Entertainment Central

The original tv series with Alec Guiness is far better

Arguably - if Peter Green, Jimmy Page or Eric Clapton hadn't been born.

Great news. The White Room was pretty much the reason I kept my CD player ?

Disney has come out of nowhere with a certain “shock and awe” approach to new project announcements, including a large number of new Star Wars TV shows on the way to DisneyPlus. Rangers of the New Republic is a new series set during the same era as The Mandalorian. Likewise set in that same era (and hinted at recently in The Mandalorian), we’re also getting a dedicated series called Ahsoka, focused on Anakin Skywalker’s former Padawan. While it has been known for some time it was in the works, we also got word that Andor is an original series hitting DisneyPlus in 2022, following the spy/operative seen in Rogue One. Obi-Wan Kenobi, a series long desired by fans of the venerable Jedi, is set 10 years after Revenge of the Sith. Previously announced, there was also got a new look at The Bad Batch from Lucasfilm Animation, focused on the unusual squad of troopers seen earlier in the final season of The Clone Wars. Star Wars: Visions is an original series of animated short films, created by a set of some of the “world’s best Japanese anime creators,” set to release in 2021 on DisneyPlus. There is also a new event series called Lando, being developed by Justin Simien, who is known for his previous work on Dear White People. Disney has previously stated that it’s investing significant creative energy into a new era of Star Wars storytelling called the High Republic, set many decades before the prequel trilogy. In addition to the already-announced novels coming to that narrative timeframe, another new Star Wars TV series called The Acolyte has been revealed. Described as a mystery/thriller, and being developed by Leslye Headland, known for her films Bachelorette, Sleeping with Other People, and her co-creation of Russian Doll on Netflix. Lucasfilm Animation is collaborating with Lucasfilm’s visual effects team, ILM, and creating a new adventure film called A Droid Story, in which a new hero will be led through an adventure by R2-D2 and C-3PO. During the announcement, there was also confirmation that Taika Waititi is in active development for his own new Star Wars feature film. Finally, Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins offered up a brief video highlighting her enthusiasm for fighter pilot stories, and her plan to parlay that passion into a new film entitled Star Wars: Rogue Squadron.

I honestly didn't know that.

So hard to choose from just a few. Off the top of my head I'd say Parasite, The Painted Bird, Possessor Uncut, Dark Waters, The Lighthouse, Palm Springs, The Platform, Danger Close, The Devil All The Time.

Absolutely brilliant band. The Storm, Steeltown, Angle Park, Look Away. I could go on and on

LIke a lot of my generation, I am only familiar with Larson's version. I think the old movie serials might actually be floating around on Youtube but that might have been Flash Gordon I saw there. However, if you are interested in seeing "where it all began", Armageddon 2419AD, the original Buck Rogers pulp s-f story is up on Project Gutenberg. I haven't read it but the synopses make it sound rather different from later adaptations. It is most ground-based, with the villain being a "yellow peril" Asian empire that conquered the US rather than an alien empire. IOW, typical early twentieth-century anti-Asian racism. To be fair, there's a bit of a yellow peril feel even in the eighties Draconians so hopefully a new version will find a way to tone that down. As for Gerard returning in the new series, I could see it. The 1990s Flash, John Wesley Shipp, has appeared in multiple roles on the current CW Flash TV series, and the CW DC shows in general have brought back a lot of actors from previous DC adaptations. It's in vogue in other words. I loved the spaceships and hope that, like BSG revival, they keep the basic designs. Twiki and Dr. Theopilos, on the other hand, need to be treated more seriously. I love the idea of New Chicago being ruled by AIs but it was played as a bit of joke on the 80s show. There's some good stories to be had just from playing that more seriously. Another thought is to keep it in the Solar System, even the Draconians. IOW, make it "hard" s-f or at least harder than the old show. New BSG did a good job of hardening this up a bit, at least as far as how spacecraft operated, so it can be done. And, really, that second season where Buck and Wilma were on a starship doing more of a Star Trek thing didn't play as well as the resistance defending the Earth storyline of season 1.