The thing about geek culture is that there are so many moments that are creative, daring, disgusting, wonderful and lovable and it all somehow seems to work when it's done right. So if you haven't read my previous blog, then you'd better do so before continuing. I'll also try to cut back on the Star Trek moments.
So, without further ado, here are more awesome moments in geek history!
Awesome Moment: Paul rides Shai-Hulud
Source: Dune (1984 David Lynch version, any edit)
Awesomeness classification: coolest mode of transportation without propellers or wings
The book is weird. The movie is screwed up (Patrick Stewart adds the coolness element). There are also two other edits out there that both add to and screw with your head more than the theatrical cut. However, one scene rules supreme in both book and various cuts movie: Paul Atreides rides the sandworm.
Even with the 80s special effects and music, this scene is cool in terms of bringing the character of Paul to a new level of development. By conquering the incredibly dangerous (albeit mightily cool) task of riding Shai-Hulud, he is establishing himself as one of the Fremen, the natives of Arrakis, as well as a tactical leader. If only we had tasks like this to establish decent leadership!
Also, the Syfy channel version of the movie, which was arguably easier to follow, wasn't even able to get that first sandworm ride down as good as this one. And they used CGI!
Awesome Moment: One of the best twists in PC Game history
Source: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Awesomeness classification: George Lucas proving that his plot twists are his strength
When you first start out in this game, you're an amnesiac Jedi who is trying to find and destroy the Star Forge and find out what happened to Darth Revan, a Sith Lord who has been missing for years. Your ragtag crew includes Bastila, a Jedi who is unusually passionate about this mission. Through a series of missions, you get to choose to go Light Side or Dark Side. Either way, it always comes to this: Bastila confronts you and says, "What greater weapon is there than to turn an enemy to your cause?"
Regardless of your character's gender or alignment, when Revan's mask comes off, the face is revealed as your character. You are the very person you have been seeking. This particular plot twist brought the term "game changer" to life, hearkening back to the old "I am your father" twist back from Empire Strikes Back.
Awesomeness Moment: Loki becomes Captain America
Source: Thor 2: The Dark World
Awesomeness classification: Loki at his very best!
A lot of my blogs will just rave about Tom Hiddleston. I love that man. This scene was almost a toss up with the (SPOILER ALERT!) scene where Thor is fighting his way through portals and Mjolner can't figure out where to go next.
What makes this scene so amazing is that, according to this article by CinemaBlend, Hiddleston donned the Cap's uniform and did the scene as Loki would spoof Captain America. Then Chris Evans studied the shot and did Captain America as Loki as Captain America. A bit of a headache to explain, but the end result is a fantastic movie moment that tickled fans worldwide. Looks like great teamwork really can transcend between squeaky clean heroes and diabolical villains!
Awesomeness Moment: Robin kills Brian
Source: V: The Final Battle, Part 3
Awesomeness classification: Revenge is a dish best served by a woman's cold fury
The original V Miniseries and TV show were classics that did not need to be rebooted (shame on you, ABC!). While the two miniseries were full of awesome moments, there is one to bring to attention, focusing on one of the most annoying characters in sci-fi: Robin Maxwell. Robin is a teenager who tends to cause nothing but trouble which in turn leads to all sorts of horrible aftermaths, not the least of which is the death of her mother. In the process of her multiple crises, she slept with one of the Visitors, Brian, not knowing he was ordered to for a specific purpose: interspecies breeding. After she learns she's pregnant, we learn that she can't have the abortion she's demanding due to the alien DNA linking to her internal organs, and that Brian and his superior officer lover, Diana, watch the video of his and Robin's encounter to both study and poke fun at. In the clip below, the scene I am referencing for the awesomeness factor can be found below, at the 20.30 mark, as only the full episode can be found.
Robin winds up giving birth to twins: the full alien twin dies from exposure to Earth's atmosphere and the half human hybrid twin, Elizabeth, experiences abnormal growth, shooting her from a newborn to 5 years old in a matter of days. In the meantime, the resistance captures Brian, as he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, to test a serum derived from the dead baby's DNA that Julie developed as a biological weapon against the Visitors. Robin exacts her revenge on Brian in one of the most delicious and evil ways possible: by telling him she'll let him out of his cell to hug the daughter he didn't know he had.
As he slowly succumbs to the deadly affects of the serum that she throws at him, Robin sinks to the ground outside of his glass cage, watching in satisfied shock at what she's done. And not once, during the rest of the miniseries or the TV show that followed, does she express regret or guilt at what she did. In her mind, she did the right thing. Whether or not it was is still open for debate. She never reached this level of awesomeness before or again.
Awesomeness Moment: Aidan's allergic to garlic!
Source: Being Human, Season 1, Episode 7: "I See Your True Colors, and That's Why I Hate You," US version
Awesomeness moment: vampires need to pay attention to what they fake eat!
The US version of Being Human is one of the very few TV series from Britain that made it across the pond as a better show. In this particular episode, the vampire, Aidan (who, in actuality was named after Aidan Turner, who played the vampire in the BBC version), drops by his werewolf best buddy/roommate Josh's family's house for moral support. To hide the fact that he's a vampire, Aidan partakes of dinner.
Without thinking of the consequences, Aidan starts to sputter and gag in reaction to his dinner. It turns out Josh's mom cooks with garlic, and Aidan is now going nuts. Garlic doesn't kill vampires in this universe, but acts as a catalyst to get them buzzed into a blood fever. The dialogue and the interaction between Aidan and Josh is fun, and brings a better twist to vampire lore than Stephanie Meyer could ever wish to sneeze out.
Awesomeness Moment: Meet Marion
Source: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Awesomeness moment: introducing a new type of female lead
This classic knocks you on your butt in the first 10 minutes with the incredible awesomeness that is Indiana Jones. Just when you think you've met the best character ever, we get zipped over to Nepal, and this is who we meet:
We meet Marion Ravenwood, a young lady who owns her own bar and can outdrink chubby dudes who look like they have a huge alcohol tolerance. At this point in history, stronger women characters were few and far between, and none of them gave an introduction like Marion. Some movies featured women kicking butt or sweeping the attention of every man in a room with her good looks, but knocking back shots with the guys was something completely different. To top it off, when Indy drops back into her life, she gives one of the best introductory lines ever: "Indiana Jones. Always knew someday you'd come walking back through my door." Karen Allen kills it. And she keeps it up, even after 30 years in the horrible 4th movie.
Awesomeness Moment: The best "NO!" you'll ever hear
Source: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Awesomeness moment: reboots done right!
While I hate the excessive reboots that are invading our movie theaters these days (seriously, what's next? An Escape From L.A. reboot?), RotPotA was a good idea. Andy Serkis does a fabulous job, as always, bringing animated characters to life onscreen. This movie is chalked up with many amazing scenes, but the best one comes from the scene that both reboots and pays homage to the original: "take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!"
This scene could have been way cornier. The lines weren't over done, and Caesar's "NO!" was the perfect length. Had this been any other director, this particular scene probably would've been ruined with a very long and drawn out "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" instead, but that's not what happened. It's short, it's direct, and it changes the entire feel of the rest of the movie. Also, seeing Draco Malfoy get his butt roasted by humanistic apes is also regarded as being very satisfying to watch.
Awesomeness Moment: Contractions on the battlefield
Source: Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars (2004)
Awesomeness moment: momma ain't going down without a fight
Yep, another birthing scene. Farscape can be summed up as being one of the more surreal and weird TV shows of the sci-fi genre, but those little factors didn't make it any less fun. So what do you do when you're pinned down with enemies all around, you're outgunned and outmanned, and your best fighter, who is pregnant, suddenly experiences water breakage and goes into labor? Well, don't tell Aeryn Sun what, she has her own plans!
Instead of getting herself out of harm's way, like any normal woman would in a situation like this, she grabs her big gun and starts firing away. Even when the doctor and her comrades tell her to get out of the way, she keeps firing until she possibly has to let someone examine her. And after she gives birth, she and John fight their way back to Moya and survive. Don't tell Aeryn that women who have just given birth are supposed to take it easy. She won't rest until everyone is safe, including her kid.
Awesomeness Moment: Best exit EVER
Source: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (film)
Awesomeness moment: the quickest awesome moment
For those of you who aren't familiar with Scott Pilgrim, he dates a high schooler, Knives Chau, when he falls for Rowena Flowers and has to battle her 7 evil exes to win her over. This movie is chalked FULL of amazing moments from pre-opening credits to end, but the award goes to this particular scene:
No matter how incredible or surreal his battles are, none of them compare to Scott's quick exit when Knives suddenly drops by. If only all movies could be this clever!
Awesomeness Moment: The barrel scene!
Source: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Awesomeness classification: bringing an aspect of a book to a level of epicness that even the biggest sticklers can enjoy
The most recent installment of The Hobbit featured a lot of things that many Tolkien fans did not appreciate. The barrel scene was not one of them. In the book, they just escape in the barrels and that's that. In this film, the dwarves are being hounded by orcs and battled by elves. The action is intense, the teamwork between the dwarves shows a connection between all that is difficult to make in any film, and let us not forget Bombur as he Donkey Kongs more critical hits in 30 seconds than you can make in a full game of Mortal Combat.
This particular clip only features 2/3rds of the actual scene, but if you pause it at 1.42, you can clearly see Kili showing genuine delight at the fun he's having!
Awesomeness Moment: Changing history for a best friend
Source: Frequency
Awesomeness classification: the best usage of production placement
This movie isn't considered a geek classic, but it definitely holds its own. Long story short, police officer John finds out he can communicate with his late dad through a portal in time via an old timey radio connection. During of these conversations, John's younger self comes into the room with his dad and best friend, Gordo. John is still best buds with Gordo in the present, and he is struggling financially and ruing the day he didn't invest in Yahoo stock. The clip itself is unavailable, but here is a trailer for the film:
Back to the scene: younger version of John and Gordo come into the room while John's dad is on the radio. John asks to speak with younger Gordo, then tells him he's Santa Claus and that's he's going to give him and early Christmas present, and it's one word: "Yahoo." The end result is Gordo winding up extremely rich at the end of the movie. If ever product placement was used for good, it was here.
Awesomeness Moment: The perfect song for the fateful moment
Source: Warm Bodies
Awesomeness classification: an unlikely song used at the most appropriate moment
Another young adult book-turned-film-featuring-annoying-love-triangle, Warm Bodies depicts zombies learning to love and beginning to turn back to their human states. The main character, R, comes across Julie as she, her boyfriend Perry, and their squad repel the hungry zombies. This is what happens when R sees Julie for the first time:
This clip is a bit long, but you can zip to at at 1.28. R watches as Julie slides out and shoots a zombie through the head as John Waite's hit "Ain't Missing You" plays. It's not the first song that comes to mind when that fateful first encounter occurs, but Warm Bodies isn't your typical romance. The song works the scene brilliantly and you'll never be able to hear that song again without thinking of this first encounter.
Awesomeness Moment: Do your homework on your clients before insulting them
Source: Game of Thrones, Season 3, Episode 4: "And Now His Watch is Ended"
Awesomeness classification: how to take the first step in invasion....and leave a message no one will forget!
Games of Thrones may have a lot of gore and gratuitous nudity, but it is one of the few shows out there that does produce strong female characters. People who are not very familiar with the show know who Daenerys "Khaleesi" Targaryen is because she's the one with the dragons. In her rise to power, she uses a translator to buy an army in exchange for one of her precious dragons.
Daenerys is shrewd in her purchase, as she already speaks the language of the seller, who has been insulting her. By then turning her army on slave holders, as her house was against slavery, she shows how brutal she can be, and how serious she is with her political moves. In this game, you win or you die. We may not know if she will win, but she will definitely make it to the end when she plays her cards like this!
Awesomeness Moment: The "gun kata"
Source: Equilibrium
Awesomeness classification: boldly using guns as they've never been used before
Sean Bean bites the dust 15 minutes in. I just had to put that in there :) Anywho, Christian Bale has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid, and before he did Batman Begins, he introduced the "gun kata" in this futuristic film about global emotion suppression. Guns are common in films, both in sci-fi and realism, but generally the purpose of using them in aiming, firing, and praying that you hit the guy who's trying to kill you. Equilibrium turns using a gun into pure art.
With the gun kata, the shooter doesn't just aim and fire. The shooter lets instinct and training take over and executes every movement with various forms of martial arts. The shooter keeps moving, shooting and fighting until all of the enemies are dead. Not only is it effective and deadly, but also incredibly stylish. Whether or not the gun kata is possible in our future, Bale sells it so well that you want to learn it too.
Awesomeness Moment: Flukeman
Source: The X-Files, Season 2, Episode 2: The Host
Awesomeness classification: creating a monster that never ceases to give you the chills
The X-Files was pretty much a "monster-of-the-week" show, and it gave us lots of chilling, weird, and grotesque monsters, and sometimes even normal people with those qualities. The one that stood out the most is the "flukeman" from the episode "The Host." He inhabits the sewers and infects hosts with his spawn, similar to the Xenomorphs in the Alien films.
This is another one where clips of the monster aren't available, but the preview for the particular episode is. The flukeman is disgusting and terrifying, leaving you feeling thoroughly filthy afterwards because you know you want to throw up but are scared to go near the bathroom. Even with this episode turning 20 soon, it still leaves those eerie feelings, no matter how old you are when you see it.
Awesomeness Moment: Sam turns the tables on Kevin
Source: Quantum Leap, Season 4, Episode 6: "Raped"
Awesomeness classification: a defeat becomes a victory that makes you cheer
Quantum Leap was a TV show that had no problem tackling controversial subjects, as many sci-fi shows are known for doing. In this particular episode, one of the few where Sam leaps into a woman's body, he finds his host, Katie, having just been a victim of rape. Through some extreme alterations to the quantum leap computer, Al is able to bring the girl in holographic form to Sam as he gives her testimony in a trial against Kevin, the alleged rapist, who claims it was consensual and that she's trying to destroy his reputation. Sadly, he wins the case. Sam isn't ready to leap yet because he feels there's something else he can do. This clip briefly shows how in depth they went in the subject:
The tail end of the video shows a brief clip of the scene where Sam gets his revenge. He is still in Katie's body, but if there's anything we've learned about Sam over the last 4 seasons, it's that no matter whose body he is in, he still possesses his own strength and skills. He, in Katie's body, is sitting by himself when Kevin returns to screw her over again for trying to make sure he got what was coming to him. Since Sam is in her body, and he has combat experience, he beats the living crap out of Kevin just as Katie's parents come out to witness that Kevin was out to repeat what he did before. And then he leaps. It's a huge relief to see him take out Kevin after the intensity of this episode, and it pegs Sam as one of the best kind of men out there to endure what he did for Katie's sake.
Awesomeness Moment: Sisko deletes his log
Source: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season 6, Episode 19: "In the Pale Moonlight"
Awesomeness classification: Seeing what a good man will do to tip the scales in war
Every Star Trek captain was unique in their greatness. Benjamin Sisko was handed a lot of crap to handle in his series, and we all knew him as an upstanding human being. However, every man has his breaking point. His comes in this episode, as the Federation takes devastating losses in the Dominion War and even loses a planet to enemy occupation. He secretly strikes up an alliance with Garak, a Cardassian who is, quite literally, a tinker-tailor-doctor-spy. The guy even has his own dress shop. Anyways, the choatic neutral Garak is one of the most slippery, conniving, clever, and well-written anti-heroes ever created in TV history. Sisko and Garak team up to bring an enemy who has chosen to remain neutral in this war, the Romulans, to the Federation's side by convincing them that the Dominion has plans to invade them after the Federation is defeated. In the process, they lie, cheat, and murder their way into succeeding with their crazy plan. Sisko, needing to tell someone about this after it's over with, tells it to the computer as a log entry. Here is the ending of his log:
In the remarkable performance by actor Avery Brooks, Sisko confesses that everything he did is something that he will not feel any guilt about. "I can live with it," he says several times, almost to convince himself of this revelation. And then, when he's finished with his log, he deletes everything. Garak is not the kind of man to exploit the things he does in secret, so only Sisko is the other person who could have shed the light on what really happened. By deleting his log, he is erasing what happened from history. No one is ever going to know how the Romulans were coerced into fighting a war that didn't involve them. Sisko was willing to get his hands dirty when he reached his breaking point, showing just how far he will go to ensure the survival of his fleet.
Awesomeness Moment: Joss Whedon rises to royalty in geek culture
Source: Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog (2007)
Awesomeness classification: creating a brilliant piece of geekiness and putting it out there all by himself
Joss Whedon reigns supreme in the geek universe, and when the Writers' Guild of America went on strike in Hollywood in 2007, he set off on his own little project called Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog. Starring Neil Patrick Harris, Felicia Day, Nathan Fillion and a pre-Big Bang Theory Simon Helberg, Whedon launched a web sensation that took the internet by storm.
This less than an hour long film focuses on Dr. Horrible, a villain, as he tries to complete a crime so diabolical that it will get him accepted into the Evil League of Evil. Filled with catchy songs, memorable quotes, and one of the strongest casts ever assembled, Whedon officially became the king of geeks. Since then, community theaters have done their own productions, movie theaters have done shadow casts, and there have been rumors abounding that it would come to the big screen or even Broadway. Without taking the initiative that he did, Whedon would not have risen to the respect he earned that would eventually land him as the director of The Avengers. Whedon changed the face of geek culture with this one film and finally got the respect he deserved as a film maker and writer.
Awesomeness Moment: The 10th Doctor Regenerates
Source: Dr. Who, "The End of Time Part 2"
Awesomeness classification: taking an absolutely heartbreaking moment and transforming it to something exciting
I could probably do an entire blog about the awesome moments that came from Dr. Who, but I would have to watch every episode and I don't have the time for that yet (someday!!!!!). We all knew in this episode we would be losing David Tennant, but we hadn't realized it would be so sad. Having been fatally infected with deadly radiation, the Doctor says goodbye to all of his former companions and friends, not expecting to come out of this alive. At first he is resigned to his fate, and then, at the last second he utters this line that is still resounding throughout time and space: "I don't want to go."
We're all in tears as his regeneration begins because we feel in twice as hard in our own hearts because the Doctor has his two that can each handle its own pain and we only have the one to take double the pain. But in the midst of our tears, we get Matt Smith, who gleefully attacks his new form with excitement at the prospect that he is still alive. We always feel sad and excited when the Doctor takes on a new face, but for the record, I think it's time we get a ginger after Peter Capaldi!
That does it for this edition! I'm going to do a little more research for my next one because while I am familiar with a lot of fandoms, there are a few I haven't seen as much of and I want to incorporate them as much as I can.
See you next time!
