The 5 Best 'Star Trek' Original Series Episodes

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In honor of what would have been Leonard Nimoy's 87th birthday last Monday, I thought it would be worth counting down the five best Star Trek Original Generation episodes. Though it only ran for 3 seasons and was hit or miss on some of the episodes, the show was a forerunner of the science fiction TV genre. It was a launching point for a series that's still going strong over 50 years later and more importantly, it taught a generation of children that they will never be as cool as gangster Spock.

"I made him an offer he logically could not refuse."

Without further ado, the 5 best original generation episodes as selected by me. Spoilers for a 52-year-old show to follow.

5. "Space Seed"
For Star Trek fans, Khan Noonien Singh is a man who needs no introduction. Survivor of the Eugenics Wars of the 1990s and a genetically superior being, he is a ruthless man who is every bit Kirk's equal. Good villains are hard to write and Khan is the definition of a good villain.

He gets more fleshed out in the movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, but his contribution to Star Trek lore starts here. And without this beginning, he never could have made William Shatner achieve meme-worthy levels of anger.

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The value of the episode may lie more in its later influence, but it's still very solid overall. Khan's charisma and brutality are exceptional and the crew's initially rosy view of him from their history classes teaches an important lesson about romanticizing the past.

The Eugenics War plot-line also sets the stage for later lore that bridges the gap between Earth today and the Federation of the future, even if it didn't come to pass in the real world. I'll assume people were too busy playing Pogs in the '90s to bother with genetic manipulation.

The savior of humanity

4. "The Trouble with Tribbles"
For a show set in a galaxy alleged to be inhabited by all types of life forms, most aliens in Star Trek look like stuff from earth but with extra antennae or forehead ridges or something.

Totally not a dog

With all these not-humans running around, it's nice to see something like Tribbles that are a bit more original, even if they look like they came from a discount craft store. "Born pregnant," these adorable little guys are the stars of the show as little cooing fuzzballs that quickly reproduce and fill up a space station.

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The memorability of the Tribbles is what gives the episode its staying power in the minds of Star Trek fans, but there's a lot more going on than just that. The Klingons' vying for power on a space station creates political intrigue as well as continuity from the previous Klingon episode on Organia.  The episode is also humorous in classic Trek fashion, with Scotty preaching the virtues of single malt scotch a mere 7 episodes before he saves the galaxy by drinking an alien under a table. It also features the best bar fight in Star Trek bar none (none).

Other Star Trek episodes are serious or have high-minded morals, but "The Trouble with Tribbles" is just plain fun and benefits from not taking itself too seriously. Lots of other science fiction could benefit from lightening up the mood a bit like this episode does.

3. "Balance of Terror"
While the Romulans eventually succumbed to  J. J. Abrams and awful '80s shoulder pads, at the beginning they were an enemy to be feared.

"At least we didn't invent gauges" -Romulans

"Balance of Terror" marks their first appearance in Star Trek, and the build up of tension between the Enterprise and a then-unknown enemy. The Enterprise responds to several distress signals in the neutral zone where decades earlier the Federation fought a war with the Romulan Star Empire. As the Enterprise reaches the ruined outposts they discover a cloaked vessel that may be behind the attacks.

A stand-off ensues, with each captain playing a delicate chess match while trying to control the fears of their respective crews. Airing only four years after the Cuban missile crisis, this episode reeks of the gamesmanship and posturing of the Cold War-era and probably hit very close to home upon its initial release.

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It's an episode that begins with a wedding and ends at a deathbed. It explores bigotry and mistrust and the weight forced upon leaders as they make decisions with dire consequences on the line. And most importantly, in an era of jingoistic McCarthyism, it manages to fairly portray the enemy not as some other, but as relatable beings who bear the same weight as the crew of the Enterprise.

In the end, the Enterprise gains the upper hand. Rather than submit to the Federation, the Romulan commander commits suicide, lamenting "I regret that we meet in this way. You and I are of a kind. In a different reality, I could have called you friend."

2. "This Side of Paradise"

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A more low-key pick than some of the others on this list, this episode is a personal favorite of mine and Leonard Nimoy's best work as Spock.

The Enterprise is tasked with assessing what is believed to be a dead colony after the entire planet was bombarded with deadly radiation. Much to the crew's surprise, the colonists are very much alive and living in a virtual paradise. It is revealed that the flowers on the planet produce spores that induce feelings of euphoria and protect the colonists from the radiation. The colonists then use these spores to indoctrinate the crew of the Enterprise, leaving Kirk alone to try and save the day (which he does).

The episode's strength lies not in the broader plot, but in the romance between Spock and Leila, a botanist who had a history with him back on Earth. Spock, as a half-Vulcan, could never reciprocate her love until the spores put him in a state of bliss.

After so many episodes of seeing Spock act cold and impersonal, the sudden change is a delight and Nimoy's performance tugs at the heartstrings. Spock is truly happy with Leila and by embracing his Vulcan heritage, he had to give up the emotions and desires of his human side. When freed from the spores' effect, an impassioned Leila begs him not to leave, but Spock insists he must, stating that we all have to live with the purgatories we create.

In the end, the crew leaves paradise, but not before contemplating what they left behind.

1. "The City on the Edge of Forever"

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Science fiction often gets looked down upon by mainstream fiction as puerile wish fulfillment rather than serious culture, but every once in a while something in the genre far surpasses expectations and reminds us why this genre can be so compelling to us.

In this episode, written by Harlan Ellison, Kirk and Spock travel back in time in an effort to fix the original timeline after an overdosed Dr. McCoy accidentally changes history. Transported to Depression-era America, Kirk falls in love with Edith Keeler, a social worker in New York with ambitions for peace.

After finding McCoy, who will save Keeler from a car accident, Kirk learns that it was by saving Keeler's life that the timeline was altered. Keeler was supposed to die in the car accident, and if she lives, she will found a peace movement that will delay the US's entry into World War II and ensure the Nazis' victory.

The episode is brilliant in its build up to the final choice of whether to let Keeler live or die and highlights the struggle between the individual and society. Keeler's idealism and ambition in another time could change the world for the better, but in this moment they hold humanity back.

Though not the first or only time Star Trek ventures into the past, it is by far the most effective. So many works that follow will try to replicate the magic, but miss the little touches that make "The City on the Edge of Forever" one of the best works of the genre.

What's your favorite Star Trek episode? Sound off in the comments below.

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Anime You Might Not Have Tried #2: 'Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet'

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There's something to be said for shorter shows. Our culture is so enamored with stirring epics and long-running franchises that we often undervalue works that come in, make a good impression, then end, leaving us to savor the moments spent with it. Given this, it's easy to forget just how hard it is to craft a memorable experience in just a few episodes. With little time to develop the setting or characters, a shorter show is required to catch the viewer's attention and make an impact on them immediately, as there is little time to make up for missed chances.

While in most western television a one- or two-season show implies poor ratings or executive meddling (see Firefly for further details), many Anime are created purposefully for 12 to 24-episode runs, often to draw attention to the ongoing manga or light novels that they support. Since the writers know how much time they have to tell a story, overall closure and structure for a series tends to be better in anime than in western works.

Enter Gargantia. Though this 13-episode show will never be considered the Citizen Kane of the giant fighting robot sci-fi genre, it nonetheless sports gorgeous visuals, solid characterization, and a strong theme that make it worth a quick Netflix binge.

The show centers on Agent Ledo and his pilot support system "Chamber," who find themselves in an endless war against giant squid-like aliens called the Hideauze. These creatures have pushed humanity to the brink, forcing people to serve most of their lives in military service in order to protect the giant space station that is the last bastion of humanity. Things go badly almost immediately for Ledo, as he finds himself on the losing side of a massive battle which results in him getting sucked into a wormhole. The result? He and his robot are transported to the now legendary planet of Earth that has been forgotten for centuries.

Much has changed since humanity took to the stars. Earth is now almost entirely covered with water with the humans left behind living as scavengers on large fleets of ships. Despite this, there is relative peace and no signs of the Hideauze anywhere. Ledo and Chamber are found by the fleet "Gargantia," with Ledo forced to integrate with the locals if he's to find any hope of making it back home again.

The Fleet in Question

The visuals and initial framing of the narrative immediately set Gargantia apart from other series, as the animators clearly intended to make a gorgeous show. Humanity's conflict and the brutality of the war they find themselves in is well-conveyed, and the viewer is immediately pulled into a compelling world. Backgrounds in particular are brilliant with scenes of the darkness of space contrasted with the clear blue waters and radiant sunsets of Earth. The visuals are stunning and the actual fleet of Gargantia has a decaying industrial feel combined with winding corridors and dark alleys reminiscent of some of Miyazaki's works. These industrial corridors give way to verdant pastures and green spaces needed to support the large population contained on the ship. The animation goes to great lengths to give the fleet its own style and there is a sort of strange beauty in the rusting amalgamation of ancient ships. Small touches such as sunburn on exposed skin and scuffs and dirt on old containers further set the animation and art apart from similar shows.

So much space. Gotta see it all.

Plot-wise, the show is enjoyable, but less revolutionary. The story of an outsider learning how to cope in a foreign society is not terribly original (see Dances with Wolves, The Last Samurai, Avatar, et al.), but the care the writers and animators took in portraying the characters puts the show above other examples of the trope. Ledo's society is one based on efficiency with no time for pleasures in a hostile world, and he finds many of the aspects of Gargantia strange. His friendship with a messenger named Amy (and her incredibly adorable pet flying squirrel) and her contrasting outlook help him to make sense of the world he's in. The show takes no shortcuts with the issues that come with differing languages and cultures and the initial adjustment is rough to say the least. Amy is Ledo's sole advocate on a fleet that has no use for a soldier and questions his value in the fleet. The friendship between the two develops naturally over the course of the series and the two share some sweet moments in the second half, with the authors doing justice to the relationship over the course of the show.

It's like a really cute squirrel

Various supporting characters such as the salvager Pinion and the ship's captain (along with the rest of the cast) are realistic and well-written, but unexceptional. Their motivations are sound in the context of the world they live in, but the world of Gargantia tends to outshine the individuals in it, aside from the few main characters. The other characters serve to move the plot along and to force Ledo to understand the world he is now in, confront his new life, and to try and uncover the darker secrets that forced humanity from Earth and into the war they now find themselves in. The plotting suffers a bit in the last few episodes because of this, as there are no more reveals to push things forward, with few supporting characters to fall back on, but the ending still results in a satisfying conclusion, even if the motivations of the antagonists don't fit as well into the world as one would like.

The show, through its various revelations, touches on issues of loss of humanity, revenge, and the value of life in an uplifting and memorable way. The contrast between the two societies highlights how the war with the Hideauze has taken away Ledo's humanity and how high the costs of "preserving" humans have been. In the end, people's actions create the world they live in and it is their choice to decide what is worth keeping.

While Gargantia doesn't necessarily bring much new to the table, what it does offer is fully-baked, in contrast to shows that launch innovative ideas at the wall and hope they stick. This overall refinement creates a more effective story in this short but sweet adventure. Gen Urobuchi (of Madoka Magica and Psycho Pass fame) had heavy involvement in the creation of the show and stated that it was targeted toward young people entering into society as a way to encourage them. Ultimately, he succeeds in this goal, with the result being a hidden gem that will likely last longer in the minds of its viewers than it will on any "top 10 greatest" lists.

Have I mentioned it's pretty?

Are shorter shows better? Does innovation trump refinement? Prove me wrong in the comments below.

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"Calamity" Read-Along Chapters 49-Epilogue

So, the last few chapters were pretty awesome. We got a David and Megan vs. Prof fight (which I've been looking forward to for the entire series), and we got to see the reveal of Calamity's true character. And this week? What awaits David in Calamity's space lair?

Chapter 49

He'd claimed the powers. Like Megan, he'd ripped the darkness from the abilities, and sent one sprawling away while seizing the others.
Prof's powers were now his, and not Calamity's. The motivator boxes were meaningless.

Prof is back and better than ever!

Chapter 50

"Look at a place where the Epics are free from your corruption. Look at the one who comes, the most terrible of them all. A murderer in our world, a destroyer. Look and see that here, Calamity, Steelheart himself is a hero!"

I really wanted David to be a better version of Steelheart, though.

Chapter 51

No, in this world, my father was the Epic.

What? Okay, that's awesome! I love that it's kind of come full circle, since David's dad stood up to Steelheart in the first chapter of the series.

"...it was pushing through them," Calamity whispered, looking from me to the others, "to save someone."

So the powers go wrong when people act selfishly, but when they prove Calamity wrong--when they not only face their fear but push through it to be selfless--they're no longer consumed by darkness. I love how close David has been this whole time, but he just didn't push the idea quite far enough.

There will be heroes. Just wait.
I seized the power within me.

YES!!!

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Epilogue

Look what those comic books have done to you. Wearing a symbol and everything? Sparks, he was such a nerd.
Like father, like son, I guess.

This line just makes me smile so much. I really wish we'd gotten more time with David's dad. This scene is kind of adorable and a beautiful way to end the series.

Wow, you guys. Just...wow. These last few chapters have had so much action and emotion packed into them! Kudos to Brandon Sanderson for another fantastic series! (Also, I can't believe the series is over!)
Next week will be the wrap-up/fan-cast post, where I'll share my thoughts on the series as a whole and discuss which actors I'd like to see if The Reckoners is ever made into movies. See you guys then! (And be sure to let me know in the comments who you would like to see playing David, Megan, and the others on the big screen!)

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'Calamity' Read-Along Chapters 45-48

I am so excited for this week's chapters! It looks like we're finally going to get a David/Megan vs. Prof battle...exactly what I've been hoping for ever since Prof gave in to his powers! Just...I really hope no one dies.
We're only doing four chapters today, with four chapters in the next post...and after that, a special wrap-up/fan-cast post! So comment and let me know what actors you think would be perfect for the roles of all the characters!

Chapter 45

The tensors hummed on my hands, eager. It was as if...as if the powers themselves knew I was trying to save Prof. They sang me a battle hymn.

Wow. I LOVE this. It's probably my favorite line of the entire series.

The fight felt strangely perfect, for a time. Megan and I working side by side--voicelessly, each anticipating the other's moves. Incredible powers at our disposal, weapons in our hands. Together we forced a much more experienced Epic to retreat.

I can so see this as a movie scene, and it would be so cool!

Chapter 46

I blinked against the dust and smoke as Prof emerged from the shadows--grim, bloodied, but still not afraid.
Sparks. Still not afraid.

Ooooooh no, no, no...I know I said I wanted an Epic showdown but I didn't mean I wanted David and Megan to die! I take it back! I take it all back!

"You've failed, Prof," I said.
The forcefields faded and he stumbled.
"Tia's dead," Megan added. "You failed her."

I teared up at this, guys. The whole situation here, of these two having to tear down and try to kill someone they looked up to for so long...

Chapter 47

I was in some kind of...building, or ship? With glass walls?

What? What? He's in a space station?

Sparks. I was in the old international space station, but it had been transformed into glass.

WHAT?!?

"Hello, David," Larcener said.

I knew I didn't like this guy for a reason!

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Chapter 48

"In Megan's parallel world," I whispered. "There you did leave, and the darkness never claimed the Epics. There, you remained...and you infected us somehow. Your hatred, your loathing. You turned each Epic into a copy of you, Calamity."

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My name is David Charleston.
I clicked the button.
And I kill Epics.
The bomb detonated.

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Wow. Okay. Well, that was a bit of a ride.  I'm still in a little bit of shock.
So what did you guys think of these chapters? Was the battle as Epic as you hoped? Were you surprised by the revelation of Calamity's identity?
Please don't forget to comment on this post and the next one to let me know who you would cast as the crew of The Reckoners series!

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"Calamity" Read-Along: Chapters 40-44

Chapter 40

"We're not his team," Cody said. "Not anymore. We're here to change the world; we ain't going to do that without a fight."

Hearing one of my favorite side characters say something so heroic makes me feel like a cheesy, proud parent. You go, buddy! Yeah!

Chapter 41

"Not with the explosives Mizzy left behind. Look, we could use your help. Join us. Change the world."
He sniffed and turned away.
I felt it like a punch to the gut.

A part of me is like, "Yes, Larcener. Go. Shoo. The Reckoners don't need you."
Another part of me kind of hopes he has a sudden change of heart and comes running in to save the day. But that's a very small part of me. Because I just don't like him.

I didn't seen a monster. In my mind's eye, I remembered a man who had come down through another roof amid falling dust. A man who had run for all he had--breaking through to face an Enforcement team, risking his life and his own sanity--to save me. 

Have I mentioned before that the biggest reason I love David is how he remains so hopeful and loyal to his friends? Even though he's witnessed Prof do terrible things over the last few months, he's still willing to fight to the death to save him.

Chapter 42

"Think you can hide from my all-seeing eyes, little Epic? You don't know who you're dealing with."

All I can say here is that I'm glad Knighthawk is one of the good guys.

Chapter 43

"I didn't want to push myself, or my teams, too hard. This is your fault, David. Everything that happens here is because of you."

My knee-jerk reaction is that yes, Prof is right when he blames David for upsetting the delicate balance he had with life as an undercover Epic. David himself seems to take it this way. But I think it brings up an important question--aren't we responsible for all of our own actions? Prof could've chosen a different path. But then would David even be alive? Would they still have ended up here, battling it out underground, regardless?
These are the questions that simultaneously fascinate me and hurt my brain at 3 A.M.

I panted. "I...suppose this...would be an awkward time to ask for an autograph."

The first time I read this I burst into hysterical giggles. Because that's what I do after I've been stressed.
Also, as a side note, Loophole's death is probably one of the most gruesome things I've ever read. Eugh.

Chapter 44

They'd both been forced, it seemed, to grasp for dangerous resources. Prof using his hidden teleportation device; Megan reaching further and further into other realities.

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The lights on the gloves lit up a deep green. I felt their hum course through me, a distant melody that had once been precious to me, yet one I'd somehow forgotten. I released it, reducing the stone wall nearby to a wave of dust.
"Feel like coming home," I said.

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Aaaaand if that wasn't stressful enough, we still have to see David, Megan, and Prof actually fight it out. So, anything you guys hope to see out of the big showdown?

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Anime You May Not Have Tried #1: 'Steins;Gate'

Genre: Sci-Fi/Drama    Episodes: 24    Rating: PG-13    Original Release: 2009

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Time travel has been a staple of science fiction ever since H. G. Wells wrote The Time Machine back in 1895, though even the most experienced writers struggle to use the plot device properly. This mechanism is often poorly used, as it remains a purely theoretical idea, leaving it up to the writer to define its limitations. Unfortunately, since most writers are writers first, this usually results in ill-defined rules that sacrifice coherence for drama and rarely remain logically consistent. Time travel is also a Pandora’s Box for fan theories: once introduced, it gets attached to every plot and character so that everyone is actually from the year 20XX trying to rescue their lover/assassinate the pope/stave off nuclear disaster/kill Hitler/save Harambe/whatever.

Given this, an anime adaptation of a Japanese visual novel should have the lowest probability of doing justice to something like time travel. Japan already has a proud history of sacrificing coherence for drama including, but not limited to, gender-flipping King Arthur and Nero as women for the purpose of romantic subplots (Fate Series), employing Lucifer as a part-time employee at McDonald's (The Devil Is a Part Timer), and anthropomorphizing the entire Japanese subway system (Miracle Train). Also, given visual novels’ penchant for harems and high levels of fan service, one could be forgiven for not expecting much from Steins;Gate. Thankfully, the show (for the most part) avoids these pitfalls to create an excellent narrative that easily stands as one of the best examples of the genre.

Steins;Gate is the tale of the members of Future Gadget Laboratory (actually just a small apartment) led by Okabe Rintaro, a self-declared mad scientist. He and his close friend Mayuri decide to attend a lecture on time travel where he discovers the dead body of scientific prodigy Makise Kurisu in a storage room in the building. Confused and alarmed, he returns to the building a few days later only to find Makise very much alive and well, with Okabe's friends having no memory of the prior events. Makise, being understandably bewildered by Okabe’s behavior, follows him and Mayuri back to the lab where, several days and much bickering, they discover that the old microwave in the apartment functions as a time machine, after they accidentally send a banana back in time. Naturally, they, along with resident hacker Daru, begin to work on improving the machine.

From left to right: Daru, Makise, Ruka, Faris, Suzuha, Moeka, Mayuri, Okabe

The plot is essentially divided into two parts, with the first twelve episodes introducing the main characters and developing them through what could probably be described as a slice-of-life comedy with some light sci-fi elements. The cast of characters and the overall story is fairly minimalist, focusing on the relationships between characters rather than on an epic plot. Admittedly, this leads to some slow pacing in the early going, as things take quite some time to set up. While this slow build up could be viewed as a negative, it is needed for the events of the second half to have impact. Thankfully, the characters feel human in their interactions, and even if the overall plot builds slow, individual scenes tend to be fast-paced with quick-witted humor.

It is this central dynamic between Okabe and his fellow lab members that comes to define their interactions in these scenes. Each character reacts differently to the protagonist, such as lifelong friend Mayuri, who plays along with the more outrageous aspects of Okabe’s character, versus the colder Makise's frustrations and tsundere personality. Others like Faris embrace the ridiculousness of his character and add their own personalities to each encounter with him. The show is legitimately funny, as the writers clearly let the individual personalities bounce off each other rather than force events or scenes for the sake of moving the plot along.

Over time, the characters grow together and work to better understand the power of time travel that has been granted to them. As they do, the shadowy internet presence of John Titor (surprisingly based on a real world conspiracy theory) acts as a guide to explain the mechanics and implications of what they are doing. The butterfly effect is in full force here as the messages the characters send to their past selves end up having unintended consequences (and we'll just leave it at that). With the help of John Titor, the group begins to discover that they are not the only ones working on time travel, and others do not have as pure of intentions as they do. These actions build up to a climactic confrontation between the two groups that leads into the second half of the show (and is best left unspoiled).

The Tip of the Iceberg

If the first half of the show is a slice-of-life comedy, then the latter half is a series of emotional gut punches and twists wherein Okabe works to undo the damage done by the group’s actions. The show veers into much darker territory as Okabe single-handedly attempts to protect his fellow lab members from horrible fates. The true colors of the characters are revealed, as those who were given the opportunity to change part of the past must be willing to make sacrifices in order to protect those they care about. Issues such as depression, abuse, and death are touched upon and many of the scenes in the tail end of the series are simply heartbreaking. The show works by making you care about the people in the story and them putting them through hell in order to see what they are made of. By doing so, it creates characters that feel real and go past their initial, often stereotypical, portrayals.

"Relativity Theory... it's so romantic. But it's just so tragic too."

Of course, this could all be undone if the viewer’s suspension of disbelief were to waver. Thankfully, the show plays it smarter than most time travel stories and sets hard rules on what can and cannot be done. Rather than give the characters a full-fledged time machine, early efforts are constrained by hard limitations that slowly open up. The theories the show subscribes to limit physical transportation and, rather than create stable time loops, the world shifts to and from a "base" reality, which simplifies what the viewer is expected to keep track of. Furthermore, due to the minimalist nature of the show, the future that is trying to be avoided is only described in vague terms, which builds suspense while preventing the writers from having to predict the future. Steins;Gate plays by the rules it sets up and doesn’t break them for the sake of earning the characters an easy happy ending (though many times you wish it would).

This is all helped by the fact that the show has fairly high production values. Odd camera angles are used to create feelings of uncanniness when the plot demands it and both the animation and writing are well done. References to Martin Heidegger, Don Quixote, and Casablanca reside alongside more modern jokes about the internet and nerd culture. Both the sub and dub versions are of high quality with J. Michael Tatum’s performance as Okabe in the dub deserving a special mention, as he appears to channel his inner William Shatner into some fantastic lines. Alternatively, the moments of gratuitous English Okabe in the sub are worthy of all the YouTube remixes they’ve spawned. Either way, you can’t go wrong, and will probably never view Dr. Pepper the same way again.

You tell 'em, Okabe.

The story is also more willing to stray from some of the painful “WTF, Japan” aspects that plague visual novels. The fan service is almost nonexistent and even parodied for good effect. While the visual novel had multiple romances available to the player, the show smartly plays up one relationship, while keeping the other female characters as friends (and well-developed ones at that). The show also benefits from condensing roughly thirty-some hours of content in the game into twenty-five half-hour episodes. The show covers a lot of content per episode, and even if things are moving fairly slow from a macro perspective, there are a lot of scenes and dialogue going on in the micro side of things. This isn’t to say that there aren’t some “Dang it, Japan” moments, such as the maid cafés, periphery card game tournaments, and an annoyingly androgynous character, but compared to some shows, this is a great starting point for someone who hasn’t watched an anime before and is concerned that the weirdness might turn them off.

Steins;Gate is a show that is essentially built for its second half, and anyone who begins watching the show should at least get to the initial twist before deciding it's not their thing. While initially appearing to be a standard anime with a colorful cast of characters and snappy dialogue, it moves far past its original premise to deliver emotional moments that are difficult to find in other shows. Every aspect of the show, from its characters to its writing have depth to them, and like many time travel shows, rewatching it yields a number of Easter eggs that explain the characters' motivations and thoughts in the early goings. While maybe not the most innovative show in terms of plot, by the end, the show is far greater than the sum of its parts and is worth watching for anyone with even a passing interest in science fiction.

Have a show you want to suggest to me? Mention it in the comments below!

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11 YA Books to Add to Your Fall Reading List

Break out your flannel and pumpkin spice because fall is here! Even if autumn doesn't officially start until September 21, it's never too early to start making a list of books to read this season. And with so many wonderful titles being released over the next few months, I've narrowed it down to a new releases you won't want to miss. Here are eleven upcoming YA books to add to your fall reading list.

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust

Release date: September 5, 2017

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Girls Made of Snow and Glass is a feminist retelling of the Snow White fairytale. There shouldn't need to be any more reason to read than that. I need it now.

The Thing With Feathers by McCall Hoyle

Release date: September 5, 2017

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This book is about a girl with epilepsy as she navigates her first time in public school. It sounds adorable and heart-warming, especially since she has a seizure dog. I'm excited to give this book a chance!

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

Release date: September 5, 2017

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This book just came out, and I've heard a lot of good things about it. Two strangers learn they're both going to die so they meet up for one last adventure. Sounds sweet and sad. I'm already crying.

Warcross by Marie Lu

Release date: September 12, 2017

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Video games plus kick-butt hackers and a terrorist plot? I'm game. Plus, part of this book takes place in Tokyo!

You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins

Release date: September 12, 2017

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This books focuses on family and the immigrant experience as it follows an Indian-American sisters as they come of age. It looks absolutely adorable and hilarious, and I'm excited to learn more about a diverse culture.

Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore

Release date: September 19, 2017

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I don't know a whole lot about this book (and the Goodreads synopsis didn't help me understand the main plot), but it sounds interesting. I've been a fan of Kristin Cashore since I read Graceling, so I have faith she won't disappoint!

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore

Release date: October 3, 2017

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This book involves magic and lush gardens and forbidden love. Plus, that cover is absolutely gorgeous. I'll definitely be reading this.

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

Release date: October 10, 2017

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It's been five years since John Green published a book, so this one is going to get a lot of attention and hype. While I still don't know how I feel about that cover (I expected turtles?), if you like John Green or contemporary YA, you should probably read it.

All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater

Release date: October 10, 2017

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According to the author, this book includes owls and rock n' roll along with diverse characters and magic. How can that not be flipping amazing?!?

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

Release date: November 7, 2017

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I've basically vowed that if Marissa Meyer writes a book, I'll read it. But she didn't even have to convince me of this one; it's about superheroes. I mean, a book about superheroes by Marissa Meyer? Where can I get one?!

Bonus:

The Ship of the Dead by Rick Riordan

Release date: October 3, 2017

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This is the third and final book in the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series. If you're a fan of Rick Riordan and you haven't read Magnus Chase, you should. If you've come this far already, this is one book you won't want to miss!

What books are you adding to your TBR pile this fall?

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'Calamity' Read-Along Chapters 35-39

 

Welcome, welcome.

Chapter 35

This was what we'd lost. I struggled to hold back my emotions as the video ended. The coming of Calamity had broken this world in more ways than one. Prof should have still been there, teaching those children.

1) Prof sounds like a fantastic teacher, and 2) GEEZ MY HEART. Don't mind me while I pick up the pieces. Carry on.

"You, you are very smart."
"Was that...sarcasm?"
"Smart again," Abraham said.

Wow. New depths to Abraham!

Chapter 36

Now I recognized a hole inside me. For a short time in that drowned city, I'd known true freedom, powered by twin jets of water.

Why is this just hitting me now? Of course David liked the flying aspect of the spyril, not the water aspect. He is another version of Steelheart! Turning stuff to metal, flying... yeah. I don't know why I thought that his powers would have something to do with water—it makes way more sense this way.

"Hmm? Oh. One could force you to speak in rhyme. The other could speak in any made-up language anyone anywhere had imagined."

Quenyarin? Klingon? Dude, I want this power! (I promise I'm not turning evil. But the idea of being able to speak in any made-up language I want, right off the top of my head? Sounds fabulous.)

Chapter 37

"I don't know," I said. "Could be nothing. There were a lot of powers being flung around that room—maybe there was a leftover forcefield, or... or maybe some pocket of another reality..."

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Duuuuude. You're an Epic. Just accept it and be awesome!

"The powers are mine," she whispered. "I claim them. My burden, my task, my self. I don't know why that mattered, but it did."

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Chapter 38

I sidled up to Abraham. "The two of them are talking," I said.
"You expected maybe clucking?"
"Well, shouting. Or strangulation."

He may be brilliant when it comes to Epics, but David is remarkably clueless when it comes to how normal people work.

Could Tia have been wrong? I'd decided that she wasn't, but now—confronted with one last shot at stopping Prof—I wavered. Some thing about Prof and his powers didn't add up.
What was it Prof feared?

And we're back to that bit. Prof's weakness is certainly less easy than most of the other Epics they've faced.

"That was foolhardy," I called to him. "Stop trying to put me out of a job!"

Great. Now even Abraham, Mr. Sensible, is becoming Mr. Epic.
Gah. That makes me giddy with excitement. This is going to be the coolest throwdown ever.

Chapter 39

"You sure you don't want to pilot it, lad?"
I shook my head. "You have more experience with the tensors, Cody."

Not to mention that if they don't work for you any more, the rest of the team is going to get suspicious.

"Broke my jaw," Cody said with a laugh. "Don't poke, kid. That's what I learned." He seemed not to care much, though a broken jaw sounded like a pretty big offense to me.
But then, who hadn't wanted to punch Cody on occasion?

So we have Cody the Crazy Scot who's going to run around in the tensor suit... does that make anyone else nervous? Just me? Okay.

"Silly?" Larcener asked. "You think it isn't obvious? A man does not study, learn, obsess as you have because of hatred. No, these are the signs of lust. You have sought a father amoing the Epics, a lover among them." He stepped toward me. "Admit it. You want nothing more than to be one of us."

Gah, I wish Abraham would punch this guy in the jaw.

We're almost to the Epic showdown of the century! What are you guys hoping to see when the team finally faces Prof? (And who else really, really hopes Larcener bites it?)

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Calamity Read-Along Chapters 30-34

Another week, another few chapters! When we last left the Reckoners, their heist had just been scrambled into a huge mess, thanks to an Epic who could negate other Epic powers in a radius around her.

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Let's see how they get out of this one...

Chapter 30

Something trembled inside me, like an ancient leviathan stirring in its slumber within a den of water and stone. The hair on my arms stood up, and my muscles tensed, as if I were straining to lift something heavy.

Yeah, David! Unleash your Epicness! Show the world what a good Epic can be like.
*ahem*
Sorry, I let myself get carried away there a little bit.

Prof's eyes widened. Was that fear in his expression? Worry? Megan hadn't brought a version of him in to this world, but this was apparently close enough. Yes, he was afraid of her powers. His powers.

Chapter 31

She looked at me, angry. "Stay back, David," she growled. "Just...stay back."

Well.

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 Chapter 32

"Yes," he said, nodding. "I've noticed her. She's the one who pulls me through. Odd to think that I might have a sister, in another place, another world."

Reserving final judgment until we know a little bit more, but I think I kind of like Firefight.

I knew that figure. Dark clothing. Powerful build. Even at a distance, even in the gloom of night, I knew that man. I'd spent my life studying him, watching him, hunting him.
"Steelheart," I whispered.

Wow. Wait. A. Second. I am not prepared for a second world where Steelheart is a good guy. No way.

Chapter 33

Destruction surrounded us—floor, walls, furniture splintered, pocked, broken... all except in my immediate area. The ground here wasn't broken at all. In fact, it was glassy and reflective. A deep, burnished silver-black. Metallic.
I was alive.
Regalia's voice whispered from my memory. I have been assured that you will be... thematically appropriate.

Oh my gosh. Calamity's turned him into another Steelheart. David's spent his entire life fighting against Steelheart only to become him.

I knelt, stunned, and barely heard Prof's roar—his sudden, shocked cry of agony and regret.

What? Aw, c'mon Sanderson, not cool!

Chapter 34

"I'd say you were a super-awesome ninja thing today," Abraham said.

Okay, the phrase "super-awesome ninja thing" coming from Mizzy's mouth sounds perfectly natural. From Abraham? I can't reconcile it. But it made me laugh, which has been desperately needed after these last few chapters.

"You have them already," I said. "That's why you're so eager for Prof's cells. You've already built devices to replicate his powers."
"We built them together," he said. "He and I."

Not surprising, when you think about it.

Okay, wow... those were some heavy chapters. I think I need a blanket and some hot chocolate like Mizzy. Am I alone in thinking that David has become another Steelheart?

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Calamity Read-Along Chapters 25-29

So, I have a confession to make... I had intended to read Calamity slowly, as I wrote each of these read-along posts. Savoring the story and all that. But after I wrote the last post, the reading bug bit hard, and I just had to know how the story ended. So I binge-read the rest of the book in one afternoon.

Oh wow, you guys. Wow. There is some fantastic stuff coming up!

Chapter 25

"But this fear? It seemed to bloom alongside my powers. It's like the powers... needed something to be afraid of."
"Like water," I whispered.

That would explain why the weaknesses seem random at times.

Chapter 26

"Hmm? Oh, Loophole has executed three different pastry chefs so far for creating substandard desserts. It was in Tia's notes. The woman really like her cupcakes."
"And you didn't mention this because..."
"Not important," I said.

This book has made me severely doubt David's ability to judge what is not important. I can only imagine the look Megan is giving him at this point.

Obliteration. The man who had destroyed Houston and Kansas City and tried to blow up Babilar. The toll that Regalia had used to push Prof into darkness. He was here.

Dang it. I was really hoping he would go away.

Chapter 27

"Ah, Steeslayer," he said. "Your features may change, but your eyes—and the hunger within them—are the same."

Dang it.

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"Are you... staring at my chest?" I asked.
"What?" she said. "Stay focused, Knees."

Yes, yes, you're both very cute and lovey-dovey here. While I'd like to say "awww," I think you perhaps have more pressing matters to take care of?

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Chapter 28

Let the prize be worth the cost.

I love this line. I feel like it's been a running theme throughout all the books, even though this is the first time it's been said.

But hearing him talk to these people like he'd once talked to us... it was heartbreaking.

Awww.

Chapter 29

Our disguises were gone.

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What did you think of Prof putting together a team of Epics like he'd once run a team of Reckoners? Is anyone excited to see the teams clash?

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