Still holding on for a hero on Heroes:
As you probably know, Heroes has been a pretty frustrating series for those hoping to see more gay inclusiveness when it comes to science-fiction on TV. Early promotional materials indicated Zach was gay (or, at the least, questioning) but the character’s eventual "outing" was apparently nixed by Thomas Dekker’s (who played Zach) manager. In the second season, a lesbian character quickly disappeared when the actress found another role (though I wonder how much they had planned for the character if they didn’t get the actress to make a long-term commitment).

For a moment, we had a glimmer of hope with the proposed spin-off series, Heroes: Origins — which would have introduced new characters in episodes directed by big names. One episode would have been directed by Kevin Smith, who expressed an interest in telling the story of a gay hero. Unfortunately, Origins and its Smith episode faded away amidst the Writers’ Strike.

According to a report from Wizard World Philadelphia, a new series of webcomics debuting over the summer at the show’s official site will introduce twelve new characters. Eventually, visitors will be allowed to vote on which of the twelve new characters is their favorite and the top pick “will probably wind up making it onto the show this fall”. Okay, that ‘probably’ bothers me (especially considering the way the second season really floundered creatively), but I’m hoping there’ll be a diverse mix in these twelve new characters, including a chance for us viewers to directly advocate for adding a gay character to the line-up.

While the TV series has missed chances to be more inclusive, the comic has a slightly better record since it still strongly hints at Zack's homosexuality. At least there is some reason to stay optimistic. Hopefully, there'll be something to report in the next few weeks.

NBC, Nerds Welcome:
Speaking of Heroes ... anyone who’s been to Comic-Con International at San Diego probably knows how many companies arrive at the event with collector-aimed merchandise being sold only during the convention. Now NBC is getting into the act with limited edition merchandise aimed at fans of Heroes, The Office and Battlestar Galatica.

My tendency to pick up collectibles slowed down once I realized that Legion of Superhero PVC figures don’t match well with my grown-up furniture. That being the case, I don't feel any worse that I’ll be missing San Diego this year – though I would be tempted by that "frakking toaster" if the image were a little clearer.

Now, if they were selling a talking Jack Donaghy action figure...

Protoculture Empire:
Just after I brought up Robotech’s Lisa Hayes as one of sci-fi’s strong women who relied on brainpower, the anime classic pops up in the news as screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan will be working on a big screen adaptation of the influential anime series. Kasdan is an interesting pick because he has some major successes behind him – he wrote the screenplay for Raiders of the Lost Ark and co-wrote The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

The idea of the Macross Saga hitting the local googleplpex has me feeling a bit of dread. The tone of the original – with its mix of mecha and “love can conquer all” themes could be a challenge to duplicate. More worrisome for me is that the original Robotech hasn’t really aged well except as nostalgia. Still, if Kasdan was the writer responsible for the balance between emotional melodrama and action on Empire and Jedi there may be some hope.

Robotech's main couple, Rick Hunter and Lisa Hayes

Normally, I'd be tempted to play a game of casting director but this is one adaptation that stumps me. Any ideas of how you would cast as Rick Hunter, Lisa Hayes, Lynn Minmay and the rest?