Dec 30 2016

Top Ten Films and TV Shows of 2016

For 2016, superheroes continue to reign in film and TV, while other genres like sci-fi, fantasy, horror and related combos offered refreshing alternatives. Many of the best films and TV shows on this list were very profound and pushed the envelope, while others were just plain fun to watch.

Films

10. 10 Cloverfield Lane: The spiritual sequel to Cloverfield was a tense and suspenseful thriller with a great performance by John Goodman as a doomsday prepper.

TIE: 9. Suicide Squad/X-Men: Apocalypse: Despite their flaws both superhero (and supervillain) films were enjoyable romps with unforgettable characters (Harley Quinn, the Joker, Deadshot, Magneto, Quicksilver, and more) and eye popping action-packed moments.

8. Doctor Strange: With the big-screen debut of Marvel Comics’ Sorcerer Supreme the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to remind us why their superhero films are currently the best of the crop compared to Fox’s X-Men Universe films (Deadpool aside, of course) and the DC Extended Universe movies.

7. Zootopia: The best animated film of the year dazzled us with eye raising animation and a clever script that highlighted important social messages about tolerance and prejudice.

6. Star Trek: Beyond: The film’s back-to-basics approach with Star Trek’s iconic characters paid proper homage to the TV show while having a genuine adventurous tone.

5. The Jungle Book: Even though the CG-created animals and environment were flawless and stunning, the film to its merit emphasized story and characters, which left a bigger impression.

4. Deadpool: As a faithful adaptation of the irrelevant and violent comic book, Deadpool proves that it’s possible to be true to comic book source material and still be an entertaining film.

3. Arrival: A provocative, well-acted and beautifully shot film about first contact with aliens smartly emphasized the communications hurdles humanity would face. The film’s ending was a true surprise and was just one of Arrival’s highlights.

2. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: The first Star Wars spinoff not only neatly ties in with Episode IV but is a great and exciting film in its own right with more nuanced characters and situations than seen in a typical Star Wars film.

1. Captain America: Civil War: The Avengers are torn apart from within as Captain America and Iron Man philosophically, then violently disagreed over allowing the government to supervise their team. Featuring strong performances and the best superhero fight scenes ever filmed, the film was an emotional ride for viewers.

TV Shows

10. Ash Vs Evil Dead: Grossly fun and action-packed as everyone’s favorite deadite fighter Ash Williams and his gang continue delighting horror fans.

9. Colony: Unexpectedly well done look at life under alien domination and that “big, beautiful wall” separating American cities is a chilling portent of what lies ahead.8. 12 Monkeys: Of the many time travel themed TV shows out there, this is the best of them as many episodes explored the convoluted nature of time travel.

TIE: 7. The Flash/Daredevil: The two best superhero TV shows were on the opposite ends of the tonal spectrum. The Flash is pure Silver Age awesomeness, while Daredevil reflects a more gritty and grounded mood, especially with the introduction of the brutal vigilante, the Punisher. Both shows featured intense and enjoyable comic book adventures thanks to well written scripts and engaging lead actors, plus supporting characters/actors.

6. The Walking Dead: The megahit series about brutal life after the undead destroy civilization has hit a creative wall and is past its peak according to many fans. Yet, for the most part The Walking Dead is still delivering more than adequate thrills, gross out moments and entertainment, even if the show went to far in Negan’s introduction and certain character deaths.

5. Black Mirror: A dark anthology series about the downside of technology offered many disquieting episodes about technology’s impact in our lives today and tomorrow.

4. Stranger Things: A wonderful ode to ’80s sci-fi movies featured terrific child performances, geeky Easter eggs and an intriguing mystery revolving around a missing child and an interdimensional monster.

3. The Expanse: This well-crafted series about a brewing war among human colonies in our solar system during the next century could wind up being the next great TV space opera.

2. Westworld: HBO’s potential successor to Game of Thrones went way beyond the original Michael Crichton movie about theme park robots running amok by presenting a thought-provoking series about existentialism and ethics.

1. Game of Thrones: Even though the fantasy series is drawing to a close, the sprawling epic continues to captivate viewers with its visceral tale of power struggles among kingdoms. One of the highlights was the epic episode “Battle of the Bastards” that put rival films to shame with its gut wrenching fight scenes.

Dec 14 2016

Lead Actress Cast For Star Trek: Discovery

For most of the year, we Star Trek fans have been teased with the casting of the upcoming Star Trek: Discovery TV show that is premiering next year. We were excited over the casting of Michelle Yeoh, Doug Jones and others who would play diverse characters in the show, but no lead had been cast. That all changed today when word came that after an exhaustive search Sonequa Martin-Green has just been cast to play the lead role Lt. Commander Rainsford in Star Trek’s eagerly awaited return to TV.

Most fans know Martin-Green from the hit TV show The Walking Dead. For those of you out there who don’t she plays the role of Sasha, one of the few survivors of the walker apocalypse. Not to beat up on The Walking Dead, but that show has been in a rut this season with the Negan overkill and the tropes that the characters, including Sasha had been going through.

Obviously, Sonequa Martin-Green’s casting means that Sasha will probably be the next victim of Negan on The Walking Dead. It’s just as well, since her arc had come to a conclusion last season and the men she cared about in her life, her brother, Tyreese, and her new lover Abraham are both dead. In other words, The Walking Dead’s loss is Star Trek: Discovery’s gain.

Her casting is quite inspired, since it covers many important areas. One, she is the first woman of color to have the lead role in a Star Trek show. The honor of the first non-white goes to Avery Brooks who starred as Captain Ben Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine back in the 1990s. Ironically enough, like Sisko, Sonequa Martin-Green’s Rainsford won’t begin the show as the captain but as a lieutenant commander. Hopefully as what eventually happened with Sisko, her character will get promoted to captain before too long because she has the look of a Star Trek captain.

But more importantly, as seen in The Walking Dead, Martin-Green has the acting chops to headline a TV show and being that she has experience in a related genre, she will please many fans who only want the best casting options for the beloved Star Trek franchise. Finally, her landing the role cements the notion that Star Trek: Discovery will be populated by a diverse group of people with different backgrounds. This is actually reflective of our society today, despite what some on the fringe-elements may wish for, and this casting proves that Star Trek on the whole is able to keep up with the times.

Seriously, this is an excellent cap to Star Trek’s 50th anniversary as this year draws to a close.

T. Rod Jones

Dec 10 2016

The Greatest Star Trek Hallmark Ornaments

When it comes to ornaments, Star Wars may be the big thing given the abundance of Hallmark ornaments that are all over the stores now. However, Star Trek fans know all too well that their beloved franchise started the Hallmark ornament craze back in 1991 with the release of the original Enterprise ornament.

Over the years, Hallmark has made some truly beautiful Keepsake ornaments about Star Trek and that tradition continues. While the amount of ornaments available may pale when compared to Star Wars, there is solid demand for Star Trek Hallmark ornaments and it looks like it be with us for a long time.

What makes these Star Trek ornaments so beloved are Hallmark’s attention to detail. Each ornament is a painstakingly accurate rendition of the ship or character. They can be displayed all year long on your desk or wherever, they don’t just belong on a Christmas tree, though they’re often the highlights of a decorated one. Fans also can look forward to the featured lights or sounds that many of the ornaments have. One advantage the Star Trek ship ornaments have over the Star Wars ship ornaments is that they light up. For some reason few of the Star Wars ship ornaments have this feature, they mostly just make noise or have dialogue.

This light up feature has been with the ornaments from the very beginning and hopefully will remain with future ornaments. But one problem with the older ornaments (and this applies to the earlier Star Wars ship ornaments) is that they had to be screwed into the light socket of a Christmas tree light. There is a limit to how many ships you can do that with and it’s a real pain to yank out a light bulb, stick in the ornament plug then replace the bulb at the end of the Holiday season. Also the lights have changed over the years necessitating having to use adapters.

The newer ornaments instead come with batteries but now the ships won’t stay lit continuously. But it’s a good solution and Hallmark should give serious thought to re-issuing the older ornaments like the Romulan warbird or the Enterprise-E with this feature.

As long as there are the fans and the creators at Hallmark can come up with new ideas each year, the Star Trek ornaments will be a mainstay in any fan’s Holiday wish list. And yes, they make wonderful gifts for Star Trek fans. Listed below are the ten best Star Trek ship ornaments and the ten best character/diorama ornaments.

Characters/Dioramas

TIE: 10. Arena (2013)/Amok Time (2010): Both ornaments feature Star Trek’s memorable battle music, perfect for the Holidays.

9. Lt. Commander Worf (1999): The mighty Klingon is ready to fight in this striking pos and it’s one of the best sculpted character ornaments.

8. Star Trek Legends #1 Captain James T. Kirk (2010): What list would be complete without a solo ornament of Star Trek’s greatest captain?

7. To Boldly Go (2016): Good luck finding this one! Perfect diorama of Kirk, Spock and McCoy to celebrate Star Trek’s 50th anniversary.

6. The Needs of the Many (2015): From the final moments of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Spock’s farewell to Kirk evoked the sad passing of Leonard Nimoy.

5. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (2007): This diorama ornament lets you relive the confrontation via viewscreen between the Enterprise and the Reliant.

4. Locutus of Borg (2005): What makes this ornament stand out are the bright lights of Locutus’ station, which goes well in a Christmas tree.

3. Transporter Chamber (2006): No one can stop pressing the button on this ornament to hear the sights and sounds of the transporter in action.

2. City on the Edge of Forever (2004): The first Star Trek diorama ornament is still one of the best looking ones as Kirk and Spock dive through the Guardian of Forever.

1. The Trouble with the Tribbles (2008): True story; yours truly inspired this ornament. Years ago I used to leave comments on the forum Trekbbs.com. Some of the threads were about a wish list for ornaments and I left a reply that Hallmark should recreate the iconic funny moment in “The Trouble With The Tribbles” where Kirk is flooded with hundreds of tribbles. Lo and behold, a couple of years later this ornament comes out and on another thread on the site about ornaments, I commented that someone at Hallmark must be reading the forum. To my surprise someone replied to my comment stating that he or she was a sculptor at Hallmark and usually perused the forum for ornament ideas. You’re welcome. I’ll take one of those rare convention ornaments as a reward, please.

Ships

10. U.S.S. Enterprise “pilot version” (2016): Another re-issue of the Enterprise is highlighted by its shiny gold covering to commemorate Star Trek’s 50th anniversary.

TIE 9. U.S.S. Enterprise-C (2015)/Klingon Battle Cruiser (2009): This Enterprise is the most underrated ship ornament, while the Klingon ship looks quite imposing hanging from a tree branch.

8. Romulan Warbird (1995): Its large size and greenish tones/lights make this one of the best looking Star Trek ornaments.

7. Klingon Bird of Prey (1994): This ornament surprisingly blends in well in Christmas trees thanks to its colorful detailing and lights.

TIE 6. U.S.S. Enterprise (2006)/ Delta Flyer (2002): For those who couldn’t get the original Enterprise, and the Delta Flyer is the best of the obscure ship ornaments.

5. Deep Space Nine (2001): This larger than normal ornament allows you to hook on mini-ornaments of Star Trek ships to its pylons.

4. U.S.S. Enterprise-D (1992): Don’t bother with the 2012 unlit version, get this one instead, it looks awesome lit up.

3. U.S.S. Defiant (1997): A personal favorite recreation of one of the best looking and hardiest Star Trek ships.

2. U.S.S. Enterprise-A (2005): The first ornament to require batteries to operate and a lovingly detailed replica of the best movie ship.

1. U.S.S. Enterprise (1991): The one that started it all is still the best and most prized Star Trek ornament. Trying to find one at a reasonable price online or in a convention is a feat unto itself but it’s worth it because it’s the Holy Grail of Star Trek ornaments. The other ornaments that followed may be more detailed and more refined than this Enterprise ornament but this one holds a special charm in its elegance and function. A definite must-have for any collector.

José Soto

Sep 30 2016

Star Trek Vs Star Wars: Can’t We All Enjoy Both?

Star Trek vs. Star Wars. It’s the ultimate geek debate, our version of Coke vs. Pepsi or the Beatles vs. the Rolling Stones. Which ship is cooler, the Enterprise or the Millennium Falcon? Is the Galactic Empire more powerful than the United Federation of Planets? Who’s got the coolest aliens? Most die-hard fans insist that while you can enjoy both, you have to pick one over the other. That may be an extreme position because frankly, both Star Trek and Star Wars can be enjoyed for different reasons.

In a way, it is unfair to pit both beloved properties against each other due to their differences. This Star Trek vs. Star Wars debate becomes more of an apples and oranges argument instead of the previous analogies. That is due to the fact that comparing Coke against Pepsi is just arguing over two soft drinks that are very similar to each other.

Now Star Trek and Star Wars don’t share many similarities. One of the few is that they are both sci-fi adventures, but Star Wars focuses more on a space fantasy set in another galaxy while Star Trek is considered more grounded and realistic. That is the core difference between the two and it is enough to set both properties light years apart from each other.

As we all know Star Wars is basically a mythological tale in a sci-fi fantasy setting. It’s got all these fantastic visuals and fight scenes with spaceships and weird aliens, but Star Wars in its heart is a morality tale about family and the hero’s journey. That is why the Star Wars films resonate so much with audiences.

On the other side of the equation, Star Trek is an optimistic look at humanity’s future where we are devoted to exploring the unknown for knowledge’s sake. Sure, the crew of the Enterprise will come across those pesky Klingons but Captain Kirk and the other captains aren’t military leaders but explorers. On the outside, their goals are to see what’s beyond the next star and the next one after, but the best Star Trek stories explore the human condition and are thinly veiled commentaries about what is going on today. And that is why Star Trek has a devoted fan base as well.

Some trolling fans will claim that Star Wars is more popular since it’s more in the public consciousness to the point that it is cool to be a Star Wars fan. But Star Trek is undeservedly looked down upon as being strictly for geeks. A closer look at Star Trek fandom shows that it’s appeal is widespread as well and has had a profound impact in our culture. The constant reminders of Star Wars as seen with all the merchandising and the new cranking out of films is not necessarily due to demand but Disney marketing. Can’t blame them though, the corporation spent billions to acquire the property and they want to get their money’s worth.

It’s fruitless trying to compare the two in a competition, Star Trek and Star Wars are appealing for different reasons. A well-rounded person will see the merits of both properties and enjoy them for different reasons instead of cooking up Star Trek vs. Star Wars scenarios. Still comparing the two live-action sci-fi giants is a fun exercise that shouldn’t be taken too seriously. Just be grateful that we all have the opportunity to enjoy two well-produced properties. So, sit back and be transported where no one has gone before in a galaxy far, far away.

Lewis T. Grove

Sep 22 2016

Top 50 Star Trek Episodes, Part 3: Episodes 10-1

As we continue the celebration of Star Trek’s 50th anniversary, it’s only logical (pun intended) to countdown the top 10 episodes of the original Star Trek series. Strange as it sounds, it was both hard and easy to pick out the ten best episodes from the most phenomenal sci-fi TV series of all time. While the episodes listed in the three-part Top 50 countdown were classics in their own right, these particular ten stood out from the rest time and time again, and will probably continue to do long into the future. Most of these rankings may seem natural and obvious to many readers, but it’s just a testament to the strength and timelessness of these Star Trek episodes.

10. “Shore Leave” Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), commanding officer of the starship Enterprise, leads a landing party to an unusual planet where one’s private thoughts become reality. While this leads to many wish-fulfilling moments, such as Kirk’s reunion with a lost love, the planet’s nature creates dangerous situations like attacks from a medieval knight, a samurai and a fighter plane.

At times whimsical with a generous dose of the perilous “Shore Leave” was one of the more unique episodes of Star Trek and predated the ubiquitous holodeck shows of the spinoffs, but better done. Not only did the episode place our heroes in offbeat scenarios, but “Shore Leave” provided some curious insights of our heroes.

9. “The Corbomite Maneuver” This episode is a classic example of how a First Contact scenario might play out between human and alien and how it can potentially lead to disaster. In reality, this was the second Star Trek episode produced for the actual series and it shows. The production of Star Trek looked a bit different like the velour uniforms and Spock’s (Leonard Nimoy) harsher makeup.

Despite that, “The Corbomite Maneuver” is a standout classic because of the strength of its script. Upon encountering a mysterious alien presence Captain Kirk is forced to play a guessing game with the unknown alien who tests the Enterprise and its crew. Even though Kirk’s strategies are indeed impressive, what’s more unforgettable is the episode’s conclusion when the nature of the alien and its motive are revealed.

8. “The Trouble With The Tribbles” As one of the most popular episodes in any Star Trek, “The Trouble With The Tribbles” is also the funniest and for good reason. It’s still as much fun to watch today as it was 50 years ago (well, 49 to be exact, it first aired in 1967).

The Enterprise arrives at a Federation space station visited by belligerent Klingons feuding with the Federation over the claim of a nearby planet. As Kirk tries dealing diplomatically with the Klingons and the bureaucratic station heads, adding to his headaches is an infestation of furry animals called tribbles. Loveable at first, the balls of fur over-multiply and besiege the station and the Enterprise. The episode is famous for its many humorous moments, especially the iconic scene where Kirk is buried in a pile of multi-colored tribbles as he gets to the bottom of a mystery involving the station’s contaminated grain stores.

7. “Space Seed” Here’s the landmark episode that introduced Star Trek’s greatest villain, Khan Noonien Singh, played with great aplomb and gusto by Ricardo Montalban.

Khan and his cohorts were genetically enhanced superman/despots from the 20th century who were cryogenically frozen and revived by the Enterprise crew. Once thawed out, Khan’s ambitious nature drives him into an escalating battle of wits with Captain Kirk. This culminates in Khan with his allies seizing control of the Enterprise and capturing the ship’s crew. Of course, it’s up to Kirk to free his people and defeat the genetically superior despot.

Due to Montalban’s captivating performance, Khan clearly left a huge impact in Star Trek mythos and is why the villain was the clear standout in “Space Seed”. Kirk has faced many villains but Khan was his most dangerous and mesmerizing opponent. As we all know, Khan was so unforgettable that he had to return to Star Trek years later with the most popular Trek film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

6. “This Side of Paradise” What starts off as an intriguing mystery and quickly turns into a romance with an unlikely lead: Mr. Spock. “This Side of Paradise” opens with an Enterprise landing party investigating how colonists on a radiation-filled world are still alive. The answer soon comes in the form of symbiotic spores that infect the Enterprise crew.

The spores give the infected a feeling of unproductive bliss, including Spock who is now able to express his feelings with an unrequited love, Leila Kalomi (Jill Ireland) who he reunites with on the planet. Meanwhile the rest of the crew quickly abandon their duties and plan to spend the rest of their lives on the spore-infected world.

The focus on Spock and his newfound romance was an outstanding highlight thanks to Nimoy and Ireland’s excellent performances and a wonderful, romantic score. It was truly heartening to see Spock finally letting his hair down and experience a brief moment of happiness even though the plot’s conclusion was poignantly bittersweet.

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Tag Archives: Star Trek

Top Ten Films and TV Shows of 2016

Films

TV Shows

Lead Actress Cast For Star Trek: Discovery

The Greatest Star Trek Hallmark Ornaments

Characters/Dioramas

Ships

Star Trek Vs Star Wars: Can’t We All Enjoy Both?

Top 50 Star Trek Episodes, Part 3: Episodes 10-1

Films

TV Shows

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Ships

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