Top 10 Women of Sci Fi – Part 3

March 7, 2012 — 1 Comment

Aeryn Sun

(Farscape and The Peacekeeper Wars)

With a host of strong characters on Farscape and Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars, Aeryn Sun is one of my favorites.  We see her go through a transformative journey during the run of the show. When we first meet her, Aeryn is in uniform concerned about ranks and regiments. Officer Aeryn Sun, Special Peacekeeper Commando, Ikarian Company, Pleisar Regiment is a solider first and foremost. She is born of and born into the Peacekeeper life; meaning that she obeys orders and looks to move up the ranks to be the best solider that she can be.  While on a mission to recapture a ship full of prisoners, Aeryn’s life is changed forever.  Would a loyal solider choose to help a person from an unknown species?  In the pilot episode, Aeryn begins to distinguish herself from the traditional ways the Peacekeepers behave. After being declared irreversibly contaminated, she joins the escaping prisoners instead of facing a slow death. This decision puts her on a path that she never could have imagined before.

On Moya, she forms new relationships and learns of the joys of friendship and camaraderie.  In Thank God it’s Friday… Again, with the help of Pilot and to much of her surprise, Aeryn performs simple scientific experiments in order to aid Rygel while the others are trapped on an alien planet.  After being given Pilot’s DNA, Aeryn develops an intuition about leviathan that always remains with her. Time and time again, where there is a need, Aeryn steps up to full fill the void.  In Jeremiah Crichton with the others stuck on a planet with a dampening field, Aeryn and Zhaan are able to create and launch a probe in order to assist Dargo, Crichton and Rygel who were trapped on the planet.

You can’t have a discussion of Aeryn Sun without mentioning John Crichton.  In the beginning, she thought he was a useless a lesser creature but she begins to rely on him more and more with each new challenge they face.  They eventually fall in love but face many obstacles – a princess, death and a Crichton double to name but a few – but as all good epics they wind up together.  Theirs is an epic love story and one of the best onscreen couples ever.

Challenge Update – Foundation Trilogy

March 7, 2012 — Leave a comment

Last September, after discovering that I had read only a fraction of NPR Top 100 Sci Fi/Fantasy, I wanted to read all of the books on the list. How could I call myself a sci fi fan without having read what are consider classics of the genre.  I started with the classic Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov.  It was a great way to kick off this journey. The Foundation Trilogy consists of Foundation, Foundation and Empire and Second Foundation.  It is a multigenerational story that covers the collapse of a great empire and the race to prepare society for what follows.  Hari Sheldon is a psychohistorian who along with his team uses social, mathematics, and psychology to plot a way to contain the chaos. Sheldon establishes two foundations who work independent of each other to propel the Sheldon Plan along.  The Sheldon plan is never fully explained but the citizens of the foundation believe that its calculations will automatically solve any problems that arise with the implosion of the galactic empire. With a complex plot and a vast number of characters to keep track of, The Foundation series is nonetheless a page turner.

Asimov is a titan in the Science Fiction world and rightfully so.  Although his writings were simplistic in style, his influence can still be felt.  Asimov was recently featured on The Science Channel show The Prophets of Science Fiction.

The Prophets of Science Fiction

Classic interview with Bill Moyers

Next up on the challenge: American Gods by Neil Gaiman

An Evening of Love and Passion…

February 20, 2012 — Standard — Leave a comment

Who would ever think that the dark minds of Edgar Allan Poe and Clive Barker would inspire an original dance pieces by Astra Dance Company

The evening began with In Dreams inspired by I Dreamed I Spoke in Another’s Language. While a woman (Cynthia Marie Mendez) lies sleeping, a man (Ben Sayles) dances into her dreams. Various music and video images helped convey the different moods of the piece, whose goal is to communicate the different types of love.  The second segment was the strongest element of the piece, which conveyed a believable sensuality missing from the rest of the dance. With his acrobatic background, Sayles brings an air of vitality to the dance.

The evening’s main piece – Eleonora is a tale of loss and ultimately, a tale of redemption (director’s note) – is narrated by David Wilkinson. Andrew Claus stars as Pyrros, Georgia Reed as Eleonora and Autumn Fawn as Ermengarde.  The backdrop should receive its own credit. The digital screen really helped to express a since of time and place.  Pyrros and Eleonora lived and found love in the Valley of Many Colored Grass.  Claus and Reed do a great job of expressing love and loss.  They make up the night’s strongest dancing pair.  Claus and Fawn to a serviceable job in the second part of Eleonora and the piece ends on a surprising up note considering the source.

Tickets are at available on www.goldstar.com or www.astradance.com.

Two shows 7:30 and 10:00 at the El Portal Theatre through February 25

Links to the original poems:

I Dreamed I Spoke in Another’s Language

Eleonora

Top 10 Women of Sci Fi – part 2

February 13, 2012 — Leave a comment

Up next Martha Jones

Martha Jones was the second companion to the tenth Doctor. When we first meet Martha in “Smith and Jones”, she is a medical student training at a London hospital. The Doctor checked in as a patient after noticing unusual activity in the area.  The hospital is whisked away to the moon by the Judoon to further their search for a fugitive alien. After escaping the moon and returning to earth, the Doctor initially offered Martha a onetime ride through time and space.  As always to alleviate his loneliness, the Doctor asked Martha to become his long time traveling partner.

Throughout her season and it subsequent appearances in story arcs in later seasons of Doctor Who and in Torchwood, we see Martha grow from a smart young student carrying an unrequited love for the Doctor to a resourceful doctor battling to save the earth from various threats. Stand-out episodes that trace the growth and confidence of Martha include: “42”, when Martha helps save a ship full of people after the doctor is taken over by an alien. “Human Nature”/”The Family of Blood” where Martha is left alone to protect the Doctor who had to store the memory of his life in order to hide from aliens who are threat him. In the season ending episodes “The Sound of Drums”/”Last of the Time Lords”, Martha must travel the earth alone trying to singlehandedly save the world while the Master holds the Doctor hostage.  Martha leaving the Doctor on her own terms helped propel this character forward. After the events in the “Last of the Time Lords”, Martha choose to help her family deal with the repercussions instead of continuing her travels. These episodes also showed that the Doctor trusted her like no other companion before or since and heavily relied on her intelligence and bravery.

Martha remains one of my favorite companions even though the writers hampered the character with the unnecessary unrequited love thread that weaved its way through her initial run.  In the beginning much was made of Freema Agyeman being the first permanent companion of color to travel with the Doctor, that it seemed the story runners never knew what to do with her.  Giving such thin material, Ms. Agyeman still brought Martha to life and you couldn’t help but root for her.

For additional information Martha Jones check out  Tardis Index File

Limitless – oh really

February 10, 2012 — Leave a comment

A struggling writer discovers a top-secret drug which bestows him the ability to access and utilize 100% of his brain function. After running into an old friend, Eddie Morra pops an unknown pill which gives him a clarity and focus that he has never experienced before. In a short span of time, Eddie completes a novel and starts a new career as a stock broker in order to finance the lifestyle of his dreams.

The basic premise of Limitless is that humans are only able to access 20% of their brain functions, a common misconception.  A minor flaw of the movie is that the origins of the drug is never discussed.  We hear about the after effects but nothing about the creators of this drug.

Supposedly, Eddie experiences mental abilities that no one imagine.  His first instinct is to make money to do whatever he wants.  I don’t buy into this theory.  His intellect, his reasoning, and creativity is enhanced and he wrote a book an unusually short time frame.  His only thought was to become a stock broker.  Why not push technology to its limit and create a fabulous new machine, cure cancer, built a space craft and fly to the stars. Anything but become a drone broker.

Lazy writing at its finest.  The writers are given free rein to come up with their own concept of  what the brain is capable of doing. And they come up with nothing. 

So, if I had the ability described in Limitless, the first thing I would do would be to compose the greatest symphony ever heard. And on the second day, I would figure how warp drive and start exploring the universe.  I can guarantee that I would not show up to an office job. 

What would you do?

Top 10 Women of Sci Fi

February 8, 2012 — Standard — 1 Comment

Science Fiction has always been a haven for diverse and complex women. This is a first in a series of my picks for the Top 10 Kick-Ass Women of Sci-Fi.

First up:

Zoe

(Firefly, Serenity)

The Woman Warrior is a iconic image in literature.  A fierce warrior who has long been portrayed as a celibate hunter who devotes her life and energy to fighting. Classically personified as Arcadian Artemis, goddess of Hunting and Chastity. Typically, Women warriors live and fight with other females and myths based in numerous cultures around the world.  The Amazons are a famous example.

In Firefly and later Serenity, we see Zoe turn this notion on its head.  We first meet Zoe on the battle field alongside Caption Mal Reynolds fighting for the Brown Coats against the Alliance.  After the war, she continues to serve alongside Mal onboard Serenity as his second in command. Instead of the archetypal women warrior, a female warrior who lives and fights among other warriors. Zoe is happily married to Wash, pilot of Serenity. Not only content in being married but excited to plan for a future with kids:

Wash: All I am sayin’ is that we are living pretty deep in the rough and tumble and I don’t seeing that changing  any time soon

Zoe: Nor do I

Wash: Well, I’m not sure now is the best time to bring a tiny little helpless person into our lives

Zoe: That excuse is getting little worn, honey

Wash: It’s not an excuse dear. It’s objective assessment. Can’t help that it stays relevant

Zoe: I don’t give a good …  about relevant, Wash, or objective. I ain’t so afraid of losing something that I ain’t gonna try and have it. You and I would make one beautiful baby and I want to meet that child one day. Period.

Hearts of Gold

Had Firefly lasted longer than 14 episodes, it would fascinating to explore other sides of Zoe as a wife and eventual mother.

Check out the fabulous Gina Torres on Geeks On, discussing her career and the state of women’s roles in Sci Fi.

Geekson.com

Quick Movie Review – Carnage

January 20, 2012 — Leave a comment

Roman Polanski’s new movie Carnage is an adaption Yasmina Reza’s Tony award winning play God of Carnage. Penelope and Michael Longstreet invite Nancy and Alan Cowan over to discuss a fight between their sons at a public park in New York City. Jodie Foster and John C. Riley play the parents of the injured boy (Ethan) while Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds) stand in for his attacker (Zachary). On its surface Carnage is a movie about a simple gathering that spins wildly out of control. Part of the hilarity stems from the character development – which is cleverly forged out of their interactions with each other and inanimate objects. The rest is based upon pure dialogue expertly executed. Shot in real time it was fascinating to see a film focused on four people transform into something so dynamic when it was shot in such a small space. With a top notch cast, somehow John C. Riley manages to steal the show.

The title says it all

January 17, 2012 — 3 Comments

 

 

Why Hasn’t Octavia Butler’s Work Been Adapted

In a town that loves adaptations, it’s a shame that no one has embraced the fascinating stories told by one of our nation’s unique writers: Octavia Butler.  As a fan of both Octavia Butler and Sci Fi, I would love to see the disturbing tale of Fledgling brought to the big screen.  An original vampire tale regarding Shori, a 53 years old vampire who looks 10.  With the success of the Twilight series, Vampire Diaries, True Blood, it’s surprising that no one in Hollywood willing to take a change an bring this character to life.

I would love to see a character who looks just like me moving through time and space.  There is still some trepidation in Hollywood to feature a sci-fi movie featuring a person of color, who is not Will Smith? Can’t you imagine Tarji P. Henson or Thandie Newton starting in Kindred – the time traveling tale dealing with slavery and familial connections.

Tyler Perry has the means and resources, namely his own studio, to take a chance a tackle one of Ms. Butler’s complex.  There is an audience for this material.  Racialicous has started a book club devoted to her works Octavia Butler Book Club. To quote Field of Dreams “Build it and they will come.”

Get Your Nerd On

November 17, 2011 — Leave a comment

Jonesing for nerdy conversation, then check out  We Nerd Hard and Starbase 66

I wasn’t prepared for the massive amounts of Nerdness of We Nerd Hard.   As a new listener I wasn’t ready to be assault with detailed knowledge of the hottest video games. According to their bio, they are breaking down the latest in tech rumor mill, video games, random old school sci-fi and Saturday morning cartoons.  Be forewarned that Elon James White is currently going through a weird obsession with Jackie Chan Adventures.  What started out as musings on an old Saturday morning favorite has taken an ugly turn. Tatiana King is bringing the nerd girl point of view, so every angle is covered. Fahnon Bennett and Aaron Rand Freeman round out this tight crew. 

Starbase 66 is keeping the nerdy flame alive with discussions on everything Trek, sci-fi, horror, fantasy and comics. Podcast reminds me of the conversations that I with my geeky friends.  Admiral, Ro Karen, and Kennedy are the regulars of this top notch podcast.

Do you have a favorite nerd cast?