Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Star Wars derived from Flash Gordon?!
The above clip is so interesting for looking at the development of Star Wars. George Lucas has actually stated that much of what he used in Star Wars was derived in part from the 1930's series Flash Gordon.
The opening credits in the youtube.com clip shows how derivative Star Wars is, what everyone thinks is a signature Star Wars clip is actually from another show much earlier.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Star Wars & That 70's Show
Apart from the absolutely hilariousness of the 70's they like many others have done a tribute to cult sci-fi as one of their episode. In this excerpt we see Eric dreaming that he is Luke Skywalker and all his friends and family are characters in A New Hope.
While knowing the background of star wars helps understand the references in the episode, viewers must also understand intertextuality taken from other 70's show episodes. This use of Star Wars once again shows the timelessness of the sci-fi classic and demonstrates how audiences are becoming more and more knowledgeable about Star Wars as a whole, otherwise this type of inclusion would not work and wouldn't be a worthwhile episode as viewers wouldn't understand.
clip from youtube.com
While knowing the background of star wars helps understand the references in the episode, viewers must also understand intertextuality taken from other 70's show episodes. This use of Star Wars once again shows the timelessness of the sci-fi classic and demonstrates how audiences are becoming more and more knowledgeable about Star Wars as a whole, otherwise this type of inclusion would not work and wouldn't be a worthwhile episode as viewers wouldn't understand.
clip from youtube.com
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Star Trek reference in Transformers.
On the Trek Movie Report its notes the reference in transformers where Bumblebee alludes to its origins. As it can't talk like the other Autobots it must communicated through the cars radio. At his point Bumblebee points up and we hear the voice of Nichelle Nichols as Uhura saying "hailing frequencies open" which Sam recognises and from this establishes that Bumblebee is from another world. There is another reference later when Bumblebee is talking with Optomus Prime and we hear Uhura say ‘opens a channel’ this being to Optimus Prime.
It is just interesting that from those simple well known phrases we can draw conclusions to Autobots origins.
It is just interesting that from those simple well known phrases we can draw conclusions to Autobots origins.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Boston Legal and Star Trek Intertextuality.
Intertextuality according to O'shaugnessy and Stadler is "The process of knowing borrowing and referring to other texts, or interpreting one text in light of another." (2005: 127) Simply when we read, listen or watch other texts we read the images and notions presented in relation of other such images and notions to which we are familiar. Our readings of any one text are therefore at least partially dependant on cultural knowledge we have.
The following is a selection of events and quotes which links Star Trek to Boston legal. It shows how writers and producer David E. Kelly uses William Shatner and Rene Auberjonois’s previous roles to provide intertextuality to his scripts which a majority of which will only be recognised by Star Trek fans.
William Shatner – [plays Denny Crane] previously known for his Role as Captain James Kirk on the original Star Ship Enterprise on Star Trek
The following is a selection of events and quotes which links Star Trek to Boston legal. It shows how writers and producer David E. Kelly uses William Shatner and Rene Auberjonois’s previous roles to provide intertextuality to his scripts which a majority of which will only be recognised by Star Trek fans.
William Shatner – [plays Denny Crane] previously known for his Role as Captain James Kirk on the original Star Ship Enterprise on Star Trek
Rene Auberjonois – [plays Paul Lewiston] known as security chief Odo in Star Trek Deep Space nine. Auberjonois also appeared in the film Star Trek VI: The undiscovered Country in the where he plays Colonel West. He also featured the episode Oasis on Star Trek: enterprise Ezral.
Characters from Star Trek in Boston Legal:
- Jeri Ryan plays Courtney Reese in the last two episodes of the second season. Denny Crane [william Shatner] depends her. Ryan played Seven of Nine, a Borg drone reformed in Star Trek: Voyager/
- Armin Shimerman guest stars in ‘new kids on the block’ in the third season. Shimerman played the role of Quark alongside Auberjonois in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The two play a scene together and allude to the fact that they are old friends.
- In the third season several members who were regulars of Star Trek feature in the show together. William Shatner, Rene Auberjonois, Armin Shimerman [played the Ferengi barkeep Quark in DS9] and Ethan Phillips who played the character of Nelix in Star Trek: Voyager.
References to Star Trek and Shatner's previous Role.
Season One:
- Episode 14.
Alan makes reference to Paul establishing a dominion. Paul [Auberjonois’] character in Star Trek: DS9 was apart of a race who belonged to military regime called the dominion.
Season Two:
- Finding Nimmo.
Denny [Shatner] and Alan [Spader] are fishing in Nimmo Bay. Alan refers to a sea-lice ailment suffered by some local fish as ‘cling-ons’, Denny replies “Did you say Klingons?” who are of course a race from Star Trek.
- Cancer Man.
Denny opens his new mobile phone which makes the noise the communications on Star Trek do.
- There’s Fire.
Denny’s wife suggests they move to Hawaii to which Denny replies “What am I supposed to do? Beam myself to Boston every morning?”
In an argument between Denny and Paul over who controls the company most, Denny calls himself "Captain of the ship".
- Episode Nine.
Denny shoots a homeless man who's name is Kirk, a reference to Shatner's character on Star Trek who was named Kirk. Later Alan says Mr Kirk and is seemingly speaking to Denny at the time.
Season Three:
In the finale, while walking through a crowd of reporters clamoring for a quote, Denny Crane says he once captained his own spaceship, a reference to Captain Kirk's USS enterprise NCC-1701.
Shatner also uses the phrase "Lock and load" frequently which is a signature from Star Trek.
References:
Trivia taken from observation of watching Boston Legal and also Wikipedia, checked against episode for accuracy.
O'Shaughnessy & Stadler, 2005. Media and Society: An Introduction. 3rd Edition. Oxford University Press: Australia.
- Jeri Ryan plays Courtney Reese in the last two episodes of the second season. Denny Crane [william Shatner] depends her. Ryan played Seven of Nine, a Borg drone reformed in Star Trek: Voyager/
- Armin Shimerman guest stars in ‘new kids on the block’ in the third season. Shimerman played the role of Quark alongside Auberjonois in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The two play a scene together and allude to the fact that they are old friends.
- In the third season several members who were regulars of Star Trek feature in the show together. William Shatner, Rene Auberjonois, Armin Shimerman [played the Ferengi barkeep Quark in DS9] and Ethan Phillips who played the character of Nelix in Star Trek: Voyager.
References to Star Trek and Shatner's previous Role.
Season One:
- Episode 14.
Alan makes reference to Paul establishing a dominion. Paul [Auberjonois’] character in Star Trek: DS9 was apart of a race who belonged to military regime called the dominion.
Season Two:
- Finding Nimmo.
Denny [Shatner] and Alan [Spader] are fishing in Nimmo Bay. Alan refers to a sea-lice ailment suffered by some local fish as ‘cling-ons’, Denny replies “Did you say Klingons?” who are of course a race from Star Trek.
- Cancer Man.
Denny opens his new mobile phone which makes the noise the communications on Star Trek do.
- There’s Fire.
Denny’s wife suggests they move to Hawaii to which Denny replies “What am I supposed to do? Beam myself to Boston every morning?”
In an argument between Denny and Paul over who controls the company most, Denny calls himself "Captain of the ship".
- Episode Nine.
Denny shoots a homeless man who's name is Kirk, a reference to Shatner's character on Star Trek who was named Kirk. Later Alan says Mr Kirk and is seemingly speaking to Denny at the time.
Season Three:
In the finale, while walking through a crowd of reporters clamoring for a quote, Denny Crane says he once captained his own spaceship, a reference to Captain Kirk's USS enterprise NCC-1701.
Shatner also uses the phrase "Lock and load" frequently which is a signature from Star Trek.
References:
Trivia taken from observation of watching Boston Legal and also Wikipedia, checked against episode for accuracy.
O'Shaughnessy & Stadler, 2005. Media and Society: An Introduction. 3rd Edition. Oxford University Press: Australia.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
New classic Cult DISCOVERY!!! :]]
While perusing video ezy last night i was looking a the $9.95 table and picked up a movie called Spaceballs.
Seeing the big Mel Brooks displayed on the cover i could only conclude that this film held great things. As thus i was correct.
Spaceballs [1987] is a parody of many sci-fi classics including star wars, star trek, space Odyssey, transformers with a hint of planet of the apes. There is also reminisces of many other sci-fi and other well known movies either in musical score atmosphere or small occurrences which fans will usually recognise and appreciate.
In 2004 there was talk of a sequel to this hilarious parody which is actually mentioned in the initial movie "God willing, we'll all return for Spaceballs 2 : The Search for More Money". In September of 2006 Mel Brooks announced that the idea would be turned into a TV series
Apparently according to Variety.com
Spaceballs [1987] is a parody of many sci-fi classics including star wars, star trek, space Odyssey, transformers with a hint of planet of the apes. There is also reminisces of many other sci-fi and other well known movies either in musical score atmosphere or small occurrences which fans will usually recognise and appreciate.
In 2004 there was talk of a sequel to this hilarious parody which is actually mentioned in the initial movie "God willing, we'll all return for Spaceballs 2 : The Search for More Money". In September of 2006 Mel Brooks announced that the idea would be turned into a TV series
Apparently according to Variety.com
"the idea is to deliver an animated TV series that takes on the latest wave of sci-fi and fantasy icons, including the "Star Wars" prequels and "The Lord of the Rings."
Evidently it is the explosion of science fiction film and television which has allowed talk to become even more a reality within the past year. Yet the film and thus animated series is not simply about satirising the fantasy genre Brooks stated for an interview on EW.com when asked:
What pop-culture phenomena do you think are ripest for mockery these days?
"Well, there's always the oil industry. I mean, we know we could have an electric car. We know that. There's always those interests. And that's handled by Dark Helmet and his crowd — that's what they do. They ran out of air in the first [movie], they just want to steal air. It's really a metaphor for oil and energy."
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