SGU and mind-reading. Two great tastes that go great together.
I can see why people might be upset at Stargate Universe. It's dragging, at least in the areas most of us liked about the whole SG setting: old cool stuff left behind by a dead civilization that could heal, kill, or [DATA EXPUNGED] you. It was like Indiana Jones with extraterrestrials, except it didn't suck. Anyway, SGU is devoting at least half of the recent shows to handling the whole "we're away from Earth, maybe forever, so we have to settle how things are run" deal. While this is less than satisfying on a sci-fi level, I think it's making me think they should have done something similar with "Star Trek: Voyager."
"Voyager" did have a few shows dealing with the Federation crew vs. the Maquis, but they came to a level of cooperation and camaraderie almost automatically. Granted, this Trek happened before "Lost"-type plots were in vogue outside of "Babylon-5" (or when a show knew it was being canceled), but I think an opportunity was missed. Plus, as was seen in the most recent SGU episode, a shifting power structure allows formerly forbidden acts to happen under new management (and, conveniently, discredit said management, if needed).
The SGU installment did end on a very nice "holy crap" moment. This was one of the best yet, at least from a dramatic point of view.
I also caught the opening episode of BBC4's teen-superpower (not "hero," by any means) show, "Misfits." The first episode is currently on YouTube (warnin': We gots yer cussin' an' adult-type si'uations 'ere, guv'nah) for the time being, if you want to take it for a spin. While overall not a bad show premise (I'm going to see if I can't track down the other episodes before a final thumbs up or down), it did hit a sci-fi pet peeve of mine: Telepathy. Specifically, telepathy with a dog... that could "think" in slang-ridden English. So as someone who has been known to portray telepathy in comics, here's several points concerning what I think makes for more believable mind-reading (and these are just off the top of my head, so if I offend any real telepaths, I apologize):
1. The human mind is incredibly complex, and it's a pretty safe bet that no two are alike. We're all a fairly unique collection of experiences, languages, emotional responses and chemical reactions at any given moment. We do have similar structures (language centers, reward systems, etc.), but even if one could "hear" another brain, it should be quite hard to pick out an actual "spoken" thought, even if it's pretty prominent. For a TV show, I'd at least have a bunch of background "noise" as the reading is attempted, if one wants the audience to hear.
2. If the mind speaks another language or belongs to a different species, I hope you brought a phrase book. I'd say other than emotions (assuming a similar frame of reference, like what the target knowingly finds offensive) or non-language perceptions (feeling a drive to move a limb, hunger, etc.), actual "reading" of someone who speaks a different language or isn't of your genome should be pretty darn difficult, especially for someone who just got their powers yesterday.
3. If you're a telepath, your mouth is superfluous. As in recent episodes of "Heroes," I don't get why telepathic people will say out loud what they can just think-speak to those they're in contact with (i.e. Parkman and the mind of Sylar). This is too often played for comedic effect, making the telepath seem like they're talking to themselves, but it's gotten old and predictable. Make them distracted, sure, but the whole "old lady staring at the person apparently talking to nobody" is a dead horse well beaten.
4. For continuity purposes (as well as to have a source for story explanations) you might want to define how mind-reading works for your character. If you can read someone's mind, the information has to arrive by some mechanism (unless you're using magic, and then all bets are off). Every brain could be constantly sending out thought-waves that telepaths can read, the telepath has some kind of "thought-radar," or there's a combination of the two. You could also use my favorite macguffin: quantum-level gobbledegook (i.e. information cannot be created or destroyed, so "telepathy" is just the ability to "read" the universe).
And these are just some of the base concepts that I dig when telepathy comes into play. This is also more of a general starting point. If, as in "Babylon-5," you've got a Psi Corps or something that has almost military-style TP training, someone able to clearly pull out what a crowded room had for breakfast, what movie they last saw, and their least favorite yoga position isn't out of the question. And though some may question the discussion of an, at best, speculative means of communication, we can say it's time well spent by calling it a "writing exercise." :)
While I go exercise my writing on designing planet Argos (more on that later), here's some other items of note:
- In a perfect future with jetpacks and space stations, we'd have these special glasses, but they'd be animated and have a riffing A.I. that entertains you as you endure bad movies.
- This is just a weird item: Michael Jackson helped compose the music for the 'Sonic 3' video game.
- Here's another one: Scientists accidentally discover a near-perfect shade of blue.
- This is just a weird game: Dale & Peakot is a side-scroller where you collect eggs with the help of your shotgun and your magic chicken.
- Mark Coleran has an online portfolio of all of the computer and tech interfaces he's designed for movies.
- I had no idea that startled cats could 'hover' to safety.
- I also had no idea that Cookie Monster could sing along with the German metal group Rammstein. Now that's a must-have toy.
- From the 'why couldn't I have thought of this and made a t-shirt out of it' files, we have this Lovecraftian ditty from an IRC chatlog.
- BBC One has created a holiday-themed identification video featuring the Doctor and a new way to fly the TARDIS.
- And we end with tower defense strategy in Creeper World. Defend Odin City from "the creeper," activate the rift totems, and let the city escape to safety. You also have movable units, which is a plus.