DRUNK CINEMA 006: "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" Is Up!

 
"Khan!  Khan, you've got Genesis, but you don't have me!  You were going to kill me, Khan. You're going to have to come down here! You're going to have to come down here!"
"I've done far worse than kill you.  I've hurt you, and I wish to go on hurting you.  I shall leave you as you left me, as you left her -- marooned for all eternity in the center of a dead planet, buried alive.  Buried alive!"
Kirk: "KHAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!"
-- Admiral James T. Kirk and Khan Noonien Singh, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Hey there, movie fans!  My wonderful co-host Xan Sprouse and I are back with a new episode of Drunk Cinema!  This time, we reopen the Drunk Cinema Theatre to watch Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the 1982 science fiction film directed by Nicholas Meyer and featuring William Shatner as Admiral James T. Kirk, Leonard Nimoy as Captain Spock, DeForest Kelley as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, and Ricardo Montalban as Khan Noonien Singh!

In this sixth episode, Xan and I discuss things like Roger Ebert hating just about every movie that I like, the reason why Xan's husband Chris won't read film reviews anymore, Amazon Women on the Moon, my wife Lori never listening to any of my podcasts, Nicholas Meyer's movie Time After Time, The Day After, Cold War era songs "Two Tribes" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood and "Russians" by Sting, Sherlock Holmes being a cocaine addict, my published Star Trek: Strange New Worlds II short story "Doctors Three", why Leonard Nimoy means so much to Xan, all roads leading to Star Trek, Merritt Butrick and Paul Winfield appearing on Star Trek: The Next Generation, James Horner scoring Krull, the "Aren't you dead?" line being used to throw off leaked script reports about Spock's death, Xan's homemade Romulan Ale, my turning the same age as Kirk in Wrath of Khan, Chekov moving up in the Starfleet world, Walter Koenig's son Andrew, the big plot hole of Khan recognizing Chekov's face, Scotty's nephew Peter Preston, Spock's ostentatious disco wall decor in his quarters, why Bones is my all-time favorite Star Trek character, Xan's mom realizing she's a nerd, Original Recipe vs. Extra Crispy KFC chicken, closeups on obviously fake ears, Gene Roddenberry having a problem with Kirk killing the Ceti eel that crawled out of Chekov's ear, Roy Orbison's "Ooby Dooby", Xan's husband Chris' being late to his high school graduation because he was watching Star Trek III, Xan crying during Spock's funeral, Kirk and David's awkward father-son hug, The Road Warrior vs. Mad Max: Fury Road, and more!

If you'd like to check out our podcast and subscribe to us, you can find us on...

iTunes/Apple Podcasts -- RIGHT HERE
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Be sure to come back in two weeks for Episode 007, as Xan and I watch Goldfinger, the 1964 James Bond film directed by Guy Hamilton and featuring Sean Connery as James Bond, Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore, Gert Fröbe as Auric Goldfinger, and Harold Sakata as Oddjob!

Your 2021 Geek Movie & TV Calendar

 
Once again, the new year brings us closer to The Films and TV Shows You've Been Dying to See for, Like, Forever.  If you enjoy sci-fi, fantasy and comic book based entertainment as I do, you already have several must-see flicks and television programs in the pipeline for 2021.  With that in mind, I thought I'd go ahead and give a helpful chronological rundown of which geek movie and TV goodness arrives when.  Some of these TV shows and films will be worth the long wait, others you wouldn't watch even if they were on Disney+ or HBO Max, but each have their audiences and key target demographics.  Start planning your work vacation/sick/personal days accordingly.

Oh, and of course, most of these dates are subject to rescheduling due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.  Fingers crossed that your favorites are released as currently planned...

JANUARY

1 - Doctor Who: "Revolution of the Daleks" (TV)

3 - The Watch (TV)

10 - American Gods (TV)

15 - WandaVision (TV)

FEBRUARY

February 2021? - Last Week Tonight

8 - Black Lightning (TV)

11 - Clarice (TV)

23 - The Flash, Superman & Lois (TV)

28 - The Walking Dead (TV)

MARCH

March 2021? - Zack Snyder's Justice League (TV)

19 - The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (TV), Morbius (Movie)

APRIL

April 2021? - Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl, What We Do in the Shadows (TV)

2 - No Time to Die (Movie)

16 - Mortal Kombat (Movie)

MAY

May 2021? - Loki (TV)

7 - Black Widow (Movie)

21 - Free Guy, Godzilla vs. Kong (Movie)

JUNE

June 2021? - What If...? (TV)

11 - Ghostbusters: Afterlife (Movie)

25 - Venom: Let There Be Carnage (Movie)

JULY

9 - Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings (Movie)

16 - Space Jam: A New Legacy (Movie)

23 - The Tomorrow War (Movie)

AUGUST

6 - The Suicide Squad (Movie)

SEPTEMBER

September 2021? - Hawkeye, The Simpsons (TV)

OCTOBER

1 - Dune (Movie)

NOVEMBER

November 2021? - Ms. Marvel (TV)

5 - Eternals (Movie)

DECEMBER

December 2021? - The Book of Boba Fett (TV)

17 - Spider-Man: Untitled Home Film 3 (Movie)

22 - The Matrix 4 (Movie)

SOMETIME IN 2021 - Archer, The Boys, Doctor Who, Doom Patrol, Dune: The Sisterhood, Harley Quinn, Invincible, Jupiter's Legacy, Justice League Dark, Locke & Key, Lord of the Rings, Lucifer, The Sandman, Secret Invasion, Stargirl, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Strange Adventures, Stranger Things, Titans, The Umbrella Academy, Westworld, Wynonna Earp (TV)

WATCHMEN Leads 2020 Emmy Nominations with 26

Who watches the Watchmen?  Emmy nomination voters, apparently.

Variety has details on HBO's limited series Watchmen, based on the classic DC Comics maxi-series by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, leading the nominations for the 2020 Emmy Awards with 26 total, including acting nominations for Regina King, Jeremy Irons, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jean Smart, Louis Gossett Jr., and Jovan Adepo. 

The Disney Plus series The Mandalorian earned an impressive 15 nominations for its first season, while HBO's Westworld picked up 11 nominations.  Netflix's Stranger Things and the FX supernatural comedy What We Do in the Shadows both earned 8 nominations, while CBS All Access' Star Trek: Picard earned 5 nominations.

Other recognized geek-favorite shows include Amazon Prime's Carnival Row and The Boys, Fox's The Simpsons, Adult Swim's Rick and Morty, and Netflix's The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Lost in Space and Mindhunter.

You can read the full list of nominations HERE, but this is the breakdown for the shows listed above...

WATCHMEN (26 Nominations)

Outstanding Limited Series

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie -- Jeremy Irons as Ozymandias/Adrian Veidt

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Series Or Movie -- Regina King as Sister Night/Angela Abar

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie -- Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Dr. Manhattan/Cal Abar

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie -- Jovan Adepo as Hooded Justice/Officer Will Reeves

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie -- Louis Gossett Jr. as William Reeves

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Limited Series Or Movie -- Jean Smart as Laurie Blake

Outstanding Writing For A Limited Series, Movie Or Dramatic Special -- "This Extraordinary Being" -- Damon Lindelof and Cord Jefferson

Outstanding Directing For A Limited Series, Movie Or Dramatic Special -- "It's Summer and We're Running Out of Ice" -- Nicole Kassell

Outstanding Directing For A Limited Series, Movie Or Dramatic Special -- "Little Fear of Lightning" -- Steph Green

Outstanding Directing For A Limited Series, Movie Or Dramatic Special -- "This Extraordinary Being" -- Stephen Williams

Outstanding Music Composition For A Limited Series, Movie Or Special

(Original Dramatic Score) -- "It's Summer and We're Running Out of Ice" -- Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross

Outstanding Original Music And Lyrics -- "This Extraordinary Being" / Song Title: "The Way It Used To Be" by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross

Outstanding Music Supervision -- "This Extraordinary Being"

Outstanding Main Title Design

Outstanding Production Design For A Narrative Period Or Fantasy Program (One Hour Or More) -- "An Almost Religious Awe"

Outstanding Casting For A Limited Series, Movie Or Special

Outstanding Cinematography For A Limited Series Or Movie -- "Little Fear of Lightning"

Outstanding Cinematography For A Limited Series Or Movie -- "This Extraordinary Being"

Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes -- "It's Summer and We're Running Out of Ice"

Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Limited Series Or Movie -- "A God Walks into Abar"

Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Limited Series Or Movie -- "It's Summer and We're Running Out of Ice"

Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Limited Series Or Movie -- "This Extraordinary Being"

Outstanding Sound Editing For A Limited Series, Movie Or Special -- "This Extraordinary Being"

Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Limited Series Or Movie -- "This Extraordinary Being"

Outstanding Special Visual Effects -- "See How They Fly"

THE MANDALORIAN (15 Nominations)

Outstanding Drama Series

Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series -- "Chapter 8: Redemption" -- Giancarlo Esposito as Moff Gideon

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance -- "Chapter 8: Redemption" -- Taika Waititi as IG-11

Outstanding Music Composition For A Series (Original Dramatic Score) -- Ludwig Göransson

Outstanding Production Design For A Narrative Program (Half-Hour) -- "Chapter 1: The Mandalorian"

Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour) -- "Chapter 7: The Reckoning"

Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes -- "Chapter 3: The Sin"

Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Drama Series -- "Chapter 2: The Child"

Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Drama Series -- "Chapter 4: Sanctuary"

Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Drama Series -- "Chapter 8: Redemption"

Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup For A Series, Limited Series, Movie Or Special -- "Chapter 6: The Prisoner"

Outstanding Sound Editing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (Half-Hour) And

Animation -- "Chapter 1: The Mandalorian"

Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (Half-Hour) And

Animation -- "Chapter 2: The Child"

Outstanding Special Visual Effects -- "Chapter 2: The Child"

Outstanding Stunt Coordination For A Drama Series, Limited Series Or Movie

WESTWORLD  (11 Nominations)

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series -- Jeffrey Wright as Bernard Lowe

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series -- Thandie Newton as Maeve Millay

Outstanding Production Design For A Narrative Period Or Fantasy Program (One Hour Or More) -- "Parce Domine"

Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series (One Hour) -- "Parce Domine"

Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes -- "Parce Domine"

Outstanding Main Title Design

Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup For A Series, Limited Series, Movie Or Special -- "Crisis Theory"

Outstanding Sound Editing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour) -- "Parce Domine"

Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour) -- "Parce Domine"

Outstanding Special Visual Effects -- "Crisis Theory"

Outstanding Interactive Extension Of A Linear Program -- "Free Will Is Not Free Interactive Experience"

STRANGER THINGS (8 Nominations)

Outstanding Drama Series

Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Drama Series -- "Chapter Eight: The Battle of Starcourt"

Outstanding Music Supervision -- "Chapter Three: The Case of the Missing Lifeguard"

Outstanding Sound Editing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour) -- "Chapter Eight: the Battle of Starcourt"

Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour) -- "Chapter Eight: The Battle of Starcourt"

Outstanding Special Visual Effects -- "Chapter Eight: The Battle of Starcourt"

Outstanding Stunt Coordination For A Drama Series, Limited Series Or Movie

Outstanding Interactive Extension Of A Linear Program -- "Scoops Ahoy: Operation Scoop Snoop"

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS (8 Nominations)

Outstanding Comedy Series

Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series -- "Collaboration" -- Sam Johnson & Chris Marcil

Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series -- "Ghosts" -- Paul Simms

Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series -- "On the Run" -- Stefani Robinson

Outstanding Production Design For A Narrative Program (Half-Hour) -- "Resurrection", "Collaboration", "Witches"

Outstanding Casting For A Comedy Series

Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Comedy Series -- "Resurrection"

Outstanding Sound Editing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (Half-Hour) And

Animation -- "The Return"

STAR TREK: PICARD (5 Nominations)

Outstanding Period And/Or Character Hairstyling -- "Stardust City Rag"

Outstanding Period And/Or Character Makeup (Non-Prosthetic) -- "Stardust City Rag"

Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup For A Series, Limited Series, Movie Or Special -- "Absolute Candor"

Outstanding Sound Editing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour) -- "Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2"

Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour) -- "Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2:"

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: 1984 (4 Nominations)

Outstanding Period And/Or Character Makeup (Non-Prosthetic) -- "The Lady in White"

Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup For A Series, Limited Series, Movie Or Special -- "True Killers"

Outstanding Sound Editing For A Limited Series, Movie Or Special -- "Camp Redwood"

Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Limited Series Or Movie -- "Camp Redwood"

CARNIVAL ROW (3 Nominations)

Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music -- Nathan Barr

Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes -- "Aisling"

Outstanding Main Title Design

THE SIMPSONS (3 Nominations)

Outstanding Animated Program -- "Thanksgiving of Horror"

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance -- "Better Off Ned" -- Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson, Nelson Muntz, Ralph Wiggum, and Todd Flanders

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance -- "Frinkcoin" -- Hank Azaria as Professor Frink, Moe Syzslak, Chief Wiggum, Carl Carlson, Cletus Spuckler, Kirk Van Houten, and Sea Captain

BLACK MIRROR (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series -- "Smithereens" -- Andrew Scott as Chris Gillhaney

BOB'S BURGERS (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Animated Program -- "Pig Trouble in Little Tina"

THE BOYS (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Sound Editing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour) -- "The Name of the Game"

 

THE DARK CRYSTAL: AGE OF RESISTANCE (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Children's Program

DOCTOR WHO (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Derivative Interactive Program -- "The Runaway"

LOST IN SPACE (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Special Visual Effects -- "Ninety-Seven"

MINDHUNTER (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series (One Hour) -- "Episode 6"

RICK AND MORTY (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Animated Program -- "The Vat of Acid Episode"

STAR TREK: SHORT TREKS (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Short Form Comedy Or Drama Series

STAR WARS: RESISTANCE (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Children's Program

The 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards is scheduled to air Sunday, September 20th on ABC.

CBS All Access Orders STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS Series Featuring Captain Pike's U.S.S. Enterprise

At long last, CBS All Access has decided to hit it.

Deadline has word that the CBS All Access streaming service has given a series order for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, a spinoff from Star Trek: Discovery starring Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, Rebecca Romijn as First Officer "Number One"/Una, and Ethan Peck as Science Officer Spock.  Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will be CBS All Access' third live-action Star Trek series, after Discovery and Star Trek: Picard, which debuted earlier this year.

According to the article, "the new series will take the trio of Spock, Pike and Number One and the U.S.S. Enterprise almost right up to the reign of Captain Kirk."  The premiere episode, set not long after Discovery's Season 2 finale, will be written by Picard executive producer Akiva Goldsman from a story written with executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet.  Henry Alonso Myers, Heather Kadin, Rod Roddenberry, and Trevor Roth will also executive produce the series, with Aaron Baiers, Akela Cooper and Davy Perez as co-executive producers.

Mount, Romijn and Peck will reprise their characters from Discovery's second season.  Mount first appeared as Captain Pike in the Season 2 opener "Brother", with Romijn's Number One debuting in "An Obol for Charon", followed by Peck's Lieutenant Spock in "Light and Shadows".

The three leads shared in the announcement via the following video on YouTube...




"When we said we heard the fans’ outpouring of love for Pike, Number One and Spock when they boarded Star Trek: Discovery last season, we meant it," commented Kurtzman.  "These iconic characters have a deep history in Star Trek canon, yet so much of their stories have yet to be told.  With Akiva and Henry at the helm, the Enterprise, its crew and its fans are in for an extraordinary journey to new frontiers in the Star Trek universe."

"This is a dream come true, literally," Goldsman said of Strange New Worlds.  "I have imagined myself on the bridge of the Enterprise since the early 1970s.  I’m honored to be a part of this continuing journey along with Alex, Henry and the fine folks at CBS."

"Fans fell in love with Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn and Ethan Peck’s portrayals of these iconic characters when they were first introduced on Star Trek: Discovery last season," remarked CBS All Access’ Executive Vice President and Head of Programming Julie McNamara.  "This new series will be a perfect complement to the franchise, bringing a whole new perspective and series of adventures to Star Trek."

Your 2020 Geek Movie & TV Calendar

Once again, the new year brings us closer to The Films and TV Shows You've Been Dying to See for, Like, Forever.  If you enjoy sci-fi, fantasy and comic book based entertainment as I do, you already have several must-see flicks and television programs in the pipeline for 2020.  With that in mind, I thought I'd go ahead and give a helpful chronological rundown of which geek movie and TV goodness arrives when.  Some of these TV shows and films will be worth the long wait, others you wouldn't watch even if they were on Netflix, but each have their audiences and key target demographics.  Start planning your work vacation/sick/personal days accordingly.

JANUARY

1 - Doctor Who (TV)

9 - Star Trek Short Treks: Children of Mars (TV)

14 - Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow (Crisis on Infinite Earths Parts 4 & 5) (TV)

15 - The Magicians (TV)

19 - Batwoman, Supergirl (TV)

20 - Black Lightning (TV)

23 - Star Trek: Picard (TV)

24 - Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV)

FEBRUARY

February 2020? - Last Week Tonight, The Umbrella Academy (TV)

4 - The Flash (TV)

7 - Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (Movie)

14 - Fantasy Island (Movie)

21 - Bloodshot (Movie)

23 - The Walking Dead (TV)

MARCH

March 2020? - American Gods, Stargirl, What We Do in the Shadows (TV)

27 - Mulan (Movie)

APRIL

April 2020? - Harley Quinn, Star Trek: Discovery, Westworld (TV)

3 - The New Mutants (Movie)

8 - No Time to Die (Movie), Twin Peaks 30th Anniversary

MAY

May 2020? - Dune: The SIsterhood, Lucifer (TV)

1 - Black Widow (Movie)

9 - Artemis Fowl (Movie)

JUNE

June 2020? - Doom Patrol, Wynonna Earp (TV)

5 - Wonder Woman 1984 (Movie)

JULY

July 2020? - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Boys, Pennyworth (TV)
3 - Free Guy (Movie)
10 - Ghostbusters: Afterlife (Movie)
17 - Tenet (Movie)
31 - Morbius (Movie)

AUGUST

August 2020? - Mindhunter (TV)
21 - Bill and Ted Face the Music (Movie)

SEPTEMBER

September 2020? - The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, The Simpsons, Stranger Things, Titans (TV)
18 - The King's Man (Movie)

OCTOBER

October 2020? - Castle Rock, The Walking Dead (TV)
2 - Venom 2 (Movie)

NOVEMBER

November 2020? - The Mandalorian (TV)
6 - The Eternals (Movie)
20 - Godzilla vs. Kong (Movie)

23 - Doctor Who 57th Anniversary

DECEMBER

18 - Dune (Movie)
25 - The Tomorrow War (Movie)

SOMETIME IN 2020 - BizarroTV, Helstrom, Invincible, Jupiter's Legacy, The Sandman, Strange Adventures, WandaVision (TV)

First STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Season 3 Trailer Teases the Federation in 3187

The future of the Federation isn't great.

CBS All Access has released the first teaser trailer for Season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery, providing the first glimpse of what happened to the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery after travelling 930 years into their future to the year 3187 at the end of the Season 2 finale, "Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2".

The one-minute, ten-second trailer opens with Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) digging out from being covered with dirt on an alien world and grabbing her communicator.

As we see fleeting images of Burnham transitioning to longer hair, she remarks in a voiceover, "I've spent a year searching that domino that tipped over and started all of this."

We then see a group of Andorians and humans armed with weapons,.who fire some sort of shockwave at Burnham and new character Cleveland "Book" Booker (David Ajala), sending them flying.

In a separate scene, Burnham and Book are walking across alien terrain, with Book observing, "You believe in ghosts."

"What does that mean?" asks Burnham.

"That badge on your shirt."  Realizing Book is referring to her Starfleet insignia on her uniform, Burnham pauses to consider the statement.

Next, we see Commander Saru (Doug Jones) and Ensign Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) in some sort of robes entering a strange room.

This is followed by Burnham and Book entering a stark white office, where an unknown man states, "I have watched this office every day, believing that my hope was not in vain..."  The man lowers a Federation flag, which only shows six stars, hinting that in 3187, there are only six worlds remaining in the United Federation of Planets.  "...And that hope is you, Commander Burnham."

We glimpse Burnham floating in a pool of white liquid, followed by a group of Trills.  

As we see the Discovery in space, Saru remarks in a voiceover, "This ship bears the name Discovery.  She has carried us into the future.  And it will be our privilege to make that future bright."

"Let's see how this plays out, shall we?" says the Mirror Universe counterpart of Phillipa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh).

Lastly, we cut back to the scene in the white office, with the unknown man holding Burnham by both hands in front of the Federation flag and asking her, "Where will you go?"

"Wherever the answers are," replies Burnham as the trailer ends.

If you'd like to view the new trailer, you can check it out below thanks to the official CBS All Access account on YouTube...




Star Trek: Discovery is expected to return to CBS All Access for Season 3 sometime in Early 2020.

STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Casts David Ajala as Cleveland Booker

Will Book shepherd the Discovery crew to new adventures?

Deadline revealed that David Ajala will be joining the third season of CBS All Access' Star Trek: Discovery as new series regular Cleveland "Book" Booker.  He was introduced during the Star Trek Universe panel at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, joining Discovery star Sonequa Martin-Green and executive producers Alex Kurtzman, Michelle Paradise and Heather Kadin.

According to the character description, Book is "Smart and capable, Book has a natural charisma and devil-may-care attitude that tends to get him into trouble as often as it gets him out."

Ajala, 33, is a British actor best known as Manchester Black on the CW's Supergirl and as Captain Roy Eris on the Syfy series Nightflyers.  He's also played Peter in the Doctor Who episode "The Beast Below" and has appeared in episodes of Misfits, Death in Paradise, Black Mirror, Law & Order: UK, Black Box, and Falling Water.  Ajala's film appearances include The Dark Knight, Fast & Furious 6, and Jupiter Ascending.

Ajala remarked on playing the character, "Book is gonna be a character that’s gonna break the rules just a little bit.  It’s always fun to break the rules, and we’re gonna do that right from the start this season."

In the Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 finale, "Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2", the Discovery entered a wormhole that took them to the planet Terralysium in the 32nd century, stranding the ship and its crew some 930 years into their future.

Star Trek: Discovery is expected to return for Season 3 on CBS All Access sometime in Early 2020.

GAME OF THRONES Leads 2019 Emmy Nominations with Record of 32

The Game is over, but the long night of the Emmy Awards remains.

Deadline has details on the final season of HBO's Game of Thrones setting a new record total of 32 nominations for the 2019 Emmy Awards, an increase of 10 from last year, including acting nominations for Kit Harington, Emilia Clarke, Alfie Allen, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Gwendoline Christie, and Carice van Houten.

FX's American Horror Story: Apocalypse earned 5 nominations, while CBS All Access' Star Trek: Discovery beamed up 4 for its second season.  Two Amazon Prime Video series, Good Omens and The Man in the High Castle, followed with 3 each.

Other recognized geek-favorite shows include Netflix's The Umbrella Academy and Black Mirror, FX's What We Do in the Shadows, Disney XD's Star Wars Resistance, Fox's The Simpsons and The Orville, and CBS All Access' The Twilight Zone.

You can read the full list of nominations HERE, but this is the breakdown for the shows listed above...

GAME OF THRONES (32 Nominations)

Outstanding Drama Series

Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series -- Kit Harington as Jon Snow

Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series -- Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series -- Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series -- Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jamie Lannister

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series -- Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series -- Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series -- Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series -- Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series -- Maisie Williams as Arya Stark

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series -- Carice van Houten as Melisandre -- "The Long Night"

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series -- David Benioff & D.B. Weiss -- "The Iron Throne"

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series -- David Nutter -- "The Last of the Starks"

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series -- Miguel Sapochnik -- "The Long Night"

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series -- David Benioff & D.B. Weiss -- "The Iron Throne"

Outstanding Main Title Design

Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes -- "The Bells"

Outstanding Special Visual Effects -- "The Bells"
Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series (One Hour) -- "The Iron Throne"

Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More) -- "The Bells"

Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series

Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series -- "The Iron Throne"

Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series -- "The Long Night"

Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series -- "Winterfell"

Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) -- Ramin Djawadi -- "The Long Night"

Outstanding Music Composition For A Documentary Series Or Special

(Original Dramatic Score) -- Hannah Peel -- "Game of Thrones: The Last Watch"

Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour) -- "The Long Night"

Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour) -- "The Long Night"

Outstanding Makeup for a Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic) -- "The Long Night"

Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie or a Special -- "The Long Night"

Outstanding Hairstyling for a Single-Camera Series -- "The Long Night"

Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series or Movie

Outstanding Creative Achievement In Interactive Media Within A Scripted

Program -- "Fight For The Living: Beyond The Wall Virtual Reality Experience"

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: APOCALYPSE (5 Nominations)

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series -- Jessica Lange as Constance Langdon -- "Return to Murder House"
Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes -- "Forbidden Fruit"
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Single-Camera Series -- "Forbidden Fruit"

Outstanding Makeup For A Single-Camera Series (Non-Prosthetic) -- "Forbidden Fruit"

Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie or Special -- "Apocalypse Then"

STAR TREK: DISCOVERY (4 Nominations)

Outstanding Main Title Design

Outstanding Special Visual Effects -- "Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2"

Outstanding Sound Editing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour) -- "Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2"

Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie or a Special -- "If Memory Serves"

GOOD OMENS (3 Nominations)

Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes -- "Hard Times"

Outstanding Music Composition For A Limited Series, Movie Or Special

(Original Dramatic Score) -- David Arnold -- "In the Beginning"

Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music -- David Arnold

THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE (3 Nominations)

Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series (One Hour) -- "Jahr Null"

Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More) -- "Now More Than Ever, We Care About You"

Outstanding Special Visual Effects -- "Jahr Null"

BLACK MIRROR (2 Nominations)

Outstanding Television Movie -- "Bandersnatch"

Outstanding Creative Achievement In Interactive Media Within A Scripted

Program -- "Bandersnatch"

THE SIMPSONS (2 Nominations)

Outstanding Animated Program -- "Mad About the Toy"

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance -- "From Russia Without Love" -- Hank Azaria as Moe Syzslak, Carl Carlson, Duffman, and Kirk Van Houten

THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY (2 Nominations)

Outstanding Special Visual Effects -- "The White Violin"

Outstanding Production Design For A Narrative Contemporary Program (One

Hour Or More) -- "We Only See Each Other At Weddings And Funerals"

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS (2 Nominations)

Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour) -- "Manhattan Night Club"

Outstanding Sound Editing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (Half-Hour) And

Animation -- "Werewolf Feud"

CASTLE ROCK (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music -- Thomas Newman

GOTHAM (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Sound Editing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour) -- "Legend of the Dark Knight: I Am Bane"

THE ORVILLE (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Special Visual Effects -- "Identity Part II"

STAR WARS RESISTANCE (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Children's Program

TEEN TITANS GO! (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Short-Form Animated Program -- "Nostalgia Is Not a Substitute for an Actual Story"

THE TICK (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Stunt Coordination For A Comedy Series Or Variety Program

THE TWILIGHT ZONE (1 Nomination)

Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series -- Kumail Nanjiani as Samir Wassan -- "The Comedian"

The 71sr Primetime Emmy Awards is scheduled to air Sunday, September 22nd on FOX.

STAR TREK: PICARD Casts Santiago Cabrera & Michelle Hurd

Jean-Luc Picard has two new shipmates.

Deadline has word that CBS All Access' upcoming still-untitled Star Trek series starring Sir Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard has cast Santiago Cabrera and Michelle Hurd in co-starring roles.

According to the article, Cabrera will play "the pilot of Picard’s ship who also is a skillful thief."  Hurd, meanwhile, is playing "a former intelligence officer who is a brilliant analyst with a terrific memory that has not been affected by her drug and alcohol abuse."

Cabrera, 40, is a Venezuelan-born Chilean-British actor, known for his roles as the character Isaac Mendez in the TV series Heroes, Lancelot in Merlin, and Aramis in The Musketeers.  In addition, he's appeared in the movie Transformers: The Last Knight and in episodes of Salvation, Big Little Lies, Dexter, Alcatraz, and Covert Affairs.

Hurd, 52, is probably best known as D.A. Samantha Reyes in the Netflix series Daredevil and Jessica Jones, and as the superhero Fire in CBS' failed 1997 Justice League of America pilot.  In addition, she's appeared in episodes of Lethal Weapon, Blindspot, Ash vs. Evil Dead, How to Get Away with Murder, Hawaii Five-0 (2014), 90210, The Good Wife, Bones, Charmed (2005), The Fugitive (2001), and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

The new series will be set twenty years after the events of the film Star Trek: Nemesis and will tell the next chapter of Picard's life.  Hanelle Culpepper will direct the first two episodes of the series, making her the first woman to direct a pilot or debut episode of a Star Trek series in the franchise’s 53-year history.

As Captain of the USS Enterprise-D and Enterprise-E, Jean-Luc Picard first appeared in the 1987 Star Trek: Next Generation pilot episode "Encounter at Farpoint" and remained with the series for its entire seven-season run.  Stewart also portrayed Picard in the movies Star Trek Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002), along with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine‘s 1993 pilot episode, "Emissary."

STAR TREK: DISCOVERY Spinoff with Michelle Yeoh's Phillipa Georgiou in Development

CBS All Access, it's time to switch your name to Star Trek All Access.

Deadline is reporting that CBS All Access is officially developing a spinoff series to Star Trek: Discovery, starring Michelle Yeoh as the Mirror Universe version of Phillipa Georgiou.  

According to the article, the new series will focus on the "continuation of Yeoh’s Discovery Season 2 adventures in Starfleet’s Section 31 division."  The project, which is in the very early stages, is from co-executive producers Bo Yeon Kim and Erika Lippoldt.

Remarked Yeoh, "I’m so excited to continue telling these rich Star Trek stories.  Being a part of this universe and this character specifically has been such a joy for me to play.  I can’t wait to see where it all goes – certainly, I believe it will go where no woman has ever gone before!'"

Star Trek executive producer and overseer Alex Kurtzman said in a statement, "Michelle has shattered ceilings, broken boundaries, and astonished us with her grace and gravitas for decades.  ”As a human, I adore her.  As an actor, I revere her.  Erika and Boey are remarkable, exciting writers who bring a fresh perspective to the world of Star Trek, and we’re all thrilled to explore the next wild chapter in the life of Captain Philippa Georgiou."

Yeoh, 56, is a Chinese-Malaysian actress best known as Wai Lin in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, and as Yu Shu Lien in the films Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny.  She's also appeared in the films Moonlight Express, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Reign of Assassins, Kung Fu Panda 2, Police Story 3: Super Cop, Mechanic: Resurrection, and Morgan.  In addition, she appeared on the 2016 Marco Polo TV series as Lotus.

Created by Lisa Randolph, the Mirror Universe version of Phillipa Georgiou first appeared in the Star Trek: Discovery episode "The Wolf Inside" as a female Terran who was the Emperor of the Terran Empire in the Mirror Universe, an alternate universe, during the mid-23rd century.  After the Discovery crossed over to the Mirror Universe, Georgiou's reign as Emperor ended following a coup, but she was rescued by Michael Burnham of the prime universe.

With Georgiou and Burnham aboard, the Discovery engaged its spore drive and crossed back into the prime universe, having overshot their arrival time by nine months.  Over nine months, the Federation war with the Klingons had taken its toll, with Starfleet losing one third of its fleet and over twenty percent of its territory occupied.  Georgiou offered to bring the Klingons to their knees once and for all.  If she got her freedom, she would assure victory for the Federation.  The war concluded when Georgiou planted a hydro bomb within a volcano on Qo'noS.  Preventing Georgiou from detonating the device, Burnham gave the detonator to L'Rell, who used the threat of detonating the device to force the leaders of the Great Houses to accept her leadership and ordered Klingon forces to halt their advance on the Federation.

In a scene deleted from "Will You Take My Hand?", after having been granted her freedom in return for participating in the Qo'noS mission, Georgiou took over an Orion cabaret on Qo'noS.  During this time, she was approached by a Section 31 operative, who recruited her as an asset.

Star Trek: Discovery returns to CBS All Access for Season 2 on January 17th.

Your 2019 Geek Movie and TV Calendar

Once again, the new year brings us closer to The Films and TV Shows You've Been Dying to See for Like Forever.  If you enjoy sci-fi, fantasy and comic book based entertainment as I do, you already have several must-see flicks and television programs in the pipeline for 2019.  With that in mind, I thought I'd go ahead and give a helpful chronological rundown of which geek movie and TV goodness arrives when.  Some of these TV shows and films will be worth the long wait, others you wouldn't watch even if they were on Netflix, but each have their audiences and key target demographics.  Start planning your work vacation/sick/personal days accordingly.

JANUARY

1 - Doctor Who: Resolution, The Gifted (TV)

3 - Gotham, Star Trek Short Treks: Escape Artist (TV)

4 - Young Justice: Outsiders (TV)

6 - The Simpsons (TV)
13 - True Detective (TV)

14 - The Passage (TV)
15 - The Flash (TV)
16 - Deadly Class, Riverdale (TV)

17 - Star Trek: Discovery (TV)

18 - Glass (Movie), The Punisher (TV)

20 - Supergirl (TV)

21 - Arrow, Black Lightning (TV)

23 - The Magicians (TV)

FEBRUARY

10 - The Walking Dead (TV)

14 - Alita: Battle Angel (Movie)

15 - Doom Patrol, The Umbrella Academy (TV)

17 - Last Week Tonight (TV)

MARCH

March 2019? - Krypton (TV)

8 - Captain Marvel (Movie)

10 - American Gods (TV)

APRIL

April 2019? - Game of Thrones, iZombie, Legends of Tomorrow, Legion, Lost in Space (TV)

5 - Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV), Shazam! (Movie)

12 - Hellboy (Movie)

26 - Avengers: Endgame (Movie)

MAY

10 - Swamp Thing (TV)

17 - John Wick 3: Parabellum (Movie)

31 - Godzilla: King of the Monsters (Movie)

JUNE

June 2019? - Preacher (TV)

7 - Dark Phoenix (Movie)

14 - Men in Black International (Movie)

21 - Toy Story 4

JULY

July 2019? - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Castle Rock, Wynonna Earp (TV)

4 - Stranger Things (TV)
5 - Spider-Man: Far from Home

26 - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Movie)

AUGUST

2 - The New Mutants (Movie)

9 - Stargirl (TV)

SEPTEMBER

September 2019? - The Simpsons (TV)

6 - IT Chapter Two (Movie)

OCTOBER

October 2019? - The Flash, The Gifted, Titans, The Walking Dead (TV)

4 - Joker (Movie)

11 - Harley Quinn (TV), Zombieland 2 (Movie)

NOVEMBER

November 2019? - Star Trek: Picard

1 - Untitled Terminator Film (Movie)

8 - Kingsman 3 (Movie)

DECEMBER

20 - Star Wars: Episode IX (Movie)

SOMETIME IN 2019 - The Boys, Good Omens, Jessica Jones, Mindhunter, Pennyworth, Watchmen (TV) 

CBS All Access Orders STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS Animated Series

Redshirts, your time has come at last.

CBS All Access has announced a two-season order for Star Trek: Lower Decks, an upcoming half-hour adult animated comedy series that will "focus on the support crew serving on one of Starfleet’s least important ships."  

The animated series is from Rick and Morty head writer and executive producer Mike McMahan.  Star Trek: Lower Decks will be CBS All Access’ first original animated series and the first project to be produced by CBS Eye Animation Productions, a new animation arm of CBS Television Studios.  Secret Hideout’s Alex Kurtzman and Heather Kadin and Roddenberry Entertainment’s Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth and Katie Krentz will serve as Executive Producers alongside McMahan.  Aaron Baiers, who brought McMahan to the project, will serve as a Co-Executive Producer.

McMahan said, "As a life-long Trekkie, it’s a surreal and wonderful dream come true to be a part of this new era of Star Trek.  While Star Trek: Lower Decks is a half-hour, animated show at its core, it’s undeniably Trek — and I promise not to add an episode at the very end that reveals the whole thing took place in a training program."  McMahan's remark, as Trek fans probably know, was a sly reference to "These Are the Voyages...", the controversial 2005 final episode of the UPN series Star Trek: Enterprise.

Reportedly a longtime Star Trek fan, McMahan started a Twitter account in 2011 where he posted episode plots to a fake season of Star Trek: The Next Generation.  They were such a hit that Simon & Schuster hired him to write a readers’ guide to a fictitious eighth season of TNG titled Star Trek: The Next Generation: Warped: An Engaging Guide to the Never-Aired 8th Season.  McMahan has also written "The Escape Artist", an upcoming episode of Star Trek: Short Treks, the CBS All Access series of live-action Star Trek shorts. 

Executive Producer Alex Kurtzman remarked, "Mike won our hearts with his first sentence --'I want to do a show about the people who put the yellow cartridge in the food replicator so a banana can come out the other end.’  His cat’s name is Riker.  His son’s name is Sagan. The man is committed.  He’s brilliantly funny and knows every inch of every Trek episode, and that’s his secret sauce -- he writes with the pure, joyful heart of a true fan.  As we broaden the world of Trek to fans of all ages, we’re so excited to include Mike’s extraordinary voice."

Star Trek: Lower Decks will be the first official Star Trek animated program since Star Trek: The Animated Series, which aired on NBC from 1973-74.  The new series will be the fourth Star Trek series on CBS All Access, after Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Short Treks, and the upcoming untitled Star Trek series featuring Sir Patrick Stewart reprising his role as Jean-Luc Picard.