This is yet another reason why I should not be left with too much time to think.
Awsome Moment: "To Serve Man"
Source: The Twilight Zone
Awesomeness classification: The first great sci-fi twist
The Twilight Zone opened Americans up to the coolness of geekiness. While there are many great episodes of this series, this particular episode was one of the best and arguably one of the best twists ever to come out (excluding Empire Strikes Back, of course).
Friendly aliens visit earth with a book titled "To Serve Man," which shows how Earthlings can grow better food in inhospitable climes. It turns out the book is really a cookbook on how to turn humans into tasty morsels!
This particular scene set the standard for plot twists in geek culture, and we've been mastering them ever since!
Awesome Moment: "Sandworm!"
Source: Chuck season 1 episode 6: "Chuck vs. The Sandworm"
Awesomeness classification: Near-ultimate geek level you probably have yet to achieve
How many of you even considered doing a Dune character for Halloween? They're not quite the easiest cosplay outfits, but Shai-Hulud?????????
Yep, best buddies Chuck and Morgan have their two-man sandworm costume. And it's pretty darn good considering how big those suckers are supposed to be in the books. If you have ever made a sandworm costume like our pal Chuck here, then you are an ultimate geek.
Thanks, Chuck, for showing us how high-ranking of a geek you are and still be considered cool.
Awesome Moment: Wall-E and Eve's Dance
Source: Disney Pixar's Wall-E
Awesomeness classification: Best interspace romance
This may have been considered a kid's movie, but Wall-E is one of the best pieces of sci-fi to come out in the last 10 years. The particular standout scene is when Wall-E and Eve connect in outer space.
Wall-E, the Chaplin-esque protagonist, shares a romantic moment with Eve, the out-of-your-league sophisticated robot. In this scene, they share a "kiss" and dance throughout space using a fire extinguisher. The scene is a mastery of CGI effects, simple music, and imagination of how two unlikely characters can fall in love.
Awesome Moment: Mulder in the Mirror
Source: X-Files season 6 episode 4: "Dreamland, part I"
Awesomeness classification: Best homage to classic film
David Duchovney switching bodies with Michael McKean? I'm sure McKean wasn't complaining. Mulder has been aware he's not in his body for a while, but now gets to see what he looks like.
This is what happens:
And here's the inspiration for this scene:
It is so hard to pull of comic styling like this one without being a Marx brother, but doggonit, Duchoney and McKean did it. Waytago, boys!
Awesome Moment: Spiderman reveals his mask has the power
Source: The Amazing Spider Man (2012)
Awesomeness classification: True heroism is finally shown correctly
Personally, I hate reboots, but if there was one genre that needed an almost immediate reboot, it was the Spiderman franchise. Not only is Andrew Garfield a better actor than Tobey Maguire, he was able to show how Spiderman is a real human being who is imperfect.
What makes this scene more awesome than the high school fight behind a music blaring Stan Lee (it was a tough call) is that Spiderman is able to show a particular strength of connectivity. By telling Jack that when he puts on the mask it'll "make [him] strong," it gives the boy enough of a boost to face his fear of the fiery car to reach out to the one person who can save him. Nothing else Peter Parker could have done would've convinced Jack to climb up to him. This awesome geek moment shows how sometimes you have to go beyond heroics and have to tap the inner strength of those who need rescuing to really save someone.
Awesome Moment: Picard's response to surrendering
Source: Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3 episode 15: "Yesterday's Enterprise"
Awesomeness classification: Most badass moment
"Yesterday's Enterprise" is considered by Trekkies to be one of Star Trek's masterpiece episodes. To sum it up, the crew of the Enterprise D encounters the previous Enterprise C, who was supposed to have been destroyed in battle defending the Klingons, which is turn causes them to not help the Klingons and changes history to have the Federation losing a war with the Klingon empire. Wow, that's a lot of info. And it probably didn't make sense. Oh well.
Anyways, Picard considered by many geek to be "lawful neutral" when it comes to his decision making. He has a lot of great moments, but one particular moment overshadows them all. As the Enterprise D engages the Klingons in a no-win battle, with the ship falling apart and his crew dropping left and right, he gets that message from the Klingons: "Surrender, and prepare to be boarded."
Picard's response: "That'll be the day!"
Then, he leaps from his chair over the console behind him and gives the Klingons every last ounce of firepower his ship has.
WOW.
This clip has various moments from this episode, so you can scroll to the end to catch this amazing moment. Even in the face of certain death, Picard won't give his enemies that satisfaction. This is also why, in the ever popular "Kirk vs. Picard" debates, Picard takes the cake for me.
Awesomeness Moment: Al becomes the leaper!
Source: Quantum Leap season 3/4 cliffhanger "Shock Theater" and "The Leap Back"
Awesomeness classification: Finally giving a character a taste of his own medicine!
Most sci-fi and geek shows give us great cliffhangers that all left us at the edge of our seats, but Quantum Leap gave us one we could laugh over. Sam leaps into a new person at the beginning of every episode, and when he realizes where specifically he is (varying from performing at rock concerts, getting launched into space, stripping and other wacky situations), he lets out the iconic "oh boy!" before trying to adjust. His sassy buddy, Al, gives him info on his new host and anything else he needs to know in holographic form, so only Sam can see him (most of the time).
We all love Al's goofy antics and the way Dean Stockwell is able to mesh with Scott Bakula's personality. At the end of the season 3 episode "Shock Theater," Sam is subject to extreme electroshock due to his previous hosts' personalities splitting his own. Al is nearby as he gets shocked, and while a thunderstorm is going on. The result?
Sam leaps to a new time, but is in Al's body, and Al is in Sam's body who is inhibiting a new host! Kinda complicated, but Al has been both helping and needling Sam with his leaping for years now. It's about time he found himself having to deal with Sam's craziness!
Awesomeness Moment: Shoot 'em up to the Beatles
Source: The Prisoner
Awesomeness classification: The most bizarre but effective show ending ever
The Prisoner is hands down one of the weirdest shows you will ever see. It's mind-boggling, it's surreal, and they threw out some of the strangest plot twists out there (there was even an episode of Pinky and the Brain that tried to reference it). Though short lived, these methods were maintained throughout the entire show. And by golly, they certainly ended the show just as enigmatic as the rest of the show!
Patrick McGoohan's character, who is simply referred to as "Number 6," throughout the show, has been subject to being imprisoned without cause, attempts at being brainwashed, and even being nearly murdered in several different ways. The series finale, as shown above, has him and several buddies shooting their way to freedom. While playing the Beatles' tune "All You Need is Love."
Pardon my French, but WTFrak?????
Of all the songs in the 1960s, that one was selected to close a series and show a bunch of bad guys getting gunned down. If that ain't just the most messed up geek finale you've ever seen, then I don't know what is.
Awesomeness Moment: Zoe shuts down
Source: Serenity
Awesomeness moment: The stuff that strong women are made of
There are always debates on which women dominate the geek world, and there will probably never be one that everyone can agree on. I will bring to attention the one I believe dominates them all: Zoe Washburn. She is a fiercely loyal soldier who can shoot you with little to no remorse, and also speak as your conscience. And she's married to a dweeby pilot who goes by the name of Wash and is definitely out of her league. It's clear that in their family, she wears the pants.
Sadly though, as the clip above shows, he dies very quickly. Unfortunately, I was unable to find a clip showing the point I am trying to make, but this is her reaction to when her lovable husband dies (oh, it still hurts! *sniffle*).
The awesomeness comes as the rest of the crew of Serenity are setting up a blockade to defend themselves against the Reavers, cannibalistic psychopaths that you do not want to meet. We got to see how Zoe reacted when Wash was killed by the Reavers. As Zoe prepares for battle, you see her walls go up. She has just lost the love of her life, and if she doesn't focus, she'll die too. She shuts down.
Anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one knows it's one of the hardest things to experience in life. Zoe is no different than anyone else, but she needs to focus on the now. Before Mal runs off to expose the 'verse to the truth behind the Reavers, he asks Zoe, "are you here?" to which she replies, "Do the job, sir." Her time for grieving will have to wait until she and the rest of the crew are safe. In the end, she is badly wounded, as are the others in her party, but no one else dies. Her ability to focus in the midst of tragedy makes her stand out as the strongest woman in geek history.
Awesomeness Moment: Hellboy and Abe Sapien sing Barry Manilow
Source: Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Awesomeness classification: Doesn't need it. It's just awesome!
Oh, Ron Perlman. The guy can sell just about any geek role you put him into. Hellboy is no different.
Two friends, neither one of them human, decide to get hammered and sing Barry Manilow. The scene just works. It's so unlikely, and probably even looks ludicrous on paper, but Guillermo del Toro sold this scene from start to finish. Well done, sir!
Awesomeness Moment: Alien's first encounter with Eve Ensler
Source: Stargate SG-1 season 10 episode 18: "Family Ties"
Awesomeness classification: The best depiction of interspecies awkwardness
Teal'c, a Jaffa soldier and fighter who protects Earth, has just been given theater tickets from Jacek, an established con artist, who told him it was called the "Virginia Dialogues."
He finds out very quickly that the title of the play was wrong. Teal'c is smack dab in the middle of the play "The Vagina Monologues." Not only is he the only alien at this play, he is also the only man! This scene was excellently done by Christopher Judge, especially with his sinking into his chair in utter embarrassment.
Awesomeness Moment: Meet Bones
Source: Star Trek (2009)
Awesomeness classification: Casting done right!
The new Star Trek movies have been the subject of debate amongst Trekkers since the first one was released in 2009. Personally, I enjoy the movies, but I regard them as fan pieces and not part of the series' canon. I find that the most redeeming quality of these films is the casting. Each actor does their predecessors' character justice, and my personal pick is for Karl Urban as Leonard "Bones" McCoy.
When I saw this movie in the theaters in 2009, I just about had a nerdgasm right there as Urban started speaking without even being on screen. In the space of 2 seconds, the guy who was best known for playing Eomer in The Two Towers and Return of the King nails the infamous character immortalized by Deforest Kelly. I was pretty skeptical about the casting when I first heard, but this former Rohirrim does Kelly justice and definitely outshines the rest of the cast in staying true to the original character.
Awesomeness Moment: Don't Screw with the Doctor and the Centurion!
Source: Dr. Who season 6 episode 7: "A Good Man Goes to War"
Awesomeness classification: Rory raises standards for men that are nearly impossible to reach
Dr. Who is just chalked full of so many awesome moments, it's hard to pick just one. I decided on this particular gem:
Rory is somewhat of a dope, but his devotion to Amy Pond transcends both time and space. Right here, both he and The Doctor show what she means to the both of them. What sells this particular scene, however, is the delivery of the message. Without looking or blinking, and with a simple twitch of his head, Rory shows what he is willing to do to get his wife back. Geek women's standards have never skyrocketed faster than after watching this scene.
Awesomeness Moment: Daffy Duck goes Intergalactic
Source: Babylon 5 (episode unknown, saw it when I was like 8)
Awesomeness classification: Boldly going where no duck has gone before!
Try as I might, I was unable to find a clip of this particular scene. Michael Garibaldi is the geek in this series, and has an affinity for Daffy Duck. He even has a poster of the cartoon character in his quarters! In the first season, he introduces Delenn, who is at that time a Minbari (for full explanation, please watch the series), and has never seen an Earth based cartoon before. Her expression is incredulous.
So why not Bugs Bunny? Well, to quote Daffy's best known episode, Duck Dodgers in the 24th 1/2 Century, "This planet ain't big enough for the two of us so, off you go!"
Awesomeness Moment: The Second Moon Ride
Source: E.T: The Extraterrestrial
Awesomeness classification: Showing every possible reaction to the coolest ride ever
Every 80's and 90's kid has seen E.T. It's just not right if you haven't seen it and you're from that era (same goes for Breakfast Club, but I digress). The scene where Elliot and E.T. are crossing past the moon as they fly through the sky is one of cinema's most recognized and classic moments. However, as magical of a scene that is, I prefer the second, where it's not only Elliot, but his brother Michael and Michael's buddies Steve, Greg and Tyler cycling past the moon.
The reason why this one is better is because thus far we've only seen Elliot's reaction to sky-biking. Each one of the boys who ride with him gives a different reaction: wonder, disbelief, awe, and general wussiness. Elliot conveyed all of those emotions earlier in the first moon ride scene, only with a sense of innocent exuberance. It's a good way to capture different perspectives all in the same situation. Well done, Spielberg!
Awesomeness Moment: Loki Crashes Comic-Con
Source: 2013 San Diego Comic-Con
Awesomeness classification: The true embodiment of a geek icon brought to life
This is the only reality clip I will post here. The internet geek forums went nuts earlier this year when Tom Hiddleston, best known as Loki in Thor and The Avengers, showed up at the Thor 2 panel without being announced and did a bit as Loki onstage. Just watch:
Most fans of the Thor movies will admit that it's Loki that steals the films. Here, Tom shows his commitment to his character and how much he loves it. There are several instances where he is ready to break character because he's having too much fun. Right here is the reason why we would rather watch Loki rather than Thor (no offense, Chris Hemsworth, you're great too!), Tom is the living embodiment of this character. He IS Loki. Now kneel, you mortals!!!!!
Awesomeness Moment: Star Warners
Source: Pinky and the Brain season 4 episode 9: "Star Warners"
Awesomeness classification: the perfect cartoon spoof
Most people think that Family Guy did the best spoof of Star Wars. However, long before Family Guy, Pinky and the Brain did their own spoof as their series finale, utilizing characters from the parent show, Animaniacs, and guest stars like Ben Stein.
The show Pinky and the Brain itself wasn't as great when it became a spin off, but their use of using Star Wars as their main plot device and throwing in references from other sources such as Casablanca and Seinfeld made for a great swan song. From start to finish, this episode is poking fun at something, whether Star Wars related or not, and giving you a fun ride with it!
Awesomeness Moment: Riker Flirts with Guinan
Source: Star Trek: The Next Generation season 2 episode 10: "The Dauphin"
Awesomeness classification: making Wil Wheaton uncomfortable
There has already been a TNG moment on this list, but it is regarded as the best of the Star Trek canon and I think this particular scene is one of them. Trek usually tackles hard subjects like slavery, racism, human testing and other controvercial topics, but TNG has Wesley Crusher, who is regarded as one of the most hated sci-fi characters ever. In fact, one of the most re-used lines in the first 3 seasons of this series was, "Shut up, Wesley!"
As is a part in every TV show adolescent boy's journey, Wesley finds himself falling in love for the first time and is asking for advice all over the ship. When he comes to Commander Riker, Riker decides to work his charms on Whoopi Goldberg's Guinan. Their banter is flawless and fun, and seeing Wesley this uncomfortable is a real treat. And Guinan's "Shut up, kid!" is the one of the best variations of that line.
Awesomeness Moment: Lister is Pregnant!
Source: Red Dwarf season 2 episode 6: "Parallel Universe"
Awesomeness classification: the "now that's just wrong!" moment
British sci-fi is awesome. Red Dwarf is no exception, and is quite adept at going to places that not even Star Trek considered. In this particular episode of Red Dwarf, the boys on this ship travel to a parallel universe and find that in this universe, their counterparts are women (with the exception of Cat, who instead finds Dog). After getting drunk, Lister wakes up to this:
Yep, he's just spent the night with the female version of himself. And when he gets back to his universe, he finds that he is, indeed, pregnant. And the mother of his children is in fact himself. How screwed up is that?
Awesomeness Moment: Mal brings "Friends" into Battle
Source: Serenity
Awesomeness classification: best sci-fi battle entrance
The crew of Serenity is on its own against a huge fleet of Alliance battleships. So Cap'n Mal aims to misbehave and does this instead:
Pulling one of the greatest stunts in sci-fi ever, Mal leads a fleet of Reavers into battle. The reavers are one of the best baddies to ever grace sci-fi villainy, and Operative's reaction to Mal's response to his threats is classic. Malcolm Reynolds ain't going down without a bloodbath.
Awesomeness Moment: Anakin vs. Obi-Wan
Source: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Awesomeness classification: a redeeming moment to a horrible series
There are many geeks who refuse to even acknowledge the prequel trilogy of Star Wars. While there were some good aspects to the films, such as Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor and Christopher Lee, the series as a whole was poorly done and a huge disappointment. And then there's this moment:
While this battle doesn't redeem the trilogy, or even this particular movie, it is one of the scenes that showed that good could come out of these movies. Anakin Skywalker, now turned to the dark side, faces off against his friend and former mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi. The mood of this scene is clear all the way through: one will kill the other and nothing will stop them. What also makes it better is that there's very little dialogue for Hayden Christensen to screw up, and the hatred he portrays as he battles Ewan McGregor is finally real.
Awesomeness Moment: Shatner can Score Anything
Source: Fanboys
Awesomeness classification: crossing the Trek and Wars barrier
The film Fanboys has a running gag that Trekkies are evil and the Wars fanboys are good. While it's all in good fun, the Trekkies are sadly portrayed as mostly jerks. Two of the film's protagonists, Eric and Linus, are off to meet an unknown contact for security clearance to the Skywalker Ranch. After being shoved by an alien into a deserted room full of slot machines, they are met by this:
William Shatner, aka James T. Kirk of Star Trek, provides these hardcore Star Wars fanboys with everything they need to break in George Lucas's, aka the creator of Star Wars, high security home and business office. Oh, the irony!
Awesomeness Moment: The Miracle Baby
Source: Children of Men
Awesomeness classification: how a powerful symbol of hope can stop even a war
The post-apocalyptic docudrama focuses on Theo, a man charged by his late wife to get Kee, the first woman in 18 years to get pregnant, to safety. Kee gives birth on the way and is abducted by terrorists, but Theo gets to her in time and tries to escort her safely out of a war zone.
The film is a masterpiece from start to finish, and this scene grips you and doesn't let go. When the baby's cry cuts through all the mayhem and violence, everything stops. All anyone, refugee and soldier alike, knows is that for the first time in years, there is hope for the future. And no one will do anything to destroy that hope until it is out of immediate harm's way.
Awesomeness Moment: The tables are turned
Source: Warehouse 13 season 4, episode 7: "Endless Wonder"
Awesomeness classification: the tormented becomes the tormentor!
Years before this episode aired, lead actor Saul Rubinek appeared as Kivas Fajo in an episode of TNG called "The Most Toys," in which he kidnaps Data, played by Brent Spiner, to make him part of his collection. Kivas threatens, manipulates, and even kills to keep Data in line. Now, almost 20 years later, the tables are turned! Rubinek's character, Artie, finds himself being mentally and psychologically tormented by an evil in the form of Brother Adrian, who is played by none other than Brent Spiner.
Now plenty of Star Trek alums appeared on this show, but the history between Rubinek and Spiner makes this episode, as well as the season, extra nerdy for Trekkies like myself who get excited about these crossovers. It is very clear that Adrian is going to relentlessly drive Artie nuts, which almost seems like revenge for what Kivas did to Data. Only in sci-fi can revenge like this be fun!
And for the final awesomeness moment:
Awesomeness Moment: Classic Rock is Sent into Space
Source: Star Trek: First Contact
Awesomeness classification: the best use of classic rock
Classic rock is my favorite genre of music, and I also love it when movies use the absolutely perfect song for specific moments (that list will be made later). Since sci-fi usually doesn't incorporate popular music, it's rare for moments like these to come along, unless time travel is involved. In this case, it is.
If you're going to change earth's future by breaking the warp barrier, what better song to use than Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride"? The film version isn't Steppenwolf performing it, but their version does appear on the soundtrack. Regardless of who performs it in the film, it is the perfect choice for the scene and the event it depicts.
So this is my current list of awesome moments. They may favor Star Trek more than the others, but I plan on making notes of non-Trek sci-fi that has awesome moments. With sci-fi, the sky isn't the limit, and there's much to be done in addition to what's already been achieved. Yay geek moments!
