No Heroes: Origins

It looks like Heroes: Origins is being shelved, for this season anyway. Stupid writers' strike.

Claire Bear, Indeed

As you are probably aware, Claire Bennett on Heroes has the power of spontaneous regeneration, making her much like Wolverine, but without the claws or the adamantium-infused skeleton. I've often thought that, although other powers are more flashy or fun, hers is the best one to have, especially if you live the rather dangerous lifestyle of Heroes cast member or X-man. Not only would you be almost indestructible, but you would also reap other, less immediate benefits. First, your power would counter-act your aging, allowing you to live for over a century while maintaining a youthful appearance and fitness level, just like Wolverine. Second, you'd be immune to overtraining; you would recover from workouts very quickly, allowing you to exercise very intensely and frequently, thus reaching unparalleled levels of fitness. Cool, eh?

By the way, when I pointed out this second hidden benefit to my bride, she said, "You're a big nerd. You know that." Yes. In other news, the sky is blue, down is the direction in which gravity pulls, and pain is considered, by the majority of 18- to 34-year-old males, to hurt.

Takezo Kensei: Sword Saint

Fans of heroes in the readership---that's pretty much all of you---might be interested in this mockumentary of the legend of Takezo Kensei, which is brought to you by the Yamagato Fellowship.

Unsolicited Opinions: Post 326

Well, we are now a few weeks into the cascade of fall TV premiers,* and I thought I'd share my opinions with you. Not because you asked, of course; I'm just very opinionated.

So far:

• Chuck. I checked out this lead-in to Heroes on Nick's recommendation, and I enjoyed it. The premise is rather silly but fun, and, importantly, the title character is quite charming and well portrayed. Plus, it's always nice to see Adam Baldwin (Jayne Cobb from Firefly) getting work. Some of the plot points were unrealistic, however. I'll tune in tomorrow and decide then whether to stick around for more.
  
• Heroes. The premiere of the sophomore season of this show didn't disappoint, and I'm excited to see more tomorrow night. I found out today that even my mom likes it. Interestingly, her favorite and least favorite characters are the same as mine. Weird. Anyway, last season, it was a toss-up as to whether this series or Battlestar was the best show on TV, at least in my opinion. I'm expecting good things.
  
• Bionic woman. This show is yet another '70s remake brought to you by one of the minds behind Battlestar Galactica. I wasn't completely happy with the show. Not surprisingly, some of the science was a bit too much to believe, but I'm willing to let that go. What really irritated me, though, was how the security procedures were portrayed. For example, the characters frequently discuss classified material over the phone with uncleared individuals. What is that? Additionally, I was really unhappy with the recasting of the deaf, punkish kid sister as a hearing, all-American girl. I felt that replacement made her quite a bit less interesting. I did find the lead actress quite likable, though her character is rather inconsistent. Speaking of actresses, I really enjoyed seeing Katee Sackoff (Starbuck on the aforementioned Battlestar) as the prototype bionic chick; she did a good job of being creepy and intimidating. As long as the writers don't make her the best pilot, sharpshooter, poker-player, and smoker in the show, as they did on Battlestar, I'll be happy with her recurring role. Lastly, I should mention that the reimagined Bionic Woman is much darker than the original, much like David Eick's other remake, and it really works for the show. I'll tune in Wednesday to decide if I'll make it regular viewing.
• My Name is Earl. The third-season premiere of My Name is Earl indicates that the amusement level provided by this show isn't falling. As long as we get a good dose of Randy and a dollop of Darnell in every episode, I'll be happy.
  

Upcoming (definitely):

• Pushing Daisies. I've already posted about my extreme affinity for this show after seeing it's pilot, so I won't say much here. But if you like off-beat, dark comedy, then for the love all that is pure, holy, and good,** watch this show Wednesday night. If you don't like it, I'll give you your money back.
  
• Battlestar Galactica. OK, so Season 4---the final season--of Battlestar doesn't premier until early next year. But the semi-prequel telefilm Razor will be broadcast in November, ao I'm going to include the series in this post. Battlestar has been good for all the way from the pilot mini-series through the end of Season 3. Granted, I wasn't as happy with the main plotlines in the second half of Season 3, but I'm still stoked to see the Pegasus-centered TV movie and the final season.
  

Upcoming (maybe)

• Aliens in America. No, this show isn't about the type of aliens I'm usually interested in, but I might DVR it tomorrow and check it out after Heroes is over.
  
• Reaper. On the one hand, this could be simply a rip-off of Dead Like Me. On the other, I've heard good things about it, and I might check it out. Technically, this show isn't upcoming, since it premiered last Tuesday, but I haven't seen it, so I placed it in this category.

So there you have my take on this new season so far. Your feedback is, as always, appreciated.

* And it's not a moment too soon. Now that Monk's and Psych's seasons are over, there's some free space in my tube-watching schedule.
** I've stolen this phrase from Alison by the way.

Veronica Mars isn't Just Nick's Hero

I know at least two members of the readership will be interested to know that Veronica Mars star Kristen Bell will be appearing in a multi-episode arc of Heroes' upcoming second season.

Trekkers Trek to Heroes

By now, we all know that George Takei, Sulu on Star Trek, had a recurring role on Heroes in the second half of its first season. Now more Trek alumni will be joining this series in Season 2:

• Nichelle Nichols, Uhura on TOS, will have a recurring role, appearing in 5 or 6 episodes.
• Dominic Keating,* Reed on Enterprise,** will appear in several eps.

* He also appeared in that ep of Buffy, where she looses her powers.
** An actor, character, and series that I feel pretty meh about.

Star Trek XI: The Life of Spock

(This post contains a major but well-known spoiler for Star Trek: Generations.)

I've mentioned that Heroes' Sylar, Zachary Quinto, has been cast to play a young Spock in the upcoming Star Trek film, which is creatively named Star Trek. What I haven't mentioned is that Leonard Nimoy is also in the film, playing an older Spock. Meanwhile, there's been a bit of hubbub surrounding James Kirk's nonappearance in the eleventh Trek film. This particular move makes sense to me:

• Kirk gets trapped in the nexus sometime after Trek VI and then dies in the seventh film, so he's effectively unavailable for any other stories.
• William Shatner has aged poorly and swollen considerably since his last appearance.
  

Anyway, two facts about this film's casting have got me thinking:

• Young Spock seems to have been the first character cast.
• Old Spock* has, according to Nimoy, "more than one scene in the film."

As a big fan o' Spock, I can't help but speculate that Spock, not Kirk, is the central character in the plot and that the story is told from Spock's perspective. I'd really enjoy seeing a story following one of Young Spock's first missions** after graduating from the Academy (perhaps struggling with being the only Vulcan in a Starfleet run by those illogical and prejudiced humans while going where no man has gone before) which somehow relates to and affects what Old Spock is doing in the TNG/DS9/VOY era (perhaps trying to reunify the Vulcans and the Romulans). Regular readers know I really enjoy nonlinear storytelling, so if the old-Spock and young-Spock threads could be interleaved in some interesting way, without resorting to time travel, so that the meaning and ramifications of each Spock's actions aren't clear until the end, I'd be quite pleased.

Do any trekkies/trekkers in the readership have thoughts or opinions on this topic?

* I'm sure Nimoy would prefer to be called "Classic Spock."
** Let's not forget the time he spent under the command of Christopher Pike.

Sylar --> Spock!

Tom just pointed out that the rumors of Zachary Quinto, Heroes' Sylar, being cast as Spock in the upcoming Star Trek film were, in his words, "more than rumors, apparently."

Sylar --> Spock?

Rumors are afoot that Zachary Quinto, who creepily portrayed Sylar in Heroes, has been cast as Spock in J. J. Abrams' upcoming re-imagined Star Trek. I must say that I fervently hope this rumor is true. Not only does Quinto have the right look to play the iconic character,* but he also has solid acting skills. So, if you are listening, Abrams, make it so.

* Also one of my Star Trek all-stars and possibly my favorite Trek character of all time.

Sophomore Heroes

It appears some changes are in store for Heroes' sophomore season.

Heroes: A Spoiler-Free Comment

Alison and I watched this week's episode of Heroes last night---yet another example of the time-shifted viewing that has all the ratings people so flustered. It was very entertaining; if the rest of the series hadn't already hooked me, this episode would have done the job. If you aren't watching this show, you need to get caught up on the old episodes and start watching the new ones. Now.

I Married a Nerd

Apparently Alison's been spending way to much time with me: she recognized Stan Lee during his cameo on Monday's episode of Heroes.

TV Returns

Several shows are returning from winter "hiati" this weekend:

• Monk. The defective detective returns tonight (Friday night) at 9 Eastern Time on USA.
  
• Psych. The fake-psychic-detective/buddy-PI series begins airing new episodes again tonight at 10 EST on USA, right after Monk.
• Battlestar Galactica. The re-imagining of the 1970s space opera restarts in its new timeslot Sunday at 10 Eastern on the Sci Fi Channel.
• Heroes. They saved the cheerleader, but did they save the world? Find out beginning Monday at 9 EST on NBC.

All these shows warrant checking out.

Doctor Hero Trek

Two pieces of Heroes casting have surfaced recently. Stop reading now if you'd like to avoid minor spoilers.

• First, Christopher Eccleston, who played the ninth Doctor in the re-imagined Doctor Who, will appear in the series as Claude, a man with the power of invisibility.
• Second, George Takei, who played Sulu in Star Trek, will appear in the series as Hiro Nakamura's father.

Neat, eh?

The Heroes Get Lost

You may recall that, the second time I mentioned Heroes on the blog, I described it as Lost meets Rising Stars. The plot of the show is much like that of Rising Stars: a more realistic take on the superhero genre. The style and feel of the show, however, is more like Lost, or Lost before I grew tired of it. Anyway, the reason I bring all this up is that Tom just sent me a link to this article comparing and contrasting Heroes and Lost. I particularly enjoyed the part where the author pits the corresponding elements of the shows against each other to determine which is, in his opinion, the better show. I encourage you to read it.

I also encourage you to check out Heroes if you haven't already. New episodes, starting with Episode 12, will re-begin airing on January 22, Monday nights on NBC. Now, you may feel that, if you haven't seen the first 11 eps, you'll be lost, and that's partially true. But you can watch all the previous episodes on the official site. The site also has short online comic books that add extra background and detail to the story presented on the screen. So, get watching, then get reading.

Telly Tidbits

My last post reminded me that I've been meaning to give you, dear reader, an update on my latest TV watching. I'm sure you've been just dying to know what I've been tuning into lately. Well, here you go:

• Battlestar Galactica, Season 3. Battlestar continues to be not only the best sci-fi on television, but also the best series on TV. If you aren't watching it, start here.
  
• Heroes, Season 1. This show is a more realistic take on the superhero genre that's so popular these days, but with a heavy dose of mystery mixed in. It feels like Lost meets Rising Stars.
• My Name is Earl, Season 2. This series is 75% Wonderfalls---sniff---and 25% Raising Arizona, so it's qute amusing. The Randy character really pushes the show to the next level.
• The Dog Whisperer, all seasons. Since before the arrival of our new critter, Alison and I have been boning up on our dog training by watching new episodes and reruns. Cesar Millan, the whisperer from the title, has an uncanny ability to establish dominance immediately, with very subtle body language. Impressive.
• Dirty Jobs, all seasons. Mike Rowe finds out, first hand, what some people have to do to make civilization possible for the rest of us.

Additionally, here are some shows that I'm looking forward to seeing in the near future.

• Torchwood, Season 1. The anagramic Doctor Who spinoff debuted in the UK on Sunday, to mostly positive reviews. The setup is somewhere between The X-Files and Men In Black.
  
• Doctor Who, Second Christmas Special and Season 3. The second season was better than the first, which was quite enjoyable. I like that trend.
  
• The Lost Room, mini-series. This show looks pretty intriguing. It could be clever, or it could be stupid.
  
• Psych, Season 2. Alison and both enjoyed the first, short season of this fake-psychic detective comedy, and we are looking forward to the next.

You know, from looking at this list, I've decided that the NBC Universal family of networks, which includes Sci Fi, USA, and, of course, NBC, must be my favorite.

TV Preview: Heroes

Speaking of superheroes on television, I've recently become excited about this new series called Heroes. Based on the 4-minute trailer at the official site and on this fan site, it looks quite X-Men-like, but done more realistically. It will air Mondays at 9:00 PM (Eastern) on NBC, starting this fall.