Series

Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045

Ghost in the Shell

IMDB’s description

Hired as a mercenary unit, the former members of Japan’s elite Section 9 are faced with the sudden appearance of “Post-Human,” a being with tremendous intelligence and physical capabilities.

This is the new Ghost in the Shell series on Netflix. SAC stands for Stand Alone Complex, which is an alternate continuity to the main stream versions people might be familiar with from the original Anime movie or from the recent 2017 live action version. This continuity is different in that section 9 has apparently been disbanded, with most of its members working as mercenaries in various countries. A new global threat to humanity, called “Post-Humans” surfaces, and this brings the team back together under the Japanese government to recreate Section 9. 

Read more

HBO’s Westworld

IMDB’s description.

Set at the intersection of the near future and the [re-imagined] past, explore a world in which every human appetite can be indulged without consequence.

Westworld, a series on HBO, is set in a future where robots are made, not to serve humanity, but to serve our amusements and sadistic impulses. A western themed park allows you to live life as a cowboy, visit saloons, and kill with wanton abandon. But only as long as you kill the robots which are mostly indistinguishable from humans. This answers the age-old question of “would it be immoral to abuse your unfeeling robot slave?” The answer is yes. 

Read more

The Mandalorian (Pilot)

There are literally at least 5 other websites that have done an article on the new Mandalorian Disney+ series, and I don’t want to repeat what they said. So here are the things all the other websites won’t tell you about the show. 

  • If you go into this series expecting to see a mandolin playing Manchurian eating oranges, you will be disappointed.
  • Everyone claims that Pedro Pascal is the Mandalorian, but that could be a lie. We never see the actor’s face, so it literally could be anyone, from Daniel Logan to Jeremy Bullock to Rebel Wilson.
  • One of the bounties collected by said title character says he was hoping to get home in time for Life Day, which means that is either a sick sick joke, or the end of Star Wars. 
  • The Mandalorian starts out ba ba ba ba ba ba bad to the bone, but then kind of transitions into a less competent version. This means he is following in the footsteps of Boba Fett. 
  • The two most important places to protect your body are your head and your shoulders, based on the placement of the special armor. This is taken from the book of Dredd. 
  • It is a contractual requirement of every Star Wars property that there always be a desert planet in it. This is similar to the video game requirement that every Star Wars game must contain a Rancor. 
  • The Mandalorian is a derivative work, in that it borrows, copies, or outright steals things from all the previous Star Wars movies. 

 

Why Harry Potter is Not a Horcrux

Alternate Title: Harry is Not a Bloody Horcrux, OK!?

Tamper with the deepest mysteries – the source of life, the essence of self – only if prepared for consequences of the most extreme and dangerous kind.

Adalbert Waffling – Fundamental Laws of Magic

One of the most common fallacies encountered in the Harry Potter corner of scifi.stackexchange is a user’s belief that Harry Potter is a Horcrux. I maintain he is not. This quick analysis is less for the Harry Potter super user as it is more for the newer or mid-level Harry Potter reader, who has come away from the series believing that Harry Potter is a Horcrux, particularly, I’m guessing, because of Dumbledore’s proclamation in Deathly Hallows. We’ll get there, but let’s start with canon:

Read more

%d bloggers like this: