Blogga's Wall - 2013 roundup

Here's a summary of what went up on my wall in the latter part of 2013.

1) The World Set Free

One of a collection of Wells' novels donated to me by a friend. I've found a lot of his work to be quite tedious and self-important (Star-begotten being enough to put me off him altogether were it not for having read the masterpiece that is War of the Worlds). This book starts off in the same vein with a lengthy monologue about man's grasp for power, however the books progress into elaborate political alliances collapsing into a global war devastating countries with nuclear weapons and resulting in a global government is an uncannily accurate vision of what became and what could have been which can't be denied.

2) Under the Dome

The series from Stephen Spielberg and Stephen King adapting King's own novel was exciting to watch, with a town suddenly and dramatically (they kept reminding us with the image of a cow split in half by the dome's mighty power at the recap of each episode) cutting them off from the outside world and changing the face of the town. The series was well paced with engaging characters, but I'm waiting to see if the sliffhanger at series 1's end is going to be resolved well in the next installment.

3) Marvel's Agents of SHIELD

I've already posted on this and expect a post in the near future so I won't say anything except it's good!

4) Thor: The Dark World

With a somewhat ambiguous title I wasn't sure about this film but it totally delivered. The Marvel studios blend of engaging action and humour worked again with the relationship between Thor and Loki making for some great moments. The cinematic battle on Asgard as well as the wider conflicts were well realised and Chris Eccleston's Malekith was a believable and menacing villain.

5) Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor

Again a review of this is long overdue so I won't say much other than that this totally delivered too!!

6) The Food of the Gods

Another Wells novel, this time dealing with a discovered substance that produces incredible growth in this who ingest it. As the produce spreads to local wildlife as well as a few humans grown to gigantic proportions the impact on human society is enormous.

7) Chronicle

A very powerful take on the superhuman power story with three friends discovering an alien artifact the gives them tghe ability to move objects with their minds and move themselves through the sky. What begins as an opporunity to have fun soons turns dark as they start to see the full extent of what they can do if no one can stop them.

Star Wars Legacy: Prisoner of the Floating World

So Legacy's back!! The era, set 100 years after the books continues with a new protagonist, Ania Solo, descendant of - well I don't need to tell you that! With Darth Krayt defeated the Sith have gone into hiding, but when Ania comes across a lightsaber hidden among a junkpile she uncovers a new plot to threaten the galaxy.

New Characters - Ania and friends

Ania Solo

Species: Human
Sex: Female
Occupation: Junkyard owner









Ania has carved out a life for herself on the outer rim, far from the famous and central characters of her ancestry. While running her own business and not getting involved in larger galactic life she still has the same Solo spirit, loyasl to her friends with that same knack for winding up in trouble.

Sauk

Species: Mon Calamari
Sex: Male
Occupation: Ice Miner, engineer









A talented engineer, Sauk was made a refugee when Darth Krayt's Sith Empire targeted Mon Calamari and killed all life on the planet. With few options he became an ice miner on Carreras Minor, using his talents to value items from Ania's junkyard when she came to visit

SD
Species: Droid (unidentified type)
Sex: Neutral programming
Occupation: Enforcer








Part of Ania's crew SD was a towering security droid that took care of unruly dealers and protected the junkyard from threats. SD fell foul of the Sith who pursued Ania after she found a lightsaber.

AG-37

Species: Droid (IG-series descendant)
Sex: Male programming
Occupation: Freighter captain








An assassin droid with free will, AG acquired his own ship and, generally, makes his living as a law abiding citizen, transporting goods around the outer rim. He has a strongly developed sense of loyalty to Ania and his friends.


New Imperial Knights

Yalta Val

Species: Human
Sex: Male
Occupation: Imperial Knight








Yalta Val was a senior Imperial Knight sent to the Carreras system to oversee the installation of the new galactic communications network hub in the system, linking the outer rim to the core. Unfortunately he fell foul of a Sith trap and was captured.

Jao Assam
Species: Human
Sex: Male
Occupation: Imperial Knight








A junior Imperial Knight sent to oversee part of the new communications array. When Master Val did not check in he realised something was wrong and went in pursuit of him, battling Darth Wredd with the help of Ania Solo, who helped free Master Val and defeat the Sith, though Jao was seriously injured in the process

New Sith

Unidentified Sith

Species: Unknown
Sex: Male
Occupation: Sith Master








The orchestrator of the plot on Carreras, after defeating Master Val in combat he was betrayed and killed by his apprentice, who continued the plot for his own ends.

Darth Wredd

Species: Human
Sex: Male
Occupation: Sith Apprentice







After suffering under his master's apprenticeship, forced to wear a helmet at all times. Darth Wredd broke free of his master, assassinating him and taking over the plot to sabotage the plans of the Galactic Alliance. He impersonated master Val and overrode the communications array before revealing himself to the galaxy and revealing his plan, to be the only remaining Sith and rule all.

New Vehicles

Nune-class Shuttle variant

 








A smaller, more agile version of the standard Imperial shuttle. It could carry a standard crew and a small contingent of Stormtroopers to a location with speed.

Carreras System Starfighter

A standard snubfighter used by the local government to enforce the law and patrol the system.

Ania Solo's starship

A small, unarmed cargo craft used by Ania to transport herself and any valuable goods around the Outer Rim systems. Capable of flight on planet as well as in space, Ania could pilopt her nimble vessel to avoid the law, ultimately sacrificing her ship to escape Sith pursuit.

IG's freighter

A spacious cargo ship used by AG to transport goods around the system and could comfortable hols smaller ships such as Ania's in its hold. The ship was used extensively in the confilct on Carreras, demonstrating it's droid owner's loyalty to his friends.

Triumvirate starfighter

A new model of starfighter used by members of the Galactic Alliance/Empire/Jedi Triumvirate. One of these models was the personal craft of Imperial Knight Jao Assam.

Carreras Patrol Ship

A powerful mid-size capital ship used by the Shifala government on Carreras to run down and capture enemy ships. This ship tractored and brought aboard AG's freighter.

Darth Wredd's Ship

This sleek craft was used by Darth Wredd to escape the destruction he had caused in the Carreras system.

Communications Array

Part of an effort to provide better connection between the Outer Rim and the core and unite the galaxy under a new government

New Planets

Mala

A rogue planet, buried within the veil of the Surd Nebula and off any official charts. This planet was the base of operations for Darth Wredd and his master.

Carreras System

 

 






A small system, consisting of at least two planets, Carreras Major, a habitable planet- home to the Shifala species, and Carreras Minor a ringed giant with ice mining facilities stationed on it's rings. A remote system it was selected for the new communications array programme.

New Droids

Imperial Communications Droid

  










A mobile communications platform, these droids were able to broadcast across the vast reaches of space. These models were versatile and able to act independently. The droid assigned to Yalta Val retrieved his lightsaber when attacked and assisted Jao Assam and Ania Solo to rescue his master, even saving Jao's life.

Swarm Droid (?)

 

My name for a nifty piece of technology used by the Carrerras military, when boarding a captured vessel dozens of these small droids woulld converge on the entrance, overwhelming the crew and flushing them out to where they could be captured easily.

New Species

Shifala

 










The native species of the Carreras system, these simian humanoids dominated the government and military of the system, ruled by a Governor, Biala (pictured).

Story

No map, due to Carreras being a new system. In the wake of the destruction caused by Darth Krayt's Sith Empire the new government, the Triumvirate, seeks to re-establish order in the galaxy. One effort, led by Empress Marasiah Fel is a new communications array to improve communications between remote systems and the Core. En route to the Carreras relay Imperial Knight Yalta Val is captured by a Sith who impersonates him and assumes command of the relay. Master Val's communications droid is damaged and winds up in the possession of Ania Solo, who takes it to Sauk her friend. When repairing the droid they discover a lightsaber, which draws the attention of the Sith. Fleeing the military under his command they run into Jao Assam and run a rogue operation to stop the Sith plot. They hunt down and confront Darth Wredd in time to save Yalta Val and expose the plot, but not in time to save the array, which crashed into the planet Mala, hidden in the Surd Nebula. 

Wow that was a long post!! Always a lot of new stuff but I wanted to get ahead as I don't think I ever caught up on posting new content in the first volume of Legacy. We'll see what the future holds for the series with the announcement of Marvel re-aquiring the rights to Star Wars comics in 2015 - read more here

  

Star Wars: In the shadow of Yavin

Lagging behind as ever, this is one of the latest series from Dark Horse, set pretty soon after the destruction of the Death Star, with the Rebels hunting for a new base and our familiar characters struggling with their place in the galaxy, Luke has lost everything he ever knew, Leia had her homeworld destroyed before her very eyes and Han can't quite figure out what he's doing among all these foolhardy rebels.

New Characters

Bircher

Species: Human
Sex: Male
Occupation: Imperial Colonel, lead pilot








Bircher is an exceptionally gifted Imperial, a talented pilot, leading squadrons of the new TIE Interceptors in his distinctive red flightsuit and also experienced in commanding a Star Destroyer. Due to his success in hounding the Alliance, he was given command of the Devastator, formerly Vader's flagship.

Birra Seah
Species: Human
Sex: Female
Occupation: Systems designer, Kuat Drive Yards / Temporary Moff 








A designer for Kuat Drive Yards, Vader sensed potential in her (and the force) and place her in command of the Second Death Star project as his emmisary.

Prithi

Species: Human
Sex: Female
Occupation: Pilot








One of the new 'stealth squadron' formed by Leia and Mon Mothma to operate off the books in the search for a new base of operations and to find the spy leaking information to the Empire. There are several pilots in the squadron, but Prithi is the only one who stands out in this arc, she has a strong attachment to Luke, which causes tension between her and Leia.


Map

 

I've added a map as per usual, but a lot of the action takes place in deep space so I haven't done my usual spaghetti of lines across the map.

Story

The Rebel Alliance have scored their greatest victory over the Empire with the destruction of the Death Star, but also their greatest loss, with the location of their base revealed they must yet again retreat to space. Scouts are sent out to search for new worlds, with Leia, Luke and Wedge heading up the search, but with every planet they visit , they find the Empire right behind them. Aware that a mole may be within their ranks Mon Mothma establishes a squadron to work off the books to find a new world and root out the mole, but still the Empire dogs all their footsteps, causing a showdown between the squadron and an Imperial Star Destroyer that they barely survive! Meanwhile Han Solo head to Coruscant for a deal on behalf of the Rebellion that goes downhill, with Imperials and Boba Fett on his tail and Vader, overseeing the construction of a new Death Star is troubled by a name he has not heard for a long time...

This is an ongoing story, which takes time to deal with the reactions of the characters to the events of A New Hope as well as providing plenty of action and adventure.

SF at the Movies - October '13

Diving in at the last minute, but with one big hitter not yet released I think I'm ok for once!!

Here's what's on screen this month

Ender's Game

Thor: The Dark World

Can't wait for Thor, I haven't read the novel so Ender might have to wait but especially with the new Cap trailer released it's a great time to see an Avenger in action.

More next month!

Agents of SHIELD: Meet the team!

I'm loving the new series from Marvel and Joss Whedon, set in the Avengers Universe, with relevant references to the movies, grounding it in the same timeline, but also brand new characters and missions giving it the strength to stand on it's own.

 I plan on doing some sort of review (by which I mean geeking out over the cool new stuff in it!!) sometime around the mid-way point in a few weeks time, but to save time when I get there I thought it'd be good to introduce the key agents involved and thankfully Marvel have done my job for me with a set of 'level 7' videos introducing each character, their skills and history and the actor's own reflections on them.

First up the return of Phil Coulson

Science experts Fitz/Simmonds

'Just the driver' Melinda May

Combat expert Grant Ward

And former anti-SHIELD activist and hacker Skye

So that's the team - more on SHIELD soon!!

Blogga's Wall - June-July '13

Wow it's been a long time since I did one of these, and the last one was a catchup too! Anyway here's what I was into over the summer break.

1) Man of Steel

I really enjoyed the Superman reboot. Not having read any Superman comics I didn't have any hangups going in and I thought the artifical birth/ trying to create Krypton on Earth was a good valid reason for Zod to fight Superman rather than simply wanting to conquer. The fights were suitably epic and the story held together well.

2) Gone

 

A teen Sci-Fi series, I was attracted by the plot of all adults (in fact everyone over 15) disappearing, which reminded me of The Tribe TV series, but the book stands on it's own. Some of the kids develop superpowers, some of the animals mutate and something worse is hidden in the darkness, not to mention the struggle for control. A force field traps all the kids in, similar to Under the Dome, but Stephen King endorses these books so I don't think the similarity is a problem for him!!

Star Wars: Dark Times - Fire Carrier

The latest arc of Dark Times follows K'Kruhk and the group of Padawans and younglings he has been trying to hide from the Empire. After being stranded on a remote moon and giving in to his savage nature to defend the Padawans from pirates the Jedi master now leads his weary group to a refugee camp, only to find more peril awaits them!!

New Jedi

Genel 

Species: Duros
Sex: Male
Occupation: Jedi Youngling






One of the large group of Jedi younglings accompanying K'Kruhk on his journey this is the first time he is named.

Zao

Species: Veknoid
Sex: Male
Occupation: Jedi Master








OK, he's not a new character, having been a stalwart of the Republic comic series, but he's new to me!! Zao escaped Order 66 by virtue of the fact that he did not take part in the Clone Wars as a Jedi General and therefore easily blended in to the mass of refugees until the force brought him to K'Kruhk.

Sidirri

Species: Human
Sex: Female
Occupation: Jedi Youngling








Sidirri was one of the younglings under K'Kruhk's care, however she had been deeply affected by the events that had occured since Order 66 and a distant member of the group of Jedi. Troubled what happened on Arkinnea she left the Jedi, with Zao following to try and help, and never returned

New Vehicles

Ore Carrier

This vessel was used for planet-wide delivery of ore for processing, but was adapted by the Arkinnean militia for transporting refugees out of the crowded refugee camp.

Militia Patrol Vessel

 






This craft was used by the militia to patrol the planet and conduct operations, it could carry a complement of militia soldiers, touching down quickly and returning to the skies to patrol for enemies.

New Species

Yunu

A primitive race with simple tool-building skills, these natives had interacted with ancient Jedi who had built a temple on their world and when K'Kruhk and Zao demonstrated the use of the force and their lightsabers they chose to ally with his group, remembering what the Jedi had done for them in the past and they aided the fledgling Jedi group establish a home on their world.

New Planets

Arkinnea

 (I don't have co-ordinates for this planet as it's new, so no map for this post I'm afraid!)

Arkinnea was a remote planet in Expansion Region, which K'Kruhk sought as a potential place for his younglings to rebuild their lives. However Arkinnea was overrun with refugees for both sides of the conflict and became a boiling pot of tensions controlled by Imperials with a local militia running operations on the ground.

A long time in the past Arkinnea had been home to a Jedi Outpost and the native species recognized the Jedi. 







Story

K'Kruhk brings his younglings to Arkinnea in the hope of terutrning them to normality and a civilized life, but instead finds a refugee camp run by Imperials and resentful militia men. In the camp they find Master Zao, who was led to them by the force and who has sensed danger in the camp and leads them out again to the wilds. While searching for a new home they discover the nature of the danger - the militia are dealing with the refugees by carrying them in an ore carrier then dropping them to their deaths. K'kruhk puts a stop to their plan, but draws the attention of the militia and also the local Imperial officer. They have a standoff with the local natives and the militia, but Sidirri, affected by what she has seen, strikes out with the force in anger and ends the conflict. The Imperial officer brings justice to the militia, then catches up with K'kruhk, revealing that he still believes in the Jedi and sends aid when he can, allowing the Jedi to build a new life on a remote part of the planet.
          Meanwhile on Coruscant, Darth Vader continues to train the bounty hunter Falco Sang to hunt down Jedi for him.

Next up: Blogga's Wall

SF at the Movies - August 2013

Wow! July just came and went, but with the arrival of the summer holidays normal service has been suspended, though I hope to resume more regular posting over the next few weeks if the return to work allows time for it!!

Anyway, at the very last minute but here's what is up on silver screens this month

Kick-Ass 2 (not strictly SF, but superhero comic-book adaptations qualify I think!)

Elysium

And that's your lot! Sorry again for missing July out!!

SF at the Movies - June '13

Back to normal - thios one's late, but only just - here;s what went up on the silver screen in June.

After Earth

Man of Steel

World War Z

Despicable Me 2

More than the usual handful!!

Next Up: Doctor Who!!

E3 2013: Game Updates

More E3, this time looking at updated information, new trailers and excitement for games that we already knew about before the Expo. I'll post links to the trailers and other videos of the games I found most interesting.


Destiny

Bungie's new shooter is top of my list of things to see, with a cool new Sci-Fi setting and a host of new alien races, weapons and vehicles it is sure to be popping up on this blog soon after release, as I'm going to plum for the 360 version rather than wait for the Xbox One edition, assuming the multiplayer elements are consistent on both platforms . Here's the latest trailer

Destiny is an open world shooter that incorporates elements of multiplayer matchmaking and MMO style games to pair you with friends to play missions or with members of the community. Rather than MMO where you can see everyone else you will be linked up with a Fireteam of other players to complete your mission, maybe linking up with a larger group. This interview and demo, highlights some of these features in action.

Batman: Arkham Origins

We've already had an announcement for this new game in the series (controversially not made by Rocksteady, creators of the original Arkham games) detailing the life of an early years Batman, facing down a bunch of killers competing for the price on his head on Christmas Eve. Being released for the 360 this is definitely on my wish list! This interview delves further into the gameplay and story of the game.

Quantum Break

We had the announcement for this time-shifting game back at the Xbox One reveal and it's been designed for the new generation, this new trailer looks at a moment in the game and it's high-res glory, but little information about how you play in a time-frozen event has been revealed as of yet.

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

Another 360 game on my wish list - well all Assassin's Creed titles ultimately are always going to be on my list as they have yet to disappoint. I'm currently dipping my toe into ACIII so I'm looking forward to the next title when it comes out. Multiplayer details have been revealed as well as this a new CG trailer.

Deadpool

Not sure if this is on my list but the quirky Marvel hero deserves a mention here in his own game with new details revealed at E3.

Lost Planet 3

A franchise I haven't really followed, but it's new and Sci-Fi and deserves a mention here.

and lastly...

Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare

Don't know if it's strictly SF, but who doesn't love Plants vs Zombies and to see them head direct to consoles with a new 3D game as well as a sequel on PC and mobile devices is great news!!

Those are the games that caught my eye and that's a wrap for this year's E3 - I wonder what they'll be announcing next year. One thing I'd hoped for was to see what's next for Mass Effect or if there's a new SF franchise from Bioware - but with them busy announcing Dragon Age 3 I guess it's understandable that they're not.

Next Up: One more game that I missed out...

Dawn of the Jedi: Prisoner of Bogan

The second arc of Dawn of the Jedi has recently come to it's conclusion, following the journey of the early Je'daii on Tython and the events that are triggered by the arrival of the first presence to enter the system in centuries - the Rakatan exile Xesh. As always I'll start with the new stuff.

New Je'daii

Tave 

Species: Noghri
Sex: Male
Occupation: Assistant Temple Master








Tave is assistant to Lha-Mi, Temple Master of Stav Kesh, the Temple of Martial Arts where the Je'daii journeyers train to use their force blades in combat. He trained the three young journeyeres who found Xesh, assuring them that the Je'daii masters took their claims seriously, despite their decision to exile Xesh to Bogan.

Rajivari

Species: Human
Sex: Male
Occupation: Je'daii Master








A celebrated Je'daii General in the Despot War Rajivari layed down his sword at the end of the confilct to contemplate the force in peace. Master Ketu came to him to seek advice on Daegen Lok's vision, Rajivari counselled that the vision should be considered carefully but the council voted to treat it as madness and banish Lok. Seven years later Ketu returned to him and he urged him again to take the vision seriously and make ready for the coming army. (It seems that things don't go well for Rajivari in the future, from what I've heard as he shows up in The Old Republic, but I'll leave that for now - if my wife sees him in-game I'll let you know!)

Tem Madog

Species: Cathar
Sex: Male
Occupation: Temple Master








Tem Madog is the Temple Master of Vur Tepe, the Forge. He instructs Je'daii Journeyers in the creation of their force-imbued blades and is responsible for arming the Je'daii. He tested the Rakatan forcesaber in his forge and later constructed forcesabers for the defense of the Order

Ters Sendon

Species: Zabrak
Sex: Male
Occupation: Je'daii Master








Ters Sendon was a Lore Keeper of the Je'daii Order, who meditated on the force and the mysterious history of the Je'daii. Deep beneath Kaleth, the Temple of knowledge, he searched among the Kwa structures that predated the arrival of the Tho Yor. Sendon also appears in The Old Republic game as a hologram.

Bel Zana
Species: Human
Sex: Female
Occupation: Je'daii Ranger








Known for her tracking skills Bel Zana was a renowned Je'daii ranger assigned to the mission to track Xesh and Daegen Lok. She had an intense fear of fire, which Lok exploited.

Jake Fenn

Species: Human
Sex: Male
Occupation: Temple Master








Master of Bodhi, the Temple of the Arts, Jake Fenn was powerful in the force and a fearsome warrior, despite his occupation in helping Je'daii express the force through creating works of art. He had an affection for the ranger Bel Zana, also he was the brother of Rori Fenn, who accompanied him to track down Xesh and Lok.

I'm also continuing to note any new sentient species in the Tython system, meaning that the Tho Yor selected force-sensitive members of that race, even if the characters aren't Je'daii.

Koorivar


Other Characters

A'nang

Species: Kwa
Sex: Male
Occupation: Unknown








One of the ancient Kwa who journeyed the galaxy with their famous hypergates and studied the power of the cosmos (or to the Je'daii 'the force'). They travelled across the galaxy spreading their wealth to many species until they found the Rakata who turned on them, conquering worlds to cause misery to feed their dark side powered technologies and tried to take the secret of Infinity Gate technology from the Kwa by force. The Kwa destroyed their gates and retreated to Dathomir, with A'nang remaining behind to prevent the Rakata from following her people back.



New Droids

Sentry Droid

 









These tall, spiderlike droids were used to patrol Bogan and make sure exiles stayed in their compounds. They had limited intelligence and used their sensor cuffs to monitor the location of the prisoners.

Rakatan Droid

A service droid used by the Rakata, able to perform multiple functions and with limited intelligence, Trill had one of these aboard her ship and used it to assist her in healing Sek'nos Rath.

Ryo Security Droid

 










This model of security droid was used for personal defence by Baron Volnos Ryo, the droid was capable of targeting and attacking multiple targets simultaneously.

New Vehicles

Pho-V Fighter

These fighters were used by Shikaakwan forces during the Despot War, one of these crashed in a hidden valley on Bogan and was used by Daegen Lok to escape with Xesh

Rakatan Starfighter

Small craft capable of travelling the vast distances between the stars, large enough to house two occupants. Trill used this ship to track Xesh to Tython.

New Species

Terenta

A precursor to the fearsome Terentatek, these creatures were created by Je'daii science masters to detect explosives and battle Shikaakwan forces but they developed a taste for force-rich blood and turned on their masters. The results of these failed experiments were left to wander the wilds of Bogan.   

Krev Coeur Predator

  










These large creatures roamed the crystalline surface of Krev Coeur in the Tython system, constantly on the hunt for prey. Fearsome as they were, they were no match for one trained to use the force.  

Mutated Slash Rat

  








Mutated by the noxious fumes of the industrial planet Nox, these Slashrats prayed on civilians wandering alone at the city borders.

This story arc also featured mutant dianoga of giant proportions, but those aren't really anything new in SW comics!

Map

As always I like to include a map of the action, it's a little bewildering to look at as it all takes place in the Tython system more or less and the groups get pretty split up as they visit different planets, get capture etc. but I did the best I could. Also after the action most of the characters return to Tython but I thought adding that last step would make the map impossible to follow!!

 

Story

Sent to Bogan to meditate on the force Xesh is left in confusion about his place among the Je'daii. He is freed by Daegen Lok who had a vision of Xesh and the Rakata, which got him exiled to Bogan for his claims. Using an old fighter they flee Bogan determined to make more Forcesabers and rally an army against the Rakata - an army Lok plans to lead. The Je'daii pursue them to Krev Coeur where they obtain focusing crystals and to Nox where they assemble the hilt and activation device, but Sek'nos is 'rescued' by Trill who uses him to pursue Xesh and on Nox Shae Koda is captured by Daegen Lok and used as a bargaining chip. Meanwhile Tasha Ryo activates the holocron of A'nang who tells them of the danger the Rakata threaten if they have reached Tython's borders. Eventually catching up to Lok on Shikaakwa  and capture him with the help of Xesh who refuses to kill Shae Koda on Lok's orders, but Hawk Ryo is forced to admit that he shared the same vision - the Rakata are coming and they are ready for war!!

Next up: E3!!