Friday, July 3, 2015

Five Fandom Friday: 5 Favorite Aliens

Oh man, where to start on this?? I'm actually starting this early so I have time to think about it.

(I'm also back from vacation! Hi!! Back to commenting more and reading more now that I have solid Internet.)


5. Klaatu (The Day the Earth Stood Still)



There are a lot of mid-century science fiction features I could have picked, but my pinko radical pacifist politics means that The Day the Earth Stood Still, despite being rather anvilicious, is one of my favorites. Sure, it's born of typical science fiction egotism (humans are so important that alien races give a shit about us! we are capable of being a threat to alien life that would no doubt be intellectually and technologically superior to us!), but I appreciate the fact that filmmakers pressed on with the project even though the Army refused to help them because the movie was too pacifist or un-American or whatever.

Finally, though, I like Klaatu. For a guy who had to deal with a planet full of idiots, he handled it with tact, patience, and...love?


4. Groot (Guardians of the Galaxy)

AxelBorsch, via DevArt


I started this list on Thursday night, and didn't come back to it until after dinner on Friday. Now, dinner is always accompanied by a movie or TV show with us, and this week JV decided on Guardians of the Galaxy. I am slow to a lot of things, including superhero movies. I also haven't read the comics (if it's not self-contained graphic novel or collection, I'm not interested, sorry). I went into the movie not expecting much, and it delivered basically what I was expecting, but I loved the character design and personality of Groot.


3. Spock (Star Trek)



I mean, it's Spock.

Only semi-related to Spock, t's time for Kill Fuck Marry, ladies. Your choices are Spock, Picard, and Riker (beard or no, it's up to you). Who do you choose?


2. Observer/Brain Guy (Mystery Science Theater 3000)



If there's a chance for MST3K to make it on a 5 Fandom Friday, it'll happen. I think Observer is a great mad and the comic timing between Bill Corbett's Brain Guy and Mary Jo Pehl's Pearl is great. (I love Kevin Murphy, and Tom Servo is my favorite bot, but Professor BoBo ground my gears ever since I was kid. Sorry, Kevin!)


1. Ford Prefect (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)

From LouiseDade on Flickr


What else can I say? He's Ford fucking Prefect. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy blew my mind the first time I read it (middle school, as part of my aforementioned Reading Olympics activity) and...that's all there is to say? Unflappable, competent, but nice enough to take Arthur Dent with him before the world ends. He edges out Observer/Brain Guy, though just barely, by virtue of being a little cooler and a little more adventurous. If you had to break down my friendships in terms of a Ford Prefect/Arthur Dent relationship, I'm much more like Dent—I guess that's why I like Ford so much?


17 comments:

  1. YES Groot! I totally didn't think to put him on my list, but I wish I did :(

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    1. I think the only reason I had room for Groot was because I've never seen E.T., so that took a de facto entry off my list. And then because I watched it right before finishing this, hah.

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    2. You haven't seen E.T.?! It's so much fun! I mean, it's not this crazy action sci-fi adventure, but it's fun :)

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  2. YES! Groot is obviously a hit and love the mention to Ford - he's a friend to have in a sticky situation - like the world ending.

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    1. He's definitely a pretty hoopy frood! I'm surprised I haven't seen more H2G2 love in these lists, honestly. I figured it would be a no-brainer.

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    2. It is surprising, maybe the love for it hasn't quite made an impression past Europe?

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    3. Speaking as an American, H2G2 was/is HUGE among my nerd and geek friends. It's as close to universal as you can get.

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  3. I'm intrigued by what you wrote about Klaatu and that movie; I really want to see The Day the Earth Stood Still now. Hopefully I'll be able to dig it up somewhere.

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    1. Considering that it's a classic of mid-century American SF, I can't imagine DTESS will be at all difficult to find it! Just avoid the remake from 2008. It's kind of ehhhhhhhhhh.

      It's based on a short story (with a significant detail about the ending changed), if you want to dig that up as well: "Farewell to the Master."

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  4. Groot & Spock <3 We're Groot. So logical :p
    xoxo
    dePepi.com

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    1. Wrath of Khan makes me cry every time, swear to God.

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  5. Groot! I adore that big ol' humanoid tree alien sweetheart. ^_^

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    1. He is great! And little dancing Groot is so adorable~

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