"Oh the weather outside is frightful..."

Recommended reading for New Year's Eve in Vancouver - be careful out there, everyone.

- Sid

A Star Wars Plot Summary

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story makes its debut this Friday.  As far as I can tell from the previews and hints online, this is more or less the story breakdown:

- Sid

Geekmas 2016: "CEL-E-BRATE! CEL-E-BRATE!!"

Decorating* for the holiday season...

- Sid

* I tried "Dalek-orating" here, but it just didn't work for me.

"As if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced."

It's been a pretty good twelve months for Star Wars fans. 2015 ended with the release of The Force Awakens, which has largely redeemed the franchise from the excesses and errors of the prequel trilogy, and this year will end in a similar fashion, with the next Star Wars prequel*,  Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, hitting theatres on December 16th.

Hopes are high for Rogue One. Based on the trailers, everyone expects that it will match if not exceed the standard set by The Force Awakens.  However, Rogue One is also the continuation of a process started in Episode VII:  rewriting both the past and the future of Star Wars.

Almost everyone is at least aware of the Star Wars movies, even that small minority who have never seen any of them - like Star Trek, it's become embedded in the Western pop culture matrix.  More dedicated fans (or attentive parents) are familiar with the various computer animated TV incarnations such as The Clone Wars or Rebels. However, the general population is completely unaware of the full epic sweep of the universe in which these stories exist, a universe documented in comic books, video games, cartoons, and hundreds of novels.

Or rather, in which they used to exist. The Force Awakens marked the end of the Star Wars Expanded Universe.

The Expanded Universe is exactly what it sounds like: an extended view of the milieu in which the  Star Wars movies take place. The SWEU chronicles a broad span of time, dealing with everything from the beginnings of the Star Wars universe (literally the beginnings, starting with the formation of the galaxy at 13,000,000,000 BBY**) to hundreds of years after the events of A New Hope. Continuity and canonicity for the SWEU are documented through the aptly named Wookiepedia, Lucasfilms' wiki for all things Star Wars.

The Force Awakens indicated a clear point of divergence from the post-trilogy future established by the Expanded Universe.  In the SWEU continuity, Han and Leia have three children, all of whom become Jedi Knights. One of them, Jacen Solo, helps to defeat the alien Yuuzhan Vong when they invade the New Republic in 25 ABY, although sadly both his brother Anakin Solo and his father's friend Chewbacca perish in the struggle against the invaders.

Jacen later turns to the Dark Side, becoming Darth Caedus and eventually killing Luke Skywalker's wife, ex-Empire assassin and fan favourite Mara Jade.  In 41 ABY Caedus is killed by his twin sister Jaina, who later becomes a Jedi Master and marries Jagged Fel, who is the son of Baron Soontir Fel, Wedge Antilles' brother-in-law.***  Jaina Solo appears in over 20 different SWEU novels - but unless Han and Leia were holding out on us when they talked about their son in The Force Awakens, she's no longer part of the continuity. (Not to mention Chewbacca's conspicuous lack of deadness in the same scene.)

And that's just the tip of the SWEU iceberg. We haven't even started on Mara Jade's story, not to mention the hundreds of other supporting characters involved in the events of the Expanded Universe.

Those characters aren't gone - Disney isn't foolish enough to abandon the income stream being generated by the existing material - but they're no longer canon, which in a lot of ways is the same as a death sentence as far as hard core geek fans are concerned.  The SWEU has been rebranded as Star Wars Legends, and Wookiepedia entries now distinguish between Canon and Legends as necessary. 

However, as Disney follows through on its plan to release more films like Rogue One that are set in the Star Wars universe, along with the next two films in the new trilogy, the two will diverge more and more. I expect that the Legends material will be quietly eliminated by Disney in the fullness of time.

Unlike most children, I was raised to think of Disney as a sort of evil empire. My mother, who was quite a hard core science fiction and fantasy fan herself, felt that Disney was a perverter of truth, whose adaptations of classic children's fantasies had very little to do with the original stories, and everything to do with making a quick buck at the expense of the source material.

However, the end of the Expanded Universe puts the House of Mouse into a whole different league of villainy.  In this case, Disney has achieved a massacre beyond anything the Galactic Empire, the Sith, or the New Order could ever dream of accomplishing, wiping out thousands of planets, countless alien species, and generation after generation of sentient beings with a simple corporate memo.

Welcome to the Dark Side, Mickey.

- Sid

* Something about the phrase "next prequel" sounds wrong to me, like military intelligence or government assistance.

** BBY - Before the Battle of Yavin.  For non-fans, the Rebellion base that is being threatened at the end of A New Hope is on the fourth moon of Yavin, so the encounter in which the Death Star is destroyed is commonly known as the Battle of Yavin.  Events following this landmark event are After the Battle of Yavin: ABY.

*** There's a scene in the Star Wars takeoff Spaceballs where Dark Helmet says, " I am your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate."  In the context of the Expanded Universe, that's no longer a joke.

For readers who may not remember Mr. Antilles, he's the only Red Squadron pilot other than Luke Skywalker who survives the Death Star attack. In a coincidence of names, Wedge becomes a member of Rogue Flight, Luke's squad from the Battle of Hoth. (Which is Canon.)  Rogue Flight goes on to have an extended life in novels, games and comics as Rogue Squadron. (Which is Legends rather than Canon.)  I can only guess as to any possible connection between Rogue Flight and Rogue One - I'll have a better idea once I've seen the movie.

Geekmas 2016: Shouldn't she be holding a candy cane?

There are times when I am amazed (and perhaps a bit saddened) by the extent to which Star Wars marketing has insinuated itself into everyday life.

- Sid

P.S. I may be a bit old fashioned, but you know, somehow this just isn't the same as the traditional gingerbread house of my childhood years.

Geekmas 2016: Hope Springs Eternal

The Christmas season is coming fast upon us, and with it, the inevitable challenge of gift-giving.  Secret Santa names have been drawn at the workplace, and our departmental potluck Christmas luncheon and gift exchange is scheduled for December 16th.

One of the new arrivals in our department expressed her surprise that the Secret Santa process was specific rather than general - that might make it easier, but I sadly suspect that if we were required to buy a completely generic present for the exchange, we'd have a big box with 20 bottles of wine in it. Given that we have one member of our department who is a long-standing member of Alcoholics Anonymous, this is not a perfect solution.

As it is, we rely upon a system of whispered inquiries and occasional name-swapping in order to find appropriate co-worker gifts.  In some cases, people have posted suggestions near their desks - I seem to be the only person with an online wish list.

The funny thing is that I don't ever seem to get any of the things that I list online. Having said that, I certainly don't want to suggest that I've been disappointed by the gifts I've received in the past.  In fact, I've been quite impressed by the degree of thought and imagination that people have put into the selection of geek-appropriate presents for me.  Still, you'd think that some poor desperate person would have taken the easy way out by now.  On which note...

Movies

Sigh - still no classic Doctor Who episodes, and both The Day of the Triffids (any version, but preferably the original 1962 movie) and The Creature from the Black Lagoon are still on the list of unfulfilled requests.  More recent choices would be Captain America: Civil War, X-Men: Apocalypse, Batman Versus Superman, and Star Trek: Beyond.   I checked on Amazon.ca and all of the movies come in under $25 in Blu-ray format - old Doctor Who episodes tend to be DVD only, and often a bit more expensive than they really should be.

Actually, come to think of it, I don't have ANY Star Trek movies on Blu-ray...

Books
About two-thirds of last year's list still stands:  Fran Wilde's Updraft, Elizabeth Bear's Karen Memory, Ian McDonald's Luna, Naomi Novik's Uprooted, and Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace.  They should all be affordable paperbacks at this point.

Toys

I think that if I was trying to come up with a name for a toy company, it would be hard to beat BOOMCo, which appears to be the licensed manufacturer of firearms from the first-person shooter Halo game franchise.  The weapon of choice is the UNSC Marine Magnum Blaster foam dart gun, which would go on the shelf beside my Star Trek Original Series phaser and my Buck Rogers disintegrator pistol. And I promise - PROMISE - that it will never be used to remind Jaq the Cat that he shouldn't be on the kitchen table.

Art

Here's a bit of a departure from previous years:  art prints.  The Museum of Popular Culture (previously the EMP/SF Museum and Hall of Fame) has original series Star Trek movie posters on sale.  There are twenty sets available, made up of four posters each.  They're designed by illustrator Juan Ortiz, with a fabulous retro feel, and any one of them would make an excellent addition to the geek wall of your choice.  Just visit the euphoniously named MoPopShop to view the selection - they're all equally desirable.

NB:  MoPop prices are in US dollars.  However, carefully timed shopping will help with that.  From November 25th to December 2nd, enter checkout code mopop25 to save 25% off your entire order (which just about makes up for the exchange rate). From December 12th to December 17th, use mopopfast to get 15% off your entire order and an automatic no-cost upgrade to express shipping for standard ground shipping orders - which may or may not apply to Canadian shipping.

And that's this year's wish list.  Please note that these suggestions aren't restricted to co-workers:  friends, relatives and squaddies are equally welcome to take advantage of this list.  All I ask is that an anonymous comment be posted announcing that a particular item is being purchased - I'm fine with not being surprised if it prevents the arrival of two gift-wrapped copies of Batman Versus Superman.

EDIT: Please note that as per the comment below, Karli has stepped in and is using her blog to coordinate purchases so as to maintain secrecy.  Just when I think I can't find another reason to love you, my dear... 

  - Sid

P.S.  For anyone wishing to throw caution to the winds and seek out their own choice of casual geek gifts, HMV has an excellent selection of fandom items: mugs, buttons, coasters, t-shirts, etc.  Shoppers in the lower Mainland can visit the Robson Street or Metrotown outlets.

"You maniacs! "

"Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!"

George Taylor, The Planet of the Apes

And here we are on the morning after the American presidential election, looking at the news that Donald Trump is the next president of the United States. In some strange way, I'm excited - between this and the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series, it's obvious that at some point in the recent past we've gone through the looking glass, or maybe down the rabbit hole - something like that, some kind of departure from the linear, probability-based, cause-and-effect reality that we used to inhabit.

As a result, I now fully expect Bigfoot and his wife to come strolling out of the forest, space aliens to land on the White House lawn and ask if they can talk to the new guy, cold fusion to become a proven source of cheap safe energy, and the Loch Ness Monster to rise to the surface of her cold, watery home and take a deep, deep breath.

After this, anything's possible.

  - Sid

"Remember, remember, the fifth of November."

"Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition! The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honour to meet you and you may call me V."

V, V for Vendetta

I know of no reason the Gunpowder Treason should ever be forgot.

  - Sid

Voyages' End.

In my previous post I mentioned buying a replacement copy of Stephen Tall's The Stardust Voyages, a collection of short stories that I originally purchased in 1975.  The stories deal with the travels of an interstellar exploratory vessel - the Stardust - and a variety of alien first-contact plotlines.

Replacement copies are one of the sad inevitabilities of being an avid re-reader: bindings crack, pages are accidentally dogeared, covers become creased and worn, and finally it's time to retire the text in question and buy another copy. 

When I do this, I prefer to purchase the same edition as the novel being replaced - it's an odd quirk, but I feel that it gives my collection a sort of continuity.  I was quite pleased to find a matching copy of The Stardust Voyages, but I'm a bit surprised that anyone could own an 41 year old book in such good condition. The copy on the right must have belonged to a collector. I feel a bit proud that my copy - on the left - is so obviously the property of a reader.

  - Sid

"Science fiction double feature..."

My girlfriend Karli has been visiting a new chiropractor who is located about a thirty minute walk from my workplace, so whenever her appointment schedule permits, I meet her there after work.

My route takes me past the Main Street location of Pulp Fiction, one of Vancouver's better used book stores, and it occurred to me recently that I've been doing most (if not all) of my book shopping in foreign cities.  I had some time to spare, so I decided to go in for a browse.

After a pleasant half hour perusal of the shelves, I walked away with five books: Fragile Things, a collection of Neil Gaiman short stories - hard to go wrong with Neil Gaiman - a long overdue copy of William Gibson's Distrust That Particular Flavour in trade paperback*, a replacement copy of The Stardust Voyages, by Stephen Tall, and a pair of near mint-condition Ace Doubles to add to my collection:  a replacement copy of The Beasts of Kohl backed with A Planet of Their Own, and Crisis on Cheiron backed with The Winds of Gath.

What, you ask, is an Ace Double?

Ace Doubles are one of the great unique aspects of science fiction book collecting. Very simply, an Ace Double is made up of two short novels rotated 180 degrees and bound back to back so that each one has its own cover.  Although Ace Books did publish material from other genres in this distinctive tête-bêche** binding, it was the science fiction content that really made its mark for the publishers.

Ace published the Doubles format from 1952 until 1974. They continued to print double-novel editions until 1978, but they were no longer in the back-to-back format, and as such really aren't the same thing. Online sources state that Ace released 221 science fiction Ace Doubles in the classic format, which to be honest sounds like a lot less than I thought there were - I own 57 Doubles myself, without ever having made a serious commitment to collecting them. (My sister Dorothy owns 48, with a couple of duplications - no pun intended.)

In spite of their landmark position in the history of the genre, the story of the Ace Double was not always a happy one. SF editor and author Donald A. Wollheim*** was in charge of the Doubles line, and was infamous for chopping down novels to fit the Double page count - apparently the tagline "Complete and Unabridged" which appeared on the copyright page was not always truthful.

However, the Ace Double format helped to launch the careers of a long list of well-known authors including Gordon R. Dickson, Ursula K. LeGuin, Samuel R. Delany, and Philip K. Dick. The books combined writing by established authors such as A. E. van Vogt, Ray Cummings or Leigh Brackett with that of newcomers in the same way that television networks tentpole new or less popular programs around a successful show. 

Perhaps because I was in my teens and just starting my independent book-buying career at around the time that Ace Doubles went out of production, I have no memory of ever seeing a new Ace Double for sale.  In my world, Ace Doubles have always been a slightly battered but beloved artifact of the used book store science fiction section, which provided my first introduction to talents such as Jack Vance, Avram Davidson, John Brunner, Kenneth Bulmer, John Jakes, Brian M. Stableford and A. Bertram Chandler.

For science fiction fans looking for a comprehensive and entertaining overview of classic SF, the 22 year publication span of the Ace Double provides a fascinating resource that combines a wide range of authors and styles in a unique format that's affordable for collectors.  However, if you're even slightly obsessive compulsive, Ace Doubles will present you with an unexpected challenge: which author's name do you use to shelf them?

  - Sid

* I always feel bad when I see used William Gibson books for sale, I can't help but wonder if the previous owner has made other bad life decisions.

** This style of binding is often referred to mistakenly as dos-à-dos. Having passed along that bit of print industry trivia, let me reassure nervous readers that this will never ever come up in conversation, and as such there's no need to retain the information.

*** Wollheim, who passed away in 1990, is probably worth a posting all of his own as one of the more notable polarizing figures in the history of science fiction. Wollheim was responsible for the bootleg 1965 American publication of The Lord of the Rings - he seemed to have a bit of a predilection toward taking liberties with the work of other authors. On the other hand, DAW Books, which he started in 1971 after leaving Ace, remains a well respected and prolific publishing house.

Gnomic Statement XV.

 

Wait - Chiwetel is Mordo? Damn - I thought Mads was Mordo.

At least Wong is Wong. And it goes without saying that Cumberbatch is Strange.

  - Sid

Happy to swap recipes!

DEDICATED TO THE EVIL DR. SMITH.

One of my co-workers announced that he expects as many as 140 children to visit his home tonight for Hallowe'en. 

I replied, "Really? Wow. We find that the freezer's full after just five or six - what do you do with the others?"

- Sid

Ontario 2016: Vignettes.

"Pooh, his nose stuck in a honey jar."

In front of a used media store on Danforth Avenue in Toronto.  In an odd coincidence, we'd watched the referenced episode of Star Trek: the Next Generation about a week before we left.

Missed Opportunities. 

I've been casually aware of the fact that the Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy was located in Toronto almost since its inception in 1970, but somehow I've never managed to pay it a visit at any of the locations it has occupied over the years.  It may be based in fear of disappointment - I hope that the collection will look like this:

 

But fear that it will actually look like this:

 "What do you plan to be after the zombie apocalypse?"

Now that's planning.

The Road.

Speaking of apocalypses, film makers, take note:  this is what a highway looks like after about 50 years of neglect.*

Although, obviously, not the same movies.

The Norwood Theatre in Bracebridge, Ontario, where I saw my first commercial release movie - Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.  They say that Time is a river into which you cannot step twice, but honestly, based on my recollection the Norwood has exactly the same signage that it had in 1977. And I still have the multi-page glossy programme that they handed out before the movie. (As requested by studio executives, who felt that no one would understand what was going on without some sort of explanation.)

It's a little bit the worse for wear after all these years, but then, aren't we all?

- Sid

* To clarify, this isn't a criticism of Ontario's public works systems.  There are stub bits of highway scattered all over Ontario as a result of the Department of Transportation deciding to straighten out the curves on a particular piece of road.  The first hundred feet of pavement from the resulting leftovers was bulldozed, and the balance left for nature to have its way with - as above.

"Look! Up in the sky!"

Yes, it’s Superman, strange visitor from another planet who came to earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Superman, who can change the course of mighty rivers, bend steel in his bare hands. And who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a never ending battle for truth, justice and the American way.

Introduction to Superman TV series, 1952–1958

As previously, there have been times when I've been underwhelmed by the level of Star Trek knowledge displayed by our front desk administrative staff.  Well, I'm sorry to say that things have hit a surprising new low regarding what I would consider to be the acceptable threshold of geek savviness required for the position.

Every now and then, our admin team* will get together on Friday morning and share a breakfast of McDonald's™ takeout food - McMuffins and McGriddles and so on.  When a request for orders arrived from the front desk via e-mail yesterday, I requested a Sausage McMuffin and went on with my life.

When I next passed her desk, our front desk person said, "I got yur Maccy D's e-mail - do ya not want a hash broown?" **

"Thank you, but no.  I'm trying to lose some weight, and potatoes are sort of my Kryptonite when it comes to that."

"Wot's tha', then?"

"Kryptonite?  You've never heard of Kryptonite?  The green stuff that makes Superman weak?"

"Noo, I don't know wha' tha' is."

"Well, you know that Superman is from Krypton..."

"Noo - where's tha', then?"

OH COME ON, PEOPLE!!

I can maybe make a case for not knowing the connection between Krypton and Superman, but I'd like to think that the concept of Kryptonite as a metaphor for fatal weakness is solidly embedded into popular culture.

Or perhaps it's a question of geography, and Superman is just more American than I thought. I suspect that very few people at my workplace would recognize any of the characters from 2000AD, Britain's long-running weekly comics magazine, or any of its competitors, but even so, distinctively British characters such as Judge Dredd and V have achieved some degree of international recognition. I suspect that Superman, regardless of his American origin, has a level of iconic recognition in the First World that he shares with only a few others, such as Mickey Mouse - and perhaps Snoopy.

That being said, the situation may be worse than I thought.  After all, I never actually asked if she knew who Superman was...

- Sid

* My job as designer/photographer/technical writer doesn't really classify as administrative, but since it's not really a field position either, I have honourary membership.

** The incumbent at our front desk is from England, and sounds a bit like a Dickensian street urchin.  I'll do my best to accurately depict the idiosyncratic nature of her conversational voice.

Gunpla 01: Some assembly required.

One of my only regrets from our visit to Japan last year was that I didn't invest in any sort of Mobile Suit Gundam model during our visit to the the magnificent life-sized version on Odaiba Island.

Bandai's polystyrene Gundam kits are legendary - Bandai has set the standard for modelling since the company's inception in 1950.  The initial boom in the popularity of the Gundam series is often attributed to the release of the first generation of Bandai Gunpla (Gundam plastic) models in 1980, and the current lineup of Gundam kits offers a comprehensive range of subjects, scales and levels of complexity and detail.

However, just because I missed my window of opportunity at the Diver City mall, that didn't mean that I couldn't pick up a Gundam model elsewhere.  And let's be honest: a model from the Gundam Front store would have been a great souvenir, but in practical terms, adding a thin-walled cardboard box full of fragile plastic parts to one's soft-walled checked luggage when flying back from Japan might not have been the smartest thing to do.

One of my birthday gifts this year was an Amazon™ gift card from my friend Laurie, and while browsing through the various options on the Amazon.ca website, it suddenly occurred to me to check on the availability of Gundam models. 

I was gratified to see that there was a wide selection of prices and types, and ordered a Master Grade Version 3 Gundam RX-78-2 at 1/100 scale, which works out to an assembled height of about seven and a half inches (or 18 cm).  The Master Grade models have a high level of detail and poseability, but are intended for somewhat experienced modellers - hopefully careful reading of instructions and methodical assembly will see me through.  The good news is that the Gunpla models snap together, and the parts are molded in the appropriate colour, so neither glue nor paint is required.*

I'm pleased to say that my order arrived from Japan at least a week earlier than expected.  To my astonishment, the box was packaged in nothing more than a layer of bubble wrap under transparent plastic.

I honestly can't decide if this is foolhardy or not.  It seems a bit optimistic to so blatantly advertise the contents of a package that will pass through many hands on its way to the receiver, although obviously no one in the supply chain fell prey to temptation.  Regardless, I'd like to suggest to the good people at Shop Takam that maybe an opaque wrapping of some sort might be a prudent precaution - plain brown wrapping doesn't have to be restricted to items that are rated R.

- Sid

*  Although I've seen some very interesting Youtube™ videos on how to detail and accentuate panel lines using ink washes!

Can I get an "amen" from the Hallelujah Corner?

Preach, brother.

- Sid