Reviews by Kyle Ellis

Appearance: [Link removed - login to see] (1968)

Creator: Arthur C. Clarke

Performer: Douglas Rain (voice)

Defining moment: Conceding the battle for supremacy between humans and technology, HAL departs with a plaintive rendition of Daisy Bell.

Fascinating fact: Originally envisioned by Clarke as a humanoid robot called Socrates.

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The Alien series (1979-2017)

When Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett wrote their treatment for Star Beast back in the mid-’70s, they can have had little idea they were creating one of the most enduring monsters in cinema. Delivered by Ridley Scott, nurtured by James Cameron and subsequently used (and abused) by countless films, comics and games over the decades, the Alien is most effectively summed up by Ian Holm’s Ash: “The perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility... A survivor; unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality.”

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Appearances: The [Link removed - login to see] series (1984–)

Creator: James Cameron

Performer: Arnold Schwarzenegger

Defining moment: The joy of the “I’ll be back” sequence lies not only in its legacy, but its witty machine-like accuracy: he will indeed be back, smashing his car through the police station, the desk, and the desk clerk.

Fascinating fact: Cameron had devised a version of the plot where there would be two Arnie T-800s, one good, one evil, but ditched it because one would have to look battered throughout, which meant putting Schwarzenegger in make-up every day – he couldn’t face the griping.

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Oh, Zoe. [Link removed - login to see] creator Joss Whedon is amazingly adept at creating strong, dynamic female characters, and of course one aspect of those characters is their love lives. Typically in Joss’ works, however, those love lives are a mess. You’re either having to skewer your vampire boyfriend to save the world, or you’re falling for that charming British gent just in time for your soul to be obliterating by a parasitical godling. But with Zoe and Wash, we finally got to see Joss’ vision of a healthy, stable, committed relationship. Zoe and Wash were perfect for each other, in all the unexpected ways the best relationships are. Like Farscape’s Aeryn and Crichton, Zoe and Wash flip the alpha-male marriage on its head: Wash wouldn’t have a chance against Zoe if it ever came to blows, but he’s sweet and always has her back and makes her laugh, a vital commodity when your life mostly involves living on the run from an oppressive government. Wash and Zoe make each other better. So, of course, they’re doomed.

It’s funny that one of the most defining moments of Zoe’s life — the death of Wash — comes near the de facto end of her story. With Firefly’s story collapsed into the salvaged finale that is [Link removed - login to see], we don’t get to see much of how Zoe will deal with the loss of Wash — or at least, we hadn’t until recently. Thankfully Zoe’s story is continuing in the form of [Link removed - login to see], the in-canon comic series that picks up where the movie left off. And unsurprisingly, Zoe is in a very dark place as it begins: pregnant with Wash’s child, still reeling from his death, and with the crew of Serenity arguably in worse shape than they were before they won a Pyrrhic victory over the Alliance during the movie’s climax. It’s a bad time to be Zoe.