

Walt Disney Co. raised its offer to purchase most of 21st Century Fox to more than $71.3 billion in cash and stock, topping an unsolicited offer from rival Comcast Corp. and escalating the bidding war for the coveted media properties.

More behind paywall.

Wolverine is joining the MCU!
A M E R I C A!!!

[kevindavis007]

Well this week is season finale for The Expanse and the last time it will be on the SyFy channel.


I do appreciate them for bringing the Expanse to TV, I think they made a mistake in continuing to show it while keep shows like Killjoys on. 


This will be the last time that I watch anything on the SyFy channel that is new. It will be either on demand or on a streaming service.

[kevindavis007]

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

This is the trip that I was talking about:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3WVXe_gkXg

Amazon Prime will also get you all 5 seasons of Babylon 5.

For my money, the best written scifi the industry ever produced

! No longer available

[kevindavis007]

Amazon Prime will also get you all 5 seasons of Babylon 5.

For my money, the best written scifi the industry ever produced

! No longer available

That I agree.. To me Babylon 5 broke the Trek monopoly . I almost gave up on that show.

[Ghost Bear]

Harlan Ellison, Sci-Fi Writer Who Contributed to ‘Star Trek,’ ‘Babylon 5,’ Dies at 84

Speculative-fiction writer Harlan Ellison, who penned short stories, novellas and criticism, contributed to TV series including “The Outer Limits,” “Star Trek” and “Babylon 5” and won a notable copyright infringement suit against ABC and Paramount and a settlement in a similar suit over “The Terminator,” has died. He was 84.

More here:  https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/harlan-ellison-dead-dies-star-trek-1202861048/

[kevindavis007]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GOHqe0vokU

[240B]

Try this if you want a wild ride. I give it about 3.5 out of 5 stars. It is entertaining, however it takes a lot of suspension of disbelief to swallow. But it is OK. It is all about ESP and Telekinesis and the fight between a rebel group of mutants against the government. Pretty standard stuff. But it is well done.

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

! No longer available

[kevindavis007]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdxjUQ3UhLg

[kevindavis007]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_K2MtvpK20

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

@kevindavis

Both of them. Fall down funny.

[Ghost Bear]

In honor of Harlan Ellison (that's his voice as the rogue computer AI...)

! No longer available

From the third season episode, "Ceremonies of Light and Dark".

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

! No longer available

[kevindavis007]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr8tOa_En7A

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

! No longer available

! No longer available

! No longer available

[kevindavis007]

FYI: No Twilight Zone Marathon on the "SyFy" Channel..

[kevindavis007]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57InOyE1vDI

[kevindavis007]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZfgWdsppVM

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

Decidedly not a run of the mill SciFi series

! No longer available

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

FYI: No Twilight Zone Marathon on the "SyFy" Channel..

On the what?

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

@kevindavis

! No longer available

[Ghost Bear]

Just watched "How it Ends" on Netflix, and thought it was pretty good. If you're looking for a kind of spooky, low-budget but well-written TEOTWAWKI movie, give it a try. 

[ABX]

Just watched "How it Ends" on Netflix, and thought it was pretty good. If you're looking for a kind of spooky, low-budget but well-written TEOTWAWKI movie, give it a try. 

Ditto. Watched it last night. It was good. Of course, there are very few things Forrest Whitaker is in that aren't good (Battlefield Earth being the glaring exception).

[kevindavis007]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZeDzvgFOTA

[Formerly Once-Ler]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dikm6n-WsAAXsL-.jpg
James Gunn Fired From ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ Franchise Over Offensive Tweets

[Formerly Once-Ler]

https://babylonbee.com/news/disney-fires-thanos-after-uncovering-controversial-statements/

Disney Fires Thanos After Uncovering Controversial Statements

BURBANK, CA—Immediately upon uncovering controversial statements made by the Mad Titan, Disney fired genocidal maniac Thanos, pulling the intergalactic aggressor from all future films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Marvel villain reportedly made statements in support of killing billions of people amidst deranged, deluded rants about fate, destiny, and balance. One old comment he posted on his Twitter account read, “I know what it’s like to lose. To feel so desperately that you’re right, yet to fail nonetheless. It’s frightening, turns the legs to jelly. I ask you to what end? Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same.”

Another haunting, maniacal rant on an internet message board read, “With all the six stones, I could simply snap my fingers, and they would all cease to exist. I call that… mercy…  [I’ll] finally rest, and watch the sunrise on an ungrateful universe. The hardest choices require the strongest wills.”

“We know that people grow and change, but frankly we’re a little troubled by his comments about slaughtering half the life in the universe,” a Disney rep said. “Considering his controversial views on population control, the Walt Disney Company cannot continue to support Thanos in his current role.”

“We hope that he gets the help he needs to move forward with his career and his life.”

The company is reportedly working on replacing the villain with a “much safer choice,” Sofia the First.

[sneakypete]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dikm6n-WsAAXsL-.jpg
James Gunn Fired From ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ Franchise Over Offensive Tweets

@Once-Ler

He was fired for promoting NAMBLA.

Last time I heard anything on the subject of grown men having sex with male children,it was still illegal.  Gunn thinks it SHOULD be legal and sees nothing wrong with it.

If YOU were responsible for putting on a very expensive show that has a payroll of hundreds of workers,would YOU want someone like that as your spokesman?

[kevindavis007]

One of the reasons that I don't care for Dune:
https://baheyeldin.com/literature/arabic-and-islamic-themes-in-frank-herberts-dune.html

[kevindavis007]

Mormons in space:
https://religionnews.com/2017/07/26/mormons-in-space-sci-fi-or-no-lie/

[kevindavis007]

The Man in the High Castle returns October 5th.

[Ghost Bear]

Disney And Fox Shareholders Give Historic Merger Votes Of Approval

At special meetings held simultaneously in New York this morning, Disney and 21st Century Fox shareholders overwhelmingly approved the merger first proposed last December.

...

In a press release confirming the vote, the companies expressed continued optimism about joining forces. The deal will bring Disney the film and TV studio assets, plus cable networks like FX and National Geographic and a 30% stake in Hulu.

excerpted, for the full story see https://deadline.com/2018/07/disney-fox-shareholders-give-historic-merger-vote-of-approval-1202434925/

Among other things, this means that Disney will now have the film rights to both the X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises, and will be free to integrate them into the Marvel Cinematic Universe if they want to.
 

[Sanguine]

Killjoys is back on SyFy.  New Season.

[240B]

Been watching Star Trek Voyager on Amazon Prime lately, which is my least favorite of all the franchise. Had to adjust to the Katharine Hepburn impersonator Janeway. The whispering Captain. 

Very annoying. In so many scenes she starts out speaking normally, and then slowly descends into a softer, and softer, and softer, whisper. By the end of the dialog she has sunk into such a soft whisper it is almost inaudible. She does this very often. I think, she thinks, that it gives her an appearance of 'seriousness' or something. I don't know. To me, it was just annoying. Kept yelling at the TV, "Speak Up! Dammit!"

One of the most predictable parts of the show was every time they picked up a stranger(s) to 'help' him/them, Voyager would always wind up in trouble because of it. It was routine. They help somebody, and then wind up either getting screwed over by the guy they helped, or they wound up in the middle of some fight about something. This plot theme was so consistent in so many of the shows, it became predictably boring. You would think they would catch on after a while. But they never do.

Voyager has an unlimited supply of shuttles. They lose a shuttle every second show but they always have another one. They must have a shuttle manufacturing shop somewhere on the ship which does nothing but make shuttles 24/7.

They also do the Soap Opera entrance. When I had to stay out of school as a kid, my mother always had the soap operas on. I noticed then, at 10 years old, that when someone wanted to start a conversation they would walk up to someone and say a big loud, "'Well...!' or 'So...!' I see you and Tadd are spending a lot of time together." Voyager uses this same opening whenever they go into soap opera mode. Paris uses this a lot when he wants to screw with Kim about something personal.

But if you want to play a drinking game with the show, take a drink every time one of the characters says, "I'm afraid..."
I'm afraid not.
I'm afraid so.
I'm afraid I can't do that.
I'm afraid I will be forced to do just that.
I'm afraid he had that coming to him.
I'm afraid...yes
I'm afraid...no
I'm afraid...up
I'm afraid...down

These guys spend most of each show 'afraid' of this or that. To which I respond with, "Don't be afraid. It will be alright."

These annoyances aside, it was pretty good series. Lot's of shoot um' up battles. They frequently did the very predictable Star Trek meme where even though they are facing imminent destruction, Janeway is more concerned with being an ultra compassionate humanitarian than she is about the survival of her ship and crew. But all the Star Treks after the original were like that, so there's nothing new in that. The best shows are the episodes dealing with the Borg.

Overall, it is a light, predictable, somewhat cartoonish distraction. I wouldn't pay money to watch it. But it is a lot better than watching anything on daytime TV.

[kevindavis007]

Killjoys is back on SyFy.  New Season.

Well, I'm going to watch it on demand. I'm still ticked off for cancelling The Expanse. Even though Amazon picked it up.

[kevindavis007]

Been watching Star Trek Voyager on Amazon Prime lately, which is my least favorite of all the franchise. Had to adjust to the Katharine Hepburn impersonator Janeway. The whispering Captain. 

Very annoying. In so many scenes she starts out speaking normally, and then slowly descends into a softer, and softer, and softer, whisper. By the end of the dialog she has sunk into such a soft whisper it is almost inaudible. She does this very often. I think, she thinks, that it gives her an appearance of 'seriousness' or something. I don't know. To me, it was just annoying. Kept yelling at the TV, "Speak Up! Dammit!"

One of the most predictable parts of the show was every time they picked up a stranger(s) to 'help' him/them, Voyager would always wind up in trouble because of it. It was routine. They help somebody, and then wind up either getting screwed over by the guy they helped, or they wound up in the middle of some fight about something. This plot theme was so consistent in so many of the shows, it became predictably boring. You would think they would catch on after a while. But they never do.

Voyager has an unlimited supply of shuttles. They lose a shuttle every second show but they always have another one. They must have a shuttle manufacturing shop somewhere on the ship which does nothing but make shuttles 24/7.

They also do the Soap Opera entrance. When I had to stay out of school as a kid, my mother always had the soap operas on. I noticed then, at 10 years old, that when someone wanted to start a conversation they would walk up to someone and say a big loud, "'Well...!' or 'So...!' I see you and Tadd are spending a lot of time together." Voyager uses this same opening whenever they go into soap opera mode. Paris uses this a lot when he wants to screw with Kim about something personal.

But if you want to play a drinking game with the show, take a drink every time one of the characters says, "I'm afraid..."
I'm afraid not.
I'm afraid so.
I'm afraid I can't do that.
I'm afraid I will be forced to do just that.
I'm afraid he had that coming to him.
I'm afraid...yes
I'm afraid...no
I'm afraid...up
I'm afraid...down

These guys spend most of each show 'afraid' of this or that. To which I respond with, "Don't be afraid. It will be alright."

These annoyances aside, it was pretty good series. Lot's of shoot um' up battles. They frequently did the very predictable Star Trek meme where even though they are facing imminent destruction, Janeway is more concerned with being an ultra compassionate humanitarian than she is about the survival of her ship and crew. But all the Star Treks after the original were like that, so there's nothing new in that. The best shows are the episodes dealing with the Borg.

Overall, it is a light, predictable, somewhat cartoonish distraction. I wouldn't pay money to watch it. But it is a lot better than watching anything on daytime TV.

Also a bunch of crybabies.

[sneakypete]

Overall, it is a light, predictable, somewhat cartoonish distraction. I wouldn't pay money to watch it. But it is a lot better than watching anything on daytime TV.

@240B

I woudln't go that far. Thanks to streaming video,I sometimes watch Shameless or Game of Thrones in the daytime.

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

Been watching Star Trek Voyager on Amazon Prime lately, which is my least favorite of all the franchise. Had to adjust to the Katharine Hepburn impersonator Janeway. The whispering Captain. 

Very annoying. In so many scenes she starts out speaking normally, and then slowly descends into a softer, and softer, and softer, whisper.

Voyager did suck.

Month Python wanted to do a skit (or a show?) where they would gradually get quieter and quieter so people would have to get up and turn up their TVs several times, and then they'd go back to regular volume and it would suddenly be very loud.  The BBC wouldn't let them.

[240B]

Check out this nutty dialog. Season 1 Episode 6

JANEWAY: I know you're disappointed, Harry, we all are. It seemed we were so close. But clearly we can't go back. It would pollute the time line to such an extent that the consequences would be unimaginable. I'm afraid we'll have to send you back alone and ask that you not reveal anything that has happened here.
TELEK: I can assure you, Captain, that I would not do anything that might contaminate the future and perhaps harm the Romulan Empire, but, in twenty years I could alert Starfleet not to launch the mission which sent you here.
CHAKOTAY: I'm afraid that's not possible either. We've already had a huge impact on this quadrant. People and events here would be drastically affected.
JANEWAY: I'm afraid we're left with our original request. In twenty years, would you relay our personal messages to Starfleet?
-----------------------
These guys are 'afraid'. All of them.
-----------------------
a·fraid
əˈfrād
adjective
feeling fear or anxiety; frightened.
"I'm afraid of dogs"
synonyms:   frightened, scared, terrified, fearful, petrified, scared witless, scared to death, terror-stricken, terror-struck, frightened out of one's wits, scared out of one's wits, shaking in one's shoes, shaking like a leaf;

More
worried that something undesirable will occur or be done.
"he was afraid that the farmer would send the dog after them"

unwilling or reluctant to do something for fear of the consequences.
"I'm often afraid to go out on the streets"
--------------------

S2E20
NEELIX: Well, that's good news, I-I'm delighted you've decided to become a contributor. But I'm afraid I don't have time to discuss it right now.
EMH [on monitor]: But I've already prepared today's topic. How to keep your nostrils happy.
NEELIX: That is fascinating, but I'm afraid there's a more important story I have to work on today.

S3E11
EMH: I'm afraid that's not possible. We'd risk infecting the crew.
GARAN MINER: You can't leave me. Please.
EMH: Commander Chakotay. Perhaps if we established a force field around sickbay and beamed victims directly to
CHAKOTAY [OC]: I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we can't take the chance.

-----------------------------
Ok, we get that the Voyager crew is 'afraid'. But here we have a case where even the aliens are 'afraid'.
-----------------------------

KASHYK: I'm afraid Prax isn't impressed. He's solely concerned with his work, aren't you, Prax?
PRAX: As you say, sir.
KASHYK: Yes, he's curious why you entered this sector. You're aware it's restricted.
JANEWAY: We were planning to study a supernova remnant not far from here.
KASHYK: You strayed a full light year from your course in order to observe an astronomical phenomenon?
JANEWAY: We're explorers.
KASHYK: Yes, I remember. I also remember warning you about going where you don't belong.
JANEWAY: Exploring can sometimes be hard to resist, Inspector.
KASHYK: Well, it's a romantic notion, Captain, but one I can't allow you to indulge. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave our space immediately. Prax, why don't you check on our teams while I reiterate our protocols for Captain Janeway.

S6E25
NEELIX: Is that so? I'm afraid that gaseous anomalies were never really my specialty. Come on, gather round. I've brought toys and stories and games and I thought that later we might even have a little sing-along.
ICHEB: I should go to Astrometrics. Seven may need my help.
NEELIX: I'm afraid that Astrometrics is shut down, too.
----------------------------------
The Ambassador is 'afraid'.
----------------------------------
S7E20
AMBASSADOR [on viewscreen]: I'm afraid we can't do that.
JANEWAY: Why not?
AMBASSADOR [on viewscreen]: It was erected by aliens hundreds of years ago. They haven't been back. The technology is a mystery to us.
TUVOK: Why did these aliens build the barrier?
AMBASSADOR [on viewscreen]: To protect the Ventu.
JANEWAY: From whom?
AMBASSADOR [on viewscreen]: Us. Our ancestors fought them, polluted their habitat. I'm afraid we weren't very enlightened back then.
JANEWAY: Earth went through its dark periods too, Ambassador. Would you have any objections if we tried to lower the barrier, just to scan for our people?
AMBASSADOR [on viewscreen]: I told you, it's not possible.
TUVOK: Perhaps if you gave us information about the barrier's power source?
AMBASSADOR [on viewscreen]: The generator is inside. There's no way to access it. Even if your people did survive, I'm afraid there's no way to get them out.
-------------------------------------
Obviously there was a writer for this show who was hung-up with the term "I'm afraid". It occurs dozens of times in the show. I only posted here when the term was used back-to-back. But there are many, many, more examples. I don't get it but, to each his own. If whoever wrote this this show likes to be 'afraid', then more power to them.

[Formerly Once-Ler]

The Washington DC Cinematic Universe presents...

[Machiavelli]

Patrick Stewart to star in new Star Trek TV series