Ever seen Darth Vader playing golf?

Spike TV did a spot to promote their run of Star Trek on their TV network - with Vader using his Force to eagle a hole….and in the fight between golf club and lightsaber who do you think will win?

So the second episode of the new Stargate Atlantis Season Five and the first with Mr. Richard Woolsey (Robert Picardo) in command.

We still don’t know exactly why Col Sam Carter was removed officially and it’s annoying that wasn’t discussed. Woolsey who is supposed to be the pain in the butt anti-hero -actually came off as a very weak character in this episode and one that was almost likeable in a way. He’s not supposed to be that way he should have got in the way more so much so that everyone hates him and there is a constant battle between base staff and him. Like this he’s just another Weir or Carter and that’s just not interesting anymore.

As for the wraith tentacles here…how did Sheppard just walk right up to Keller - esp if Sheppard had been cured?? It just doesn’t make sense.

But Beckett is back (again) and that’s a great thing. Too bad Keller didn’t get killed off in this episode so that Beckett could return to his rightful place as THE DOCTOR for Atlantis.

Ahead of Comic-con which kicks off next week, J.J Abrams is putting out a new teaser poster for Star Trek XI. The Star Trek Movie (startrekmovie.com) site has been updated too, but the only update is the new poster…

kinda lame if you ask us…the new site that its…

but neat to see the first glimpses of the new crew…the one that looks the best is easily Eric Bana who looks like he’s a Darth Maul clone…or maybe he’s just the Klingon Kang (or Koloth?)

‘You are one of Vader’s spies ?’

‘I bring Vader’s enemies to justice.’

We’ve been watching Force Unleashed trailers for almost a year now and each one looks better then the next - this latest official launch trailer is the best yet for a few reasons.

The most important reason is that this trailer shows us some real plot - which is where this game will really excel - sure the game mechanics are awesome but the plot …..NICE.

The secret apprentice will FIGHT VADER!! CHECK out the final few frames of the trailer for yourself…

StarWars.com seems to change its website design every three years or so…this latest redesign though is obviously some kind of usability designers wet dream.

But it sucks for a sci fi fan.

The previous website had the cool holo projection effect.

This new StarWars.com site? nada. Just basic rollover screen image changes.

The site does a poor job of exposing the wealth of content that starwars.com offers and it does a pathetic job of capturing the essence of the Star Wars brand. Sure it’s an ok website, but it’s not Star Wars. The last three versions of StarWars.com were better - weren’t they?

The first teaser trailer for Terminator 4 - officially titled Terminator Salvation and it looks great (what trailer doesn’t though right??).

Batman himself - aka Christian Bale - looks every bit the role as John Conner. Not much in the way of Skynet in the trailer just a lot of cut scenes and what looks like an HK - hunter killer - craft at the end.

Still…it’s sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet to see the first real glimpses of this movie that should come out at almost the exact same time as Star Trek XI.

Check out the trailer for yourself:

Sure Babylon 5 : The Lost Tales sucked but we had all hoped it would be a new start for Babylon 5…turns out it was just a dead end.

J. Michael Straczynski has now officially put the kybosh on anymore direct to DVD Babylon 5 movies.

One final note re: recent discussions on TMoS and more Lost Tales.

B5:TLT was commissioned at a $2 million budget to, yet one more time, “test the waters” for B5. We did what we could with that, and that was that. As we did with Rangers, which also suffered from not having a lot of money because of concerns about “is there really a B5 audience?” Which is, of course, a foolish question from a studio that has never really understood what it has in B5.

Of late, there have been more discussions from WB about doing more DVDs, again at a low cost, or a cable thing, again with minimal investment.

So for the last few months, I’ve been giving this whole subject a lot of quiet thought. And I’ve come to a conclusion.

B5 as a five year story stands beautifully on its own. If anything else is to be continued from that story, it should be something that adds to the legacy of B5, rather than subtracts from it.

Not suprising but still it’s sad. Babylon 5 is an awesome concept and it would be great to see it further extended…but then again it’s five year story arc is a fully circle and it truly was an awesome ride.

Now this is starting to get interesting….
we know see who is really behind the missing Paradox ship …it’s all a meta-verse plot!!

When push comes to shove in the Star Trek canon, reverting to the Mirror (mirror mirror anyone?) is a time honored tradition - sure it’s an easy way out but come on..who doesn’t like the mirror universe?

In our view this issue was superior to Issue #3 that we reviewed last month, in ooooh so many ways…but then again sometime you need to go on a journey to get a destination.

The only real outstanding stuff that still makes no sense is the whole Tholian angle which is poorly included in this issue - and series - overall.

Still with one issue to go, we’re not firmly on board the New Frontier express and frankly we’re excited to get the final issue - #5!

So Finally we’ve reached the fifth and final issue of this second Dark Tower series.

This series was not like the first - it lacked the plot progression and the drama of the first.

Sure the art was spellbounding to say the least…but after reading this series for 5 issues what really happens?

For this entire series until this final issue Roland is stuck in the grapefruit talking with the Crismon King.

Yes it’s solid plot development stuff but in a five issue series it wasn’t enough.  In our review for issue #4 last month we wrote that it was obvious what would happen next.

Roland comes home with his ka-tet. hurray.

This five issue story arc would have worked well inside of a larger story - which ultimately is what it will be as the next Dark Tower series is set to begin this September.

Let’s hope it packs more action and movement than this one…

Yeeaaah Baby!! Stargate Atlantis is bAAAACCK!

Solid episode to kick off the season with jam packed end to end action.

Starting off with the the Teyla/Sheppard dream sequence was a very cool to get started. And then of course having two set of rescue teams - Atlantis itself and the Daedelus was great.

I’m not quite sure when the Daedelus became the ultimate super weapon in the galaxy but now with its kick ass Asgard beam weapon it seems to be able to take out hive ships pretty darn easily. That’s not to say there wasn’t some fine battle effects first.

Now as to the plot - what happened to Michael?

There is no way he’s toast (yet).

And what about Col Carter!!! We’ve known for months that she would be replaced by Wolesly but the way the episode ended leaves the reasons all up in the air.

We won’t miss Carter that much though…she was never a strong character on Atlantis and we’ll see her soon enough in Stargate Continuum.

Is someone asleep over there? Asimov’s Science Fiction magazine is one of two surviving monthly scifi rags in existence. It’s usually pretty good too.

I just picked up the latest issue from my local bookstore - it’s the August 2008 issue.

Yet if you go to the mags website today - asimovs.com - it shows the current issue as June 2008 and they talk about a preview of July 2008!

WAKE UP!!

We’re still a couple of months away - but FOX is already out with a pair of awesome looking promo trailers for Season 2 of Sarah Connor Chronicles.

First thing that you’ll notice is that Cameron (the foxy terminator) is apparently turning on John. Not a big surprise is it? (or is it just another copy sent from the future?)

Two promos in total -

and

A clone is supposed to be an exact copy of another thing. The clones in the upcoming Star Wars Clone Wars movie won’t be exact copies according to Lucasfilm. Instead they’re going to show off some of the individuality that these genetically bread killing machines aparently develop as they interact with the Jedi over the course of time.

Not a bad idea actually…and it sure adds the potential for alot of new character diversity and development.

Check out the full video on this from Lucasfilm :

Coming Fall of 2008 is the third direct to DVD Futurama movie - this new one will be called Bender’s Game (with a nod to Enders Game of course).

This movie will take a medieval fantasy kind of slant for Futurama with spoofing on Dungeon and Dragons as well as Lord of the Rings. Star Trek’s George Takei guest stars as himself in the new movie.

Check out the trailer - which was on the Beast with a Billion Backs DVD - and see for yourself.

UNBELIEVABLE.

The official word has come down and Star Trek the Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton is closing on September 1st. We first reported on the potential closing back in May when it seemed like some kind of resolution was coming…

It never did.

The actual venue itself is awesome and the four times a year I visit Vegas for business i always spend an evening at Star Trek the Experience and always get a Klingon Blood Ale (check out the pic above) at Quarks. I have never been to Quark’s when it wasn’t busy and i’ve never seen the gift shop empty either.

Sure the Klingon Encounter is a little dated - but Borg 4D is still awesome and holds up well.

Let’s hope that someone/anyone will find a way to save this SciFi institution from oblivion.

Here’s the official press release:

Las Vegas - Star Trek: The Experience, Las Vegas’ premier interactive attraction will
conclude its historic 11 year run at the Las Vegas Hilton on September 1, 2008.
Since 1998, millions of guests have gone boldly into the 24th century to battle Klingons,
Borg, and other hostile aliens. The original complex featured the Klingon Encounter, an
interactive adventure and ride. In 2004 Borg Invasion 4-D was introduced and the Secrets
Unveiled Backstage Tour was unveiled in 2005, making Star Trek: the Experience the
stomping grounds for fans around the galaxy.
Asked if there is any final transmission he’d like to convey from the Enterprise bridge,
Chad Boutte, Operations Manager and Director of Marketing said “Hailing frequencies
open. We’d like to thank all the fans and friends of Star Trek, whose constant and
amazing support we’ve enjoyed throughout our tenure at the Las Vegas Hilton. As we
boldly go into the futures that await, know that we take your love of Star Trek: The
Experience with us. We share the memories of time spent in the most unique place in the
Galaxy, and we carry those memories into our futures with us. Live long, and prosper.

Futurama is back (again) in this second straight to DVD flick. This one follows Bender’s Big Score which we reviewed back in December.

Long review short - this is an 89 minute movie that could have been done in a regular 30 minute episode if this show were still on the air.

It’s funny and has its share of hilarious moments - including Bender so scared he ‘drops’ bricks…and the street parade for St. Asimov (yes there are real Sci Fi fans working on Futurama).

But the basic story of an extra-universe with a creature that want to love all humans is a bit too drawn out in 89 minutes. We just kept waiting for something ‘else’ (anything else really) to happen but it just kept going on.

Sure this is a complete story with a beginning, middle and an end that wraps everything together and the dialogue is great. But Fry as the Pope for the ‘tentacles’ just wasn’t terribly funny. The League of Robots and the Army of the Damned - now that was funny!

Overall this is an enjoyable movie - not as great as Benders Big Score - but still a must see for fans of Futurmara and SciFi comedy animation.

What a great ending to this story arc… i frankly didn’t expect Deena Shan to survive but i’m glad that she did.

She really showed her strength in the last issue and this issue it all really comes together - the Rebellion wins a small victory indeed.

Amazing really how this story came together with the rebels getting stuck at the fuelling station, getting stuck and then ending up blowing the whole thing up - without everyone dying in the process.

Next issue Vector comes to Rebellion - i wonder who will face off against Celeste Morne and the Muir Talisman..

Well it’s not quite that easy ..here’s the pitch:

The Electronic Arts (EA) Dead Space team has watched a ton of Horror and Science Fiction films while developing and creating the scariest, most realistic survival/horror game to ever hit the streets, and now they want to pass their collection on to you!  By registering below for the Dead Space Newsletter, you will be entered to win a hundred DVDs, hand picked by members of the Dead Space Development Team.  Users have until midnight on July 27th, 2008 to sign-up, and a winner will be notified shortly thereafter.  With films that range from 12 Monkeys to 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien to Predator to Alien vs. Predator, this giveaway is the most comprehensive way to own the very best collection of Horror and Sci-fi films to date.

Interested visit http://deadspace.ea.com/sweepstakes/

The game itself looks like a basic first person shooter like Doom (but on steroids).

Vader faces off against the Muir talisman and what?!!!
He runs away??
Nuts.

Decent ending to a nice story arc.

He’s trying to undermine Palpatine? I guess that’s the entre to the Secret Apprentice in the Force Unleashed..

but
Crys…oh poort Chrys

This is a dark comic book overall as we’ve reported before..characters..good characters die and their families live on so we can see the grief.

Dark Times indeed.

Now for Vector the series moves to Rebellion for Luke Skywalker to deal with. So far in six issues of Vector the story has been ..ho hum..not bad but not terribly exciting either.

As for Dark Times no more issues till 2009!!!

Back in March we first wrote about the Atom (no longer called Atom Films btw) Star Wars Fan Movie Challenge
well the entry period is now over and it’s time to VOTE!

The official voting page is up at:

http://www.atom.com/spotlights/starwars/challenge/
Unfortunately the ShowMeSciFi.com entry titled ‘Greedo’s Guide to Bounty Hunting‘ didn’t make the final cut. But we’re not sore loosers…no we’re not.

It doesn’t look like Atom in their infinite widom actually included any Fan mashups in the finalist though which kinda sucks because the orignal rules implied that they would. Does that mean that Atom sucks ?! (well maybe but just a little).

Voting ends on July 10th - we don’t have any particular favs (right now at least) though not everything in this contest is new is it?

For example the RvD2 Ryan vs Dorkman video is actually something we reviewed OVER A YEAR AGO when it first showed up on YouTube. Is it awesome? Sure it is but it’s not new.

Continuing the march toward final vindication for Zayne is what this issue is all about.

The net on the covenant is closing with Zayne picking up more pieces of evidence and allies along the way…

A fun ending for the Exalted story arc

it’s a bit of a slower process than I personally would like but it’s all goood.

Zayne Carrick faces off against one of the Jedi Masters who framed him for the murder of his fellow Padawans in this shocking conclusion to “Exalted”!

When Zayne and his con-artist companion Gryph decided to risk it all in an attempt to prove Zayne’s innocence, they never expected a consequence for failure quite like this! Their plans ruined and their future bleak, Zayne and Gryph need to act fast or the history and traditions of an entire world could fall victim to another display of madness by the secret Jedi Covenant!

The man that first commanded Stargate Command and for many fans will always be the commander General Hammond (actor Don S. Davis) passed away on June 29th.

An obit for Davis appeared in the Vancouver Sun

Davis’ last Stargate appearance is in the upcoming Stargate Continuum direct to DVD movie.

Sure Ark of Truth wasn’t great - but Stargate Continuum looks to make up for that in spades.

No more of that Orii nonsense -

This is humans against Ga’ould as it should be with massive mothership battles, evil Jafaa and all the rest.

Ohh and Vala is a baad ass Ga’ould too.

The plot centers around the exploits of the Ga’ould Baal and his final (?) attempt to stop Earth from ever interfering with the reign of the Ga’ould in the galaxy. He travels through time and takes Earth’s gate, preventing the Giza expedition from ever unearthing it and the Stargate program from ever forming. Somehow, the members of SG-1 are immune to the time distortion and set-off to find T’ealc, who is still the first prime to Apophis. It’s a literal race against time as SG-1 try to discover the location of the gate and restore the timeline to it’s correct state.