First Prometheus Trailer!

On the trailer itself: man I love the art direction and costumes. Seeing the giant "c" spaceship gave me chills. Also, I know it's just costumes, but bubble helmets!!!!

The film is for a June 8, 2012 release in the US.

UPDATE: Here's a shot-for-shot rundown from Movieline of the trailer so you can get a better look.

• Prometheus on Apple
• Offical Movie website
• IMDB

1d10 Space Travel Customs Forms

Click to magnify 

So it turns out even Apollo astronauts can't escape red tape! This is a supremely cool artifact from the Apollo era space missions--it's the customs form that astronauts Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins had to complete on their return home from the moon.

This is something I'd LOVE to incorporate into a game, being the inclusion of an at-the-table artifact, plus seeding endless options for role-playing. Is the form filled out correctly? Some bureaucrat is not going to like that and this could mean anything for the PCs:

1. Delay in travel makes for a stay at a local space hotel or stop at a cantina (1d4 days)
2. PCs are detained, quarantined, questioned, tortured, mind-melded for information (1d4 days)
3. PCs are not allowed on-planet and are refused entry to the dock at the spaceport in question
4. PCs are welcomed for bringing much needed (whatever the cargo is) but then sentiment turns when it's not enough for the populous
5. Forms get mixed up or are forged by a corrupt official, fingering them for a crime they didn't commit (stolen goods, breaking embargo, etc.)
6. The form falls into the hands of local merchants who are looking to snuff out competition at the source--with the suppliers
7. Forms attract all manner of criminal element trying to "rob a train" and the PCs are the protectors of said cargo
8. Forms are a way of stealing PCs identities, ship registration, and mission info so they can be offed and replaced
9. Guards are unable to read the forms (either because of smudges, missing data, whatever) and PCs are held and added to a "watch list"
10. Nothing really, it's just a record of the cargo, but it's held onto and comes back to haunt them later

And so forth....

• Via The Atlantic, with a hat tip to Boing Boing
• Originally posted to Space.com

New X-plorers Class: Space Ranger (part 1)

The Galaxy Needs Space Rangers!
Space Rangers in my Space Pioneers setting function as an arm of the CSC which is working to advance human settlements in space. The CSC (in the current timeframe) is undergoing massive recruitment to fill the shallow ranks of the Ranger Corps. In addition to the usual law enforcement role (protection of the populous and general keeping of the peace), they are having to help with the CSC's cataloging of the galaxy.

It should almost go without saying that this class has more in common with Texas Ranger or Buzz Lightyear types than the similarly named rangers in fantasy RPGs and even airborne rangers in military games. Their missions tend to require a level of administrative and technical skills that make them more akin to an auditor or investigator (a requirement sought of FBI initiates) and a park ranger, in providing knowledge and assistance to settlers who may be in over their heads--and checking up on those who may be up to no good.

Rangers are a Multi-Class Option
Space Rangers are a separate multi-class option for X-plorers, combining characteristics of the Soldier, Technician, and Scout classes, but with a few distinctive touches. Ranger PCs start at level 3 and choose an area of sub-specialization. They are skilled in hand-to-hand combat as well as marksmanship and are trained to rely on raiding tactics and instincts to optimize combat efficiency. In an upcoming post I'll outline the template which includes ideas for available skill tracks, as well as some special abilities.

What Makes them Unique
What differentiates Rangers from Soldiers? Mainly, their M.O. is to see justice prevail, they're not looking to recoup a profit or corporate interests. Many times this mandate can even put them at odds with private sector objectives. This role often requires them to be equal parts spy, detective, and with many skills obviously identical to the X-plorers Soldier. However, Rangers are much more like free-wheeling investigators and independent marshals of the law and less so a straight-up fighting force.

Rangers are a Breed Apart
Due to the varied nature of missions and sparse Ranger population for a given jurisdiction, they're used to working solo or in small groups. While they can operate in a larger force, they typically are assigned to smaller task forces (as the only Ranger) or partnered with someone who complements—rather than mirrors—their own abilities. There is a great need in the galaxy for fresh Ranger recruits to fill these vital roles for securing the galaxy—are you up to the challenge?

NOTES:

• This post includes some previously unpublished notes I've long meant to post and I thought it a fitting preface before I delved into the class itself.
• This post is part a series of Space Ranger class posts. It assumes familiarity with the X-plorers science fiction role-playing game rules, which can be found at Brave Halfling.

UPDATE: Part 2 (the nitty gritty)

GASP! I have awakened from hyperspace slumber!

WHAT YEAR IS IT? Oh, man, it's been TOO long since I've had substantive posts (save for a few random ideas here and there). I'd wanted to post more material this year, and unfortunately (as with all things) real life got in the way. To sum up, we're in the middle of purchasing our first house, which is taking an inordinate amount of time on the sellers' end. It's not their fault, but their bank hasn't been expedient. I've also changed day-jobs and that took another kind of toll on my energy level. The new gig is a big improvement, but it constituted a significant change in my daily schedule, work style, and personal investment.

Finally, I don't really ever get into personal stuff on this blog. Let's face it, as much as we all enjoy this stuff, the intrusion of the real world is inevitable and I'm a private person when it comes to those things. But the short version is a member of my immediate family passed away unexpectedly during this whole job/house transition. When I started blogging a few years ago, it was after the death of my father and I poured myself into something creative. It took another death to reel me back and want to focus more on important things like family and the direction of my career.

But these things are never fixed. They're molten and always changing shape. While nothing yet has cooled for me to say I'm 100% free and clear to start doodling around in my hobbies again--there will never be a time like that. You just have to start and do it when you can--at least that's what I've decided. And frankly, the blogging community--as supportive as it can be--hasn't missed me and that's as it should be. I've got no illusions about my meager spot in the blogoverse, but it is something I'm proud of and enjoy doing. And it's something I've been wanting to return to with renewed investment.

Over the next week or so, I'll be making live some unpublished posts I've dug up--actual creative ideas! I'll hopefully be getting back in the saddle and thinking up new stuff as well catching up on email, etc.. Watch for some new X-plorers material by the end of the year and some other surprises.

If you're still reading this blog, thanks for sticking around, your presence hasn't gone unnoticed. And is that right--nearly 100 followers? Man, I'll have to do something special to commemorate that! :)

John Carter of Mars Trailer #2 is out

Honestly, this looks like a lot of fun to me. Does it hew closely to the source material?

Wait--a better question is--does it hold the spirit of the material in high enough regard?

Possibly.

It's at least obvious now that Stanton is truly is trying to make Barsoom appear as an alien world. (One of the earlier criticsms of the first trailer which looked too much like Utah where it was filmed.) Take the white "ape" it's definitely ape-like, but to make a gorilla with six limbs would be phoning it in, wouldn't it? I think I'm warming to his day-blinded version.

So far, I'm still excited and I hope it turns out well. I guess I'll know at the end credits on March 9 for sure.

New Picture: White Apes of Barsoom!

Entertainment Weekly has a fresh interview with director Andrew Stanton and the latest photos from the John Carter of Mars flick. Then theres this little tidbit from the article [SPOILERS, if you've not read the books], in which Stanton explains that the Tharks chain down Carter to keep him from low-grav jumping his way to freedom in a gladitorial arena. Stanton explains Carter's dilemma, but he leaks a little info about the beast itself (emphasis mine):

AS: There’s a subtle sense of anticipation for what these things might be like. Then Michael Kutsche — who did a lot of the designs on [the Johnny Depp movie] Alice in Wonderland – came up with this design on his own, for just their scale. He made them nocturnal, almost like moles — they stopped using their eyes, and just had a heightened sense of smell. We just love that. We needed a scene where Carter was going have to get out of his execution sentence in order to move the story forward, and we thought what better than having to go up against this formidable creature?

...and later...

EW: I’m sure John Carter is thinking right now, “This is a really interesting problem.”
AS: [Chuckles.] Right. And you’ve got these apes that can’t see, but they can smell really well. So it gives you a slight chance to not be killed immediately.

It's been a while since I read the books, but I don't recall the apes being blind.

Am I wrong? What do you think about the way this is playing out?

TONIGHT: You can't hide from the Intergalactic Nemesis!

This evening I'll be at the Heights Theater in Minneapolis to see Intergalactic Nemesis, a LIVE radio show-like performance mashed-up with pulp comic imagery. From their website:

The Intergalactic Nemesis is a one-of-a-kind theatrical experience that mashes up radio drama with comic-books. Three actors voice dozens of characters; one Foley artist creates hundreds of sound effects; one keyboardist performs a score of thousands (yes, thousands!) of notes; while on a two-story high screen we project more than 1,250 individual, full-color, hand-drawn, hi-res, blow-your-mind comic book images to tell the story visually. LIVE.

Inspired by Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars, and the pulp serials of the 1930s, The Intergalactic Nemesis is a spectacle unlike any other and it’s for the kid in everyone.

If you're local and can make it (show starts at 7pm) it looks like quite a lot of fun. Pack your ray gun and come!

Check the tour schedule to see if the Nemesis is coming to obliterate your hometown.

Then this one time, Batman and Space Ghost teamed up...

I'm seriously going to miss this show.

Props to ToplessRobot.com And yes, I'm shamelessly ripping of the headline too. Awesome things must always be paid forward.

Expendables: where are the space hirelings? 1d30

So older versions of D&D have hirelings--hired labor/meatshield minions who are the first line of fodder in any exploration or combat scenario. But what are the sci-fi equivelents? Red shirts, are surely at the top of that list. But it got me thinking, a few possibilities about some sci-fi versions of these para-PCs. Here's my d30 "chump chart":

"Put Johnson down and get back to work you lazy tribble-biters!"

1. Men-at-blaster-arms
2. Force screen operators
3. Pack beast wranglers
4. Computer bank switch expert
5. Load-lifter pilot
6. Ray rifle carrier (doesn't actually get to shoot it though)
7. Jefferiesweeps (guys with circular brooms who clean the jefferies tubes on starships)
8. Short order food replicator chef
9. Hoversled / moon buggy driver
10. Robot assembler
11. Sliding door repairman
12. Guys who pull bodies off the battlefield
13. Bulkhead repair crew
14. Boarding party welcoming committee
15. Teleporter repair guinea pig
16. Droid cleaner / enslaver
17. Sensor-corder knob turner
18. Jump gate / super laser lever puller
19. Zookatube rear-fueling technician
20. iPad holding cruise bureaucrat
21. All-purpose space-grease monkey
22. Space janitor
23. Scanning crew guy
24. Xenolinguistics intern
25. Space caddy
26. Laser sword inspector (other end, genius!)
27. Medical assistant
28. Door greeter
29. Galaxy's "most feared" bail bondsman
30. Anyone in engineering

Here's a list of gear for your laser fodder, give each crew member just one item. This is d30 as well, but this way you can roll the item and work-up your crew in reverse.

1. Sonic drill
2. Big magnet on a little crane
3. Laser or sonic rifle
4. Hoversled
5. Macroscope

   

   "Dad's home! I hear the garage door!"

6. Atomic reactor service pack (full radiation suit, radiation badge, multitool, graphing calculator)
7. Starfighter service pack (hydrospanner, plasma torch, face shield, cigar) 
8. Robot service pack (hydrospanner, oil can, data card, restriction bolt)
9. Rocket boots
10. Force screen groundstake emitter
11. Sensor-corder
12. Circular space broom
13. Blasting caps
14. Mop bucket
15. Dyson Vacuum of Space, Space Vacuum™
16. Medical wand
17. Hypo-stim packs (set of 2)
18. Portable energizer
19. Tripod with screw-on top
20. Hyperdrive fuel can
21. Load-lifter
22. Malfunctioning translator
23. Meal trays
24. Case of dueling ray pistols
25. Inflatable moon tent
26. Radar dish helmet
27. Beast saddle
28. Tranquilizers
29. Clipboard
30. Coffin

Anything else that should be on the list?

Exiled Jedi Vocational Readjustment (1d20)

I recently found some old notes I had on post-Jedi job opportunities--in other words, what do Jedi do when there's no proper temple or organization for the Order. If you've ever played the 2E version of West End Games' Star Wars RPG, they had a character template for a "failed Jedi". This was ostensibly any Jedi who survived The Purge and went on to choose a new line of work, be it paid or hobo.

So here's a list to get the ball rolling (literally, it's a random table of course!). Keep in mind, that any Jedi in hiding in plain view needs to remain so and if their powers come in to play they need to be able to explain their powers away as "tricks":

1. Psychic / Fortune Teller
2. Street Magician
3. Private Detective (a la Psych or The Mentalist, but with real powers)
4. Investigative Journalist
5. Gangsters / Smuggler / Street Informant
6. Physician / Veterinarian / Horticulturist (for those specializing in healing Force powers)
7. Archivist / Librarian
8. Alien Artifact Expert
9. Ghost Catcher / Exorcist
10. Homeless / Hermit
11. Beast Whisperer
12. Circus Freak
13. Psychiatrist / Svengali 
14. Gambler / Grifter / Stock Broker
15. Politician (after elective surgery to disguise oneself)
16. Sports Star (ditto)
17. University Professor
18. Combat Trainer
19. Ruler of a Primitive Society
20. Night Club Bouncer

Common sense dictates that many of these can be combined. And it should go without saying that they no longer need to stay completely on the light side of the Force. Once they're unemployed, their ethics are in a state of flux.

This also could just as easily work for any other RPG setting using psionicist, but I especially like the notion of a disbanded society of psionic ronin looking for purpose after The Fall.

Can you think of any others? I'll add them to the list.

Create a random 3D spaceship with shapeWright

An "Exonaut" Class Destroyer!

Looking for a vessel to take to the stars and beyond? You're in luck (as long as you're not picky!) because you can whip one up by hitting the "Build It" button on shapeWright. It's basically a random shape generator that quickly puzzles together a spaceship from pre-made forms.

Here's the "Torquemada" being built. A fuselage appears and a con tower falls into place (must be a command ship!)....

After a few more forms attach, a secondary fuselage appears! Definitely a large crew complement...

The final piece, fresh from the shipyards:

How it (seems to) work

The designs themselves are rather blocky, kinda' like a video game. But there's something very satisfying about hitting that button and watching your ship come together! You can even have it brought into meatspace via 3D printer (though the prices are pretty hefty at this point). Luckily, for the rest of us, there's the download button. The viewer is very simple though, and not everything appears centered on the screen. Not satisfied? Hit the button and pop out another one! I had fun putting in celebrity names and characters as well as just mundane words. It's case sensitive, allowing for a different design with caps added or not.

"Black Adder"

Ideas for use in gaming

In thinking how you could make this useful for gaming purposes, you could probably find a VRML (the download file format) viewer that would let you position the finished piece the way you want and then print out a jpeg. Right now the shapeWright just rotates the model on an axis. You can poke at it, but it doesn't really stay level enough to take a satisfying screen grab.

Once you have your ship, stat that puppy up and start flying! If you loved it enough, you also could order the printed model as a miniature. I think prices need to come down a lot or customization of your own design would need to be implemented for that to become a real consideration though (at least for me--prices start around $40).

One other item to note--when you name your creation it stays in the shapeWright memory. At least it seems to (I tested a few models 3 or more times). Here's a few ships I whipped up this morning (click on them to enlarge and see detail):

"Enterprise"

"EVO 1"

"Excalibur"

"x"

"Rientsblaster"

 

"Hand Sanitizer" (I was toying with whether more or less letters affected the randomization...still inconclusive).

"X-plorer"

My favorite so far is the "Powder Puff", here's the front:

Here's her engines:

She's definitely no push-over! Another tip: If you type in the name exactly as it's on these pics, you should pull up the exact same model (it seems that way). 

I do have one wish, which is that it would let you select some options like a class of ship and then it would slap on the appropriate module (doesn't really matter how or where). So imagine typing in "destroyer" and some heavy guns get attached or "scout" for smaller ones or maybe "recon" for a radar dish. 

Anyway, it's a neat internet gadget to mess around with!


UPDATE: Maybe you wanna start with the stats first, or you're so lazy you can't be bother statting up your random built space vessel. Try Chaotic Shiny's Spaceship Generator.


Props to Boing Boing for posting it this morning!

X-Plorers now at Noble Knight Games!

If you've got a list of stuff you're planning on getting at Noble Knight--and they're a regular shop you buy from--you can now get X-Plorers in softcover. Hell, pick up a few cool pulp sci-fi minis to fill out your crew while you're at it--and some dice--and you're ready to roll!

You can of course get the game direct from its publisher Brave Halfling as well. :)

THIS is the Star Wars revamp we NEEDED!

Harrison Ford is cool, but no one is more badass than Steve McQueen accompanied by A BEAR.

Also, I'm actually quite depressed that this prequel didn't happen:

Slightly more depressed at the thought of this one as a possibility. Though Jan Michael Vincent is pretty badass.

Bonus: DUNE-PUNK!

Via artist Sean Hartter, check out the rest of his alternate universe movie poster creations.

P.S. the Death Star makes me giggle.

A habitable-zone exoplanet discovered in new crop of 50 finds

Star HD 85512; image via ESO and Digitized Sky Survey 2; Photo by: Davide De Martin

Let's get something straight--digging up exoplanets can be tedious work--but the pay-off can sometimes be incredible. Using extremely sensitive equipment, astronomers look for a "wobble" in a star's path that might be caused by a planetary body. When the technique was first used to find possible planetary systems, gas giants made up the early finds (Saturn and Jupiter-sized) because they were big and had a lot of mass to indicate planet's orbit.

As the technique has been refined, smaller planets often considered to be rocky like Earth--though there's no definitive proof yet of their composition--are now being picked up. Five such smaller planets have recently been detected--one of them lies in the Goldilocks Zone that would allow for liquid water and possibly life to exist. This exciting news comes from the BBC:

Of the new finds, a total of five planets have masses that are less than five times that of Earth.

"These planets will be among the best targets for future space telescopes to look for signs of life in the planet's atmosphere by looking for chemical signatures such as evidence of oxygen," said Francesco Pepe, from the Geneva Observatory, who contributed to the research.

The star HD 85512 lies some 35 light-years away and hosts a potentially habitable planet. One of the worlds, called HD 85512 b, is estimated to be only 3.6 times the mass of the Earth.

It is located at the edge of the habitable zone - the narrow strip around a star where liquid water can be present on the surface of a planet. Liquid water is considered essential for the existence of life.

That's the star pictured above. Get the full story or check out the Exoplanets link above for more resources.

NASA snaps detailed flyover photos of moon landing sites

All images: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/ASU

These are some spectacular new photos from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) probe launched by NASA back in June of '09, which is still in service and snapping images of the moon's surface.

The craft has returned pictures showing imprints left behind by astronauts and their equipment on Apollo missions 12, 14, and 17. From NASA:

At the Apollo 17 site, the tracks laid down by the lunar rover are clearly visible, along with the last foot trails left on the moon. The images also show where the astronauts placed some of the scientific instruments that provided the first insight into the moon's environment and interior.

"We can retrace the astronauts' steps with greater clarity to see where they took lunar samples," said Noah Petro, a lunar geologist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., who is a member of the LRO project science team.

All three images show distinct trails left in the moon's thin soil when the astronauts exited the lunar modules and explored on foot. In the Apollo 17 image, the foot trails, including the last path made on the moon by humans, are easily distinguished from the dual tracks left by the lunar rover, which remains parked east of the lander.

While it's exciting to see that the equipment is still there, it's pretty awesome that the actual footpaths are also intact!

Check out more photos and the full story at NASA's site



Props to Beam Me Up

Star Trek turns 45 today!

Today is the 45th anniversary of Star Trek's debut on primetime television on September 8, 1966! Here's a few fun links from around the web today:

• Funky infographic on the franchise via Geeky Gadgets.

Click to see the full version on GG.

• There's a new three-part interview with the original cast over at the official Star Trek website.
• Wired has a look at wacky ST merchandising over the years, including Romulan Ale by the case and a talking Worf lunchbox.
• Here's a report about a possible new TV series in the works (take with a warp core-sized grain of salt!)
• This Haynes Manual for the Enterprise is one of my favorite new books--chock full of cut-a-ways and Trek tech, and written as if it were the actual users manual! 
• If you're Across the Pond, there's an Star Trek Art Exhibit going on in Manchester; here's a slideshow preview of the work being showcased.
• UPDATES: 
• The blog The Invisible Agent has a great post on the original sell sheet used to pitch the show to advertisers and includes dropped characters from the main cast like Chief Medical Officer Piper (not DeForest Kelly as Bones), Communications Officer Alden (not Nichelle Nichols as Uhura), and Yeoman Smith (who was cast as Kirk's arm candy). Also George Takei was pitched as "Physicist Sulu". (Via Retro Thing)
• Musings of a Sci-Fi Fanatic just posted a round-up of the best and worst episodes of the original series from SciFi Now magazine.

Here's to boldly going to the final frontier for 45 years! I plan on celebrating by catching a few original episodes on Netflix this weekend.

So how has Trek shaped your world/games/geek life?

X-Plorers RPG is NOW AVAILABLE!

CALLING ALL X-PLORERS....

X-Plorers is now available as a box set, softcover print-on-demand, or a no-art FREE download. You now have THREE WAYS to start conquering the galaxy--and you could be doing so as soon as THIS AFTERNOON while you wait for your box or softcover to arrive in the mail. Here's a look at the inside of the softcover....



The game is rules-light and can be played as-is, but it's REAL strength is in it's ability to be fiddled with under the hood. Personally, I like to tinker and I'm working on my own setting using the rules. If you're looking for more resources to help get started, check out the X-Plorers tab on the top of this blog.

On a side note, the venerable Space Admiral and X-Plorers Publisher John Adams is holding a new character sheet design contest. The winner will receive a FREE box set of the game! So submit your designs to Brave Halfling.

In the mean time, pick up the game right now and start X-ploring!

Expiscor Eternus!

STARGATE?

Image: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Looky what Hubble found:

A giant cosmic necklace glows brightly in this NASA Hubble Space Telescope image.

The object, aptly named the Necklace Nebula, is a recently discovered planetary nebula, the glowing remains of an ordinary, Sun-like star. The nebula consists of a bright ring, measuring 12 trillion miles wide, dotted with dense, bright knots of gas that resemble diamonds in a necklace.

A pair of stars orbiting close together produced the nebula, also called PN G054.2-03.4. About 10,000 years ago one of the aging stars ballooned to the point where it engulfed its companion star. The smaller star continued orbiting inside its larger companion, increasing the giant’s rotation rate.

The bloated companion star spun so fast that a large part of its gaseous envelope expanded into space. Due to centrifugal force, most of the gas escaped along the star’s equator, producing a ring. The embedded bright knots are dense gas clumps in the ring.

The pair is so close, only a few million miles apart, they appear as one bright dot in the center. The stars are furiously whirling around each other, completing an orbit in a little more than a day.

The Necklace Nebula is located 15,000 light-years away in the constellation Sagitta. In this composite image, taken on July 2, Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 captured the glow of hydrogen (blue), oxygen (green), and nitrogen (red).

Wonder where the other end is.  ;)

Custom Star Wars Figures: 1950s Space Opera Style!

Saw these amazing re-imagined character figures over at Sillof's Workshop. You've likely seen some of his other themed, custom Star Wars figures around the net, including the Samurai, Western, and WWII versions. This latest one is called Serial Wars and harkens back to the pulp sci-fi cinema of the Golden Age!

The gang's all here in top form and man are they inspiring. My favorite has to be the psion star warrior fashioned after Ben Kenobi....

You recognize that smirk of course...

This guys are great, but you really need to see the finned Fett helmet at Sillof's website...

A lovely space heroine....

And of course Luke is a Flash Gordon/Buck Rogers homage. I like how the lightsaber handle turned out...

If only I could get some 1:72 miniatures like these! Maybe Sillof will branch out into minis!


Props to Space 1970 for posting these on Facebook. I haven't seen them up on the blog yet, but I'll link to his Star Wars posts just in case.

Actual Science Fiction in Two New Movies? That's crazy!

This first one features a new take on aliens (at least for movies) as electrostatic entities bent on sucking the planet dry of energy and vaporizing us along the way. It's nice to something actually a little different making it's way to the silver screen. Somebody needs to stat those things up!

This next one is directed by Andrew Niccol, who directed one of my favorite films, Gattaca. This has a similar "marginalized lower class breaks into the uppper class" theme but what's really fascinating is how time is used. It's a sci-fi movie about time--but not about time travel!



I'm always going to love big space operas like Star Wars, alien smashfests like Cowboys vs. Aliens, or dystopian parables like Rise of the Planet of the Apes--but the films featured in these two clips really have my interest piqued.

Hollywood: This is a good start--now make MORE like these!

Star Trek Theme Park coming to Jordan

Gratuitous under-saucer shot!

Jordan is so lucky. Check this out:

Set phasers for fun! That’s because Star Trek’s getting the theme park treatment in Aqaba, Jordan. Set to begin construction in March 2012, the Red Sea Astrarium, a $1.5 billion development comprised of four hotels and 17 amusement-park-style attractions, will feature a Star Trek-themed entertainment center, including a “space-flight adventure” simulator ride (a la Disney’s Star Tours) based on the 45-year-old franchise.

His Highness as he appeared in a mid-90s episode of Voyager

Turns out Jordan's own King Abdullah II is a huge trekkie/trekker. So he gets his own country AND a Trek theme park. I bet he could probably build his own Enterprise if he wanted to. And it'd be better than that Star Trek Experience they shuttered in Vegas a few years back.

The full story at Entertainment Weekly, which also has their suggested rides.

What kind of rides, characters, slurpees, etc. would you want to enjoy at a Star Trek theme park?

Rocket Raccoon = My New Hero

Sometimes you just have to buy a comic because of the cover.

RR and Groot on a recent issue of The Annihilators

Nevermind the fact that I currently don't read this series and couldn't care about the other characters. It has a picture of a ray-gun wielding anthropomorphic raccoon on the front, with rocket ships and some sort of wooden dude in the background.

$3.99? Sold--I can't get my debit card out fast enough.

Image: OHotMU

I vaguely remember reading about Rocket Raccoon in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (OHotMU) series from the late 80s. I thought he was a little childish then. I was into Star Wars and Avengers comics, so I couldn't be bothered with "kiddie" comics.

Part of my prejudice may be blamed on Howard the Duck. Not the laudable comic book, but the dismal movie that was relegated to cinematic shovelware as soon as it hit theaters. I'm not gonna lie, I looked at the raccoon and saw a man in a duck costume. 

Was I ever wrong. RR is about as pulpy-adventure as it gets. The  latest Annihilators issue (pictured above) has a solo adventure that's not to be missed.

"WHO SAYS I DIG THROUGH TRASH? 

Rocket's comeback is now in full swing. At San Diego Comic Con, Hasbro revealed that they're giving the lil' guy an action figure--which is like saying "you are now worthy to be duplicated thousands of times and lost in playground sandboxes all over the country". And really, that's something special.

In any case, RR is okay in my book.

• Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (on Wikipedia)
• Official RR Marvel page. (FYI, Marvel's website is strewn with broken and bad links)
• Rocket's plant buddy, Groot

Props to Cool Toy Review for taking great photos ad SDCC '11.