Great Fictional Leaders: Captain Malcolm Reynolds

The real world is full of "leaders" but none of them as great as those found in fiction. You can't beat their decisive nature, hard-core attitudes, and the ability to rally people to their sides in a heartbeat with a powerful speech. These make believe persons are the true inspiration for many of us and help shape who we are.

Oh, who am I kidding. They are just kick-ass characters and we are a society of people who love men of action.

Those who know me well know that I have one man that I look to for absolute insight into what it is to be awesome. That man is the witty Captain Mal of the canceled to soon Firefly. He's a man that struggles with the balance between being a good person and being a criminal in a universe where The Alliance is the all powerful authority hunting him down. He is also a man with a passion for fun who can become a dedicated leader at the drop of a hat (or dead body of preacher). He is very protective of his crew and will risk his life for them as long as he doesn't die. For these reasons and many more I would like to welcome Captain Malcolm Reynolds to the ranks of Great Fictional Leaders.

Name
Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds
Rank
Captain
Commands
Serenity
Strengths

• Smart ass attitude even in the face of death


• Chiseled jaw


• Great shot


• Had surgery to move a nerve cluster in his back

Weaknesses

• Is often the underdog in any fight


• Had to learn how to sword fight from a girl


• Has no rudder


• Easily fooled by hot redheads

Love Interest
Companion Inara Serra - First Base Only (A kiss that Inara stole well he was passed out).

Weapon of Choice
Moses Brothers Self-Defense Engine Frontier Model B

Best Leadership Moment
Convinces his crew to help him get a message to Mr. Universe so they can broadcast it to other worlds in order share the truth about Meranda and the Reavers.

Best Quotes

Mal: "If anyone gets nosy, just, you know, shoot 'em."
Zoe: "Shoot 'em?"
Mal: "Politely."

"We've done the impossible and that makes us mighty."

"Faster. Faster. Faster would be better."

>"Love. You can know all the math in the 'Verse, but take a boat in the air you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells ya she's hurtin' 'fore she keens. Makes her home."

Triumph, The Insult Comic Dog, at Comic-Con 2008

I'm a geek through and through. I'm all about nerd stuff and if I had the money I too would be there at Comic Con amongst Triumph's victims. But for some reason I still love listening to him make fun of my people. Perhaps it's a form of masicism or I'm amongst the few people who have the ability to laugh at themselves. I'll let you decide which... or add a new more interesting option. I like surprises!!

Anyways, here's the video footage of Triumph at Comic Con 2008 making fun of geeks and freaks. Enjoy

Spike TV's Bobba Fett and Raiders Commercials

Spike TV is the self proclaimed channel for guys. Well, with UFC, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars they are definitely one of my favorite stations. Which is pretty funny because I would never have watched them when they used to be The Nashville Network.

Anyways, they have some funny Spike TV promotional commercials circulating and I've decided to share them with you.


Don't Mess With the Fett.

Don t Make Fun of Boba Fett

They Walk In A Line To Mask Their Numbers.

Tusken Raiders at the Office

Via [/Film]

Caprica Trailer

Remember my post a few months ago on the Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica. Well, production is in full swing and a trailer has hit the web. The following footage was screened to the Television Critics Association press tour on July 20.



This show looks like it has a lot of the elements that make Battlestar so great. Great dramatic acting with great thought invoking morally questioning issues. This will be a great series if they do it right and I will definitely be there to see it when it airs this December.

Family Guy Spin-off : The Cleveland Show

Well, looks like they are going through with it. It has been rumored for a while that Cleveland (the black guy from Family Guy) was getting his own show. Starting Spring of '09, Fox will have a new show on it's Sunday lineup.

Summed up, the show is about Cleveland heading back to his home town to help a recently divorced ex-girlfriend raise her kids which includes a flirtatious stepdaughter and a 5-year old lady's man. He will also get some wacky neighbors such as bears, a Victorian-style British family, and red-necks. But don't take my word for it. Check out the promo below.



If Family Guy gets another season, who will they get as their wacky black next door neighbor. Maybe they will give Ollie Williams more just a line a week. Let's wait and see if this works out. Or is as dull as American Dad (except for Patrick Stewart... anything with him is gold).

Via [TV Squad]

Star Trek: TNG... The Rock Band

I found this funny little video on Kotaku. It shows off the talents of "King Cutch the First: Sovereign of the Pumpkin Empire" and his friends as they made a group of Rock Band characters resembling the crew of Star Trek: The Next Generation.



Aww Diana Troi. My first nerd crush. How I wish you looked as hot now as you do in this video. Oh well. Maybe I'll just watch an old episode of you and your camel toe jumpsuit for nostalgia sake.

Great Fictional Leaders: Admiral William Adama

The real world is full of "leaders" but none of them as great as those found in fiction. You can't beat their decisive nature, hard-core attitudes, and the ability to rally people to their sides in a heartbeat with a powerful speech. These make believe persons are the true inspiration for many of us and help shape who we are.

Oh, who am I kidding. They are just kick-ass characters and we are a society of people who love men of action.

As you all might have noticed from my posts the past few weeks, I'm very excited about the final season of Battlestar Galactica. I rewatched the previous seasons of and was greatly impressed by how great Adama is with his crew. That man can make someone jump out an airlock with just a look. That is why the first person to join the ranks of Great Fictional Leaders is Admiral William Adama of Battlestar Galactica.



Name
William "Bill" Adama
Rank
Admiral in the Colonial Fleet
Commands
Battlestar Galactica

Strengths

• Stoic Stare


• First Mexican in Space


• Glasses of Wisdom


• Knows When to Cut and Run (unlike some people we know ::cough::bush::cough)

Weaknesses

• -2 Against Close Range Cylon Attacks


• When Wrong, Will Only Do the Right Thing When Asked Twice


• Not Into Genocide


• Has Tigh as His Second in Command (sorry Tigh, you're lack of depth perception is very dangerous to the safety of the human race)

Love Interest
President Laura Roslin - First Base Only (A kiss during a deathbed goodbye)

Weapon of Choice
His Crew. Like a true leader, Adama doesn't actually do the hard work or kill people. He gives the orders and one of his crew will do it for him whether they want to or not.

Best Leadership Moment
Convinces the survivors of the Cylon massacre of the colonies that a phantom planet exists out in space and he knows where it is. It takes guts to lie to people who have lost everything they have ever known just hours ago. It takes a leader to make them shut up and follow you in the random direction of your choice.

Best Quotes
Adama "Now one of you, and I don't care who, pick that weapon up and shoot me."
Starbuck "Admiral, I don't know..."
Adama "I didn't say to talk."

"So say we all."

"Have you taken a look at yourself in the mirror lately? You're weak, SOFT, mentally and physically."

"Yes... I'm putting the fleet back together, I'm putting our family back together. This ends now."

"..Walk out of this cabin...while you still can."

How to Spot a Cylon

This upcoming Friday, April the 4th, is the beginning of the end for Battlestar Galactica but that doesn't mean that you have to stop loving this brilliant show for a second. Forbidden Planet has a brilliantly funny poster for sale that will give you 10 easy tips to keep in mind when watching out for cylons.


The picture quality is low (as if they didn't want anyone to get the image for free). So for those who aren't going to buy the poster, which I'm sure most of you are to lazy/poor/cheap to do so, here is the list written out for you.

1. Do they ask questions about fleet operations, personnel, ship systems, or weapons?
   
2. Does their spine glow red when they are....excited?
   
3. Have you seen them before but you know it's not the same person?
   
4. Do they seem unusually strong, smart, or self-assured?
   
5. Do you see them hanging around secure or restricted areas?
   
6. Do they seem to hear music that no one else can hear?
   
7. Do they say God instead of Gods?
   
8. Do they seem unusually fearless, as if neath has no meaning for them?
   
9. Do they exhibit sociopathic behavior around other humans, especially defenseless children?
   
10. Are they unusually adept, almost empathic, with machines?
    

Battlestar Galactica Top Ten

Last night on David Letterman he had the Top Ten Reasons to Watch Season 4 of Battlestar Galactica. The best part of which is the list was read by the cast of the show.

You can watch the video below. Or you can be lazy (looking at you John) and can read the list below the video.



10 Galen Tyrol: In the dramatic season opening episode, we save 15% by switching our insurance to Geico.

9 D'Anna Biers (Number Three): You'll find out what's in the hatch and who gets off the island...Crap, wrong show.

8 Dr. Gaius Baltar: My character creates his own line of "Honey Roasted Space Nuts."

7 Sharon "Athena" Agathon (Number Eight): What else are you going to do, read a book?

6 Number Six: There's a good chance you'll get to see me naked.

5 Saul Tigh: There's a good chance you'll get to see me naked.

4 Lee "Apollo" Adama: New FTL drives will allow the Colonial Fleet to better adjust to gravitational variations and achieve maximum superlumina travel to outrun the pursuing Cylon Basestars ... I don't know what the hell I'm talking about.

3 Kara "Starbuck" Thrace: We engage in a life-and-death battle against evil robots... you know, the same shit as last year.

2 Laura Roslin: I take on the most challenging task of my political career... doing a lame top ten list on a third-rate talk show.

1 William Adama: Watch me lead us into war against the Cylons without an exit strategy.

Battlestar Galactica and Caprica

As many of you should know by now, this season of Battlestar Galactica will be the last. The show will return to air with 20 episodes starting April 4th. I am hyped to see how it all goes down especially knowing that this show has been fully thought out since the beginning. It will be a bitter sweet good-bye but it is not the end of this universe. It has been announced that Caprica is a go.

Caprica is a prequel series set to take place before the cylon wars.

"Set 50 years before the events of Battlestar Galactica, Caprica follows two rival families--the Greystones and the Adamas --as they grow, compete and thrive in the vibrant world of the 12 Colonies. Enmeshed in the burgeoning technology of artificial intelligence and robotics that will eventually lead to the creation of the Cylons, the two houses go toe to toe."

And don't expect the show to be like the one we now know and love.

... Caprica will be a markedly different series...If Battlestar Galactica is Black Hawk Down, I would say that Caprica is American Beauty.

I liked both Black Hawk Down and American Beauty but I don't like the idea of suck a dramatic change for the Galactica Universe. I would love the chance to explore young Adama and how he became the man he is. But I hope they don't make it feel like a futuristic version of "The OC" or "Beverly Hills 90210."

Casting hasn't started yet for Caprica but development for a two hour pilot is planned for this spring. And look for some familiar names in the credits because some of the producers and crew on Battlestar Galactica are going to work on Caprica as well.

Oh, and don't forget to pick up a copy of Battlestar Galactica Season 3 on DVD now. Or just BitTorrent it. Which ever you prefer.

Via [SciFi]

Battlestar Galactica: The Last Supper

This is "The Last Supper" as reimagined with the cast of Battlestar Galactica. It was appearently printed in Entertaiment Weekly but is also shown on the Battlestar Galactica page on Scifi.com. I like how it appears to me that Six is playing a christ-like figure in this picture. I wonder if that's a hint at something in the upcoming season.

The fourth and final season officially began with the tv movie "Razor." The remaining episodes will be split in two halves. The already filmed episodes will begin airing April 4, 2008 well the production on the last episodes is set to begin this month. I can't wait to see how it all turns out but with this great of a show I'm sure it will be amazing.

Via [Boing Boing]

The Clone Wars, TV Series Trailer

I loved the animated shorts on Cartoon Network, Star Wars: Clone Wars. The animation was great and it was nice to have a glimpse of what happened during these fated wars. Now, a new series is coming out this fall called Star Wars: The Clone Wars. It too takes place between Episode II and Episode III.

Here is the trailer released last week and I have to say I like the way it looks.
New Clone Wars Trailer

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This show should fill in the gaps left out by the other short series and maybe we will finally see how Anakin got that scar on his face.

Via [Major Spoilers]

Big Changes for Stargate: Atlantis

[NOTE: Spoilers ahead. Read if you want to know, or don't if you're a pansy. Your choice]

So far this season there hasn't been too much opportunity for Colonel Carter to show her ability to lead the Atlantis team. Each episode either had everyone separated into small groups, amnesia of sorts, Sheppard leading a small group of the cast, or only a brief minute of Carter on film. Nothing much to speak of. Well, with the success of one of Amanda Tapping's projects, Sanctuary, she is going to drop from the regular cast during the fifth season.

Who is going to take her place? Well, Dr. Jennifer Keller (Jewel Staite)will now be a regular cast member during the fifth season as well as the new administrator of Atlantis : Richard Woolsey. Yes, Robert Picardo will renew his role as the uptight I.O.A representative and will join the cast as their new commander.

I'm not surprised by the change of command due to the lack of Carter as it is, but the choice of the new commander is a little odd. I like the fact that we will no longer have a liked character but a known pain in the ass, but I'm still unsure. This could be a jumping of the shark or simply a unique development. It all depends how the writing goes and with the WGA strike coming to an end soon (I will comment about that tomorrow) this could be a good thing. Let's wait and see.

Oh, and keep an eye out for Dr. Carson Beckett to make a five episode return and a brief visit from Daniel Jackson.

Via [TV Squad]

Hottest TV Couples

TV Guide has posted a list, made by their readers, of the top 10 TV couples.

And the winners are:

10.Friday Night Lights: Eric and Tami Taylor

9.Smallville: Lana and Clark

8.Chuck: Sarah and Chuck

7.Pushing Daises: Ned and Chuck

6.Smallville: Lois and Clark

5.The Office: Jim and Pam

4.CSI: NY: Lindsay and Danny

3.Grey's Anatomy: Derek and Meredith

2.Bones: Booth and Bones

1.Moonlight: Mick and Beth

I like the fact that Smallville is on the list twice. Just goes to show you that Clark Kent is a player at heart. You go boy!

The 4400 and The Dead Zone Canceled

TVSquad.com has posted that both The 4400 and The Dead Zone have been canceled.

The 4400, which completed its 4th season back in September, has been waiting to find out its fate. Yesterday series creator Scott Peters announced in a post on the USANetwork.com forums that the show has been canceled:

"We've had a great time bringing you this story and submersing you in the lives of all these incredible characters. ...But at least we got to go out with a bang! I had an awesome time directing the last episode. I think I got to make almost every single cast member cry (on camera). ...So let me raise my metaphorical glass to you all and thank you for being so loyal and so dedicated. I wish we could go on forever, but the party has come to an end."

I've only seen a few episode in of this show and I honestly never got into it. It was just to slow paced for me but I know a friend of mine loved the show completely so it definitely had it's following. For all those out there who wish to fight this can "sign" the petition at this link.

Joining The 4400 in the "Will Not Be Back" column is The Dead Zone. The show, also on the USA Network, has been on for 6 seasons and I was along for the ride for the first 2 seasons. I'm sorry to say it for you now mourning fans, but after the 2nd season the show just seemed to lose some of it's magic. I watched a few episodes during the 3rd season in hopes that the show would keep its unique and interesting writing but it seemed to drop off dramatically. I was honestly quite amazed that the show lasted 6 seasons in the first place. Don't get me wrong, I loved the acting of Anthony Micheal Hall, but the shows story began to diverge from what it was in the beginning. It became nothing more then a gimmicky show with single episode storylines and repeating themes.

Well, whether you liked the show or now it is over. However, just like The 4400 a petition has been started on the USANetwork.com forums that you can also "sign" at this link. As a big fan of Firefly I am on your side and hope you guys are able to change the fates of your shows. At least to get an ending to your shows to wash out the bitter tastes in your mouths.

Serenity Collectible Mini Busts Now Available

For the fans of Firefly/Serenity, this is your chance to get a great collectible bust of your favorite captain.

Razor’s Edge Collectibles partnered with Diamond Select Toys to bring you the first Serenity Collectibles Resin Mini Bust.

Mal was sculpted by the artisans at Gentle Giant Studios.

Mal was designed in 1/6 scale and stands over 6 Inches Tall.

He is limited to only 1000 Pieces Produced Worldwide and is sold only through Razor's Edge Collectibles.com

Mal comes packaged in a 4 Color Box and includes a C.O.A.


You can order the bust at this link.

Newsie News 11/13

Pike Cast in New Star Trek Movie
Bruce Greenwood has been cast as Christopher Pike, the Starship Enterprise's first captain. For the major fans of the original series they know that Captain Pike was the captain of the Enterprise in the original pilot of Star Trek, but when the show was eventually approved (much later than expected) the actor playing him was unable to return for filming so Captain Kirk was created in his place. Pike later returned as the "first captain of Enterprise" in a special two-part episode.

Eragon Gets a Fourth Book
I don't know how many of you have enjoyed the Eragon books (Inheritance Trilogy) written by Christopher Paolini. He has only produced Eragon and Eldist and we have been waiting for the third book for about three years. Now, after the years of silence, in has been announced that the delay is due to the fact that now the Inheritance Trilogy is becoming a quartet. There are now going to be four books in the Inheritance Cycle with the third coming out September 23, 2008.

This is both great news and dismal news. The great news is that Paolini isn't going to cut the story and shorten the book in order to keep in a trilogy. The problem, if it's going to take him four years (in total) to release the third book, how much longer do we have to wait for the fourth book? Well, like most good books, I'll still be waiting for it if it takes 10 years, only I might not enjoy it as much as my future kids will by then.

Mark Wahlberg Cast as Max Payne
Yup, Mark Wahlberg (aka Marky Mark) will be playing the part of the movie adaptation of the popular Rockstar game Max Payne.

I have one word to describe this news... meh.

The game was okay, not great but not bad. Mark Wahlberg is a good actor who sometimes does crappy movies, but since I really enjoyed The Italian Job, I'll give this one a chance.

Scrubs Not Getting a Finale
Due to the WGA strike, the series finale for Scrubs has yet to be written and will thus not be shown until this strike is over. It looks quite likely that the episode will not be shown this season, but Bill Lawrence, creator of Scrubs, has promised that if NBC doesn't show it, he will get it to air on ABC.

This news is amongst many shows suffering due the strike. Heroes is going into reruns and The Office has completely stopped production, firing all it's hair dressers, set designers, etc.I am all for the strike but I do miss my shows. I just hope that Hollywood realizes soon how important writers are before we see hundreds of reality shows covering our tv screens.

Family Guy Star Wars

Sunday they aired the special Star Wars episode of Family Guy. I wasn't able to watch it live but thanks to the Internet I was able to check it out. It wasn't as good as I hoped it would be but definite must for all Star Wars/Family Guy fans.

Here it is broken down into 6 parts. Enjoy.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4


Part 5


Beginning/End

Newsie News 9/20

Star Trek Movie Casts Uhura
Zoe Saldana, most notabliy seen in the first Pirates of the Caribbean, has been cast as Lt. Uhura. So that brings the total of confirmed cast in key roles up to three with Anton Yelchin as Chekov and Zachary Quinto as Spock. That leaves the roles of Kirk, Scotty, McCoy, and Sulu up for grabs.

3 More Kingdom Hearts Coming
It was announced at the Tokyo Game Show that Square Enix is working on three new Kingdom heart titles. Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep for the PSP, Kingdom Hearts: Coded for cell phones and Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days co-op for the DS. Somehow I'm getting the impression they are trying to shove Kingdom Hearts down the throats of the consumers. Hope it works and by "hope" I mean "let" and by "works" I mean "die."

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Has Dual Mode on Wii
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, a new game coming to the Wii next spring will allow players to swing the Wii-mote like a light saber and use the nunchuk to unleash their Jedi powers. The game will also allow head-to-head action with friends. So essentially this game will allow all the Star Wars fans experience a geek-gasim as they get to fight as Force wielding Jedi. Sounds fun.

Ben 10 Movie Finishes Filming
Cartoon Network has announced that the filming has finished on the upcoming Ben 10 live action movie. The movie is based off of the popular scifi kids show Ben 10 which follows the adventures of a kid with a special devise that allows him to morph into aliens. The movie will feature Graham Phillips as Ben, Haley Ramm as his cousin Gwen, and Lee Majors as his grandfather Max. The movie is due out this November.
Via [TV Squad]

Gamer Becomes Superhero

This season's winner of Who Wants to Be a Superhero? is, as it turns out, a regular player of the MMORPG City of Heroes/Villains.

The winner, Jarrett "The Defuser" Crippen has responded to a popular thread on the City of Heroes/Villains forums related to his accomplishment...

"Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the support from my brothers and sisters in CoX! Most of my heroes, and all of my 50's are on Champion. I have CoV, but tend to stick to heroes...go figure...heheehe..."

As a geek and video gamer I appreciate the fact that one of my people has accomplished something, which is rare amongst my people. There are few who succeed but maybe this could be a sign of a turning tide or it could be just a fluke. Meh.