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It'd be helpful if they would start giving us some idea of what this is looking like. At the very least, tell us which timeline it takes place in. I know that mystery is usually good for these projects, but that only works when you haven't kinda burned your bridges with a lot of people (not necessarily just blaming the Abramsverse. Enterprise was a mess that retconned a lot of stuff that it shouldn't have)

In other news, Paramount released some fan film guidelines and will not sue fan film makers who follow these rules:
http://www.startrek.com/fan-films

A lot of fans are pissed off, because it severely limits what they can do and puts a lot of productions in jeopardy. However, I totally see why Paramount did it. If someone took one of my books and wrote fanfic based on it to post on the internet, I would probably think that it was cool. If that person turned around and started selling that story and making a profit off of that material, I would have a problem. That's my money that they're taking at that point.

Fans are upset because Paramount doesn't seem to respect their fan films. However, it was those "fans" who violated the trust of the company in the first place. They raised millions of dollars for these productions, created entire studios to make them and earned a salary off of them. The only people who weren't gaining from the use of Paramount's intellectual property was Paramount. Once those fan films started getting out of control, I don't see how Paramount could ignore them. Paramount is making their own movies which are (let's face it) authorized fan films at this point. If the official productions are competing with people who aren't even licensing the material, Paramount has to push back.

If the fan films were small, innocent productions, this wouldn't have blown up. But the makers kept pushing the limits of what they were allowed to do, and that's not cool.

On another note, we should totally create a Sliders fan-made series! I'm sure we could get some of the old actors. At the very least, we should be able to get some of the old Star Trek actors who are out of work now!

Original work can be more depressing. There is nothing to build upon, so you have to gain a following of your own, which is hard. People who read your work could love it, but getting it in front of them in the first place is frustrating.

I wish you luck though. If I can be of any help, let me know.

And for what it's worth, I still consider my Buffy season 8 to be canon, while the official comic books aren't . They just suck and I refuse to accept them.

It would be interesting to see a story that builds to the destruction of Romulus. That would still happen in the regular Trek universe, after all.

Shall we start debating again

Anyway, I think I'm going to hold out for the blu-ray set for BvS. The digital version will be out sooner, but I don't see why I'd pay about as much for the digital version as I would for the blu-ray, dvd, digital combo pack. So I might be a bit behind in viewing the movie again.

I agree that editing is important. Making your book readable is absolutely essential. However, I disagree that you have no choice but to spend a ton of money getting that done.

How you get there isn't as important as where you end up. Saying that an author can't make great books without spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on editors is like saying that musicians can't make great music without paying someone to polish  their recordings. Yes, that help can be useful. But plenty of people are perfectly capable of producing great work using their own methods.

I am really depressed by this news. I obviously didn't know the guy, but I've only ever heard great things about him and he has done some really impressive work. I'm as shocked as I was with Heath Ledger, but for some reason, a drug overdose is easier to process than this freak accident. Both are sad, don't get me wrong. This just doesn't compute.

Unrelated to the new Trek series, but Anton Yelchin who played Chekov in the new Star Trek movies has died at age 27, after getting pinned between his car and security gate.

I'm really sorry to hear about this. I was a fan of his work. If you haven't seen Odd Thomas, check it out.

I think they may actually want to do it forever. Both seem to know what they have and appreciate it. The set seems to be a happy one. The network is willing to keep it forever. I think that they will do it until they really feel like it's going down... but we may see more characters added or less episodes per season at some point.

The show started on Tuesday, if I recall correctly. Then it moved to Thursday, with Smallville. Then Friday. Then maybe Tuesday again? Then Wednesday. Now back to Thursday. But it holds up well when moved.

Buffy Season 8. Many moons ago for me, but it was my biggest fanfic accomplishment. In some ways, it was my biggest writing accomplishment. Not just because it was an insane idea (to release 22 full episode scripts according to a TV show's airing schedule), but because I got a lot of amazing feedback on it. People were inspired to write because of it. People told me that they were using it as teaching tools. One person stole some of it and claimed it as their own when making a fan film... which is still not cool, but it's part of the wacky adventure.

So I know the crazy fanfic mentality. I know it well. The whole season was about taking the incoherent, poorly crafted monstrosity of season 7 and turning into something better, because I loved the show and hated how they ended it. (this is on top of the writer challenge side of it)

When it was all said and done, I had the wacky idea of binding the whole thing together really nicely in an overly elaborate book that looked like some ancient text, and handing it over to Joss Whedon at a convention. Not because I thought he'd keep it, love it, or even open it. But just because it would be a cool element to add to the story of that project for me.

These things are done out of passion for these projects. We're like geeky characters in a sort of road trip movie, learning something about ourselves on the way to some McGuffin destination.

Ultimately, I didn't give it to Joss. I didn't go to the convention with the book in hand, and hand it over. Not because it wouldn't have been cool, but because in the end, I didn't need to. I was disillusioned by Joss by some point and while I think the Joss of 1998 would have gotten the point of the whole thing, I don't think that the Joss of 2003-Present would have. In the end, what I learned about myself through that project, and the amazing feedback that I got from it turned out to be the end of my road trip movie. There was even an exciting chase in the end, as I took down the person who stole my work and a ton of people around the internet stood behind me.

For you, giving Rob that script was the end of the road trip movie. You're visiting the obscure destination that not many people know about and you're leaving your mark. You're showing respect to someone who influenced you by sharing your work with them. Rob does deserve to get some of the weird fan art that scifi people get all the time. He's a part of this adventure and whether he read it or not, I'm sure that he felt good, knowing that whatever fans think of the show while he was on it, his work was still appreciated.

I once sent a copy of my Christmas novella to a few people, because I think that it's cool to share your work with people whose work you appreciate. I never expected anything from it. But a while later, Dean Koontz replied with a lovely letter, a signed book, and a subscription to his newsletter. I don't know if he ever read the book, but he got it. He appreciated it. And yes, he might have thought that I was a ten year old or something (because in my mind, nobody can take me seriously or think of me as an adult... Youngest child syndrome) but it was cool to have an exchange like that with someone whose name has been on bookshelves around me since I was a little kid.

So no. I don't think it's weird or wrong. I think that a creative exchange and expression of appreciation is cool.

And while I haven't read as much of your work as I'd like (my life has been off the rails crazy lately), I did enjoy what I've read. Not only is it good work, but it's obvious that it comes from a love of the show.

I did have a similar issue of wanting to use characters in season 8 that I shouldn't have been able to use, just because I liked them and wanted to honor that. First, Anya. She was dead and I didn't want to ruin it by bringing her back in some half-assed way. So I put in a quiet moment where Xander is looking through his high school yearbook and discovers that Anya had taped a picture of herself in there. It was a bittersweet moment.

And then Cordelia. I hated what they'd done to her on Angel. I always thought she worked better on Buffy. I wanted to send her out properly. So I had this episode where she came into town and interacted with the group in different ways, for different reasons. In the end, it was revealed that she was a ghost, coming to say goodbye to her friends before she moved on.
Imagine how surprised I was when a while after I put the script online (a longer while after I wrote it), Angel's 100th episode aired. Cordelia came out of her coma to interact with friends, only to have it be revealed that she was a ghost, coming back to say her goodbyes before she moved on.

I was watching the last Hunger Games movie the other night (speaking of awful) and I realized that it was the same situation. Snow or Coin... both were corrupt, horrible leaders. It was like watching a movie about Trump and Hillary. Which is which? I have no idea.

So, Supergirl has cast their Superman. Tyler Hoechlin (Teen Wolf, The Road to Perdition) will play Supes on the show.

He's 28. Which doesn't really work for me. Kara has been on Earth for something like 12 years, right? And Superman was already active when she was found. I know that he doesn't age like everyone else, but still... 28 is a bit young to be playing someone who should be more like 35 or 40. I like the actor just fine, but it seems like a case of casting an actor, rather than casting a character.

Season 8 of The X-Files is a strange thing. It's strange because the show sets itself up to go on for a while, strongly, despite Mulder going missing. Doggett and Reyes are great characters, and the fact that Reyes is more of an occult person than an alien person even sets the show up with a new mythology direction, so it can continue without Mulder or Scully, and not feel like a complete rehash of a tired arc.

All of this is great, but the writers refused to lean into those possibilities. For starters, Doggett and Scully are constantly split up during investigations. This may have been because Gillian Anderson wanted more free time, but it feels like the writers don't want them to develop a real partnership, because it might threaten the Mulder/Scully dynamic. It feels like they're clinging to what worked before, even if what worked is not possible at that point, since Duchovny wanted out.

Then Mulder comes back and rather than allow all of these strong characters to live and work together, there is always this false hostility toward Doggett (and to a lesser degree, Reyes). It doesn't work though, because I find myself siding with Doggett and thinking that Mulder is being a d-bag... Scully is still largely absent from the action, so it's hard to get a feel for her at this point. Is she back to being the skeptic around Mulder? Does she remain the believer? Is she somewhere in the middle? I don't know. She just keeps telling Mulder that Doggett is a good guy and totally worth the effort of getting to know him, but it feels weird, since she has spent so little time in the same room with him.

There is a legitimately good setup for the series moving forward here, but as usual, the X-Files clings to what's safe and familiar and refuses to move on from the past.

Girl Meets Texas... wow. That had to be racist or Texaphobic or some other really offensive thing. But I'm from New Jersey, so I don't mind 

Ha! For a second there, I thought this was going to go a whole different direction.

I do get that it is a kid show, and you can't really dig into politics. But there is a strong lesson to be learned about responsibility and consequences. Money doesn't grow on trees. If you give here, you take from there. I don't think that is too complicated for this aidience. And a lot of kids around the world would be thrilled to "just" have basic education.

The same lessons could be applied to the senatorial campaign. The kids were saying that if they could vote, they would feed everyone, clothe everyone and shelter everyone. They get to believe that because they are kids. They don't get that sometimes, adults have to make hard choices, not because they want to, but because they don't have a choice. Sometimes war is needed, but only the insane would want it to happen. Sometimes we can't provide for everyone. We just can't.

Which goes perfectly with the episode where Shawn buys Maya the new clothes, because they made a point of saying that her mother couldn't always do the fun stuff, because she had to keep the lights on. That same lesson could be applied to the other episodes... but it wasn't. Instead, they went in the opposite direction. Want, take, have (as Faith the vampire slayer would say).

Putting aside political beliefs, I think these are just basic facts of life. If Cory had run through a mock election, letting the kids vote and then explained how those votes could have dire consequences, it would have been a stronger lesson about the responsibility that we have as citizens.

I think Uncle Eric would agree.

I prefer Batman Beyond too. TDKR was an okay read, using known characters in a completely unrelated story and context. But in terms of the characters we know and follow regularly, it isn't great. But The Watchmen would probably not be a good book for seventh graders.

I do think that there are many graphic novels that are as valid as any novel. There is a weird idea that novels are all smart, and comic books, movies and tv shows can't be. It is a weird notion to me.

I see a lot of people saying that Lena sounds like Tess Mercer. Nobody seems to remember that Tess was Lena in the end (Lutessa Lena Luthor).

They really want Calista back, but she will probably not be in every episode. One of thw regulars is probably going to pick up the slack from her character. I would expect Chyler to take a smaller role too, since she has a family.

The other three are recurring, so I don't think they're filling any holes necessarily.

Was he? I like Routh, but I thought he was the wrong choice for that role. But then, it was a thankless job since everything else about that movie was so horrible.

Having Tom play Superman would be weird. Kara doesn't just look different. His Kara looks like Indigo. His Lara looks like Eliza Danvers. His Curtis Knox (who was pretty much Vandal Savage) looks like Jeremiah Danvers. Jimmy Olsen is suddenly black. Cat Grant, Lucy Lane and the General have new faces.

Having Tom play the role would force them to explain that he is Clark, but not Smallville's Clark... or they would need a huge exposition scene to try to make it work somehow. Plus, we would then be wondering when Erica would show up, or Allison. It would be easier to just give him another character to play. Maybe someone who could cross over to the other shows if he were interested.

I was thinking that it might be cool to go with an older Clark, but that wouldn't line up with the ages of Lucy or Jimmy. I really don't know who would he a good choice. I would have to think about that.

It would be cool to see Chloe Sullivan pop up. Not played by Allison Mack, but someone new. To solidify her place in the Superman universe. Maybe Winn could date her.

That's funny, about the script length. My brother recently asked me if I intentionally made most of my book's chapters ten pages long. And I don't, really. I have no problem with chapters being way more or way less than ten pages, but somehow, having set a goal of ten pages per day, my mind paces scenes that way.

For these books anyway. In other books, chapters can be upwards of fifty pages.

Exactly. If the movie is good, people won't care if it's a half hour longer. I could see holding off on the 4 hour version, but a three hour movie isn't horribly long.

This cut should have been in theaters. The studio was stupid for trying to get the PG-13 rating and limit the minutes instead of telling the story properly. I hate when they do that.

I am looking forward to its return too, even though I thought the revival was very weak (at least half of it was, if not more). I like having it around, they just really need Chris Carter gone.

Sweet! The new stuff looks really interesting.

http://collider.com/batman-v-superman-u … r-blu-ray/

Jena Malone looks like Cat Grant in the trailer, but with Cat on Supergirl, I doubt it's her.

Yes! Even Voyager, which should have looked like crap after a few weeks.

I guess we'll see how it plays out.

For the record, I have never used Siri, but I do like Amazon's Alexa.

All true. However, Captain America only recently achieved a level of pop culture status, outside of the comic book fan community. It's still a relatively new relationship that he has with those people who came on board with the movies.

The story may be valid. We all know that it will eventually be undone (though some out there may not be aware of such things). But it is a risky move, to violate the character's core purpose in such a way. It has made for some bad press already.

I did know about Connor... which could lead me on a rant about the Arrow writers once again showing their lack of appreciation for the source material. But I won't do that.

At any rate, there is something that we might both finally agree on when it comes to comic book movies. X-Men Apocalypse.

Looks horrible. Didn't perform too well. I am not a fan of the X-Men movies in general, unless you count Deadpool.

But how far do you take that? Right now, we have integrated our "communicators" with our "PADDs". Should they do that on the show? Should they do away with big computer interfaces on their desks?

So if it is set in the original timeline and in various periods, do you think that they will try to modernize the look and feel of the show? Or will they attempt to recreate the look and feel of what came before? Do we want them to go for the 1991 hair if they're telling a TNG-era story?

Part of me says no and that would just be like fanfic... but part of me says yes. We know that the tech isn't as futuristic as it once seemed and the overall look was really dated, but we like it anyway. It's familiar and comfortable.

On the other hand, we want the Trek universe to be taken seriously. So, how should it be handled?

Is it something you can easily tackle in the stage directions, notes, etc.

Maggie
(to Quinn)
Back off, Mallory. I'm not in the mood for your crap.

Stuff like that.

I've had similar issues, just in terms of having stories that revolve around lies and deception. Different characters contradicting each other can be hard to follow at times, if you're not paying attention.