Top 5 Thursday- Best Sci-fi Duos

     Hey  everyone! Welcome back from my accidental hiatus. Here's a list for you. 

    Everybody wants to be best friends with someone the way these characters are best friends. They look out for each other, understand one another, and really, they complete each other. They are the best friendship duos of sci fi. And I actually had some serious dilemmas while putting them in the order they’re in.

     Let’s get started.

5. R2-D2 and C3PO (Star Wars)-

    Even though they are the humorous side characters, the friendship between these two droids has stood the test of time and spanned six movies. R2 is the adventurous one, who is ready to throw himself into action as soon as it becomes necessary. If it were up to him, I’m sure he would be the hero of the entire story. C3PO, on the other hand, is the worrywart who would rather stay in one place peacefully...translating stuff, I guess. Even though he says too much, and worries too much, he probably actually does keep them from getting blown up- while R2 keeps them present in the story.

4. The 4th Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith (Doctor Who)-

     Sarah Jane and the 4th Doctor are often cited as the best Doctor- companion pair of the series, and with good reason. Sarah Jane understands the Doctor in ways he doesn’t even understand himself. She knows that he is flawed and vulnerable, even when he doesn’t. He takes her to explore all of time and space, and she keeps him tethered down to earth.

3. Jack O’Neill and Daniel Jackson (Stargate SG-1)-

    Jack is all military pragmatism, and Daniel is all civilian scientist ethics. Not only does this lead to good character development for the two, it provides hours of entertaining banter. They balance each other almost perfectly. Jack will shoot the thing if the thing needs shooting, and Daniel will stop Jack from shooting the thing and figure out what to do with the thing if the thing doesn’t need shooting.

2. Kirk and Spock (Star Trek)-

    These last two entries in the list  nearly gave me a headache as I tried to decide which to put in first and which to put in second. In the end, I decided to put this memorable pair second, because the main partnership in Star Trek isn’t just between Kirk and Spock. It’s about Kirk, Spock and McCoy. And this list is about duos. Kirk and Spock do very clearly demonstrate logic and emotion, and how they must work in tandem with each other. It’s a very interesting dichotomy explored in Star Trek that I’ll have to write a post about it later.

1.Batman and Superman (DC Comics)-

    Even though it took some deliberation, these guys really do deserve the top spot on my list. They are the oldest, and probably the most iconic characters on here. You may be wondering why I chose to put Batman and Superman over Batman and Robin. Well, I think that Batman and Robin have a different sort of relationship than the rest of the friends I’ve written about. That type of relationship is more in line with the association between the World’s Finest- Batman and Superman. (I may, however, write a hero and sidekick list later on, and the Dynamic Duo will certainly top that).  Batman is the dark detective who doesn’t always feel the need to follow the rules, while Superman is the conscientious, compassionate superhuman. It seems like another weird versus to me,  like Star Wars versus Star Trek. Superman and Batman aren’t against one another- they need to exist in the same universe to balance each other out.

    Who are your favorite pairs of best friends in science fiction? Did you agree with my final decision? Let me know in the comments. As always, I’d love to hear from you!

Keep on glowing in the dark,

Elora

Star Wars Not Versus Star Trek

 

It’s a question of galactic proportions. It’s been debated, bickered over, and bantered about for thirty-seven years. If you are a sci-fi geek, you have probably asked yourself this question at least once -(Spoilers: It’s not 'Doctor Who?' Sorry Whovians. Not this time.) Which is the superior science fiction franchise- Star Wars or Star Trek?

I can feel the fans who adamantly argue one side or the other gearing up to disagree with me. And you may, but I’m not here to argue either side. Today, I’m going to discuss the differences between the two and explain why, on a closer examination, I think that this decades old question may be irrelevant.

Let’s start with setting. This is the basis on which I think the two series are really comparable. They both have “Star” in the title. Aesthetically, they both qualify as science fiction. They both take place in space. They have cool weapons, ships, droids, planets, aliens, and space battles. If you want to debate this debate, these are your categories. However, setting isn't all there is to a story.

Next up in our survey are the ever-so-beloved characters. Both Star Wars and Star Trek are populated by characters that have shaped our modern culture. When trying to do a side-by-side comparison, however, we really can’t fit them into the same molds. At all.

When talking about character archetypes, Star Wars contains fantasy-type characters. There are: Luke- The hero; Obi Wan Kenobi- The wizard/mentor; Emperor Palpatine- The evil sorcerer; and the like.

In Star Trek on the other hand, the characters take their cues more from nautical and military literature. The captains are noble and brave, and universally admired by their crews. There are also some specifically science fictional character types. The best example of this is the alien characters such as Spock and Data. Though Data is an android, he fills the same role as Spock. Both are incredibly intellectual non-humans looking from the outside into humanity. (I personally hold that Star Trek: The Original Series introduced many of the sci-fi archetypes we use today.)

Though Star Wars has aliens and robots, their alien and robot characteristics do not play a major role in their character arcs.

As for plot, Star Wars really only has one- you may be able to argue for two- major plots. The original trilogy is the classic hero’s journey tale- a young boy finding his destiny, rescuing the damsel and saving the world. The prequel trilogy is the inverse story. It is the story of a promising young man who saves the world, then descends into villainy.

Star Trek, on the other hand is made up of multiple science fiction plot lines. They are the quintessential science fiction plot lines: robots, androids, clones, genetic engineering, super weapons, projected reality, aliens and the like.

The themes of the two franchises are inextricably linked to the plots. In Star Wars, the main theme is the fine line between heroism and villainy. An overarching theme of Trek is what it means to be human.

Star Wars is not science fiction in the way Star Trek is. It deserves it’s place in science fiction history because of the advances it made in special effects technology and the popularization of the “used” sci-fi universe. Star Trek deserves it’s place in the history of sci-fi for the revolutionary plots, themes and characters it introduced. So really, in the multiverse of our beloved genre, the occupy opposite ends of the spectrum. They’re not competing for one spot!

Honestly, the entire reason I've thought through this post is that I love both and didn't want to have to pick one or the other.

Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora

Top 5 Tuesday: Fictional Characters I Would Want on My Personal Security Team

Yes. You read that right. Unless the whole title was too long to show up on whatever device you’re using to read this. If that is your problem, I’ll repeat myself. I’m going to list the top five fictional characters I would want on my personal security team.

Maybe I can explain. I was doing a homework assignment for a history class about presidential assassinations and security measures taken to protect the current president. After I was mostly convinced that federal agents in suits and dark sunglasses weren’t about to show up at my door and ask about my recent internet searches, I decided to form this list. Other than that, I really have nothing to say for myself. It just sounded like a fun list to make.

So let’s get started:

5. Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Doctor Who) -

For a man forced to deal with bizarre and unearthly threats to his country and his world (plus working with several incarnations of the Doctor), he manages to keep a level head. He does his job well, and doesn’t put up with any nonsense. He could probably rout an alien menace before he finished introducing himself by his full name.

4. Chewbacca (Star Wars) -

He’s more intelligent than he looks, just as strong as he looks, and incredibly loyal. If he were on my security team, attackers would quickly develop a new strategy: Let the wookie win.

3. Tuvok (Star Trek: Voyager) -

As the security officer of the U.S.S. Voyager, he kept his crew safe for seven years from threats no one in our galaxy had previously encountered. Also, being a Vulcan, he has the power of the Vulcan neck pinch on his side.

2. Teal’C (Stargate: SG-1) -

Teal’C is my favorite character from SG-1 because of his innocent demeanor and his humor and loyalty. But he is also an incredibly skilled warrior with a great sense of honor. Plus, he has a staff weapon and knows Jaffa martial arts. He is also loyal to the planet and cause he serves. Indeed.

1. Agent Coulson (Marvel Cinematic Universe) -

He is used to dealing with sticky situations, and superhumans. He is incredibly relaxed and confident when dealing with aliens, as well as being smart, strategic, skilled, committed, moral, loyal, and a little bit geeky. Oh, and invincible.



So, now that I’ve nearly got deported from the country, (alright, maybe not deported), for bringing you this idea, do you have any characters you’d want as a security team?

Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora

The Sparrows and the Subatomic Particles

   

 I’ll be honest: My life is good. I’m not trying to boast or anything. I’m just saying that not very many terrible things have happened to me. (And I am glad of that).

    Here’s some proof. I’ve been in several small Bible study groups. In some of them, the time I dreaded most was prayer request time. After the rest of the group members had told their legitimately sad stories about break-ups, family troubles, or friends with cancer, I felt a little awkward bringing up the conviction I felt reading the book of Leviticus last week. In short. I felt my problems were too small for God to care about. Maybe I’m the only one who has ever felt this way. But I assume I’m not.

     In my research, I’ve come across two passages that I feel speak to my feelings of self-pity over having nothing worth pitying. (Oh, my illogical human emotions.)  The first one is in a passage where Jesus is addressing the sin of worry. He says: “ Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ” (Matthew 6:26, NKJV). This tells us how foolish it is to worry when our God is so great. It also reveals to us another aspect of the character of God. He cares for the smallest things. Birds are nice and all, but in the grand scheme of the history of the universe, they don’t seem all that important. You would think that God would leave them to take care of themselves, but that’s not what the Bible says. The Bible says that He sees to it that they are taken care of. It’s a bit mind-boggling. But I’m not done with mind-bogglingness yet. I haven’t even got into particle physics!

    The second passage that applies to my non-issue issue is a verse I’ve come to claim as a sort of life verse. It is Colossians 1:17, “ And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” (NKJV). It is short and sweet and simple, and yet immensely and ineffably deep and meaningful. It starts me thinking on the makeup of all matter. God is the originator of the atoms that make up everything and the subatomic particles that make those up. He holds all things together, even the smallest, most basic and fundamental units of the universe. The ingredients of matter that we can’t even begin to see, over half of which we probably haven’t discovered yet.

    I’m guessing that none of our prayer requests are so small that physicists can only theorize over their existence. Even if they did, God would still take interest in them. Now, I’m not saying we should throw ourselves a pity-party for our small problems; I’m saying that God wants us to bring those problems to Him. We’re not supposed to go through lives relying on our own strength. We have to rely on Him. In everything.

 

    So, if you find yourself feeling that God doesn’t have time for something you are bringing before Him in prayer, remember that He has time for the sparrows.

    And the subatomic particles.

Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora

Top 10...Thursday? Awesome Things at the EMP Museum in Seattle

     So, here's what's going on. I've decided to change the schedule for my blog since the previous schedule was getting impossible to keep up with. Instead of posting on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday every week, I'm going to do a Wednesday post one week, then a Top 5 Tuesday the next. I'll post on Saturdays as often as possible.

     This week I had the pleasure of visiting the EMP (a music, sci-fi, and pop culture museum) in Seattle. I was going to post this list Tuesday, but I was busy returning from my trip that day. Then I was going to post it on Wednesday, until I realized that 'Top 10' sounded better with 'Thursday', than "Wednesday'. Welcome to my thought process. So here is my list of 10 awesome things I found in the sci-fi and fantasy exhibits at the EMP. Basically, it will just be me geeking out. Enjoy.

     Come through the portal of coolness to a world of sci-fi  and fantasy icons.....

10. Original Princess Bride Costumes 

     This beloved fantasy parody definitely belongs among the classics. Can anyone name the three characters  to whom this costumes belonged?

9. Original Princess Bride Blades

     Even if you haven't seen The Princess Bride, (which would be very sad for you),  you've probably heard the line swashbuckling Spaniard Inigo Montoya uses to challenge his elusive rival, the six-fingered man: "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Here we have the props from their final confrontation: two very nice blades, and the six-fingered man's glove.

8. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame

     A futuristic-looking gallery of photographs and bios of some of the most influential creative minds in sci-fi.

7. Ralph McQuarie Design Sketches




     Ralph McQuarie was the concept artist for Star Wars. Talk about someone who shaped pop culture. Even non-fans recognize Darth Vader's mask, R2-D2, lightsabers and the like. Here are some early sketches of one of the most infamous villains of our time.

6. Lt. Data's uniform from Star Trek: The Next Generation



     Data, the android longing for humanity is probably the most endearing crew member in Star Trek's first spin-off.

5. A Classic Doctor Who Cyberman

     This metallic menace appeared in the 1983 Doctor Who episode "The Five Doctors", in which the first five incarnations of television's favorite Time Lord shared screen time.

4. Lt. Uhura's uniform from Star Trek

     Nichelle Nichols played a unique and revolutionary character in Uhura during the 1960's. Her uniform and communications earpiece are displayed at the museum.

3. A Dalek from classic Doctor Who

     One of the Doctor's arch enemies, this Dalek from 1982 has had its share of action. You probably can't see it from this picture, but one of his gold nodules is missing on the left side. That would be enough to 'In-fur-i-ate' anyone.

2. Darth Vader's Original Lightsaber

     Remember earlier when I talked about how iconic Darth Vader and lightsabers are? Well here is Darth Vader's lightsaber! The original prop from the famous scene where the villain revealed his true identity to young Jedi Knight, Luke Skywalker!


1.

 

     Yes, this is that chair. Captain Kirk's command chair from the groundbreaking 1966-69 sci-fi series Star Trek. Ever heard of it? Being a bit biased toward Star Trek, this was probably one of my favorite things at the museum. Plus, it was surrounded by tribbles.

     This was a fantastic trip. I am so glad I was finally able to peek inside EMP. If you are around the Seattle area, it is definitely something to check out. 

     I would like to especially recommend the Icons of Science Fiction exhibit, (which is where most of these pictures came from). Aside from having fantastic mementos from the history of the genre, it also explores many of the deep questions and themes central to sci-fi.

I hope you had fun taking a virtual tour of the EMP Sci-fi and fantasy exhibits with me. I sure had fun putting it together. I'll be back Wednesday with a new post. Until then,

Keep on glowing in the dark,

Elora

How To Train You Dragon 2 Review

    

How to Train Your Dragon is a funny set of movies. I went and saw it with family friends for a seven-year-old’s birthday. However, I have some friends who recently graduated high school that dressed up for the midnight showing. This is a fantasy series with wide appeal, and what’s not to like about a family-friendly adventure featuring steampunk vikings riding dragons. So, here’s my spoiler-free review of How to Train Your Dragon 2.

(Note: I haven’t read the books yet- I know, shame on me- so I won’t be able to give any commentary about how the books and the movies line up.)

   

  

 This movie has a fairly simple plot that relies in many places on the events of the last movie. You don’t have to have seen How to Train Your Dragon to watch this, but it would help. Personally, I expected the movie to end on a cliffhanger, but I was pleasantly surprised at the ending I got.

 

    The main character, Hiccup, still retains some of his quirky awkwardness from the first movie, despite his personal growth. If you liked the fact that he wasn’t the super-cool action hero type, you will still enjoy him here. Hiccup’s relationships with other characters are the driving force of this story. His relationship with his dragon is entertaining and touching. His relationship with his father is realistic and develops throughout the film. It is also a central part of the plot. Hiccup’s relationship with a newly introduced character,(the identity of whom is a spoiler, so I will not reveal it), is also very interesting and important. As for the rest of the cast, the love-interest, Astrid is a cliche tough-girl. You know, the kind who is better than the male lead at almost everything? If you enjoy that trope, you will like her. I was turned off to that character, but not to the movie as a whole. The villain is definitely bad, but he seems facelessly evil and rather bland. The supporting cast was goofy. I found myself able to overlook flaws with these characters, because the movie isn’t about them. It’s about Hiccup. That is where the focus is most of the time.

   

     How to Train Your Dragon 2 is a beautifully animated fantasy. The dragon-flight scenes are captivating and exciting. The dragon design is fun, and the human characters are cartoon and quirky, but still believable as people. The film seemed to deviate from classic fantasy style and slip into an almost sci-fi realm in some places, (which I don’t mind at all). One example is Hiccup’s rather steampunk inventions. Another is the introduction of the alpha species of dragon, from which all the other dragons came.

    Overall, this is a coming-of-age story. The theme is discovering one’s self. Hiccup has to wade through the influences in his life, and determine what truly makes him who he is. This theme seemed a bit clunky when it was conveyed in the character dialogue, but it was downright touching when conveyed in the character relationships. You might even cry. I did.

    If you enjoyed the first How to Train Your Dragon Movie, I would recommend seeing this one as well. If you’re interested in seeing exciting and entertaining, family friendly fantasy, then this is a good film for you. I don’t regret adding this to the list of summer movies I have seen.

Least Favorite Part: Astrid, the love-interest, interrogating a dragon-catcher on her way to rescue her hapless boyfriend, Hiccup. For me, her attempts to be tough and sweet at the same time fall flat.

Favorite Part:  Hiccup and his dragon, Toothless, are the best of friends. The parts of the movie with just the two of them adventuring are always my favorite.


Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this review. As always, you can let me know what you think in the comments.
Keep on glowing in the dark,
Elora