Sci-Fi Storm

It seems that Steven Moffat wants to reveal one of the biggest secrets in all of science fiction television – what the Doctor’s real name is.

He’s teased us before – in the Series 6 finale, The Doctor whispered something to River Song, and said it was his real name. And we know that Moffat has been thinking about the Doctor’s name for a long time – taking part in a UseNet discussion in 1995 where he proposed that the meaning of “Doctor” could have been influenced by the Doctor’s use of that name while visiting various cultures throughout the ages (which became part of the plot in “A Good Man Goes To War”). But is he finally ready for the big reveal? It appears so.

At Comic-Con he said of the Doctor, “He never gives his name. Other Time Lords do, but he doesn’t. Clearly the question is tremendously important… And only I know why! We actually find out the truth.” When pressed on whether he really knew the Doctor’s name, he said, “Yes… You’ll see.”

The question is – did someone actually have a name for the Doctor but kept it secret all this time? Or is this the creation of Moffat? He’s in charge of the franchise, so he could introduce it into the canon – but is it a good idea?

Bruce Boxleitner, the title star of Tron and star of Babylon 5, announced this past weekend he is developing a new TV series called Lantern City, which aims to bring the steampunk genre to mainstream TV.

Lantern City is described as:

The new Steampunk show Lantern City, from executive producer Bruce Boxleitner, is an exciting foray into fan-inspired and fan-created television. It combines first-rate storytelling, innovative production design, and a rich world that fans will fall in love with. Even though it will blend great science fiction with dynamic storylines, at its heart the show asks two questions: how far would you go to be with the person you love and what lengths would you go to in order to survive?

Lantern City highlights the steampunk genre to create a one-of-a-kind television experience. Other properties have had Steampunk elements, but this is the first mainstream television show to proudly wear the label of Steampunk. Current fans of the subgenre will not be disappointed and it will attract a much wider audience to the long neglected world of Steampunk. The show is unique in that it allows viewers to be involved in the process – a first for any television show.

More information is available at the official web site.

TV|Line has been giving some quick summaries of some Comic-Con panels, and one of the big ones was the Firefly reunion panel, which brought together Joss Whedon and most of the cast (Gina Torres, Jewel Staite and Morena Baccarin could not attend)…and resulted in a few tears among the panelists.

What seemed to make this cast so special began with Nathan Fillion, who was determined to make the cast and crew a family. According to Alan Tudyk, “Right at the beginning, when we first started shooting the series, Nathan came up to all the actors and said, ‘We’re learning all the names [of the cast and crew].’ It became a game [that] brought everybody together as a family.”
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I may not be at San Diego Comic-Con (did I mention that?), but I know many of the press who are: Michael Hinman at Airlock Alpha has a nice article about Jaime Murray, who played H.G. Wells on Warehouse 13 and will star in the highly-anticipated Syfy series Defiance, and the fact that if Syfy still wanted to move forward with a possible Warehouse 13 spinoff based on her character, she believes it would still be possible to work both series.

In next Monday’s new Lost Girl, Trick takes matters into his own hands to forsee the future. Tune in Mondat, July 16th, at 10/9c to Syfy! (Programming Note: After this episode, Lost Girl will move to Friday nights with another new episode on July 20th at 10/9c)
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Our friend and favorite fangirl Ashley Eckstein and her Her Universe brand has added two new properties to her apparel line – Doctor Who and Star Trek! (Apparently these were announced while I was on vacation, but they went on sale this week!)

In her Star Trek shop, there are Enterprise-D and Uhura uniform T-shirts, an “I’ve got a crush on Crusher” T (I wonder if she wears that around Comic-Con and happens upon Wil Wheaton what would happen…), an “I Grok Spock” T, and a “LLAP” (Live Long and Prosper) purple women’s polo.

Out of the Whoniverse comes three T-shirt styles: A “Hell in High Heels” V-neck featuring some high heels, referring to what the Doctor called River Song; a “Something Blue” V-neck with a drawing of the TARDIS and the “Something borrowed…” saying; and a scoop-neck T featuring the Van Gogh painting of the exploding TARDIS!

So jealous…heck, I’d wear a Princess Leia hoodie if I could go to Comic-Con this year…

The episode may be called “Just Another Day”, But I’m sure it will hardly be one, as we bid farewell to the residents of the town of Eureka, and the characters we’ve come to love over five years. Let’s hope this isn’t the absolute last we see or hear of Jack, Fargo, Henry, Allison, Zane, Vincent, Holly, Isaac and the rest…

In the series finale, airing on Syfy next Monday at 9/8c, wormholes start popping up all over, threatening to rip Eureka apart unless Carter can stop them. Catch the preview below…
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I was just posting the previous article talking about the new STARZ series that were in development and what JMS has been teasing about for Comic-Con, and Deadline broke this news: he is announcing Studio JMS, a new multi-platform media company to handle all of his output under one roof. JMS develops and writes projects for all sorts of different platforms, including comic books, TV, and movies.

Studio JMS will be co-run by Patricia Tallman, who starred in JMS’s series Babylon 5 as telepath Lyta Alexander among many other acting and stunt roles, and also ran her own business, Talent To Go.

Among the things under development: The Flickering Light, to be directed by JMS, about Nazi propaganda director Leni Reifenstahl and the film she made using concentration camp prisoners; The Adventures Of Apocalypse Al, a web series for MTV.com; Living Dead The Musical, another web series; Epidemic for Overbrook Entertainment; Vlad Dracula for Starz; and a revival of his Joe’s Comics imprint with Image Comics.

J. Michael Straczynski has been teasing about some announcement Saturday at his spotlight session at SDCC on his Facebook page – he’s calling it a “meeting of the clans”, referring to the fans of his rather diverse work, from comics to Babylon 5 to movies, and this might not be what he is alluding to (will I have any spies at SDCC? Alas, I can’t attend yet again 🙁 ), but STARZ announced a couple of series in development, one of which he is involved with. [Edit: See the next article]

The first project, titled Incursion, comes from Spartacus creator Steven S. DeKnight and is described as “an epic science fiction action-thriller that follows a squad of soldiers caught in a war against a hostile alien race. Each season the battle will be fought on a new, exotic planet as humanity punches deeper into enemy territory. Grittily realistic combat, darkly complex characters and intrigue on a cosmic scale will permeate the tale of fighting men and women facing the pressures of war and an enemy unlike any ever seen.”

In the second, JMS is teaming with horror master Roy Lee (The Ring, The Strangers, The Woman in Black) and producer Rob Tapert (Spartacus, Xena: Warrior Princess, Evil Dead) to develop Vlad Dracula, a unique spin of the classic tale, blending the historical facts of the 15th century Prince of Wallachia, with the fictional Dracula whose story is known around the world and continues to fascinate audiences. “Vlad Dracula” traces his evolution from a revered ruler to the world’s most feared vampire, and his slow downfall as he struggles desperately to hang on to his humanity, his wife and his kingdom.

Carmi Zlotnik, Managing Director of STARZ, called all 4 of them “legendary talents, having created some of the most groundbreaking and iconic television series with incredibly passionate fan bases the world over.”

TNT has given an early pickup order for a third season of hit drama Falling Skies, consisting of 10 episodes to air in 2013. TNT is currently about halfway through the second season of the show, which stars Noah Wyle as a history teacher turned resistance fighter with the 2nd Massachusetts Regiment, fighting off alien invaders while trying to discover what it is they want.

Series stars Noah Wyle, Moon Bloodgood, Will Patton, Drew Roy, Connor Jessup, Colin Cunningham and Sarah Carter will be appearing along with executive producer Rene Aubuchon at San Diego Comic-Con for a panel moderated by Wil Wheaton on Friday, July 13th, at 4:30pm PT in room 6BCF at the San Diego Convention Center if you are attending.

From the press release:
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