vintage
Vintage articles and footage from the science fiction archives.
V (Mini-Series)
I remember sitting in grandma's living room in 1983, watching the premier of V, which was a two-night mega sci-fi "special event." I was probably all of seven, so the film had an extra special appeal to me. The special effects, state of the art for the era, were awesome, ominous, and frightening. But it was the characterizations of both humans and aliens in V, and the eternal questioning of what is good, noble, human, and true, that underscored the allegory at the heart of the entertainment.
Does a rationally organised and meaningful world imply an afterlife?
The world as we know it is set up rationally. Events are organised, and predictable. Their causes and effects are discoverable by humanity, without limitation.
Andrew ScottPublished 10 days ago in FuturismStar Trek - "The Squire of Gothos"
Greetings and felicitations! "The Squire of Gothos" is an extraterrestrial Liberace (redundant?) who sits at an old-fashioned Eighteenth-century harpsichord and kidnaps the Trekkers so he can reap hallucinatory mind control hijinks on them, in much the same manner as "Next Generation"'s "Q" (actor John de Lancie, who puts one in the mind of a cross between Howie Mandel and Jello Biafra) would do, decades later, long before anyone even THOUGHT about having a "Star Trek" spinoff series.
Star Trek - "The Enemy Within"
I thought I better stop and write about "The Enemy Within," the fifth episode of Season One, TOS, while it was still fresh in my memory. Of course, I'd seen it before, many, many years ago, and it always sticks out in my mind because it's referenced in the liner notes of G.G. Allin's Roir cassette compilation Hated in the Nation, which I'm sure most other "Star Trek" fans are unaware of and, even if they were, would not be proud of. The liner notes, by Mykel Board, use the metaphor of the Evil Kirk (the putative "enemy within"), who is a violent, tantrum-throwing uglification of Captain Jimmy T., pitted against the meandering Milquetoast Kirk, who is a weak sister who can't make up his mind on any pressing concern. Board suggests Allin is (was), "the enemy within," as well.
Temporal Crossroads
Dr. Alexander Reed had always been fascinated by the concept of time. From a young age, he was captivated by the idea of unlocking its mysteries, of bending it to his will. And now, after years of tireless research, he stood on the precipice of a discovery that would change the course of history forever.
Sahil LathwalPublished 15 days ago in FuturismThe Outer Limits: "The Special One"
My special affinity for "The Outer Limits" is virtually supernatural; I like it almost as much as "Friday the Thirteenth: The Series" (which I haven't written nearly as much about), which isn't nearly as smart (but which does have Louise Robey, which makes it somewhat superior).
"Radio Drama Review: X-Minus-One."
Hello and welcome to the 1950s Science Fiction Podcast, Season 4, Episode 3. Today, I will be discussing two episodes from the classic science fiction radio drama, X-Minus-One. This show aired on NBC radio during the late 1950s before it was discontinued. It was a reboot of an earlier radio drama called Dimension X, which I previously discussed in one of my earliest articles on Vocal Media. X-Minus-One was one of the few radio dramas that focused solely on science fiction and did not include other genres such as horror and mystery.
Edward GermanPublished about a month ago in FuturismThe Outer Limits: "Don't Open 'Till Doomsday" (Season 1, Episode 17)
Note: I was originally going to title this review, "A Box Full of Turds," but then thought better of it. "The Outer Limits" is a superior science fiction show from the Sixties that, individually, has some long-haul episodes, much in the manner of Boris Karloff's "Thriller," which I also find myself finding tedious as the midway mark of some episodes rolls by. Both of them have roughly the same sort of cinematographic look and feel about them, and both of them are every bit as ding-dangly dong good as that OTHER famous era anthology show--the one with the guy who is always smoking. Smoking. Smoking. (Dude died of a massive coronary, dig? So maybe that much smoking is NOT recommended after all.)
Def-Con 4
The final victory has been won. Mankind can now rest in peace. Def-Con 4 (1985) Def-Con 4 is a relentlessly bad, even somewhat odious 1980s nuclear Cold War Era scare film set in a post-apocalyptic Ontario or thereabouts, and featuring three astronauts aboard an orbital space station cum Reagan Star Wars wet dream. They seemingly survive the thermonuclear mayhem below and rocket back to Earth but then the woman (Kate Lynch) dies or is imprisoned or something (I forget which) and the surviving male space hero (Tim Choate) gets kidnapped by a roly poly Sawney Beane psychopath (Maury Chaykin) keeping a cheerleader (Lenore Zann) hostage in the basement.
Exploring the Mysteries of Mars: Evidence of an Ancient Ocean and Other Phenomena
The soil beneath your feet is red and dry. The place is cold. Rusty-colored dust is floating in the air. You make one step, then another. It's hard to move because of the thick layer of dust your feet are sinking into. You're on Mars, and you've come here after hearing some incredible news. These days, the so-called "red planet" indeed looks dry and dusty, but scientists think that this world might have been very different a long, long time ago.
Abdul Hannan SaifPublished 2 months ago in FuturismTHE RESURRECTION OF COLD WAR
History repeats itself. The very basic maxim holds true for the revival of such large-scale brewing conflict. The current geo-political scenario in the Indo-Pacific presents a clear picture that US and China are not only at daggers drawn with each other but are also cajoling other countries into this deep-dug abyss. The world right now is on its toes. The fear of this nascent conflict turning into a global war is haunting the entire world. Reminiscent of the cold war events, leaders around the globe are cautious of what turn will it take. Will we see another demonstration same as the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 or détentes like NATO and Warsaw Pact will again be on the rise. The question remains intact. Alliances like QUAD, AUKUS and Five eyed alliance have already started the chicaneries but such a reaction has not been seen from China so far.
Invasion of the Saucer-Men
The curious thing about Invasion of the Saucer Men is that there are no actual flying saucers in it. Instead, the BEMs (Bug-Eyed Monsters, a coin termed by Stephen King in Danse Macabre, when he was discussing this very film) arrive in a crescent-shaped affair with fins or something on the side and flashing lights that employs a meter or two of fishing line as a propulsion system. At any rate, the Army turns out (all four of 'em) to shoot at it, which is highly advisable I might add, when trying to establish friendly contact with just-landed extraterrestrials. (Just ask Klaatu.)