<![CDATA[io9: Blake's 7]]> http://cache.io9.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/io9.com.png <![CDATA[io9: Blake's 7]]> http://io9.com/tag/blake's 7 http://io9.com/tag/blake's 7 <![CDATA[10 Great Love/Hate Relationships from Science Fiction and Fantasy]]> One reason we're addicted to science fiction and fantasy: the characters and their weird, conflicted relationships. And there's nothing more addictive than characters who can't decide whether to kill each other or run away together. Friends who sometimes hate each other, or enemies who secretly admire each other. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5872528&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[10 Coolest Death Scenes in Science Fiction History]]> It's never great to watch a beloved science fiction hero die - but sometimes a memorable heroic death can help turn a science fiction story into a real epic. And some science fiction characters are unforgettable and bad-ass precisely because they died in a memorable way. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5844984&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[10 Lessons About Life After Cancellation That Stargate Can Learn From Star Trek, Firefly and Other Classics]]> Stargate Universe is going off the air soon, and it's not coming back. There are no TV movies coming, either. For the first time in 15 years, there won't be a new Stargate TV show. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5792884&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Most Epic Shoulderpads in the Multiverse]]> You can't conquer the final frontier unless you can cut an imposing figure. That's why so many science fiction and fantasy characters rock the awesome shoulderpads. Or, as we call them, "swagger pinnacles." Here are science fiction/fantasy's most astounding shoulderpads. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5725739&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Most frustrating TV shows canceled on a cliffhanger]]> As the fall TV season starts up, shows are resolving their agonizing summer cliffhangers — but for some unlucky shows, that resolution never arrived. Here are the most frustrating "cancel-hangers," cliffhanger endings for shows that got cancelled too soon. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5642207&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[The best SF/fantasy cliffhangers ever shown on television]]> The best science fiction and fantasy television hooks you with endless suspense... including hair-raising cliffhangers. But only the greatest cliffhangers can make you throw your remote at the screen, and keep you wondering for weeks. Here are the 20 awesomest. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5636086&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[The top 20 essential science fiction TV shows]]> Science fiction has ruled television for over 50 years, but some shows have brightened our screens and supercharged our brains more than others. Here are the 20 science fiction shows that everybody interested in the genre should see. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5622910&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[The Federation wins again: Blake's 7 remake stalled out]]> Blake's 7 was quite possibly the most quotable space opera of all time, and a major influence on shows like Babylon 5. Too bad it won't be coming back to our screens any time soon. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5605619&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[The Secret Crossover Between Star Wars And Blake's 7]]> Star Wars takes place long ago in a faraway galaxy, and the BBC's low-budget space opera Blake's 7 takes place in our dystopian future. So why does one badass bounty hunter appear in both series? It's obviously a crossover. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5437617&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Which Show Would Give SyFy The Space Opera They Deserve?]]> When Meredith spoke with Syfy president David Howe this week, he revealed that the newly-rebranded network was looking for a new space opera to replace BSG. But considering their love of remakes, why not just use an old one? More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5312863&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[The Most Badass Female Space Pilots Of All Time]]> Some of the hottest hot-shot pilots in space opera are women. It's a longstanding tradition in science fiction to show women taking the controls of starships, space fighters and star-cruisers, and here are our favorite badass female cockpit jockeys. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5311916&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[The Middleman's Romance With Lacey Almost Didn't Happen]]> One of our favorite parts of superhero-adventure The Middleman is the on-again, off-again romance between the mysterious hero and Lacey, his sidekick's roommate. But Javier Grillo-Marxuach tells io9 he fought that storyline tooth and nail. So what happened? Spoilers ahead. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5310370&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[The Evolution Of Space Cruiser Design: A Gallery]]> The Romulan mining vessel Narada undulates as it prepares to claim another defenseless planet. Spaceship design has come a long way since the 1960s. Here's a gallery of five different eras in starships, battlecruisers and planet-destroyers, with 150+ images. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5290455&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[10 Greatest Science Fiction TV Show Endings Ever]]> With Battlestar Galactica rocking to an end Friday, the show's producers promise a bravura conclusion that will knock our socks off. But it's got some stiff competition - here are science fiction television's greatest endings. Spoilers! More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5170814&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[12 Coolest Deaths In Science Fiction History]]> Click to viewIt's never great to watch a beloved science fiction hero die - but sometimes a memorable heroic death can help turn a science fiction story into a real epic. And some science fiction characters are unforgettable and bad-ass precisely because they died in a memorable way. Here's our list of the dozen greatest deaths in the history of science fiction. With some spoilers, natch. 12) Searle in Sunshine. Okay, I may be the only person who really loved Danny Boyle's blazing space opera about a doomed crew trying to reignite the sun. That's okay, I can be right all on my own. I especially love the way the character of Searle, the ship's psychiatrist, surprises you in his final moments. He's kind of a prurient asshole for most of the movie, obsessed with looking into the sun with as little filter as possible. He's a pretty terrible therapist. But when the chips are down, he knows he's the most expendable crewmember. When four crewmembers from the Icarus II get trapped on the wrecked ship Icarus I, with the airlock damaged, Searle agrees to stay behind so the rest of the away team can get back to the Icarus II. He helps blast the others out the airlock, then exposes himself to the sun, dying the same way as the Icarus I's crew. Click to view If you're going to be a creepy therapist, the least you can do is self-immolate to save the rest of us. 11) Woody in Mission To Mars. This is a pretty terrible movie overall, but a fantastic death scene. Our heroes have to abandon their vessel. And then Woody, played by Tim Robbins, leaves the others and launches himself at the Resupply Module (REMO), but after he attaches the line from the other astronauts at the REMO, he keeps moving towards the planet. His wife, Terri, wants to go after him, but Woody knows she'll die in the rescue attempt. So he takes off his own helmet and dies of depressurization rather than let her die for him. (Thanks to Meredith for the suggestion!) Runner up: Speaking of depressurization deaths, Graeme really wanted me to include Cally's death from Battlestar Galactica. But I didn't really think her death was awesome. Sorry, G. 10) Graham in "The Sleeper Wakes" by H.G. Wells. One of Wells' weirdest stories involves a man known only as Graham, who sleeps for over 200 years and wakes to find that he's not just the richest man in the world, but actually the owner of the entire world. He eventually discovers that the White Council, which governs in his name, is oppressing everyone, and he helps a revolutionary named Ostrog to mount a revolution. But afterwards, Ostrog starts oppressing people just as badly as the White Council had. So finally Graham gets mad. This time, it's personal - he gets into an airplane and rams a whole bunch of Ostrog's air fleet. (Remember, this was written in 1910.) Finally, he rams his plane into Ostrog's, then spirals to Earth, knowing that the revolution will prevail at last. Runner up: Someone suggested Hari Seldon from Forward The Foundation, but I haven't read that book and couldn't find much about it or track down a copy. Was his death truly awesome? Let me know. 9) The Controller in Doctor Who, "Day Of The Daleks" "Day Of The Daleks" is probably not on my list of the 100 greatest Doctor Who stories of all time, but it has a few really amazing moments. The greatest of these is where the Controller finally stands up to his Dalek masters. All along, the 22nd century bureaucrat has been fooling himself that he can help the Daleks govern the human race and actually do some good along the way, helping people when the Daleks aren't looking. But after a few chats with the Doctor, he finally realizes you can't work within the Dalek system. He helps the Doctor escape, and when his coverup fails, the Daleks decide to exterminate him. "Who knows?" he says. "I may have helped to exterminate you." Awesome. Runners up: Various people suggested the deaths of various Doctors, but none of them really jumped out at me as especially cool. One person suggested Adric, and I'll protect his/her identity, to save him/her from the inevitable scorn of the masses. 8) Lt. Paul Wang from Space: Above And Beyond. "Everybody's favorite tortured bipolar guy," Lt. Wang, callsign "Joker," gives his life to hold off the aliens while everyone else gets away. "This is for you!" he shouts as he pours ammo into the enemy. Commenter oconnellmd suggested this scene, and I can see why. 7) Certain people in Blake's 7, "Blake" I'm going to show an unusual degree of restraint and not say who dies in this episode. Let's just say it's an incredibly fitting end for the saga, one which makes all of the stuff that comes before seem cooler because it leads up to this. In my write-up on how to discover Blake's 7, I actually advocate watching the last episode first. At the very least, I think this is one spoiler that makes you appreciate the rest of the show more. But don't take my word for it: watch for yourself. 6) Pham Nuwen from A Fire Upon The Deep by Vernor Vinge. Pham Nuwen is animated by the Old One, a super-powerful artificial intelligence, and he dies fighting the Blight, another super-A.I. First Pham downloads as much of the Old One into his brain as possible, overclocking his human brain by containing this massive superhuman intelligence, which will inevitably destroy him. And then he launches the Countermeasure, an advanced weapon which moves the boundaries of the Slow Zone far enough to enclose and destory the Blight. But the Countermeasure also has the effect of terminating Pham at the same time:
The Countermeasure's writhing had slowed. Its light flickered bright and then out. Bright and then out. She heard Pham's breath gasp with every darkness. Countermeasure, a savior that was going to kill a million civilizations. And was going to kill the man who triggered it. Almost unthinking, she dodged past the thing, reaching for Pham. But razors upon razors blocked her, raking her arms. Pham was looking up at her. He was trying to say something more. Then the light went out for a final time. From the darkness all around came a hissing sound and a growling, bitter smell that Ravna would never forget.
(Thanks Annalee!) 5) The T-800 in Terminator II. After Arnold Schwartzenegger's T-800 helps Sarah and John Connor defeat Robert Patrick's mean T-1000 by blowing it up and knocking it into molten metal, Arnie knows he has to go too. If there's anything left of the T-800, the technology could be used to reconstitute Skynet and bring the badness down on our heads. So Arnie gets Sarah Connor to lower him - slowly - into the molten metal. He gives a thumbs up as he descends to his robo-fondue doom. (Thanks, Annalee!) 4) Biggs from Star Wars. I was seriously considering making Obi-Wan the coolest death from Star Wars, but really, screw that guy. First of all, as he points out himself, he comes back a thousand times more powerful afterwards. And secondly and more importantly, he's kind of a big martyr, as everyone points out in the awesome parody Hardware Wars. And Biggs doesn't have any super Force powers, or the ability to come back a thousand times more anything. All Biggs has is a X-ing, a can-do attitude, and an awesome porn-stache. And he's the greatest wingman ever, taking enemy fire and blowing up so that Luke can nuke the death star and get all the glory afterwards. And look how stoic Biggs is in this deleted scene from Episode IV, telling Luke he may never come home again because he's off to join the rebels: When does baby Biggs get his own episode of the Clone Wars cartoon? Preferably with a little baby mustache? 3) Spike from Cowboy Bebop. Martian bounty hunter Spike Spiegel gets into a duel with his former best friend, Vicious after Vicious' Red Dragon gang has killed Spike's girlfriend Julia. Spike finally decides to face the past with Vicious that he ran away from three years earlier, and he storms the Red Dragon headquarters, killing a bunch of its members as he climbs. Vicious manages to slash Spike with his katana, but then Spike shoots Vicious dead. Spike comes down the stairs, wounded and weakened, to face all the remaining members of the Red Dragon. Spike makes a gun with his fingers and says "Bang"... then collapses. Most people seem to assume Spike dies of his wounds, and it's not hard to find tons of people online listing this as one of the coolest death scenes in all anime, or all Asian films, let alone science fiction. 2) Someone from Anathem by Neal Stephenson. Since this book just came out and it's a bit of a major spoiler, I won't say who dies and how - click here if you've already read the book and/or don't care about spoilers. 1) Spock from Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan. I'm not putting the pointy-eared green blooded Vulcan first just because I know I'd get lynched otherwise. I'm not even including the death of Spock because I pretty much memorized all the dialog from that scene as a little kid. I'm including it because it's the template of how to do a memorable, important death in a science fiction epic. The movie isn't ABOUT Spock at all, but it still feels as though the whole film has been leading up to his death. A lesser film would have been more clumsy and obvious about giving Spock a bunch of cool moments leading up to his death, and trying to manipulate us into feeling the Spock love before he snuffs it. Instead, we do get plenty of cool Spock moments, including giving Kirk his present and mentoring Lt. Saavik. But it's woven into the rest of the movie, and the film's running theme of the "no-win situation" and the impossibility of cheating death every single time help to set up the death of Kirk's best friend way better than a scene where Spock talks about what he's going to do when he retires and goes back to Vulcan. The result is one of the most amazing moments in Trek history, one of those moments where you can really beleive Trek is a sweeping saga instead of just a zany adventure with green women and Saurian brandy. Runner up: I can't believe I left out Roy Batty in Blade Runner, as various commenters have pointed out. Especially since I went on a whole tangent about Roy's amazing death scene in my rant about why there shouldn't be a BR sequel earlier in the day. Suffice to say the Roy Batty death scene is definitely one of the all-time classic, and easily up there with Spock's. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5056076&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Science Fiction TV Classics You're Not Allowed To Own On DVD]]> Sometimes it seems like every little dreg of geek culture from your youth is out on DVD — but it's not true! Weirdly, there are huge gaps in the archives of science fiction TV shows that Hollywood is willing to sell you. Think about this the next time you invite over that hottie from work and fail to get laid, entirely because you don't have a DVD of Automan or M.A.N.T.I.S. on your shelf to impress that person. Here's our list of essential SF TV that you can't own on DVD, because Hollywood hates you. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5052896&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[The Sickest Teleportation Accidents In The Universe]]> Sure, teleportation sounds like a good idea, but just remember: it always goes wrong. It's hard to believe a process that involves ripping your molecules apart and then jamming them together thousands of miles away could possibly have any safety risks, but there you are. Sometimes the copy isn't quite as good as the original, and sometimes the new version is a little the worse for wear. Here's our list of the weirdest, the sickest, and the most demented teleportation mishaps from science fiction. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5048821&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Bow Down Before The Greatest Dominatrixes Of Science]]> Click to viewIn the new Indiana Jones movie, opening Thursday, Cate Blanchett wears kinky boots and gets Indy under her thumb in more ways than one. But is she actually the greatest dominatrix in science fiction history? We decided to see how Cate stacks up against the classics of the genre, from the villain of Devil Girl From Mars to the heroine of Gene Simmons' Dominatrix. (Plus great dommes from Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica.)
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]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=391497&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Science Fiction Is The Literature Of Refugees]]> When you think about the archetypal science fiction story, chances are you think of the bold explorer, setting foot on a newfound planet in the name of a secure homeworld. But possibly the most pervasive narrative in science fiction is actually the story of refugees. They flee from planetary destruction, war, or just from overcrowding and ecological crappitude. The refugee story is the flipside of the gung-ho explorer story, but it might actually be the most uniquely science fictional story of all. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=391068&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[All Hail Terry Nation, Yesterday's SciFi Creator Of The Future]]> You may not know it right now, but we're about to enter the Second Age of Terry Nation. Last week's announcement that Nation's classic series Blake's 7 is going to be remade in a Battlestar Galactica-esque fashion following on from last year's announcement that Nation's other series, Survivors, is also about to be revised and brought back to television. It's clear that the British writer - who also created Doctor Who's Daleks - has come back into vogue with British television producers. Find out more about the man behind 2009's cult revivals under the jump. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=385455&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Blake's 7 Poised To Launch A New Rebellion]]> The time may finally be right to bring the BBC's gritty space opera Blake's 7 back to television. British satellite network Sky One has ordered two 60-minute TV movies, for a possible "event series," BBC News reported. (I'm guessing "event series" means the occasional one-off TV movie or special.) The production company that owns the rights to the 1970s show about rebels fighting a totalitarian space empire tried to make a new version five years ago, but it crashed and burned. Now, with the Battlestar Galactica reboot winning so much acclaim, it may be the perfect time for NewBlake. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=383719&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[How To Get Into Rebel Space Opera Blake's 7]]> You've heard great things about Blake's 7, that edgier 1970s show from some of the makers of Doctor Who. You've heard it features darker, more complex characters, and it's like a warped mirror held up to Star Trek's utopian future — instead of the human Federation being this amazing force for peace and justice in the galaxy, it's evil and oppressive. You've heard it includes dialog so sharp you could shave with it. But how can you discover this show for yourself? Here are some handy tips. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=379249&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Can You Escape Your Fate? Science Fiction Has The Answer!]]> When science fiction decides to get all deep and philosophical, it always comes down to questions of free will. Do we choose our actions, or are they already totally predictable to someone who could glimpse the future? For example, Terminator 3 caused a lot of controversy with an ending that suggests John Connor can't escape his destiny as a post-apocalyptic leader. Are we just puppets of a future history engraved in stone? We settle these debates once and for all, and list the four different types of fate-vs-free-will stories in SF, below. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=350435&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Which Scifi Franchise Cries Out For A Re-Imagining?]]> Everybody's re-imagining old science fiction franchises, from Battlestar and Bionic Woman to Star Trek and Terminator. (Can you remember when you had never heard the verb "re-imagine?" Now, it's the only verb I ever use.) But some of the greatest classics are still waiting for their extreme makeovers. It's time to give Hollywood a little push! Click through to vote for the best fixer-upper. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=348313&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Blind People Are Super Scary In "Triffids"]]> The creepiest moment in the 1981 BBC miniseries of Day of the Triffids has nothing to do with rubber monsters. Instead it involves a huge crowd of desperate blind people. Almost everybody in the world has gone blind thanks to some trippy lights, and our still-sighted hero gets caught in a huge crush of people trying to drag him out of his car. See an actual rubber monster clip, and find out the Triffids-Doctor Who connection, below the fold. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=346661&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Must See: Blake's 7]]> Must-see TV shows are futuristic classics that shouldn't be missed. Of course, not every must-see is perfect. That's why we've rated them 1-5 on the patented "crunchy goodness" scale. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=305401&view=rss&microfeed=true