It’s time for another fun filled Seriously Geeky Sunday! I know I’ve been sporadic lately–you can blame Pandemic Brain for that one. I’m ever so slowly getting myself back up to pre-covid creativity levels. I painted a mural in my bathroom last weekend, and let me just say that it was a much needed reprieve from everything.
And now for today’s theme, which is near and dear to my heart: Science Fiction. I’ve been into the genre for as long as I can remember. I’ll be focusing on six shows that I don’t normally spotlight on here, including my current obsession.
Let’s dive in!
23rd – Six on a Sunday: Science Fiction
Starting new this year one week a month will just have a theme and no questions. It’s in the spirit of memes that are no longer active and to give us all a relaxing week once a month. The theme can be answered anyway you wish and there is no right or wrong answer. If the subject was ‘science fiction movies’ you could discuss your favourites or the upcoming movies you’re looking forward to. As long as there are six of them you’re good!
The Expanse – MCRN
First up is my current obsession, The Expanse: more specifically Mars and the MCRN. If you haven’t watched this show yet, you are missing out. It throws you right into the action as you follow Holden and crew throughout their adventures. I remember I became obsessed with the MCRN (Martian Congressional Republic Navy) the first time one of their ships appeared (The Donnager).
I love their authoritative, militaristic society (what can I say; I like that sort of thing in fiction). I cannot wait to see more of the splinter group headed by Sauveterre in Season 6 (Before I get ahead of myself, I just want to note that I haven’t read the books yet). I I know that there is an epic MCRN villain named Duarte, whom I’m looking forward to seeing.
The Mandalorian
I loved this show. Everything about it captivated me, the music, costumes, the characters, and the simplicity of it. I kept calling it “The Witcher in space” because it follows a similar adventure/quest of the week format. That format is refreshing in today’s era of many complicated plot lines involving dozens of characters, some of whom forgotten and never resolved.
Altered Carbon
It only ran two seasons, but it’s one of those little known shows on Netflix that is uniquely different. It had its own niche cyberpunk charm. I highly recommend it!
Synopsis From Netflix:
More than 300 years in the future, society has been transformed by new technology, leading to human bodies being interchangeable and death no longer being permanent. Takeshi Kovacs is the only surviving soldier of a group of elite interstellar warriors who were defeated in an uprising against the new world order. His mind was imprisoned for centuries until impossibly wealthy businessman Laurens Bancroft offers him the chance to live again. Kovacs will have to do something for Bancroft, though, if he wants to be resurrected. Bancroft’s request of Kovacs is to solve a murder — Bancroft’s. “Altered Carbon” is based on Richard K. Morgan’s cyberpunk noir novel of the same name.
Dark
If you enjoyed The Man in the High Castle and the multiverse within, you’ll enjoy Dark. It weaves in an out of time through alternate realities involving the same small town. A mysterious cave is at the center of it all. Two opposing forces are at work–I won’t drop spoilers because this is a show where everything has a purpose and story.
The Orville
I remember rolling my eyes at the first trailer when it came out ages ago. I thought it would be just another stupid comedy and shove a bunch dumb jokes down our throats with every single awful trope that ever existed–Oh, how wrong I was! I am so thankful I gave it a chance. It’s one of my favorite sci-fi shows in recent years. If you love the 90s era of Star Trek (The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager), you’ll love The Orville .
The comedy is PERFECT! It’s on point and fits into the story (which is rare in television).
Falcon and The Winter Soldier
Out of the three Disney+ shows we watched (WandaVision, The Mandalorian, and Falcon and the Winter Soldier), this one was my favorite. It was the show I cared least about going into Disney+, but ended up being my favorite. It falls under the genre of military sci-fi, which is probably one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much.
It was wonderful to see an actual hero with a kind heart being the lead for once instead of a snarky anti-hero who does horrible things, yet constantly gets free passes.
What they did with Walker was fantastic. I fully expected them to drop the ball and turn him into a one-dimensional prick. He was a troubled soul, but deep down a good person. He cared deeply for Lamar, and was such an interesting character to follow. I’ll stop there in the name of spoilers.
