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Vrian Sinth
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Posts by Vrian Sinth
John Cho Has Takei’s Blessing
Feb 25th
I like to swing by SciFi.com every so often and read what’s going on in their Sci Fi Wire. They often have some good articles there from time to time.Being a sci-fi junkie, I thought it was fun and interesting to see that George Takei gave John Cho his blessing before taking the roll of Hikaru Sulu.
The article goes on to quote John Cho as saying:
“I had lunch with George before we started filming,” Cho said. “I wrote him a letter, and we met, and he gave me what amounted to a blessing, and in his typically classy way, … I told him I was nervous, and he said, ‘Relax. Pretty soon people are going to refer to me as the guy who played the old version of John Cho.’”
I think it is pretty cool that John Cho takes feels it important to pay tribute to the original character. So far I think the cast for the new Star Trek XI looks like a great bunch. Many of them are excellent actors. If Star Trek XI ends up doing well in the box office, I’m sure there is room for more movies. I will certainly be there in line buying tickets!
New Trailer For Adywan’s Empire Strikes Back Revisited!
Feb 17th
Many of you have probably heard of Star Wars The Phantom Edit. The Phantom Edit is a fan edited version of The Phantom Menace. Why edit the movie? Because many of you have the talents and abilities to do so. Many people didn’t like Star Wars Episode I, so they have since edited the movie the way they like it, usually featuring less Jar Jar.
While tracking down some fan edits of The Phantom Menace (after watching Star Wars Episode I – The Rise of the Sith by Slumberland) I came across what I consider to be the best fan edited movie I have ever seen. The guy goes by the name Adywan. I learned about this guy while visiting the forums at originaltrilogy.com.
This guy created his own edit of Star Wars A New Hope named Star Wars Revisited. He has re-edited scenes, added music, added planets and many special effects. The end battle scene at the death star is stunning. I highly recommend that you torrent Star Wars Revisited and watch it for yourself. I got mine in xvid format at mininova.org. I would like to state, however, that you should legally own a copy of Star Wars ANH before downloading the torrent. Who doesn’t? 
You can see a trailer for Star Wars Revisited here:
I just came across a new trailer for Empire Strikes Back Revisited. There is also a forum discussing the new edit you can find here. My hopes are pretty high for this one and I am certain the quality will be just as good, if not better, than Star Wars Revisited. Adywan, you’re a bloody genius!
Empire Strikes Back Revisited Trailer:
In Search Of The Force? Try The Jedi Church!
Jan 27th
Those Brits sure come up with some fun and interesting stuff. Can you believe that in the 2001 British census 390,000 people claimed “Jedi” as their religion! Obviously Star Wars is a lot more than just a movie to some people. Not only do people claim Jedi as there religion, but they practice it on a regular basis as an official religion.Jedi also appears to be 70,000 Australians’ religion of choice as well. This means that one in 270 Australians consider the force to be their official religion. According to the BBC:
An e-mail was sent around the world in 2001 saying that if 10,000 people declared they were Jedi, it would be recognised as an official religion.
But the Australian Bureau of Statistics said it would be categorised as “not defined”.
Thousands of people in New Zealand and the UK also followed the advice of the e-mail – with Jedi Knight even being included on the list of religions by UK census authorities.
The BBC recently had an article on Jedi worshipers in Britain. In the article they interviewed. The article covered Barney and Daniel who go by the names Master Jonba Hehol and Master Morda Hehol.
According to the article both Barny and Daniel are trying to increase their numbers and want fellow worshipers to join them in worship close to their home on Anglesey. If I’m ever in Wales I’ll have to stop by and take a look.
Their church activities include sermons on “The Force,” light saber training and meditation techniques.
According to the article:
They plan to go to the official opening of a Surrey-based branch or “chapter” of the UK Church of the Jedi in April, and hope to hire an Anglesey venue for their own services.
Already six followers regularly meet in north Wales to discuss setting up the “church”.
All members are currently men, but women are allowed. Those following the dark side of the force can be expulsed from the church.
This has to be one of the oddest things I have ever heard of.
Star Trek MMORPG Dead In Space?
Jan 13th
Captain, she gave us all she had! Many people are wondering the same thing. Is the Star Trek MMORPG still going to become a reality? The game “expected to launch in 2007″ is still not a reality. Now 2008, it sounds like the developer, Perpetual Entertainment is having its own share of problems. Apparently too many of the developers were wearing red shirts and have been pronounced DOA.
Now I can’t say for sure if things are really looking that bad, but the former Perpetual Entertainment recently had its assets liquidated and has been acquired by the newly developed Perpetual LLC. The new company claims it is taking the Star Trek MMORPG in a more casual direction. Is that code for “we don’t know what we’re doing?”
Perpetual recently canceled development of Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising to focus more time on Star Trek. This could be good if they really are trying to get the game done, hopefully with quality in mind. It could also be bad being that they are canceling projects. Could Star Trek be next on the chopping block?
The icing on the cake so far is that Perpetual is now being sued for unpaid bills by the PR Firm Kohkne for work done on Gods & Heroes: Rome Rising.
Articles on the lawsuite (Kohnke v. Perpetual):
Kohnke v. Perpetual – The Opening Round
In closing I would like to say that I am a huge fan of Star Trek. I have played MMORPGs like World of Warcraft and enjoy them. A Star Trek MMORPG is a guaranteed sell for me. Although I am still hopeful the game will turn out well, my gut feeling is that the game will either never materialize or will suck like the majority of all the other Star Trek video games. Here’s to hoping!
**UPDATE**
It looks like our dreams for a Star Trek MMORPG are dead for now. Perpetual Entertainment, also known as P2 Entertainment, seems to have closed its doors for good. You can read more here.
Mass Effect – The Best Sci-Fi Game of 2007
Jan 10th
Welcome back everyone! I’m sorry I haven’t written for some time. The holidays have taken a lot of my time, not to mention a couple of new video games I got from Santa.
I got both Mass Effect and Call of Duty 4 for the Xbox 360. I really wanted Mass Effect. Call of Duty was more of a bonus game. I had heard good things about Mass Effect for a few months leading up to my acquisition.
I unwrapped the game and put it in the 360, flipped it on and got ready for another “good” video game. I was in for a surprise.
Initially I began to create my own character. It was fairly customizable, although not as much as Oblivion. I tried to create my character to look somewhat like me. He turned out pretty good. It is funny…now that I see commercials for Mass effect I think to myself “that’s not what shepherd looks like!” You also get to pick the history of your character, which affects the way dialog is played throughout the game.
The game started out with a great story line. It was amazing how answering questions so dramatically effected the way the game played out. Often times I would save the game, re-load an older version and see what would happen if I picked a different choice. Often times the game offered upwards of six different choices.
One great aspect of the game is how much control you have during play. Not only is there a “choose your own adventure” aspect, but there is some great in-game action, shooting, control and play. The music is even good. Not soon into the game I felt the “Normandy,” the focal spaceship, was my own hangout.
You end up with the ability to pick two from a pool of six characters to attend you on missions. You get to become good friends with them and earn experience as you develop relationships. This also changes the play of the game.
You can upgrade weapons, armor and abilities. You also have the option to play the main quest or play dozens of side quests. You take on a renegade or paragon personality throughout the game based on decisions. Because the game changes so much based on your decisions, it really does become a new game each time you play it. I am already playing the game a second time and am enjoying it just as much. This really extends the shelf life and value of the game.
The acting talent is amazing. You can tell they hired voice actors who knew what they were doing. They even got Marina Sirtis to play one of the main characters.
Like I previously said, the music is good. I even picked up the soundtrack. The visuals are stunning, the story telling is wonderful. Can you tell I liked the game? I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but if you have an Xbox 360 and like Sci-Fi, this is a must-have game! Trust me.
I still love Halo 3 as a first-person shooter, and the storyline isn’t half bad, but I still have to pick Mass Effect as my favorite video game of 2007. Halo 3 comes in at a close second, especially for multiplayer capability. I give Mass Effect a 9.5 out of ten!
David Tennant Leaving Doctor Who?
Dec 22nd
In a recent interview with Radio 2′s Jonathan Ross, Catherine Tate said that she does not believe David Tennant will come back for another season of Doctor Who. Her exact words were “I think it’s maybe David’s last series.” As you can imagine, the rumor mill is now churning out all kinds of crazy thoughts and ideas as to the future of the show and possible replacements. The BBC has remained silent regarding Tate’s comments.
Those of you who do not remember Catherine Tate, she made an appearance on the December 2006 Christmas special. She played a runaway bride. I thought it was a pretty good episode. According to the BBC, that episode brought in 9.4 million users in Britain. With a population of 60 million people, that is a pretty dang good market share. I can’t imagine a Sci-Fi show in the United States ever getting that high a market share.
Apparently she is a comedian. Being an American, I am not familiar with her at all. Perhaps some of you Brits can fill me in on her past comedic works. She is going to be playing Dr. Who’s new assistant. Apparently this will also be Tate’s last TV series.
On a similar note, Dr. Who fans have voted David Tennant as the best Doctor Who ever. The number of votes accumulated even surpassed the previous favorite Tom Baker.
The Top Five Doctors:
1. David Tennant – 28.2%
2. Tom Baker – 26.5%
3. Christopher Eccleston – 11.4%
4. Jon Pertwee – 9.6%
5. Patrick Troughton – 8.8%
I’ll try and keep you all updated as I find more news. I sure hope David Tennant is staying with the series. I think he has turned out to be a great Doctor.
In Need Of Last-Minute Sci-Fi Gifts?
Dec 21st
For those of you who celebrate Christmas, there are only a few days left. Have you gotten your friend or loved one a Sci-Fi gift yet? If not, here are some great TV, Movie, Video Game and Book suggestions.
Recommended Sci-Fi TV Seasons:
1. Star Trek the Next Generation (TNG)
2. Star Trek the Original Series (TOS)
3. Firefly
4. Stargate SG1
5. Stargate Atlantas
6. Futurama
7. Babylon 5
8. Doctor Who
9. The X-Files
10. Battlestar Galactica
Recommended Sci-Fi Movies:
1. Star Wars Movies
2. Galaxy Quest
3. Chronicles of Riddick
4. Star Trek Movies
5. Planet of the Apes
6. Dune
7. Blade Runner
8. Terminator Movies
9. Alien Movies
10. The Matrix Trilogy
Recommended Sci-Fi Video Games (For Current Generation Systems):
1. Halo 3 (Xbox 360)
2. Unreal Tournament 3 (PS3)
3. Mass Effect (Xbox 360)
4. Call of Duty 4 (Xbox 360)
5. BioShock (Xbox 360)
6. Gears of War (Xbox 360)
7. Resistance: Fall of Man (PS3)
8. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii)
9. Crysis (PC)
10. Galactic Civilization II: Dark Avatar (PC)
Recommended Sci-Fi Books:
1. Dune
2. The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy
3. The Time Machine
4. 2001 – A Space Odyssey
5. Fahrenheit 451
6. Ender’s Game
7. 1984
8. Foundation Trilogy
9. Starship Troopers
10. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?
Good luck! I’m sure any true Sci-Fi fan would be happy with any of the above listed movies, TV shows, games and books. The games may be a little more difficult as you need a specific console to play them. The books, movies and TV shows are a pretty safe bet. Merry Christmas!
Blade Runner Now In HD – Today!
Dec 18th
It’s dark, a little dreary and one of the most enjoyable Sci-Fi movies made in the 80′s. Blade Runner was released today in all its glory in high definition on Blue Ray and HD DVD. You can pick up a couple different versions of this movie today. You can choose from the five-disk Complete Collector’s Edition or the five-disk Ultimate Collectors Edition.
The Ultimate Edition comes in a replica of Rick Deckard’s briefcase. Also included is a lenticular motion film clip from the original feature, miniature origami unicorn figurine, miniature replica spinner car, and collector’s photographs, as well as a signed personal letter from Sir Ridley Scott.
This movie also features the actress Sean Young, who many of you may remember as Chani from the 1984 classic Dune. Sean plays the lovely replicant Rachael. Can you believe this movie takes place in 2019, just 11 years away? We have a lot of catching up to do if we are to have replicants in time for 2019! I really enjoy seeing writers’ and directors’ visions of the future, even if it is often now in our past or in the not too distant future.
Ultimate Battle: U.S.S. Enterprise vs. A Star Destroyer – Battle Of The Ships
Dec 15th
You really can’t get much geekier than an argument on who would win between Star Trek’s Enterprise D or E and a Star Wars Star Destroyer. I know this is all Sci-Fi and a ridiculous never-ending argument. I am a huge fan of both genres, so when I got into a friendly argument with my friend at work I reluctantly picked the side of Star Trek.
As this argument ensued at work, people around us started laughing, thinking we had both truly lost our minds. Perhaps we did a little. The argument then turned to Star Wars vs. Star Trek. These were our main arguments in a condensed and far smaller format:
Friend: Star Destroyer big, Enterprise small.
Me: Enterprise faster, more maneuverable.
Friend: Thousands of lasers.
Me: Lasers dude?! You’re kidding me. Phasers kick Lasers in any match.
Friend: Super Star Destroyer and Death Star kill the Enterprise.
Me: Agreed. I don’t think the Enterprise D or E would win those two. So I throw in the Borg.
Friend: <Pure silence ensues.>
Me: Nuff said.
I have found in my own observations that there are a lot more casual Star Wars fans than casual Star Trek fans. I have also found, again in my own observations, that there are a lot more die-hard Star Trek fans than there are die-hard Star Wars fans. This means in most “forum” based arguments on this topic, Star Wars will almost always win by sheer numbers.
Many people try to throw The Force into the mixture. I used to think this was a big deal as well, especially when watching the classic trilogy of Star Wars (ANH, ESB, ROTJ). The Force kicks trash in those movies. Then the prequel Star Wars movies came out. TPM, AOTC & ROTS have changed my mind on this. I now think The Force would be a minuscule influence in any such fight.
In The Phantom Menace we discover that Midichlorians actually dictate one’s power with the force. It’s not something you can get stronger with (except training), unless there are synthetic Midichlorians being produced and injected into the blood stream. You will also discover in Revenge of the Sith that a bunch of clone troopers can EASILY wipe out the Jedi. I can’t even begin to tell you how disappointed I was watching the Jedi get seemingly killed in seconds by a blaster!
A lot of the argumentative stats in this epic battle are taken from non-canon books, video games and other non-canon sources. This includes both sides of the argument. And let’s not throw in the Expanded Universe from Star Wars into the argument. The Expanded Universe of Star Wars books contradict themselves on every level.
I have done my own research and have found the following sites to be useful when determining who would win a U.S.S. Enterprise D/E vs. Star Wars Star Destroyer battle.
List of Ultimate Star Wars vs. Star Trek Sites:
ST-V-SW.net (Great arguments in favor of Star Trek <when looking at sheer firepower and defense capabilities>. Well researched data with sources to back it up.)
StarDestroyer.net (Great arguments in favor of Star Wars. Seems to utilize a lot of non-canon data.)
Answers.com also has a nice article on the subject that you can read here.
There are a lot of awesome ships in the Sci-Fi universe not limited to just Star Wars or Star Trek. Let’s throw an Asgard or Replicator ship into the mixture, or perhaps a Battlestar from Battlestar Galactica. The Battlestars look awesome!
TheForce.net has some great Star Trek, Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica specs, although who knows if the sources are accurate. You can find them here.
Again, I realize this argument will never come to an end, but it sure is fun!
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