The Rhode Island Science Fiction Club For fans of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. - Cool Stuff

Be A Starfleet Academy Graduate!

Thu, 17 May 2012 18:35:40 -0800

Now you can own a personalized Starfleet Academy Diploma to show off to your family and friends! The diploma itself is available for $9.99, or you can buy the framed version for $22.99. Personally, I'd buy the less expensive one, pay a visit to the local craft store, and get your own frame. Just don't expect this diploma to get you a real job, and good luck if you graduate with a red shirt. You can find these Star Trek goodies and more at www.startrek.com

‘Doctor Who’: Ten of the Doctor’s Most Memorable Catchphrases

Wed, 02 May 2012 07:55:39 -0800

Source: Fraser McAlpine Originally posted on Thursday, April 19th, 2012

First Doctor: “Mm? What’s that, my boy?”
A trick often used by wily senior citizens when they need a second to gather their thoughts, or just to ignore the fooling thing someone has just said. The First Doctor never skimped on being brash or rude when he could help it, so possibly he really was a little hard of hearing, or slow to work out what to do. Either way, his need to slow a conversation down, or obfuscate an awkward line of inquiry, stood him in good stead, and served to reinforce the misleading idea that he was just a doddering old gipper, before he delivered the coup de grace.

Second Doctor: “When I say run, run. (pause) RUN!”
Never the most confrontational or macho of Doctors, unless faced with interior decor that was not to his liking, the Second Doctor had a knack for skipping out the way of trouble, and ensuring his companions were safe as he did so. It’s a tactic which all of the Doctors have utilized over the years, but never quite as flamboyantly.

Third Doctor: “Reverse the polarity of the neutron flow.”
This isn’t just a catchphrase for the Third Doctor, but became an in-joke for the show itself, between the script-writers and the audience. Ironically, it was only spoken by the Third Doctor twice, once during his ‘lifetime’ and once again during The Five Doctors, with a certain amount of pregnant giggling. However, it also speaks volumes about the Third Doctor’s loftiness that he would have a sentence of scientific psychobabble ready to go, just to confuse and impress anyone within earshot.

Fourth Doctor: “Would you care for a jelly baby?”
You may be able to detect a theme developing now. Each of these catchphrases is used by their respective Doctors to keep people at arm’s length (literally, in the case of the Second Doctor) while they try to figure out what to do next. And there’s nothing wrong with confusing people with irrelevance and charm while you work out what’s going on. It’s the Doctor’s primary weapon in the battle against the obvious, and if you remember the Fish Custard episode, you’ll realize it’s one he uses all the time.

Fifth Doctor: “Brave heart, Tegan.”
Being an altogether more human sort of Time Lord than any of his previous selves, the Fifth Doctor is not overly weighed down with memorable catchphrases. Behavioral tics, yes: the celery on his lapel, the glasses he doesn’t need, the fetish for cricket – but not catchphrases. This, however, is a nice thing he says to Tegan to keep her spirits up, because he’s a nice man.

Sixth Doctor: “Mmm I wonder…Aha!”
And there we have the Sixth Doctor in a nutshell. Curious, engaged, and keen to show off his superior knowledge to anyone who will listen. And I’m only including this because the catchphrase of everyone who ever laid eyes on him ever (“OW MY POOR INJURED FASHION SENSE!”) was only ever said internally.

Seventh Doctor: “Somewhere there’s danger, somewhere there’s injustice, somewhere else, the tea’s getting cold.”
The Seventh Doctor would routinely answer any query as to his health with a biffed back claim to be “fine,” which might count as a catchphrase were it not what most British people do at all times, even when dying. Of more interest (although only said once) is this handy mission statement. High drama, inflamed passions, and everyday nonsense all rolled into one. How very Doctorian.

PAUSE FOR EIGHTH DOCTOR, WHO BARELY HAS TIME TO SAY ANYTHING, MUCH LESS DEVELOP A CATCHPHRASE

PAUSE ENDS

Ninth Doctor: “Fantastic!”
Never far from the lips of the hardest-bitten Doctor, the one who carried the traumas of his recent past on his face, and tried really hard not to. Although if you had to pick one single line which defines the Ninth Doctor’s surly brand of positivity it would be his protest at Rose’s impudent question as to how he is a spaceman if he talks like he is from the north of England: “lots of planets have a north!”

See that? Not ALL planets, just lots of them. There speaks the voice of experience.

Tenth Doctor: “|’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Look, I wanted “allons-y” as much as everyone else, and it would’ve definitely won if this was just about memorable phrases that stick in the mind. But there’s something about the way the Tenth Doctor delivered his trademark bad news line. Every time it was as freshly-minted as if it was the first time he’d ever said it, and every time you realized that he must have said it hundreds upon of hundreds of times before.

Eleventh Doctor: “Bow ties are cool.”
Always delivered with a certain wounded pride, usually to a skeptical audience of either River or Amy. It was occasionally stretched to include fezzes, but basically this is the catchphrase of a man who knows his own mind, but worries slightly that he’s out of step with everyone else. Then decides that’s the way things ought to be after all. A moment of characteristic pretend-doubt from one of the more rock-solid Doctors.

Iron Sky Official Movie Trailer

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 15:11:26 -0800

Since there's no release date yet in the U.S, we haven't talked about this movie on our cable tv show, 'Sci Fi Journal', but it looks like a great film. Here's the official description from their website, www.ironsky.net:

Iron Sky is a dark science fiction comedy directed by Timo Vuorensola and will feature musical score composed by Laibach. The film is produced by Blind Spot Pictures and Energia Productions in Finland, and co-produced by 27 Films in Germany and New Holland Pictures in Australia. Principal photography took place in Germany in November-December 2010 and in Australia in January-February 2011.

Iron Sky premieres at the Berlin International Film Festival in February and opens in theaters in April 2012 with Finland opening on 4th of April and Germany on the 5th of April. Other countries will follow soon after.

Vox Lumiere's 'Metropolis' Presented April 25, 2012 at R.I. College

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 16:30:03 -0800

Fritz Lang's 1927 classic SF film 'Metropolis' gets a rock music makeover by Vox Lumiere.

Vox Lumiere is an assemble of singers, dancers, and musicians based in Los Angeles, who present rock music and a light show, along with scenes from the silent film. Think of it as rock opera with a sci fi twist. The Rhode Island College Chamber Singers, under the direction of Teresa Coffman, will also be part of the performance.

Tickets for Vox Lumiere are $35. Discounts are available for seniors, children, and RIC students and alumni. You can purchase tickets in advance by going to their website:
www.ric.edu/pfa

Discovery's Final Journey

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:20:58 -0800

The world's most traveled spaceship took its last flight on Tuesday, April 17, 2012. Riding on the back of a 747 jet, Discovery traveled from Cape Canaveral, Fla., to Chantilly, Va. The space shuttle will be installed this week in its new home — the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum annex near Dulles in Northern Virginia.

The shuttle has been a part of some memorable moments since making its debut in 1984 following shuttles Columbia and Challenger.

It dispatched the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990, flew the first shuttle rendezvous to Russia's Mir space station and carried the first female shuttle pilot in 1995. John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, got a second ride into space aboard Discovery in 1998.

Discovery got NASA flying again, in 1988 and 2005, following the Challenger and Columbia disasters. And it flew 13 times to the space station, more than any other craft. On its last trip last year, it delivered a new storage compartment packed with supplies and a humanoid robot.

The oldest surviving shuttle, Discovery holds the all-time record with 39 missions, 148 million miles, 5,830 orbits of Earth, and 365 days spent in space. All that was achieved in under 27 years.

Source: Associated Press

The Unstoppable Gorg Game Trailer

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 08:22:25 -0800

Space: 2099 Announced

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:14:56 -0800

ITV Studios America and HDFILMS has announced plans for a re-imagining of Gerry Anderson's series Space:1999. The project is still being developed and has yet to be shopped to studios.

The original series ran for two seasons during the 1970's, and featured the crew of Moonbase Alpha dealing with the Moon leaving Earth's orbit, following an explosion of fissionable material on its surface.

Many fans of the show agree that the first season was much better than the second. Still, we'll keep you informed of any updates for this project. You can follow fans of Space:199

Like Board Games & Zombies? Try ZPocalypse!

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 12:40:30 -0800

Zpocalypse is the newest edition to zombie-themed board games. Produced by Greenbrier Games, here's a bit of their official game description:

"Zpocalypse is a survival board game set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Two to four players start in a basement/fallout shelter which can lead out to several base locations or even through the tunnels to sewer grates throughout the transformable board. Their survivors are trying to make it day to day in a world torn apart from the walking dead.

The game combines combat, resource collecting, character development, team play, and strategy towards the goal of surviving in the Zpocalypse!"

The game had quite a following at this year's Templecon 2012. For more information, check out their website: http://www.greenbriergames.com/zPocalypse/

Interactive Fun at 5-Wits

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:16:34 -0800

Football season may be over, but there's plenty for SF fans to do at 5-Wits, an interactive experience located at Patriots Place, in Foxboro, MA.

Gather a few of your friends, and pick from two scenarios. First, there's 'Espionage', which challenges you to go head to head with the notorious 'CABAL' Corporation. You'll solve puzzles, hack computer systems, dodge lasers, and crack safes. Every mistake you make changes the outcome.

Then there's '20,000 Leagues', where you journey into Captain Nemo's submarine, the Nautilus, to rework engines, solve puzzles, and solve Captain Nemo's last experiment.

Admission to 5-Wits is $20 per person, and group rates are available. Hey, instead of just sitting on the couch playing video games, why not actually BE in one!

You can find more information on their website: www.5-wits.com

In Memorium: Dick Tufeld

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:20:06 -0800

Source: Scoop Magazine
One of the most recognizable voices in science fiction television, Dick Tufeld, passed away this week.

Tufeld provided the voice for Mr. Bubble commercials, as well as on shows such as The Time Tunnel and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (both from Lost in Space producer Irwin Allen), among many others, but he was best known for the robot saying, “Danger, Will Robinson! Danger!” and other phrases, some of them lovably silly.

While a number of cast members from the series made cameos in the 1998 feature film version of Lost in Space, he was the only to reprise his role.