Sci Fi

Top 5 Biggest & Most Influential Science Fiction Franchises

- Roshan

Several science fiction franchises have made significant cultural and commercial impacts, becoming cornerstones of the genre. Here are the top 5 of the biggest and most influential science fiction franchises according to ChatGpt:

  1. Star Wars:
    • Creator: George Lucas
    • Debut: 1977 with “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope”
    • Media: Movies, TV series, books, comics, video games, and merchandise
    • Impact: Star Wars is one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time and has had a profound influence on popular culture, pioneering special effects and storytelling in science fiction.
  2. Star Trek:
    • Creator: Gene Roddenberry
    • Debut: 1966 with “Star Trek: The Original Series”
    • Media: TV series, movies, books, comics, and video games
    • Impact: Known for its optimistic vision of the future, Star Trek has inspired generations of scientists and engineers. The franchise’s exploration of social and philosophical issues has made it a cultural touchstone.
  3. Doctor Who:
    • Creator: Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber, and Donald Wilson
    • Debut: 1963 with the BBC TV series “Doctor Who”
    • Media: TV series, books, audio dramas, comics, and merchandise
    • Impact: As the longest-running science fiction TV series, Doctor Who has become a beloved part of British culture and has a dedicated global fanbase.
  4. The Matrix:
    • Creators: The Wachowskis
    • Debut: 1999 with “The Matrix”
    • Media: Movies, animated films, video games, and comics
    • Impact: The Matrix revolutionized action filmmaking with its innovative special effects and philosophical themes, exploring concepts like reality, consciousness, and artificial intelligence.
  5. Alien:
    • Creators: Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett; directed by Ridley Scott
    • Debut: 1979 with “Alien”
    • Media: Movies, books, comics, and video games
    • Impact: Combining horror and science fiction, the Alien franchise has become iconic for its depiction of extraterrestrial life and its strong female protagonist, Ellen Ripley.

What Are The Events That Led To World War III In Star Trek?

- Roshan

In the Star Trek universe, World War III is a significant historical event that shapes the future of humanity. The details of the conflict are provided through various episodes across different series. Here is a summary of the events leading to World War III in the Star Trek lore:

  1. Escalation of Tensions:
    • By the late 20th and early 21st centuries, geopolitical tensions on Earth had been growing. Nationalistic fervor, economic disparities, and ideological differences contributed to increasing instability.
  2. Genetic Engineering and the Eugenics Wars:
    • In the 1990s, humanity experienced the Eugenics Wars, a series of conflicts involving genetically engineered superhumans, known as Augments. These Augments, such as Khan Noonien Singh, attempted to seize control of the planet. Although Khan and his followers were eventually defeated and exiled, the wars left lasting scars and contributed to distrust of genetic engineering.
  3. Decline of Global Stability:
    • By the early 21st century, the aftermath of the Eugenics Wars and other conflicts led to a significant decline in global stability. Nation-states struggled with economic collapse, environmental degradation, and resource scarcity.
  4. Outbreak of World War III:
    • The actual outbreak of World War III occurred around 2026, sparked by conflicts over resources and ideological differences. It was a devastating global conflict involving multiple factions and the use of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. The war lasted for several decades, peaking in the 2050s.
  5. Devastation and Aftermath:
    • World War III resulted in the deaths of approximately 600 million people and widespread devastation. Major cities were destroyed, governments collapsed, and much of Earth’s infrastructure was left in ruins. The social, economic, and environmental impacts were catastrophic.
  6. Post-War Recovery and the Phoenix Launch:
    • In the aftermath of the war, humanity faced a long period of recovery. Amidst the ruins, individuals like Zefram Cochrane worked on technological advancements. Cochrane’s successful test of the warp drive on April 5, 2063, attracted the attention of the Vulcans, leading to First Contact and setting humanity on a path toward unity and exploration.
  7. Formation of a New World Order:
    • Following First Contact, humans began to rebuild and reorganize society. The realization that they were not alone in the universe prompted efforts to overcome past divisions. This period of rebuilding eventually led to the formation of the United Earth government and later, the United Federation of Planets.

World War III in the Star Trek universe serves as a pivotal turning point, highlighting the destructive potential of humanity but also its capacity for recovery, cooperation, and progress.

RIP Terry Carter

- Roshan

Terry Carter, who portrayed Pvt. Sugie Sugarman on The Phil Silvers Show, the sidekick of Dennis Weaver’s character on McCloud and Colonel Tigh on the original version of Battlestar Galactica, has died. He was 95. Carter died Tuesday at his home in Manhattan, his son, Miguel Carter DeCoste confirmed. Carter appeared three times on Broadway early in his career and produced and directed a documentary on jazz legend Duke Ellington for PBS’ American Masters series in 1988. As Col. Tigh on one of my favourite tv shows of all time, he was the no-nonsense, loyal to a fault deputy to the show’s patriarch Commander Adama (the late Lorne Greene).

The Brooklyn native, born John Everett DeCoste, appeared on all four seasons (1955-59) of CBS’ The Phil Silvers Show (also known as Sgt. Bilko) as Pvt. Sugarman, the only Black regular on the comedy. He then played Sgt. Joe Broadhurst alongside Weaver’s Deputy Marshal Sam McCloud on NBC’s McCloud from 1970-77 and Tigh in the 1978 Battlestar Galactica movie and 1978-79 ABC series. From 1965-68, he served as the first Black news anchor on a New England TV station, WBZ-TV in Boston. Carter formed his own production company in 1975 and made documentaries, including one on dancer-choreographer Katherine Dunham that premiered in 2013.

His acting résumé included the films Parrish (1961), starring Claudette Colbert and Karl Malden; Benji (1974), written and directed by Joe Camp; and Foxy Brown (1974), starring Pam Grier. He also had TV gigs on Naked City, The Defenders, Combat!, That Girl, Bracken’s World, Mannix, Julia, The Jeffersons, Falcon Crest, The Fall Guy, Mr. Belvedere and 227. Survivors include his third wife, Selome; his children, Miguel and Melinda; and his stepdaughter, Hiwot.

How You Will Travel In The Future – Different Star System

- Roshan

In the future how will we travel? I hope that we will emulate some of the science fiction shows & movies and we travel in a lot more comfort and luxury than what we do right now an with a whole more safety. When will this happen, I do not know, but it will happen. Let’s say that you are traveling from somewhere on earth and traveling to another planet which we have colonized. Like let’s say we have colonized multiple planets or that humankind now lives on the 10 planets & 7 moons like in the futuristic world that I have created up for my stories. And you have planned to travel to a different star system system as you are creating a paper on something – like maybe a report for university about the atmosphere of some star system or something.

So you sit at your desk at home post breakfast and then do a video call with a travel agent representative. She clicks on her screens and finds you a large spaceship that is traveling to that star system, and others, as part of a tourist / pleasure cruise. Once you give her a confirmation, you add your credentials and identification to the screen so she can access it so on her end and book the room for you. You are traveling with your Golden Retriever and a domestic robot. She books the room for the 3 of you, comments on the beauty of your dog and then tells you when you should arrive for the trip and then wish you a happy & fruitful trip. On the day of the journey, you are driven to the airport and you get into the line to check in. You, your dog & robot are then directed to this lounge area and there you wait for a while with a coffee and a sandwich for you, a bowl of water and chow for your pet.

When it is boarding time you are beamed into the large spaceship, along with the rests of the 1000+ passengers. The 20 staff and over 100 hospitality robots take care of guiding the passengers to the various single rooms or family suites, depending on who you are, and you find your gorgeous room – a large comfortable bed, a desk with a computer console inbuilt into it here you can also use your own personal device. Tv screens and a replicator wardrobe section built into the wall on one section and a food & drink replicator on another section. A dining table with chairs, plus a couple of sofas in the middle. You also have a large bathroom with a tub, sink/mirror, an enclosed shower and toilet with a separated enclosed shower and toilet section for your dog. You settle down for the evening an decide to take a shower and change after the spaceship takes off into space.

You have several days before you reach your destination star system. You can go around the ship and visit on of the several restaurants and bars that serve you food cooked and prepared to your specifications and you can have some food made for your pet too. Or you can sit in your room / suite and replicate some delicious food. As you are winding down for the night, your dinner done but you are just sipping that after dinner drink or ice cream you do a quick video call with your family back home and then change into your pjs, call for the lights to dim down and get into bed. Your robot connects to the charger in the room, while your dog after contemplating her luxurious dog bed, looks up at you with those puppy eyes, so you sigh and let her on the bed, carefully tucking the covers around her.

You scratch her ears and let her loving lick your face before you both lie down and drift off to sleep. As do most of the other passengers in the ship. The crew sign off after the final checks and then go to their quarters for their sleep, as the robots take over the running of the ship which travels through space heading towards your destination.

Star Trek Discovery’s 5th & Final Season Comes Out In Just Over A Month

- Roshan

The 5th and final season of Star Trek Discovery is soon upon us. As per the update from Paramount, the 10 episode season will premier on April 4th and end on May 30th. The most divisive of the Star Trek shows which debuted back in 2017, season 5 follows the crew of the starship Discovery in the 32nd century, more than 900 years after Star Trek: The Original Series, on a galactic adventure to find a mysterious power that has been hidden for centuries and which other dangerous groups are also searching for.

Sonequa Martin-Green stars as Michael Burnham, captain of the Discovery, along with the returning Doug Jones, Anthony Rapp, Mary Wiseman, Wilson Cruz, Blu del Barrio, and David Ajala. They are joined by Callum Keith Rennie (yes from Due South, Hard Core Logo & Battlestar Galactica) who plays a new character named Captain Rayner,  war-time Starfleet captain struggling to adjust to peace. He is joined this season by fellow Canadians Eve Harlow as Moll & Elias Toufexis as L’ak – who look like they will be the main villains of the season. Returning in supporting roles are Oded Fehr as Charles Vance, Chelah Horsdal as Laira Rillak, Tara Rosling as T’Rina, David Cronenberg as Kovich & Tig Notaro as Jett Reno.

While I admit that the show deserves credit for the fact that we have had four other shows after it’s early success, I am not sad to see it end. There is way too many problems with the show, the casting the writing and the acting. Special effects is awesome and I must say that I did like the 1st season and the second season – mainly for getting us Pike, Una & young Spock and the spinoff Strange New Worlds. The crying, the whispering, the head titling and Space Jesus and the “feelings”  – ugh. I have so many issues with the acting and casting choices of Mary Wiseman an Blu Del Barrio as well as David Adjala but I am so glad that they got rid of Ian Alexander as he was terrible! Hoping that season 5 will be way better.

RIP Gary Graham

- Roshan

American actor Gary Graham, known for a variety of roles in the Star Trek universe, and his lead role on the tv series Alien Nation, has reportedly passed away. He was 73 years old.  His ex-wife, actress Susan Lavelle, broke the sad news on her personal Facebook page in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Jan. 23, sharing a series of photos that included Gary hugging their daughter, Haylee Graham, he and Lavelle attending the Sixth Annual Television Hall of Fame Awards in 1990, and a press photo from the series Alien Nation, in which he starred as Detective Matthew Sikes.

With a career spanning five decades beginning in the 1970s in television and movies, he is perhaps best known for his starring role as Detective Matthew Sikes in the television series Alien Nation (1989–1990) and five subsequent Alien Nation television films (1994–1997), as well as his work in the Star Trek franchise, most notably the recurring role of Soval, the Vulcan ambassador to Earth in Star Trek: Enterprise. Born in Long Beach, California. One of his earliest roles was in the 1980 CBS mini series  Scruples based on the Judith Krantz novel starring Lindsay Wagner. He was cast as a “hitman” on the television show Moonlighting co-starring opposite Bruce Willis. Graham played more than 38 TV roles and had been in more than 40 movies.

He also guest-starred on Star Trek: Voyager (1995) once, playing Ocampan community leader Tanis in the season 2 episode “Cold Fire”. He played Ragnar in the fan production Star Trek: Of Gods and Men and continued that role in Star Trek: Renegades. In 2015, Graham reprised his role as Ambassador Soval, in the fan film Star Trek: Axanar. As a musician, Graham was in the bands The Gary Graham Garage Band, The Gary Graham Band and The Sons of Kirk.