FIRST CONTACT
You write it. We print it. They read it. It’s the circle of life.
Brian Stabler, GamesRadar+ I wouldn’t mind seeing more Picard, but only if it’s a series set in the Mirror Universe. Who wouldn’t want to see Picard rocking a goatee?
Gavin Alex Harris, Facebook A Picard series, where every episode involves Q dropping Picard into a new unpredictable and embarrassing scenario.
Wendy Brydge, Twitter I personally think Picard was the greatest captain of the entire Star Trek franchise, and wild Tribbles couldn’t keep me away from a new series featuring Jean-Luc – just as long as it’s Sir Patrick Stewart and not a recasting!
Dave1884, Twitter How about a Data and Tasha Yar show where Data shows Tasha how “fully functional” he is? SFX There are websites where you can watch this sort of material for free, Dave. Ron, GamesRadar+ I’d like them to give a new show the BSG treatment: they took something old and cheesy and made it gritty. There were no black and whites: no character was truly evil or truly good; they could all swing from good to bad and vice versa. On Trek they were always tackling interesting topics, but often without being direct enough in their approach for it to have a real impact. BSG never seemed to shy away from showing uncomfortable stuff.
Keith Tudor, email I’d like to see a Star Trek series set aboard a Klingon ship. In true Klingon style, it’d be brutal, and the crew at the end wouldn’t be the same as at the start, as most would have died an honourable death! It’d be interesting to see the Federation through their eyes too, especially with regard to the Prime Directive.
Dean Watt, Facebook An anthology series. Each episode is feature length, so could air in two parts. Set during different eras, with existing characters or new ones. Big stars and directors can be part of Trek without having to commit to long contracts.
Rik Laan, Facebook A Department Of Temporal Investigations show, with the possibility of “Trials And Tribble-ations”-style episodes, so that they could use characters from/footage of any of the shows if they liked. “Time: the final frontier; these are the investigations of...”
Wild Tribbles couldn’t keep me away from a new Picard series
SFX Some great ideas here... though the last thing I want to watch every week is 45 minutes of Klingons talking like they’re hawking up phlegm. Can’t see it ever being greenlit, but an anthology show that spanned the history of the Federation would be great!
Tjas Debeljak, email I’d always liked the idea of watching Star Trek, but with there being 700 episodes across all the series, I didn’t feel like saying goodbye to my family and friends for a year! Then along came Discovery, with its great jumping-on point. I’d love it if any new shows continued this trend of being accessible while still having references for longtime fans. I also hope the rumours about a Starfleet Academy series are true, because it sounds like Hogwarts in space – what more could one ask for?
Ashley Beeching, Facebook Something that carries on the ethos established by Gene Roddenberry wouldn’t go amiss. Less bang and more brain!
Bobby Din, email I think it’s as glaringly obvious as an angry Klingon that the adventures of the Enterprise is what every fan wants to see. So let’s have a new Enterprise with a new crew, and take the story forward from the Next Generation timeline. Star Trek is the adventures of the USS Enterprise and her crew, so please, no pre-pre-prequel or other weird adaptions!
Curtis Johnston, Twitter A return back to what Star Trek was originally. Overcoming adversity, tackling complex social issues, looking at our society through the lens of the future, scientific exploration... JJ Abrams has destroyed Star Trek for me.
Dean Goodwin, Facebook There already is another Star Trek TV series – it’s called The Orville!
Remy LeBeau, Twitter A post-Picard show which reveals that Star Trek: Discovery is a holodeck program. SFX Pffft. Discovery is brilliant. And Dean’s right – if you want the sort of comfort-food Trek show that aired in the ’90s, Seth MacFarlane is doing a bang-on job of producing a simulacra of it. #PIXAR PERFECT
John Rudman, email With DC’s continuing struggles to make a good movie that isn’t Wonder Woman, it was starting to look like Marvel had the monopoly on quality superhero films. Then I saw Incredibles 2, which is every bit the equal of anything the House Of Ideas have put out there – and more laugh-out-loud funny than even Guardians Of The Galaxy and Thor: Ragnarok. Even 14 years after the original, Brad Bird recaptured the magic and added a little more, with a brilliantly topical villain, some inventive action and some amazing new superheroes – I laughed so much at old-timer Reflux that I nearly brought something up myself.
Roland Nader, email With Coco and now The Incredibles 2 it really looks like Pixar is back on form. I think the superhero sequel was worth the wait because, unlike Marvel and DC films, it’s a story that exists purely on the big screen, so there’s none of the baggage and expectation you get with characters lifted from comic panels. The film’s retrofuturism is also a refreshingly optimistic take in a genre of dark and gritty stories, and it feels like a world with plenty more adventures in store for the Parr family. I just hope we don’t have to wait another 14 years for part 3! SFX Y’know, given that Blade Runner 2049 was pretty good too, I’m starting to think that they should always wait at least a decade before making a sequel!
#HAPPY TRAILS
Joni Walker, Twitter I am so ready for Doctor Who! The energy, the pure joy and enthusiasm radiating out in a mere 30-second trailer – I can only imagine what a series’ worth is going to be like!
Karl Sadoune, Twitter The wait’s definitely been worth it, even for just a trailer. It looks so cinematic and epic, yet has all the unchanged elements of Doctor Who. Change is exciting! Jodie’s energy as an actor couldn’t be more fitting for this role. A lot of people will warm to her version of the Doctor. Not just her gender, but owning her Yorkshire accent. She has wit and humour like Matt Smith, and incomparable dramatic skills that will bring the raw emotion and maturity to scenes. I’ve always loved the show and embraced its changes, and to have my favourite actor as an adult (from Broadchurch) playing the Doctor is just a dream.
Liam Faller, Twitter Already love Jodie in the role. The new TARDIS team looks incredibly exciting. This will breathe new life into the show, and Jodie is going to create an iconic Doctor in the process.
Glen Ryan Craig, Facebook I was all up for it till I heard that bloody accent. SFX Oi – nowt wrong with a Yorkshire accent, lad! Can’t help wondering if three companions is overkill, though. And the new sonic looks like it’s been pooed out by K-9. But I’m genuinely excited about the next series in a way I haven’t been for quite some time. Speaking of which…
#IDENTITY CRISIS
Richard Layton, by post I see from your Doctor Who feature (SFX 302) that supporters of the Thirteenth Doctor being
played by a woman are still claiming that the best thing about it is that it provides female viewers with representation in the story. I honestly don’t know what depresses me most: the thought that people are really so onedimensional that they’re unable to identify with a character unless that character looks like them, or that the necessity to identify with a story’s characters to enjoy it is even a thing.
As to whether or not the ratings will survive once the initial novelty has worn off, time will tell – as it always does – but if the series ultimately flops then identity politics of this sort, with its inherently divisive nature, will have to take the blame.
SFX Yes, we can empathise with characters unlike us ( female viewers do so all the time), but wouldn’t you feel a tad disgruntled if, for decades, the overwhelming majority of protagonists had been female? Why is that existing state of affairs never framed as “divisive”? Look, there are legitimate discussions to be had about the wisdom of “identity politics”, but setting all that aside, casting Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor remains A Good Thing. She’s a talented actor, and it provides a fresh approach for a 55-year-old series whose very lifeblood is radical change. That’s exciting, isn’t it?
#LET’S TALK ABOUT SIX Barnaby Neale, email
It is disappointing that you chose to commemorate the Sixth Doctor in issue 302 with an article about a cosplayer’s replica of his coat, with no fewer that two photographs of Steve Ricks, rather than the actor. Paul McGann got an article about the redemptive power of the Big Finish audios, yet it feels like you were struggling to find something to say about Colin Baker’s Doctor.
There’s a lot more to ol’ Sixie than his coat. It’s pretty disrespectful. The umbrella title of the articles was “The 13 Faces Of Doctor Who”, not “12 Faces Of Doctor Who And Some Other Guy Who’s Made A Pretty Neat Replica Coat”. Poor show.
SFX There were no photos of William Hartnell or Jon Pertwee either! That feature was trying to find fresh angles. Colin’s Technicolor coat is widely derided. We thought it was an interesting example of how pretty much every aspect of Doctor Who has someone who loves it.
#WE ALSO HEARD FROM Debra Speer, email
Could we get some more coverage of Netflix’s original movies? Last issue’s review of Tau was belated and brief, and all you said about
Extinction was that it was coming soon. I’d like to know if they’re worth bothering with, in advance!
SFX
We’d love to! Sadly, Netflix often don’t give much notice about these releases, or provide advance screeners. Sorry!
Paul McInnes, Twitter
That new Aquaman poster! The concept had promise, but the execution didn’t even go close to living up to it. Poor scale, proportions, lighting and atmosphere. It looks like cosplay done in front of a large aquarium, but even worse! SFX Yes, it does look a bit fishy. (Sorry.)
Francis Reid, email
The random quotes in the column where you list the staff of the mag have always intrigued me, but the latest took the biscuit. “I tried to self-medicate once with a water pistol”? What the hell was that one about?!
SFX Those are always things people have said in the office. That particular statement was made during a discussion of ear-syringing, by someone who shall remain nameless. And on that bombshell...