John Farrier's Blog Posts
Every year since 2007, artists have been invited to submit variations on a 1:1 model of Darth Vader's helmet. This year, the show begins on June 11 in Los Angeles. You can view more examples at the link.
Link via technabob | Official Website | Image: Vader Project
Tom Baker, who played the Fourth Doctor on Doctor Who, is sometimes referred to as the American Doctor. This is because it was during his tenure that the series was widely distributed in the United States. So Baker came to define the original Doctor, though he followed others. As one fan recently told me, those that came after Baker seemed weird.
Who is your favorite Doctor?
Image: BBC
Who is your favorite Doctor?
Image: BBC
Here's my idea for a novel:
Here's my idea for a movie:
What's your idea for a novel? What's your idea for a movie?
Image credit: unknown, via David J. Batista.
The Earth experiences a near-miss with an asteroid, which skims the surface of our atmosphere. Afterward, people notice that mergers and acquisitions attorneys are unusually ravenous. They begin biting people, who themselves, after a short illness, become mergers and acquisitions attorneys. Soon, it's not safe to venture out at night because the streets are filled with mergers and acquisitions attorneys hungry for human flesh (as in real life, sunlight is a natural foe of mergers and acquisitions attorneys). The world becomes consumed with their bloodthirsty howls and SEC filings as the human population dwindles....
Here's my idea for a movie:
A biological warfare program has an accident, and an airborne pathogen spreads across the world. It kills everyone who has gone through puberty. Once it kills off the adult population, the virus itself dies as it lacks proper hosts. Children are left to rebuild the world.
Alternatively, the virus kills 95% of the post-pubescent population, leaving only all the children and a few adults.
What's your idea for a novel? What's your idea for a movie?
Image credit: unknown, via David J. Batista.
Cartoonist David Stonecipher previously depicted famous female video game characters as male. Now he's tried the opposite approach and drawn eight male characters as female.
Link via Kotaku
"How often it is that the angry man rages denial of what his inner self is telling him." -- Collected Sayings of Muad'Dib, Dune.
"The bigger the smile, the sharper the knife." -- Ferengi Rule of Acquisition #48, Star Trek.
"The one beside you is yourself." -- Dalek proverb, Doctor Who.
"Understanding is a three-edged sword." -- Vorlon saying, Babylon 5.
What are your favorite proverbs from science fiction?
Image: Paramount
"The bigger the smile, the sharper the knife." -- Ferengi Rule of Acquisition #48, Star Trek.
"The one beside you is yourself." -- Dalek proverb, Doctor Who.
"Understanding is a three-edged sword." -- Vorlon saying, Babylon 5.
What are your favorite proverbs from science fiction?
Image: Paramount
In our most recent Questions of the Day, we discussed our favorite episodes of classic Star Trek and The Next Generation. To conclude the topic, let's talk about Deep Space Nine.
I thought that this series was a bit boring until the Dominion War got rolling in Season 4. Deep Space Nine broke with the episodic tradition to present a long, serialized story arc -- a risky venture, as the broadcasting experience of Babylon 5 illustrates.
Nonetheless, my favorite episode is Season 1's "Duet", not a story from the Dominion War narrative. A Cardassian war criminal passes through the station and is promptly locked up by Major Kira. Gul Darhe'el does not deny his actions, but joyfully boasts of slaughtering Bajorans during his world's occupation of Bajor. Yet as the investigation continues, his story begins to unravel. This is not Gul Darhe'el, but a mere military filing clerk who, overcome with guilt about his participation in war crimes, is pretending to to be Darhe'el. Aamin Marritza's hope is that by going on trial on Bajor, he will force the Cardassian people to come to terms with the atrocities they committed.
Kira wants to hate this Cardassian -- all Cardassians, actually -- but she can't. She can't help but sympathize with Marritza and his misguided attempt to heal the wounds of war.
This episode was a glorious piece of writing. Harris Yulin, a veteran actor of vast experience, executed the role of Marritza masterfully. I can watch it again and again.
What's your favorite episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine?
Image: Paramount
I thought that this series was a bit boring until the Dominion War got rolling in Season 4. Deep Space Nine broke with the episodic tradition to present a long, serialized story arc -- a risky venture, as the broadcasting experience of Babylon 5 illustrates.
Nonetheless, my favorite episode is Season 1's "Duet", not a story from the Dominion War narrative. A Cardassian war criminal passes through the station and is promptly locked up by Major Kira. Gul Darhe'el does not deny his actions, but joyfully boasts of slaughtering Bajorans during his world's occupation of Bajor. Yet as the investigation continues, his story begins to unravel. This is not Gul Darhe'el, but a mere military filing clerk who, overcome with guilt about his participation in war crimes, is pretending to to be Darhe'el. Aamin Marritza's hope is that by going on trial on Bajor, he will force the Cardassian people to come to terms with the atrocities they committed.
Kira wants to hate this Cardassian -- all Cardassians, actually -- but she can't. She can't help but sympathize with Marritza and his misguided attempt to heal the wounds of war.
This episode was a glorious piece of writing. Harris Yulin, a veteran actor of vast experience, executed the role of Marritza masterfully. I can watch it again and again.
What's your favorite episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine?
Image: Paramount
In our last Question of the Day, I asked readers to identify their favorite episode of classic Star Trek. Commenter Kevin R proposed that we talk about some of the other series, including The Next Generation, and I think that's a fine idea.
Mine is "The Inner Light." In it, an alien probe causes Jean-Luc Picard to experience a full life -- including marriage, friends, children, and grandchildren -- in a single moment. Then it was gone, like the civilization that built the probe. It is a sad and wistful tale, brilliantly crafted, and greatly deepened Picard's character.
What's your favorite episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation?
Image: Paramount
Mine is "The Inner Light." In it, an alien probe causes Jean-Luc Picard to experience a full life -- including marriage, friends, children, and grandchildren -- in a single moment. Then it was gone, like the civilization that built the probe. It is a sad and wistful tale, brilliantly crafted, and greatly deepened Picard's character.
What's your favorite episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation?
Image: Paramount
Since I was about seven years old, I loved Star Trek and had managed to watch every episode in syndication by the time that I was ten. Although there was competition, to me, the most gripping episode was and remains "The Doomsday Machine." The dramatic tension is riveting, especially when Kirk and Scotty managed to bring the Constellation back into combat and then drive it down the planet killer's throat. And William Windom's depiction of the mad Commodore Matthew Decker was excellent in its exquisite detail. Quite appropriately it was nominated for a Hugo Award and was Jimmy Doohan's favorite. You can watch the whole episode here.
Which is your favorite episode from the original Star Trek?
Image: Paramount
Which is your favorite episode from the original Star Trek?
Image: Paramount
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