Monday, March 24, 2014

Spacerguys Top 100 Sci-Fi Robots

This week I've shortlisted 100 Science Fiction Robots in showbusiness. Most of these iconic robots' originated from various science fiction movies and tv shows. A few others featured in fantasy musicals, cartoons and comic Sci-Fi spoofs like Galaxina, the Wizard of Oz, Futurama and International Man of Mystery.

Technically speaking the Terminator played by Arnold Schwarzenegger is neither a robot nor an android. In simple Sci-Fi terms hes just your average killer cyborg disguised with living flesh covering an indestructible exo-skeleton. So sit back and enjoy the fun. A couple of evil robots and computer entities mimicking human qualities are here too but why Locutus Of Borg at no.46? Needless to say I'm a trekker.


How does your geek feel about the sequencing of these Robots, Androids and Cyborgs? By the late 1970's and 80's Star Wars, Asimov's Three Robotic Laws and Robocop's Prime Directives were well known. Our robot pals have become like family intrinsically rooted in modern society. They no longer have to look like us to be lovable. R2-D2 and the USS Enterprise NCC 1701 bridge speak to us in whistles and beeps. I hope you've been listening closely, they have more personality than many a humanoid robot.

Perhaps by 2100 the friendliest living thing on planet Earth will be an immortal robotic mind filled with human memories!




















Whos that friendly, beaming face hugging R2-D2?

What is the fourth law of robotics?

Which Sci-Fi ROBOT is your favorite?

1. Robby the Robot                             Forbidden Planet          
2. Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero-One.     Star Trek Voyager
3. Wall-E                                      Wall-e
4. Robot B-9                                   Lost in Space  
5. Lieutenant Commander Data                   Star Trek TNG
6. Optimus Prime                               Transformers (2007)
7. Nomad                                       Star Trek TOS
8. Lore                                         Star Trek TNG
9. R2-D2                                       Star Wars
10. Bionic Man                               Six Million Dollar Man                
11. T-800                                      Terminator 2
12. RoboCop                                    Robocop
13. Andrew Martin                              Bicentennial man (1999)
14. HAL 9000                                   A Space Odyssey
15. Bender                                      Futurama
16. RUK                                        Star Trek TOS
17. C-3PO                                      Stars wars
18. Ash                                        Alien
19. David                                        A.I. Intelligence
20. Gort                                       The Day The Earth Stood Still.
21. Sonny (Nester Class 5)                     I, Robot (2004)
22. Megatron                                   Transformers
23. T-1000                                     Terminator 2
24. Max                                        Flight of the Navigator
25. LAL                                        Star Trek TNG
26. Frankenstein                               Frankenstein Movies
27. Ilia Probe                                 Star Trek TMP
28. Annalee Call                               Alien Resurrection (1997)
29. Edward Scissorhands                        Edward Scissorhands (1990)
30. Kronos                                     Kronos: Ravager of Planets (1957)
31. Bee Bee                                     Deadly Friend
32. Gigolo Joe and Gigolo Jane                 Artificial Intelligence: A.I. (2001)
33. AMEE                                       Red Planet (2000)
34. Andrea                                     Star Trek TOS
35. IG88                                       Empire Strikes Back
36. Borg Queen                                 Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
37. Death Probe                                Six Million Dollar Man    
38. Daleks                                     Dr Who
39. ABC Warrior                                Judge Dredd (1995)
40. KITT                                       Knight Rider
41. CYLON CENTURIONS                           Battlestar Galactica
42. Rommie                                     Andromeda
43. V'Ger                                      Star Trek TMP
44. Maria                                      Metropolis (1927)
45. Nova S-A-I-N-T                             Short Circuit (1986)
46. Locutus Of Borg                            Star Trek TNG "The Best of Both Worlds"
47. Galaxina                                   Galaxina (1980)
48. Zen                                        Blake 7
49. Maximillian                                The Black Hole
50. The Tin Man                                The wizard of oz
51. Agent Smith                                The Matrix
52. Ed-209                                     Robocop
53. Colossus                                   The Forbin Project
54. RoboMan                                    Robotic Cyborg
55. Boba Fett                                    Star Wars)
56. T-X Android Terminator                     Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
57. Earthbot vs Tsu Garu                       Robo Warriors (1996)
58. Jaegers                                    Pacific Rim
59. AT-AT                                      Star Wars
60. Harvester Robot                            Terminator Salvation
61. Hunter Killer                              Terminator Series
62. Bishop                                     Aliens 2
63. Cameron                                    Terminator Chronicles
64. The Vulture Droid                          Star Wars 1 and III
65. Mechani Kong                               King Kong Escapes
66. Bumblebee                                  Transformers
67. Dwarf Spider Droid                         Star Wars II and III
68. Enforcement Cops                           THX 1138
69. Fembots                                    Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
70. SID 6.7                                    Virtuosity (1995)
71. Hector                                     Saturn 3
72. Tik-Tok                                    Return to Oz
73. Ulysses                                    Making Mr Right (1987)
74. Replicant Pris                             Blade Runner (1982)
75. Teddy                                      A.I. Artificial Intelligence
76. Marvin, Protype Android                    The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy (2005).
77. Huey, Dewey and Louie                      Silent Running 1976
78. Wheelie                                    Revenge of the Transformers
79. Iron Man                                   The Phantom Creeps (1939)
80. JohnnyCab                                   Total Recall
81. Edgar                                      Electric Dreams (1984)
82. D.A.R.Y.L.                                 D.A.R.Y.L. (1985)
83. Questor Tapes                                      Questor Tapes
84. Gunslinger                                 Westworld
85. VINCENT and B.O.B.                         The Black Hole
86. Dot Matrix                                 Spaceballs
87. Battle Droids                          Star Wars The Phantom Menace
88. Bubo                                       Clash of the Titans
89. Replicators                                Stargate
90. Sentinels                                  The Matrix (1999)
91. Eve VIII                                   Eve of Destruction (1991)
92. Stella                                     Star Trek TOS. "I, Mudd"
93. The Exocomps                               Star Trek TNG. "Quality of Life"
94. Nanites                                    Star Trek TNG  "Evolution"
95. Satans Robot                               Star Trek Voyager "The Adventures of Captain Proton"
96. APU 3947                                   Star Trek Voyager "Prototype"
97. M-4 Multitronic Unit                       Star Trek TOS "Requiem for Methuselah"
98. K-9                                        Doctor Who
99. Lonzak                               Star Trek Voyager
100. Box                                       Logan's Run (1976)


Wednesday, March 12, 2014

National Wormhole Week

National Wormhole week has kicked off in blogland for 2014. Wormfest is co-hosted by Stephen, Alex and Diane. So shall we begin? The rules are two-fold but fun to follow. Name one thing where science advances mankind, and one where the same technology with unforeseen consequences will go too far and set mankind back.

I've selected Ronald Reagans "Star Wars Defense" which was originally called the Strategic Defence Initiative. The President proposed the Star Wars' initiative in 1983 because I think he wanted Americans to feel safe. The plan was to defend America and the rest of the world against 'the Extraterrestrial Threat' with outerspace interceptors.


The downside to Star Wars defense is it took countless nations by complete surprise. Folks were stunned. Its 'Risky and Unscientific' idealism made several headlines in Time magazine sizing it up alongside George Lucas' fantasy Star Wars. Of course today the whole thing sounds like science fiction but not at the time. The Star Wars thing really was a wakeup call despite being a huge financial flop.

President Reagans Defense Strategy of 'outerspace interceptors' cost America billions and spooked our Russian Friends but we were lucky. Star Wars Defence cracked the ice in the Cold War. President Gorbachev met with Ronald Reagan for several talks which led to peace.






Do you think Science Fiction saved the day? or was Reagans' Star Wars Defence a brilliant prelude for peace?

Glastnost Long and Prosper, trekkers!


Monday, March 10, 2014

3D STID Khan Wallpaper



Heres a spectacular, 3 dimensional wallpaper of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701 with Khan rising up from a city of ashes. If you dig this graphic art then you'll enjoy these starships too.. Its fun staring at these deep space objects, imagine if they were real!

Lets pretend for a moment the Enterprise is warping through Earth's star system in sector 001. Shes on a rescue mission to save Sol's Federation earthlings once again. Earthers are scouring the skies. Finally she arrives, all shiny and new. Starfleets finest is ready for action with Captain James T. Kirk commanding.

 Ah yes, but who is that dark figure in the foreground? Great space, its Khan! That villainous scoundrel from Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

Which movie rocked your world the most? Whose Khan gets your vote? Benedict Cumberbatch or Ricardo Montalban?

Live Long and Prosper, trekkers.




Friday, February 14, 2014

TNG Realm of Fear

Realm of Fear is an epic Star Trek TNG episode #128 starring Dwight Schultz as the (USS Enterprise-D) engineer Reginald Barclay. Brannon Braga wrote TNG's script 'Realm of fear' in homage to 'Nightmare at 20000 Feet.'


When captain Picard's Federation Galaxy class flagship USS Enterprise NCC 1701-D locates the stricken USS Yosmite, the Enterprises' Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge calls on Reg for help. He is after all a systems engineer. At first, all is not what it seems because the Yosmite crew are missing. To make matters interesting, Lieutenant Barclay lives in mortal terror of transporter 'beaming' but then who doesn't? Dr Leonard H McCoy and Catherine Pulaski cringe at having their atoms scattered across the galaxy too.



Barclay is a starship systems diagnostic engineer yet oddly hes extremely nervous about transporters. When he finally plucks up the courage to step into the thing and de materialize, Reg makes a startling discovery. An encounter with a creature from within the matter stream spooks the living bejeepers out of him. Is it a lifeform? Could it be alive?

The thing floats and then zaps his arm. Barclay steps out from the transporter pad a completely shaken and changed man, convinced life will never be the same again. He suddenly develops a thirst for water and believes time is running out.

Yeah! its got to be transporter psychosis, right? or was it the creature in the transporter stream?

Enjoy your star trekking, trekkies and trekkers!

Friday, February 07, 2014

Star Trek Into Darkness Laserpower



See all these Starfleet Redshirts? The warp core pictured in director J.J. Abram's (2013) Star Trek Into Darkness movie was filmed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory aka National Ignition Facility in CA. Looking at this epic (NIF) structure you'd hardly guess its the largest and most energetic laser system in the world but it is! Hardly surprising Star Trek continues to test new frontiers boldly exploring where no red shirt has gone before, hehe. Which ones Chekov, I wonder?



 STID is full of cool stuff like this. Apparently the (NIF) is where real-life scientists are attempting to create nuclear fusion without underground nuclear testing. In 2012, with the approval of the Department of Energy, the NIF's laser laboratory was used for the first time as a film set during a normal maintenance cycle for the facility.




Heres Scotty getting pegged to wear special 'neutron' cream to avoid damage from ions in the air.

Heck yeah! with all this Enterprise firepower, Scotty should have vaporized Khan's USS Vengeance into sci fi oblivion.





Laser long and Prosper, Trekkers and Trekkies.

Friday, January 24, 2014

You Had Your Ears Fixed

Heres a fun interview with Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner. Enjoy the laughs!


Who said "I recognise you, you had your ears fixed!"



1. John Wayne 
2. Elizabeth Taylor
3. Ricardo Montalban
4. George Lucas
5. Brent Spiner
6. Justin Bieber
7. Zoe Saldana


Thursday, January 16, 2014

Star Trek TOS 'Balance of Terror'

Star Treks Balance of Terror was directed by Vincent McEveety in 1966 creating a gripping 'battle of wits' trek thriller. The Enterprises battle strategist, Captain James T. Kirk engages a Romulan aggressor in a high stakes game of cat and mouse.



Defending the Federation of planets is a tricky job for anyone which is why our military 'Starfleet' has a network of starships and starbases loaded with superior FIREPOWER! YESSS! Now we can sleep safe and sound at night. Or so we thought...


When the USS Enterprise NCC 1701 responds to a Federation outpost in distress no-one knows what to expect. Its red alert, all hands battle stations! At first its unclear who the intruder is... for some weird reason a mysterious force obliterates four out of seven Earth outposts along the Neutral Zone in sector Z-6.



The Neutral Zone intruders are obviously very stealthy and powerful. The poor devil pleading with Captain Kirk is Commander Hansen who doesn't want to die. His fears sum up precisely what everyone on the bridge of the Enterprise is feeling and in a flash the enemy strikes again!

'No identification. No answer to our challenge. Only a glimpse of it. Then they fired something at us, some form of high-energy plasma. Fantastic power. And then the whole vessel disappeared. But it's out there somewhere. Our sensors show that much. Enterprise, something coming on our viewing screen, coming at us fast.'




So now after 100 years of Peace the Federation is teetering on the brink of war with the Romulan Star Empire! Captain Kirks' hesitation tells us the attackers identity is still unconfirmed. The spaceship silhouette is so obviously ROMULAN but then thats Star Trek affliction and addiction for you.



Isn't it great when Captain Kirk decides to follow the Romulan battleship on the quiet? The Enterprise's stand in navigator, Mister Stiles isn't impressed. Kirk's has to work out a plan of action on the double.



'If he has sensors, I want him to think we're a reflection, an echo.' says Kirk ordering a parallel course which doesn't win any brownie points with Stiles. To spice up things  the Romulans superior spy technology gives their 'Bird of Prey' the ability to dodge Starfleet sensors. However its Mr Spock who observes a curious weakness about the Romulans cloaking device delivering lots of dramatic tension to the space battles in this classic episode.




Mark Lenard (famous for playing Spocks Dad, Sarek) makes his first Star Trek appearance in this epic space chase through the stars. Don't be fooled by the pointy ears either, Lenard's character is the cunning Romulan Commander! 'I regret that we meet in this way. You and I are of a kind. In a different reality, I could have called you friend.'




Whos' side were you rooting for? the Federation, the Romulan Star Empire, the USS Enterprise NCC 1701 or the Romulan Bird of Prey?

Live Long and Prosper Trekkers!!

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