Agatha All Along

Marvel Studios brilliantly teased the upcoming WandaVision spin-off series starring Kathryn Hahn as the titular witch, Agatha Harkness, on Disney+.

Coven of Chaos, Agnes of Westview, Agatha: The Darkhold Diaries and Agatha: House of Harkness were all teased as titles on social media.

It was Agatha All Along. Well played, Marvel Studios!

WandaVision was the first Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) spin-off series on Disney+ with spellbinding performances from Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch), Paul Bettany (Vision) and Hahn. Agatha All Along, the satirical theme song performed by Hahn herself, spawned countless memes and topped the iTunes charts during the pandemic.

Fellow Doctor Who fans will be amused to know Russell T Davies named Jack Harkness after Agatha. Of course, the beloved BBC sci-fi series is now on Disney+ outside the UK and Ireland.

Marvel Studios' Agatha All Along will premiere on 18th September on Disney+.

Are you looking forward to Agatha All Along? Let me know in the comments below.

Doctor Who: The Devil’s Chord

Space Babies heralded the Disney era of Doctor Who with a double bill including The Devil's Chord, and Andrew Lewin and I would like to invite our readers to discuss all things Whovian on The WELL.

Nick Smith, after appearing on The Legend of the Traveling TARDIS podcast, returns to a not-so-swinging sixties and meets a glum Fab Four.

Guest post by Nick Smith

The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) returns to earth for his second adventure of this year, The Devil’s Chord.

After a visit to a baby-making space station, Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) has spent some time in the present before asking to go back in time to meet the Beatles. Whether she is successful or not is debatable.

It’s always fun to see a human companion exploring the past, from Martha Jones' (Freema Agyeman) encounter with the Bard in The Shakespeare Code to Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) helping to stoke The Fires of Pompeii. Inevitably, though, wherever the TARDIS goes, there’s trouble in store.

In 1963, a chaotic god has stolen music like an evil governmental entity removing arts education from schools. How could such a fiendish (yet cost-efficient) scheme possibly effect our world? Showrunner and scriptwriter Russell T Davies counts the ways, which include loneliness, loss of empathy and, worst of all, no Love Me Do from the Fab Four!

Jinkx Monsoon is Maestro, the colourful meanie who has turned ‘60s London into a no-singing, no-dancing homage to Footloose. Like Kevin Bacon in that movie, the Doctor and Ruby are willing to break the rules to draw Maestro out. If you like your villains to chew scenery with the insatiability of a termite at a wood carving convention, Maestro is for you. Luckily, Ruby can play beautiful piano music that sounds uncannily like a Murray Gold composition, and the Doctor can twist like he did last Christmas. Gold’s music has saved many a soul from the blues, and his music is one of the strongest elements in this episode.

Also strong: the lighting and visuals, showing that spending a little more time - and splashing more cash - on this season is paying off. There are some bum notes; the Beatles actors don’t look anything like the group, so the Doctor and Ruby might as well have gone to see the Rutles. Towards the end of the story, the John Lennon not-a-like appears from nowhere to help the Doctor, just like the last episode’s space babies with their flamethrower.

Davies has a habit of giving characters barely justified things to do because the plot requires it, rather than following them in parallel so we can believe what they’re doing is innate. Here, we get a Lennon Ex Machina sauntering up and plonking on a piano, which helps combat Maestro. Contrived to be sure, although it is established early on that music is in his heart somewhere, aching to get out.

Physical musical notes float in the air through a major piece of the story. They are not all necessary, becoming as indulgent as Maestro’s wardrobe. As with the talking babies in the previous story, just because production company Bad Wolf Studios can afford to go to town with CGI, that doesn’t always mean that it should.

A musical number is tacked onto the end of the story after the Doctor breaks the fourth wall. It’s not the first time he’s done this, and the charismatic Gatwa makes it palatable. The suggestion is that anything goes in this magical new version of Doctor Who. But it’s worth bearing in mind that without those grumpy old guardians of science fiction, logic and structure, it becomes harder to believe in or care about the story or worry about the Doctor. If he can get out of trouble with a song and a dance, the scrutiny shifts from the coherence of the storytelling to the quality of the choreography.

Since razzmatazz and rationality aren’t mutually exclusive, hopefully, this won’t be the last time the Doctor dances. This certainly isn’t his first brush with music – we have to go all the way back to 1966’s The Gunfighters for that.

The Devil’s Chord feels fresh, with eye-popping dashes of colour and some very funny moments. It’s refreshing after the darker moments of former showrunners Steven Moffat and Chris Chibnall. Davies is obviously enjoying the carte blanche he’s been given on the show, which continues to surprise and excite audiences two decades after he jump-started the TARDIS.

Unlike Space Babies, The Devil’s Chord has many layers worth tuning into, and it’s undoubtedly a story that will improve with more groovy viewings.

New episodes of Doctor Who stream every Friday on Disney+ outside the UK and Ireland and every Saturday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Season one is available for pre-order (affiliate link).

Have you watched The Devil's Chord? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Nick Smith's new audiobook, Undead on Arrival, is available from Amazon (affiliate link).

Tomb Raider from Fleabag creator

An animated Tomb Raider series, starring Hayley Atwell (Mission Impossible), is currently in production for Netflix. Prime Video has confirmed a live-action series from Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

“If I could tell my teenage self that this was happening, I think she’d explode. Tomb Raider has been a huge part of my life and I feel incredibly privileged to be bringing it to television with such passionate collaborators. Lara means a lot to me, as she does to many, and I can’t wait to go on this adventure. Bats ‘n all," said Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Waller-Bridge is no stranger to archaeological adventures after appearing in Indiana Jones.

“I’m so happy to announce that we have ordered the epic, globetrotting series Tomb Raider from the incredibly gifted Emmy-award winner Phoebe Waller-Bridge and the team at Crystal Dynamics,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios. “Fans and newcomers can look forward to exhilarating adventures that honor the legacy of this iconic character.”

The recent Fallout adaptation on Prime Video is stunning. So, I'm cautiously optimistic.

Tomb Raider will stream exclusively on Prime Video (affiliate link).

Are you looking forward to a Tomb Raider live-action series? Let me know in the comments below.

LEGO The Lord of the Rings: Barad-Dûr

Travel to Mordor with the LEGO Icons The Lord of the Rings: Barad-Dûr set.

Read the official press release:

"Today the LEGO Group, in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products, reveals the LEGO® Icons Lord of the Rings: Barad-Dûr set, inspired by the award-winning film adaptations. Now in brick form, the epic dark tower and Eye of Sauron build has many hidden fan “treasures” and story references from the Lord of the Rings.

Prepare to journey deep into the heart of Middle-earth with the unveiling of the spectacular LEGO Icons Lord of the Rings: Barad-Dûr set! With its imposing 5,471 pieces, this awe-inspiring masterpiece brings to life the dark tower of Mordor in stunning detail, packed with thrilling features and beloved characters from Tolkien’s timeless saga. The journey through the dark tower continues with the throne room – which includes a compartment that opens to reveal a map, and a ladder on the top floor of the tower that can be moved left and right.

At the summit lies the Eye of Sauron that rotates in various directions and features a light brick to make the eye glow. There are also 10 minifigures, including Sauron™, Mouth of Sauron™, Orc™, Frodo, Sam, Gollum™ and Gothmog.

The build is split into four main sections, with the tower section being fully modular. LEGO fans with more than one copy of the set will be able to stack this section to build a taller tower."

The LEGO Icons The Lord of the Rings: Barad-Dûr set will be available to purchase for LEGO Insiders from 1st June, and for all from 4th June.

Discover LEGO The Lord of the Rings on LEGO AU, CA, UK and US (affiliate links).

Will you be adding it to your collection? Which The Lord of the Rings building sets would you like to see added in the future? Let me know in the comments below.

Doctor Who: Space Babies

The Disney era of Doctor Who begins with a double episode on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and Disney+ outside the UK and Ireland. You can read my initial impressions here.

Following on from The Church on Ruby Road, Nick Smith, our US-based veteran Whovian, discovers a space station full of Jelly Babies, I mean Space Babies.

Guest post by Nick Smith

Babies are adorable, aren’t they? As a human race with an inkling of interest in our survival, we are programmed to love them and find them fascinating. But can a gag about babies running a space station sustain an episode of Doctor Who? Yes, it can.

Ah, Doctor Who, the 61-year-old sci-fi series that can be anything: a historical drama, a dystopian morality tale, a horror story, a musical, or a gross-out comedy. Space Babies, the first regular episode of season one, is the latter. It will appeal primarily to children who enjoy snotty comedy; for adults, there is an on-the-nose social commentary about pro-life politics, a flaming hot topic in the home country of Disney+.

The scatological humour is reminiscent of kid-friendly, fun ideas like the Slitheen in showrunner Russell T Davies’ first season of Doctor Who (billed as series one. Yes, the new episodes are being marketed as season one. Stay with me, it’s a time travel show).

Space Babies develops a manifesto that Davies initiated in last year’s Children in Need skit, Destination: Skaro. His credo, don’t take this episodic fantasy too seriously, can be liberating. It’s understandable; Davies just wants to have fun, taking the crayon box of Doctor Who’s past and adding new colours by sublimating the science and incorporating concepts of myth and magic. If classic Doctor Who can include bizarre ideas like a cosmic toymaker or a psychotic Bertie Bassett, why not pop in some talking babies and a mucus monster?

Davies and director Julie Anne Robinson focus on the new Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa, with vivid closeups to help imprint him on viewers like the first face a baby sees. Gatwa is a good actor, handling action, comedy, tons of exposition (about his character’s past, the TARDIS, and the space station he materializes in), and a potentially annoying habit of saying ‘space’ over and over. In Gatwa’s hands – or mouth – every scene is believable and entertaining.

The babies speak with uncanny lip movements (telepathy would have been less distracting) and there’s at least one glitch in the footage as Robinson gets the babies to do what they have to do to move the story forward. But since the Fifteenth Doctor’s era is in its infancy, these little hiccups can be forgiven.

The monster design is fascinating, and the homage to Alien is clever, subverting what we expect to happen, as all the best tributes do.

Best of all, the Doctor and his companion, Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), run up and down lots of corridors; it’s good to see that no matter how glossy, expensive and revamped Doctor Who gets, the tropes remain the same.

New episodes of Doctor Who stream every Friday on Disney+ outside the UK and Ireland and every Saturday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Season one is available for pre-order (affiliate link).

Have you watched Space Babies? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Nick Smith's new audiobook, Undead on Arrival, is available from Amazon (affiliate link).

Doctor Who on The WELL

So you might have noticed that the new series of Doctor Who starring Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who) and Millie Gibson (Ruby Sunday) starts this weekend on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK, and of course globally on Disney+. There’s been the odd mention of it on the news as well as some trailers, posters and interviews – all very understated. A budget of $100 million can only go so far.

In the past, Andrew Lewin (of Taking the Short View) and I have collaborated on features and reviews about the BBC's beloved long-running sci-fi series.

However, things went dark during the pandemic - aside from celebrating the Doctor Who BBC Centenary special: The Power of the Doctor.

We’re keen to revive the tradition (after I searched for Andrew across all of space and time - messaged him on Messenger), and to step it up a bit. Rather than standalone features, we’re setting up a new community to run alongside the broadcast/streaming of the new season in May and June, and hope that some of our readers will come over and try it out for themselves.

It’s hosted on The WELL, one of the world’s original and longest-lasting online communities. It’s a subscription-based membership site, but non-members can read our public discussion of all things Doctor Who over the next few weeks by going to this link!

You can send any questions and comments to the moderator here, but if you want to participate directly or access the full Whovians forum then you’ll need to sign up for an introductory membership at The WELL.

Alternatively, we also have some gift invites (courtesy of The WELL) that we can offer that will give you a free three-month trial which will do the trick. Contact Andrew Lewin directly here with a few words about yourself and your interest in Doctor Who, and mention that you saw the offer here on Generation Star Wars.

We hope to see you there, but either way – enjoy the new season of Doctor Who!

Darth Jar Jar rises in LEGO Star Wars

This year is the 25th anniversary of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and LEGO Star Wars.

After decades of fan speculation, Darth Jar Jar is a thing. Lucasfilm has dropped a teaser trailer for LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy on Disney+.



Read the official synopsis:

"In LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, the entire Star Wars Galaxy gets completely mixed up when an ordinary nerf-herder, Sig Greebling (Gaten Matarazzo), unearths a powerful artifact from a hidden Jedi temple. He finds himself thrust into adventure in a new, wondrously wild and twisted version of the galaxy where good guys are bad, bad guys are good, and the fate of all depends on Sig becoming the hero who can put all the pieces back together."

The talented voice cast features Gaten Matarazzo (Sig Greebling), Tony Revolori (Dev Greebling), Bobby Moynihan (Jedi Bob), Marsai Martin (Yesi Scala), Michael Cusack (Servo), Ahmed Best (Darth Jar Jar), and Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker).

The animated special showcases the longtime team-up of Lucasfilm and Danish toy manufacturing company, The LEGO Group. “It’s hard to believe that it’s been twenty-five years since the ground-breaking collaboration between Lucasfilm and The LEGO Group began,” says executive producer James Waugh. “In that time, LEGO Star Wars has given our fans the unique power to unlock their imaginations and play with the galaxy’s elements in any way they can conceive… and build. It’s with that playful spirit in mind that we set out to 'Rebuild the Galaxy' like never before. Tapping into the comedic genius of Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit, two of the most talented comedy writers I’ve had the fortune of working with, we’ve mixed and matched LEGO sets to snap together Imperial X-fighters, Rebel TIE-wings, and yes, even Darth Jar Jar. This four-piece special is a celebration of all things Star Wars, LEGO, and the incredible explorations that can only happen when these two amazing brands come together.”

Discover LEGO Star Wars on LEGO AU, CA, UK and US (affiliate links).

LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy streams exclusively on 13th September on Disney+.

Are you looking forward to LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy on Disney+? Let me know in the comments below.

Sith rise in The Acolyte on Star Wars Day

Lucasfilm has dropped an action-packed final trailer for The Acolyte on May the Fourth AKA Star Wars Day!



Read the official synopsis:

"In The Acolyte, an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems..."

The series stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss.

The Acolyte, the latest Star Wars live-action spin-off series, debuts exclusively on Disney+ on 4th June.

Are you looking forward to The Acolyte on Disney+? Let me know in the comments below.

Doctor Who's TARDIS materialises at Disneyland

Doctor Who returns with a two-episode premiere next Friday on Disney+ and the TARDIS has materialised at Disneyland Resort ahead of the new series starring Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who) and Millie Gibson (Ruby Sunday). Gatwa and Gibson recently appeared on Good Morning America (GMA).



The BBC and Disney have a storied history. I vividly remember Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor presenting Disney Time ending in a link to Terror of the Zygons.

With the creative partnership between the BBC and Disney, the TARDIS doors have been opened for future theme park collaborations.

Doctor Who season one premieres 11th May on BBC One and BBC iPlayer and 10th May on Disney+ outside the UK and Ireland. That's so timey-wimey.

What future Doctor Who-themed attractions would you like to see at Disney Parks? Are you looking forward to season one of Doctor Who? Let me know in the comments below.

Hasbro Pulse Star Wars Day Fanstream

May the Fourth AKA Star Wars Day is on Saturday and Hasbro has announced a fanstream for Friday.

From the official Hasbro Pulse Instagram account:

"Map the coordinates and initiate your hyperdrive because we have a galactic Star Wars May the 4th Be With You Fanstream coming your way! Join the Hasbro Star Wars team on our YouTube channel next Friday, May 3rd, at 11:00am ET for a celebration filled with fresh reveals from the Star Wars The Black Series line and some updates on The Vintage Collection.

We know the anticipation is high for the upcoming Star Wars The Vintage Collection HasLab. While we initially planned to unveil it this week, we’re taking extra time to ensure it’s as spectacular as Star Wars fans expect. The reveal is pushed back, but fear not we promise it’s worth the wait. We’ll share more details soon, so keep your comlinks open and stay tuned!"

This month marks the 25th anniversary of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, and, to celebrate, the first Star Wars prequel is back on the big screen. In May 1999, I vividly remember taking the day off work on 'Menace Monday' to buy merchandise (mostly Darth Maul-related) at Toys "R" Us. Coincidentally, I was interviewed by Hasbro for a multimedia role and shown CommTech, which revolutionised toy technology, under NDA in early 1999.

What are you hoping will be revealed during the Star Wars Day fanstream? How are you celebrating Star Wars Day? Let me know in the comments below.