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Fashion Loves Scifi, But Scifi Hates Fashion
It's no secret that mainstream fashion has welcomed retro scifi with open arms. So why doesn't that love get reciprocated, so we can get some style going in the biggest genre blockbusters? More » -
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Keep Khan Out Of Star Trek 12
Will J.J. Abrams really make Star Trek 2: The Rehash Of Khan? Writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman told an interviewer there's "a 50/50 chance" Khan will show up in their sequel. Here's why it's a terrible idea.
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Why We Love Spoilers
When you know what's coming next in your favorite TV or movie series, does it ruin your enjoyment? Do the plot twists fall flat? We don't think so. In fact, spoilers fuel our love for thrilling science fiction stories.
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It's Buffy's Fault That Vampires Are Weak Now
This past weekend, the "Buffy vs. Edward" meme hit fever pitch, with a video mash-up joining the popular T-shirt showing the vampire slayer killing the Twilight idol. But Buffy-ites are being hypocrites: it's Joss Whedon's fault that vampires are wimpy. More » -
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Why Smallville Should Stay An Only Child (Kind Of)
With yet more rumors that the CW are looking at spinning a new show out of the long-running Smallville going around, it's time to finally break the truth to the troubled network: The show can't support a spin-off. Here's why.
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San Diego Comic Con: Not Really For Girls?
San Diego Comic-Con, coming next month, is one of the geek holy days, but it's not for female geeks, apparently. At least, a new Comic-Con contest was for boys only, and the L.A. Times published an insulting "guide for girls."
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Memo To Hollywood: Rip-Off, Don't Remake
With news of another CJ7 and Masi Oka's new Defenders coming on the heels of the (relative) failure of Terminator Salvation and (complete) failure of Land Of The Lost, we're left wondering: Are stealth reboots are the way to go?
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How To Reboot Star Wars
Now that both Batman and Star Trek have enjoyed cinematic reinventions, it's only a matter of time before Hollywood reboots the franchise that rebooted entertainment itself. Here's how the inevitable Star Wars reinvention could be fantastic instead of embarrassing. More » -
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Why All The Wonder Woman Hate?
With Transformers starlet Megan Fox calling her "lame" and the most successful writer in the American comic industry joking that she's "a walking STD farm," it's time to ask: Why doesn't Wonder Woman get the respect she deserves? More » -
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Will Transformers 2 Be The Perfect Movie?
Here's our first look at Alice, the co-ed with a secret, in Transformers 2. After a whole summer of wannabe Michael Bay films, we're finally going to get the work of Bay himself. It'll be ludicrous, fiery, splodey, car-crazy and slapsticky. In short, the perfect film. Spoilers and pics below.
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Why Joss And Buffy Don't Need Each Other
A Buffy movie without Joss Whedon? While some may be shouting that it's insane, immoral and just plain wrong, I have to admit: It sounds like a great idea to me. Here's why.
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Terminator Salvation Made Me Miss Sarah Connor Chronicles More
Terminator Salvation and the Sarah Connor Chronicles both ended the same way: in a post-apocalyptic future, with John Connor lost and confused. But there's only one Terminator story I want to see continued, and it's not connected to McG. Here's why Salvation made me miss Sarah Connor more than ever. More » -
io9 backgrounder
Where Do Robots Come From?
The first robots were born on January 25, 1921, the day Karl Capek's play R.U.R. premiered in Prague, more than 80 years before Skynet achieved sentience and declared, "I think, therefore you're all toast."
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What Is JJ Abrams Trying To Tell Us?
Fans of Lost, Fringe and the new Star Trek may have noticed a couple of recurring themes running through JJ Abrams' work, making us think that he's trying to tell us something. But what?
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Why Bad Science is Good on Fringe
Though the science on Fringe is head-slappingly fake, somehow the series makes real science exciting. The show is like a pulpy 1920s serial, and its fantastic plotlines are far more appealing than hard scifi "realism." More » -
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7-Eleven Is A Joke, And Other Branding Complaints
With the release of Star Trek, last week's X-Men Origins: Wolverine is already old news. In this ever-changing fast-moving movie landscape, where can you turn for some appreciation of the now? Apparently not 7-Eleven.
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Have War Movies Become Superhero Flicks?
War movies from Apocalypse Now to Rambo used to be where we dealt with issues like the morality of violence and the meaning of honor. Now superhero flicks like Wolverine and Watchmen are replacing them. More » -
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"Supernatural" Is Midwestern Gothic For The Google Generation
Tonight we near the end of season four in snarky midwestern horror series Supernatural. Douchey angels will fight ethical demons, with ghostbusting brothers Sam and Dean caught in the middle. Here's why you should watch.
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What's Wrong With Science Fiction TV?
Entertainment Weekly is asking why we don't want science fiction on our televisions, citing at-risk shows like Dollhouse, Terminator and Chuck as proof. But I can't help but wonder if they're asking the wrong question. More » -
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Maybe Star Trek And Caprica Shouldn't Be Franchises
It's the curse of Hollywood: We can't get new space opera movies unless they're the resurrection of 1960s workhorse Star Trek. And we can't explore artificial intelligence intelligently unless it's a Battlestar Galactica adjunct.
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Why You Should Give Heroes A Second Chance
We can all agree that NBC's Heroes has floundered pretty badly for awhile. But as the third season ends this week, here're some reasons why you should tune in again when it returns this fall.
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Is "Sense Of Wonder" Just A Code For Returning To Childhood?
Science fiction writers and fans clamor for a return to "sense of wonder," marveling at the richness of the universe, and technology's brilliance. But is this another way of saying "returning to childhood"?
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futurism
Could Pirates Become an Army for the Stateless?
A group of pirates is holding a US ship captain hostage in East African waters after hijacking his freighter. Forget robot soldiers - the ancient pirate is the future of warfare in a post-national world.
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Nerd and Anti-Nerd
Is it time to retire the term "nerd"? It's had a good run, sure, but does anyone else feel it's not what it used to be? More » -
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The 7 Deadly Sins Of Religion In Science Fiction
Religion is a huge part of science fiction - and it makes the genre better and more fascinating, as Battlestar Galactica proved. But there are seven mistakes SF should avoid in portraying the spiritual realm. More » -
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5 Things I Won't Miss About BSG
I admit it; I was blown away by Battlestar Galactica's almost-perfect series finale. But that doesn't mean that there aren't some things that I won't miss about the show. Spoilers!
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Why Does Doctor Who Only Go Back In Time?
New rumors are suggesting that many old faces will be appearing in David Tennant's Doctor Who finale. Ironically for a time traveler, it's beginning to look like the show has become stuck in the past. More » -
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Why Setting An End Date For Heroes Would Be A Bad Idea
Would Heroes be better if it was working towards a specific ending? That's the question asked by Entertainment Weekly recently, leading them to wonder if all SF TV shows should have an endpoint in sight. More » -
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Please, No More Dark Superhero Movies
The Dark Knight was a massive hit, and Watchmen got great buzz (if not great reviews). But when Fox floats the idea of a "dark" reboot for the Fantastic Four, it's gone too far. More » -
political science (fiction)
The Men Who Make Battlestar Galactica Feminist
A recent article in Slate calls Battlestar Galactica a safe haven for "chauvinist pigs." But all you have to do is look at representations of men in this show to see its feminist side. (NSFW) More » -
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Where Are The Sci-Fi Movie Love Stories?
With this summer's movies offering giant robots, franchise reboots and X-Men Origins, we can't help but wonder, today of all days: Where's the love? Why aren't there any sci-fi romances in our cinematic future? More » -
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Robert Rodriguez Spearheads Predator Reboot: But Can It Be Done?
Fox is prepping a Predator reboot, with Robert "Grindhouse" Rodriguez in the mix. But can a new version possibly capture the original's commando-squad awesomeness? We have our doubts. More » -
(political) science fiction
Is Battlestar Galactica Relevant in the Obama Era?
Major plot points from Battlestar Galactica were also front page headlines over the past few years: terrorism, secret tribunals, prisoner abuse, war. Will the show continue to feel relevant with Obama running America?
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In (Uncertain) Praise Of Spoilers
So now we know the identity of the Final Cylon, but while it was a surprise, it was also a somewhat anti-climactic reveal that I feel weirdly ambivalent about. I kinda wish I'd been spoiled. More » -
fully functional
Why Are Vampires So Damn Sexy?
Recent scary-lovely Swedish flick Let the Right One In is proof that Twilight can't drain all the magnetism out of vampires. And it adheres to a basic vampire principle by breaking sexual taboos beautifully. More » -
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Is "Otaku Week" on MTV2 All About Dissing the Nerds?
A few bloggers say MTV's "otaku week," featuring anime convention videos, does nerdkind a disservice. But actually it's a surprisingly non-judgmental look at a misunderstood bunch. More » -
futurism
How We Imagine the Future in Dark Times
I have a feature in the Washington Post "Outlook" section today about how people have imagined the future during difficult periods in history (including our own). Check it out! -
rant
Why This Doctor Disappoints
Now that the dust has started to settle on the news that Matt Smith will be the new Doctor Who, I have to ask: Am I the only one who feels a little... well, cheated? -
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Is There Any Reason Not To Boycott Fox Next Year?
Now that it's clear Fox wants to delay — or derail — the Watchmen movie, fans are talking boycott. There's only one problem: you can't boycott something unless you actually want to see it.
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2008: The Year Science Fiction Became Science Culture
This year, the top twenty movies in the US grossed 3.7 billion dollars. Science fiction movies accounted for 2.5 billion of that. In 2008, scifi rocketed out of the basement to become scicult. More »











































