On page 217 of “Dark Tide II: Ruin” (2000), Chiss Empire pilot Jag Fel outlines for Rogue Squadron pilot Jaina Solo the differences between them: It’s not that she’s not strong or skilled or smart, it’s that she’s not “grim.” That’s also the perfect word to describe my overall impression of “The New Jedi Order,” and this […]
After a fairly awful September of new show premieres, October is off to a much better start with “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” (8 p.m. Eastern Mondays on The CW), a delightfully note-perfect mashup of genres from Rachel Bloom, who came up through the ranks of “Robot Chicken” and self-produced YouTube comedy videos.
Before its cancellation in 2014, the “Star Wars” Expanded Universe (now called Legends) was a treasure trove of interconnected stories, creative retcons, and – admittedly – a fair number of unanswered questions and plot holes that were never resolved. Since Disney says it has no plans to produce more Legends books and comics, these are […]
Good news and bad news: “X-wing” author Michael Stackpole returns to “Star Wars” for the second book of the “New Jedi Order” series, “Dark Tide I: Onslaught” (2000). But it’s not an “X-wing” book on the sly; it’s very much part of the invasion genre as established by R.A. Salvatore in the first entry, “Vector Prime.”
With the possible exception of “Heir to the Empire,” “The New Jedi Order: Vector Prime” (1999) was the most-hyped novel in “Star Wars” history. “Episode I” had come out earlier that year, and Del Rey – having gotten the license back from Bantam – now opened another major new portion of the timeline, following the events of […]
The pilot episode of “Quantico” (10 p.m. Eastern Sundays on ABC) slathers on the twists and turns until the series’ ultimate premise is set up the final sequence. As such, it’s impossible to review this episode without a SPOILER WARNING for the paragraphs that follow this one. But in a nutshell, as far as big, glossy network […]
With the fall TV season off to a rough start, it’s beginning to look like this might be a good time to catch up on older shows. Although I started watching “Hellcats” (2010-11, The CW) on its original airing, I bailed before it completed its 22-episode run, probably because TV was better overall back then and there […]
“Blindspot” (10 p.m. Eastern Mondays on NBC) unquestionably has the best opening hook of the fall TV season: An amnesiac, fully tattooed woman wakes up naked in a duffel bag in Times Square. So creator Martin Gero, whose credits include the outstanding Canadian drama “The L.A. Complex,” deserves credit for that winning pitch. Getting people to […]
First episode impressions (TV review): The duo’s latest dark horror comedy features a loaded cast.
First episode impressions (TV review): The Fox “Batman” prequel is starting to show more respect for the established lore.