SFdebris

The Gamesters of Triskelion

edited 3rd Sep '16 4:14:56 AM by Nouct

Kirk making out with the alien chick, a Kirk Summation and Star Trek wrasslin'? Count me in!

So The SF forum has basically been hijacked

B5 Intersections in Real Time

AN EPIC "The Reason You Suck" Speech was given to a fan on rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated by JMS himself when a fan said that the ep was "ripped off/derivative" of 1984 and "Closetland" (starring David Warner btw).

JMS is a member of PEN (an international writer's group for dissident writers), Amnesty International and did his research on torture. He basically told said fan to "read more books, join Amnesty International, join PEN and join real life..." (paraphrasing).

Why Fandom Can't Have Nice Things part XXXVII

the overlord patreon bumper has never been more appropriate

SG1: WaterGate Does not contain Nixon ____

On B5, This really was the last episode where you'd have a chance to give anything about Clark. Since it be one of the few times you could Legit have him face to face with Sheridan But as we've discussed, Clark was never really meant to be a "character" He's a non entity Big Bad

What Clark thinks of other characters is delivered indirectly through his minions

I always think that watergate is that one episode where they go to this one planet that's going through war and accidentally help space nazis by giving them heavy water.

That one is the source of one of my favorite quote

Daniel: Their whole world is in flames and we're offering them gasoline! How is that help?

Teal'c: We are in fact offering them water.

Daniel: I was speaking metaphorically.

Jack: Well, stop it! It's not fair to Teal'c.

edited 7th Sep '16 10:42:33 AM by CobraPrime

That's why I love that show so much.

Stargate always handled humour better than Trek. Well, except for maybe DS9.

Has there been any word on Chuck's health?

edited 7th Sep '16 11:04:52 AM by WillKeaton

*Peers at the Early Access videos*

...WTF is up with all the weird Anime Chuck gets asked to review?

Well at least it's not Full Moon or the Lesbian Miko one.

Well, while I'm trying not to sound insensitive, I can only figure that a lot of his fans happen to be that kind of anime fan.

That and they most likely get kicks out of his bemused reactions to the down right weird crap anime can get into. After all, the worst Star Trek ever does is turn its main cast into mutant newts and have them screw...

...well actually that does sound rather typical to have happen in an anime...

Even then, I still can't explain the My Little Pony videos...

Well the MLP stuff is just Bronies. Can't avoid it.

(Also considering someone paid several thousands to have him review all of Full Moon, I think it goes beyond "Let's make him suffer")

The new Anime is not so weird so much as... plain. (Kinos Journey for those who want to know). Like, the first episode's review makes it seem... way boring. And that's something to say when you're dealing with a show featuring a talking motorcycle.

Did someone order all of that and seriously not more... Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex? Not more Cowboy Bebop? Heck, Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood would be a blast to see Chuck Cover. There's so many great Anime, good and Bad, but it seems Chuck can only draw the weirdoes who'll request the bland or bad ones.

edited 7th Sep '16 7:42:22 PM by Ghilz

Huh. I don't have access to that much Early Access, but Kino's Journey made it? Nice.

It's...interesting. Slower-paced, but excellent storytelling, IMO.

I'll guess based on Chuck's comment and yours that the show must pick up. Coz the first episode is not making a good case for it.

(Not that there's no show with bad first episodes. I mean, look at most of the Star Trek series).

MLP is actually a good show for it's target audience, the "bronies" are just wierdos stinkin' up their parent's basements. As Doug Walker points out, children's media doesn't have to be stupid just because it's "for kids" if anything that's insulting to them. And MLP:FIM does what it can, be good TV while shilling toys. If anything, the eps I saw when I was babysitting are better than 80's MLP because they are not openly shillng plastic toys.

As for Babylon Five and President Evil Clarke, there is a play with the same idea that I read in my 20th century American Drama Class. It was made into a movie and I can't remember the title. Anyways, a young woman runs to her mom and friends because her husband is a Jerkass and beats her. As they talk and the hens cackle, they are visited by the husbands friends on the police force and in city politics. We never see the hubby, but we hear his viewpoint thru this friends. They all believe that the woman is a liar and/or stupid and her friends are liars. They say that the hubby is so clean and pure on one hand, on the other hand, those little ladies better turn over his wifey or they will get it!

Again, we don't need to see the Big Bad, we get to imagine what an a-hole he is, hiding behind his friends and their power, their political positions or their badge.

Clarke is a coward at heart, a schemer. He threw thousands of loyal officers at each other to weaken any opposition. He has his citizens tortured and experimented on, all while selling this as the greater good. And the irony? The xenophobic President Evil is in bed with evil Aliens.

Like the Evil Hubby, Clarke is a force of nature. The students in the class were all "we wanted to see the husband!" and I was like "He would have been a caricature, a cartoon villain". Sometimes less is more and Nothing Is Scarier.

Also, due to B5's biggest influence, Clarke is Saruman, taking over the Shire (Earth) while the heroes are fighting Saron (the shadows). Bester is Wormtounge in that he betrays Clarke by handing cybered-up telepaths to Sheridan.

edited 7th Sep '16 8:36:15 PM by TairaMai

I can accept that MLP can be good enough to draw a more mature audience despite having no desire to ever watch it, heck I love Invader Zim for the same reason, but like anime it's become stigmatized by the "weirdos" due to notoriety and media coverage. Obviously it's not the case with every fan but come on... it'd probably get more attention if it weren't for the stigma.

Anyways, back on topic. Keaton, I'd assume Chuck's still taking it a bit easy since the embargo on submissions gets put into effect on the 30th.

Oh god, the stinger this time through: The Green Berets parody about redshirts.

I know, right?! Chuck fulfills his promise to sulu made in the previous review.

edited 8th Sep '16 1:10:44 PM by NateWinchester

edited 8th Sep '16 10:40:57 AM by WillKeaton

[1]

Except So what if he was a Cartoon Villain, he'd still have presence. Clark LACKS presence which is the whole point of the idea JMS is trying to warn you.

Your use of Saruman doesn't work, Saruman We knew, Clark we don't

Yes Clark is suppose to be representative of The Idea of a Charismatic leader that sweeps in and changes the system. The problem is... Said idea does not work since it revolves around so much of the Person's identity and persona.

The Problem is... Clark has no persona.

Clark is basically an idiotic moron whose one assassination move put him in office and is only the threat he is cause everybody who could stop him won't for other reasons and the civilians are a bunch of sheep. IE The General at the start didn't cause it look like a military coup of the system and he'd be stuck as dictator for life and several of the Generals that are on Clark's side that do get characterized... Aren't on Clark's side because of Clark but other reasons. IE A Civil war would leave the Earth alliance barely functioning or Clark has them under threat. Anybody else who actually believes in the agenda... is a Cartoon villain or is a non entity themselves.

Clark isn't Lenin, Hitler or Kane **** he isn't even Stalin. Clark couldn't sway the masses to accept his radical reforms. Clark doesn't have the charisma to get people to back him. -seeing how so many of his own troops basically switch sides the moment they get the chance'

Clark is in charge cause the narrative needs a Despot in charge of Earth. and thats really what hurts the Earth civil war the most.

Now a large chunk of these problems is at part due to the fact that the shadow War and Earth War had to be squeezed into one season... and the actaully ramifications of Clark's regime would come back to bite everybody in the ass... if Crusade basically hadn't been canceled before it even launched

edited 8th Sep '16 5:56:33 PM by FrozenWolf2

Clark is supposed to be charismatic? When? It's pretty damn clear in the show that Clark has no charisma. Even BEFORE his coup he's mentioned unfavorably. Those who follow him all seem to do it either out of personal gain, or belief in the ideology of humanity first and the totalitarian state. Like, even some loyalist outright show a dislike for Clark.

He's insidious, yes, a schemer, yes. He knows how to get people to do awful things (foot in the door technique) but that's through psychological manipulation. But I don't think Clark is ever implied to be charismatic.

Clark is basically Truman if Truman were evil.

And Kinos Journey? Man there are so many more interesting Sci-Fi animes I would like to see him look at.

"Clarke is more a force of nature than a person" is from JMS himself on the Lurker's Guide website. A good actor could pull off the "Despot in Charge", but with what JMS had to work with I can see why he went the way he did.

BTW, Chuck is not the only one with health problems. JMS has just recovered from eye surgery and isn't working Comics anymore.

Can we just declare 2016 non-cannon? This year sucks.

Non Cannon? I don't think we've achieved world peace yet.