Armory

"Not telling your troops the whole plan..."? She didn't even tell them she HAD a plan other than jog away from the oncoming fleet til they ran out of gas. Part of being a good leader is giving your troops reason to trust you even when they don't know your plans. She failed miserably at that.
 
 
 
He didn't NEED a communicator. He could have APPEARED TO REY (or anyone apparently, as everyone within range could see him as if he were really there) anywhere in the galaxy (apparently) and said, "I changed my mind. Send someone to get me."
 
 
 
The order had no idea where he was and, apart from Kylo, no other Force sensitives we know about, now that Snoke is dead. (Speaking of which, is he DEAD dead, or only MOSTLY dead like Luke and Yoda and Obi-Wan and Vader?) So they'd have had no way to find him. Why on earth would Leia or Rey "lose contact with the rebellion" if they went to visit Luke? Rey didn't. She had a magic maguffin that allowed her to find Leia (or whoever held the other magic maguffin) anywhere in the galaxy. (And why wasn't Leai being baked alive by the sheer wattage of whatever broadcast that thing was generating to be detectable at galactic distances?)
 
 
You're assuming the books were destroyed. We don't know that. Rey might have taken them. Yoda may have "destroyed" them with lightning so Luke wouldn't discover that they're gone. Just because the "wisdom" of the Jedi was lacking (which I agree with), doesn't mean that she can't learn from their history--and I'm assuming at least some of those books are histories/logs/diaries/etc.
 
 
We're not talking about Rey. We're talking about Luke Skywalker, who saw the potential for redemption in a man whose crimes were literally legendary. A man who'd destroyed the Jedi, murdered countless people, and...well, all of it. He confronted THAT man with no intention of ever killing him. He confronted him ready to die in the attempt to redeem him. And THAT man, THAT Luke Skywalker, would never have tried--even for a nanosecond--to murder a sleeping boy because he feared with that boy MIGHT do.

The rubber science bothers me less than the main thing that bugs me -- Poe Dameron fouling up everything that can conceivably be fouled up. And that unsettling situation may be part of the point of the movie.
 
Poe does not learn from his mistakes. When he fouls up he refuses to accept responsibility, but insists that he can react to the situation effectively even though he doesn't really understand his situation. He is unclear on the very objective -- instead of understanding that the Resistance needs to salvage and preserve whatever resources they can so they can rebuild and regroup out of the First Order's reach, Poe insists that damaging the First Order's easily-replaceable military assets is a primary goal. Even sitting him down, rebuking him, and trying to make him understand the situation does no good. He insists he knows more than seasoned veteran leaders like Leia. The press has described him as a prime example of toxic masculinity. And although he doesn't say anything outright that he thinks he knows best for that reason, it's easy to see the connection.
 
Why does anyone listen to Poe?

There's absolutely no evidence for the notion that the dreadnought was actively "hovering" rather than operating in orbit, nor that any other vessels were doing so.
 
This battle was just as non-sensical as every other space battle in Star Wars. (I mean, seriously--bombers? That can only drop their payloads at knife-fighting range? Maybe if they'd used missiles, or even just flung the bombs from a distance, they might not have had the whole bomber force wiped out.

New one up!
 
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1109.html

If I have to reply in kind to my "enemy", then I've already lost.

There are a lot of flavors of conservative*, and I really don't expect everyone to immediately denounce everything that sets folks off. Likewise, "but they did it, too" didn't work so well on the playground, won't get you out of a speeding ticket, and probably shouldn't be used in politics, either.
 
 
 
*Feel free to substitute liberal here, as well. Heck, there's often so much noise, it's really hard to get the signal straight from either side.

New one up before 2018!
 
http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1108.html

I think it is the stories they choose. 
 
The universe ending stories seem to be meh to me.
 
The stories that are less extreme and have time for the characters to have actual banter and do things in between the battles are what I enjoy. 
 
More story, less spectacle.

Breaking down the current Justice League
 
Superman - Actor  looked good with glasses as Clark Kent, and was based on previous performances has experience playing a zombie.
 
Batman - DC went for a trouble talented actor, but picked the wrong one (Didn't anyone watch Daredevil?)
 
Wonder Woman - The only good thing in the movie, and not given enough to do.
 
Cyborg - Discount Iron Man
 
Aquaman - Discount Thor, with an actor chosen because he was on a show with the word Atlantis in it (And Patrick Duffy was too old).
 
Flash - Chris Kattan character from a SNL skit.
 

Our Heroes:
Amon-Ra: Archaeologist who found an artifact that is a conduit to an ancient god.
Diamondback: Exposure to a strange crystal gave her immense strength and durability.
Double-Time!: Given incredible running speed during a lab accident.
Faceless: FBI agent with the ability to assume the shape of any person he sees.
Ka-Pow!: 17 year old boxer and mechanic who's a bit more than human.
Professor Polar: Discoverer of "cold energy".
Shard: Exposed to the same crystal as Diamondback, but instead has the ability to grow and control similar crystals.
Tarraingteacht: Agent Carter's skills with Polaris's powers.
Zoltan the Magnificent: Stage magician who also knows real magic.
 
****
 
Zoltan [after having been introduced to Ka-Pow! and learning that her father works on vehicles for the military] - You have a Daddy War-Trucks!.

****

Diamondback [after the GM notes that no one is really in costume] - We have capes, thank you.

****

Diamondback [commenting on the debate about the nature of magic between Zoltan and Amon-Ra] - But it's a magical pissing contest, so there's sparkles.

****

Diamondback [OOC after one of the other players has to take a hit off her inhaler due to laughter] - I'm a super-villain.  My powers are pecans and laughter.

****

Diamondback - For TRUTH, JUSTICE and punching you really hard!

****

Diamondback [OOC to Ka-Pow!'s player] - Why do you have to be the bitchy child in the game where I'm supposed to like children?
****
Full write-up here.

Yep,  like Ranxerox, I'm waiting for the Runaways to leave home. Or at least form a band and cover Cherry Bomb. 

I would disagree with no marvel show has had a good villain. I thought D'onofrio's Kingpin/Fisk was excellent, and Tennant's Purple Man was scary evil.

Of course his weakness is his repeating the same plots over and over and over again.  He may actually be stuck in a time loop.

Playing with genre generally works in the comics because they already have all the superhero tropes well established before they start straying into other genres. This movie, on the other hand, is a horror film through and through, using horror tropes rather than superhero tropes to tell its story. This won't feel like experimentation within the "home genre" (of superheroes), it will just feel like a horror movie involving people with strange abilities.

One of our PCs is a strange mutant (or so she thinks...hehehe...) whose body is nothing but water, code-named Torrent.  Not your typical water-based hero; she can't summon water or blast it or control it, she's just made of it.  Apart from modified Desolidification, her main power is to absorb objects of opportunity into her body, then propel them with tremendous force and accuracy.  Last weekend they happened to be battling inside a restaurant at the Guardians, Inc. company Christmas party, so when the bad guys attacked she absorbed a bunch of random utensils from the table.  Her first attack was to fling a spoon.  Now, she can do some decent damage even with a spoon, but she missed her shot.  So she was about as intimidating as the Blue Raja in Mystery Men.  The bad guys then scoffed at her, of course.
 
One of her teammates said, "Racists!  You're just biased against Aqua-Americans!"

This thread needs a punch montage.
 
 

I worry about the loss of net neutrality too, but I will go on record right now and predict that the Disney acquisition of Fox's entertainment assets will have no discernible negative effects in the long term.
 
I think people are wringing their hands for no reason (at this point).

What, exactly, is there to be anxious about here? What specifically is it that everyone fears Disney will do that will ruin cinema or television now that they've acquired Fox's entertainment assets?

One of our PCs is a strange mutant (or so she thinks...hehehe...) whose body is nothing but water, code-named Torrent.  Not your typical water-based hero; she can't summon water or blast it or control it, she's just made of it.  Apart from modified Desolidification, her main power is to absorb objects of opportunity into her body, then propel them with tremendous force and accuracy.  Last weekend they happened to be battling inside a restaurant at the Guardians, Inc. company Christmas party, so when the bad guys attacked she absorbed a bunch of random utensils from the table.  Her first attack was to fling a spoon.  Now, she can do some decent damage even with a spoon, but she missed her shot.  So she was about as intimidating as the Blue Raja in Mystery Men.  The bad guys then scoffed at her, of course.
 
One of her teammates said, "Racists!  You're just biased against Aqua-Americans!"

One of our PCs is a strange mutant (or so she thinks...hehehe...) whose body is nothing but water, code-named Torrent.  Not your typical water-based hero; she can't summon water or blast it or control it, she's just made of it.  Apart from modified Desolidification, her main power is to absorb objects of opportunity into her body, then propel them with tremendous force and accuracy.  Last weekend they happened to be battling inside a restaurant at the Guardians, Inc. company Christmas party, so when the bad guys attacked she absorbed a bunch of random utensils from the table.  Her first attack was to fling a spoon.  Now, she can do some decent damage even with a spoon, but she missed her shot.  So she was about as intimidating as the Blue Raja in Mystery Men.  The bad guys then scoffed at her, of course.
 
One of her teammates said, "Racists!  You're just biased against Aqua-Americans!"

Actually, I wasn't referring to the "sitcom or police procedural" I was referring to scifi.   For a while, back in the day when we watched TNG, we would bet on who could find the Outer Limits, Twilight Zone or other 50-60's show/movie they cribbed.  Though to be fair, sometimes we had to find the "source" in an old Amazing Tales or Galaxy magazine serial.   But generally speaking the earlier Treks did a great or even in my opinion fantastic job retelling tales from a new perspective.  But over all they were like any other show/movie.  They are written by people who read and watch TV.  And because of that, they are influenced by the old and more often than not are a retelling.
 
Now to be clear, this is not a bad thing.  It is actually a necessary thing, since if they only made shows that were 100% original, the industry would be dead.
 
For myself I hold to three standards:
1) Based upon. 
2) Inspired by.
3) Re-setting of a novel/movie into another period, but keeping the theme intact.
 
I can illustrate how I view things with a few examples
 
Based upon:  The studio advertised the movie Starship Troopers as "based upon" the novel.  It was not, the result was craptacularly bad.  even the claims of "satire" don't hold up, mostly because satire is "the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices" and V'idiots basic view of a military is already satire.  So in effect he made a satire of a satire, which is just stupid.
 
Inspired by:  Once again I'll use the movie Starship Troopers.   It was a fun romping bug hunt by two dimensional idiots and probably was inspired by the book Starship Troopers or a similar property.   Except for a few names, nothing in the movie was like the book.  But when something is inspired by something, they do not have to be even close.
 
Resetting a property:  Ran, Akira Kurosawa's reinterpretation of William Shakespeare's King Lear.  Takes place in Japan and Kurosawa does a brilliant job of taking the Shakespeare and re-tooling it into a completely different setting.   
 
Orville is very obvious in doing #1 and #2.  But then they are not trying to act like they aren't.  They are having fun and being very obvious in where they gain their inspiration and I am fine with that because it is one of the only shows on TV right now that is just fun to watch. 
 
Do they slide in a opinion or statement here and there? 
Absolutely.
But they do it with humor cake and a punchline cherry on top, rather than as a two by four with splinters....

"Mad Idolatry" was officially the most Star Trek thing I've seen since TNG went off the air. Well done. I also got a genuine belly-laugh out of the opening with lonely-Ed trying to find someone to drink with. I'm glad I stuck with this show.

Nor if it is a sundial. 
 
It wouldn't work at all in the DCEU, too grim-dark.  

JL struck me as more like a superhero video game come to life, than a well-told comic book superhero story adapted for live action.