As soon as BioWare finishes work on the Dragon Age sequel, it will be time for the next major entry in the Mass Effect franchise to sweep through the sci-fi world and rekindle interest in one of the most acclaimed works of speculative fiction in the past two decades. But since the Canadian video game developer has two teams working on the games concurrently, we may get a sneak peek at the goods as early as this year’s N7 celebrations.
All around, this is turning out to be an era of change and refreshment for many franchises. Take Doctor Who, for instance, which is introducing not one, but two new incarnations of the titular character in a single year, and one of them is an all too familiar face. But in case you are having trouble with all the wibbly wobbly timey-wimey details of this development, Ncuti Gatwa is here to give you a much-needed refresher on the whole “traveling through time and space as a 2000-year-old Time Lord god with two hearts.”
Star Wars fans come together once again to appreciate Genndy Tartovsky’s Clone Wars series
Before Dave Filoni’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated show bridged the gap between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, Lucasfilm’s recognized canonical authority in that respect was Genndy Tartovsky’s Clone Wars cartoons. The limited series might be lore-breaking from a certain point of view — and the fact that it depicts Jedi as invincible deities of destruction is the least of our concerns — but it nevertheless remains a hugely entertaining piece of Star Wars history.
This was, after all, the show that introduced fans to General Grievous. And what a menace he was. Asajj Ventress also made her debut in Tartovsky’s Clone Wars, and if want to know exactly how Shaak Ti became Grievous’ prisoner in Revenge of the Sith’s opening sequence, or how the Separatists abducted Chancellor Palpatine in the first place, then this is definitely a must-watch.
Mass Effect star Jennifer Hale teases special announcements for this year’s N7 Day
Nov. 7 is the annual Mass Effect celebration day, and this year’s digital festivities will feature something quite special indeed. Rumors circulating online seem to hint that BioWare will be releasing another sneak peek at the as-of-yet untitled Mass Effect 4, and now that FemShep’s voice actress Jennifer Hale has asked folks to “stay tuned,” the fandom is going into a state of frenzied speculation. I mean, if BioWare has somehow found a way to resurrect Shepard, the gaming community will lose its collective cool. Though there’s no telling if that will manifest itself in a cloud of excitement or a storm of rage. With Shepard, it could go either way.
Ncuti Gatwa breaks down Doctor Who for newer audiences
By now, everyone should know that David Tennant is returning as the fourteenth incarnation of the Doctor during next year’s 60th-anniversary special. The 14th will then pass on the torch to Ncuti Gatwa, who is the next big talent to pick up the sonic screwdriver and travel all of time and space in his faulty Tardis.
The Sex Education alum has a large fanbase outside of the sci-fi sphere, so Whovians should be prepared to welcome a wave of newcomers for season 14. Gatwa himself is willing to give you a summary of everything you need to know before jumping on the bandwagon, so make sure to check it out if you’re just thinking of joining the fun. Check it out even if you’re a Who veteran, because this is the new Doctor we’re talking about, and every extra minute with him is going to give us a deeper look at the kind of Doctor he’ll be.