Lacking Candor

Last night as everyone was preparing for their weekend, Attorney General Jeff Sessions (likely following orders) fired retiring Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe. McCabe left his position in January but was due to retire with full pension on Sunday. However, having been fired he has lost said pension after 21 years of service to this country. Many people cannot claim to have served our country for so long, including President Bone Spurs.

Sessions' reason were, unsurprisingly, vague. But chief among them was "lack of candor" during Congressional testimony with regards to his handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation. Now, if Jeff Sessions wants to fire the guy and rob him of his retirement savings to help President Oompa Loompa settle a personal score and keep his own job (for another week), go ahead. If he wants to fire him to help further impede the investigation into Russia and join Congressman David Nunes in obstructing justice, go ahead. If he wants to fire the guy just because he doesn't like the color of his socks, go ahead!

But maybe the man who repeatedly told Congress like a broken record "I do not recall" whenever he was asked about contacts with Russia should have used a different reason other than lack of candor to fire one of his subordinates.

Just saying, that's all.

The Next Star Wars TV Series Should Be....

It may have taken a few years after their purchase of Lucasfilms to start churning out Star Wars productions, but now that they've started they're sure pumping them out now. Since December 2015, we've had two Skywalker Saga movies and one spin-off released with another spin-off due out this summer. To say the least, in addition to JJ Abrams' finale to the new trilogy next year, we also have a trilogy being developed by Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson as well as a "series of films" by the showrunners of Game of Thrones.

While the film projects may be getting most of the attention, it's Disney's TV plans that have me intrigued. Before selling his company (and the franchise) to Disney, George Lucas had already delievered two iterations of a Clone Wars animated series and had plans for a live-action series. However, Lucas felt that the limitations of a TV budget made such a series impossible to produce and abandoned the project.

Disney, however, is prepared to move forward. With their animated series Rebels soon wrapping up, they're looking to the future. Rumor has it that they've secured licensing for Star Wars: Resistance as they seek to develop another animated series. And thanks to shows like Game of Thrones and Star Trek: Discovery, epic Sci-Fi is much more feasible for TV which has led to the rumor that they're looking into a live-action series as well.

I haven't watched any of the TV series, though I am somewhat familiar with the concepts. The Clone Wars covers the namesake conflict that took place between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith while Rebels covers the start of the Rebellion and leads up to the events of Rogue One, the first spin-off movie. It's easy to assume that Resistance will either lead up to the events of The Force Awakens or fill in the gap between The Last Jedi and the untitled Episode IX film. While I'm sure I'll end up watching all of these at some point as my kids get into Star Wars, there's one series that would definitely catch my attention; one that follows Luke, Han and Leia in the yeard between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.

I'm torn on whether such a series should be live-action or animated. Obviously, live-action would require recasting these iconic characters which is an acceptable possibility. But perhaps animated would be the way to go since whoever is cast will be forever compared to Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher. (The actor already cast as a young Han Solo for the spin-off Solo has pretty big shoes to fill.) It's doable but if one is miscast, you're stuck with them for an entire TV series, not just one two-hour movie. The Clone Wars already used different voice actors for Obi-Wan and Anakin, however, Mark Hamill is a proficient voice actor (see the 90s animated Batman series for his wonderful Joker) which means he could timelessly portray Luke Skywalker through voice.

Regardless of casting and if it's live or animated, the storytelling potential is vast. There's 30-plus years between the two trilogies with very few questions having been answered to fill in that gap. Not only would the fall of the Empire and rise of the New Republic be rich for potential, but we would also get to see Luke Skywalker at the height of his Jedi Knighthood training a new generation of Jedi. The relationship (and possible marriage?) of Han and Leia could be developed, and the fate of Lando revealed.

Those fans upset that decades worth of novels and comics were "erased" from cannon could be satisfied if some aspects of those books find their way into a new series. Grand Admiral Thrawn from Timothy Zahn's 90s book series that rejuvenated Star Wars has already been brought into Rebels, so there's no reason they can't harvest those books for story points or characters. If so desired, they could go as far as adapting some of what has been deemed the Legends material. Eventually, though, things can start to move towards The Force Awakens by chronicling the rise of the First Order, Supreme Leader Snoke and, of course, the tragic failing of Luke Skywalker that led to the fall of Ben Solo.

Who knows what Disney has planned and while they're slowly churning out novels that follow the aftermath of Return of the Jedi, I think those missing years would best be served on screen. Fans haven't had their fill yet of Luke, Han and Leia and most likely would like to see more of their adventures.

I, for one, would likely tune in.

Of Course the NRA Backs Arming Teachers

Following the recent tragedy in Parkland, Florida, the National Rifle Association and President Trump have tried to shift away from the wonderful job high schoolers have done if advocating for gun control onto arming teachers. While some of Trump's proposals (raising age limits on assault weapons, banning bump stocks) are reasonable, even if they don't go far enough to address our national gun violence problem, his idea of arming twenty percent of teachers is ridiculous.

Never mind that they don't want to do it, but that would require training and arming more than one million private and public school teachers around the country. That is a number larger than our armed infantry in the Army.

Of course, it's the one proposal the NRA backs. And why wouldn't they? That's over one million additional guns to be sold by their gun company sponsors, as well as whatever money would be made from gun ranges since teachers would likely have to maintain their training.

Raising the minimum age for assault rifle sales and banning bump stocks will hit the pockets of gun companies and the NRA. Meanwhile, they'll hit payday gold if one million guns are sold to teachers.

So it only makes sense that they'd back this ridiculous proposal that puts more guns into our schools and feet away from our students. Why? The NRA will get rich from it!

It's all about the money.

My Star Wars: The Last Jedi Theories

89Two years ago, I made six predictions for the new Star Wars trilogy produced by Disney and Lucasfilms. With Episode VIII, The Last Jedi coming out this weekend, I thought it was time to revisit those old theories and add a few new ones. I'm planning on posting long-overdue reviews for The Force Awakens and Rogue One in the next few days (additionally, Star Trek Beyond by the end of the year), but first things first.

Let's revisit my old predictions (BEWARE SPOILERS)

1. Han Solo dies. Add a big check to that one. Though you could see it coming (and at the hands of Kylo Ren), it was still heart-wrenching, especially powered by Harrison Ford's performance and the beautifully done last moment where Han touches his son's face before dying.

2. Luke is hiding from Kylo Ren. This is partially right in that Luke is hiding, but whether it's like Yoda and Obi-Wan waiting until the right time is up for debate. Luke's motives for disappearing are still unknown and will likely be revealed in The Last Jedi.

3. Kylo Ren was Luke's apprentice who fell to the Dark Side. Pretty much a no-brainer.

4. Rey is Han and Leia's daughter who was hidden away to protect from Kylo Ren. This is most likely false, at least Rey being Han and Leia's daughter. While The Last Jedi is likely to reveal Rey's parentage, that's not meant to shape her background as much as why she was hidden away.

5. Finn is Lando's son. With Billy Dee-Williams nowhere in sight for the sequels, this is probably false.

6. Kylo Ren is Han and Leia's son. I had predicted this to be "the whopper" that would be revealed in Episode VIII. I was only half right as it was revealed halfway through The Force Awakens and it was better for it; it added emotional depth to the movie as well as gave Han a well-realized character arc.

Overall, my predictions weren't too far off the mark, with only Number 5 being way off kilter. Unless, of course, something is revealed in the next two films which I'm not expecting to see at this point. Without the inclusion of Billy Dee Williams and Han Solo now killed off, Finn being a Calrissian would be nothing more than fan service and would add nothing emotionally to the overall picture.

So now, comes time for my predictions for The Last Jedi. I'm making these based on things that I've read in interviews and bits and pieces of the movie taken from the trailers.

1. Luke is in self-imposed exile and doesn't want to be found. In The Force Awakens, Han tells Rey and Finn that following Kylo Ren's betrayal and the destruction of his New Jedi Order, Luke walked away from everything and went searching for the First Jedi Temple. Leia also says that she feels foolish for thinking she could convince Luke to come back. This suggests that Luke isn't waiting to be found my the next generation of Jedi, but instead has turned his back on everything and everyone.

2. Luke has abandoned the ways of the Jedi. In the first trailer, Luke says that he's learned one thing; "The Jedi must end." This is pretty big. If Luke did find the First Jedi Temple, it seems that he must have learned something there for him to come to this conclusion. That doesn't mean Luke has fallen to the Dark Side, though.

3. Rey is a Skywalker. It's been long-established that the main Star Wars saga is the stoty of the Skywalker family. With Rey being the main heorine of the new trilogy, it's logical to assume that she's a Skywalker. Han's attitude towards Rey shifts when he learns her name in The Force Awakens and Maz says that Anakin's lightsaber is calling to her, supporting the theory that Rey is likely Luke's daughter.

4. The Resistance is defeated. One of the rumored titles for Episode VIII was The Fall of the Resistance. While this may have simply been a red herring, it's entirely possible that the climactic battle glimpsed in the trailers will see the Resistance delievered such a devastating blow that it will collapse. This will definitely put our heroes in quite a quandrary at the start of Episode IX.

5. Rey destroyed the Jedi Temple. One interesting thing to note about the glimpses we've gotten in both TheForce Awakens and trailers for The Last Jedi is that the scenes depicting the fall of the Jedi and the destruction of the temple take place at different times. When Kylo Ren and the Knights of Ren stand over the bodies of Luke's New Jedi Order, it's raining. But when Luke looks upon the burning ruins of the Jedi Temple, it's not. This suggests that these two events could be independent of one another.

In The Force Awakens, Rey is revealed to be very strong in the Force, especially for someone who hasn't received any training....that we know of. In The Last Jedi trailer, both Luke and Snoke speak of "raw power". It's possible that they are both speaking of Rey. We still don't know why Rey was hidden, though it could be to hide her from Kylo Ren and Snoke. However, it's possoble that she may have been hidden to protect everyone else. Luke says he wasn't scared of this raw power the last time he saw it, but he is now. Perhaps he hid Rey because he wasn't sure he could teach her how to control it? Perhaps he was worried that this uncontrollable power could turn to darkness?

6. Kylo Ren isn't totally loyal to Snoke. One thing that makes Kylo Ren interesting is that he's struggling with being tempted by the Light Side of the Force. Killing Han Solo was supposed to seal his fall to darkness, but Han's final warning to Kylo that Snoke wants him for his powers could resonate with the younger Solo. His struggle with both Light and Dark will likely continue, with Kylo possibly considering betraying Snoke.

7. Finn is captured by the First Order and sent away for "re-education". All these movies "rhyme" with each other, as George Lucas likes to put it. Anakin blows up the Trade Federation in The Phantom Menace just as Luke blows up the Death Star in Star Wars (aka A New Hope); Anakin loses his arm, Luke is hand. So if anything will rhyme between The Empire Strikes Back and The Last Jedi, it'll be Finn being captured by the First Order in the third act, setting up his rescue in Episode IX. The twist will be that the First Order will try to brainwash him and make him one of theirs again.

8. Luke dies to save Rey. This is a tough one for me. I grew up playing Luke Skywalker, pretending that my glue stick was my lightsaber. I would love to see Luke survive to Episode IX and walk off into the sunset following the new generation's final victory. However, I don't see that being possible. Before her untimely death, Carrie Fisher was to be the focus of Episode IX, just as Han was in Thr Force Awakens and Luke in The Last Jedi. A big reason JJ Abrams didn't have Luke appear in The Force Awakens was because every time they brought Luke into the picture, he took over the film. That would happen again in Episode IX. The only solution is to kill him.

It's obvious from the trailers that Rey finds herself in quite the predicament while confronting Snoke. One of the interesting tidbits I've read about Snoke's possible background is that he feeds off of Force users. While this isn't confirmed, I could see an interesting outcome in The Last Jedi. Rey isn't going to defeat Snoke but she will probably escape. But at what cost? I predict Luke will give sacrifice himseld to Snoke, allowing Rey to escape. In the process however, Snoke drains Luke of his Force using abilities.

The Last Jedi premieres this weekend. I guess we'll see what happens.

A Letter to the President

Dear Mr. President,

Since we're now able to politicize yesterday's horrible tragedy in New York City, can we now discuss new gun laws in the aftermath of Las Vegas?

Thank you

The 2016 Election's Big Winner Is...

Some unforeseen disaster (think Florida, circa 2000) some time in the next 36 hours we should know who the next President of the United States is going to be. But whoever surpasses the 270 electoral votes needed to be elected, whether it be Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, won't necessarily be the big winner of this election season. In my opinion, the person who has benefited the most from this election and its ensuing aftermath is Vladamir Putin.

You read that right; Russian President Vladamir Putin is the biggest winner in this year's election. Why? Because regardless of who wins, the United States will never be the same again.

If Donald Trump manages to pull out a win (unlikely and absolutely terrifying to consider), Putin will most likely have himself his own little puppet in the Oval Office. Trump not only lauds Putin as a "great leader" because of how strong he is in his country (ignoring the fact that he rules with an iron fist), he frequently seems to take up Russia's positions. He has voiced doubt as to whether or not Russia has gone into Crimea (they have), denied that they are responsible for hacking the Democratic National Committee or had any part in the WikiLeaks hacked e-mails, and said that our NATO allies must pay their "fair share" in order to earn our military assistance.

Those positions seem to tout the Kremlin's propaganda, not to mention the numerous ties that have been suspected to exist between Trump, his associates and the Russians that imply a relationship between the two that has been kept secret. Little has been proven, mostly due to the fact that the FBI seems to be filled with pro-Trump supporters, so what their credibility must be questioned at this point.

Regardless of any ties that do or do not exist between Trump and Russia, one thing seems for certain, Trump seems to be in lock-step with Russia and its President at the expense of the United States and its allies. So if Trump wins, Putin could possibly have free reign to do whatever he wishes without worry of the United States.

If Hillary Clinton wins, Putin won't have the sway or freedom he would like with Trump, but he will win in another big way. For over 200 years, the United States has been a shining light of democracy for the world. One of our country's biggest areas of pride is that every four to eight years who have a peaceful transition of power from one President to the next, regardless of political party. It has recently been touted by President Bill Clinton that President George H.W. Bush left him a note when he was inaugurated letting him know that, despite their different political party affiliations, he was routing for his successor because his success would be the country's success. For the elder Bush, the country succeeding was much more important than Clinton being defeated by Republicans. This is an incredible example of how wonderful our democracy is.

Until Donald Trump entered the picture and is threatening to tear everything down. From calling Hillary Clinton a criminal who should be locked up, to calling the system rigged and that the election will be stolen from him, Donald Trump threatens the very fabric of our democracy. Though a concession from one candidate isn't required for our constitutional process to work, it's a sign of respect that the likes of Al Gore, John Kerry, John McCain and Mitt Romney have all exercised even though the outcome was not in their favor. Trump not only has not shown any interest in making a graceful concession, but it is also not inconceivable for him to try to legally challenge the outcome of the election if it's close, thus calling the eventual outcome into question.

Even if Trump does gracefully concede, he has instilled so much anger, hatred and doubts in his supporters that many have already said they will not accept the results if Hillary Clinton wins. Some have called for a revolution, others have said they will march on D.C. and prevent her from entering the White House, and others have implied acts of violence. This would completely throw the fabric of our democracy into chaos, damaging and causing widespread doubt into the outcome for election cycles to come.

The United States will be weakened, plunged into internal turmoil not seen since the Civil War and a President with little to no political capital. No longer will the United States be a shining example of how democracy can work and will risk teetering on the edge of becoming no different than third world countries who constantly protest election outcomes that the electorate views as rigged.

The big winner? Vladamir Putin.

So no matter who becomes our next President, the biggest winner this election season is Vladamir Putin.

Ted Cruz's Latest Calculation

Ted Cruz is one of the most talented politicians I've ever seen.

I don't mean that in a good way. He's calculating and manipulative, every action and every word thought out carefully. If you want a couple examples, look at his handling of immigration reform and the way he used a government shutdown to boost his own profile amongst the Republican electorate, even at the expense of his own party.

His handling of the 2016 Primary Season is superb. He went from a being a long shot candidate to the Republican Party's last hope to keep Donald Trump from the nomination. All this was thanks to a strategy that he stuck to from the beginning of his campaign in April 2015. Had it not been for the Trump juggernaut that steamrolled over the entire field, we likely would be calling Cruz the presumptive nominee.

In fact, we may still.

That may be surprising to say since he suspended his campaign last week. But follow my thinking for a moment.

Ted Cruz is not someone who acts on a whim. He isn't reckless. He's calculating and measured. Every act, every position is thought out and purposeful. Following his surprise victory in Wisconsin, he had hoped to regain moment to overtake Trump and deny him the nomination. But he suffered in the northeastern states, failing to crack second place in five of the six states. In the lead up to Indiana, it was believed that if something didn't change, Cruz was fighting a lost cause.

Thus, came Cruz's one act of desperation; the unusual naming of a vice-presidential nominee. From the get go it was viewed as illogical and desperate. Ultimately, it only sank him in Indiana. So, as he lost in a landslide, he announced he was suspending his campaign.

Since then, little has been heard from Ted Cruz. Until today, when in an interview with Glenn Beck he said he would consider returning to the campaign trail if he won an "unlikely" victory in Nebraska, a state where not only he is not only still on the ballot but was also projected to win before he dropped out.

So why the sudden change of heart?

Perhaps because Donald Trump has failed to unite his party behind him. Perhaps because General Election Trump isn't too different from Primary Trump, who isn't very popular with the general electorate. The nominee the Republicans got hasn't done much to ease their fears or anxieties. In fact, he seems to have increased them with statements that show a lack of understanding about the way the country's debt works, or that he's not too concerned about party unity.

The Republican Party has had a week to see what Nominee Trump looks like and they're not too thrilled.

And thus, perhaps this was Ted Cruz's greatest calculation of all; showing the party what they got and scaring them so that he could reemerge as the party's savior. It was only after Cruz withdrew where he got what he finally wanted; John Kasich stopped his campaign. If Cruz reenters the race, it will just be him and Trump, which he had wanted for months. A victory in Nebraska  (though already expected) will help change the media's narrative that Trump has the nomination and give Cruz reason to get back into the race.

He could point to Trump's statements as reason why he should not be their nominee. This could result in remaining voters flocking to him, keeping Trump from getting the nomination and throw the convention into contention.

Of course, it could backfire and only reinforce Trump's branding of him as Lyin' Ted, that he's untrustworthy and calculating, willing to say or do whatever is necessary to become President. It's a very accurate picture.

But it's also what could give Cruz the nomination out from under Donald Trump's feet.

I guess we'll see over the next few days.

A Letter to the GOP

Dear Republican Party,

As some of your presidential candidates have noted, this is a time for choosing. A new era of American politics is upon us. After eight years of hyper-partisanship and divisiveness, our country is now at a crossroads where their people must choose where we go next. But no longer is this a choice between ideological extremes, the liberal left versus the conservative right; it has now become a battle for the soul of the United States of America.

During a great time of political divisiveness, the moderates of both political parties could no longer hold of powerful challenges from the extreme left and right fringes of the political spectrum. As his country struggled to recover from dark economic times, one man touted a message that targeted those most affected by the economic downturn and who were afraid of losing their cultural identity. This man sought to oppress any who disagreed with him, encouraging discrimination and violence against members of a minority religion. As his power and influence grew, he demanded that his supporters pledge an oath of allegiance not to his party or his country, but to him.

The man of whom I speak I'd Adolf Hitler.

However, the similarities to one Donald J. Trump are quite striking. Though they aren't exactly the same, there are enough parallels between the rise of power of these two men to be alarming. We all know what happened with Hitler and how the course of history changed. The question is, have we learned from that history?

I am an Independent. Since I first voted for President in 2004, I have approached every election with an open mind, willing to give every candidate serious consideration regardless of their party. That's what being an Independent is about. There are issues on which I agree with Republicans and issues on which I agree with Democrats. I am a free-thinking man who will make up his own mind and not be told by others what my positions should be. That's what it means to live in America.

I am increasingly alarmed by what I have seen over the course of this 2016 election season. I'm extremely anxious about what the future for my family and myself holds. A lot of that anxiety comes from what I see going on in the Republican Presidential Primaries. A party that prides itself on continuing the legacy of Ronald Reagan has seen it's rhetoric devolve into talk of paranioa, name calling, insults about physical appearance and even jokes about the size of candidates' genitals. The result? Violence erupting st campaign rallies where the front-runner for the Republican nomination encourages those who protest against him be beaten. A front-runner who praises the President of Russia for how he runs his country, despite rumors that he has political opponents killed.

Is this the sort of man who should be in the White House with control of our nuclear arsenal? If Vladimir Putin is the kind of President who Trump admires, does that mean he will rule with a similar approach if elected? These are questions we must seriously ask. If Donald Trump makes up his own rules on the campaign trail, will he do so in the White House? Will this mean the end of our Democracy?

I ask this because it's time for the Republican Party to choose. It's increasingly clear that Trump will be the nominee. So the GOP must ask themselves what's more important; winning or preserving the Republic? Because a Trump presidency could possibly lead to the destruction of not just the Republican Party and everything for which they stand, but for our country as well.

For the last eight years, the Republican Party has done everything they can to obstruct President Obama's agenda, including opposing ideas that originally belonged to Republicans. Their goal in 2009 was to ensure that Barack Obama was a one term President. They have shown that they are more interested in winning than working with Democrats to make things better for our country. But in 2012, they failed to unseat a vulnerable President because they weren't able to present a vision for the future. They argued why Obama should be defeated instead of why they should be elected.

In 2016, our government is consumed by gridlock. Very little is accomplished by Congress and neither side is willing to work with the other. As a result, people are angry and justly so. However, that anger is being exploited. Instead of being encouraged to channel that anger, they're being encouraged to lash out and some times violently. If left unchecked, there's no telling how far this anger and paranoia will go.

And there's no telling if it will even subside if President Trump assumes power. It's a scary thought to have a President who openly tells his supports to beat up protesters who seek to use their First Ammendment right to voice their own feelings. And there's no telling what else President Trump would do. Republicans think that they can keep Trump in control. But I don't think so. If there's one thing Donald Trump has proven, it's that he answers to no one. And in our system of government, that doesn't work. Our President is constrained by the rule of law and is not above it. Will Trump understand this?

The reason the GOP won't distance themselves from Trump or take a stand against him is because they're afraid of losing. They're afraid he'll ditch the party for a third-party run and cost them.the White House. This shows that they are more concerned with winning then what's best for the country. Trump touts a message of hate and divisiveness, prejudice and discrimination, and aggression and violence.

Which is why the Republican Party may have to give up on winning in 2016. That may be a difficult thing for a party who has been out of power for eight years to accept. But if Trump wins, will they really be in power?

The way I see it, the Republican Party has three options.

1. Do what it can to prevent Trump from winning the party's nomination, sending it to a brokered convention that nominates someone else. This will likely lead to alot of ugliness that will throw the party into further disarray and weaken it in the general election. An infuriated Trump is likely to launch a third party bid, with many of his most passionate supporters following him and abandoning the Republican nominee who will be seen as having stolen the nomination.

Though the party will support their candidate, the election is likely a lost cause as the Republican vote will be divided. The best strategy is for as much mone as possible to be thrown into supporting Congressional candidates and defending their majorities in Congress.

In a three-way general election, a best case scenario sees none of the three major candidates attaining 270 electoral votes, sending the outcome to the House of Representatives. If Republicans hold their majority, they will win the White House, though in controversial fashion. The party will be splintered, but will gradually regroup around a Republican President.

Worst case scenario, Hillary Clinton wins and the GOP is fractured, but can rebuild towards 2020 and hope to win the White House then.

2. If Trump becomes the nominee, allow him to continue to self-finance his campaign. Don't officially oppose his candidacy, but throw all support towards defending their Congressional majorities. The hope is that Trump will be defeated in November. The GOP can distance themselves from his policies and positions and hope to rebuild towards winning the White House in 2020. If he wins, the outcome will be similar to Point 3.

3. Throw all support behind Trump with the clear goal of winning. If he wins, however, they will forever be tied to whatever legacy Trump builds as President, whether it be good or bad. If it's good, everyone will be pleasantly surprised. If it's bad however, the Republican Party will collapse and likely be ousted from party for many years to come. In addition, they will have to deal with whatever other consequences come from a Donald J. Trump presidency.

It's a time of choosing for the Republican Party. For almost eight years, they've had the clear goal of simply winning back the White House, no matter what the costs. Now, achieving that goal may come at too high a price. This is the time where Republicans will show that they place winning over the well-being of their country, or place their country over winning.

Only time will tell what choice they will make. Unfortunately, I have serious doubts about whether they will make the right one.

Star Trek and Batman Meet on Their 50th Anniversary

While it's probably widely known that 2016 marks the 50th Anniversary of Star Trek, I think it's less likely known that it is also the 50th Anniversary of the 1960s Batman TV series starring Adam West! While cheesy and often far-fetched and over-the-top, it is nevertheless entertaining and funny.


To celebrate these two shows, I thought I would share a video that I recently found on a Star Trek site. Live Long and Prosper and then make a discrete exit out the window!

Star Trek Beyond

Well, J.J. Abrams's Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the seventh episode in George Lucas's popular franchise and the first in a new trilogy of films is just a few days away from hitting theaters. Reviews will start spilling through the Internet Wednesday, so those of you weary of any spoilers be careful of what you read not only in reviews but anywhere on the Internet!

In the meantime, however, the countdown has begun for the return of another popular Sci-Fi franchise: Star Trek. 2016 marks Star Trek's 50th Anniversary and Paramount (despite plenty of behind-the-scenes drama) have managed to pull things together in time. The first trailer is set to be attached to The Force Awakens (most appropriate) but it's already found its way onto the Internet.

My upcoming Force Awakens review likely be my last Star Wars-related post for the foreseeable future as I shift gears from one of my favorite franchises into my other favorite franchise. Yes, those who prefer one over the other, it is possible to love both Star Trek and Star Wars! My family is evidence enough of that!

So here it is, our first glimpse at the newest Star Trek move due out late-July 2016!

While this trailer is likely to divide a very finicky fandom, I must fancy myself impressed. There's something I find irresistible about this trailer. The look and feel strikes me as being very much akin to the original series and it just looks like it'll be wacky and fun! Plus, there just seems something refreshing about the thought of the Enterprise being destroyed and the crew being stranded, forced to improvise and resort to their basic skills for survival. I like that since it forces the crew to be themselves and not rely upon their technology.

I guess we'll see in July.

Let the countdown begin!