From 2029 to 2039

 Hi Alex,

A while back, I took a stab at writing a re-imagining of Space: 1999. Because 1999 has come and gone, I changed the year to 2029. I managed to get the pilot done. But something was just...off. So when I tried to write episode two, I ended up grinding to a halt. 

A couple of weeks ago, I decided that I needed to start from scratch. I left the one episode of 2029 up on Fanfiction.net and set writing version 2.0. Since we're (slowly) coming up on 2029, I decided to push the date back to 2039. 

And that's all I have for today.

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (aka Commander Nash)  

What current Hollywood should watch.

Okay, folks, I won't beat around the bush. In my opinion, 98 percent of modern Hollywood sucks. And it all comes back to bad writing. Characters are unlikable or unrealistic, plots tend to be thin and don't get me started on the messes of CGI and AI. My advice to modern Hollywood, watch these shows/movies from the past and learn what you have forgotten...

1. Twelve Angry Men

An excellent movie. If you want to see how to make a movie with only ONE set, this is the one for you. On top of that, all the twelve men are Caucasian. Yet, they are a wide spectrum of humanity because of their personalities and upbringings. This movie doesn't float on cheap action, or set pieces, it floats on writing, characters and ACTING. As does the next entry...

2. ER: Into That Good Night

...which is one of the best episodes the show ever did. It's so heart-wrenching that I can't even watch it when I do an ER re-watch. This episode proofs that a good story doesn't have be happy one. Nor does it have to have a happy end. Time to move on to...

3. Doctor Who: Listen

I know that people tend to be critical of the later Dr Who episodes. But this 12th Doctor episode is an excellent example of how to build tension using music. Try watching the episode with the sound off, but the subtitles on and you'll find it a lot less tense. 

4. Das Boot

And I don't mean the TV show remake. The original movie is a long watch, but it's worth it. Being about the Germans, this movie had an uphill battle to get its viewers aboard. But get aboard the viewers it did. It's an anti-war movie that shows the horrible costs. And that makes you sympathize with people who are supposed to be 'the bad guys.'

That's all the recommendations I have for today.

 Regards,

 Ruben A. Hilbers (aka Commander Nash)

My guess for Skeleton Crew finale.

Hi Alex,

So I've been watching Star Wars: Skeleton Crew for the past seven weeks. And I want to take a stab at predicting some stuff for the finale. So, without further ado...

First of all, I don't believe that Tak Rennod is dead for a second. I think the message from the supervisor that we heard in Episode 7 was an old recording made by the original overseer of At Attin. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if Rennod used voice distortion on his logs. That way, anyway who listened to his logs wouldn't recognize his voice if they met him in the flesh. I think he killed the supervisor who was running At Attin when he arrived and has been running the show ever since. Which raises the question, why ? Well, that's my Segway to talk about...

...Inflation. The reason At Attin credits are valuable because they are made from a rare metal. Rare being the key word. But if you take all those credits and inject them into the galactic economy, the metal is no longer rare. And the worth of those credits plummets. Truly infinite treasure is worthless treasure. And I think Rennod figured that out. That's why he took over instead of coming back. 

Rennod also knows better then anybody what makes pirates tick. If he went back into the galaxy, his fellow pirates would never believe the truth. They would simply think that's he hoarding the treasure for himself. And the whole thing would end in blood. That's why he took over as supervisor. 

And when he tells Jod this, or Jod figures this out....Jod's plan is going to burst like a popped balloon. Which will force him to team up with the kids and the parents to defend At Attin.

That's all I have.

Regards,

Ruben A. Hilbers (aka Commander Nash)