COMM. STATION

With Darren Maxwell

When people say SAAB, I naturally think of the Swedish motor car designed by the aeroplane company. They are unique, expensive and very prestigious (that's why I don't have one). But now when someone says SAAB to me I've forgotten the car and turned my attention to the TV show Space Above And Beyond. Yes, the people of Victoria are now experiencing the ultimate science fiction television show (so Channel 7 would have you believe). It's so hot in fact, that its time slot is in true sci-fi land at 11pm on Monday nights, replacing the since completed Nowhere Man. Sometime ago in this column I made mention of SAAB and gave it the thumbs down, however like all good sci-fi viewing citizens I'm willing to give it a second chance and have another look with less of a cynical eye (if I could just stay up that late). On the other hand, I still can't get over the fact that Channel 7 is showing a program with heaps of hype that's already long since been canned in the US (psst, they say it's better than Star Trek... yeah right).

It's amazing how parts of the world can pass you by. I recently watched the Japanimation show Bubblegum Crisis and forgot how much of a following this genre has. Japanese Animation/Manga is big business in the world and I know that Oz fans are up there with the best of them. Anyway, I had a peek at the show and discovered something worthy of a special mention. One of the Knight Sabers is called Priss, and her day job is singing with a rock group called The Repricants (spelt Replicants in the credits). If you know Blade Runner well enough, you'll spot the reference right there, obviously someone in the art department is a big BR fan. Anyway, if you like to see imagination and animation at its finest, give Bubblegum Crisis a go, although you'd better have a healthy appetite for destruction.

In a previous Comm. Station I made mention of a whole swag of Star Trek computer accessories that make your PC look really dorky (I mean it folks, you'd need to have your head read if you were planning to use this stuff seriously). Well they've released a few more Trek items to jazz up the pooty even further, thus for around $250, you can make your computer look... great. Fans, I've seen a promotional photo with all the stuff combined together, and believe me, you'd be better off spending the money on something more worthwhile.

When you win a hand at Black Jack at the Casino, do you also win a trip to the US? Not likely! However a representative from the American company Decipher Inc. came out to Oz a month or so back to watch some people play card games and promptly sent the winners off to America. It's all true! Decipher Inc. are responsible for producing the Star Trek and Star Wars Customizable Card Games (CCG), which have a very strong following in this country. The rep, Kendrick Somers, held special Star Wars CCG tournaments in both Sydney and Melbourne from which the overall winner from each city is due to be flown over to Yankee Land in a few months time to play in the World Championship. The prize for the ultimate world champion is a flight to Africa to visit the filming locations for Star Wars (Tunisia) and possibly the next trilogy too, as well as a few other special privileges. If you're a player of the game and you missed out on the big event, well fear not, as more tournaments are planned to take place here next year. I tell you what though, with prizes like this up for grabs, I'm gonna forget those Queen's Slippers and grab me some Force cards now!

Ever see a sci-fi movie when the world calendar clicks over to the year 2000 and all the computers in the world seize up 'cause they can't handle the date 01/01/00? Well you might. I know plans are in place now for computer companies to develop a way to get around this potentially very serious problem. Imagine, one minute past midnight on the first day of the new century and the great technology of the planet Earth is frozen up like an ice cube (here's a tip for any programmers and engineers out there, if you can be the first to develop something that'll allow PCs to move into the next millennium without so much as a hiccup, you'll be a trillionaire before the end of the month).

So what's a mint in-packet Power of the Force Princess Leia action figure worth at the moment (the ones you find in all the K-Mart, Target and Toys 'R' Us stores)? Well since the withdrawal of the character from the store shelves some months back, because it was just so damn unflattering, the price has reached a stage where one was bought recently at an auction for $60! However news on the circuit suggests she's going to be released again without any modifications/improvements to stop people "scalping" their Leia's off (as opposed to actually scalping Leia) for mega $$$.

If you're a Doctor Who fan, then you were probably at the special fan club meeting where the guest of honour was none other than Lalla Ward (Romana #1). And if you are a fan and didn't go, boy did you miss out. She came to Oz with her hubby who was doing the rounds on the lecture circuit, so she popped in for an appearance and a bit of a chat. Her visit from England suddenly made me think of the people who worked on Doctor Who who actually live here already. Because, believe it or not, there are a lot of people in Australia who were employed on the show in one capacity or another in its 30+ year history. The most famous face is probably Katy Manning (Jo Grant) who resides in Sydney.

Speaking of sci-fi stars who live in Oz, there is one person who has been given a pretty rough deal when it comes to adulation by Aussie sci-fi fans: Jane Badler (Diana from V - the hamster eating lizard leader), who came to Melbourne in the mid-1980s to present an award at the Logies. Well she was positively idolised by V fans everywhere when she was here, in fact a whole bunch of them met her at the airport dressed in Visitor uniforms. Ten years or so later, the world has turned around completely because Jane now lives in Melbourne, and do you think the fans call around every once in a while for an autograph and photo? Nup. In fact she only once been invited to a science fiction convention in this country despite her role in V which put her on the map as far as possible guests for conventions went (admittedly the dismal performance of V The Series wouldn't have helped much). I've heard that she’d love to be invited as a guest to more conventions. This makes me wonder if the recent screenings of V, in the shadow of Independence Day, will have piqued people’s interest in her again? One thing is for sure, I know that a lot of Visitor uniforms that the fans made have long since been buried in the bottom of the deepest excess clothes boxes, never to see the light of day again.

Well there you have it fans, yet another year is rolling to a close. I hope you all have a Merry Chrissie with lots of ripe, hot, juicy presents to get stuck into, and just remember to keep them mint in their packets - they'll be worth more in the future.

Until next time, stay galactic