Tag: Paramount Plus

Starfleet Academy’s Dilemma: Is It Star Trek or Saved by the Bell Set in Space?

Starfleet Academy wants to be a fresh doorway into Star Trek’s far future, but it can’t resist the gravitational pull of school-drama archetypes. The debut episodes hint at big franchise shifts after The Burn, then pile on teen dynamics, shaky lore checks, and a few welcome returns.

Star Trek Starfleet AcademyBroadcasting Thurs on Paramount+
Spoiler Alert

These days, the handlers of Gene Roddenberry’s creation, Star Trek, are no longer bound to his original vision. With Starfleet Academy, the franchise leans into new themes and familiar narrative shapes, recycling tropes that are usually left unspoken. After all, humanity has always been about boldly going somewhere new. This time, though, it might just be back to school. Whether the writers should lean into that idea is debatable. There are elements here that work, and others that stumble. Everything hinges on where the focus ultimately lands.

After finding Star Trek: Discovery very much not my cup of tea, I missed one important detail. The Federation is rebuilding. Following The Burn, when most of the galaxy’s dilithium was rendered inert, interstellar travel collapsed. Worlds became isolated. New wars erupted over developing new alternative power sources, or the promise of something better from individuals who try to deliver hope.

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What Went Horribly Wrong With Star Trek Section 31? And Ideas In How To Fix It!

When the showrunners of Nu-Trek want to be just that, Star Trek Section 31 is going to suffer.

Star Trek Section 31 PosterWhen producer Alex Kurtzman and writers Bo Yeon Kim and Erika Lippoldt decide to not acknowledge why The Federation’s most covert operation exists, trying to present a different version Star Trek Section 31 a bad idea. An old Hollywood Reporter interview acknowledged this fact, and I’m surprised more fans didn’t voice their opinions then.

This group turned from being a mysterious Men in Black type of organization to an order whose operatives are agents from Mission Impossible. The story that’s presented missed a tremendous opportunity to bring back certain characters from the past. Although early reports revealed Michelle Yeoh is the focus, I was hoping for a cameo or two, or some time travel romp where she’s the mysterious leader who went back and forth in time to recruit!

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Henry Danger The Movie, Preparing For A New Generation The Right Way!

At long last, Henry Danger the Movie is being developed to be somewhat like Batman while retaining what defines a Nickelodeon show! And the horror schtick helps.

Henry Danger the Movie Poster
Nickelodeon / Paramount+ (Jan 17) and YTV (Jan 20)

Spoiler Alert

Every once in a while, when I see a commercial for Nickelodeon’s Henry Danger or one of its spinoffs on YTV, I wonder if the former side-kick (Jace Norman) will ever become  Nightwing from DC Comics? And I’m surprised Henry Danger The Movie delivered. I can easily picture him as that type of jaded individual after the events from the original series. Although this continuation has moments which has to recognise why this studio loves silly, the trip through the light fantastic was very entertaining!

That’s because Frankini (Frankie Grande) steals the show. He manages and performs at the nightclub where the best action takes place. Although this individual appeared in only three episodes of the series, for the producers to decide on which recurring character to bring back must have been tough. And when he got transformed into a vampire, I’m sure he can give Paul Reuben a run for the money. Unfortunately, the alt version of this dancer does not have a hilarious death scene like in the Buffy movie, but he looks absolutely fabulous!

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An Overview on Star Trek Prodigy Season Two and Where To Find It

Star Trek Prodigy Season 2Unfortunately, the only way to watch Star Trek Prodigy Season 2 in certain countries is through a VPN. Even three months later, I’m still not finding it on regular broadcast channels, and I’m stuck waiting for the eventual home video release, which is November 12 (according to Inverse.com). Because of agreements with certain broadcasters in Canada and other territories, Netflix cannot provide. The following list of recognized outlets will eventually broadcast this highly anticipated run, but even then, they may not be released in one fell swoop.

  • Canada: CTV.ca and the CTV App.
  • France: France Télévisions Channel and Okoo.
  • Iceland: Sjonvarp Simans Premium.
  • The Nordics, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Central and Eastern Europe: SkyShowtime.

I’m thankful for my VPN service to help me see this series on Netflix. What’s presented is the best animated Star Trek to date! It picks up a few days after the events of the last season, where Dal (Brett Gray) and his ragtag crew are now studying at Starfleet Academy. But pretty soon, Admiral Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) gives them a chance to train on board a new Voyager class starship! Although she has another agenda, none of the cadets are the wiser save for Dal. The Doctor (Robert Picardo) lets slip another shuttle bay and his decision to investigate leads him to discover what this training cruise is about! Pretty soon, he gets his former crew to join!

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Transformers Earthspark, A Brand New Era and Next Season News

Anyone enjoying Transformers Earthspark will be glad to hear more episodes are being made, and in the meantime, we offer a full series review now that the entire series is available on home video.

Transformers Earthspark Episodes 11-26Spoiler Alert

Transformers Earthspark is like Rescue Bots at times, because of how everyone treats each other like a tight family. Just when I thought the home release might offer material to explain the similarity, this bare-bones release doesn’t delve into the development. I’m curious about why Quintus Prime finds it vital to seed other planets with Emberstone. This artifact can create new life, and while this Primus allowed this planet to run its natural course, why would this artfact remain? Since it was placed on a pedestal, there’s a lingering question of who worshipped it?

Maybe one day, I can meet the creators and ask about this new direction for the franchise. Aside from seeing Nicole Dubuc‘s name–who has helped produce the series for a long time–the others involved in the development are not as familiar. As long as she’s leading the charge, I’m okay with this update.

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When Star Trek Strange New Worlds Season Two is on Steelbook to Watch At Home, It’s Time for an Analysis!

Although Star Trek Strange New Worlds Season Two ventures into familiar sci-fi trope territory, fans can get to learn in the featurettes why it must be so. Picard would be proud.

Star Trek Strange New Worlds Season Two Collector's SetAs with the previous series, I waited for the home video release of Star Trek Strange New Worlds Season Two to binge-watch all of last year’s broadcast all in one go. That review can be read here. The Steelbook Blu-ray or 4K (which comes with magnets) for this next release is worth getting, and to find it at a reasonable price really means hitting checking various online retail shops rather than visiting Amazon. The design of the packaging is beautiful, and I love the fact the colours are consistent with the first volume so that they can be displayed. The poster (available in both releases) is a nice touch, and I think I’ll invest into getting it block mounted to get rid of the fold lines.

Ultimately, I wanted to look at the behind the scenes before diving in. The best bonus features concern updating how “The Gorn,” looks like, and explaining why “Singing in Space” is important to further develop the characters that we love. The episode, “Subspace Rhapsody,” was not cringe worthy because the explanation that accompanied this happenstance is plausible. While it’s easy to give praise to an episode prior to its airing, is it worth rewatching? I would say this episode has its place in the world of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer inspired television musicals.

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