benwasserman.bsky.social

My heart is heavy. Walter Koenig, our Ensign Pavel Chekov, passed away early today. Walter and I met on the bridge of the Enterprise in the 1960s, and we stayed friends for nearly six decades. When Brad and I married in 2008, Walter stood beside us as our best man.

it's looking like the first decade of the trump-era will end with a string of victories & partial victories for our side: orban out, wins in brazil & serbia, republicans will do badly in the midterms, netanyahu will be weakened & *may* be removed, the uk got rid of an uber appeasement focused pm

That’s another major victory for democracy. Let’s bring it on home in November.

The home that inspired Charles Addams’ depiction of the Addams Family mansion. Glad to see Westfield embracing its “altogether ooky” roots these days.

They’re not as common as they once were, but the few all-night diners that do still exist in the New Orleans area are a haven for night owls and early birds alike, the party animals in need of a sobering plate of greasy food and the workers who have to clock in by 7 a.m.

Honestly this is now even better. Without @kristinbaver.bsky.social’s ‘Skywalker: A Family at War’ there is no ‘Rise and Fall’ or ‘Star Pilots’. Being in a series with her is perfect.

It's a Wolverine game. Mixed reviews and hand-holding mechanics aside, people like slicing and dicing with this badass' claws.

AOC: "What the Trump administration is doing in targeting trans people is to get everyone on board with supporting defunding their own civil rights ... understand that when they attack trans girls in sports, they're also attacking all women's ability to stand up against their abusers"

Only now am I realizing Avatar: Seven Havens is making its story about the seven chakra gates. Good approach - that concept wasn’t explored as much as it could have been in TLA.

This metaphor is ridiculously obvious and unsubtle. Fire the writers. They're hacks.

Crazy this is not obvious to Wall Street: every democracy saw what Musk did to Ukraine last week and confirmed security need for Starlink alternative. Those alternatives will not just serve defense needs, but also be viable commercial alternatives, crushing any hope of SpaceX's monopoly projections.

Congratulations Scaramucci - we’re finally dropping you as a metric unit.

This is...honestly quite moving. deadline.com/2026/10/stev...

Jeff Trammell says they are currently working on ‘YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN’ Seasons 3 and 4. (via collider.com/your-friendl...)

If you like original films and wish Mahershala Ali got to show off his skills with a sword as Blade, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother fulfills both those needs. A very unusual action film, but one of 2026's best by far. Read my review here. film-forward.com/star-reviews...

question for brooks: what if they are, literally, nazis?

Just starting Marineford, but I’m vaguely familiar with Elbaph and Loki. Needless to say, the giant lives up to his height in-person.

Do you know how hard it is to lose the war if you're the United States? It's about as unlikely as bankrupting a casino.

Breaking news from 1930s Germany: Jewish citizens less likely to identity as Jewish. Not sure why that might be happening…

He’s definitely good at this verbal takedown business.

Definitely my favorite Hitchcock movie. RIP Eva Marie Saint.

Somehow, even rebranding the WB-Paramount merger as Skydance feels deeply underwhelming from a business angle. Feels like that’s foreshadowing how things will play out in a few years.

Anyone else getting Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit vibes?

Bingo.

Luckily for us, Reacher's Alan Ritchson clearly resembles a live-action BJ Blazkowicz.

The many, MANY ways a cat can successfully look adorable.

At least IGN is self-aware.

Romeo, oh Romeo. Wherefore art thou fucking Romeo? If you understand the linguistic translation, it works even better.

If you saw Skeleton Crew, then you’d have confidence in Watts directing a Star Wars movie.

Love Lanterns and have 2000s DCAU nostalgia? Then you're going to love this Substack piece about how Green Lantern John Stewart became so popular with DC fans. substack.com/home/post/p-...

Every creature in The Thing, but especially this monstrosity.

Sometimes, Jersey is just going to Jersey. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/n...

Can anyone believe Titanfall 2 is approaching its tenth anniversary? The game still looks and plays remarkably well.

Finally, some initiative.

Why do I envision Saruman ordering a burrito via MordorDash?

Thoughts on Sam Raimi's Spider-Man, 9/11, and how the benchmark-setting superhero film doubled as a form of catharsis for a grieving New York City. And, at the time, the United States as a whole. substack.com/home/post/p-...

Seeing how Optimus’ tagline is “Freedom is the right of all sentient beings,” they really had to uphold his ideals.

Okay everyone. Here’s the YouTube interview with @jimmykimmel.com and @jamestalarico.bsky.social You know what to do. Watch it. Share it. Donate. Bury them. youtu.be/WLDE9LrGpNk?...

You have no idea how long I waited for this punch.

Hey everybody. On the 25-year anniversary, we're reprinting the much revered 9/11 edition of The Onion and sending that free to every member this month. It's been 25 long years. Look back in anger.

At least the later seasons post-Borg encounter.

Statue of Liberty trip - even more awe-inspiring up close.

I think The Greatest Showman is alright at best. But man does its soundtrack outshine the plot by miles.

The Clone Wars, 2008 version. No question about it.

@scott.homestead (TikTok) introduces us to a sheepdog who fully believes this little lamb is his puppy: #AGoodPlace

this second session being impossible to schedule is the most D&D thing you could possibly imagine

A revelation I've had recently in regards to fan opinion on the worst pieces of old media (particularly with, say, Star Trek and some of its worst goofy episodes like Threshold and Sub Rosa) is that with sci-fi genre fare being considered more for nerds and intellectuals, fans of it took that to...

Prepare for adorable trouble, and make it double.