The annual L.A.-based Doctor Who convention “Gallifrey One” (Feb. 15-17th) has come to a close, and my wife and I were in attendance (as we have done for the last five years). We arrived at our hotel (the Residence Inn, across from the convention) late Friday afternoon, and it was pouring rain (yes, this is…
Author: A Middle Aged Geek
I am a happily married, progressive-minded, middle-aged science fiction geek. My interests included photography, reading, movies, Halloween, and all kinds of nerdy-niche things. After months of prodding from my wife (and my friends), I decided to 'throw down' with a blog of all of my nerdiest of nerdly thoughts and musings... here's hoping you enjoy!
The Orville S2.7: “Deflectors” are definitely up and running…
The Orville continues to thrive in its second season with “Deflectors”, once again taking a reused story concept from Star Trek: The Next Generation (in this case, TNG’s “The Outcast”) and reimagining it enough to be both fresh and relevant for a new age. I’m intrigued (often amazed) by the ways in which star/producer/writer/director Seth…
Star Trek Discovery S2.5; “Saints Of Imperfection” herald a reunion…
Just watched the latest Discovery episode, “Saints Of Imperfection” and the title seems just as much a motto for the show itself as it does for certain characters within. It aims high and true, but sometimes the arrow falls a bit short of target. Season two started off on a soft reboot of the series…
Celebrating two mighty machines of Mars…
This week it was official; the Mars rover “Opportunity”, the second of two solar-powered rovers that first landed on Mars in early 2004, was declared dead. Engineers at NASA/JPL-Caltech lost contact after a particularly nasty Martian dust storm last year, and contact never resumed. After 15 years on a hostile alien planet, the first rover…
Star Trek: Discovery, S2.4; “An Obol For Charon” offers two sides of the coin…
The latest episode of Star Trek: Discovery, “An Obol For Charon” had some very strong character moments that ultimately made it worthwhile for me, but the story was little more than a pastiche of Treks past; particularly, the great misunderstood space thing that was just trying to say ‘hello.’ **** SPACE SPHERE-SIZE SPOILERS AHEAD!!**** Pike’s…
ALIEN (1979) is still a ‘perfect organism’ after 40 years…
Spring of 1979. A new, post-Star Wars, R-rated science fiction movie was in theatrical release, and it is to my great regret that, as then-12 year old kid, I didn’t see it in those days. Don’t get me wrong; I really really wanted to see it. I eagerly read every article about Ridley Scott’s scary…
The Orville S2.6: “A Happy Refrain” hits a refresh button on human/cyborg relations…
The Orville continues to be a sci-fi ‘dramedy’ that quietly pushes boundaries established by its antecedent, “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (to which The Orville is, in many ways, a spiritual sequel). ****UNION STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS!!**** “A Happy Refrain” is another of The Orville’s character-driven ‘bottle shows’ (episodes which generally take place more or less entirely…
Star Trek: Discovery S2.3; “Point of Light” shines on a few characters from season one…
While overall reviews of Discovery’s freshman season were somewhat mixed, there were some strong characters and storylines that deserved revisiting. Season two’s third episode “Point of Light” does so, but also feels more like a chapter in a telenovela. Granted, that’s one of the inherent risks with such serialized storytelling. On the plus side, “Point…
“Space: 1999” is a blast from a past that never was…
The Year 1999. When I was a kid, 1999 was a year of a far-off future where we’d have flying cars, robots in every home, and of course, moonbases. It was a year that seemed poised on the cusp of greatness. One of the most popular songs when I was in high school was “Party…
The Orville takes on pseudoscience in S2.5’s “All the World is Birthday Cake”…
****UNION STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS!!**** Once again, The Orville takes a familiar Star Trek-trope, in this case the event of first contact between a sophisticated spacefaring race and a less-developed planet. Star Trek has long held to its ‘prime directive’ that forbids revealing the existence of spacefaring civilizations to such planets unless they have asked for help,…
Star Trek Discovery S2.2: The way to “New Eden”…
****STARSHIP-SIZED SPOILERS!!**** The latest episode of Discovery’s title, “New Eden”, briefly recalled (for me, anyway) the crazy space-hippies in TOS’ “The Way To Eden.” But this latest episode wasn’t about stealing shuttles and eating acidic apples. The space hippies were seeking a literal Eden, whereas the crew of the Discovery happen upon a planet frozen…
“Aquaman” is big, splashy, sometimes waterlogged entertainment…
This “Aquaman” review may be a little late because, to be perfectly honest, I had absolutely no intention of seeing this film. However, last week my wife and I attended the IMATS makeup artists trade show in Pasadena, where we saw some beautifully detailed full-body costumes, creatures, and other pieces from the movie, and they…
