Porthos

Separate point I'd like to bring up

This is a nice piece of insight, IMO: Much like another country that could be mentioned then.

Oof. A lot more where that came from on Bouie's timeline. As for the elephant in the room: I get the impression there's a lot of this floating around right now.

Yeaaaah, I think Thrawn fans will appreciate this episode. Just an educated guess, mind.

Only if was the one responsible for counting the votes. (@The Pumpkin Spiced Panda)

Not much to say here, so won't even bother with spoiler box. Nice episode, mostly quiet. Say, 7.75-8/10. Feels something like a breather episode, but competently made. Nice to see a focus on Sabine for once, at least.

Been there, Maul. Been there.

"I want to destroy the Sith" "(I want) Hope" Not telling who said what. Not outside of spoiler boxes at least. Separate observation: So let's say 9.25/10. On a curve since it isn't an earth shattering episode, but it absolutely succeeds at what it sets out to do. Little iffy on one point, as mentioned in the first spoiler box. But otherwise, perfectly played. Can't wait to see how this is all addressed.

Preview of the next episode, Holocrons of Fate: FACT: Sam Witwer as Maul is one of the best casting decsions animated SW has ever made.

Do have to laugh a bit though that

Decided to watch the premier early on the XD website as I'm going to be busy tonight. Some thoughts:

What is she referring to? Well I'll let you be the judge. No one can say that Disney/LFL aren't promoting the crap out of the new season, that's for sure.

Who wants more Rebels clips? You do! You do! Thrawn peers into hearts and minds in new Star Wars: Rebels clip (clip at the link) Interestingly enuf, this one ISN'T from the season premiere, but a later episode. Should be fun. edit And the clip by itself, courtesy of SW's YT page:

Another week, another preview. Tom Baker's still got it.

To put things a different way: TV was going to kill movie theaters. It didn't. Cable was going to kill movie theaters. It didn't. VCRs were going to kill movie theaters. They didn't. Piracy was going to kill movie theaters. It didn't. Home theaters were going to kill movie theaters. They didn't. DVD was going to kill movie theaters. It didn't. The internet (and by extension streaming) was going to kill movie theaters. It didn't. The movie theater has survived 100 years of new entertainment options being thrown at it. The movie theater has survived economic upheaval and literal World Wars. The movie theater has certainly changed over the decades, but at its heart it exists because it fulfills a need: Many people like to be entertained in groups. Virtual reality will add a new wrinkle for entertainment options, yes. It'll provide something that movie theaters can't. But unless one really thinks we're all gonna plug ourselves in VR rigs 24/7, going out and having the group experience is something that people are going to want. At least for the foreseeable future. What actually gets shown in movie theaters will absolutely change as society's whims change. But going away? Especially in such a short time frame? Not a chance in hell.

Movie theatres can provide something that home theatres never ever can: The communal experience. Even 50 or 100 people in a theatre gives an experience that simply can't be replicated with a half dozen of your friends in a living room. Also (some/many) people just like going out. Home kitchens are better than ever. Cookbooks are easier to follow than ever. Getting good food to cook is simpler than ever. People still like to eat at fancy restaurants. Or even not-so-fancy ones. Going out for an 'experience' is part and parcel of, well, everything. I've been hearing about the death of the movie theatre/film for decades. And I haven't seen one whit of evidence to suggest that it's going to happen any time soon. Now it might certainly change. The age of the multiplex might be replaced by a smaller dinner-and-a-movie experience like the Alamo Drafthouse or Studio Movie Grill. But still exist? Well, theatrical stage productions still exist (and are probably thriving) despite decades of assualt from other avenues. And they range from community theatres to mulit-million dollar broadway productions. If stage theatres still exist after all this time with so many other options why wouldn't movie theatres?

"Gooood. Goooooooood. Let the hate FLOW through you."

I agree and disagree. I mean, yeah, you can't have the main cast even remotely credulous to the idea (at least not without around three or four seasons of build-up [*cough* The Sisko *cough*]). On the other hand, playing with cults (either in Starfleet or without) and looking at it from THAT direction does have some juice, IMO. That's more what I meant about the idea of a false god. WE know it's not true from within the standpoint of the series. And we know that most of the characters do as well. How they react to it, and what reprecussions might occur has more room for an interesting story. Especially if it starts off as non-threatening or helpful and only ramps up the danger as the film progresses. In other words, the drama is not, "Is this God", because as you say, we already know how the show is going to answer the question. The drama is more in "How do the characters react to the people who thinks it is and/or how to react to the Sufficiently Advanced Alien". That, I maintain, can get a decent amount of milage out of a gifted storyteller. Which, admittedly, Shatner isn't. NB: There are a few lines in the original series which points to several characters maintaining an active Christian faith. But I'm ignoring that for now.

No, we really don't. Or rather, I'll only 'defend' it when comparing it to the POS called Nemesis (which I maintain should have been on the list instead [and maybe it will! ]). I gave my reasons earlier for why it's better than Nemesis earlier, so I shan't repeat myself. But when it comes to thinking about this film? God is it terrible at times. Just horriffic. I mean. FFS: People probably already can guess what part of the vid I timestamped to. I mean, who thought crossing This Way to Eden with Who Mourns For Adonis was a good idea? HINT: It wasn't. Still, what's most depressing is that there is some decent ideas here. The Sybok/Spock rivalry. The core of the idea of a false god. That it was just horribly written, directed and executed? Well, I always maintained for a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG time that it was the worst ST film I could ever see. Then Nemesis happened. So, yeah. Can't fault the placement on the list, as it's a terrible flick* coming off a great one. But it isn't even the worst ST film out there. Which makes the failure of this film all the more notable in a way. * It's so terrible that it was explicitly decalred NON-CANON by the production teams. That's pretty terrible!

Pssst: (Pablo Hidalgo is a member of the Lucasfilm Story Group. And a very sarcastic one at that )