Star Trek’s Returning Star Hits Back at Criticism of Divisive Spinoff Series – Comic Book Resources (CBR)

By Sam Fang, Published 2 days ago

Sam Fang primarily covers news for CBR, with over a decade of experience writing about entertainment and pop culture and degrees in both journalism and art.

One of Star Trek‘s veteran actors who returned for its divisive new spinoff, Starfleet Academy, is speaking out against criticisms of the show. Robert Picardo recently talked with fans on social media about the show’s backlash.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Picardo shared a newspaper image published from the time his previous Star Trek project, Voyager, went to air. “It is interesting to note that ⁦ @StarTrek #Voyager, so beloved in retrospect, was thought “woke” (“politically correct” was the term way back then) at its premiere,” Picardo wrote. The post generated plenty of dialogue with Star Trek fans regarding Starfleet Academy, which has been incredibly divisive among fans, and Picardo took the time to further share his thoughts with the naysayers.

It is interesting to note that ⁦@StarTrek⁩ #Voyager, so beloved in retrospect, was thought "woke" ("politically correct" was the term way back then) at its premiere. pic.twitter.com/qxP3fABaI6

One person replied to the post, claiming to have an “insider at CBS”, claiming that “Alex Kurtzman, behind the scenes, is intentionally turning it into a political lecture”, which Picardo responded to. “I know Alex Kurtzman. I work with him. I know what you were saying is not true about his motives. But my point remains: if you have a better vision, bring it to the table. You are a writer with a lot of experience and science fiction. Turn your back on what you don’t like and create something with your vision.”

Picardo also took the time to share one of his own experiences of being offended by entertainment earlier in life, responding to a fan who also criticized Kurtzman’s era of Star Trek. “I remember refusing to see THE GODFATHER,” Picardo wrote. “Being 100% Italian American, I thought it promoted negative stereotypes. I prejudged it and refused to watch it for years. Now it is my favorite movie.”

He went on to share how disheartening it was to read people tearing the show down rather than just not watching the new Star Trek installment if it wasn’t to their liking. “Here it is, simply. I miss the days when, if you didn’t like a TV show, you simply didn’t watch it. What I find sad about this present moment, is that people who don’t like a television show make it their mission to keep others from watching it, to attack it round the clock, to destroy it,” he shared.

“This isn’t a football game. This isn’t a zero sum battle to the death. This is freedom of choice in entertainment. Aren’t there more positive ways to spend your energy than simply trying to destroy someone else’s creative effort?” Picardo continued, “If you are certain you can do better, write a pitch and take it to CBS-Paramount. You have writing talent and credentials. Invest all of the time spent in trying to tear something down into trying to build something new. I promise you I’ll watch it.”

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New Twilight Zone Series Features an Epic That Will Keep You Guessing From Start to Finish – CBR

New Twilight Zone Series Features an Epic That Will Keep You Guessing From Start to Finish – CBR

By Brian Cronin, Published 2 days ago

CBR senior staff writer Brian Cronin has been writing professionally about comic books for over fifteen years now at CBR (primarily with his “Comics Should Be Good” series of columns, including Comic Book Legends Revealed). He has written two books about comics for Penguin-Random House – Was Superman a Spy? And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed and Why Does Batman Carry Shark Repellent? And Other Amazing Comic Book Trivia! and one book, 100 Things X-Men Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, from Triumph Books. His writing has been featured at ESPN.com, the Los Angeles Times, About.com, the Huffington Post, Vulture and Gizmodo. He features legends about entertainment and sports at his website, Legends Revealed and other pop culture features at Pop Culture References. Follow him on Twitter at @Brian_Cronin and feel free to e-mail him suggestions for stories about comic books that you’d like to see featured at brianc@cbr.com!

This review contains spoilers for The Twilight Zone #3, on sale now from IDW Publishing

I don’t recall EXACTLY where I first saw James Stokoe’s work, but it was most likely Orc Stain (his clever and gorgeous fantasy satire), which would be, like, what, 16 years ago now? And it’s amazing that he is still as vibrant and as imaginative today as he was back then. If anything, I think he is probably sharper in terms of his storytelling.

That is plain to see in his excellent issue of The Twilight Zone, which is somehow unlike any Twilight Zone story that you will ever see, while at the same time, actually being very similar to every Twilight Zone you’ve ever seen, at least in terms of twists and turns, and a reveal that is both dramatic, but also satirical, and, most importantly, meaningful.

The Twilight Zone #3 is written, drawn, and lettered by James Stokoe, and it details a civilization at war, but, as you might imagine for something that is set in, well, you know, the Twilight Zone, there is a whole lot more to it than that. It continues the strong opening for this series, which has brought some of the most imaginative indie minds in comics, and just let them loose on this series, with the results being an absolute delight.

Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.

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Prime Video’s The Expanse Officially Resurrected Hard Sci-Fi for the 21st Century – CBR

Prime Video’s 95% Masterpiece Officially Resurrected Hard Sci-Fi for the 21st Century

By Laila Elhenawy, Published 7 hours ago

Laila Elhenawy is a CBR Movies & TV writer who examines pop culture with an analytical, research-driven lens. She focuses on television coverage, blending her passion for storytelling with thoughtful perspectives that make her work engaging and insightful.

Beyond her professional writing, Laila is a devoted fan of TV procedurals, classic sitcoms, and early 2000s rom-coms. She also enjoys hockey, board games, and trivia, all of which reflect her love of strategy, creativity, and storytelling.

Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents:

When The Expanse made its debut on Syfy in 2015, no one thought it would change the face of modern sci-fi. It appeared as another slow-burn, dark-space drama, destined to be canceled after a couple of seasons. However, it is one of the rare hard sci-fi epics that actually feel exciting and human and entirely plausible. When Amazon Prime Video picked it up in 2019, it already had a strong reputation as television’s smartest space opera. What distinguishes The Expanse is not necessarily the ships or the effects. It is how it resurrects hard sci-fi for the streaming generation.

Long before “prestige sci-fi” became a thing, The Expanse demonstrates the fact that audiences have an appetite for complications: political intrigue, moral complexity, and world-building that requires your attention. It takes the cold mechanics of space travel, like limited fuel, zero gravity, and fragile alliances, and turns them into compelling high drama. Ultimately, The Expanse is a story about power and survival. The mismatched crew of the Rocinante gets embroiled in a conspiracy that could change the solar system. When picked up by Prime Video, The Expanse becomes streaming’s answer to Star Trek without the utopia. Instead, it leans into realism and hard truths, showing that science fiction can be intelligent, exciting, and, at the same time, painfully relevant.

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Harrison Ford’s $276M Sci-Fi Sequel Is Still a Modern Masterpiece 8 Years Later

By Ben Morganti, Published 7 hours ago

Ben Morganti is a film and television critic at CBR, where he brings a filmmaker’s eye and a deep understanding of cinematic craft to his analysis. With experience producing independent features and short films, Ben combines practical industry knowledge with a passion for storytelling across genres—including crime, science fiction, horror, and the works of directors such as Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese.

If there is one genre that director Denis Villeneuve has proven to have complete command over, it is science fiction. Over the last number of years, audiences have learned a lot about the up-and-coming sci-fi auteur, especially as he continues to make modern movie masterpieces in the genre. Garnering a fanbase, Villeneuve has brought to life unique concepts seen in Arrival or adapted popular sci-fi universes in films like Dune and Dune: Part Two. Villeneuve has also admitted to being primarily a sci-fi filmmaker, which is why when a sci-fi IP is in development, studios turn to him first and foremost to see if he is interested, as was the case with Blade Runner 2049.

It was time to explore new stories that could be told in the Blade Runner universe, which hadn’t seen another film since the original was released. Fans have the same reactions to sequels nowadays. They either want as much of something as they can possibly get, or they want studios to relax and stop making so many sequels, reboots and spin-offs. When Blade Runner 2049 was announced, it was a mixed bag of reactions, but the one thing that people seemed to agree on was that it was in good hands with Denis Villeneuve attached to direct. Still, no one could have known how great the film would be, and it has, in fact, remained a great sci-fi hit many years later, having a lasting impact that people could not have foreseen.

Blade Runner 2049 Works as Its Own Story and as a Sequel

When it comes to doing sequels to his previous successes, Harrison Ford is not exactly the first person to jump at the opportunities when they present themselves. He’s right to believe that some things should just be left alone. Nonetheless, he does agree to get involved if the script is good and the material is in the right hands. However, returning to Blade Runner meant having a different role as Villeneuve crafted a new narrative entirely, not just to honor the film that came before, but to expand on the exploration of human themes present in this particular world.

This put Ryan Gosling at the center of Blade Runner 2049 as Joe/Officer K, who represents an incredible shift in the evolution of people and replicants by being a replicant blade runner who goes around decommissioning his own kind. This brings into question an even deeper element of morality while exploring themes of identity, reality and existentialism in ways that transcend the original 1982 film. How Villeneuve balances his own story with the original is the key to its success. On one hand, he is telling an individual story about Officer K, who is meant to represent the humanity that exists within the replicant community.

Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.

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#2025 #America #BladeRunner #BladeRunner2049 #CBR #ComicBookResources #Education #Film #Films #HarrisonFord #History #Libraries #Library #LibraryOfCongress #Movies #RyanGosling #Technology #Television #UnitedStates #WarnerBrothers #YouTube