Star Wars

​Could The Star Wars Sequels Be Worse Than The Prequels? Absolutely.

Did I tell you guys that after the apocalypse happened, magic returned to Earth? Yeah, it’s pretty wild! One day I was stopping in a town on my mail route and then this guy told me to pick a card and put it back in the deck without him seeing. And he still knew what…

Spend The Evening Learning About The Making Of Your Favorite Movies

Here’s a three-hour documentary about the making of Aliens in 1986, called Superior Firepower. Made in 2003, it features insane amounts of behind-the-scenes footage that reveal quite how ambitious a project this film was, and how much bigger it was than Alien. But that’s not the only “making of” featurette on Youtube. Here are a…

A Trippy Remix Of Wisdom From The OG Jedi Master

Live from the swamps of Dagobah, it’s everyone’s favorite Jedi on the mic: Master Yoda! If you ever felt that his wise words would be enhanced by a trippy remix then: Listen, you must. Eclectic Method made the funky beat and accompanying vid, which both feature greatest hits clips of the robe-wearing, Force-flowing sage. A…

Finally, Dudes Can Wear An Awesome R2-D2 Swimsuit Too

Black Milk’s Star Wars-themed swimwear — their R2-D2 one-piece in particular — have been all the nerd rage for women for years now. But where have the men’s swimsuits been? Someone has finally corrected this grave injustice with these new trunks! The good news is that unlike the women’s suit, which is $100, the men’s…

What’s The Most Wonderful Moment Where Somebody States The Obvious?

Sometimes a crowning moment of insanity isn’t truly excellent, unless someone spells out what just happened. Sometimes the most quotable character is the one who just has to blurt out exactly what’s up. But what’s the greatest moment where someone states the obvious? Please include a picture, book cover or clip to signify this awesome…

io9 March Madness Elite Eight: Lord of the Rings vs. Game of Thrones!

We’re down to our last eight competitors in our search for the greatest work in all of science fiction and fantasy. So now it’s time for you to vote on today’s batch of titanic match-ups, as Star Wars takes on Firefly, Doctor Who battles the X-Men, Lord of the Rings crosses swords with Game of…

Geologic Time: the Star Wars Scale

Geologic time spans 4.6 billion years, from the early Earth through present day. That’s a lot of time to cram into a brain evolved to deal with the day-to-day. So, how about using Star Wars as a metaphor, calculating out what events happen when in the story? But, humans don’t take up much time at…

io9 March Madness Sweet 16: Star Wars vs. Dune! Buffy vs. Cthulhu!

We’ve reached the Sweet Sixteen in our hunt to find the greatest work of science fiction and fantasy ever. Just four competitors are left from each of our regionals, which means you’ve got some tough choices ahead: Doctor Who or Blade Runner? Harry Potter or Hellboy? Terminator or X-Men? Vote now! Top image: Theamat. All…

First Tantalizing Clues About The Storyline For Star Trek 3!

Have all the Star Wars auditions we’ve been hearing about for months just been for new TV shows? Set photos may show the return of a classic series monster to Doctor Who. Roberto Orci describes Sleepy Hollow’s season two villains. And are the Lego Movie directors taking over Ghostbusters 3? Spoilers now! Top image: Star…

Are These Composite Portraits Whimsical Or Horrifying? [NSFW]

Thanks to the phenomenon of pareidolia, we’re able to see human faces almost anywhere. But when you see a human face made out of bugs, or fruit, or naked women, is it delightful, or creepy? Or a little of both? https://gizmodo.com/what-makes-us-see-jesus-in-a-taco-or-a-human-face-on-m-5953993 This phantasmagorical technique of composite portraiture was invented by Giuseppe Arcimboldo, a 16th century…

10 Terrible Trailers for Great Movies

Sometimes trailers can be a tad misleading. We’ve all seen trailers that got us all pumped up for films that turned out to be kind of weak. But the opposite happens too: Sometimes a great movie has a horrible, no-good trailer. Here are 10 amazing movies whose trailers made them look dreadful. https://gizmodo.com/whats-the-worst-movie-with-the-best-trailer-1511929755 Top image:…

Star Wars, SPHERES, & the International Space Station

These are the droids NASA was looking for… These sphere-robots are openly inspired by the remotes from Star Wars. Their full name are the Synchronized Position, Hold, Engage and Reorient Experimental Satellites, and they just went flying on the ISS. A seeker-remote from Star Wars. In fiction, the remotes are used by Luke Skywalker to…

Which Jurassic Park Character Will Definitely Be In Jurassic World?

We now know how long the gap is between Return of the Jedi and Episode VII. How can you affect the direction of Captain America 3? George R.R. Martin offers solutions to the problem of Game of Thrones catching up to his books. Watch a new Godzilla trailer, and take a look Gotham’s Oswald Cobblepot.…

U.S. Mint Artist Uses Digital Sculpting to Model Batman and Darth Maul

Most artists would be happy with just creating beautiful images of the U.S. Presidents for the Mint. But staff artist Joe Menna has created a major side career — using digital sculpting and 3-D printing to create statues of Batman and other characters. He’s also creating the world’s largest statue in India. Over at Philly.com,…

The Star Wars/Marvel Crossover Rumor That’s Too Weird To Be True

Could another Wolverine movie be coming soon? Michiel Huisman reveals what’s next for Daario and Daenerys on Game of Thrones. Get the first look at Ben McKenzie in action as Jim Gordon on Gotham. Find out which Flash characters will be dropping by on Arrow. Plus, how will Marvel introduce new characters to the Avengers?…

You Can’t Appreciate These Movies Fully Without A Great Sound System

Science fiction movies are known for their amazing visuals, from majestic spaceships to desolate landscapes. But many of the best science fiction films use sound just as much as picture to tell their stories. Here are 22 films that you’ll appreciate way more if you have a great speaker system to go with that widescreen…

Lupita Nyong’o has reportedly met with J.J. Abrams about a role in Episode VII. We’ve been hearing a lot of intriguing names popping up as potential stars in the next Star Wars film, but this may be the most exciting: word has it that the Oscar-winning star of 12 Years a Slave has met with…

What’s your favorite moment where a hero receives a just reward?

Being a hero is a thankless task. Often, heroes go unrecognized — or even misunderstood and reviled. Some heroes refuse any thanks or reward. But there’s somthing satisfying about seeing someone’s good deeds get acknowledged. What’s your favorite moment where someone actually gets some recognition? Please include a picture or clip (or book cover) for…

Science Fiction vs. Fantasy Round One: Space Opera and Epic Fantasy!

In this year’s edition of io9 March Madness, we’re on a quest to find the greatest series in all of science fiction and fantasy. On Wednesday, we kicked things off by making eight classics battle it out just to make it into the tourney. Now it’s time to start voting on the round of 64!…

Some surprising names top the shortlist for Episode VII‘s Jedi hero

Girls star Adam Driver is the rumored villain in the next Star Wars, but who will play the Jedi to his possible Sith? Word is that the starring role in Episode VII is down to a handful of names, and we’re pleasantly surprised to see who’s on the list. Variety is reporting that there are…