Discerning Geeks Portal

Finally...  A topic one of our co-hosts has been itching to talk about and hopefully you've been itching for it too (insert ointment joke here).  We have an open discussion about our all-time Favorite Science Fiction TV Characters.  :) :) :)

Between Parts 1 & 2 of this discussion (this episode is Part 1), we rave about almost 50 amazing, likable, and sometimes important characters and several ensemble casts from over 30 shows.  Some characters we discuss more than others, but included in that discussion, we at least mention characters or ensemble casts from the following shows:

 - Alf

 - Alien Nation

 - Babylon 5

 - Battlestar Galactica (original)

 - Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

 - Chuck

 - Dark Matter

 - Doctor Who

 - Firefly

 - Fringe

 - Greatest American Hero

 - Handmaid's Tale

 - Incredible Hulk

 - Knight Rider

 - Legends of Tomorrow (and Arrow)

 - Mork & Mindy

 - Quantum Leap

 - Six Million Dollar Man

 - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

 - Star Trek: The Next Generation

 - Star Trek: The Original Series

 - Stargate SG-1

 - Stargate Universe

 - Stranger Things

 - The Orville

 - Transformers

 - Travelers

 - Voltron (Netflix)

 - Voltron (original; Lion Voltron, of course, not Vehicle Voltron)

 - Warehouse 13

 - The X-Files

You have to admit, that's a nice variety.  Our main topics in Part 1 are honorable mentions, female characters, Stargate, and Star Trek, including a side discussion on Data vs. Spock.  Our main topics in Part 2 will be Babylon 5, our respective Top 5 Characters lists, and more honorable (and maybe dishonorable) mentions.

Note (1):  We recorded this discussion on the early evening of January 21, 2021.  In that discussion we included the Babylon 5 character of Ambassador Delenn, played by Mira Furlan, who also played Danielle Rousseau on Lost.  Just 2 or 3 hours later, news hit the internet that, sadly, Mira Furlan had passed away the day before on January 20.  Our condolences go out to family, friends, colleagues, and fans of Mira Furlan.

Note (2):  In case it's not obvious, the "imaginary studio audience" and laugh track in this episode are inspired somewhat by the recent MCU series on Disney+, WandaVision.  As mentioned in the description of our previous episode, life has gotten in the way of podcasting a little lately, so it's unclear how many of our crew are currently watching WandaVision and whether they want to talk about it.  But, *maybe* we'll cover it in a future episode.  Stay tuned for Part 2 of the characters discussion, and please bear with us as we try to get our podcasting schedule back on track.

Please visit us on Facebook, Twitter, and/or by e-mail, and let us know who your favorite sci-fi TV characters are.

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Our holiday heroes conclude their Dungeons & Dragons one-shot adventure, facing off against undead evil and helping to put right what once with wrong and teaching a misguided soul that maybe he really can change his stars (ooh, a "Quantum Leap" reference and an "A Knight's Tale" reference in the same totally unrelated intro; this really is the place for geeks).

Listen to Anical Ural, the Eladrin Elf paladin, physically confront evil with full body force.  Listen to Ray Myriad, the Kender arcane trickster rogue, use speed, cunning, and aim to undermine undead machinations.  And, listen to Dwelvrik Grünmaulkyn, the Forest Gnome druid...kind of do stuff too or, at least...try to (combat against undead is not exactly his forte, and everybody has a bad day).

Part 3 sees miserly mayor Ebenezer Scrooge confronted by the Ghosts of Christmas Present and Christmas Future.  Along for the ride are our three heroes and the creatures that stand in the way of success in rescuing Scrooge's soul.  Together, do our heroes help Scrooge shake off the shackles of an arrangement gone awry?  Or, is Scrooge beyond redemption and destined for doom?  Do the Cratchits have a good Christmas?  Do our heroes get back home?  For characters from the fantasy world of Krynn, what exactly *is* Christmas, anyway?!?  Did recording in January and needing weeks of editing keep our podcasters from releasing a Christmas-themed episode in February?

Find out, now, the answers to these questions and more in the culmination to the Discerning Geeks Portal's (first?) Dungeons & Dragons one-shot special.

Update (Friday 23 December 2022): Our Dungeons & Dragons One-Shot Radio Play, Parts 1, 2, and 3, will reach their two-year anniversaries in January & February 2023 (yes, despite being Christmas themed, we were late to record & edit them). But, just in time for Christmas 2022, this episode has now been re-uploaded with improved audio quality.

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Our D&D One-Shot continues with Part 2...  Anical Ural (the Eladrin Elf Paladin), Dwelvrik Grünmaulkyn (the Forest Gnome Druid), and Ray Myriad (the Kender Arcane Trickster Rogue) face off against shadows from an otherworldly darkness as they continue in their quest to aid benevolent spirits in the redemption of a lost soul.

One summons the forces of good & magic, one wild shapes while harnessing the energy of the moon, and the other...just comes out of nowhere when you least expect her.  Join our heroes in their first one-shot encounter and stay tuned for Part 3 when the heroes conclude their mission...one way or another.

Be sure to check out Episode #034 for Part 1 of this D&D one-shot adventure.  And, yes, it's a Christmas-theme one-shot that we recorded in January and in which Part 2 is coming out on the first day of February -- but technically only during 1 of 6 U.S. time zones (approx. 12:42 AM Eastern).  Give us credit for being...committed...to doing the thing despite, you know...time & calendars.

Update (Friday 23 December 2022): Our Dungeons & Dragons One-Shot Radio Play, Parts 1, 2, and 3, will reach their two-year anniversaries in January & February 2023 (yes, despite being Christmas themed, we were late to record & edit them). But, just in time for Christmas 2022, this episode has now been re-uploaded with improved audio quality.

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And, this week...a little something different.  Welcome to the Discerning Geeks Portal's first Dungeons & Dragons one-shot episode.  This is part 1 of a 2 (or maybe 3) part adventure that sees three heroes in a wintery dreamscape, tasked with helping otherworldly spirits change the destiny of a darkened heart (see "Note" below for context on our ongoing campaign and when this one-shot takes place).

The players & level 10 characters in this adventure are...

Grab your weapons & armor, prepare your spells, and craft your potions.  We're going...on an adventure!

...And, stay tuned for Part 2.

Note:  The characters from this one-shot are pre-existing characters from our regular D&D campaign that has been ongoing since February or March 2020 and which is set in Krynn, the world of the Dragonlance books (which is why Andruw's Halfling character is referred to as a Kender, the Krynn version of Halflings).  To provide context for what's going on...  In our 2nd-most previous session (way back in fall 2020), Anical realized we were outnumbered by evil forces and attempted a makeshift religious ritual to beckon for help from benevolent gods.  The ritual involved a wooded grove, many of our magic items, a lot of symbolism, and all three of our characters concentrating.  We were knocked unconscious.

When our characters awoke in our last session, the grove was transformed into an outdoor temple, and two of Dwelvrik's magical items had been transformed into full-size sentient creatures with individual instructions for all three characters.  This holiday themed one-shot is a dreamscape / religious experience that takes place between those last two sessions while the characters's physical bodies were unconscious in the grove

(Hopefully that made sense.  Don't me get started on the lich, the black dragon, the blue dragon, the bronze dragon, the half-ogre, the evil Elf bard, all the Kobolds, the tall folk hunting down Gnomes, the awakened trees, the townsfolk obsessed with arena fights, the hidden & now-submerged treasure room, the captured pirate ship, etc...)

Update (Friday 23 December 2022):  Our Dungeons & Dragons One-Shot Radio Play, Parts 1, 2, and 3, will reach their two-year anniversaries in January & February 2023 (yes, despite being Christmas themed, we were late to record & edit them).  But, just in time for Christmas 2022, this episode has now been re-uploaded with improved audio quality.

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Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.

"Greetings, Starfighter.  You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the frontier against Xur and the Ko-Dan Armada."

This week, we review the 1984 sci-fi classic, The Last Starfighter.  We discuss the movie's use of computer generated special effects, which were groundbreaking at the time, and how much they hold up today.  We also discuss great character moments, a difference in opinion about the acting, comparisons between this movie and Star Wars, and how the movie's writer first conceptualized the story and the main character.

Remember your training, and grab your flight suit and helmet.  It's time to defend...The Last Starfighter.

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Happy New Year!  :)  Thank you for joining us for our first brand new review of 2021.  :)

This week, we review the 2006 intellectual romantic fantasy film, "The Lake House".  Sandra Bullock plays a doctor named Kate in the year 2006, and Keanu Reeves plays an architect named Alex in the year 2004.  At different points in time, they live at the same glass lake house, but thanks to a magic mailbox that transmits their letters through time, they meet, correspond, and fall in love despite being two years apart.

We discuss the movie's clean rating (it's oddly kid friendly content-wise, even if kids wouldn't care about an adult love story), the gradual formation of the relationship between Alex & Kate, the movie's visual & narrative techniques, similarities to "The Adjustment Bureau" and "The Time Traveler's Wife," the nature of the magic mailbox, and one co-host's mind-blowing theory that something other than the mailbox is controlling the magic.

I don't know if we've talked this metaphysically about a movie since "Real Steel."  Actually, we probably did for "The Adjustment Bureau" -- both great movies and great reviews.  Check out those episodes and more.  But, for now, grab your tools and check out this review as we renovate...The Lake House.

And, speaking of love & letters, we'd love to get a correspondence from you.  You can contact us at...

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Happy New Year!  :)  Due to a combination of Christmas celebrations and unexpected issues at work for one of our co-hosts, we're...a little behind on recording.  But, never fear!  We have a special bonus episode that we already said was on the way sometime anyway...

This episode is a portion of episode #023 -- our review of the movie "The Adjustment Bureau" (a good movie and a good review; check it out) -- which ran a little long and had to be cut out of the original review and saved for later...which is now.

This segment is a discussion of the works of Philip K. Dick, the author of the short story that inspired the movie.  "Adjustment Team" was published in 1954, and Philip K. Dick passed away in 1982.  But, his literary works continue to inspire movies & TV shows to this day, including "Blade Runner" (1982), "Total Recall" (1990 & 2012), "Minority Report" (2002), A "Scanner Darkly" (2006), "The Adjustment Bureau" (2011), and two recent Amazon Prime TV series, "The Man in the High Castle" and "Electric Dreams."

As always, we go on tangents, so we also discuss other classic books & movies by other writers as well.

Check out this special episode, as we take time to prepare more great content for you in 2021.  Stay tuned.  In the meantime, feel free to say "Hello" or give us feedback at one of the contact options below.  :)

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We conclude our episode reviews of The Mandalorian season 2 with "Chapter 16: The Rescue."  We discuss the plan of action, the greater display of force by the Dark Troopers, the dilemma of the Darksaber, the machinations of Moff Gideon (and possibly Grand Admiral Thrawn pulling strings behind the scenes), the gradual reveal of who answers Grogu's call, the added treat of a 2nd classic character appearing, the downside of Din Djarin completing his quest, the mid-credit scene (check it out if you missed it), and a look ahead to...what's next.

Board our captured shuttle and make sure your gun isn't jammed.  We're ready to crash on a cruiser, make fools of Storm Troopers, and carry out...The Rescue.

Boba Fett returns in December 2021 in "The Book of Boba Fett."

Din Djarin returns (we assume) in 2022 (!?!) in "The Mandalorian" season 3.

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Almost finished with The Mandalorian season 2, we review the penultimate episode, "Chapter 15: The Believer."  We discuss the meaning of the title of the episode, further development of the Migs Mayfeld character and his backstory, the possible ways this series is bridging narrative gaps between the original & sequel trilogies of movies, and Boba Fett's rather quick makeover of his armor.

The team is assembled and we're taking off aboard Slave I, and...whoa, is part of the ship rotating around us???  Interesting.  Uh, anyway, join us as we review..."Chapter 15: The Believer."

We hope you've had happy holidays and look forward to a Happy (Almost Here) New Year.

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This week we review the family holiday film, Muppet Christmas Carol.  We discuss the timeless and feel-good nature of the movie, the immersive production quality, the great decision-making into which Muppet would play each character from the classic Charles Dickens novel, the music (including one song that is cut out of certain versions of the movie), great quotes & moments, how well the themes & lessons of the story apply to real life (especially in the year 2020), and in general, how much this is one of those movies where every element just...works.

Grab your rat companion (well, maybe only if he or she is a Muppet rat) and join us as we sing the praises of...Muppet Christmas Carol.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!  :)

Update (Sunday 11 December 2022):  Today is the 30th anniversary of classic holiday film, "Muppet Christmas Carol," and a few days before the 2nd anniversary of our review of it.  It has been re-uploaded with slightly improved audio quality.

Update-To-The-Update (Friday 23 December 2022):  I can't remember exactly which small changes I made, but I actually tweaked the audio slightly further and re-uploaded it again.  Merry Christmas.  :)

E-Mail:  [email protected]

Twitter:  @DiscerningGeeks

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Please rate or review us wherever you listen to podcasts.