[Via]

Okay, that's obviously not completely fair; after all, this last ten years have also seen things like Lost and Twilight winning over new fans, not to mention the end of the Harry Potter book series. But there's no denying that this has been a decade of recycling ideas: James Bond, Batman and Star Trek all got movie reboots (Trek also got a television one, if you count Enterprise), Star Wars gained new life as a TV show, Doctor Who and Battlestar Galactica was reborn to much acclaim, unlike fellow television reboots Bionic Woman, Knight Rider and V. We even have Tron waiting in the wings for next year, along with a new Charlie's Angels TV show. The most successful "new" media franchises were Transformers and Spider-Man - based on ideas that are over two decades old (You could even argue that things like Lost and Twilight are simply mashing up old ideas into relatively new forms; they're definitely standing on the shoulders of giants, at least). So what happened?

It's easy to just say "Well, the geeks are in charge of media now," even if it's not necessarily untrue. But that doesn't explain how they got there, and why they're not making us fall in love with all manner of new things, instead of retreads of old flames (Does Fringe count as new, or just an updated X-Files?). Personally, I think the blame is shared pretty much equally between creators and the audience. For all that we may cry YARM whenever someone talks about their dream to make the ultimate Logan's Run project, it's as much a desire to succeed as creative backwards-looking that's behind it; audiences, for the most part, tend not to support the new in numbers necessary to make it a big success. Look at the most successful movies of the last ten years: Each one is based on a concept that people grew up on.

So, is it simply nostalgia? Perhaps; it's tempting to play armchair psychologist and stroke the chin, commenting on a return to childhood things following the trauma of 9/11, but it doesn't quite fit, because how does that explain the domination of 2000's The Grinch or 1999's Phantom Menace? You can see definite post-9/11 tropes throughout the pop culture that followed (A simpler morality, where good guys always won and could save us from death from above, in many cases; stories of people dealing with increasingly familiar apocalypses in others), but I don't think that the prevalence of reboots was necessarily one of them. It's not laziness, either; some reboots (Battlestar Galactica, for example) put in as much work as any original concept in terms of worldbuilding and creation.

In the end, it may simply be the result of conservatism on everyone's parts: Audiences don't want to spend time or money on something they don't know will entertain them, and studios/creators don't want to spend time or money on something that they don't know will have an audience waiting for it. Movies like District 9 or Moon, web content like Dr. Horrible and the increasing use of comic books as source material for other media back this up, to an extent; the new ideas, and new voices, now have to find new - and cheaper - outlets through which to make themselves known, and become popular and proven enough for the big time. Maybe that'll have happened by the time they've been around long enough to be nostalgic about.

BBC has started running their annual Christmas identifications. Although this doesn't offer any clues to the Tenth Doctor's exit, we do get a fun moment with David Tennant playing Santa Claus:

Blogtor Who has nabbed some nice stills from the promo as well.

BBC Christmas Ident [Blogtor Who]
Additional reporting by Josh Snyder.

Iron Man 2

The international poster gives us Tony Stark sans helmet. [Cinematical]

Avatar

James Cameron gave his overview of the story, straight from the six-legged horse's mouth:

"We're telling the story of what happens when a technologically superior culture comes into a place with a technologically inferior indigenous culture and there are resources there that they want," said Cameron. "It never ends well.

"It's also a love story about an awakening of perception through the other person. That person must teach him something and there has to be a greater reason for him to be in love with her other than she's a hot blue alien chick."

[Telegraph]

During yesterday's live cast on MTV, Cameron and his crew showed images from pre-production, where Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana donned long hair and acted out their scenes before filming the motion capture. Compare the rehearsal to the actual screenshot. [Image via CinemaBlend]

There's also footage that shows the motion capture alongside the finished scenes:

And Fox has released 21 high resolution images. We've seen several of these before, but these are better quality versions with explanatory text. [/Film]

Tron Legacy

Jeff Bridges says that the de-aging technology used to make one of the characters he plays look 27 years younger is more sophisticated than what we saw in the teaser trailer; it's the same technology used on Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It's also unlikely that the teaser footage will appear in the actual film.

And here's what's known about the story so far:

Though the movie's storyline is closely held, we know that Bridges will play an older version of his original character, Kevin Flynn, as well as a second character whose appearance is that of Bridges 27 years ago. In Tron Legacy, Kevin Flynn's son, Sam (Garrett Hedlund), goes back into the digital world to find his lost father. Olivia Wilde and Michael Sheen co-star as programs living in the world of computer programs. Boxleitner also reprises his role from the original Tron. Lisberger collaborates as a producer. Joseph Kosinski directs the new vision of Tron.

[SCI FI Wire]

Harry Potter

We get a bit more magic in the second image from The Deathly Hallows thanks to an appearance by Harry's wand.

Lost

In an interview, Ian Somerhalder, who plays Boone, says he's filming a scene for the season premiere and will appear in two more episodes. [via DarkUFO]

Supernatural

How will the Four Horsemen be revealed? Here's the word:

The rest of the Four Horsemen are coming...Pestilence shows up near the end of the season, we'll meet Famine in a February episode. "When you're under the effects of Famine, you're not necessarily hungry for food. You're hungry for whatever that thing is you're starving for, be it alcohol or attention or love or sex or Twinkies or heroine or gambling... Everyone at the end of the day is starving for something, and Famine brings that out."

[here4castiel]

Misha Collins says Castiel barely makes it out of his battle with Anna in episode thirteen alive. [AOL]

And here are the titles for episodes eleven through sixteen:

5.11: Sam, Interrupted
5.12: Swap Meat
5.13: Back to the Future II
5.14: My Bloody Valentine
5.15: Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
5.16: Your Whole Life Flashes Before Your Eyes

[Spoiler TV]

Fringe

Joshua Jackson talks about Peter's relationship with his mom and what might happen when Peter learns the truth about his origins. He also discusses rumors that Nina Sharp is either Peter's mother or Olivia's mother. [Zap2it]

Chuck

Here are a pair of casting calls for the twelfth episode of the new season, "Chuck vs The American Hero:"

[GENERAL NORMAN SCHWARZKOPF LOOKALIKE] 65.. Actor to play Gen. Schwarzkopf...CO STAR.

[HEFTY BURBANK COP] Male, 35-45. Out of shape, overweight but not huge Burbank cop who is very excited when some real action takes place on his beat...CO-STAR.

[Spoiler TV]

Additional reporting by Josh C. Snyder and Charlie Jane Anders.

Doctor Who:

The cast list for the upcoming David Tennant swan song, "The End Of Time," went up on IMDB. And there are some notable surprises in there. (Assuming this is accurate.) Here's the cast list for episode one:

John Barrowman (Captain Jack)
Brian Cox (The Elder of the Ood)
Timothy Dalton (The Narrator)
Lachele Carl (Trinity Wells)
Jessica Hynes (Verity Newman)
David Harewood (Joshua Naismith)
Jacqueline King (Sylvia Noble)
Alexandra Moen (Lucy Saxon)
Sylvia Seymour (Miss Trefusis)
Catherine Tate (Donna Noble)
Russell Tovey (Midshipman Frame)
John Simm (The Master)
Jimmy Vee (Monster)
June Whitfield (Minnie Hopper)
Paul Kasey (Ood Sigma)
Silas Carson (Ood voice)

Verity Newman, of course, is the woman who wrote a book about the Doctor (judging from the filming reports) while Jason Naismith has written a very differnt book. And Midshipman Frame was last seen in the Titanic episode, "Voyage Of The Damned." Most of those people also appear in episode two, except for the Ood Elder. Plus:

Roger Bailey (Time Lord)
Teresa Banham (Governor)
Brid Brennan (Visionary)
Camille Caduri (Jackie Tyler)
Tommy Knight (Luke Smith)
Billie Piper (Rose Tyler)
Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith)
Matt Smith (The Doctor)
Penelope Wilton (Harriet Jones)

So we'll be getting our first glimpse at Matt Smith as the Doctor in this episode. Plus, we'll meet another Time Lord. Rose Tyler, of course, will be back for a brief cameo with her mom from before she met the Doctor (at least judging from filming reports.) But perhaps the most surprising will be the return of Harriet Jones — could the dying Doctor be trying to undo his past mistakes, including unseating Prime Minister Jones? One can only hope. [Den Of Geek]

Dollhouse:

Here are three new clips from Friday's two-hour Summer Glau-tastic outing.

Lost:

Here's another new promo for season six. [Doc Arzt]

Spider-Man 4:

I don't think we've featured this quote from Tobey Maguire about why he's excited about doing a fourth outing:

Hopefully I'll be able to evolve the character in a new direction. He'll still be Peter Parker, but I hope I can move him forward a bit and take him to a place where there will be new challenges for me as an actor.

[MTV]

Zombieland 2:

Producer Gavin Poulone says the second movie will probably be 3-D, and director Ruben Fleischer is already back, with the stars in talks to return too. [Variety via Wired]

Nightmare On Elm Street:

We already showed you your first look at the new Freddy the other day, but now here are a few new promo pics that look remarkably like the original. [Omelette via SpoilerTV-Movies]

Fringe:

Here's a sneak peek of Thursday's episode, "Snakehead":

Smallville:

Here's your first look at Steve Bacic as — bwa ha ha — the Dark Archer. [KryptonSite]

True Blood:

I don't think this'll be a surprise to anyone who's been paying attention, but it's official that Theo Alexander will be playing Talbot, the boyfriend of the Vampire King of Mississippi. Talbot is intensely beautiful and has an acerbic sense of humor — and he loves to cook, even though vampires aren't supposed to cook. And Grant Bowler will play Coot, the werewolf leader of a menacing biker gang. [THR]

Star Wars: Clone Wars:

Here's what happens in Friday's new episode, "Brain Invaders":

Reunited after the Battle of Geonosis, Padawans Ahsoka Tano and Barriss Offee are assigned to take a supply ship back to Republic-controlled space. But their routine mission becomes a fight for survival when they discover that the ship has been overrun by a horde of deadly stowaways – Geonosian brain worms with the grotesque ability to control the thoughts and actions of their clone hosts. It is impossible to tell friend from foe when dealing with deadly "Brain Invaders."

With their clone comrades controlled by the gruesome Geonosian brain worms, the Padawans must confront their greatest challenge yet. Though faced with a deadly threat to life and limb, it is their commitment to the Jedi teachings that is truly put to the test; with former friends as enemies, the two young women are forced to weigh the fate of the Republic against their own personal attachments.

And here's a new pic and clip from the episode:

Chuck:

Episode 3x12, which would have been the penultimate episode of the season before it was extended, will be called "Chuck Vs. The American Hero." [ChuckTV]

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths:

In this direct-to-DVD movie, we see a different side to one of the DC Universe's worst villains:

A "good" Lex Luthor arrives from an alternate universe to recruit the Justice League to help save his Earth from the Crime Syndicate, a gang of villainous characters with virtually identical super powers to the Justice League. What ensues is the ultimate battle of good versus evil in a war that threatens both planets and, through a diabolical plan launched by Owlman, puts the balance of all existence in peril.

And here are a couple pics:

Additional reporting by Mary Ratliff.

We've selected ten types of science fiction fans, offering you great gift ideas for fans of the big franchises, this summer's biggest movies, and even something for the steampunks and zombie lovers. You can also check out our fan gift guide from last year, which also includes gift ideas for fans of Battlestar Galactica, Harry Potter, and Batman.

Gifts for the Star Wars Fan (Gallery-free view)

Gifts for the Star Trek Fan (Gallery-free view)

Gifts for the Transformers Fan (Gallery-free view)

Gifts for the GI Joe Fan (Gallery-free view)

Gifts for the Doctor Who Fan (Gallery-free view)

Gifts for the Joss Whedon Fan (Gallery-free view)

Gifts for the Terminator Fan (Gallery-free view)

Gifts for the Vampire Fan (Gallery-free view)

Gifts for the Steampunk Fan (Gallery-free view)

Gifts for the Zombie Fan (Gallery-free view)

Additional gift ideas by Meredith Woerner.

The Avengers

Jeremy Renner, who might be playing Hawkeye, says we won't be seeing a traditional version of the archer's costume:

"It's going to be modernized, it's not going to be the guy with the big purple [mask], it's not going to be a guy in tights. It's going to be a guy in sunglasses and a vest. He's going to be more modernized and I'm gonna say 'a cooler-looking version' and not the big weird costume he had on. I don't think they're going that route."

[IGN]

Avatar

The latest round of TV spots focus largely on the action scenes:

But one spot looks a bit more at Sully's journey:

And a bizarre NFL promotion where commentator Terry Bradshaw is inserted into a scene with the Thanator:

[via Trailer Addict]

And new images give us more Sully and Neytiri, plus Grace (in both her human and Avatar forms) and the Thanator. [SpoilerTV-Movies]

Harry Potter

The first image from Harry Potter is far from fantastical, but Ron's looking a little worse for wear. [Cinema Blend]

Frankenweenie

Casting is underway for the remake of Tim Burton's short film, and it sounds like we'll see a slew of children turning animals into undead critters:

[EDGAR] A Caucasian Male 8-11 years old. Edgar is a needy little kid who wants desperately to be accepted by the cool kids in his class. Naturally a little nerdy, he gravitates to Victor and basically annoys him until he agrees to let him be his lab partner. He is more than a little gullible and is easily tricked into giving away Victor's precious secret and unwittingly starting the whole mess with the other monsters.

[TOSHIAKI] A Japanese Male 8-11 years old. Toshiaki is the natural leader of the cool kids in Victor's class. He is a good athlete, and an avid little league baseball player but Toshiaki has a mischievous side. He is the one that ultimately manipulates E into giving up the secret of Sparky and it is his idea to turn the other animals into monsters. He is Japanese and his monster creation is a little Godzilla lizard.

[BOB] A Caucasian Male 8-11 years old. Bob is the dumb, jockey kid. He has more brawn than brains. He follows Toshiaki and Nassor around even when it means that he has to be the one to test the home made jet pack that Toshiaki has created.

[NASSOR] A Middle-Eastern Male 8-11 years old. Nassor is the star of the little league team and just goes along with Toshiak's plan. He is a bit more serious than the others but still doesn't see the impending chaos when he chooses to bring his hamster mummy back to life.

[WEIRD GIRL] A Caucasian Female 8-11 years old. She has a very dark and ominous take on even the most mundane occurrences and jumps at the chance to bring some dead animals back to life.

[ELSA] A Caucasian Female 8-11 years old. Elsa is a sweet girl who likes to follow the rules and not cause too much trouble. A bit of a "goody two shoes," she is not afraid to speak up and even corrects the teacher when he makes a mistake. She is excited about the festivities planned for the town's Dutch Day parade and even has a solo dance number in the show.

[Bloody Disgusting]

Lost

We've been hearing that Claire would be in the final season, and actress Emilie de Ravin was spotted in Burbank reshooting a scene from the season premiere with Evangeline Lilly, and one of the actresses had a telltale baby bump. Is it a scene from the days when Claire was pregnant with Aaron, or is Kate working on her own baby? (Remember that we already reported on some season premiere filming a while back, in which Claire was pregnant because Flight 815 had just landed.) [E!]

There's also a fresh casting call for the tenth episode:

[DESK CLERK] Male.. 30s, any ethnicity. Loves his job and is usually on top of things. When he's made a mistake, he's quick to accept it and resolve it satisfactorily. CO-STAR.

[KENDALL] Female..30s, any ethnicity. Attractive and professional. Good at her job and does not cut any corners. CO-STAR.

[CUSTOMS OFFICIAL] Male.. 50s, any ethnicity. Pot-bellied, efficient bureaucrat inured to travelers' pains and frustrations. Suspects people are always trying to get something past him. CO-STAR.

[DarkUFO]

Dollhouse

As Dollhouse burns off its remaining episodes, we see the return of Alpha and the end of Victor's contract. Here is the official synopsis for December 11th's double episode "Meet Jane Doe" and "A Love Supreme:"

In the aftermath of her entanglements at the D.C. Dollhouse, Echo finds herself out in the world struggling to keep her multiple personalities under control. Adelle finds her grip on the house challenged by Harding, and Boyd receives a mysterious phone call. Meanwhile, when Echo's past romantic engagements are murdered, suspicion falls on Alpha, whose return leaves one member of the house permanently mind-wiped.

And here's the synopsis for the following week's episodes "Stop-Loss" and the ominously titled "The Attic:"

As his contract with the Dollhouse expires, Victor is released back into the world, where his military past threatens his future with Sierra. Meanwhile, Echo is deemed too dangerous and is sent into her worst nightmare.

[Spoiler TV, Spoiler TV]

Doctor Who:

You may already have heard that Wilf (Bernard Cribbins) is the companion in "The End Of Time," and David Tennant elaborates:

Although Catherine Tate is back and Donna is a big part of that story, really, the companion is Bernard Cribbins, the first time the doctor has had an 80-year-old man as his sidekick, really. So it's been great to get to play these different facets of the character, I suppose. And the doctor himself is also slightly on the run from himself and on the run from the inevitable. So he's trying not to get too close to anyone. So it's important that there's a kind of revolving door of confidence for him. But getting to see Bernard Cribbins as well in that final story is so brilliant and moving, and he's just such a great actor that that was a great finish to the story for me. What you get is these wonderful scenes of these two old men. The doctor is a lot older than Wilf, and yet the two of them get to sit down and discuss life in a way that we've never seen the doctor be able to do before.

[Crave Online]

Fringe

Here's another, longer synopsis for December 10th's "Grey Matters:"

A Fringe investigation is triggered when a patient at a mental institution undergoes an impromptu brain surgery that unexpectedly leaves his brain exposed. Despite the unthinkable circumstances, the patient's condition and sanity miraculously improves before the Fringe team arrives. While Agent Dunham and Peter scan surveillance tapes (and Walter enjoys his pudding), Olivia recognizes a familiar face as Thomas Jerome Newton (guest star Sebastian Roche), the leader of the "shape-shifters." As similar cases stack up, the Fringe team heads back to the lab to determine exactly how patients are being cured. Walter's brains are put to the test and William Bell (guest star Leonard Nimoy) resurfaces.

[Fringe Spoilers]

And in images from the episode, Peter inspects a woman in a mental institution. What is he looking for in there? [Fringe Spoilers]

FlashForward

The cast reveals a whole mess of spoilers to untangle. This week, we'll find out what Simon knows about the flashforward (he also knows something about the crow die-offs in Somalia). We'll also get a crucial bit of information about Demetri's future murder, something that will radically alter our perspective of his future.

Looking farther into the future, Mark will get the chance to revisit his flashforward, and we'll get a clearer picture of his two minutes and 17 seconds. There may also be a reason Mark drinks aside from (and potentially more interesting than) his love triangle with Olivia and Lloyd. Plus, we will start to see an explanation of the "Red Panda Resources" mentioned on Mark's bulletin board, and we'll revisit the stadium where someone was seen walking around during the global blackout more than once in the season's remaining episodes.

The writers have a few ideas as to who impregnated Janis Hawk, but they're currently debating it among themselves. [TV Guide]

Additional reporting by Josh C. Snyder.

Let's get the non-Marvel books out the way first, because there are less of them. Dark Horse releases an ideal stocking stuffer in the shape of Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Slaves Of The Republic, in which Anakin and Ahsoka try to free her people from tyranny.

Meanwhile, Image Comics matches them in crossmedia properties, with One Model Nation, a new graphic novel written by Courtney Taylor from the Dandy Warhols (with art by Street Angel's Jim Rugg) about an alternate history Germany's music-led revolution in 1977. Of course, if you like historical stories, the collection of time-traveling-tales in Doctor Who: Through Time and Space from IDW may be just the right antidote for your winter blues.

Superherowise, the dead are continuing to rise at DC, with two series spinning out of Blackest Night: Blackest Night: The Flash and Blackest Night: Wonder Woman both launch this week, accompanied by the entirely un-undead JSA All-Stars series showcasing the younger members of DC's second team. But that truly pales beside the onslaught of superhero launches from Marvel this week. Brace yourself.

If it's not the alternate earth thrills of What If? Secret Invasion (That's not even a sentence, never mind a question), it's the continuity-heavy Dark Avengers Annual, Siege: The Cabal (A prelude to next month's Siege event that'll get the original Avengers back together in time for that whole movie thing) or Fall Of The Hulks: Alpha.

Retrofun can be found in Uncanny X-Men First Class: Hated and Feared. And while Tony Stark is in bad ways in the regular Iron Man book, we get a look back at his origins in Iron Man: Requiem. It's actually a pretty good week for Iron Man fans; there's also the first issue of Iron Man Vs. Whiplash, which ties in with next year's movie, as does the first issue of Black Widow and the Marvel Girls. Why, after all of that, you'll need the non-superhero Dark Tower: Battle of Jericho Hill to cleanse your palette.

Even if you're not looking for a hint of what to expect from summer blockbusters, you'll find something worth reading on this week's shipping list from Diamond Distributors, or by leafing through the selection at your local comic store. And remember: Comics don't care if you're naughty or nice.

Green Lantern:

Like last year's Iron Man movie, we'll get a sense of why Hal is in the Green Lantern costume, not just what the costume is, and the most interesting scenes will involve Hal out of his costume. Also, this won't be a traditional origin story, that labors over setting up the character, says Ryan Reynolds:

It is [an origin story] to a certain degree, but it's not a labored origin story, where the movie [truly] begins in the third act. The movie starts when it starts. We find out Hal is the guy fairly early on, and the adventure begins.

[MTV via Cinemablend]

Jonah Hex:

Here's a new synopsis for this fantastical cowboy movie, releasing next June:

Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin) is a scarred drifter and bounty hunter of last resort, a tough and stoic gunslinger who can track down anyone…and anything. Having survived death, Jonah's violent history is steeped in myth and legend, and has left him with one foot in the natural world and one on the "other side." His only human connection is with Leila (Megan Fox), whose life in a brothel has left her with scars of her own. But Jonah's past is about to catch up with him when the U.S. military makes him an offer he can't refuse: in exchange for his freedom from the warrants on his head, he must track down and stop the dangerous terrorist Quentin Turnbull (John Malkovich). But Turnbull, who is gathering an army and preparing to unleash Hell, is also Jonah's oldest enemy and will stop at nothing until Jonah is dead. Based on the legendary graphic novel, "Jonah Hex" is an epic adventure thriller about one man's personal quest for redemption against the vast canvas of the battle between good and evil.

[CinemaBlend]

Doctor Who:

Fans are speculating based on watching the filming that Rory (Arthur Darvill) will be traveling in the TARDIS, and will turn up in episodes 1, 6, 8, and 9. Possibly, he joins the TARDIS crew after Amy meets River Song and finds out about the great future that River and the Doctor share. And apparently "The End Of Time" features Sinead Keenan as Addams, one of the mysterious shape-shifting Vinvocci.

And the fans have come up with this somewhat speculative list of the season's episodes, with writers and directors:

1. "The Eleventh Hour" (w: Steven Moffat, d: Adam Smith)
2. "TBA" (w: Moffat, d: Adam Gunn)
3. "TBA" (w: Mark Gatiss, d: Adam Gunn)
4/5 "The Time Of Angels"/"The Flesh And Stone" (w: Moffat, d: Smith)
6. "Vampires Of Venice" (w: Toby Whithouse, d: Jonny Campbell)
7. "TBA" (w: Gareth Roberts or Amanda Coe, d: ?)
8/9. "TBA"/"Cold Blood" (w: Chris Chibnall, d: Ashley Way)
10. "Vincent And The Doctor (working title?)" (w: Richard Curtis, d: Jonny Campbell)
11. "TBA" (w: Gareth Roberts, d: ?)
12/13. "TBA" (w: Moffat, d: ?)
14. Christmas special (w: Moffat, d: ?)

[GallifreyBase and GallifreyBase]

And here are a couple of new photos (which aren't particularly startling) from "The End Of Time Part 1". [Den Of Geek]

Dollhouse:

The show is casting its last ever episode — unless you all convince every Nielsen family you know to tune in on Friday! — and we'll meet a new Active, named Romeo. He's a big bruiser with a shaved head and tattoos — which you might think would limit his versatility. He can be programmed to be anything — as long as it involves having lots of tattoos. [E! Online]

Fringe:

Don't let the mentions of Kirk Acevedo in press releases for upcoming episodes fool you. Acevedo is gone, and won't be coming back. [E! Online]

In episode 2x15, we'll meet Carla, a "smart, interesting, quirky" scientist in her late 20s or early 30s. [SpoilerTV]

FlashForward:

Dominic Monaghan was on KTLA talking about what's next for his character on this show. [SpoilerTV]

And because the U.S. is now behind Australia on this show, here's the promo for next week's episode, "Buddha In The Ruins":

And also because of that fact, here are some details about Thursday's episode, "A561984." The mystery lady who's called about Demetri's murder looks over some newspaper articles, and then Demetri and Mark go after her, and it ends in a gunfight. Lloyd makes a statement to the public which ends up with a gun shooting at him. Simon goes to the FBI and looks at the towers, saying they are his towers — but he designed them in 1992 and they were created in 1991. Mark loses his job. The mystery of Demetri's wedding is explained. D. Gibbons is revealed — and turns out to be linked to someone we know. Lloyd and Olivia seem to be getting along, and the episode ends with a Lloyd/Olivia cliffhanger. [The ODI]

True Blood:

Prison Break's Marshall Allman is joining the cast as Tommy Mickens, Sam Merlotte's long lost brother who works at a Tire Depot in Arkansas. [Hollywood Reporter]

And in the season's second episode, we'll meet two more members of the Mickens clan, the fiftysomething Melinda Mickens and her husband Joe Lee. Plus Crystal Norris, a barefoot sundress-wearing woman who shares an electric connection with Jacob before vanishing into the forest. And Ruby Jean Reynolds, a homophobic African American woman being cared for in a private facility; a German werewolf seen in a World War II flashback; Calvin Norris, a rugged, bare-chested man who's upset when the police search his trailer; and Shane And Kris, two hillbillies who disrespect the dead — and when Shane won't apologize, Tara beats him up. Plus a biker/werewolf who menaces Sookie. [SpoilerTV]

Smallville:

And in case you didn't already know this, the CW is still hot to trot to get a tenth season of this "wake me when he's Superman" show. [E! Online]

And just in case we didn't already share them, here are a couple new pics of JSA members Stargirl and Dr. Fate, plus a higher-res pic of Hawkman. [OSCK]

Heroes:

Here are some new season four promo pics. [SpoilerTV]

Additional reporting by Josh C. Snyder.

Okay, so "Dreamland" was pretty weak, except for a few funny bits where David Tennant brought a smidge of his typical wit and sparkle to the role. It was hard to take the computer-generated animation seriously, and the story pretty much made no sense whatsoever. But considering it was aimed at little kids and shown via the "red button" service and the children's BBC channel, it's best to take it on its own terms, as a fun bit of fluff. Who didn't want to hear David Tenant spout ridiculous Shakespearean puns like "Some are born crate, some have crateness thrust upon them?" And for me, it was pretty much worth it to watch the "grey" aliens with headbands and machine guns fighting Tractators/xenomorphs.

What did you think?

Avatar:

Did you know Warehouse 13/The Shield's CCH Pounder was in this movie? I didn't, until I was looking at the film's imdb page. I was curious, so I dug up this interview with her from April 2007, in which she explains:

I'm playing Moha and she is the queen of the Na'Vi nation, and so it's an environmental love adventure in another time and space.

I'm glad the Na'Vi have some solid leadership. Maybe this is the answer to who's really running the warehouse? [IGN]

Doctor Who:

You may have noticed Timothy Dalton narrating the recent trailers for David Tennant's final two-parter, "The End Of Time." And apparently this is apt, because he plays a character called The Narrator, who may or may not be a villain. (But that doesn't the earlier reports of him playing a Time Lord are untrue — note that he's wearing a Time Lord robe in the one photo we've seen of him so far.) So the Doctor and the Master meet... the Narrator? Okay. [Scotsman]

Also, according to the Radio Times preview, we'll be seeing a more desperate incarnation of the Master this time around. John Simm describes his newest portrayal as "emo Master." (Oh dear.) He's sporting punk-white hair under a hoodie and looking lost, while flashing in and out of "skeleton mode." This is a Master "who's lived and died, and now lives again — although he's seen healthier days," explains Simm. "He's desperate, and desperate means dangerous." Both he and the Doctor want to survive, but they're both heading for death. And here are some scans. [PlanetGallifrey and BlogtorWho]

Lost:

It sounds like episode 6x08 will be all about the mysterious Richard Alpert, and will be called "Ab Aeterno," (or "from eternity.") It's filming now, and it seems like a big chunk of it has to do with the Black Rock, that crashed British trading ship. Supposed inside sources say that the show will be filming a ton of Black Rock scenes using a greenscreen in the studio on Monday. (As always, take any reports that claim to be based on unnamed "inside sources" with a pinch of salt.)

According to these sources (some of whom are posting in the comments over at DarkUFO, but have apparently been authenticated somehow according to the site's owner) Richard Alpert arrives on the Black Rock, and he sails on that ship after his wife dies. And we discover that Alpert really is immortal. Besides Alpert, the crew of the Black Rock includes Father Suarez and Captain Whitfield. And after Alpert arrives on the island, he meets the Man In Black, who was last seen playing with Jacob in the season finale. Also present when the Black Rock crashes: the smoke monster.

There's also a rumor (which apparently is less well authenticated) that some of the castaways from Flight 815 turn up on the Black Rock, although it's not clear whether this happens in the present or back in the 19th century. And one of those supposed inside sources is saying there'll be some developments which make the Kate/Sawyer relationship less likely. [SpoilersLost]

Spanish channel Quatro aired a new trailer for season six as well as a lengthy segment where they visited the set and interviewed many of the stars. [SL-Lost]

Also, there are more photos of the hole in the ground that's supposed to be Locke's grave. It looks just like a hole in the ground, really. [The ODI]

The Lovely Bones:

Here's a TV spot for this Peter Jackson film that I don't think we've shown you before:

Daybreakers:

And there's a pretty neat TV spot for this vampire dystopia movie too. [Cinemablend]

The Wolfman:

Here are three new international posters. [Empire Online]

True Blood:

Ugly Betty's Grant Bowler is joining the cast, but he won't say what role he's playing. [Daily Telegraph via True-Blood]

Fringe:

Here's the official description for the Dec. 10 episode, "Grey Matters":

During the investigation of strange circumstances surrounding brain surgeries at a mental hospital, Olivia finds a reason to believe the leader of the shape-shifters may have something to do with it. Leonard Nimoy guest stars as William Bell

[TV Guide]

Stargate Universe:

Here are some promo pics for episode 10, "Justice." [SpoilerTV]

Chuck:

One more promo showing you a checklist of cool spy items:

FlashForward:

In episode 14, we'll be meeting two more FBI agents: Special Agent Buckner, who's backslappy but has a serious dark side, and Agent Danforth Crowley, who's a family man with a patriotic streak. Plus alpha-male businessman Corey Liebman, and Caitlynn, a little girl who screams when her bithday party is disrupted. [SpoilerTV]

Additional reporting by Mary Ratliff.

Though there's absolutely no denying Davies has successfully forged a massive popular (and, to a slightly lesser extent, critical) success with his revival of Doctor Who, I'm sorry to say that I'm still not entirely convinced he's all that good at writing episodes of Doctor Who. Of the twenty-two stories he's written for the new series (not counting his two recent collaborations), I'd only consider "Midnight" a classic, although I could maybe be talked into counting "Utopia" as well, if only for nostalgia value.

The rest are a mix of solid but unremarkable filler ("The Long Game", "Smith and Jones"), weird morality plays with seriously muddled points ("Boomtown", "Love & Monsters"), decent premises let down by gratingly absurd setpieces ("Tooth & Claw", "Gridlock"), and fat jokes ("Aliens of London", "Partners in Crime"). Oh, and the finales. But more on them in a second.

There have has more than enough written over the last five years attacking Davies, and I'm honestly not interested in adding to that tally. Suffice it to say that while he's not my favorite writer, I still respect what he's done for the program, I do think he's been a fantastic executive producer and showrunner, and "Midnight" almost makes up for all the other missteps. There are definitely some things Davies knows how to do really well. But if there's one thing I'm really not sure he knows how to do at all, it's epic series finales. Which gives me serious pause as we head into the biggest, craziest, most epic finale of them all, as both he and David Tennant unfold their swansong on Doctor Who.

Still, I am above all a Doctor Who fan, and I desperately want "The End of Time" to be good. I'll try to keep this post spoiler-free, but if you don't mind getting a sense of why I'm cautiously excited, check out the trailer:

There's plenty about that to really like (I'm particularly excited about the guy doing the voice-over). But the track record here is mixed at best. Let's take a look back at Davies's four previous epic finales, and try to figure out what worked and what didn't.

"Bad Wolf"/"Parting of the Ways" (2005)

What Worked: When I rewatched the Christopher Eccleston episodes recently, I was struck by how much less predictable they felt than those starring David Tennant. Maybe it's because Eccleston never quite fit comfortably into the world of Doctor Who like his successor did, maybe it's because the creative team was still figuring things out as they went along, or maybe it's just that nobody has yet matched the flair director Joe Ahearne brought to his series one episodes, but there's a mad energy to this two-parter that no later episodes quite match. It's a bit hard to describe concretely, but there's a moment around when the Doctor thinks Rose is dead and morosely allows himself to be imprisoned (before leading a jailbreak, of course) that I got the sense that this really was a show where anything could happen. The series has gotten a little too comfortable over the past couple of series, and though that's made for a more consistent quality of episode I think it's robbed the series of a bit of its magic.

What Didn't: This episode throws into high relief two of my biggest problems with Davies. One, it relies heavily on a bunch of trite pop culture references that are almost certainly going to age even worse than the creaky special effects of the classic series. As an American, I still don't really know anything about half of the reality shows Davies was spoofing, and I can't for the life of me find any coherent satirical point in their inclusion. I think they're just there because...well, it's kind of funny, I guess, and it says something about people being lazy. Then there's the fact that the plot doesn't really make all that much sense. The Dalek plan is convoluted — to put it mildly — and a whole bunch of seemingly important stuff (like the Daleks melting entire Earth continents) is brushed aside in the rush to the Doctor's big moral dilemma. At this point, it's a cliche to point out that Rose resolves the plot through pretty much a literal deus ex machina, but that doesn't mean it's not worth pointing out.

The Bottom Line: Ultimately, this story did some things Doctor Who had never tried before. Sometimes, there's good reason for that.

"Army of Ghosts"/"Doomsday" (2006)

What Worked: Of all the Doctor Who finales, this is probably the most coherently plotted. The mystery of the void stuff is set up early with the 3D glasses, and a lot of the apparent logical problems (like the ghosts not looking anything like Cybermen) is deftly handled. The nature of the Genesis Ark is a nice touch, there's some amusing character stuff in the relationships at Torchwood One, and the reunion between Jackie and Alt-Pete always gets me, despite my best efforts. I was never a big fan of the special status the series accorded Rose, but I'll admit the conclusion is well handled.

What Didn't: There are still a couple minor plot holes, like exactly how an organization as elite as Torchwood One could fail to notice the Cybermen converting their own employees in one of their hallways. Davies can't resist a couple moments of abject silliness, like Cyber-Yvonne crying an oily tear at the end of the story. And for what is supposed to be the big Cybermen/Daleks showdown, the Daleks really do kick just a little too much ass to make the fight seem worth talking about. But then, they didn't face the real Cybermen. I'd like to see the Daleks go fifteen rounds with the original bruisers from Mondas. (Yes, the Daleks would still win, but there'd be way more insane schemes and cries of "Excellent!")

The Bottom Line: Honestly, for a story that is essentially one big excuse to pit the Daleks against the Cybermen, it makes a surprising amount of sense and packs a pretty decent emotional punch. This is probably my favorite of the bunch.

"The Sound of Drums"/"Last of the Time Lords" (2007)

What Worked: The Toclafane are probably the single creepiest idea in the history of Doctor Who. Just thinking about them weirds me out all over again, so I really have to give Davies credit for that. I have to admit, I hated this story on first viewing, but on a rewatch I realized why it's sort of insanely brilliant — the whole thing is about what it would be like if the Master won. Davies is so audacious in following through on that premise that "Last of the Time Lords" ends up being the most wonderfully perverse episode in Doctor Who history, as you slowly realize even the tiniest details of the Master's plot are meant to hurt the Doctor.

What Didn't: Well, there's the fact that President Winters is a really obnoxious parody of Americans (and as a politics nerd, I'm still bothered by the fact that he calls himself "President-Elect", which just makes absolutely zero sense). Davies writes himself into a corner by making the Master's victory such a complete one, and he never really comes up with a good solution. I'm sorry, but the Doctor being restored by the combined faith of humanity is one of the silliest things I've ever seen, even if it is kind of set up by the existence of the Master's telepathic network. And the ultra-ancient Doctor is really too ridiculous for words.

The Bottom Line: The Master takes over for two episodes, and Doctor Who goes completely insane. That's actually a pretty compelling way to look at it, I'd say, but I still don't think that excuses some of the just plain silly stuff Davies includes.

"The Stolen Earth"/"Journey's End" (2008)

What Worked: A lot of the setup is pretty strong. Honestly, Davies has always been a lot better at building up to the big payoff than actually delivering on said payoff ("Utopia" is a perfect example of this, as it's pretty much all setup and thus works surprisingly well, delaying the payoff to the finale). Julian Bleach's Davros might just be the best villain of the new series, even if he really isn't given all that much to do. The fate of Donna is actually kind of powerful, but its impact is diminished after all the gratuitous guest stars. The one thing those guests do help do, though, is really hammer home that all the Doctor's friends eventually leave him. So there's that.

What Didn't: Charlie Jane said it best with her recap - this is really just one big fan fiction. And it isn't even all that good as fan fiction. It just throws a bunch of unrelated characters together because they happen to have their own TV shows, sets up a pretty tedious moral debate that the Doctor is clearly going to win, and wastes time giving characters entirely gratuitous resolutions when they had already had much better ones (why yes, I am looking at Rose). I really don't like the fake regeneration, as I think it cheapens the whole concept, but that might just be me being cranky.

The Bottom Line: While "Last of the Time Lords" is insane, "Journey's End" is just nonsensical. There's a big difference, and I'm not sure what this episode does that any of the previous epics didn't already do.

So based on all that, here are the five things I'd most like to see "End of Time" accomplish:

1. Tell a coherent story.

Yep, I'm shooting for the moon right out of the gate. Considering all the unlikely returns and longstanding prophecies we already know are going to figure in "The End of Time", I fear that this is unlikely, but Davies has shown he's capable of doing this. I'd really like to not have to shut off my brain to get through these specials, and I really don't want to spend an hour afterward coming up with insanely convoluted, fannish explanations to resolve all the plot holes. If I wanted to do that, I'd probably just watch "The Two Doctors" again. (Oh, Season 6B. You're my oldest friend.)

2. Realize that giant stakes don't necessarily equal giant drama.

Davies has made no secret that he tries to make every finale and special more epic than the one before it, and there's been a solid progression of that in the last four finales. After all, we've gone from future Earth in jeopardy to present Earth in jeopardy to present Earth destroyed to entire universe in jeopardy. That last one was a bit of a big leap, but from the title of "The End of Time" I'd guess that he's upped the stakes once again, this time putting all existence for all time in danger. Which is all well and good, but the scope of the threat doesn't necessarily mean all that much in terms of the story's dramatic heft.

After all, look at the fourth and fifth Doctor's finales. In "Logopolis", the entire universe is under threat, and the whole thing is completely dramatically inert. In "The Caves of Androzani", the whole thing doesn't really extend beyond a few soldiers, a corrupt CEO, and some gun runners, but it's maybe the tensest four episodes in Doctor Who history because the Doctor is so completely invested in saving Peri. If there isn't a solid personal motivation for the Doctor's actions, the whole thing could become rather painfully abstract and devolve into yet another pseudo-profound moral dilemma. Here's hoping Donna will provide just such a motivation.

3. Lay off the pop culture.

"Bad Wolf" aside, most of this has been limited to the opening post-crisis flip through the TV channels. It's relatively unobtrusive, I guess, and I suppose I don't really have anything against Richard Dawkins having a cameo on Doctor Who (although everything I've learned about Ann Widdecombe suggests I should have a problem with her putting in an appearance). Even so, I'd sort of like David Tennant's swansong to have a more timeless quality. It's kind of a shame that Christopher Eccleston's final appearance will forever be linked to Big Brother.

4. Come up with a coherent reason for all the guest stars.

Again, I won't spoil it for people by naming specific characters, but characters are coming back. A lot of them. And it would be nice for there to be a better reason behind it than a thinly veiled excuse for Captain Jack to flirt with Sarah Jane Smith (although that was admittedly kinda awesome.) I actually think "The End of Time" has a shot at pulling this off, as it might in part be a lyrical look back on the Doctor's past, which would actually somewhat justify all the guest appearances. Such an approach requires a fairly deft hand, though, and Davies' strengths have generally been the polar opposite of subtlety.

5. Make it actually possible for the Doctor to resolve the conflict.

In "Parting of the Ways", the Doctor was sidelined in favor of Bad Wolf Rose, but then he had already shown he wasn't going to do anything to stop the Daleks. (This was somehow considered a good thing.) The "other" Doctor has to make the hard decision to destroy the Daleks in "Journey's End", which the real Doctor then kind of illogically excoriates him for, banishing him to a human life with Rose. (Not that anyone was complaining, but still.) "Last of the Time Lords" is just a little too batshit insane for me to really tell you how the Doctor resolved that one. I mean, I kind of understand it, but I think I go slightly mad every time I try to think about it.

That just leaves "Doomsday", in which he does actually solve the story's big problem. The reason the void stuff solution works so well is that it's scientific(ish). The Doctor is able to think of a solution that requires action, but doesn't require superhuman action. The threats in "Parting of the Ways" and "Journey's End" were just too big for him to really be capable of fixing. They're the kind of things Superman might be able to solve, but not the Doctor. Obviously, it's harder coming up with crises that a thinking hero can solve, but Davies has done it before, so hopefully he can do it again.

Ultimately, I'm going to watch "The End of Time", and unless it's a complete train wreck I'm probably going to enjoy it. (And even if it is, I'll probably still enjoy it, just on another level.) Like so much of Davies's tenure, I'm guessing it will be frustrating but largely enjoyable. But here's hoping that he can learn a few lessons from his previous forays into epic storytelling and deliver a swansong that's worthy of his best moments with Doctor Who.

This is just my own personal list of what I'm thankful for — feel free to add your own things you're thankful for in the comments.

1. That maybe, just maybe, movie audiences are developing some good taste.

I know, I know. Transformers: The Revenge of the Fallen made about $833 million. And New Moon just had the third biggest opening weekend ever. Not exactly strong arguments for the intellect of the filmgoing public. But even so, both of them still came up short when compared to The Dark Knight, which set all manner of non-Titanic box office records. And for all the financial success of Transformers 2 and New Moon, I think there's a solid argument to be made that neither really compares to the cultural impact of The Dark Knight.

The Twilight franchise has its extremely devoted fanbase, but almost no crossover appeal. To be sure, tons of people saw Revenge of the Fallen, but how many people now remember doing so? The Dark Knight, on the other hand, launched a ton of memes, established the definitive version of the Joker for years to come, and won a ton of awards, assuming you care about that stuff. (I don't particularly, but evidence is evidence.)

And let's look at all the movies that aren't sequels. District 9 made $200 million on a $30 million budget thanks to a clever viral marketing campaign, strong word of mouth, and the fact that it was actually a good movie. All the standard industry reasons to assume a movie like District 9 wouldn't make money — it's too political, it's too violent, it's too South African — turned out to be completely wrong, and I'm just going to be a ridiculous optimist and assume that the quality of the movie was the reason for its success.

Finally, there's Star Trek. If anything, the fact that it was the eleventh movie in the franchise just meant it had more baggage to overcome, and yet it was the first bona fide hit of the summer, making $384 million. The fact that it did all that while gleefully reveling in the very same continuity that had sunk so many previous revival attempts, all because the movie was just so damn fun... well, yeah, I'm pretty thankful for that.

2. That Dollhouse somehow, against all odds, got a second season.

Sure, it's a shame that Dollhouse is coming to a close, but that show had no business making it past season one. Hell, it probably should have, by rights, been canceled about six episodes in. The show wasted its first five episodes on variations on the personality-of-the-week theme before launching into the master plot — admittedly because of network interference, but still — and then proceeded to unfold its convoluted, off-putting mythology that left the show without a clear central hero and a whole lot of really uneasy questions the audience had to answer. And it did all this while comfortably settling into #132 in the ratings, bringing in a paltry 3.73 million viewers per episode.

And then, thanks to favorable internet numbers, some decent critical buzz, and maybe some lingering Fox guilt about the fate of Firefly (nah), it got a second season, and Joss Whedon went full tilt at making it the craziest, most nerderiffic show ever. I mean, look at all the guest stars. Jamie Bamber! Michael Hogan! Alexis Denisof! Keith Carradine! Summer Glau! Ray Wise! More Alan Tudyk and Felicia Day! Not to mention the fact that the show is, if anything, even better, crazier, and more gleefully off-putting than last season. Dollhouse might be going out, but under the circumstances, you can't really say it isn't going out on its own terms.

3. That Doctor Who and Futurama are coming back, and everything will be (never) the same again.

It's a been a long year, with so little new Doctor Who to get excited/thrilled/confused/conflicted about. But now "The End of Time" is coming to close out David Tennant and Russell T. Davies's tenures with the show, and it clearly promises to be the most bonkers thing ever made. And then the Steven Moffat and Matt Smith era officially begins, and I really can't wait.

I got into Doctor Who in 2003, back when the show was still very much in the wilderness and the closest thing to new Who were a bunch of audios starring Paul McGann. (Sure, they were pretty good, but they were also pretty far from the real thing.) As such, I'm probably one of the very last people who can even somewhat legitimately call themselves "old school" fans of Doctor Who, and though I can't exactly claim a long memory of the time before the series returned, I remember just enough to be eternally thankful that the show is simply back at all.

Meanwhile, Futurama is finally completing its long road back. It's survived one cancellation, come back for four direct-to-DVD movies, at least two of which were pretty good, gotten picked up by Comedy Central, and muddled through one hell of a tense negotiation with the voice actors. A decade after it began, this show has even less business than Dollhouse still being on the air. Yet...here it is. With lots more crazy stories coming! And the original cast back! And maybe a decent budget to work with! Honestly, at this point, it's all gravy anyway.

4. That this happened.

Nothing like a little Nathan Fillion fan service to put a smile on my face. And hey, Castle isn't exactly bad! (It's not exactly good either, but that's besides the point.) I'd still gladly trade every show I've loved for the past seven years just for another season of Firefly, though. Yes, that includes you, Battlestar Galactica!

5. Starcraft II is coming.

So what if it's "just" a computer game? I'd happily argue Starcraft is at least one of the five best works of science fiction in the last twenty years. At least. And now it's got a sequel coming? I can barely contain my excitement, and it's still months away. I mean, just look at this:

You know, I'm going to really miss my productivity. But I'm thankful it'll be put to such an important use - helping the Terrans defeat the Zerg! (And then, once that is completed, helping the Zerg defeat the Terrans!)

6. That, no matter what Roland Emmerich does to them, I'll still have all my Foundation books.

You know, in a world of seemingly endless unnecessary adaptation and pointless remakes, this is probably a very useful thing to keep in mind.

Before really digging into my question, let me offer a few disclaimers. The "First Thanksgiving", as it is popularly known, is a mix of real history and folklore, and most accounts gloss over the complex nuances of early relations between the Pilgrims of the Plymouth Colony and the Pokanoket Tribe. And even if the First Thanksgiving does help promote an image of peaceful relations between Europeans and Native Americans, it's hard to ignore that centuries worth of disease, war, and oppression were to follow that idyllic scene in 1621.

But even so, for all these complications, it's surprising how rarely media science fiction has been willing to consider first contact between humans and aliens that is premised on peaceful settlement and coexistence, rather than invasion and occupation, as depicted in the popular conception of the First Thanksgiving.

By my count, five films this year deal with human-alien relations — the pleasantly diverting Monsters & Aliens, the vaguely didactic Battle for Terra, the awesome District 9, the kinda stupid Planet 51, and the, um, Avatar-ilicious Avatar. Oh, and I guess I shouldn't forget television's V.

Beyond suggesting that no one is willing to depict aliens in full live action anymore, these six works all have similar conceptions of how aliens and humans would interact: One is going to invade the other. (District 9 is the only exception, but then we never do learn what the aliens' original goals in coming to Earth were.) Indeed, in most cases, the invasion is militaristic in character, whether it's General Hemmer in Battle for Terra or SecFor in Avatar.

There are some recent works of popular science fiction that fit the pilgrim archetype, but only imperfectly. The inhabitants of the Outer Rim in Firefly don't just act like Pilgrims; they also dress and talk like them. Indeed, Joss Whedon has famously described the "River almost gets burned at the stake as a witch" episode "Safe" as "The Crucible in space."

Malcolm Reynolds talks a lot about moving just a little bit further into space to escape Alliance oppression, something meant to recall the pioneer spirit of the 19th century that just as easily fits the ethos of the Plymouth colonists, who fled first to the Netherlands and then to the New World in search of religious freedom. The Pilgrims might be there, but with the exception of an upside down cow fetus, there weren't any aliens to complete the setup.

It's the same problem with Battlestar Galactica. The 50,000 survivors of the destruction of the Twelve Colonies were fleeing a rather more tangible threat than the religious policies of King Charles I, but the opening titles always made their real objective clear: they were looking for a home. Again, that's a decent fit with the Pilgrims' goals, and the on-ship tensions that led to the creation of the Mayflower Compact recall the factional tension that formed a key part of BSG's dramatic backbone. (And that's not even mentioning all the religious zealotry.)

But again, since the Cylons remained fundamentally tied to their human origins, the humans never really encountered any aliens. Well, unless you want to get into some rather tedious arguments about the humans in the finale. But that part was over with in about thirty seconds.

So what's left? Even an old warhorse like Doctor Who hasn't really explored the notion of peaceful coexistence between humans and aliens. Last year's "The Doctor's Daughter" at least ends on a hopeful note, but a lot of Hath had to be slaughtered to get there. Probably the best example of this sort of idea is 1971's Colony in Space, in which humans fled the polluted, overcrowded Earth in favor of Uxarius, where they eke out a living as farmers and live in an uneasy truce with the planet's "primitive" indigenous inhabitants.

The only problem is that the serial is just as much about an evil mining company, ferocious reptiles, and the Master trying to get his hands on an ancient super-weapon, and as such the human-alien relations angle doesn't get to be developed quite as much as it deserves.

And even in Star Trek, where the complexities of human-alien interaction is at the franchise's core, that pesky Prime Directive keeps humans from just up and settling any already inhabited rock, vastly limiting the space pilgrim potential.

Perhaps part of the reason science fiction has eschewed this approach is that the Pilgrims don't feel terribly relevant today. The age of exploration and colonization is now in our past (and, if we're lucky, maybe our future), and in a world where pretty much all territory is already known and claimed, invasion and forceful conquest seems a far more plausible way for boundary lines to be redrawn between humans and aliens.

Well, maybe it's just the tryptophan talking, but I think science fiction is seriously missing a beat here. Recent works ranging from Battlestar Galactica to District 9 have intelligently explored how hoary old science fiction cliches might work when approached realistically, but all have pretty much assumed it would be impossible for all parties to approach such situations in good faith. After all, even when attempting to forge a truce with the humans, the Cylons always (allegedly) have a plan.

But since I'm pretty sure we're still supposed to be in a bold, optimistic new age, I'd like to see what happens when you take a bunch of human separatists, throw them in a rickety old spaceship, and have them try to coexist with those already living on the planet they choose to settle. I'm not saying it would end well - if history is any indication, it won't - but it would be interesting to see, just once, humans and aliens both start out with the best of intentions.