Weekly G+ Geek Panel

GWC Meetups and Events
#41

Weekly GWC Geek Panel
Google+ Hangout
Sunday, November 27th
10:00 PM Eastern

Topic: STAR TREK VERSUS STAR WARS

Two fandoms, both alike in rabidity
On the interweb, where we lay our stage
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where Vulcan blood makes Wookie hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
Another Sunday Hangout takes place;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their chat bury their fandoms’ strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark’d love,
And the continuance of their prequels’ rage,
Which, but their spinoff’s end, nought could remove,
Is now the one hours’ traffic of our screens;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

  • William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet (translated from the Esperanto edition)

The eternal debate. Star Trek versus Star Wars. No argument has spawned fiercer flame wars than this.

Recently, two prominent figures from both camps, William Shatner and Carrie Fisher, have engaged in a back-and-forth of sorts arguing for their own franchises’ superiority.

William Shatner, “Star Trek v Star Wars”

//youtu.be/5BYNdTHjstI

Carrie Fisher, “Star Wars is SOOO Much Better than Star Trek”

//youtu.be/nU2jqIRjJVI

Okay, so obviously they’re both loons. We know that. Let’s just get that out of the way.

Moving on, I think we can use this a springboard for our Geek Panel discussion. We’ve already covered Star Wars and Star Trek individually, so let’s build off that and talk about how the franchises compare. Here’s a list of questions to get us started:

[ul]
[li]Which had the greatest impact on you?
[/li][li]Which one would you never want to live without?
[/li][li]Which fanbase is more rabid?
[/li][li]Which has had a greater impact on science fiction and popular culture?
[/li][li]Which has been more successful?
[/li][li]Which universe would you want to live in?
[/li][/ul]

Here are a few fan videos that will get you noodle cooking. See you Sunday!

Star Wars vs. Star Trek Theatrical Trailer

//youtu.be/oEE4Pib8QcQ

Star Trek Crew watches Star Wars IV

//youtu.be/8wsLUC0uyUI

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#42

Weekly GWC Geek Panel
Google+ Hangout
Sunday, December 4th
10:00 PM Eastern

Topic: Midseason TV Roundup / Current Book-to-TV Adaptations

This week we’re checking in with our favorite shows at midseason and looking forward to new and returning shows that will be premiering soon. Any show is up for discussion, but the two at the top of the list are The Walking Dead, which just had its mid-season finale, and Game of Thrones, which will begin its second season next year. We will also be discussing the adaptation of those shows from their print origins.

The Walking Dead, Season 2, Episode 8 “Nebraska” Trailer

//youtu.be/V0Peldz0-uY

Game of Thrones: Season 2 In Production

//youtu.be/pE12H1HorUU

Two upcoming spring shows I’m looking forward to are Alcatraz from executive producer J.J. Abrams on FOX and The River from executive producer Steven Spielberg on ABC. Both these shows look pretty awesome. What do you think?

Alcatraz - First Look Trailer

//youtu.be/J_jAlFqvASU

The River - Trailer

//youtu.be/7EyioRKjhBk

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#43

Weekly GWC Geek Panel
Google+ Hangout
Sunday, December 11th
10:00 PM Eastern

Topic: Marvel’s Avengers vs. X-Men Announcement / Superhero Show-and-Tell


USA Today Article: Matt Fraction, Brian Michael Bendis, and Jonathan Hickman preview AVENGERS VESUS X-MEN

This week, Marvel Comics revealed that its next major event will be AVENGERS VERSUS X-MEN, which will pit the Marvel Universe’s two most prominent and powerful superteams against one another.

There’s been a lot of infighting in the Marvel Universe lately. The Avengers were torn apart by the CIVIL WAR arc a few years ago, and the X-Men recently split into two teams during the SCHISM event. Now, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and the Children of the Atom will be at each other’s throats.

The multi-issue arc will involve the entire Marvel Universe, and may dramatically alter it going forward. Two of the major players, according to reports, will be the Scarlet Witch and the Phoenix Force, which may or may not be destined to reside in Hope Summers. Both entities possess incredible destructive power with the potential to reshape the Marvel Universe. Given DC Comics’ recent continuity-wide reboot, this raises the question: is Marvel opening the door for a similar situation?

Of course, a showdown between the Avengers and the X-Men has been the stuff of geek fantasy for years. The teams have shared members - and foes - over the years, and may have sparred on occasion, but not to the extent we’re likely to see with AvX. Marvel Comics seems to be planning a true Battle Royale between the two, which will be interesting to watch, to say the least.

Even if you’re not caught up on your Marvel reading, it will be fun for us to talk about the potential such a showdown brings, especially considering the fact that the Avengers and the X-Men are two of Marvel’s most successful film properties, and the AvX event will likely coincide with the release of The Avengers next May.

We’ll also be talking about our own favorite superheroes, and I thought it would be fun to do a little “show-and-tell.” Bring your favorite comic, action figure, t-shirt, or collectable to the Hangout with you to share your own personal favorite superhero with the crew!

Join us on Google+ Hangout for another Weekly GWC Geek Panel!

#44

Weekly GWC Geek Panel
Google+ Hangout
Sunday, December 18th
10:00 PM Eastern

Topic: GWC Geek Panel Holiday Party!

Stockings are hung, dreidels are spinning, the Wookiees are decorating their wroshyr trees, and it’s time once again for the Feats of Strength. Grab some roast beast and pour a Romulan ale to wash it down - it’s the GWC Geek Panel Holiday Party!

There’s no set topic this week, it’s just a chance for us to share some geeky holiday stories, talk about what items are on our wish lists, and how we plan on spending our winter vacations - reading comics, playing video games, and seeing some of the awesome movies that are coming out soon, like Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

In other words, it’s a time to Hangout and be merry!

Join us on Google+ Hangout for another Weekly GWC Geek Panel!

#45

Top (n) List of 2011

Created by the Google+ Geek Panel on Sunday, January 1st, 2012

Panel Members: Aset, BadgerSpoon, gwensdad2003, Jonolobster, Kirokai, and The Operator.

The Top (n) List is sorted by category, and the entries are in no particular order, but were generally agreed-upon by the Panel. Feel free to add to this list in the replies!

Movies

[ul]
[li]Paul
[/li][li]X-Men: First Class
[/li][li]Rise of the Planet of the Apes
[/li][li]Captain America: The First Avenger
[/li][li]Thor (3D version special mention)
[/li][li]Conan the Barbarian
[/li][li]Fright Night
[/li][li]Real Steel
[/li][li]In Time
[/li][li]The Muppets
[/li][li]Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol
[/li][li]Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows
[/li][li]The Help
[/li][li]The Devil’s Double
[/li][/ul]

TV Shows

[ul]
[li]Game of Thrones
[/li][li]American Horror Story
[/li][li]The Walking Dead
[/li][li]Community
[/li][li]Warehouse 13
[/li][li]Breaking Bad
[/li][li]Stargate Universe
[/li][li]Sons of Anarchy
[/li][li]Archer
[/li][li]Castle
[/li][li]Dexter
[/li][li]Alphas
[/li][li]Supernatural
[/li][/ul]

Games

[ul]
[li]Words With Friends
[/li][li]Minecraft
[/li][li]Skyrim
[/li][li]Portal 2
[/li][/ul]

Books

[ul]
[li]A Dance with Dragons by George RR Martin
[/li][li]Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi
[/li][li]The Nerdist Way by Chris Hardwick
[/li][li]Zombie Spaceship Wasteland by Patton Oswalt
[/li][li]11/22/63 by Stephen King
[/li][li]Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton
[/li][li]Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews
[/li][li]The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
[/li][li]Star Trek - Mirror Universe: Rise Like Lions by David Mack
[/li][li]The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor by Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga
[/li][li]Pax Romana by Jonathan Hickman (graphic novel)
[/li][/ul]

Top Geek Moments of 2011

[ul]
[li]Rise of The Nerdist
[/li][li]Game of Thrones Goes Mainstream
[/li][li]Rise of the Google+ Hangouts / Geek Panels
[/li][li]GWC Celebrates 300
[/li][/ul]

What We’re Looking Forward to in 2012 (Besides the Apocalypse)

Movies:

[ul]
[li]The Dark Knight Rises
[/li][li]The Avengers
[/li][li]The Hunger Games
[/li][li]The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
[/li][li]Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters
[/li][li]The Three Stooges
[/li][li]Dark Shadows
[/li][li]Snow White and the Huntsman
[/li][li]Jack the Giant Killer
[/li][/ul]

TV:

[ul]
[li]Game of Thrones Season 2
[/li][/ul]

Games:

[ul]
[li]Mass Effect 3
[/li][/ul]

Bonus Section: Links From The Chat Stream!

Top 100 Movies of 2011 (Rotten Tomatoes)
Bottom 10 Worst Movies of 2011 (According to Rotten Tomatoes)
The best, worst movies of 2011 (CNN)
The 25 Best TV Shows of 2011 (Slant Magazine)
The best comics of 2011: Graphic novels & art comics (AV Club)
The Best Science Fiction And Fantasy Comics Of 2011 (io9)
17 Awesome Nerdy Things to Look Forward to in 2012 (Topless Robot)

Again, feel free to add to the list!

#46

Weekly GWC Geek Panel
Google+ Hangout
Sunday, January 8th
10:00 PM Eastern

Topic: Missed TV Opportunities of 2011-2012


Run, don’t walk, away from this stinker!

As we move into the new year and midseason replacements start hitting the airwaves, let us take a moment to examine three shows that - for good or ill - didn’t quite make the cut for this TV season. I am referring, of course, to NBC’s 17th Precinct, NBC’s Wonder Woman, and SyFy’s Three Inches.

What’s interesting to me is that on paper, all three of these shows ought to work.

17th Precinct is by Ron Frakking Moore and features a host of BSG alums (Jamie Bamber, James Callis, and Tricia Helfer) along with two very capable mainstream actors (Stockard Channing (The West Wing) and Eamonn Walker (Oz)). It’s a police procedural set in a modern world of magic, or as Moore called it once, “Harry Potter for grown ups.”

Wonder Woman is a long-overdue update to the most popular female superhero of all time by one of TV’s most successful writers, David E. Kelley (Ally McBeal, Boston Legal, etc.) It features Adrianne Palicki, that hottie-boom-bottie from Friday Night Lights in a sexy updated version of the classic costume.

Three Inches is about underwhelmingly superpowered individuals, sort of the beta Alphas. The lead character can move any object with his mind, but only three inches. But it has a ton of genre actors: James Marsters (Buffy), Stephanie Jacobsen (BSG: Razor), Naoko Mori (Torchwood), Alona Tal (Supernatural), and Julian Richings (Supernatural).

However, none of them made it past the pilot stage. Our job will be to determine whether this fate constitutes a missed opportunity or a dodged bullet.

All three of these shows either have had their pilots leaked online, or, in the case of Three Inches, aired on a night when no one was watching.

The pilot for 17th Precinct - easily the most promising of the three - is available on YouTube, but you’re on your own if you want to find the other two. Unless you happened to catch Three Inches when it aired, that is.

You can also read reviews of all three pilots from the always snarktastic Gawker site, io9:

[ul]
[li]17th Precinct Review (io9)
[/li][li]Wonder Woman Review (io9)
[/li][li]Three Inches Review (io9)
[/li][/ul]

17th Precinct Unaired Pilot Part 1/3

//youtu.be/PebLrjy5CSg

17th Precinct Unaired Pilot Part 2/3

//youtu.be/edAZT5FjF4Q

17th Precinct Unaired Pilot Part 3/3

//youtu.be/xXiFhfL8lJQ


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#47

We need a topic for this week’s Geek Panel (1/15/12)!

We’ve done a lot of entertainment-related panels lately - how about something tech themed?

Reply to this thread, @ mention me on Twitter, or hit me up on Google+ to make a suggestion!

#48

Weekly GWC Geek Panel
Google+ Hangout
Sunday, January 22nd
10:00 PM Eastern

Topic: Cons


Robert Picardo holds court at FedCon

The Convention: The Mecca of Geekdom.

Whatever your geek niche, there’s probably a convention out there that caters to your interests.

Me, personally, I’ve never been to one, so I don’t have much to bring to the table except for preconceived notions. Maybe you have been to a convention and you can bring a lot to the table.

Either way, it will be another fun Hangout!

Oh, we’ll also be talking about the 2012 GWC International Meetup in March, which isn’t technically a convention, but it’s something I think a lot of us are looking forward to!


Join us on Google+ Hangout for another Weekly GWC Geek Panel!

#49

Weekly GWC Geek Panel
Google+ Hangout
Sunday, January 29th
10:00 PM Eastern

Topic: Long-Form Storytelling on TV


Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale…

During last week’s Geek Panel, we went off-topic - as we often do - and started talking about television series like Lost, Babylon 5, and How I Met Your Mother. All of these shows are great examples of long-form storytelling - shows that operate with the end in mind. In the case of Babylon 5, the show’s creator already knew what the ending was. Lost and How I Met Your Mother, on the other hand, seem to be more about the journey than the destination, though.

Here are a few links for your reading pleasure!

9 series that tried to be the next Lost (and why they failed) [Blastr]
Geekipedia: Long-form television [Wired]
The Long Arc: The Challenge of TV Series Endings [Slant]
Networks risk millions on longform TV productions [Reuters]

Another example that comes to my mind is Chuck, which will be ending its five-year run on Friday, January 27th. Throughout its run, Chuck has not been afraid to tinker with the show’s rules while staying true to the show’s “heart.” While I wouldn’t call it long-form storytelling, per se, Chuck’s final episodes seem to be bringing the show full circle The two-hour finale airs on NBC starting at 8:00 PM Eastern.

Chuck Farewell: 11 Things We’ll Miss Most About Bartowski & Co. [TV Line]

See you Sunday, Nerd Herders!

//youtu.be/ByDhS6uPO8g


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#50

Weekly GWC Geek Panel
Google+ Hangout
Sunday, February 12th
10:00 PM Eastern

Topic: Remakes


There can be only one! But it’s probably time for another.

The other night a couple of us watched Highlander and had a Frak Party on the Forum. Highlander is a great movie that spawned several crappy sequels and halfway-decent TV show. However, it’s dated as heck. The special effects, the costumes, the swordplay, the dialogue - oh, the dialogue - and the absurd casting/accent combos (a French guy as a Scotsman and a Scotsman as a Spaniard/Egyptian… huh?) all make Highlander a movie that screams for a decent remake.

Hollywood loves to remake stuff. Some remakes work, some don’t. Charlie’s Angels, for example, was a hit show that inspired a pair of successful films remakes a few years ago, but the recent T.V. remake a flop.

This Geek Panel will be devoted to what makes a good remake, what we think deserves to get remade, and what shows or films are best left forgotten. We’ll also discuss the differences between remakes, re-imaginings, and reboots.


Join us on Google+ Hangout for another Weekly GWC Geek Panel!

#51

Galactic Watercooler Weekly Geek Panel
Sunday, February 19th, 2012
10:00 PM Eastern
Google+ Hangout

Topic: Politics in Science Fiction

In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s an election year, politics have long been a vital part of science fiction. Recent series such as Battlestar Galactica and classic stories like Dune and Starship Troopers all featured politics heavily in their stories and served as commentaries on political and social issues as well.

For this Geek Panel, we’ll be discussing our favorite examples of politics in science fiction and exploring why politics and sci-fi fit so well together.

We’ll also each be nominating our Dream Sci-Fi Presidential Ticket - a president and vice president who we feel would do the best job running the planet (or solar system, Federation, or Galactic Empire). We’ll each make a stump speech explaining why they’re the best life forms for the job!

Join us on Google+ Hangout!

#52

The official Geek Panel Cabinet decided on last night!

Secretary of State - Delenn
Secretary of Treasury - Quark
Secretary of Defense - Optimus Prime
Attorney General - Romo Lampkin
Secretary of Interior - Treebeard
Secretary of Aggriculture - Gaius Baltar
Secretary of Commerce - Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish
Secretary of Labor - Galen Tyrol
Secretary of Health & Human Services - Dr. Sherman Cottle
Secretary of Housing & Urban Development - Green Lantern (John Stewart)
Secretary of Transportation - Doctor Who
Secretary of Energy - Dr Manhattan
Secretary of Education - Daniel Jackson
Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs - Ellen Ripley
Secretary of Homeland Security - Odo

Chief Justice - Judge Dredd
Postmaster General - Han Solo

Director of the CIA - Varys "The Spider
Director of the FBI - Michael Garibaldi

#53

My nominations for the Geek panel presidential ticket

President - Captain Jean Luc Picard
Vice President - Captain John Sheridan

#54

Reposting it to tumblr due to the AWESOME of it. But I thought Dr. Venture was secretary of energy?

#55

No, he was not. You suggested him, everyone else agreed on Manhattan

#56

Wow, do you guys have a recording of the hangout? This one looks like it was epic.

#57

Not recorded, but Aset was kind enough to take notes!

I’m nominating the CLU-Rinzler ticket. They’ll build the perfect system.

#58

GWC Weekly Geek Panel
Sunday, March 11, 2012
10:00 PM Eastern
Google+ Hangout

[CENTER]

Topic: Drawing the Impossible - Art in Science Fiction and Fantasy[/CENTER]

The recent passing of legendary concept artist Ralph McQuarrie has reminded us of the important role art plays in bringing science fiction and fantasy to life. McQuarrie’s illustrations helped helped translate the characters and scenery of the original Star Wars trilogy, the original Battlestar Galactica, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., Cocoon, batteries not included, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Jurassic Park to the big screen.

For this Hangout we’ll be joined by a special guest: artist and writer +Joel Poirier. Joel writes and illustrates the satirical superhero comic Stripped Comics and hosts the G+ Hangout “Name That 80s Movie,” a game of art and trivia, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday night at 7 PM Eastern. He is a self-described “late-20th century pop culture nerd” from Ottawa, Canada.

We’ll be discussing how art, science fiction, and fantasy intersect, and also talking about how an artist goes about creating a universe of their own, whether it be from their own imagination or inspired by the words in a script. We’ll also touch on McQuarrie’s legacy and the significance of his work.

Check out Joel’s Stripped Comics, and join us on Google+ Hangout!

#59

Any thought to starting these up again?

#60

Go for it.