Episode 98: The State of Star Trek

 

There's never been a time like this: no less than five Star Trek series on the air at the same time! You would think Trekkies (trekkers?) would be rejoicing. But, not so. While some fans are enjoying these new iterations of Star Trek, other fans are gnashing their teeth. In this episode, the Planet 8 crew, along with our guest Lord Blood-Rah, discuss the state of Star Trek - what it has meant to us, what it is now, and where we hope it is going.

For all four of us, our love of Star Trek started with the original series. We grew up watching Kirk, Spock and crew on their adventures. Through them, we felt excitement and wonder, and learned about loyalty, duty, friendship, mercy, and more. Classic Trek offered up morality plays that deeply imprinted on our minds. Our expectations and definitions for everything Star Trek flows from the first series. 

This has been an issue with every new Trek series that followed. People forget, but even when The Next Generation premiered, fans denounced it as not being "real Star Trek." So it has been with every series since. But what constitutes "real" Star Trek? We share our thoughts about what is essential, what lies at the core of Trek.

Throughout we'll weave in thoughts on the current Trek shows -although Strange New Worlds had not aired yet when we recorded this - with pros and cons aplenty. Beyond whether the new shows are truly Star Trek, are they even decent science fiction? Or well-written dramas? We go there!

Despite our misgivings, we do love Star Trek and remain hopeful for Strange New Worlds. We all agree that Anson Mount is a very charismatic man! Can he carry the show? Will going back to episodic story-telling be the right move? Time will tell.

This time around, instead of our Sensor Sweep, we have an In Memorium segment. Last week we lost legendary comic book artist Neal Adams. Adams was a massive talent, leaving a huge legacy. He may best be remembered for helping to remake Batman along with writer Denny O'Neill. Adams worked for both DC and Marvel and had outstanding runs on Deadman, Superman, The Avengers, and X-Men. Adams also campaigned for creator's rights and helped the creators of Superman, Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster, regain rights to their character and get remuneration from DC. He was an important figure in the comics world and will be missed.

Also passing recently was artist James Bama, an artist best known to fans for his paperback covers for Doc Savage novels, and for the illustrations on the Aurora monster models boxes.

That's all this time. We hope you enjoyed the discussion! Share your thoughts: 

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Live long and prosper

Episode 93: Closing the Book of Boba Fett

 

This episode, your Planet 8 crew is rejoined by our good friend Lord Blood-Rah to take a long, last look at The Book of Boba Fett. The second live action Star Wars series was rather uneven, but did provide some cool moments. We'll discuss how we felt about Boba Fett prior to the series, and then dive into the details of the show. 

While we varied in our interest in Boba prior to the start of The Book of Boba Fett, we all agreed that he's always been a cool looking character. Of course, he was originally designed as a new type of super stormtrooper, but budgetary concerns resulted in the solo bounty hunter we got in the original trilogy.

In the new show, we get a reborn Boba Fett, who was both intriguing and a little confusing. The flashbacks, with Boba living with the Tusken Raiders, was one of our favorite parts. But his motivations were still somewhat fuzzy. 

A plethora of guest stars graced The Book of Boba Fett. Some we had seen before, others were new (at least to the screen). We talk about all of them, and how the show suddenly turned into the third season of The Mandalorian with episode 5. 

All this and talk on The Clone Wars, Rebels, Rise of Skywalker,  Jedi philosophy, and more! We hope you'll listen in and share your thoughts too!

We also pay our respects to special effects legend Douglas Trumbull, who passed away on February 7th. A true innovator, Trumbull created new methods and new technology for special effects, with credits including 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star Trek the Motion Picture, Silent Running, Blade Runner, and many more. His influence on visual effects cannot be over-stated. He may be gone but his contributions, his work, will go on forever. 

For our Sensor Sweep, Recon Officer Karen shares a brand-new book, appropriate for this episode, The Art of The Mandalorian Season Two by Phil Szostak. This is a big, beautiful book chock full of preproduction illustrations and designs for the second season of Mandalorian. Not only do you get to see all the iterations of character and ship designs, but the texts give back story about how the creators developed their ideas. If you're a Mando fan, you'll love this big tome.

Be sure to check out LordBloodRah.com to keep up with everything his Lordship is doing! You can find links to his Nerve-Wrackin' Theater for his TV schedule, as well as his Nerve Wrackin' Auditorium for his podcast featuring old time radio horror and science fiction. His site will also point you to his Patreon and his live appearances too! It's your one-stop shop for all things Lord Blood-Rah!

As always, we appreciate your support! Let us know what you thought of The Book of Boba Fett, and what you thought of this episode. You know where to reach us:

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Thanks for listening!

Episode 92: Planet 8 goes Beneath the Planet of the Apes

 

This episode we are going back to one of our favorite places, a little world known as the Planet of the Apes! But this time, we're going to explore...Beneath the Planet of the Apes!

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) was the second film in the original Apes franchise, and it went down quite a different path than the first. The Planet Ape -I mean, 8 - crew, along with our special guest, Lord Blood-Rah, will discuss all the myriad details behind how the film came to be made, as well as walk through the storyline. There were a number of ideas thrown around in the initial stages of the film, which involved bringing back Rod Serling and author Pierre Boule, but none of these really stuck. It was only when British poet and screenwriter Paul Dehn was brought in that the plot solidified.

Making a sequel back then was unusual and seen as a shoddy money-grab, and Apes star Charlton Heston really didn't want to do it. He was ultimately convinced to do a cameo appearance, so a new lead had to be found, and James Franciscus, who had primarily appeared on television, filled the bill. Much of the cast of the first film returned, including Maurice Evans as Dr. Zaius, Kim Hunter as Zira, and Linda Harrison as Nova. Roddy McDowall was not available so actor David Watson stepped in. James Gregory gives a notable performance as gorilla General Ursus, a role originally offered to the legendary Orson Welles!

The story builds to a confrontation between the ape military and the human mutants who live underground in the Forbidden Zone. The mutants are disturbing not only visually but for their bizarre worship of their doomsday bomb. With this film, we get a whole second culture to explore on the planet, one that in many ways is more threatening than the apes. The mutants are horrifically scarred but possess powerful mental abilities of telepathy, mind control and the ability to cast illusions. The moment when the mutants are shown praying to their god provides a massive shock moment.

The film ends with (SPOILER) Heston's Taylor pushing the final button to set off the Alpha-Omega bomb, thus igniting the atmosphere and destroying the Earth. Famously Heston and producer Dick Zanuck thought that this would prevent any more sequels from being made -a fair conclusion - but this was not the case. But that's a tale for another episode!

For our Sensor Sweep, our good friend Lord Blood-Rah updates us on his latest and greatest goings ons: check out his podcast, Lord Blood-Rah's Nerve Wrackin' Auditorium, which can be found on most podcast aps or Anchor.fm/Lord Blood-Rah to hear old time radio horror. His weekly series, Lord Blood-Rah's Nerve Wrackin' Theater is still going with new episodes every week to be found on LordBloodRah.com. His Patreon series (Patreon.com/lordbloodrah) hosts classic TV sci fi every Friday. The big news though is that Creatures Con is coming back on August 7th in Concord, California! The show will feature horror expert David J. Skal among other guests. Check out CreaturesCon.com for more info. 

That's all for now, listeners. Until next time, remember, ape shall never kill ape!  But the only good human, is a dead human!

Thanks for listening!

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Episode 89: Christmas with Vincent

 

Happy holidays listeners! When we were planning this episode of Planet 8, we thought, "What says happy holidays better than Vincent Price?" This episode we celebrate the career and life of a true Renaissance Man, Vincent Price, with our special guest, Lord Blood-Rah.

Price is a legend as a horror film actor, and we will discuss some of his many films, including The Tingler, The Abominable Dr. Phibes, The Fly, House of Wax, and more. Price played a variety of roles, sometimes sympathetic, sometimes malevolent. But regardless of the role, he had a charm that won audiences over.

For many monster kids, our first encounter with Price was on television, perhaps through his role as Egghead on Batman, or even in his many appearances on shows like The Brady Bunch, Love Boat and The Muppet Show. He also displayed his wit and wisdom on game shows like The Hollywood Squares, and frequented talk shows, where his culinary skills might be on display! 

Price even authored cookbooks (with his second wife, Mary), aimed at the average American family. Cooking Price-wise and A Treasury of Great Recipes were very popular cookbooks in their time, and Treasury was republished in 2015 for a special 50th anniversary edition. He loved cooking and making recipes more accessible for people.

He was also an art collector. He had a Masters degree in fine arts and had a lifelong appreciation of art, and a desire to preserve art and bring art to the public - again, making art more accessible to the average person. Today much of his personal collection resides in the Vincent Price Art museum in Los Angeles College in Monterrey Park, California.

Price also had quite a career as a voice actor. His wonderful voice allowed him to play the lead role as The Saint on radio in the late 40s. More modern listeners would recognize Price as the narrator from Michael Jackson's Thriller. 

Price comes across as a fascinating, kind, and charming gentleman that we would love to sit down with, perhaps over a dinner from a recipe in one of his cookbooks, and just have a long conversation. 

For this episode's Sensor Sweep, Lord Blood-Rah shares with us all his latest happenings. First up, he has a podcast, Lord Blood-Rah's Nerve Wrackin' Auditorium, in which he hosts old time radio horror and science fiction shows, like Inner Sanctum, Lights Out and more. You can find it on Spotify, Stitcher, Apple, and more. The website is Anchor.FM/lordbloodrah. In the Bay Area, every third Saturday night of the month, he's hosting Chiller Theater at the Orinda Theater, showing classic horror and Sci fi. His regular TV series, Lord Blood-Rah's Nerve Wrackin' Theater is going into season 12! Go to the website, Lordbloodrah.com to check out new episodes and everything else going on! He also has a Patreon, where you can support what he is doing, Patreon.com/Lordbloodrah. There you can get his exclusive weekly show, Lord Blood-Rah's Cathode Zone, where he presents classic TV shows. Big news: he may have a comic book available soon!

We want to wish you all happy holidays - and best wishes for 2022!

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Episode 76: Planet 8 is Pulled into The Black Hole!

 

A disaster movie - in space! That was the original premise for what eventually became 1979's The Black Hole! Disney's first foray into sci fi, and its first PG rated film, The Black Hole is a strange mix of adventure, gothic horror, sci-fi, and kiddie camp. The Planet 8 crew is once again joined by our friend (and yours), Lord Blood-Rah, to dissect and discuss this unusual Disney film.

We get into some of the background on how the film came together, and the obvious influences from Star Wars. We also take a look at the crew and cast - which was rather eclectic, including everyone from Psycho's Anthony Perkins, Ernest Borgnine, voiceovers by Roddy McDowall and Slim Pickens, and Academy Award winner Maximillian Schell. The director, Gary Nelson, had done Freaky Friday for Disney, but that certainly doesn't seem like preparation for an effects film like this one! 

The tone of the film is wildly uneven. Are they trying to give us a serious, epic film like 2001, a scary film, a kiddie movie? Despite some of the issues we have with the film, there are some things we did enjoy. The overall design of the production, which can be credited to Peter Ellenshaw, is excellent. The Cygnus spaceship is a mammoth structure and looks amazing. The visuals of the black hole itself are also incredible.  We also liked the shock of discovering the zombified crew on the Cygnus - that was a truly chilling moment. We get a bunch of robots in this film, from cutesy ones like V.I.N.C.E.N.T., voiced by McDowall, to Dr. Reinhart's evil robot, Maximillian, who is one of the baddest robots around. And there are some thrilling moments with an asteroid collision, although it made very little sense! 

The film also features a score by John Barry, best known for his work on the James Bond films, and the soundtrack might be a highlight. Interesting fact: this film and Star Trek: The Motion Picture, which also came out in December 1979,  are the last two films to feature an overture at the beginning of the film.

Probably the main thing anyone who has seen the film will remember is the ending, because it is just so bizarre. Apparently, the film-makers didn't have an ending when they were shooting the film. They put together the ending we have, with its Biblical connotations, because...well, no one knew what to do! So you can interpret the ending however you please.  But it was certainly unexpected for a Disney film!

The Black Hole is now available for viewing on Disney Plus. If you haven't seen it, or it's been a very long time since you've seen it, give it a look. This is definitely an unusual offering from Disney, and a real artifact from the 70s.

Just for fun, we discuss how we would do a remake of The Black Hole. Disney, are you listening? 

This episode's Sensor Sweep turns the spotlight on Lord Blood-Rah. Coming this August 7th, he will be hosting the Universal Monster Party at the Orinda Theater in Orinda, California. This will be a celebration of the 90th anniversary of the classic Universal monster films, and they will show Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Wolfman. Also present will be author and film commentator David J. Skal and film host John Stanley. There will be vendors and a costume contest, as well as an after-party. Tickets are available at Creaturescon.com. Tickets will be limited, and may sell out, so order soon! Our friend Lord Blood-Rah has also been nominated for the Horror Host Hall of Fame! We wish him the best of luck with that well-deserved honor.

Let us know what you think of this episode, and of The Black Hole. Did you see it as a kid? Have you seen it since? What do you think? Let us know, either in the comment section here or at our other locations:

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Nothing escapes the Black Hole!!

Episode 73: Bugged by The Fly!

 

What's that buzzing past your shoulder? A tiny fly? How annoying! Now imagine that you and that fly have somehow become inextricably joined, with you taking on the traits and even the physical aspects of the insect. This is the horror of The Fly, both the original 1958 film and the 1986 remake. On this episode we explore the concepts and stories of The Fly films, including the later sequels of the original film. We are joined once again by our good friend and honorary crew member, Lord Blood-Rah!

The original film was based on a short story that appeared in (of all places) Playboy magazine. A scientist experimenting in teleportation accidentally merges himself physically with a fly in a failed experiment and gradually loses his humanity. The film largely follows the short story.  Vincent Price stars as the brother of the scientist, in a rare sympathetic role. David Hedison (billed as Al Hedison) plays the scientist, driven to perfect teleportation, but tragically doomed by his own ambition. Your Planet 8 crew discusses the the film in detail.

Naturally we compare it to the 1986 Jeff Goldblum remake. Obviously the David Cronenberg-helmed 1986 film was much more grotesque, focusing on body horror, on the absolute degradation of the transformation. But it is also a love story, with Geena Davis playing the romantic interest. Certainly there's a lot going on in the film that speaks to fear of what can happen to us and our bodies that is timeless.

There's also a lot of plain goofing around in this episode too, but hey, what did you expect?

This episode's Sensor Sweep is from Chef Engineer Bob. Appropriately he shares the book, The Fly at 50, from Bear Manor Media (it's readily available at Amazon). Everything you want to know about the making of this sci-fi classic is in this book.

Bob also reminds us that there's still time to get tickets for Godzilla's Monster Bash at the Balboa Theater in San Francisco, held May 14-16. Ten classic Godzilla films will be shown. Go to  http://www.bayareafilmevents.com/godzillafest for more info.

Lord Blood-Rah starts season 11 of his Nerve Wrackin' Theatre on May 7th. The season kicks off with the Karloff classic, The Ghoul. Go to http://www.lordbloodrah.com/ to find the best way to see Lord Blood-Rah's Nerve Wrackin' Theatre. Also, Lord Blood-Rah's Patreon is going strong,  and at the $10 level you get access to Lord Blood-Rah's Cathode Zone. There will be a special giveaway for Patreon members on May 1st.

Karen made a guest appearance on our friend Billy Dunleavy's podcast. Magazines and Monsters. Billy covers sci fi films and Silver, Bronze, and Copper age comics. Karen and Billy reviewed an obscure British sci fi film from the 60s called The Unearthly Stranger.

Bonus: Commander Larry and Chief Engineer Bob will appear on the May 1st episode of Creature Features! Shown on KOFY TV in the Bay Area, you can go to Creaturefeatures.TV, or find them on ROKU, or YouTube. The film for that episode is The Manster.

Once again, thank you listeners for joining us. Be sure to share your thoughts about The Fly -any and all versions!

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This episode is dedicated to Trixie

Video episode 7: All about AIP, American International Pictures

 

Join us for an all new video episode, where the crew and special guest Lord Blood-Rah discuss the amazing films of AIP, American International Pictures!

Episode 70: Feeling the Burn: A look at Star Trek Discovery

 

On this episode we will go where no one on Planet 8 has gone before: we will review Star Trek Discovery! Once again, we are joined by our good friend, horror host extraordinaire and Star Trek aficionado, Lord Blood-Rah, as we look at all three seasons of Discovery and discuss our overall impressions of the show. A lot of times we are mostly in agreement about shows; in this case, we range widely in our perceptions of Discovery! Who likes Discovery? Who doesn't? Listen and find out!

We'll look at how Discovery fits -or doesn't fit -into Star Trek canon, and what the move 1,000 years to the future means. There are many unique elements to Discovery -things like the spore drive, Michael Burnham being Spock's sister, new alien races and new characters. Fans seem to either love them or hate them. Does Discovery work being set in the past, or would it have been better to set it in Trek's future?

Lord Blood-Rah brings up the fact that it was originally conceived as an anthology show, similar to how American Horror Story has worked. Would that have made for a more interesting show? Focusing on a new story, with a new crew, every season, would have made for a very different type of Star Trek show. Would that have been a better direction to go?

Each season of Discovery has certainly been different, since the show is serialized and follows one storyline per season. The first season we got the Klingon war and the Mirror universe, the second season was about the Red Angel, and the third season was the jump to the future and 'The Burn.' Does Star Trek work well as serialized TV, or is it better as episodic TV, maybe with just some short story arcs?

Like most Star Trek fans, once you get us going, the discussion goes all over, as we talk about lumpy headed Klingons vs. flat-headed Klingons, the Enterprise series, Orion slave girls, and more. If you're a Trekker, Trekkie, or however you identify in your Trek fandom, you'll be right at home.

Following our Discovery discussion, we share our thoughts on the recent news that Fry's Electronics was going the way of the dodo. Fry's were always fun and amazing to venture into, with their various themes -especially the Burbank, California one, with its sci fi B-movie theme. Be sure to share with us your memories of going to Fry's.

For the Sensor Sweep, Lord Blood-Rah can reveal what he only hinted at last time around: he has started a Patreon! For the $5 level, you can get a newsletter with upcoming events, and a signed photograph. But for $10, you get that, a geek certificate, AND  access to a new weekly show, Lord Blood-Rah's Cathode Zone! The show will feature sci fi and horror TV shows from the golden days of TV. Check out Lord Blood-Rah on Patreon !

Late-breaking news: Planet 8 has once again been nominated for the Rondo Awards! Thank you, listeners, for getting us our second nomination. We are thrilled! To take it all the way, we kindly ask that you vote for us for Best Multimedia Site (category 19) here.  Instructions are on the webpage. Thanks again for listening and for sending your comments to our website, or our other locations:

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Live Long and Prosper. And stay safe.

Episode 69: Travelling through Lovecraft Country

In this SPOILER-FILLED episode, your Planet 8 crew, plus our special guest, Lord Blood-Rah, explore the HBO mini-series, Lovecraft Country! We  will discuss the show from top to bottom, so if you haven't seen it yet, you may want to check it out and then come back! But if you have already watched the show, grab a beverage, get in a comfy chair, and join us for a wide-ranging convo!

The show is based off a book by Matt Ruff, but as we note, it is based loosely on that novel. Both the book and show take inspiration from the strange works of author H.P Lovecraft, probably best known today for creating the bizarre elder being Cthulhu and its ilk. It's come to light that Lovecraft was a racist, and by using his works as a background for telling a tale about the racist, segregated America of the 1950s, and making the protagonists African American, it really turns the Lovecraft milieu on its ear. It's a fascinating combination of fantastical horror and real-life horror - as Commander Larry points out, do you run from the monsters or the people?

The show is beautifully made - the production values are amazing. It's also more than a little gory, which was too much for Recon Officer Karen! But much of the gore is in service of allegory. We'll discuss how Lovecraft Country uses allegory in ways similar to Twilight Zone. Social injustice has always been a concern of fantasy and science fiction and this show continues that tradition powerfully, by looking at not only racism, but also sexism and sexuality.

It manages to incorporate many real world elements, such as the Tulsa Massacre, the Emmett Till trial, and more, which makes it feel so very relatable. The characters too, are well-drawn, with good qualities and flaws, achingly human. The leads, Jurnee Smollett and Jonathan Majors, bring Leti and Atticus to life. As the series goes on, we really get to know them and understand why they are who they are. Considering they only have 10 episodes, it's tremendous work.

We'll talk about the most shocking moments in the show -and there were many! This is a show heavy in imagery. It sticks with you long after the episodes are over. We all got freaked out by those spooky little girls from the episode "Jig A Bobo"! We'll also go over some of our favorite moments in the show. There are a lot of magical, even beautiful moments and we really enjoyed that aspect of the show as well. 

Apparently HBO plans to make a second season, so we look forward to that, although we're a little perplexed about what direction it might go! Perhaps a time jump to the 1960s?

For our Sensor Sweep, we turn to our guest, Lord Blood-Rah, to discuss his many projects! Unfortunately there are still no live shows right now, but fingers crossed,  Creatures Con is planned for August 8th at the Crowne Plaza in Concord, California. This year's show will be celebrating 90 years of the Universal Monsters! David J. Skal, author and audio commentator, will be the con's special guest. Season 11 of Lord Blood-Rah's Nerve Wrackin' Theatre will be going into production. You can go to the site to find out where you can watch or stream the show.  Soon our good Lord will have a new weekly show coming exclusively to Patreon, so keep your ears open for that.  And hey, Lord Blood-Rah will be joining us for our next episode, to talk about Star Trek Discovery!

That brings us to a close this time. Let us know what you thought of Lovecraft Country. Did you enjoy it? Did it make you think? What do you think season two will be about? As always, you can leave comments here on our site, or reach out to us at our other locations:

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Stay safe! Whether you travel through Lovecraft Country, or more earthly realms.