Robotech on Hiatus, or Not

One of the pros of the internet is that you have instant access to information at any time. One of the cons is that you have to know what you are looking for and should seek out several sources for any research project.

I was recently motivated to see what is happening with the Robotech franchise. My first stop was Wikipedia which declared that the Robotech: The Shadow Rising had fallen under the "Curse of Robotech" and was currently on indefinite hiatus.

Bummer.

But wait!

One of the sources that Wikipedia used had an update shortly after the article was written;

Robotechx.com

You have to read the whole discussion because the title of the post is misleading.

Yes, the word "hiatus" was used, but not because Warner Brothers made demands, but rather because the production team is waiting on something else within their own process to happen before they continue. Could be a script update, could be a change to the design, who knows?

Still, you should not get your hopes up too high. Warner Brothers can do anything it wants with its share of the Robotech franchise...anything...or nothing at all. One would think that they would want to cash in on the apparent giant robot fad that the Transformers began, but then, maybe it's not a fad. Maybe Transformers is a fluke. Warner Brothers might decide that it is not worth the risk to find out.

It wouldn't be the first time that an apparent fad turned out to be a one-hit-wonder. But then again, the super-hero fad is alive and thriving, so who knows?

The fact is that no amount of research is going to tell you if live action Robotech is a healthy project with winning potential and no amount of research is going to tell you if Harmony Gold can really pull of the Shadow Rising project.

But at least, for the time being, Harmony Gold and Warner Brothers appear to working together rather than at odds with each other.

Here's hoping for the best!

Know Your Market!

I could not help but notice the exposed flesh of the female Tokra as opposed to the very fully covered males of the order.

Not only do the women have a LOT of exposed skin, but the clothing that they do have is of an erotic nature.

I won't lie when I say that my male pigishness is very pleased by this, however, let's be fair. These people are at war. It is the center piece of their story. At any moment they may have to destroy their not-so-secret tunnels and find a new hide-out. In this state of mind, people don't normally worry about being sexy. They are more concerned about being practical and being ready to be on the move.

Also, and possibly more importantly, the sci-fi market needs to bring in more female and older viewers. By aiming for the young male hormonal teen crowd, the industry is hamstringing itself and forcing itself into a sub-niche of the sci-fi market.

At the very least, let the guys do some super-heroics in their underwear for the girls once in a while. It worked well enough for Hercules.

Stargate SG1 S04 (part 1)

So, I've made it to season four. In spite of the cliched stories there is something about the series that fascinates me unlike Star Trek TNG. It must be the gritty sets and actual action. However, I've already posted once about the disregard for captured alien weapons. The characters do get to use the little snake "stun" guns more often but only on specific missions.

Then, finally, they have the opportunity to test some ancient alien devices that enhance the wearer's physical attributes. And they work! But, not so fast, there is a viral and addictive side affect, and they won't come off, and the devices can only be used for a limited time before the wearer passes out. The item then falls off and becomes inert, useless.

It was a fun episode, but just like Star Trek, we quickly fall back to the status quo.