The Sci-Fi Cast

Here’s something to get excited about, folks. Above is a trailer for the forthcoming Blu-ray release of Star Wars featuring some of previously-deleted scenes that have been replaced. There’s a lot to see here, so let’s go through the teaser, bit by bit.

It starts with Luke activating the Lightsaber he built for the first time. This sequence was pulled from Return of the Jedi and remained on the cutting room floor until it was revealed to fans at Star Wars Celebration last year. As any Star Wars fanboy knows, assembling one’s one lightsaber is the final step in becoming a Jedi.

Next, we see a young Luke next to a moisture vaporator on the Lars homestead on Tatooine. We know that Luke witnessed the Tantive IV being attacked and boarded by the Star Destroyer just beyond Tatooine’s atmosphere in the beginning of A New Hope, though that scene was cut from the final film.

We also see Admiral Ackbar (it’s a trap!) doing a bit of flying in a green flight suit. He seems to be in a small cockpit. I’m unfamiliar with this scene, but I can assume it’s from an assault on Endor.

Just after the clip of Ackbar, we see Chewie and Lando enduring the fabled Tatooine sandstorm. After our heroes escape Jabba’s sail barge, the original version for the script had them endure a vicious sand storm as they traveled back to the Falcon. It’s something I’ve wanted to see for a long time, and will be happy to get a chance.

The clip also shows R2 running from the Wampa as it attacks the rebel base on Hoth, another fabled and long-lost scene.

It looks great and I can’t wait to watch. Typically it’s easy to see why deleted scenes were cut, but that’s not the point here. It’s *new* Star Wars, and that’s what I want to see.

Last week we got fleeting glimpses of Anne Hathaway as the new Catwoman from The Dark Knight Rises. Now comes the official character portrait. Keeping true to form for the re-boot Selina’s costume isn’t so much about her feline qualities as they are about being functional. Looks like night-vision goggles and repelling gear are the order of the day for this Catwoman. The comic-fan jury may still be out, so we’ll reserve judgement until we see TDKR for ourselves. What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Update: Looks like it’s a fake. A mashup of Anne Hathaway and Laura Croft. Guess you just can never trust the old tubes. Thanks to our good friend Krystyn Heide for the tip.

When Carl Sagan’s ground-breaking PBS series, Cosmos, aired in 1980, it inspired an entire generation of children to learn more about the world and universe around them. The 13-part series made science accessible to the masses and presented complex concepts in easy to understand ways that are still taught in classrooms today.

Now comes word from WIRED that Sagan’s widow, Ann Druyan and Seth MacFarlane of Family Guy fame (both of whom are concerned about the growing anti-science sentiment in American society) are teaming up to produce a sequel to the series to air in 2013. Hosted by noted astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, the new show will strive to bring science to a new generation, exploring the universe on a grand scale.

The catch of course, is that because of MacFarlane’s involvement the new series will air on FOX in primetime. How will a science show devoted to discovering the wonders of the known universe fair against today’s dumbed-down TV fare? Unfortunately there’s no way to predict if audiences will tune in, we only wish Carl was around for the challenge. Here’s hoping the producers once again enlist the help of noted composer Vangelis to set the score for the series and that Tyson sneaks in at “billions and billions” at least once or twice.

Here’s a bit of housekeeping. As we mentioned a few episodes ago, The Sci-Fi Cast has joined the Fusion ad network. To the right you see an add from our first fine sponsor, Typekit. You’ll also hear us talk about it (briefly) in an upcoming episode.

Plus, check out the snazzy new subscribe bar above. Thanks, Ged and Anthony!

Note that this post is just to point out that our Fusion membership has begun. Posts like this won’t be a regular thing, so fear not! And now, on with the show.

Good news for fans of the British comedy sci-fi series, Red Dwarf. Actor Craig Charles who played Lister in the cult BBC series confirmed to Australian TV News this week that a new six-part series of Red Dwarf is in the works and will begin filming this fall. Created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, the show originally ran on BBC Two from 1989 to 1999 and featured the exploits of characters such as Dave Lister, the last known human alive, and Arnold Rimmer, a hologram of Lister’s dead bunkmate. The show briefly returned from deep freeze in 2009 for the three-part Red Dwarf: Back to Earth series, but reviews were mixed.

Charles insists that the new series won’t be worth revisiting unless the scripts are as good as they were in the show’s heyday. When asked if there was still a place for Red Dwarf on TV, the actor replied: “Well, yes – only if it’s still as funny as it used to be. “We’ve got to recapture the highlights, like series five, series six, that kind of stuff. If we can hit that mark then brilliant. There’s no point doing it if it’s a bit so-so.” We agree.

Via Starpulse:

“George Lucas sits down and seriously proceeds to talk for around 25 minutes about how he thinks the world is gonna end in the year 2012, like, for real. He thinks it. He’s going on about the tectonic plates and all the time Spielberg is, like, rolling his eyes, like, ‘My nerdy friend won’t shut up, I’m sorry…’ I first thought he (Lucas) was joking… and then I totally realized he was serious.”

Sounds like George has a bit of a death wish. Of course, if someone made something like this about my life’s work, I’d want a ticket out, too.

Don’t worry, George. We’ll paste Hayden Christensen’s head onto you in the afterlife.

As we reported in episode 34 of the Sci-Fi Cast, preliminary casting for the prequel to Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, is almost completed. One of the joys for fans of the trilogy has been the news that many of the original LOTR cast members will be returning, including Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Gray. In a recent blog post McKellen opens up to fans and explains why it took so long for him to make the decision to return to the screen as everyone’s favorite wizard.

“Could I let Gandalf go? Would anyone else care if I did? Elsewhere, does anyone care that Michael Gambon was not the first to play Dumbledore?

The deciding negotiation was not about money but about dates. Gandalf is needed on set over the next 18 months but with sizeable breaks when I can work on other projects. My worry that I could not easily escape from Middle Earth was lifted.

I am happy to say I start filming in Wellington on February 21 2011.”

I think I speak for LOTR fans everywhere when I say I could not imagine anyone else playing Gandalf except McKellen. His gentle wisdom, smile and presence on screen in the LOTR trilogy was one of the highlights of the series and he would have been sorely missed in The Hobbit. As fans we’re grateful that Jackson’s shooting schedule is flexible enough to allow McKellen to do the kinds of work he wants to do, while bringing one of our favorite characters of all time to the screen once again. All of us here at the Sci-Fi Cast will be watching the development of The Hobbit with eager anticipation.

It’s hard to imagine Battlestar Galactica without techy effects like the whoosh of a spun-up FTL drive or the clank of a Cylon centurion’s step. But series creator Ronald Moore says he deliberately steered the show away from classic science fiction tropes, partly because of his long years writing for Star Trek.

“The technobabble in Trek just got completely out of control,” Moore said. Instead, he used the word tech in his scripts as a placeholder, which led to stultifying dialogue like: “But Captain, if we tech the tech then the tech will override! The tech main engines might tech too much!”

“My experience in Star Trek taught me that technobabble could just swamp the drama in a show,” Moore said. “Especially in a space opera, where you’re on ships in space and dealing with technical things, technobabble becomes a crutch to get into and out of situations. I just did not want Galactica to be about that. I really wanted it to be about the characters and the story. ” Read more at Wired.com »

Earlier today, geeks everywhere were shocked to learn of Disney’s acquisition of Marvel. According the the press release, “[The] acquisition highlights Disney’s strategic focus on quality branded content, technological innovation and international expansion to build long-term shareholder value.” In other words, HOLY CRAP MICKEY MOUSE PWNS SPIDER MAN.

So what does this mean for both companies, and for the fans? We took a look around, and here’s what we found.

(more…)

When The Clone Wars movie hit theaters, I avoided it. In fact, I still haven’t seen it. Likewise, I avoided the TV series. Then I heard some buzz about the show and finally gave in. A year later, I’m glad I did.

The first episode, Ambush, was great. In fact, it featured a side of Yoda that’s been absent for way too long. Instead of the backwards-talking (It wasn’t every single sentence back in the old movies), military leader, here was the reassuring Yoda. It was good to have him back.

The middle of season 1 started to sag, but by the end it was quite good indeed. A number of vicious bounty hunters appeared and brought some palpable tension to what’s certainly a show for kids.

Season 1 ended with a cliffhanger and season 2 picks right up where the action left off. Above is the teaser. Go ahead and tell us you don’t want to see it. We dare you.