Post several major gaming conventions and also separeate developer showcases, it has been a very slow but not completely unremarkable week for sci-fi.

Here's a catch up.

Doctor Who

The BBC released more images from the final episode for our thirteenth Doctor Who, Jodie Whittaker.

Jodie's performance in the role was spectacular from beginning to end, so it's kind of sad to see her go, but the show's moral compass went completely wonky during Chibnall's reign.

With some episodes slyly promoting terrorism (Kerblam!) and others racism (The Flux).

Having generally enjoyed the episodes Chibnall wrote we're not sure he's to blame, but are sure the BBC would like to lump him with it.

Showrunners / directors are disposable.

Not so much entire organisations.

Though in this case....

A privately owned production company going by the name of Bad Wolf - appropriate - has officially taken over production of the series.

Bad Wolf is headed by former BBC staff responsible for the show's successful return in 2005, Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner.

Russell Davies' return as showrunner made much bigger headlines but after Chibnall era The Timeless Child, the series lost a lot of its shine and we stopped watching after the second Flux episode.

So this next series should be a proper return to finest form for The Doctor.

Then Sony bought Bad Wolf.

Mmmm.

Sony have a few solid TV series in their stable like The Boys but never imagined them making Doctor Who.

Season thirteen's final episode will air in October on the ABC.

La Brea

NBC dropped the season 2 trailer for shot in Australia (Victoria) sinkhole series La Brea.

We really love to support Aussie content but we didn't make it more than a few minutes into its pilot episode.

It's that rough.

But in the US it did quite well for a sci-fi series on a major US network, so it obviously has to something to offer to many viewers.

Not original dialog though judging by this trailer.

When can Aussie fans expect to see it?

Releasing in the US on the 27th, it's expected to arrive here on 9Now this year, and there's not a lot of that left.

Quantum Leap

Sadly might be a dud.

Recall that we described their trailer as helpfully informative.

Having not watched the original series for many years and it not even being available on any of the streaming services here in Australia, we were very grateful to get a 2 minute refresher course.

Expecting that 2 minutes to be most of the instruction delivered during the premiere episode.

But they may have completely overdone that.

The Hollywood Reporter's review is titled:

‘Quantum Leap’ Review: NBC’s Time-Travel Reboot Gets Sucked Into an Exposition Vortex

Are they alone in that view?

No.

Curiously there are still only 17 critic and 142 viewer reviews on Rotten Tomatoes - that's miniscule - but they're rating it a consistent 47% and 46% respectively.

Without the benefit of having seen it we can only guess that they may have tried to cram the entirety of the original series' canon into this first episode.

To get both old and new viewers on the same page, so that moving forward episodes wouldn't need to be written accounting for those two distinct audiences.

But entertainment must entertain and many sci-fi series have died ignoble deaths because their pilot episodes failed to impress and delight.

We still want to see this one when it makes its way to our shores but these signs are not encouraging.

And could also negatively impact the prospects of reviving other long dead series.

Scanners

HBO have announced a new sci-fi series in development based on the 1980s film Scanners, with its director David Cronenberg to serve as an executive producer.

Not a film we recognise but the premise isn't complex - our world, but with a small number of telepaths and telekinetic.

Those engaged in a factional war.

The series is being described as a visceral thriller set in the mind-bending world of Cronenberg’s film. It will focus on two women living on the fringes of modern society who are pursued by relentless agents with unimaginable powers and thus must learn to work together to topple a vast conspiracy determined to bring them to heel.

Watching the 80s film trailer didn't blow our mind, but one of its showrunners is William Bridges who co-wrote Black Mirror's USS Callister episode.

Superb credentials.

He's joined in that role by Yann Demange who was an executive producer for Lovecraft Country and Top Boy.

Haven't seen either.

Could be well timed from the perspective of the only other series we're aware of built on low-key sci-fi like telekinesis and telepathy - Netflix's Stranger Things.

Ending in its fifth season, we'd expect to see Scanners arrive within a few years and possibly feel to viewers like its filling a void.

If of a similar calibre to USS Callister, it could be something.

Scorn

It's another S one but strange only in aesthetic rather than name.

Scorn is the one of the three big sci-fi horror survival games landing soon, the other two being The Callisto Protocol and the Dead Space remake.

Fun time to be a fright fan.

Not that we are but watching the freshly spawned introductory gameplay trailer (warning - contains disturbing images) for this Giger inspired game was edge of the seat viewing.

This is a visual style we strongly associate with the Alien franchise and you know you really want to get out of this place.

Then before you know it, you've seen things you'll never unsee.

Don't think we'll be playing this one or watching any more gameplay, but it looks impressive.

With its unique visual style it may hit harder than the other two big horror titles to follow.

Scorn releases on PC (Steam, Epic and GOG) and Xbox Series X|S on& October 21.

Strange World

Not to be confused with Netflix's Stranger Things or Paramount's Strange New Worlds (Star Trek) is Disney's upcoming animated space adventure Strange World.

Also completely unrelated to Disney's (Marvel) Doctor Strange.

Its June teaser was so fabulously exotic that we had to watch it twice.

Not to admire its beauty but to actually pay attention to the dialog.

We did better this time and had a good laugh.

Even having heard some of these jokes before.

The story also strikes familiar tones but the trailer hints at this film possibly taking those to new places.

Strange World premieres in Australian cinemas on November 24.

No announcements have been about when it will arrive on Disney Plus but the pattern for Disney films has been a relatively short delay of six to eight weeks.

[ Main Image: Strange World. Credit: Disney via YouTube. ]

References

Doctor Who [@bbcdoctorwho] (September 22, 2022). Old friends and enemies reunite. Twitter.

Ebb Software (September 21, 2022. Scorn – Prologue Gameplay Walkthrough. YouTube.

Fienberg, Daniel (September 19, 2022). ‘Quantum Leap’ Review: NBC’s Time-Travel Reboot Gets Sucked Into an Exposition Vortex. The Hollywood Reporter.

HD Retro Trailers (August 19, 2022). Scanners (1981) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]. YouTube.

Kit, Borys (September 21, 2022). David Cronenberg’s ‘Scanners’ Heads to HBO as a Series With ‘Black Mirror’ Writer, ‘Lovecraft Country’ Director (Exclusive). The Hollywood Reporter.

NBC (September 22, 2022). Survival is the Only Way Home | La Brea Season 2 Official Trailer | NBC. YouTube.

Rotten Tomatoes. Quantum Leap 2022: Season 01. (viewed September 25, 2022)

Walt Disney Animation Studios (September 21, 2022). Strange World | Official Trailer. YouTube.

Wikipedia. Doctor Who. (viewed September 25, 2022)