Beacon 23 and other TV notes

Science Fiction 3 Minutes

Just some thoughts on Doctor Who, Rebel Moon, and Beacon 23.

We had the three Doctor Who specials earlier this month. In general I thought they were alright. The first was serviceable, the second pretty good, and the third a decent bit of canon cleanup. I know a lot of people who were hoping Russell Davies would find a way to just disown or retcon away the Chris Chibnall era changes, but I’m not particularly surprised he didn’t. 

I actually didn’t have too much of an issue with Chibnall’s changes, just with his execution. I thought the idea of the Timeless Child sequence was actually pretty cool. The character of the Doctor has evolved throughout the revived series into something transcending the Time Lords anyway. And it adds a lot of new mysteries, which the Doctor doesn’t know the answers to any more than we do. I’m sure the show will eventually get around to answering them (or at least hinting at answers), but it makes complete sense that it’ll take its time about it.

Anyway, Davies’ solution seemed to find a way to acknowledge the traumatic effects the changes had on the Doctor, while finding a way for the show to move forward without staying preoccupied by them. 

My first impressions of Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor were positive. Although as always, it’ll take some getting used to. I’m looking forward to seeing him in his own with the Christmas episode.

The reviews for Rebel Moon are pretty scathing, although audience ratings are more forgiving. I watched it yesterday and was entertained. The production values are excellent and the acting (mostly) pretty good. It had plenty of action and fairly cool special effects. And I’m mildly curious to learn more about the backstory for the characters and events, which hopefully will come out in Part II when it arrives in April.

That said, the movie is far from perfect. It does a complex infodump at the beginning that I suspect most people glaze over on. The motivations of too many of the characters seem undeveloped; it wasn’t clear why some of them sign up for the team, except that the plot requires it. The finale comes on with a plot twist that I thought was good, but again character motivations at the end seem unclear. 

The most common complaints from the critics was that it was too derivative. It is pretty derivative, but to me not any more so than the vast majority of movies and shows out there. I guess the critics just expect more innovation from Zack Snyder. I suspect the smell of commercialism isn’t helping. Snyder wants to turn this into a broad franchise. We’ll see if there’s enough there for it.

Beacon 23 is a new series based on a Hugh Howey novel. (Howey is also the author of the Silo books. He seems to be on a streak.) The action centers on a small space station, a “beacon”, which seems to serve a navigational role in space similar to what the old lighthouses did for sailors. In this case, it involves monitoring dark matter to let ships traveling faster than light know whether passage though the region is safe. The beacons appear to have a single human keeper and an AI that runs its systems. Although we eventually learn that it can run for extended periods uncrewed.

The show opens with an apparent malfunction of the beacon’s systems, which result in a ship being destroyed, with only a single survivor, Aster. Aster is rescued by Halan, the resident at the station. Only, it quickly becomes clear that things aren’t as they seem. Halan isn’t the real beacon keeper, and Aster isn’t the official she claims to be. But also that something very strange is going on at this beacon station. There is something seriously wrong with Bart, the station’s AI, and there are many strange anomalies.

All of this is happening against a backdrop of what seems like a very troubled interstellar society. There are failing colonies, corrupt corporations, and violent political dissidents, all of which has effects on what’s going on at the beacon. As the non-linear episodes play out, it gradually becomes clear that a lot of people have been and remain interested in the beacon.

It’s hard to go much further without getting into spoilers. The show is a psychological thriller. The season ends on a cliffhanger, but I saw that it’s already been renewed for a second season. 

I enjoyed it, and recommend checking it out. I’ve been a fan of Lena Headey ever since The Sarah Conner Chronicles, so it was good to see her in a starring role again. You have to catch this one on MGM+ (apparently the successor to Epix). 

That’s what I’ve been watching. Have you seen any of these? Or anything else worth discussing?

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15 thoughts on “Beacon 23 and other TV notes”

  1. @selfawarepatterns.com Hugh Howey likes writing closed-room scifi thrillers, doesn't he? I just finished his Silo trilogy novels.

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    1. @DanielSolis @selfawarepatterns.com

      It does seem like it. I almost mentioned it in the post, but the only stories of his I'm familiar with are this one and Silo, so wasn't sure how accurate it would be.

      Have you read Beacon 23? I'm curious how closely the show follows it.

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  2. Wyrd Smythe referenced The Critical Drinker’s 20 years of LOTR in lieu of the lax in quality films in recent decades. If you haven’t seen it it’s worth a watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQF4-wEbD6I What’s explained there seems to jive with most all of what’s available on streaming services these days.

    Haven’t seen any of your above. Will prolly watch RebelMoon here soon. MGM+ is not on our list. I found The Creator on Hulu which I’ll also view here soon. Haven’t watched Dr. Who since the curly haired dude of the 80’s. About the only reportable mention is Young Sheldon, which feels lame in lieu of the company you list. But, I’ve laughed out loud at many of the episodes, the writers having extended true comic effort.

    The dark matter channel premise sounds intriguing. If one writes a space story and does not take into account dark matter/energy one misses the boat, it would seem. Assume you’ve seen “Station 11” which resembles this in name only.

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    1. Can’t say I’m a fan of the Critical Drinker. Most of his rants amount to pining for the shared biases of his formative years. If he really knew Tolkien’s books, he’d be aware of how much Jackson changed the story for 1999-2001 audiences.

      For some reason I totally missed The Creator. Looks interesting. I’ll have to check it out this week. Thanks!

      Truth in advertising, dark matter in Beacon 23 is really just part of the double talk for the beacon’s existence. It doesn’t figure heavily into the plot, at least not in any obvious manner. Though it wouldn’t shock me if it plays a larger role later.

      I actually haven’t seen Station Eleven either. Another one I’ll have to check out, although I have to be in the right mood for apocalypse fiction. (Post apocalyptic stories set generations or centuries after the apocalypse I’m usually onboard with, but I’m kind of bored with apocalypses themselves.)

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      1. The concept of “epic” tales told through film came through in that YT. Wyrd and I remarked on other SF/F epic stories we’d like to see made.
        Station 11 is unique in that it’s about a traveling theater troupe.

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  5. I have been watching Dr Who since 1964 and have loved it over the years. But it has become very tedious. Dr Who saves the universe – its all very “samey”. I’ll watch the Christmas Special and see if it cheers me onwards to continue watching

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    1. A few years ago BBC America ran some of the classic episodes from the Pertwee and Baker years. I was impressed by the Pertwee episodes and had forgotten how good the Baker ones were. The revived show, despite much higher production values, suffers in comparison. I wish it was better, although I (mostly) find it entertaining.

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  6. I am curious about Rebel Moon. I’ve heard that it was originally pitched as a Star Wars movie, so it doesn’t surprise me if it comes across as derivative. That’s kind of the reason I’m curious about it. I want to see something that’s basically Star Wars but isn’t encumbered by the lore and legacy of Star Wars.

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    1. I heard the same thing. It definitely feels a lot like a Star Wars movie, although grittier, more like Rogue One than the main canon. It starts its own lore, including a little of its own version of space magic. Definitely derivative, although I still enjoyed it. But then I also enjoyed Snyder’s DC movies, so my standards aren’t high.

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