All-purpose, running Geek thread (formerly Battlestar Galactica thread)

Just watched it to the end. Hmmm.

And now this:

Spoiler: Look who's back

Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis Address Their Return in Star Trek: Picard

 

I don't think it's much of a spoiler. They have been fairly public about it.

 

Ehh, I haven't been hanging on every word about it, but last I'd seen, Frakes had agreed to direct, but not appear, in an episode; no word from Sirtis.

Spiner had been pretty adamant he wasn't going back to Data because he "looked too old."

There were also reports and rumors that because of the convoluted rights breakdown between CBS/Paramount/Sony/Bad Robot, there was a very tight limit to how connected the Picard series could be to any previous ST iteration.
Who knows! We'll see!

 

Was anyone - anyone - clamoring for a return of Dr. Jane Foster? Ugh. Natalie Portman hasn't done anything good since Black Swan. She's terrible in popcorn flicks. I've begun to think she's only as good as her director.

 

I don't think it's about Portman so much as it is pandering to the diversity-driven crowd. The Jane Foster version of Thor actually wasn't bad in the comics, either.

 

No, I get all that. I'm not addressing any outside criticism ... I'm just saying, why bother bringing Portman back for the role? She was the worst part of two mediocre Thor movies. They finally made a good one - Ragnarok - that didn't involve Portman, and now they're bringing her back. I don't get it. I know they have other plans for Valkyrie, but I'd much rather see Tessa Thompson lift Mjolnir than Portman.

 

I think most fans would prefer that. I'm just saying it's about the character, not the actress. Also, the script was the worst part of those first two movies. Portman was okay in the first one, but definitely among the many problems in the second one.

 

OK, but as I said, was anyone clamoring for the return of Dr. Jane Foster? The films have always had significant differences from the stories they drew inspiration from. I don't see any reason they need to be locked into Foster as the Mighty Thor.

 

It worked fairly well in the source material. Actually, I hope they follow the full storyline of what was going on with Foster when she became Thor in the comics, which was an interesting concept. It kind of fits with other events in the movies, such as Sam Wilson becoming Captain America, which happened around the same time as Foster becoming Thor in the comics. This allows them to do a little fan service by pulling a storyline from the books while also adding diversity.

To be clear, I'm just guessing at the thinking. I'm not saying I like it. I think the goal should be telling the best stories, not checking off diversity boxes to make the corporate types at Disney happy.

Then again, Marvel did go this route in the comics not that long ago with a black Captain America, a female Thor and a biracial Spider-Man and at least some of those ideas turned into good stories. Replacing Peter Parker with Miles Morales in the Ultimate line was all about putting a non-white character in the costume, but Brian Michael Bendis created a good character in Morales and made it work. Hopefully, the MCU can do some of the same with its diversity push.

 

I think you’re missing my point, which is that Natalie Portman sucks.

 

Oh, I got that point. I just don't think Marvel/Disney gives a damn. She's a name actor in a role they think they can use to show they want diversity in the MCU and they think they can do no wrong at this point.

 

The Boys. I can't tell if it is great or completely fucked up. Three episodes in and it's finding its footing.

Spoiler: I know how everyone feels about non-spoiler spoilers

So I've already seen three people's bodies explode—with all the gory results—, two implications of rape and a dude spying on a woman pumping breast milk. I get it, this isn't my father's Superman. But at least the story is moving.