When I think of Avengers, I think: Captain America, Hawkeye, Wasp, Hank Pym as Ant Man (or Giant Man), and MAYBE Hulk or Black Panther. But the only Avengers comics I had growing up were reprints of the really old Avengers comics. In fact, Dr. Jayce, ONE of those was a comic that seriously influenced my childhood story-love…it was a time travel tragedy about Cap going back to witness Bucky’s death…issue 56, the issue before the first appearance of Vision!

Meanwhile, in comics, Human Torch was one of the first superhero characters for Timely in the 50′s. In the 70′s they revealed that Vision WAS Human Torch. In the 80′s or 90′s they revealed that he WASN’T Human Torch (West Coast Avengers, which was my introduction to both characters) and brought back the REAL original Human Torch as a separate character. And recently they revealed that both Vision AND that original Human Torch are BOTH the original Human Torch, but from a tiny split timeline. Or something.

I do think you’re on to something here. I want to see the movie again and give it some more thought. I feel like the end of Ed Nortons movie was that he was giving himself over to the freedom of the beast, but in Avengers it was about having that anger in check, and controlling its application. Similar, I guess, to the TV series. Bill Bixby was a great “character on the edge”: he was driven to help people, but trying hard not to let his rage go unchecked.

I’m curious where they try to take teh character.

Also in a head-to-head all-out fight between Kirk and Picard, my money is on Kirk. Why? Kirk cheats!

http://owl.li/aMAd8

Congrats!!!

So now our twins are here and it may be more than a few weeks before I get to see it. Ah well, something more significant in my life to be sure, but man… I have heard such good things about the Avengers!

Generally I was pretty happy with the movie which I thought tried to stay broadly true to the comic.

Tom Hiddleston as Loki wa probably the outstanding actor – although Hemsworth makes a very good Thor.

If there was one disappointment it was probably the warriors three who seemed only a poor imitation of their comic book counterparts.

As an Aussie sci-fi writer: http://www.lulu.com/shop/david-scholes/soldier-of-the-brell/paperback/product-20075017.html I’ve written a solid collection of Marvel (espec Thor) fan fiction, why not check it out? http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1276881/David_Scholes

It is cool to see that there are people who are using scifi and fantasy to connect some spiritual dots, so to speak. Scifi Christian and Spiritblade are the two that I’ve enjoyed the most.

If you havent seen it yet, and he hasn’t had his challenge met, I would love for the two of you to go at it. I think it would be fun.

I have a number of friends who are fans of Buffy and Angel because of the spiritual implications of some of the events and episodes.

I do have to say that I was pleased with some of the spiritual implications found in the film. I understand that Joss Whedon is a self-identified atheist, but it is evident to me in his writing of this film and other projects that he may well be closer to believing than even he realizes.

After Avengers Week, I’ll pull together a response. I’m curious how mine would compare to yours . . .

I’d like to see your dream crew compared to mine.

There HAS been some pretty big spoilers leaked about the new movie, though.

But here’s my question — how would Kirk or Picard’s crew have dealt with being thrown across the galaxy instead of Voyager. I guarantee, Kirk and his crew would have been back before the end of the first episode.

Of course there’s the third X-Men… but that was just plain weird.

Of course, out of all of these we’ve left out the new Trek movie. When we talk about competent crews, we will always run into the lack of story development of the original series due to contemporary television of the time. However, we can see exactly what was done with the new movie.

An awesome crew? To say the least. I think the new Trek movie is a great example of what the original crew would look like through today’s lens… because that’s what it is.

One of my favorite parts of the new movie is Spock’s reaction to Kirk to find them back aboard. The incredulity was perfect as was the unexpected solution to a problem. Kirk’s unyielding drive to not accept a no-win brought him through that.

Has there been any word about a new Trek series? Seems like they could start a new series and do well.

I do believe that Kirk and company could stand their ground against Picard and company in their respective ships, by pulling some creative and insane stunts, but the power of Picard’s ship would give him and his crew the time to figure out a more methodical way to take down Kirk and crew.

Of course, all this talk takes us to one of the many fatal flaws of Generations. (We can go ANYWHERE in time to stop the bad guys, and where do we choose to go? Moments before he activates his doomsday rocket machine? Why not just go with Kirk back to where Kirk’s time, where the BAD GUY was but doesn’t have a doomsday weapon, and stop him THERE?) We want to see Kirk doing what he does best . . . if he’s going to die on a bridge, it should be the bridge of the Enterprise. Somewhere, in an alternate universe, there is a version of this movie in which the Enterprise crew ALL die . . . but Picard uses the Nexus thing to bring back Kirk . . . and they come back to the Enterprise. This time, the same events start to play out, but they know it’s going to happen. They abandon ship, Picard confronts Malcolm McDowell on the planet while Kirk (and maybe one other crew member — Riker, perhaps?) stays on the ship (“I’ve had my run . . .” he says). Kirk wins the day going down with the ship in a blaze of glory . . . Picard wins the day in a fist fight debate with the bad guy . . . and we get to see Kirk die the way he lived. His grave is the Enterprise. Not HIS Enterprise, but an Enterprise.

Even better — kill them BOTH off in this movie. Kirk and Picard go down with the ship to save billions of lives. Let Riker inherit Enterprise and bring on a few of the younger guest stars who appeared in the series to infuse the movies with a younger crew . . .

I still believe that All Good Things is the best Next Generation movie.

Heh. There’s a blog series: how to fix the movies.

I was also a fan of the Marvel Team-up series early on. Eventually I would collect many other series, but those fond early collections were great.

My only comment is a face off between the two crews in unfamiliar ships;

I would say that the Original Series crew would have the advantage. The TNG crew’s intelligence is great, as long as they are on familiar ground. The Original crew, used to always pushing their ship beyond normal limits and constant defeat of the impossible would certainly give them the advantage on an unfamiliar ship.

If we want to bring this into real world examples, lets jump back to 1940′s era Germany and United States. Germany at the time had remarkable technology. Brilliant. However, it required certain conditions for that machinery to operate well. True, they could create conditions for that machinery to operate well, but in general they were poor at adaptability.

The United States at the time, while not having the foremost technology, had ample amounts of know-how. The United State’s forces were excellent at improvisation.

The same comparisons I think could be made between TNG and the Original Series. TNG crew, intelligent? Certainly, and top of the heap on their own ground. They both walk onto foreign ships? The TNG crew will still be reading technical manuals when the Original Series will have their ship on the go and have instinctual assessments of their ship.

So, I comfortably watch zombie movies with the knowledge that it will never be like that. So, I try to view it as more analogous, that people are so indulged in the world, that they cave into their carnal nature, so in a respect, the survivors of the series are those who do not, and resist the evil that surrounds. I know, it’s a little bending of logic… the people don’t WANT to be zombies, they’re not tempted. The analogy might work better for a vampire setting.

Here’s my idea: Ben did not lie. Vader is Vader, Anakin is Anakin Skywalker. Luke is raised to believe he is a Skywalker, the son of Skywalker. In the beginning of my Re-ROTJ, Luke asks if he’s the son of Vader, and Yoda tells him, yes, now that the truth is out, it is revealed, because the darkside of the Force can hide truth. Luke asks Yoda and Ben who then is the heir of Skywalker. Only later in the film is it revealed when Leia, performing an incredible stunt requiring the Force (her powers are growing), does he realize that SHE is the hidden child of Skywalker, that Luke was actually a decoy, to divert Vader and the Emperor from the true Skywalker.

Ben, didn’t know either, he was an unwitting pawn, which would set up the mystery for the prequels. Who switched them at birth? Why? Etc. What happened to Anakin… of course, we can be truthful and use Ben’s words from ANH: “[Vader] betrayed and murdered your father.”

Yeah, someday, I would love to make a comic or a Flash animation based on my rewrite ideas, but I haven’t the time.

Regarding the best crew, to shuffle to Steve’s side, look at which story they chose to revamp! It’s the characters people love and call to us. True the new trek is closer to Star Wars than Star Trek from a story standpoint, it still uses the characters we love and kept all their characters intact. Often in reboots we see old characters refitted with new personalities.

For ship though, I rather like the Voyager class vessels, if we don’t get to count the Klingon Bird of Prey. I also was rather fond of the Excelsior from a design standpoint. I’m a big fan of vehicles. One of my favorite parts of sci-fi are the vehicles, being a bit of a motorhead in real life.

Can’t wait to hear part 2!

I enjoyed the horror/thriller comics that featured two or three stories. I don’t even remember their titles these days, but there used to be some great stuff.

What’s happened to comics? Where are the fun reads? I don’t think that’s it’s wholly stopped appealing to 10 year olds. If you seen things like Yu Gi Oh and such, there is still innocence. Every now and again I check out a comic store, only to leave largely disappointed.

Which also reminds me of Tales from the Dark Side as well as Amazing Stories. Those were shows I enjoyed. Amazing Stories more than Tales. I enjoyed the different, short installments. With the attention on shortened attention spans, I’d have thought show formats like that would have become more common rather than less so.

BTW, enjoying your comic. Aunti-Gravity is awesome!

But the third movie fell flat for me, and I haven’t really touched the series since outside of rewatching the first two films. Never saw Alien3 a second time; never saw any of the other sequels or the AVP movies. I hadn’t really paid much attention to any of the marketing and hype for Prometheus before watching this video, mainly because of my opinion that the franchise was exhausted years ago.

This one changed my mind. I generally like stuff by Ridley Scott, even some stuff that others consider “bad” (Legend, anyone?) I am officially pumped for this movie. My desktop backgrounds have been changed to pictures of the titular spaceship. If I can, I will be seeing it opening weekend.

So thanks for the link!

As for the leap forward, I’m willing to go with it. A terrible war has devastated the world, and America, and now there are small fiefdoms ruled by a hedonistic class. I can go with that, but it straddles the line between “future-casting” and fantasy.

And as for a world without God . . . I can;t help thinking that if God is not a part of the writer’s worldview, God is far more likely not to be a part of the writing’s worldview.

Well, I shouldn’t say there’s NO way. But it will be quite difficult.

I’m curious enough to see where the movie goes . . . I wonder how it will stand up to/with Alien.

I have enjoyed the other films, but every time I see a movie approach the “origins of the universe” it always ends up being very preachy… funny enough.

Typically, writers/directors set up dominoes so that they can be knocked down in the name of Atheism. We’ve seen it often in recent years. With his history of Kingdom of Heaven, I really don’t expect much more from this film. Will I see it? Likely. Will I be disappointed? I expect to be. But, never say never and always is never an absolute.

However it seems to have problems with me that zombie movies do: a break in logic. So first, you have a majority of people who have to potentially sacrifice their children to get food that they themselves are growing? In America? There is no point dragging up The Great Leap Forward, as comparing fiction to history just can’t be done. Forced to watch? Where is the infrastructure for all of it? How is it maintained? It just doesn’t sound very well thought out, but I realize that it’s not supposed to be thought out. No choice? There’s always a choice as history has shown over and over. So it’s hard for me to bite on this. No religion? Even in the most oppressive regimes today there are still enclaves of Christianity.

Of course there is the comparison to Battle Royale, which I have heard is very, very similar.

One other thing that I have a trouble with female leads recently is that lack of the better qualities of women (obviously my opinion). As a boy I found women that I was close to impressive because of their compassion and caring. Female leads these days as basically a stereotype of guys, but dressed as women; violent, self-serving and aloof. Again, not having read or watched this title I have no idea. At purely a glance it seems like that is the situation.

On the whole the movie seems to come off as a “oh woe is me”, teen book. But I was pretty critical of Harry Potter until I saw the first movie years ago, after which I read… and loved the books.

I agree there is a terrible trend in child rearing in today’s American culture. Sadly, there are many titles that may speak to these issues, but are also an example of these issues.

Grumble, grumble… get off my lawn you young whipper-snappers!

So in the next podcast are you wanting to only focus on captains or their crews too?

I don’t know why Wesley is missing.

I really loved the 89 Batman. Batman Returns was okay, but I liked Batman Forever better. Batman and Robin was aweful.

I don’t think this method can ever be topped:
1. air your show at bad times
2. put your show up against the world series
3. dont promote your show
4. keep changing the times your show is on
(you know, to avoid the people who are LOOKING for it)
5. *Most importantly* – air your shows’ episodes OUT OF ORDER, so if anyone hears about the show, and is home at the right time to watch the show, and can find the show, and decides to watch it vs the world series, they will be confused because of continuity issues.

top that

I’ll tell you, though, ’89 Batman and Batman Returns are two superhero movies I thoroughly enjoy.

But it moved around and they aired it at the worst times.

Good episode though, as are all I have listened to!

So Green Lantern stole the villain from Howard the Duck? And I thought Howard stole it from Buckaroo Banzai, so I don’t feel so bad that Howard was robbed. He was a thief anyway.

Pairing up Green Lantern vs. Iron Man was a completely unfair matchup. As mentioned, Howard the Duck was the obvious choice, since the villain was practically the same.

And John Malkovich was born to play Mr. Freeze. Not Patrick Stewart. Sheesh.

I’ll finish listening while at work tomorrow.

I highly recommend the first Silent Hill movie. They made a few changes that were unnecessary (no Harry Mason, “Cheryl” is now “Sharon”) but otherwise it’s good enough to be one of my favorite modern horror movies. They seem to be aiming to fix some of that in the new one. Sean Bean is listed as being Harry Mason. Heather, Douglas, Claudia, Vincent, and the other main characters from game 3 are listed in the credits. The Resident Evil movies are fun as far as zombie action, but Silent Hill messes with your head which is why I like it more.

Re: Silent Hill, I never saw the first one, but I’m curious now that they’re making a second one. Similar thing happened to me with Resident Evil…

Odd Thomas is based on one of Dean Koontz’s best books ever.
Silent Hill is a continuation of the earlier movie and brings the story into the realm of the third game.

http://www.ramcigar.com/entertainment/john-carter-s-influence-felt-over-the-past-century-1.2822231#.T2oFFxEgeeF

I’m not sure that’s technically accurate either. If you’ll recall the scene, it appear that the Tharks lay their eggs in nests that are quite remote from their city. At a predertmined time, they return and collect the hatchlings and bring them home. The enst must be remiote enough that they cannot return frequently, so any eggs that hatch after this visit would result in hatchlings that will be exposed to the elements and possibly starve or be eaten by larger predators (the white apes). So, in this view, the Tharks could be guilty of euthanasia, or ‘mercy killing’ by destroying the eggs before the young Tharks are ‘born.’

However, this also may not be accurate as we do not know the status of those eggs. Is it possible that the eggs were infertile, or that the young inside had already died? We simply do not know, and the Tharks destroyed the eggs purely to deprive the white apes and other predators of a delicacy.

As you see, I’m not sure that it is quite fair to accuse the Tharks of infanticide; we simply do not know enough to make that determination.

John Carter, on the other hand, had pretty pictures AND a great story. It’s frustrating how quickly the public gives up on a film after the opening weekend.

John Carter is all about taking chances. It’s a period piece … about a Confederate soldier … who goes to Mars and finds Martians who, right out of the gate, commit infanticide … etc.

Not all of it may work for viewers, but this is not calculated storytelling, in the sense it is trying to get the broadest audience, but rather calculated storytelling, in that they have a story they want to tell and are trying to do it.

I was hoping you’d like it, Hank!

Seriously, John Carter is much better than the perception folks have given it.

That said, this is also not for everyone. Star Wars feels like it IS for everyone — almost anyone watching it can find something to like. Not so here. It really depends on what type of sci-fi you enjoy. If you like sci-fantasy, leaning a tad heavier toward fantasy than Star Wars, you won’t like this. Thing it, it’s a very different kind of movie. Steve and I didn’t even talk about the director/writer — who is a PIXAR alum. It’s not quite as tight as a PIXAR film, which packs so much character into such a concise package, but the elements are there to be seen.

It also draws HEAVILY on its pulp roots, something else that appeals to my tastes.

But yes, judging it by the trailers, I would have at least waited until I could get it from Redbox.

Without the original we wouldn’t have the more recent incarnations.

TNG is a far superior series. Picard trumps Kirk. Data trumps Spock. And Bones pretty much drop kicks Dr. Crusher out the air lock. Scotty beats La Forge.

That leaves a tie, but Worf, Wesley, Troy, Guinan,Barkclay, Riker, and the other great cast members and guess stars totally dominate the card board cut out characters that fill out the TOS team.

And he didn’t just leave Starfleet! He became a super-alien! (Be came back to go to Riker and Troi’ wedding. Of course, he COULD have come back to save the Enterprise from crashing…but, you know, weddings are important.)

And I didn’t mind Wesley the character, especially when they finally figured out what to do with him (sending him to Starfleet and turning him into a guest star).

Second Enterprise rocked!

Although you can’t discount an officer based on the series they were put in! Otherwise, why would ANYONE from Enterprise be in there?

Glad you guys liked it, though. I’d hate for someone to see it on my recommendation and not like it!

Did you see it in 3D?

Steve, you have any thoughts?

There’s a bit of danger involved in listening to a review of a movie before going to see it, because it tends to color your perceptions of the film, especially if the review comes from someone whose opinions you respect and trust, as was the case here. I found myself pretty much agreeing with everything you guys said about the movie, and I don’t know if my opinion would have been any different had I gone into the movie cold. I might not have even gone to see it in the theater had I not listened to the podcast, however.

Jonathan’s sum-up after the movie was “It was weird, but I liked it.” I asked him what his favorite part was, and he couldn’t really pinpoint one scene, although he did really like the battles. And of course he did his usual cover-up-the-eyes, shake-the-head display of disgust for all of the “kissing parts.” Girls are still icky.

But we both want of those speedy dog-things now.

Just for fun, you might want to check out this series of posts on ‘Zombies vs.”

http://spiritblade.forum-motion.com/t635-zombies-vs

http://paeter.libsyn.com/

http://thescifichristian.com/2012/01/episode-43-star-wars/

There is, of course, the point of view that just considers us ALL “walking dead”. “We all start dying the day we were born.” Mortality is definitely a theme in horror literature, and Walking Dead is absolutely tapping into that.

One interesting observation is that the real ‘Walking Dead’ of the show of the same name refers not to the zombie hordes, but to the survivors.

http://being.publicradio.org/programs/2011/monsters-we-love/kristasjournal.shtml

No, I won’t let it go. This year marks the 25th anniversary of a series far ahead of its time!

I’m going to say this knowing you’ll label me a heretic…but Dr. Who didn’t make my list here, but would in my most overrated shows/franchises! It is boring and frankly looks cheap. Like it was shot on a Super 8.

The title of the show should be Dr. Who Cares!?

Honorable mention would go to Red Dwarf as well, which is the only successful sci-fi comedy satire I’ve come across.

And quickly!

That said, between seeing Pike on Trek ’09 and The Menagerie/The Cage, he’s gotten enough screen time to get a feel for what type of captain he’d be. I love him in the new Trek movie.

At some points we’ll have to tackle this subject matter!

Archer would be my second choice, but moreso to be one of the real pioneers in the Star Trek universe rather than serving under Archer.

And Dr. Jayce, I KNOW who you voted for!

I actually had a friend suggesting we do an “auto” themed show: Knight Rider, Streethawk, Viper, Highwayman, etc.

–
http://www.BlackWyrm.com

Anyway, Max Headroom absolutely is the perfect example of a “cancelled too soon” sci-fi show.

Please let us know when you post your article! We’ll link to it for sure!

I’m currently working on a series of posts that will celebrate the anniversary of the series and explore some spiritual themes present.

Agent Shadow

One thing I’m curious about . . . do I have to wait until after you go through every episode to find out what you thought of the latest X-Files movie? I’ve been curious what die hard fans thought of it. As a casual fan, I liked it because it reminded me of a classic episode, and sort of hoped they’d do a few more.

Your podcast is pretty good itself. I’ve only listened to the first two, but the segment I find most interesting is the “debunkers” segment. Do you ever have anyone come up with something to debunk? I found myself curious after I listened to your podcast.

If any of our listeners are fans of the X-Files, you should check out Agent Shadow’s podcast.

Ps
One of you knows my real identity but if he reveals it… Well just let me chant:
Two by two… Hands of blue…

And Brisco County, Jr. That show was on Fox the same year that X-Files started, wasn’t it? Seems I remembered the two of them talked about a lot together.

*Alien Nation, buddy cop sci-fi. There were some TV movies to try to explore other themes, but there were many more stories that could have been told. 22 episodes.

*Nowhere Man, a man’s identity has been stolen, and a mysterious conspiracy wants him dead. 25 episodes.

*Pushing Daisies, raising the dead had never been so quirky. 22 episodes.

*Century City, lawyers in the future took on cases involving clones, AI, genetic manipulation, personality downloads, and more. 9 episodes.

With an honorable mention to The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. They did a nice job of wrapping up, but I’d have loved more.

http://collider.com/star-wars-fanboys-calm-down-editorial/144321/?awesm=fbshare.me_AgFsY&utm_campaign=&utm_medium=fbshare.me-facebook-post&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=fbshare-js-small

I read the OVERRATED Christmas movies article and was about to comment and ask, “Why isn’t Elf on here?” Then I saw this article. *Sigh*….Oh Dr. Jayce…..I think we need to have a talk…..

The rest (of the ones i’ve seen) are definitely classic though.Great list!! (especially Die Hard and Wonderful Life.)

How did you guys get MCL?

By the way, MCL if you read this: YOU ROCK!

Episode 1 is your favorite? Yes, not many people would agree with you on that! Will you be hitting theaters this weekend to see it in 3-D?

Dr. Jayce, as for Marvel and DC being unfair options — unlike “Harper Collins sci-fi”, they are meant to be cohesive universes, with story lines that refer not only to their deep past, but to the other titles. Just like Star Trek, only on a decades long monthly schedule.

Some other sci-fi movies with spiritual themes are:
The Fifth Element
The Mummy I&II
Tron
The Mothman Prophecies
Blade Runner
The Book of Eli

And one of a more fanciful nature that still entertaining is Peggy Sue Got Married.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/01/29/star-wars-isnt-a-religion-its-a-space-opera/

http://www.tabletmag.com/life-and-religion/89055/monomaniacal/?all=1

There’s enough going on in the overall plotline that it should be able to rise above the “fugitive of the week” syndrome. The thing is full of questions and potential – and I’ll be sticking around to see where it goes.

Interpretation: Thank the heavens for Jar Jar Binks who has freed us from the terrible stigma of being George Lucas’ worst creation.

OOOOO ahhhh OOOO ahhh girgle half click grrgrr

Interpretation: Dr. Jayce thinks my mini bear power can’t over take three overrated storm troopers, but I say fooey! Not only can my Koala like skills take out a whole troop of Storm Troopers, but I could take out Dr. Jayce with both eyes tied behind my back!

I’s a fine actor and admirablleeee warsworior!

Meesthinks yous alls are jealous ofs my goodslooks!

George Lucas rocks ands sos does The Binks!

perhaps salvation for them would no longer be possible, because they would *know.* If they knew for a fact, would salvation by grace through *faith* even be possible?

That letter was copied and passed around and denounced and given to a grand inquisitor — altered to make him look truly heretical. He sent a correct version of the original letter to clear his name. And later, he wrote a letter directly to Madame Cristina. It was longer and had numerous footnotes to theological writings. The correspondence can be found in Dava Sobel’s Galileo’s Daughter. It’s a good read. It paints an interesting picture of Galileo, who could really be a jerk at times (and an immoral one at that), and that tendency got a lot of the wrong people angry at him. But it is interesting to see how things really went down with him and the church. as new discoveries about the movement of the “heavens” were being made, he grew in frustration that the church, in trying to squash those ideas, was just going to look bad when the truth came out elsewhere. Unfortunately, Galileo’s actual beliefs and motives have been lost in the telling.

Thanks!

Concerning circular logic on my part, please let me know where I am failing there. Usually Dr. J calls me on stuff like that, so maybe you should rip into him for not doing HIS job!

As for the music, yes, Tim Leffel (a buddy of Dr, Jayce) did our music and then mixed the sound effects and dialogue and he did a fantastic job! I’ll pass on your comments!

Lots of people just have lame music, but the sound effects and voices are actually quite good.

And I have to admit that Steve isn’t as geezerly as I thought. He likes Clones which is good, but he still misses the boat on Sith!

Steve, Again to my main point-Your response had me glazed over in a half bored half laughing stupor-I need an interpreter to figure out half of what you say. Not because you’re so smart, but because half the time it seems that you use circular logic. First off, it is totally illogical to invest so much of your life into one thing only to throw it away when it does something you don’t like (ie Staw Wars). It seems that more than anything perhaps you were too invested in Star Wars and like a gilted boyfriend got hurt because of what you percieved as a big letdown. It seems like you were way too into it that there was no place to go but down if you know what I mean.

And your logic doesn’t fit into Star Wars Universe because Star Wars isn’t logical. It is meant to be fun, so lighten up and have fun. Dress up in your Secret Han Solo costume and do a little dance!

I have no doubt that you will reply and in response I will only read half of what you write in the attempt to figure out 10% of it.

And the B&W Who are really cool. It’s so neat to see what people who were creating the show thought of the future and the technology back then.

i should stop threadjacking and go listen to the latest show, shouldn’t i? ^_^ What was that you were all saying about “geek community” and all that? Hee. Trying to get a fan to stop jabbering is like trying to escape the gravitational pull of a black hole.

“The Phantom Menace mirrors Star Wars in that Luke turns off his equipment and goes with his gut and destroys the death star. Anakin tries to shoot those shooting at him and blows up the mothership. Both are not “skilled fighter takes out bad guys!” but at least Anakin’s is more believable.”
- I disagree. Luke is a skilled pilot who uses his skill to remain alive during the Death Star assault, only to rely on the Force to guide him at the end. The movie is all about Luke’s introduction to the belief in something outside himself, which is difficult for him because he is (up to that point) just a hotshot pilot. Anakin does have some talent, but in the final battle he succeeds accidentally. The movie is all about destiny and fate. Not that difficult to pull off…all he had to do was to have potential. 

“Clones beats Empire (The one thing I agree with Steve on, Empire is depressing)”
- And for this, I thank you!

“Just because the new trilogy doesn’t give what you want doesn’t mean it’s a bad story. Just write your own. This is Lucas’ story whether you like it or not.”
- Lucas can *have* his story, but could he have a logical story? One that makes sense in the final analysis? No, not with this story.

“It is not a matter of better, but a matter of taste. The old guys need to get over it. Their grand old tales aren’t better….they were just first.”
- You are right, this is all a matter of taste.  Depending on how one analyzes the films, any list could be valid. Using my logic, though, I stand by my assessments of the individual films and the series as a whole. 

“Steve, can you dumb it down a little bit…”
- I don’t know…my dumbed-down is still pretty high-falutin’. I will endeavor to eschew surplusage, for your sake. If that helps. Seriously, let me know which parts are too high-brow…sometimes I don’t even know where my brow is!

“You all are interesting.”
- You forgot to add, “…except for the old windbag.”

“Steve, do you write for the blog? ”
- Not as much as I should be, and not as much as I will be going forward! Watch out!

And, for the record, I haven’t immersed myself in Who-Dom but have watched a bunch of them (even a few black and white oldies!) AND my wife is a HUGE Who geek!

I can understand what you’re saying, especially about the “not better, just first”, although the sentiment can be redirected: “not better, just later.”

But it IS purely a matter of taste, and a fun conversation to have.

You said, “just write your own” … and that’s part of the reason we’re doing this. All three of us are writers and have been and are writing our own. Exploring stories like this let’s us see things from other perspectives — both Dr. Jayce and Steve had some insights I never noticed before (but don’t tell them that) and I hope I did the same for them. Art, and quality of art, is completely subjective, though.

I’m curious what you’ll think after listening to part 2 of our podcast, when we get into the original trilogy. I think you may be surprised that we aren’t as much of an ol’ fuddy duddy as you might expect.

Well, I am, of course. But not Steve or Dr. Jayce (who IS a doctor and college professor).

The Phantom Menace mirrors Star Wars in that Luke turns off his equipment and goes with his gut and destroys the death star. Anakin tries to shoot those shooting at him and blows up the mothership. Both are not “skilled fighter takes out bad guys!” but at least Anakin’s is more believable.

My opinion:
Star Wars beats Phantom Menace (simply because it was the one that started it all NOT because it was so much better)

Clones beats Empire (The one thing I agree with Steve on, Empire is depressing)

Sith Crushes Jedi, Jedi is the worst movie of the group. On this point Dr. Jayce is right on.

So the new movies beat the old ones 2-1.

I watched all of the movies when I was a kid and I love the news ones way better. Ben, says that the first three have better story telling. PLEASE!!! Ewoks, snow creatures that look so fake, and an uber thin story in the original Star Wars.

Just because the new trilogy doesn’t give what you want doesn’t mean it’s a bad story. Just write your own. This is Lucas’ story whether you like it or not.

I won’t argue the historic significance of the original franchize, but I bok at the idea that the original three are better movies. At best they are ground breaking; at worst they are boring. The new trilogy at best are innovative; at worst they are annoying.

It is not a matter of better, but a matter of taste. The old guys need to get over it. Their grand old tales aren’t better….they were just first.

p.s. Suggested improveements (I enjoy the show by the way), perhaps Dr. Jayce should start the shows because he has more energy. Or maybe have a different person open and another one close each time so every week theres a different opener and cloer. Steve, can you dumb it down a little bit…half the time I don’t know what you’re talking about…Dr. Jayce, are you really a Dr.? If so keep the name. If not lose it. You all are interesting. Different viewpoints and such. Each of you has your strengths. Ben, your Rankin list was very good. Steve, do you write for the blog? Dr. Jayce, your OVERRATED xmas movies ticked me off, but it was entertaining.

And i have watched all of Torchwood, at least what Netflix has so far. They have a fondness for finding ways to proclaim “LOOK! WE’RE NOT A SHOW FOR THE KIDDIES!” don’t they? Would be happy to help comment on anything. I’ve actually got my own recording setup for other podcast work.

I’m surprised that more didn’t vote for them. Perhaps more would’ve had they been specific: Spiderman…etc.

“Worst part: Luke’s reaction to the BIG news: “NOOOO!” See for yourself here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6sj89xgnl4”

May I suggest this link instead? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gQozw40Mso

Your comments about “community” are especially insightful. Interesting how it parallels some of our own experiences, and many, many other people’s as well.

Keep in contact. If we do a Dr. Who episode we just may need your help — Steve and Dr. Jayce both haven’t entered that world. I only really found it last year, when I signed up for Netflix, and I simply love it (I had casually seen some of the OLD Doctor Who, and enjoyed it as camp and as sci-fi history, but the NEW Who seasons have been golden). Although Torchwood … well, that’s another story.

~ Ben

Don’t know if you’ve covered it more yet but yeah, the Geek Girl contingent is strong these days, i’d say. I grew up a little geekling myself. We didn’t have much in the way of TV and i didn’t have much in the way of friends so i practically devoured whatever the library had to offer. Sci-fi was a huge part of that, though i’d say i had at least a partially balanced book diet. But i was reading Issac Asimov’s Foundation trilogy in early middle school, so i ate it up early.

Luckily i also had a mom who, while a strongly faithful woman, realized that i was savvy enough to separate reality from fantasy and always trusted my choice in reading material. More than once i picked something up and partway in decided it wasn’t for me because of gory or racy content and simply put it down again. And yeah, like you said i may not have agreed with the answers to some of the questions that were raised in those books, but i loved that the questions had been asked.

What you were saying about a need for community is HUGE, and i think i may have very well become lost in the fandom of Sci-fi myself if it weren’t for a trip i took in high school. i was the new kid in town and headed to Mexico with my youth group to build houses. We caravaned with a whole string of youth groups but i pretty much stuck with my group until halfway there, where they decided they wanted someone new in our van so could i travel with a different group? Needless to say i was feeling pretty alien – new kid, and even though i sort of knew the others in my group i was pushed out, sitting alone with strangers…

And then we reached Mexico and that first night’s campfire. I heard someone quoting Monty Python and instantly gravitated toward it. I found myself immediately welcomed by three fellow geeks, and the rest of the week was a blur of our combined Star Wars fan fiction planning along with house building. The other Christian kids hadn’t been interested in finding a place for me but the Christian Geeks were. I’m still close friends with those three. And they also got me started on the path of Multi-Geekdom, which i think is actually a good thing. I think being a Multi-Geek helps spread that tendency toward obsession around a bit and introduces you to more concepts so that you can keep a broader view. I mean, my current “obsession” might be Doctor Who, but if i’m also busy being a Knitting/Fiber Geek and a Theater Geek and a Costuming/Sewing Geek and an SCA Geek, i’m still out there in the world with other people learning other things and not focusing ALL my energy on Doctor Who. There were times when i was young that Star Wars was all i could think or dream about, but having those three friends who encouraged me to be a budding SCA/History Geekling and learn about the renaissance kept it from consuming me then.

I think it’s really important for there to be Christian Geeks out there. The mentor thing is huge – you’re in a position to meet folks who are seeking that sense of community and may not even realize it, and to have a new friend and mentor with a built-in common ground but who also has a good grip on reality can be a big boon. It’s also important to show others that yeah, you can have faith and have fun with science fiction, too. I know it was a huge boon to me, having Geek friends who held my same values, especially when it came to finding save new material to read/watch/whatever. When i started getting interested in anime it was HUGE to have these people to go to who could tell me what was fun and weird and entertaining without being gory or raunchy. I could have figured it out for myself but i’m really glad i had those people to tell me in advance. Yeah, i can turn the show off and return the disk but you’ve still caught some of what you consider yuck. And for a kid with a horrifically vivid imagination, i knew that catching more than i intended could lead to weeks of bad dreams.

Anyhoo, that turned into a whole essay and i didn’t really mean it too. Thanks for the podcast, guys! And if you ever need someone to blather about Hitchhiker’s Guide in ALL it’s incarnations (radio, book, tv, movie) or Doctor Who or a girl’s take on Star Wars or whatever, i’m just a sucker for being the center of attention. ^_^

~Nikki

Great Podcast, I’m going to go back and listen to the earlier ones now!

I understand there is a lot of ground that Star Trek has to move around on, but I always felt that each series was geared more for science-minded crowds, whereas Star Wars has the ability to appeal more to broader audiences. Just my perspective.

I feel like on principle, I should enjoy Narnia or even LOTR more, but even though I may appreciate their spirituality more than in Star Wars, I guess the original trilogy just has a little bit more spark to it.

Lord of the Rings runs a very close second – only because it is limited to Tolkien’s work. But that’s A GOOD THING. I don’t want anybody else building on it.

I also never really “got” “A Christmas Story” either – I mean I watched once and it was all right, but nothing I willingly go back to year after year.

“Jingle All the Way” and “Jack Frost”, I never bothered with.

But I do like “White Christmas”. It’s pretty soft on the whole Christmas thing, but as a musical from the mid-50s, I find it enjoyable.

The message of the song is wonderful. I would never argue with that. ******SPOILER ALERT******!!!!!
In the sequel, the shoes are in a box in the closet!! The whole purpose of the kid wanting the shoes was because he wanted his mom to be buried in them. (although, I don’t think we will actually be wearing our burial clothes in heaven. But, that’s an argument for another day)So….WHY??

For the record, the song is sometimes hard to avoid when listening to the radio. As far as the book & movies, I had to review them all before they could be placed in the church library. That was my job.

(Not that I have a strong opinion on this, of course. LOL!)

I just watched it again last week….message is still there.

But the kid can be rest assured that he at least has a snow globe to be able to see his father…

It’s not a good movie to begin with, but the take away is fairly obvious…it isn’t promoting solid fathering practices.

Job over son (he does get to see him on Christmas Eve though)….how touching!

But Michael Caine and Muppets? That one is absolutely my favorite.

My rankings:
1.Empire
You can’t beat it. Pure awesome.

2.Return of Jedi
Ok, so, I like ewoks. They’re like short, fury ninja warriors. I grew up wishing I was Leia kidnapped on Endor. Don’t judge…

3.Sith
I liked seeing all of the pieces finally put together. Jedi battles definitely make the movie though. And I totally agree with you about the dialogue. Ex: “Anakin, you’re breaking my heart!” “Because of Obi Wan?” Fail.

4. A New Hope
Classic.

5. Phantom
Loved Quigon, the pod-race and Darth Maul, but Natalie Portman needs to go back to acting school. And don’t even get me started on Jar-Jar…

6. Attack of clones
Ya know, I love the whole changeling chase in the beginning, Kamino, and from the arena/execution scene on it was great! Like, amazing. It almost makes up for the emotional sappiness of the rest of it. Almost.

Second, A New Hope, yes there are flaws, but the flaws are what makes these movies so great. Quoting the movie Fanboys, The crappy puppets and models are what make the movie. Without a New Hope there is no empire.

Third, Jedi, yes the ewoks were creepy and awkward to look at. Lucas did employ little people and thats cool in my book. It woulda been cool to have the ewoks sing about their lollipop guild. Also, Jedi gave Vader redemption. That is good enough for me.

Fourth, III, I emjoyed seeing Yoda go all Jet Li, and Hayden Christenson reveal to the world how terrible of an actor he truly is. I mean even Paul Walker thought it was terrible.

I can’t even really say anything about Episodes 1 and 2. The worst part of these two films are Jar Jar Binks and George Lucas saying to himself, hmm how can I ruin my greatest achievement. Oh he did that again with Indy.

Really my mom left the corner and is now trying to find out what she has to do to change her name because of my brother’s tragic list.

Good point, but I think the character lacked a nuanced performance. It may just be the acting or it mgiht be the writing/direction….

I just find the character quite annoying and leaves little room for being liked…which makes me care less about the character. Thus negating his redemption.

Eric,

I’m married and only haves eyes for one gal!

What do you think this has to say about shutting down the shuttle program?

-Dr. Jayce