POPnology at the Ontario Science Centre

It’s summer vacation, time for camps, bike rides, beaches, family trips, seemingly endless days spread out before the young to enjoy, to forget the long reach of scholastic achievement, teachers, and books. So how can you make learning fun, and ensure that the entire family is entertained? Combine education with entertainment, with movies, and pop…

Doctor Who (Peter Capaldi) – The Lie of the Land, and Empress of Mars

The conclusion to the Monk Trilogy is our first episode this week. Written by Toby Whithouse, the episode first aired on 3 June, 2017. The Monks have changed history, having assumed control of Earth when power of consent was given by Bill (Pearl Mackie) at the conclusion of last week’s episode, when she had them…

Marvel’s Black Panther (2018): Blu-Ray Review

Marvel’s introduction of the iconic Black Panther comes home on blu-ray and DVD today from Walt Disney Pictures, and it is a welcome addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and your home entertainment shelf. The film follows T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) as he assumes the mantle of King of Wakanda, and works to preserve his nation’s…

Doctor Who (Peter Capaldi) – The Zygon Inversion, and Sleep No More

Peter Harness and Steven Moffat pen the conclusion to the story begun last week in The Zygon Invasion, airing on 7 November, 2015, the episode left the Doctor (Capaldi) in a precarious predicament, the Zygon replacement of Clara (Jenna Coleman) had just launched a rocket at the President of Earth’s (the Doctor) plane – with…

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993) – The Nagus, and Vortex

Station log: stardate unknown Ira Steven Behr pens the teleplay from a story by David Livingston which finds Quark (Armin Shimerman) getting into some trouble when the Ferengi Grand Nagus, Zek (Wallace Shawn) arrives on the station. This episode first aired on 21 March, 1993. In a fun bit, O’Brien (Colm Meaney) is overseeing the…

Doctor Who (Peter Capaldi) – The Witch’s Familiar, and Under the Lake

The Doctor (Capaldi) finds himself confronting a terrible choice when the cliffhanger caused by last week’s episode comes to its resolution in The Witch’s Familiar. Written by Steven Moffat, this episode first premiered on 26 September, 2015. Davros (Julian Bleach) has apparently let the Daleks destroy Clara (Jenna Coleman), Missy (Michelle Gomez) and the TARDIS….

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1992) – The First Duty, and Cost of Living

Captain’s log: stardate 45703.9 Airing on 30 March, 1992, and written by Ronald D. Moore and Naren Shankar, The First Duty is a superior episode, and it’s just unfortunate that Robert Duncan McNeill’s character wouldn’t be the same one he played in Star Trek: Voyager. That would have made for some great continuity connecting the…