Latest news with #Vulcan
National Post
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- National Post
Adventures in Streaming: Outer Limits is your next favourite binge
Article content If one measures the success of a TV series by its spinoffs, Star Trek (Paramount+), must stand alone, with an astonishing 13 different television iterations — that's not even counting the dozen or so movies. Article content Surely, though, the original series –Trekkers call it TOS for short — was the fountainhead that inspired all those offshoots. Article content Has it aged well since its 1966-69 run? Well, developments in everything from visual effects to fight choreography have rendered the show somewhat quaint, at least through the jaded eyes of contemporary media consumers with the ability to pinpoint slipshod digital alterations while standing 20 paces from a 4K flatscreen. Article content Article content But in these divisive times, it remains a series that made one hopeful about the future in its depiction of earthlings from different backgrounds and ethnicities who put aside their differences to co-operate on a noble, non-colonizing interstellar mission: 'To boldly go where no man has gone before.' Article content And yet the show's reputation as the alpha and omega of television science fiction is as persistently tight as a Vulcan Nerve Pinch. Article content Star Trek's mission was, in a way, forecast in a series that developed years before Captain Kirk was but a glimmer in the eye of a CBS network programmer. Article content The Outer Limits (1963-65, new on Tubi), is delightful old-school science fiction that anticipated TOS, even if its format went with a different story and cast every week. If Star Trek looked forward, Outer Limits was very much formed by its immediate past, the geopolitical aftershocks of the Second World War, with the threat of nuclear annihilation at the forefront. Also, it was shot in newsreel black and white, which gives it more gravitas than Star Trek's '60s sickly-psychedelic colour palette. Article content Article content Even with its primitive effects, it could induce nightmares. The episode The Zanti Misfits is about powerful aliens who negotiate a deal with earth to harbour a Botany Bay-like ship filled with prisoners. Once revealed, the creatures are merely large bugs with human faces, animated with stop motion. And yet, these crawlies still have the power to creep you out. Article content Go for the bugs. Stay for the hair-raising sado-masochistic sparks between earthly criminal Bruce Dern and his girlfriend (Olive Deering), a runaway wife, who unwittingly facilitate the misfits' escape. (The series' main writer Joseph Stefano wrote the screenplay for Psycho, and presumably knew a little something about, psychosexual subtext.) Article content The most celebrated episode, Demon with a Glass Hand, was written by sci-fi gadfly Harlan Ellison, and stars Robert Culp as a man with no memory, dropped into Los Angeles, vaguely aware of a mission to foil an aggressive alien race that will defeat earthlings hundreds of years in the future. (In 2009, TV Guide ranked the episode as #73 on an all-time list of great TV episodes.)
Malay Mail
6 days ago
- Science
- Malay Mail
The stories we tell about the stars — Nahrizul Adib Kadri
JULY 10 — Not long ago, I was in the dentist waiting room at the Faculty of Dentistry, flipping through an old issue of Reader's Digest — the kind where the pages feel like they've passed through many hands. Somewhere in the middle, I came across a short piece on Planet Vulcan. Not the Star Trek kind, mind you. This Vulcan was a theoretical planet once believed to orbit between Mercury and the Sun. In the 19th century, French astronomer Urbain Le Verrier noticed that Mercury's orbit didn't behave the way Newtonian physics said it should. The math didn't add up. So he hypothesised another planet — Vulcan — to explain the wobble. For decades, astronomers looked for it. They believed it was there. Until 1915, when Einstein's theory of general relativity offered a different explanation. Mercury wasn't being tugged by some hidden mass — spacetime itself was bending under the gravity of the Sun. Vulcan quietly vanished, not with drama, but with understanding. And that stayed with me. There are so many things around us that we do not know yet. — Unsplash pic Why? Because for almost fifty years, people searched the skies for something that wasn't there. Not because they were foolish, but because they were following the best story available at the time. And when a better one came along, they moved on. It's a reminder that science, for all its rigour, isn't about final truths. It's about our best attempt at understanding, for now. And when the understanding deepens, the story changes. That doesn't make the old story worthless — it means we're still learning. That shift matters. Especially for those of us who work in science. We like to think we're chasing certainty, but often, we're narrating the evolving shape of what we think we know. The formulas and theories, the charts and conclusions — they're chapters. Not endings. There was a time in my life when I saw science as a vault of fixed answers. But the story of Vulcan reminded me that knowledge moves — and that movement is not failure. It's growth. Even our most accepted ideas today might one day be reframed. Not discarded, but seen differently. Quantum mechanics, for example, was once viewed as too strange to be useful — yet it now forms the basis of the smartphones in our pockets (movement of electrons in semiconductors is based on quantum physics). Flight was long considered a fantasy, until the Wright brothers proved otherwise (flapping wings were thought the only possible way to fly). And in hospitals, something as basic as handwashing was once ridiculed, even as it quietly saved lives — until science caught up and proved Dr Semmelweis right (he suggested doctors to wash their hands when going to different parts of hospitals in 1840s, long before bacteria and viruses were discovered). We forget how many of our current realities were once seen as impossibilities. And that's why storytelling matters. Not the embellishment of fact, but the craft of carrying curiosity. The willingness to hold a narrative loosely, knowing it may shift. Scientists, teachers, students — we're not just collecting data. We're passing along a torch: here's what we've seen so far. Now go ahead and explore more of the darkness ahead. I think often about the question my son once asked after watching Marvel's Avengers: Endgame: 'Is time travel real?' Part of me wanted to say no. But then I paused. Maybe not yet. And maybe that pause is the real answer. The door isn't closed — it's just not open yet. Rumi once wrote, 'Beyond ideas of rightdoing and wrongdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there.' To me, that field is where science and wonder overlap. Where we speak not in absolutes, but in possibilities. So, if you've ever been told something is settled — that the facts are fixed, that the story is over — it's worth remembering Vulcan. Not because the planet was real, but because the pursuit of it led us somewhere better. It asked better questions. It kept us awake. And maybe that's the point. In a world that moves fast, that begs for certainty, maybe it's not our job to provide conclusions. Maybe it's to keep asking. To stay alert. To keep telling the story, knowing the ending hasn't been written yet. The universe isn't done surprising us. * Ir Dr Nahrizul Adib Kadri is a professor of biomedical engineering at the Faculty of Engineering, and the Principal of Ibnu Sina Residential College, Universiti Malaya. He may be reached at [email protected] ** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
Geek Tyrant
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Ethan Peck Opens Up About What Sets His Spock Apart in STAR TREK from Leonard Nimoy's Iconic Legacy — GeekTyrant
Taking on the role of Spock is like stepping into sci-fi royalty. When Star Trek: Strange New Worlds launched in 2022, it didn't just revive a classic era of Trek, it brought back characters who've been etched into the pop culture DNA for decades. Chief among them: the ever-logical, ever-iconic Spock. Leonard Nimoy's original performance is untouchable for many fans. So when Ethan Peck inherited the role, expectations were sky-high. But instead of trying to mimic Nimoy, Peck leaned into something different, something more human, more uncertain, and surprisingly… funny. At the recent Tribeca Film Festival premiere for Strange New Worlds Season 3, Peck spoke about what distinguishes his take on the beloved Vulcan, telling /Film: "I would say that they've really brought a comedic quality to the Spock that I play in Strange New Worlds. I think they found that I might have an aptitude for him in kind of uncomfortable situations. 'And I think the writer just tries to put me as the actor playing Spock in uncomfortable situations, which I think is a great device and gimmick. So maybe that — they know that I kind of understand why he's finding himself [in these situations]. So, maybe his comedic nature ... and that he's not [self-aware] about it." It's a interesting evolution. Where Nimoy's Spock delivered humor through dry logic and razor-sharp timing, Peck's Spock is funnier because he's awkward, still learning how to navigate the push and pull between his Vulcan discipline and human emotion. And that's exactly the point, according to series co-creator Akiva Goldsman, who also weighed in, saying: "I think that those of us who started with TOS have an association with the most logical time in Spock's life. But if you think about Spock, not just in TOS and before [Strange New Worlds], if you think about Spock, as he carries through the motion pictures, as he carries through the end of [The Next Generation], we start to see that actually his whole life has been a struggle with identity. 'And how he sees himself and the sweet treachery of emotion. And so Ethan gets to do a lot more of that. So, we fill out the personality of Spock and his life's journey." It's a fun creative choice to show us a Spock in transition. One who hasn't yet mastered his inner conflict, and this season, according to those who've seen the premiere, digs even deeper into that tension, with some standout moments that test both Spock's emotional limits and Peck's range. While the series is set to conclude with Season 5, there's still plenty of story left to tell. And if Season 3 is any indication, Peck's Spock is only becoming more complex and more compelling as he edges closer to the version we all grew up with. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 premieres July 17, 2025, on Paramount+.
National Post
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- National Post
After stepping down for Poilievre to run, Alberta MP lands role at government relations, lobbying firm
Les McIntyre had aspirations of one day competing at the Calgary Stampede rodeo as either a tie-down roper or a bronc rider. Article content Little did he know that he would instead become the voice of the Rangeland Derby, calling all 10 nights of chuckwagon racing action for fans in the stands at GMC Stadium. Article content Article content After life threw some curveballs his way, McIntyre wound up hitting it out of the park when he took over from the legendary Joe Carbury as the Stampede's track announcer in 2009. Article content Article content 'I'm fortunate because I was blessed with a strong voice,' said McIntyre, who's also celebrating his 40th anniversary as a track announcer on the World Professional Chuckwagon Association circuit. 'I try to make it entertaining and exciting. Wagon racing can make itself exciting. I've been at shows where the power went off and (fans) didn't hear me at all and it was still exciting. I'm fortunate to be involved in the sport.' Article content Article content Growing up east of Vulcan, Alta., McIntyre has vivid memories of watching rodeo events and chuckwagon races at the Stampede with his family. Article content 'We, as kids, got to go to the Calgary Stampede maybe every other year, every third year, or whatever,' McIntyre recalled. 'We watched it back in the old wooden grandstand with the pillars up the middle.' Article content Article content 'I would like to have been a tie-down roper. I would like to have been a bronc rider, but when you're 14 years old and you're six foot two, that's not happening. And when you're 18 years old and you're six foot four, it's really not happening. I would like to have gone down that road just because I grew up at home riding and ranching and stuff.' Article content Article content Although his rodeo aspirations didn't pan out, McIntyre turned his attentions toward the chucks, travelling down the road with the likes of Ross Nelson and Ward Willard. Article content 'Everything happens for a reason and when I got to be older, I got involved in the wagons with a couple of neighbours of mine and then they give me the opportunity to drive a little bit,' said McIntyre, who unfortunately suffered a bad back injury in the mid-1980s that derailed his driving desires. Article content His announcing career started in 1984, when he called accepted the opportunity to call some races at a fundraising show in Vulcan. 'I did this little fun show at Willard's place down here,' said McIntyre, while noting he must have done something right because he was asked to work at a show in Trochu. 'So anyway, I started there in '85 that spring in Trochu and then over the summer High River got a hold of me and wanted to come do the High River show.' Article content Eventually, McIntyre was a regular calling races on the WPCA Pro Tour and also worked as a radio and then television announcer at the Calgary Stampede before eventually taking over from Carbury in the Eye In The Sky. Article content 'I thought someday Joe will probably retire and I would like to be in a position to take that job,' he said. 'It's pretty special to me because it's been a dream of mine. I was fortunate enough to have it come into fruition.' Article content After Chad Harden won it all in Calgary in '09, McIntyre called Kelly Sutherland's record-breaking 11th Rangeland Derby title the following year. Article content 'Dick Cosgrave held that record and then when Kelly broke it, I was fortunate enough to be there,' said McIntyre, who described the action when the King (one of Sutherland's nicknames) claimed his 12th crown in 2012. Article content Without the endeavours of the drivers thrilling the fans below him, McIntyre wouldn't be able to do what he loves. Article content 'Every time somebody wins that Calgary Stampede, it's a challenge,' he said. 'The hardest cup in sports to win in my opinion is Stanley Cup, and I don't know anything about hockey, but as far as wagon racing goes, this is the toughest one to win just because of the level of competition that's here and the pressure that's on you. Article content Article content 'It's a 10-day endurance test and it takes some horsepower and some skill at managing a business and driving and all the rest of it. There's a lot of things that you have to be on top of if you're going to be successful in Calgary.' Article content Article content Top 10 Les McIntyre calls, which you may hear during Rangeland Derby Article content 10. He's rounding the fourth turn on a burn. Article content 9. Are you ready for another thriller from Bensmiller? Article content 8. Rein to rein, like a runaway freight train. Article content 7. On the homestretch drive, Calgary it's your turn to come alive. Article content 6. Outriders, hit the showers. Mothers, hide your daughters. Article content 5. Let 'er rip chip dip. Article content 4. Quiet on the set. Article content 3. There's the horn and the charge is under way. Article content 2. Wire to wire with his wheels on fire. Article content 1. The louder you cheer, the quicker they'll get here. Article content
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA, ULA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral
During the first six months of the year, an array of 56 orbital rockets took flight from Florida's Space Coast. This unpreceded pace will zoom beyond 2024's freshly established annual record of 93 launches — should the cadence continue through year's end. Will a new launch record materialize at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's neighboring Kennedy Space Center? Stay tuned. The Cape's July launch schedule features a variety of SpaceX Starlink missions, with space fans anticipating target dates for NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 mission, United Launch Alliance's USSF-106 national security mission and Blue Origin's next New Glenn rocket liftoff. Following are the latest missions coming up from the Cape. All launches are listed in Eastern Standard Time. But be aware: Dates and times routinely change for a wide variety of reasons. For the latest mission updates and space news, visit For questions or comments, email FLORIDA TODAY Space Reporter Rick Neale at Rneale@ Cape Canaveral: Rocket launches in Florida: Here's an updating list of all 2025 missions from Cape Canaveral Though SpaceX has yet to announce this mission, the Space Coast Office of Tourism indicates a Starlink launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Mission: A SpaceX Falcon 9 will launch the next batch of Starlink internet satellites into low-Earth orbit. Launch window: 1:48 a.m. Trajectory: Northeast. Location: Space Launch Complex 40 Live coverage: Starts 90 minutes before liftoff at Mission: NASA and SpaceX will team up to send four crew members for a long-duration stay aboard the International Space Station. Launch: TBA. Location: TBA. Live FLORIDA TODAY Space Team coverage: Starts two hours before liftoff at Mission: Equipped with four solid rocket boosters, ULA's third Vulcan rocket will take flight on the Space Force's USSF-106 national security mission into geosynchronous orbit more than 22,000 miles above Earth. Launch: TBA. Location: Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Sonic booms: No. Live FLORIDA TODAY Space Team coverage: Starts two hours before liftoff at Mission: Blue Origin will launch its second powerhouse New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Launch window: TBA. Location: Launch Complex 36. Live FLORIDA TODAY Space Team coverage: Starts two hours before liftoff at Mission: Sierra Space will launch its uncrewed Dream Chaser space plane atop a ULA Vulcan rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Launch window: TBA. Location: Launch Complex 41. Live FLORIDA TODAY Space Team coverage: Starts two hours minutes before liftoff at For the latest news and launch schedule from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit Another easy way: Click here to sign up for our weekly Space newsletter. Space is important to us and that's why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Rocket launch schedule: July missions from Cape Canaveral, Florida
