Pouring out a Romulan Ale for Nog

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Tonight! Someone wants to make a new Star Wars holiday special. The Tardigrade case finally gets decided, and we say farewell to the first Foryngia in Starfleet. All that and more on this edition of Multiverse Tonight! Comic books, sci-fi, fantasy, and more. If you're looking for a roundup of TV news, you're in the right place. It is Multiverse Tonight. And here's our host, Thomas Townley. Hello everyone, and welcome to the sci-fi edition of Multiverse Tonight, episode number 42. You know, you put a show together, you think it's gonna be a great episode, lots to talk about. Then you get a piece of news that just kind of shakes you down a little. The death of Aaron Eisenberg was just such a piece of news. Um I got to meet him a while back at Plant Comic-Con when they had the veritable Ferengi Aplooza Palooza with uh all the basically, you know, pretty much all the Ferengi. And he was very nice, very personable, and and you know, I just love the character of Nog. And tell you the truth, I had got to see him a few years before that at another Ferengi uh epis another Ferengi based convention. Had kind of a Ferengi of a convention promoter, if I remember right. You know, Deep Space Nine has always been one of my favorite Trek shows, and his death kind of hits home. But uh we'll talk about that later in the episode. Now uh let's get in to the Star Wars news.

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Roger, Roger.

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You know, the holiday season is just around the corner. The Christmas trees are starring a fight for room with the Halloween candy. You know, Star Wars celebrates celebrate the holidays once, with some hilarious and bizarre consequences. Well, John Favreau would like to repair that image with a brand spankin' new Star Wars holiday special of his own. While speaking with Entertainment tonight at the Saturn Awards, Mr. Favreau told them that he would like to see Disney Plus tackle the special, saying, quote, I would love to do love to do someday, maybe on Disney Plus, we'll do a holiday special too. Wouldn't that be wonderful? He went on to say, quote, I gotta pitch that to them. We'll see, if you want want to see a holiday special, let Disney Plus know, unquote. So would you like to see John Favreau make a new Star Wars holiday special? Well, I guess you know we'd have to start tweeting Disney Plus now. Wonder if uh Lumpy would be there. And what do you get a Wookiee for Christmas when he already owns a comb? Speaking of the new streaming service service, which is just a little under two months away, can you believe it? I hope you're ready. A rumor has been making the rounds that a sequel to Solo, a Star Wars story, could be in the offing for Disney Plus. The rumor seems to come from Jeremy Conrad of Star WarsUnity.com. He wrote on his site, quote, Well, we'll probably not see a sequel or continuation of Han's story. I've heard a rumor that some kind of spin-off set after the events of the movie is being developed as a Disney Plus series, as it probably wouldn't be about Han Chewy Orlando, some kind of underworld series dealing with the Crimson Dawn and other scoundrels sounds the most likely, unquote. So we're deep in rumor territory here, and you know while I do tend to stay out of rumors when reporting the news, I think this would actually be something interesting and something that I would like. You know, I actually did like solo. You know, hey, Disney Plus, come here. Give me the the holiday special and some sort of solo series. Okay? Can you do can you do that? I mean, take my money. I have already given you my money. So here, take some more. In a recent episode to the Star Wars show on YouTube, they s painstakingly figured out how much damage hand did to the Millennium Falcon during the Kessel Run sequence in solo a Star Wars story. How much was the damage? About eighty seven thousand five hundred credits, give or take. Kinda makes you wonder why they wouldn't have just bought a new ship. Didn't they have farmers insurance? We are farmers. Boom bum boom boom boom boom. Heck, the fact that the Falcon is still spaceworthy in the current trilogy is nothing sort short of a miracle, when you think about it. So, you're chillin', watchin' the new hope, and your eyes fall upon that one storm trooper that bumped his head in that one scene. Yeah, ever think to yourself, I wonder what happened to that guy? Nope. Well, I guess we're gonna get the answer anyway. A UK documentary crew has set itself the task of finding the guy who bumped his head. Star Wars fans will learn which of three extras did the gaff in the documentary movement mini movie, which will be released this month. Apparently, the film will feature a number of celebrity cameos from Kevin Smith to Greg Grunberg. Jamie Stangrum, the filmmaker, partially funded this on Indiegogo with the following description The Empire Strikes Door is a fan min is a fun mini documentary, 30 minutes plus, which aims to solve a Star Wars mystery. We know who Luke's father is, we know who stole the Death Star plans. We even know who shot first. What we don't know is the identity of the stormtrooper who cracked his skull against the Death Star door in one of the cinema's most famous bloopers. I want to track him down and relive the his memories of that fateful day. It sounded simple simple until it actually star until I actually started looking. It wasn't that I couldn't find him, it's that I kept finding more of him. I now have three suspects and no idea who to trust. The Empire Strikes Door will be available on September twenty fifth on Stengram's YouTube channel. Yep. So uh I guess that's tomorrow. I guess we'll get to find out. Anyway, let's uh head on over to some Star Trek news. Now we start Star Trek News with the next book in the Star Trek Discovery novel line, which arrived this December. This time focusing on Paul Stametz. Star Trek Discovery Dead Endless is written by Dave Galantier, and the synopsis reads, quote, The USS Discovery specialty is using its spore-based hub drive to jump great distances faster than any weep warp fat warp faring vessel in Starfleet. To do this, Lieutenant Paul Stametz navigates his ship through the recently revealed Mycelial Network, a subspace domain Discovery can briefly transit, but in which it cannot remain. After responding to a startling distress call origining from within the network, the Discovery crew find themselves trapped in an escapable realm, where they will surely perish unless they unless their missing mycelial fluid is found or restored. Is the seemingly human man found alone and alive inside the network the Starfleet officer who he claims to be? Or an imposter created by alien intruders who hope to extract themselves from the mycelial plane at the expense of all lives aboard Discovery. Stamitz is getting uh quite a push lately. He's the featured character in the new episodes of Star Trek Online. And uh now he has a book, so I guess uh this month is uh all about s this uh time it's all about Stamitz. CBS Creative Officer, David Nevins, is looking forward to Star Trek's future in the has yet to be merged Viacom CBS. Now I reiterate not yet merged. Not done. Unlike some other podcasts, I like to have correct facts, and the facts are that a company isn't merged until it's merged. Anyway, uh Nevin spoke at a conference put on by Bank of America Merrill Lynch in Los Angeles, and according to Deadline, he said, quote, We believe we really believe in not only serving inside our own ecosystem, but serving people outside. What we're trying to do right now with Star Trek is build that brand. We want to get younger and more relevant to people. Unquote. He also referred to the merger as creating a virtuous ecosystem where quote, if you're smart about it, you can create a lot of value, unquote. You know, hey, as long as it's good content and not just content for you know content's sake, I'm all for it. As for wanting to get younger and more relevant to people, well, define younger. It's already relevant. It's been relevant for decades. So I guess younger should be the word we're focusing in on here. Anyway, while we wait for this virtuous ecosystem to form, why not have a refreshing romulin ale? But how do you make it? The How to Drink YouTube channel has a recipe for you to try. The recipe includes one ounce or 30 milliliters of simple syrup, one ounce or 30 milliliters of lime juice, one ounce or thirty milliliters of blue curacao, two ounces or sixty milliliters of Plantation 3 Star White Rum, shake and strain. And if it's a non-alcoholic version you're looking for, they also had a recipe for a Romulan ginger ale. It contains half an ounce or 15 milliliters of lime juice, an ounce or 30 milliliters of ginger syrup, or with more to taste, two ounces or sixty milliliters of butterfly pea blossom tea, shake and strain, topped with seltzer. Now does any of these recipes float your boat? Do you have your own recipe? If you do, be sure to share it with us over on the social media. Maybe one day we'll uh have a big taste test. That would be that would be making it for an interesting panel at a convention somewhere. And now, an update to a story I did all the way back in episode eight of the podcast, last September. Where did September go? This September. Last September. Any September. Anyway. Now I could make you stop and go download the episode and listen to the story, but let me just go over real quick. Annis Abden is the creator of a 2014 indie game called Tardigrades. He was suing CBS and Netflix over Discovery for interf infringing on his creative property. His claims revolved around the show supposedly stealing the idea that an alien tardigrade is the key to interstellar transport, and humans are exploring this through a scientific breakthrough. He also claimed that the relationship between Paul Stametz and Hugh Culber is similar to one explored in the 2014 game. Also, the discovery character of Stametz bore a striking resemblance to a character from his game. Now if you want to read all about that from the man himself, there'll be a link to that in our show notes. Well, in a blog post this past Friday, Anis posted quote, I just returned from visiting Dad from the cemetery. I got the news that the judge ruled against me. I would like to thank everyone who supported me. I don't have enough words to describe my gratitude to everyone who believed in me and my case. I cannot thank my lawyers enough for believing me and fighting for me. I respect the ruling and I expect everyone to do so. I'm not sure what happens to my project now or my independent game development career in general. You know, I do feel sorry for him, so let's dig a little deeper here. Here's what the legal brief states quote, defendant's motion to dismiss is granted because Star Trek Discovery and Plaintiff's video game are not substantially similar as a matter of law in concept, characters, settings, and quote, overall feel. In particular, the tardigrade in Star Trek Discovery is not substantially similar to plaintiff's tardigrade in concept, attributes, and overall feel. The brief then went goes on to compare and contrast the video game and the show, saying, quote, the plots of both works are similar are sim are similar solely to the extent that the characters go on adventures in space and some of the adventures involve alien tardigrades. The common storyline of adventuring through space and discovering aliens is a scene affair common to works that involve space travel, just as cowboys, bank robbers, and shootouts in stories of the American West get no protection. Alien contact and fictional stories about space adventures gets no protection. Moreover, the television series plot also involves subjects that are not part of the video game, the war between the Federation Klingons and the personal struggles of individual characters that involve redemption, growth, and fitting in as an outsider. US District Court judge Lorna Schofield granted CBS's motion to dismiss ending the case. Now let's head on over to the geek news. Movie Pass is no more. The theater subscription service notified subscribers that was ending as of September 14th due to failure to raise new funds to keep it going. However, even though the service is dead, it still spawned theater chains like AMC, Regal, and Cinemark that start their own subscription services. Personally, I would be interested in such a service if I lived closer to a big city. Living 30 miles away and having only one local theater wouldn't make it worth my while. M Knight Shaman keeps finding work. I know. Fascinating, isn't it? The filmmaker is now developing two new thriller projects for Universal Pictures, according to Variety. The two movies, as of yet untitled, are scheduled for February 26, 2021, and February 17, 2023. Universal Studio President Peter Kramer said in a statement, quote, M. Knight Shamlan continues to create exciting, highly original stories that keep global audiences on the edge of their seats. There is no one like him. He is a master filmmaker working at the height of his powers, and we are honored that he has once again chosen Universal to be the home for his next two incredible projects. According to Variety, M Knight will self-finance his next two films. Wheel of Time Turn Turn Turn. Amazon's production of the Wheel of Time has started production. This year also marks the twelfth anniversary of the death of Wheel of Time author Robert Jordan. According to a video released by Amazon to commemorate the occasions, showrunner Rafi Judkins said quote, Hey everyone, today is our first day of principal photography on the Wheel of Time television series, and for all of us, it's a little bit emotional because it is also quite coincidentally the twelfth anniversary of the author Robert Jordan's passing. So as much as I am excited about this new endeavor that we're all embarking on, I am also quite humbled and honored to remember the man who began all of this, Deshar Rigna. The series stars Rosamond Pike as Moraine, a member of the mysterious organization called the AS Sedai, as she leads a group of adventurers on a journey that could change their world forever. The final pieces are falling in place for next year's Ghostbusters movie. Original Ghostbusters Ernie Hudson and Dan Aykroyd have been confirmed that they will be returning to Ghostbusters. Dan Aykroyd confirmed his involvement during an interview of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. He told Joe, quote, I'm not in the pictures so much anymore. We've got the Ghostbusters movie that we're working on now, and I will have to be performing in that. Ivan Reitman's son Jason has written a new movie called, Well, it's going to be Ghostbusters, the third movie. It will be all most of the original people and then young stars, unquote. Ernie confirmed his involvement in a cameo video for a fan. The movie will be arriving in theaters on July 10th. According to a report from the Hollywood Reporter, Universal might be trying to do something with its monsters again. This time it's with Paul Feig. The reporter has learned that he is behind a new project called Dark Army. This new project joins the Invisible Man, which comes in 2020 from Bloomhouse. So what is the Dark Army? No one seems to know other than that it will be an original idea, and the rumors are circulating that will feature the classic Universal Monsters plus new Feag created characters. So I guess we'll just have to keep our ears open. It's awards time, so let's look at who won this year's Creative Arts Emmys. The Creative Arts Emmys are of course the awards that are too numerous and, well, boring, to be given out at the Big Emmy Awards show. So let's take a look at our genre winners. Short form Animated Program went to Netflix's Love, Death, and Robots. The Simpsons won the Animated Program Emmy. The series now has more Emmys than it has seasons, with 34 wins. It would be 35, except Seth McFarland won for Best Character Voiceover for his performance work on Family Guy. Guest actress in a drama went to Sherry Jones as Holly in the Handmaid's Tale. The Handmaid's Tale also got the award for production design one hour more. Guest actor for Bradley Whitford, Prosthetic Makeup for a limited series movie or special went to Star Trek Discovery. The Netflix series Russian doll picked up an Emmy for production design half hour and one for contemporary costumes. But Game of Thrones, really one big, getting awards for sound editing, special effects, costumes, non-prosthetic makeup, stunt coordination, drama, main titles, original dramatic score, casting for drama, and sound mixing. They also picked up the award for outstanding drama, and Peter Dinklage walked away with the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor. Guess they wanted the show to go out big. So who walked away the big winners? HBO walked away with 34 trophies this year. Netflix came in second with 27, and Amazon in third with 15. The rest of the traditional networks were all in single digits, with ABC being completely shut out. Guess the uh Emmy voters are getting kinda tired of modern family. Now, for more award news, I'll have the Saturn Awards in the comics edition, so be sure to watch that in a couple of days. Or listen to it, as the case may be. Sid Haig has passed away. He will probably be known to the current generation as Captain Spaulding from Rob Zombie's trilogy House of a Thousand Corpses, The Devil's Rejects, and Three from Hell. But he'll also he also appeared in a variety of TV shows dating back decades, including Batman, Star Trek from and that was in the first season episode, The Return of the Archons, Mission Impossible, Gunsmoke, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Get Smart, MacGyver, and much, much more. His IMDB is huge. His movie credits also include THX 1138, Diamonds Are Forever, Foxy Brown, Jackie Brown, and Rob Zombie's Halloween Reboot. Earlier this month, he was hospitalized after falling in his home in Los Angeles. He developed a lung infection while recovering and died on September 21st from complications due to the infection. He was eighty years old. And finally, some sad news. This past Saturday 21st, we got news that Star Trek D Space 9's favorite young Ferengi has passed away. Actor Aaron Eisenberg. The news was broken by his wife, Melissa Longo, on Facebook. Quote, It was it is with extreme regret and sadness that to announce that my love and best friend Aaron Eisenberg passed away earlier today. He was an intelligent, humble, funny, empathic soul. We sought to live his life with integrity and truth. He was so driven to put the pat best he had into whatever work he was put before him. He lived his life with such vigor and passion. He was like a breath of fresh fresh air, because I knew I would always hear the truth from him, even if I didn't want to hear it, and even if the truth was inconvenient. He made me, and still makes me, want to be the best human I can possibly be, because he always strove to be the best human he could be. His resilience and willingness to learn was and is an inspiration. We didn't officially announce that we had eloped on december twenty eighth, twenty eighteen. We were hoping to have a big shindig in celebration of our nuptials, but had to wait to save upon save up the money. While our marriage on paper was a short one, our hearts had been married for far longer. I will be forever thankful for the time we had to look to love each other. Five years felt like a lifetime in the best possible ways. There will never be another light like Aaron's. The beauty that he was and the legacy he leaves behind is beyond words. I love him dearly and will miss him eternally. At the moment, I'm not sure how to do life without him. He is and will always be my California. Aaron Heisenberg was born on January 6, 1969 in Hollywood, California. His first role was in 1988, and he made appearances on Parker Lewis Can't Lose, The Wonder Years, and Tales from the Crypt. His big role came in 1993 on the second Star Trek spinoff, Deep Space Nine, as the Frankie Waiter Rom's son, Nog. His role was pretty small at first, but by the end of the series, Nog had become a fully fleshed-out character, having gone to Starfleet Academy and lost a leg during the Dominion War. He even revived the role for the game Star Trek Online as Captain Nog. He also guest starred on an episode of Star Trek Voyager as a Kazon youth. In recent years, it was revealed that Aaron had been diagnosed with kidney failure, having had been born with only one partially functioning kidney when you on his birth. On December 29th, 2015. He received a successful kidney transplant, and uh he is survived by his wife and his two sons. Now, let's take a breather and take a look at the box office report. So let's uh begin at number 10. Uh Fast and Furious presents Hobbs and Shaw. Fell from number six to number ten. It's rigged in $170 million, so it's still doing pretty good. In fact, it's up. It was up in the theater account, so it got into 341 more theaters this week than last week. Overcomer fell from number seven to number nine. Angel has fallen fell sharply from number three to number eight. Good Boys fell from number four to number seven. The Lion King fell from number five to number six. Hustlers went from number two to number five. It chapter two fell big from number one to number four, raking it, losing half of its box office. 57%. Uh total box office now is 178 million nine hundred twenty-seven thousand forty-one. Rambo Last Blood, brand new to this week, uh came started at number three. Ad Astra slotted in, brand new at number two, and Downton Abbey came in at number one, uh bringing in 31 million dollars. You know, I was I was never I've never watched Downton Abbey. I actually have the first season over on the shelf. Um my wife wanted to watch it, but we've just never gotten around to actually watching it. So and uh with that, let's uh that brings us to the end of another edition of Multiverse Tonight. Uh be sure to check us out on our social media. We're at Twitter at multiverse tom. We're also on Facebook and Instagram as uh multiverse tonight as well. And uh if you'd like to contribute some money, please go visit uh mtpodcast.com to go to our uh coffee or patreon as well, and be sure to visit multiverse tonight.com to check out our affiliate marketplace links, the link to our Tea Public store, our show notes, and so much more. And uh if you're a subscriber, please be sure to share it with your friends, and if you're brand new to the show, please be sure to subscribe, and leave us with some feedback and let us know how we're doing. Special thanks to Shane Iverst for our intro music and Lobo Loco for our outro music theme. Thanks for watching the sci fi edition of Multiverse Tonight. We'll be back in two days with the comic book edition. Now, please exit the universe in an orderly fashion. Good night.