Halo Landfall

Here’s a little bit of nostalgia to start off your week. Remember this? For years, I thought it was either bootleg footage or a fan project. The only video I could find of it was on some kid’s YouTube channel at 144p. But no, it’s official Bungie. Here it is in HD.

Z is for Zenith

Has space opera passed its zenith? Sometimes, it certainly looks that way.  All the major stuff seems to be reprints of past series and reboots of decades-old franchises.  Star Trek, Star Wars, Stargate, Battlestar Galactica, Ender’s Game, Dune, Babylon 5–all the big names seem to have had their start at least a generation ago.  At… Continue reading Z is for Zenith

U is for Universal Translator

In science fiction, whenever two characters from different planets or different alien races have to interact with each other, they almost always speak the same language or have some sort of universal translator that magically makes them able to communicate with minimal misunderstandings.  This is especially common in Star Trek, though it happens in just… Continue reading U is for Universal Translator

P is for Planets

Gliese 581 by ~arisechicken117 on deviantART One of the best things about a good science fiction story is that it can take you to another world–literally!  Well, not in the sense of actually physically taking you there, but if you want to experience the thrills of an alien world from the safety of your favorite… Continue reading P is for Planets

H is for Hologram

In real life, the term “hologram” means something fairly specific.  But in science fiction, it can mean a number of different things. For example, in Star Wars it’s basically a three dimensional video recording projected on a flat surface.  In Halo, it’s the visual form that the AI character Cortana takes when she wants to… Continue reading H is for Hologram

C is for Cryo

I think every science fiction writer has a cryo (aka “human popsicle“) story sitting around somewhere, even if it’s just in the back of their head.  It’s one of those tropes that keeps coming back, just like the alien invasion, the robot apocalypse, and the Adam and Eve plot. The basic concept is pretty simple,… Continue reading C is for Cryo