Science Fiction

Star Trek – The Menagerie

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Star Trek – The Menagerie
  • wiki: link
  • wiki: link

Star Trek - The Menagerie

Offering the show the opportunity to use footage from the unaired pilot episode, the First Season’s only two-part episode featured rebellious Spock (Leonard Nimoy) standing trial for stealing the Enterprise and taking it to the forbidden planet of Talos IV and the return of the show’s first captain Christopher Pike (Sean Kenney/Jeffrey Hunter). “The Menagerie” is possibly the best example from the original series of the human side of the Vulcan science officer getting the best of him where his loyalty to his ship and captain comes into conflict with actions that, at least on the surface, are highly illogical.

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Divergent

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Divergent
  • IMDb: link

DivergentBased on the young adult novel by Veronica Roth, Divergent cashes in on several of the same themes that made The Hunger Games a box office success. Casting Shailene Woodley as Tris, the plucky young heroine in a dystopian future, the movie follows a similar formula of class warfare and child warriors.

In a world where people are grouped into five castes, each centered around a specific ideal, Tris reaches the age of choosing in which she decides to forgo a life of servitude to become a warrior. Her choice is heavily influenced by the fact that Tris, unlike the vast majority of the population, has a genetic code that doesn’t fit neatly into any one of the particular factions.

Hiding her divergence from both friends and enemies, Tris trains to become a member of Dauntless, but to succeed in becoming a full member of the faction she’ll have face the truth about herself and keep anyone else from learning her secret.

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Super Secret Crisis War #2

/ / Comics

Super Secret Crisis War #2Beaten and caged by the League of Extraordinary Villains, the second issue of Super Secret Crisis War sees Samurai Jack, Ben Tennyson, Dexter, Bubbles, Blossom, Buttecup, Ed, Edd, and Eddy meet and begin fighting back against the robot army created by their shared enemies.

The first issue of the mini-series focused primarily on Aku‘s plan and gathering the other villains (Mojo Jojo, Vilgax, and Mandark) to his cause. Here the heroes carry the bulk of the load as each shows off for the other. The lack of powers or fighting prowess makes Dexter, Ed, Edd, and Eddy certainly stand-out, but I have no doubt writer Louise Simonson will find a way to give each their own heroic moments.

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Star Wars: Rebel Heist #4

/ / Comics

Star Wars: Rebel Heist #4The four-issue Star Wars mini-series from writer Matt Kindt and artist Marco Castiello concludes with a final tale featuring Luke Skywalker and his companions from the perspective of an Imperial Spy shadowing the young rebel. Initially waiting to strike until Luke’s unorthodox plan is made clear or he leads the spy to the rest of the rebel group, Ellak soon finds himself conflicted over his assignment and even begins rooting for Luke’s success.

Although I’m sad to see Dark Horse Comics loosing the rights to the Star Wars Universe at a time when they are putting out some of their best stories, I am glad that we got to see Kindt and Castiello’s vision of the core characters through the eyes of others. The mini-series picked up steam over its final two issues and ends on a high note.

The reveal of what the entire operation was for might be a little too cute for my tastes, but it doesn’t detract from some strong storytelling that bridges both old and new characters in a way I hope the new films can manage. Worth a look.

[Dark Horse, $3.50]

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Samurai Jack #10

/ / Comics

Samurai Jack #10Constantly defeated by Samurai Jack‘s prowess in battle, Aku decides to change tactics and attack the samurai’s mind in the latest issue of the IDW series. Taking various forms and disrupting Jack’s childhood memories, at first Aku wins several small victories, but the master of shape shifting darkness soon finds out just how mentally strong his adversary is as well.

The story from writer Jim Zub focuses on the mental strength of the time-displaced hero offering several moments of levity once Samurai Jack’s unconscious begins fighting back against Aku’s attempts to destroy the samurai’s mind.

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