Mythbusters to test Star Trek's Gorn Cannon.

I'm really looking forward to this though I doubt Buster's anticipating having a softball-sized diamond shot at his face. Just remember, on Mythbusters, failure is always an option. If this doesn't work, it'll be the result of a deficit of Kirk-ocity in the assembly of the MB cannon.

For those out of the loop, the Sci-Fi Channel is now Syfy. The reasoning behind the rebranding is two-fold. First, they don't want people to see the channel name and think "I can't watch this it's for guys living in their parents' basements" like that's a bad thing. Of course, I write as a guy who spends most of his time in a basement, so... Moving on, the second reason is they can't trademark the phrase "sci fi". If they want to branch out into merchandise, publishing, etc. and really push the channel (which is doing very well ratings and dollar-wise), they need a name they can market. That they aren't running away from their core audience is evidenced by the recent announcement they're looking for a new space opera to fill the vacancy left by nuBattlestar Galactica. Caprica doesn't fill the bill (corporate intrigue and family drama with androids on another planet) and the upcoming Stargate Universe fills the channel's Mil-SF/Stargate slot.

In the end, I don't like the change, I was used to the old Saturn logo and it's hard not to see the move as the channel's execs being somewhat embarrassed by what they are selling, but I understand it. So far, nobody got an eye put out so if they manage to put some solid shows on and maybe can work up the long-rumored Ringworld  or Kim Stanley Robinson Chromatic Mars miniseries and have them be as successful as their Dune and Taken efforts, things will be okay.

Lastly, set aside June 17, 2011 for Green Lantern. Things are moving forward on that, especially now that Ryan Reynolds has been cast as Harold "Hal" Jordan, successor to Abin Sur as Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814. Now the trick is to get a good Sinestro and Carol Ferris.