Downtown Khazan: Ice Cold Utopia

[Sub-Zero MKA]

So, Disney is collaborating with multiple Japanese studios to release a series of Star Wars anime short films on Disney+, starting this September.

Meh. I would have been way more hype had this come out before the movies. Instead, I'm just done with disney's star wars.

[Sharkerbob]

How does this sound as a potential story idea:

K.L.O.N.

In the year 2050, Earth gained a protector race. An advanced alien race who, for reasons unknown to all but a few humans, watched over the world from an unknown enemy.

In the year 2087, four of Earth's major cities were suddenly destroyed. A destruction so fast and so massive that it happened in moments, without warning, and left not a trace of what was once there.

In the year 2090, seemingly random collection of humans from across the planet were summoned to the U.N., then whisked away to a secret location. Once there, they learn the harsh truth, the danger that Earth has been in and is still in, and that the only way to insure the safety of the world was through a most unusual expedition. They have been chosen, or should I say their clones have been chosen to be members of this expedition.

For reasons they will learn in time, and using alien technology provided by their Alien Protectors, each volunteer will submit a sample of their DNA and a clone will be made. An enhanced clone, modified to endure the hardships they may face.

One catch, they and their clones will be linked. While the volunteers may continue to live their lives on Earth, they will retain an awareness, a psychic link, to their clone.

An interesting premise, with potential for exploring some wacky sci-fi themes, and deep character psychologies, especially as regards to trying to live a normal life while being fed the visions of the unspeakable extraterrestrial encounters their clones face.

[Tami]

An interesting premise, with potential for exploring some wacky sci-fi themes, and deep character psychologies, especially as regards to trying to live a normal life while being fed the visions of the unspeakable extraterrestrial encounters their clones face.

I just don't know if I have it in me to attempt something this ambitious. And thanks.

[Len Ikari145]

Meh. I would have been way more hype had this come out before the movies. Instead, I'm just done with disney's star wars.

Understandable. I'm done with Disney's Star Wars as far as the films go, unless Kevin Feige can turn things around. The TV shows, comics and games are still good IMO.

[Sub-Zero MKA]

Understandable. I'm done with Disney's Star Wars as far as the films go, unless Kevin Feige can turn things around. The TV shows, comics and games are still good IMO.

True. I loved both seasons of Mando. I may give this a try when it comes out.

[Sharkerbob]

I just don't know if I have it in me to attempt something this ambitious. And thanks.

Won't know till you try!

[bruceleegreyhulk]

[Nik Hasta]

True. I loved both seasons of Mando. I may give this a try when it comes out.

I'm on the level of never having really cared about Star Wars and being very against supporting the Mouse broadly.

But the animation nerd in me likes the studios involved and some of the animation looks nifty.

Hmm...

I have other animated anthologies that I should watch first.

[Nik Hasta]

If it's not too political to talk about it; quite an extraordinary day on the go in the UK Parliament.

I have not seen this much open criticism and, dare I say, it rank contempt for the government from its own backbenchers since the large schism over Brexit that prompted a huge purge of dissenting MPs.

Johnson does not look like a Prime Minister in control of his party at all. An awful lot of jabs at the US and questioning the so-called "special relationship" from both sides of the House as well which is quite surprising.

I would recommend looking up Tom Tugendhat's MP (Con) speech as it was spoken from experience, very cogent and grounded in the reality of the situation.

[Sharpandpointies]

I'm on the level of never having really cared about Star Wars and being very against supporting the Mouse broadly.

But the animation nerd in me likes the studios involved and some of the animation looks nifty.

Hmm...

I have other animated anthologies that I should watch first.

Outside of the first trilogy when I was a kid, and Rogue One (which I adored), I have also never really been highly invested in Star Wars. ^_^ Mandalorian was another exception atop Rogue One, I admit. But I'll likely skip this one as well, for the same reason as I never got into the other ones: too much Jedi (Rogue One and Mandalorian did not have a problem with this).

No issues with other people liking Jedi, they're just not to my taste.

Also, like Nik I am rather sour on Disney.

If it's not too political to talk about it; quite an extraordinary day on the go in the UK Parliament.

I have not seen this much open criticism and, dare I say, it rank contempt for the government from its own backbenchers since the large schism over Brexit that prompted a huge purge of dissenting MPs.

Johnson does not look like a Prime Minister in control of his party at all. An awful lot of jabs at the US and questioning the so-called "special relationship" from both sides of the House as well which is quite surprising.

I would recommend looking up Tom Tugendhat's MP (Con) speech as it was spoken from experience, very cogent and grounded in the reality of the situation.

Will check it out; thanks, man.

[Sharpandpointies]

Girl Genius.

Well, I WAS wondering when spoilers:

Othar

end of spoilers would show up again.

Calling it now.

[Sharpandpointies]

Congratulations given by the Bat-family to Nightwing for doing something amazing for society. I like Cass's.

Cass Emoji.jpg

[Sharkerbob]

Y'know, I've also never cared about Star Wars, and am annoyed when people assume I must be a total obsessive just because I express an interest in "geek hobbies."

Of the original trilogy, I only remember seeing the first one, and it was a fine enough movie, especially for the time, and I can appreciate it's significance in film history. But the aesthetic of the series never jived with me, and I never got into any of the characters, across any of the films I have seen. Moreover, the level of saturation it's had in popular culture has done more to put me off from the whole franchise than not. And now that it's been solidly entrenched as a lifestyle brand with endless spin-offs by Big Mouse, and it becoming one of the highlights of "culture war" people get to clickbait-snipe each other over, it is all the less endearing.

All that said, it does seem to be a setting with a ton of creativity to be mined, and from a shared universe aspect, I can respect having a fictional sandbox that can be fleshed widely. It just seems, though, that Star Wars is hamstrung to always revolve around the same small handful of concepts that the Original Trilogy established. Everything's gotta be about Jedis and Siths, maybe occasionally about a Smuggler or a Bounty Hunter if we really want to stretch it. There always has to be a light saber somewhere. I mean on the one hand, obviously, that's the best, cheapest way to market everything, on the other hand, like, I dunno.

Is there a story about some random planet no one's heard of before, featuring a team of aliens with non-Force related mutant powers fighting crime? Is there a story about Force Ghosts having to come out of afterlife retirement to fight alien cthulhu phantoms invading from another dimension? Is there a story where a tie-fighter stumbles onto a Not!All-Spark and gets the power to transform into a humanoid, and finds itself leading a resistance of morphin droids against a planet of Not!Terminators from another galaxy?

Okay, those are bad examples, and I'm sure there's much more creative stuff out there in those Expanded Universe books I've never read, but there's something just kind of, I dunno, there's a point at which just waving your icons around all the time like a set of jingle keys for marketing just kinda sucks the enthusiasm out of it. But maybe I only feel that way because I wasn't a fan in the first place.

As for Disney, well, I'm not too well read on all it's controversies, but the fact that it's one of the Monopolies subsuming everything it can does not inspire a lot of good faith.

[Beadle]

If it's not too political to talk about it; quite an extraordinary day on the go in the UK Parliament.

I have not seen this much open criticism and, dare I say, it rank contempt for the government from its own backbenchers since the large schism over Brexit that prompted a huge purge of dissenting MPs.

Johnson does not look like a Prime Minister in control of his party at all. An awful lot of jabs at the US and questioning the so-called "special relationship" from both sides of the House as well which is quite surprising.

I would recommend looking up Tom Tugendhat's MP (Con) speech as it was spoken from experience, very cogent and grounded in the reality of the situation.

I don’t think calling bullshit on both the US and UK hanging the Afghan people out to dry, having raised their expectations, counts as politics.

It’s just called ‘Not being a massive dick.’.

[Sharkerbob]

I don’t think calling bullshit on both the US and UK hanging the Afghan people out to dry, having raised their expectations, counts as politics.

It’s just called ‘Not being a massive dick.’.

I mean, this is why every President has been saying, "Oh, we're gunna bring all our troops home!" and then doesn't, because the countries made a Jenga Tower of military dependencies.