Doctor Who Series 8 premiere: The Doctor is In

THE DOCTOR IS IN
By Courtney Lockhart

I have to admit- this time last year I was a very disappointed Whovian.

I was at a friend's cottage desperately checking my twitter to discover who was going to replace Matt Smith in the iconic roll of The Doctor.  When they announced Peter Capaldi- I was upset.  Because of my obsession familiarity with Torchwood, where Capaldi had portrayed major series 3 antagonist John Frobisher,  I felt it would be impossible for an actor already strongly associated with a signifigant character to  shift to being the main character of the universe.  In my mind it was  like Tom Hardy being named the next Batman.  I was predicting a series 8 that I would suffer through to support the show but not necessarily enjoy.

Today I am happy to admit that I was completely wrong.

The series 8 premiere, written by show runner Steven Moffat, was moving, entertaining and action packed.  Regeneration has temporarily fried The Doctor's brain. Not only is he trying to figure out his new body and personality, but he can't decide whether to trust his friends to help him. The regeneration confusion leads to a great deal of the episode's humour and amuses in a way that doesn't distract from the main conflict.

Capaldi's doctor is finding a place in my heart. I'm a 10th doctor girl and the introduction to Twelve strongly reminded me of how I felt after watching The Christmas Invasion.  He's a complete 180 from Matt Smith with the exception of still being able to  rock those amazing speeches that Moffat gives The Doctor.  I'm also wondering if " Shut up!" is going to be the new Geronimo?

The supporting crew in this episode, Strax, Vastra, Jenny and Clara- or as the doctor refers to them at first: Grumpy, the green one, the not green one and the one that asks all the questions- were a joy to watch. The 'give Team Vastra their own show'  contingent in the fandom will be louder than ever after this one. They  handle both sides of the regeneration angst argument brilliantly. This episode also gave me a very Sherlock vibe in that a lot of the supporting dialogue seemed to be the writers attempt to verify that they are listening to the fans.

The episode passes the group viewing test with flying colours. We all had  different levels of familiarity with the Whoniverse and were all highly entertained. There are easter eggs galore and little things that I'm sure will mean more in the future, but for those watching who aren't as fluent in Who it is still a great introductory piece.  The best part is, for the first time since series 5 we will get all twelve episodes in one go, no breaks!

Doctor Who airs Saturdays at 9pm on Space, You'll be able to meet previous Who stars Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvil  at Fan Expo this month. Matt Smith and a special mystery Whovian guest will be appearing at Montreal Comiccon in September.

Courtney Lockhart lives in the west end of Ottawa with her husband and step-cat.  She is polishing her skills to pursue one of her dream careers as either a costume drama character, Torchwood operative or executive assistant to a billionaire vigilante. You can follow her daily mission to DFTBA on Twitter @corastacy.

Bears and Beets and Battlestar Galactica

BECAUSE DWIGHT ISN'T THE ONLY ONE WHO THOUGHT IT WAS THE BEST SHOW ON TELEVISION

By Baz Miller

Back in 2012 I found myself in a very strange place.

I was 20, had recently moved back into my mother's basement, and had recently signed up for an account on a popular online dating website after having ended a 5 year relationship with my high school sweetheart.

I met my current partner there, we had been talking for a while and I had been fairly obvious about my love of Sci Fi and character-driven dramas. He was surprised that I had never watched Battlestar Galactica.

Katee Sackhoff

I rooted around for a bit and eventually scrounged up a copy of all four glorious seasons of the 2004-2009 show, as well as two movies, and the accompanying Caprica sereis.

The problem with Battlestar Galactica is you can't simply stop watching Battlestar Galactica. Roughly 70 hours later I emerged from my mother's basement in a daze, staring warily at the toaster and wondering if my brother was a robot.

Battlestar Galactica is about space travel, and Artificial Intelligence, and People. Mostly People.

It's a show that appealed to my mildly obsessive attitude about prejudices. Gender roles, religious extremism, what makes a person a person? It's all there but it doesn't insult your intelligence by telling you what to think, or how to feel. The character's react, but because they're all amazingly flawed and kind of horrible people sometimes you don't feel like any one point of view is there to make you say "Ah yes, this is the good guy so all his opinions are on the moral high ground and I should agree with him".

Katee Sackhoff as Starbuck is a force to be reckoned with. The woman owns the show. A female character who is a badass but still has moments where she's able to be a screw up, feminine and loving. It makes you forget that Starbuck in the original series was a dude.

Mary McDonnell

The other female lead, President Laura Roslin is played by Mary McDonnell. She takes office at the beginning of the series and spends the duration of all four seasons battling a terminal breast cancer diagnosis and still finding the strength to not only manage the fractured remnants of the human race, but to serve as the democratic buffer to the show's militarist male lead (Edward James Olmos as William Adama).

Those two women (and Jaime Bamber in a fat suit) are a huge part of my love for Battlestar. It is a show that has taken the time to represent people like me, and people who I want to be like. Strong, intelligent, powerful women who are still imperfect and a little crazy sometimes.

Two years later I'm still a huge fan of the show, and have the coaster's to prove it.

Baz is a chronic doodler and has a habit of subjecting her friends to long rants about feminism, video games, and whether or not Thorin is the hottest Dwarf. She's using Capital Geek Girls to channel some of that energy. You can also find her at facebook.com/bazcave

Date Night: Sci-Fi Movies for Two

DATE-WORTHY SCI-FI MOVIES
By Angela Hartwick

Whether romantic comedies make you swoon or snooze you may enjoy this alternative for your next movie date or girls night in: science fiction love stories. The fantasy genre is perhaps better known for offering geek-centric romantic storylines given its lore of princesses and knights. Science fiction though offers starry-eyed lovers the opportunity to reflect on philosophical questions premised by technological advancements. Take for instance the well-known Stepford Wives classic (or its remake). What if you had the ability to change your partner’s personality and actions? Do you have a blanket answer or does it vary depending on the level of change, whether it would benefit your partner, or whether you had their consent? There’s more to the movie than that but I love these types of post-film conversations. Here are three scifi love story recommendations that are not only great for introspection/discussion but also just plain entertaining!

TIMER

This gem of a movie was my first Netflix experience years ago, stumbled upon during low expectation browsing. What if you could know the exact moment when you will meet your soulmate? The technology is called TiMER, a wrist implant that counts down to that moment. The film’s protagonist, Oona (Emma Cauldfield), a romantic at heart, goes through the procedure but her TiMER is blank, meaning her soulmate doesn’t have one installed. Imagine dating when you know it won’t last. Would you not even bother or take advantage of your “free” time? Maybe you’d be one of those rebellious few who prefer the mystery of not knowing if/when they’ll meet their life-partner or who extract their TiMER after falling for a wrong partner. Imagine finding out it’ll take 60 years for the big day? Total conversation starter.

HER

This film tackles big stuff like what makes us human and what constitutes a relationship. Relationships are explored from the novel perspective of a man falling in love with his operating system. Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) is a lonely 40-something year old going through a divorce. His new OS (voice of Scarlett Johansson) names herself Samantha and metaphorically holds his hand throughout his emotional struggles. It’s also one of the most cinematically stunning films I’ve ever seen and has a killer music score so you pretty much never want it to end. I was impressed at how well emotions were conveyed, even when you’re just listening to a voice. I can’t properly capture all questions this film entices without spoilers but let’s just say it may lead you to re-evaluate platonic relationships, evolution, and the role of the ego in a relationship.

IN YOUR EYES

In terms of genre this is more paranormal than Sci-fi, but still a less commonly thought of genre for romance. Even the release of this movie is interesting. Released online the same day as its film festival premiere, Director Joss Whedon sent surprise gifts to random early viewers worldwide such as signed film memorabilia, Apple and X-Box products and cacti. The story is about a man and a woman - Rebecca (Zoe Karzen) and Dylan (Michael Stahl-David) - who have an extraordinary connection. They can see through each other’s eyes, feel what the other feels, and hear each other when speaking aloud. It has all the charm and some of the cheesiness of a rom-com but with a fresh feel. The last scene is unexpectedly action packed. When you’ve finished watching the movie and downloading the soundtrack, you can talk about how freaking annoying it would be to have someone in your head. Props for an original love story premise and it’s carried out well (not eerie) in the film - there’s even a sort of consent required to enter the other the other person’s mind - but what if you don’t connect with this person you’re inexplicably linked to? Okay, so the introspective questions start to fall apart but it’s a charming film!

Angela is a 30-something year old mom of three kids - a baby, a school-aged kid and a teenager – and a furbaby, living in Orleans with her geek soul mate husband. She studied English Literature and Social Work but took an unexpected turn somewhere and ended up working as a policy analyst for the feds. Hobbies include reading, playing boardgames and Magic: the Gathering, cooking healthy foods, blogging, and discussing favourite tv shows and movies. She is the proud organizer of the Ottawa Geek Social Club, which strives to provide meetup opportunities that reflect the many facets of geekdom and beyond! www.ogsc.ca.

Guillermo Del Toro's "The Strain"- Geek Girl Review

TV REVIEW: GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S “THE STRAIN”
By Marie Victoria Robertson

We may be starting to break free of the Twilight craze and its sexy, sparkly vampires, but it’s still going to take a lot to give vampires their scary dignity back. Guillermo Del Toro’s “The Strain” might just be what the doctor ordered.

Mía Maestro as Dr. Nora Martinez, and an unfortunate pilot

“The Strain” premiered on FX on July 13^th, 2014. We are two episodes into a slow-paced, but promising new horror series. Of course, I write this review having read the trilogy on which the series is based- “The Strain”, “The Fall”, and “The Night Eternal”, written by Guillermo Del Toro (co-authored by Chuck Hogan)—and knowing that while the story takes its time to unfold, the pace will soon be dizzying, weaving together several storylines against the backdrop of a vampire “plague” invading New York City.
In the first episode, a plane lands in NYC, with all shades but one drawn and no signs of life. 

When the CDC is called in to investigate, they find a plane full of dead passengers, with the exception of four survivors, who are soon released (despite looking pale and sickly as can be.) An elderly pawnshop owner, Abraham Setrakian, takes a keen interest in the plane, and more importantly, a wooden box that was transported on it. On the flip side, we have a rich, ill, elderly follow named Eldritch Palmer who seems on the verge of making a deal with the devil, and his oddly vampiric companion who employs Latino gangbanger Gus Elizalde to do his dirty work. 

Guillermo Del Toro has a keen eye for bizarre body horror, so it stands to reason his take on the vampire mythos comes with gruesome reimagining. His vampires don’t sparkle in the sun and don’t feed with dainty little fangs; the transformation from human to vampire is brutal, as the “vampire infection” is spread through creepy little worms, causing the host to slowly die and to grow an extending stinger from their throats (the better to drink your blood with, my dear!) 

The horror is nice, but it’s really the characters that sold me on the book trilogy, and the reason I’m excited to follow the series. Corey Stoll as Dr. Ephraim Goodweather, the CDC epidemiologist who is tasked with investigating the mysterious outbreak that killed the plane passengers, is pretty bland (of course he’s a recovering alcoholic and of course he’s in the middle of a divorce) and Mía Maestro is given very little to do as Dr. Nora Martinez, though she is very promising as our female lead. Sean Astin is already starting to shine as CDC administrator Jim Kent, a sweet guy who’s clearly got some interesting secrets. 

Miguel Gomez as Gus is your pretty stereotypical thug, but watching him get caught up in a vampire horror is fun to watch, and Gomez does a pretty good job with the character. Russian exterminator Vasiliy Fet (Kevin Durand) has only gotten one scene so far, but it’s a terrific scene, and 100% on track with how I pictured the big, sweet, unflappable character from the books. I’m hoping the series will go on for a few seasons just because I really want to see his storyline develop on-screen.  

David Bradley as Abraham Setrakian

The series’ standout character, to me, is Abraham Setrakian. Fans of Harry Potter and Game of Thrones will recognize David Bradley in the role of the vampire-hunting Holocaust survivor who has unfinished business with the Master of this whole vampire plague. To say that Setrakian is a badass grandpa is an understatement.  

As an adaptation, “The Strain” is pretty faithful so far. As a horror series, it’s pretty darn entertaining. For anyone looking to put a bit of horror back in their vampires, this is a series you’ll want to follow.  

Marie Victoria Robertson is a published speculative fiction writer and playwright, as well as the board president of Jer’s Vision: Canada’s Youth Diversity Initiative (www.jersvision.org). When all the other girls wanted to marry Johnny Depp, she wanted to run away with Worf on the Enterprise. She enjoys giant robots, time-travel paradoxes, and forcing her son to watch Futurama.

Looking Back at Lexx

THE CULTIEST OF ALL CULT SHOWS: A LOOK BACK ON LEXX
 By Marie Victoria Robertson

A love slave, a security guard, an undead assassin and a robot head steal a ridiculously-overpowered, phallic spaceship. Oddly enough, the only thing they never did was walk into a bar.

They’ve destroyed a universe, destroyed heaven and hell, and destroyed Earth, though each completely by accident. Really, they just wanted to go about their lives, find a nice place to live, and hopefully have a bit of nice, casual sex along the way.

Does that sound utterly ridiculous? Congratulations, you’ve been introduced to Lexx, a joint Canadian/German production and one of the cultiest of all cult TV shows to air during the late 90s. And yes, it was completely, unapologetically ridiculous, which is probably what made it so darn fun. A cult television show is a show that, due to its nature, quality, quirks, etc. never quite appealed to mainstream audiences, but nevertheless inspired a rabid fan-following. My cult favourite will always be Lexx, and the reason why may not be what you expect.

The appeal of Lexx comes mainly from its characters, and its silly (lack of) premise. The titular Lexx is a city-sized, dragonfly-shaped ship with the self-awareness of a small child.  Zev/Xev Bellringer (Eva Haberman played the first Zev, who was killed and later re-grown as Xev, this one played by Xenia Seeberg) grew up in a box, was transformed into a love slave with a raging libido and cluster lizard DNA (a lizard got stuck in the love-slave-making machine). Stanley Tweedle (Brian Downey), the most ineffectual security guard in the two universes, is also the captain of the Lexx, due to accidentally receiving its key from a much more capable hero who was busy been eaten by another lizard. Kai (Michael McManus), the last of a race of warrior poets, has been dead for two thousand years and reanimated via ‘protoblood’ as an assassin for the Divine Order, the ruling force of the show’s universe. 790, a robot who lost his body, is crude, abusive, and is first madly in love with Xev, later Kai.

The first season, actually comprised of four made-for-TV movies with the alternate series title of Tales from a Parallel Universe, was arguably the most ‘normal’ of the four seasons, with a story arc involving the defeat of the tyrannical Divine Order. The disjointed (but still awesomely irreverent) second season was responsible for giving Lexx its reputation as a silly sex-obsessed series, though seasons 3 (involving planets standing in for heaven and hell) and 4 (where the crew found Earth) also had their share of wink-wink-nudge-nudge. While Lexx was not the softcore porno its advertising made it out to be, sex, along with hunger and boredom, was often the catalyst for an episode’s plot.

And that right there is why Lexx has such cult appeal. Unlike other famous sci-fi series of the time, such as Star Trek and Stargate SG-1 with their broad themes of humanity and exploration, Lexx was all about crude, flawed humans being human and using a stupidly powerful ship to joyride and have fun. Nothing about this show was clean and polished; the writing, acting, and set design was often met with healthy doses of “wtf??” and yes, sex was a recurring theme. The main female character was a beautiful, lusty woman, after all. But despite the potential for such a character being misused in a grossly offensive way, I love Lexx because it took things the other way.

Xev was no busty, brainless bimbo. She was a kind, smart, badass woman who happened to love sex, a lot. She was able to separate the enjoyment of sex from romantic love (for a long time, she nursed a crush on the asexual Kai), was selective about her partners, wore a short skirt because she liked it, was never slut-shamed for wanting and enjoying sex, and was only ever portrayed as being free and happy about her sexuality. 

Think for a moment about how often you see such a highly sex-positive female character on television. As a young woman, it was great to have a role model like Xev, who showed me you could totally be a compassionate and intelligent person and still love to have sex because you damn well wanted to. 

But don’t worry; Lexx maintained its status as a cult favourite with ludicrous things like carnivorous plant-ladies and talking brains and anal probes shaped like carrots and crazy musical numbers about planets blowing up. Not to mention Kai’s insane hair. Lexx just happened to be a lot more progressive than people gave it credit for. 

Marie Victoria Robertson is a published speculative fiction writer and playwright, as well as the board president of Jer’s Vision: Canada’s Youth Diversity Initiative (www.jersvision.org). When all the other girls wanted to marry Johnny Depp, she wanted to run away with Worf on the Enterprise. She enjoys giant robots, time-travel paradoxes, and forcing her son to watch Futurama.

Stargate SG-1 Reunion at Ottawa Comiccon

STARGATE SG-1 Q &A AT OTTAWA COMICCON 2014 

by Marla Desat

The award-winning series Stargate SG-1 is close to the hearts of many Canadians, having been filmed in and around Vancouver. Amanda Tapping, who played Samantha Carter, and Chris Judge, who played the alien Teal'c, joined Stargate SG-1 director Martin Wood to talk about the series at Ottawa Comiccon. The trio spoke to a packed crowd on Sunday, May 11.

Credit: Marla Desat

One of the most beloved episodes of Stargate SG-1 is "Window of Opportunity", wherein Teal'c and Colonel O'Neill, played by Richard Dean Anderson, are caught in a Groundhog Day-like loop, reliving the same day over and over again. A fan asked Tapping what she would do if she was caught in a similar loop. "Samantha Carter would probably get it on with Colonel O'Neill," said Tapping, to giddy cheers from the crowd.

Tapping spoke about her charity work with Sanctuary For Kids, a charity she founded with Damian Kindler and Jill Bodie in 2009. Sanctuary For Kids helps children in crisis around the world. The charity has now raised over $650,000 through auctions, donations, and other fundraising drives. Tapping's charity has worked with organizations all over the globe, providing medical care, food, and even bus passes to homeless youth. One of the organizations that Tapping has worked with helps teens get off the streets. "One of the things they struggle with is providing transportation," said Tapping, so bus passes are a way to support these teens and help them access education and employment. 

Another fan favourite episode is "200", a parody episode where crew members pitch science fiction films about wormhole travel, as part of a Pentagon plan to cover up the Stargate program with fictional films. The episode pays homage to Star Trek, Farscape, The Wizard of Oz, Thunderbirds, and classic noir. "Farscape was the most fun for me," said Tapping. "I liked all of them, but for a whole different reason," said Judge, grinning. "I always thought Teal'c should have a codpiece. So, if you look in each of the vignettes, Teal'c has these ridiculous codpieces."

Credit: Marla Desat

Asked about their clumsiest moments on set, Tapping answered, "I got blown up!" She related a story from the first season, where a mortar was set to go off after three of the SG-1 crew passed by a mark. Unfortunately, a steady cam operator was running backward through the scene, and the special effects operator counted the camera operator as the first of the three people to pass through the scene. So, when Tapping hit the mark, the fourth person through the woods, the mortar went off and sent her sprawling. Thankfully, Tapping escaped with only minor injuries. Judge shared a story about an uncomfortable spacesuit. At the end of season four, Teal'c was supposed to perform a spacewalk. "That thing was painful!" said Judge about the spacesuit. Judge refused to wear the suit, so director Martin Wood ended up in it. Wood, shaking his head, told the audience, "When you see Teal'c floating out there, it's not Chris, it's a tiny man who should be directing!" 

Stargate SG-1 wrapped in 2007, but you can still experience the award-winning series in its entirety on DVD or through Netflix. 

Marla Desat is a recent University of Waterloo grad living and working in Ottawa. When she isn't playing the latest video games, she's geeking out over comic books, board games, tabletop roleplaying games and science. Marla also writes for The Escapist as a freelance news writer. You can follow her on Twitter @mrdesat. 

The Real McCoy: Karl Urban at Ottawa Comiccon

KARL URBAN SPEAKS TO PACKED HOUSE AT OTTAWA COMICCON

By Christina Marie

It was the moment I had been looking forward to all weekend, Karl Urban.  I arrived early enough to get a front row seat just to the right of the stage.  I had a perfect view of Mr. Urban as he sat atop the stage answering questions from many elated fans.  Many whom just his presence made them speechless and star struck.  Karl Urban is from New Zeland and has performed in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Dredd, Bpurne Supremacy and of course, as Dr. McCoy in the relaunched Star Trek series.

One of the first questions to be asked was what it was like working with Leonard Nimoy and which Spock he liked better.  Urban emphasized the presence Leonard Nimoy brings.  The second Leonard Nimoy puts on his Vulcan ears, the other actors were all in absolute awe as they realized they were in the presence of an icon.

When he was asked what kind of life advice, other than staying in school, could he give to younger people who look up to him the answer came quickly.   Without skipping a beat he replied, “If a child says they want to be an actor, you need to say, sorry son, you pronounced it wrong, it’s doctor”.  After a thought, he stressed that the power of positive thinking will get you where you want to go.  “Even if you don’t make it all the way, three quarters of the way is better than never having tried.  Any drop of negativity spread ripples that go out and interfere with positive thinking.  Always think positive.”

Aside from having great advice, Karl Urban is an exciting and entertaining story teller. He recalled being on the set of The Lord of the Rings, shooting the scene where the horsemen are heading to Gondor to fight.  He glanced to the left to see a hobbit stunt double flying by him on his pony real fast and thought “Wow, he’s really keen to get to Gondor!” then he realized the stunt double was out of control and it became a situation of shock and horror as they were travelling on a very rocky terrain.  The hobbit stunt double eventually bailed and rolled to safety.  Now that it has past and he was safe, it had once again become funny remembering a tiny little hobbit rolling like a ball.

Many of those asking questions became tongue-tied and flustered, but there’s no question, Karl Urban has a big fan base and loyal followers.  Fans wanted to know if there was a Dredd sequel coming, and who they could petition to get one started.  Many were saddened by the recent announcement of the cancellation of Almost Human and although it was thought to be a touchy subject for Mr. Urban, he seems to have some projects all lined up.  In the new year, he will begin filming the next movie in the Star Trek series, and currently the search for a director is underway.

I know I am looking forward to anything that Karl Urban will be acting in and have re-watched the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Doom, Ghost Ship and Star Trek since ComicCon.

Christina Marie is a student at Carleton University, working on her Bachelor of Computer Science. She has a background in web development and programming and her extra time is spent on being a single mommy to little geeklings, playing sports and gaming, with her current favorites being Warcraft, DayZ, CoD and CS:GO.  She enjoys blogging and tweeting gaming and tech updates @Xtina_Marie04.

Skyping Spock: Leonard Nimoy at Ottawa Comiccon

LEONARD NEMOY Q&A AT OTTAWA COMICCON

by Marla Desat

In a rare convention appearance, Leonard Nimoy spoke to a packed crowd at Ottawa Comiccon via Skype. The renowned actor, best known for his role as Mr. Spock on Star Trek, no longer travels to conventions as he suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Despite quitting smoking forty years ago, Nimoy developed the chronic condition, and he warned fans, "If you don't smoke, don't start. If you do, stop!"

Some technical issues troubled the start of the Q&A, but after a dropped call Nimoy reconnected and began jovially answering fan questions. Nimoy made light of the difficulties, saying "Is there anything we can do to help this connection? This connection is treacherous, I think the Klingons have been messing with it."

The first question was how it felt to pass the torch to Zachary Quinto, who plays Spock in the J. J. Abrams reboot of the franchise. "Zachary is a very good friend of mine," said Nimoy. "He's a wonderful actor and very talented. He did a great job as the new Spock, and I am glad to see the Spock character live on with such a great actor."

Karl Urban, who plays the role of Dr. McCoy in the reboot, surprised both fans and Nimoy himself when he appeared at the Q&A. Urban asked Nimoy, "Of all the actors you worked with on the new Star Trek movie, who was your favourite to work with?" Urban implied that naming Quinto might smack of nepotism. Grinning, Nimoy said, "No one's better than you, Karl!" As Urban left the stage, Nimoy added, "He's done a wonderful job as Dr. McCoy, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart."

A fan asked what inspired Gene Roddenberry to create a character like Spock. "Up until the early '60s, most of the aliens in science fiction were portrayed as something dangerous, something to be afraid of," said Nimoy. Spock was a much different character from these stock aliens, a character that actively worked with humans to overcome problems, and coexisted peacefully with humanity. "That was the most important thing for Gene, to present an alien character who was helpful and could work with the human characters."

Asked about his funniest memory shooting Star Trek, Nimoy told a story about a prank that William Shatner once pulled on the late DeForest Kelley. Kelley had a habit of going to the food services table on set every morning and putting a muffin in the toaster. While it toasted, Kelley would go get a coffee, leaving the muffin unattended. Learning this, Shatner waited one morning for Kelley to leave his muffin, and promptly popped it out of the toaster and ate it. When Kelley returned to get his muffin, he was understandably confused. Kelley put a new muffin in the toaster, and Shatner got another cast member on set to distract him. Shatner popped the second muffin out of the toaster and ate it, too. Now realizing the prank, Kelley became quite angry. "I said, De, don't worry about it. You stand the two of you side by side, it's easy to see who's been eating the muffins."

The Ottawa Comiccon crowd closed out the Q&A with a standing ovation. Nimoy plans to connect with more fans at other conventions via Skype in the future, and I for one hope the trend will live long and prosper!

Marla Desat is a recent University of Waterloo grad living and working in Ottawa. When she isn't playing the latest video games, she's geeking out over comic books, board games, tabletop roleplaying games and science. Marla also writes for The Escapist as a freelance news writer. You can follow her on Twitter @mrdesat. 

Star Wars Casting Analysis: I find your lack of female characters disturbing

I FIND YOUR LACK OF FEMALE CHARACTERS DISTURBING

By Angela Hartwick

It’s the talk of the interwebs: Lucasfilms and Disney have announced the cast for Star Wars VII! Fans are rejoicing in the return of Carrie Fisher as Leia, Mark Hamill as Luke, Harrison Ford as Han, Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca, Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, and Kenny Baker as R2-D2. Newcomers include Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Andy Serkis, Max von Sydow, and John Boyega. It’s suspected that Daisy Ridley, a relatively unknown actress, will play Jaina Solo, daughter of Leia and Han. 

Photo by David James - © David James and Walt Disney Studios

In terms of leading actors, that’s one female for every five males. This is classic Smurfette principle, that is, including one female amongst many males rather than the roughly half in existence. As Annalee Newitz writes: “Are we seriously still pretending that the universe is comprised almost entirely of men (and mostly white men at that)? Mythic tales are supposed to open up possibilities, not shut them down.” Exactly. This deal is getting worse and worse all the time.

YOU WILL FIND THAT MANY OF THE TRUTHS WE CLING TO DEPEND GREATLY ON OUR OWN POINT OF VIEW 

As one of those people drawn to reading comments sections of articles I read, I noticed many fans reacting negatively to casting criticisms specific to gender. Their arguments are that the original Star Wars films also have few female characters, and that other blockbuster films don’t don’t do any better at equal representation. While both these points are true, improving the situation means we have to start somewhere.

Each of the six movies in the franchise featured only one lead female role - Fisher as Leia Organa in the original trilogy, and Portman as Padme Amidala in the prequels, and only a few significant background roles such as that of Mon Mothma, one of the Alliance founders. I hoped for a more significant female presence in Episode VII in part because of the plethora of female characters in the Star Wars Expanded Universe (books, comic books, video games, toys, animated series, other media). The Tumblr account Women of Star Wars illustrates hundreds of them; for example the Clone Wars cartoons featured a slew of strong female Jedis (Ahsoka Tano, Barriss Offee, Adi Gallia, Shaak Ti, Aayla Secura, Luminara Unduli) as well as Nightsisters (Asajj Ventress, Mother Talzin).

The Battlestar Galactica remake is an example of taking a beloved fictional universe and adding more women (including rewriting a main character as a woman) and, despite initial fears, it worked out rather well. Fans also hoped JJ Abrams, Producer and Director of Star Wars VII, learned from the criticisms received for his portrayal of women in the new Star Trek movies, and fear that Star Wars is heading in the same direction.

If other movies are guilty of these offenses why single out Star Wars? Because again, we have to start somewhere, and because it’s a big one; a movie that is likely to impact boys and girls for generations to come if it follows its predecessors.  Truly wonderful the mind of a child is - let’s not hinder their perceptions of the role of women.

THERE IS ANOTHER

The good news is there is still one female lead character to be added to the cast. Now if they’d just announce wanting to add three more I’d be all like “I never doubted you! Wonderful!”

IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE, THE FUTURE IS

As for the Star Wars VII story, it’s set to take place 30 years after events in Return of the Jedi, and that the projected release date is December 18, 2015.  Here’s hoping it will be on par with the original trilogy, but never tell me the odds!

Angela is a 30-something year old mom of three kids - a baby, a school-aged kid and a teenager – and a furbaby, living in Orleans with her geek soul mate husband. She studied English Literature and Social Work but took an unexpected turn somewhere and ended up working as a policy analyst for the feds. Hobbies include reading, playing boardgames and Magic: the Gathering, cooking healthy foods, blogging, and discussing favourite tv shows and movies. She is the proud organizer of the Ottawa Geek Social Club, which strives to provide meetup opportunities that reflect the many facets of geekdom and beyond! www.ogsc.ca.

GETTING TO KNOW THE DOCTOR – WHERE TO START AS A NEW DOCTOR WHO FAN

by Marla Desat 

GETTING TO KNOW THE DOCTOR – WHERE TO START AS A NEW DOCTOR WHO FAN

 

Christopher Eccleston Dr Who
photo by Colin Bell, BBC

There are few fandoms as intimidating for a newcomer as Doctor Who. The series is a pillar of British television, and many of its fans grew up watching the show. I grew up loving science fiction television, watching episodes of Star Trek with my father or staying up late to watch The Outer Limits. Recently, I decided it was time to expand my geek knowledge, and finally start watching Doctor Who.

  

For the completely unfamiliar, Doctor Who follows the Doctor, a time-travelling alien, as he rights wrongs and saves civilisations. A human companion usually accompanies the Doctor. The Doctor travels in the TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimensions in Space), a time-travelling spacecraft that resembles a blue police telephone box. The TARDIS is one of the most recognizable elements of the show, featured on the scarves, earrings, and messenger bags of fans.  The Doctor's sonic screwdriver is another iconic element. It is a multifunctional tool that can be used to unlock doors, manipulate computers, or remotely control other devices, among other uses.

  

Deciding where to start is the most important step to becoming a Whovian – what some fans call themselves. The British science fiction drama first aired in 1963, and it has amassed 800 episodes, not to mention spin-offs, made-for-TV movies, audio plays and books. Part of the longevity of the series comes from the concept of regeneration. When the Doctor is old or mortally wounded, he transforms into a new physical form and different personality, but retains his memories. Regeneration has allowed the show to continue, while replacing the lead actor. The latest doctor, played by Peter Capaldi, is the Twelfth Doctor. The number goes up after each time the Doctor regenerates.

  

The Tardis. source: BBC.co.uk

The easiest place to start is with the Ninth Doctor, played by Christoper Eccleston. Eccleston's run in the show is a modern revival of the series, beginning in 2005 after nine years of absence from television. There are two great reasons to start with Eccleston. First, the revival nods to existing fans of the show but also explains enough that new viewers won't feel completely lost. Second, Netflix offers seven seasons worth of Doctor Who, beginning with Eccleston's run in 2005, all of David's Tennant's seasons as the Tenth Doctor, and most of Matt Smith's run as the Eleventh. Netflix does offer some older Doctor Who material to explore, but its collection is much more fragmented.

  

Doctor Who is not a fandom for everyone. The show can be cheesy, and the special effects are good but not great. That said, I found myself enjoying it after "The End of the World", the second episode of the 2005 season, and by the end of episode six, "Dalek", I was hooked. Those episodes offer both emotional range and temporal range of the show, jumping forward in time to when the Sun becomes a red giant or back to the days of Dickens.  If you're on the fence, give the first six episodes of Eccleston's run a chance to convince you.

  

Marla Desat is a recent University of Waterloo grad living and working in Ottawa. When she isn't playing the latest video games, she's geeking out over comic books, board games, tabletop roleplaying games and science. Marla also writes the TheEscapist as a freelance news writer. You can follow her on Twitter @mrdesat.