Rick and Morty appears to be aiming for the crown of the most self-aware television show in history, because if you thought that characters like Joseph Campbell and Rhett Conn were stretching it a little thin, Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon have just delivered another meta outing wherein they go for the throat of social media, trending, and celebrity culture by putting it up against the myth of the ego.
But speaking of all-powerful mad scientists who travel through dimensions and revel in strange adventures, today happens to mark the anniversary of a universally acclaimed Doctor Who episode, so Whovians have come out in force to celebrate it on the online sphere.
This is your daily roundup of sci-fi news.
Rick Sanchez battles petty superheroes and becomes one in the latest Rick and Morty episode
As unlikely as it may sound, Rick Sanchez is actually growing to be a fully-fledged hero on Rick and Morty from the uncaring, ruthless, nihilistic scientist we saw in the first season. In the latest episode, hilariously dubbed “Analyze Piss,” Rick learns what it feels like to just let go and not react to the stuff that happens around him, even if they happen to be small alien incursions in the form of strange superheroes, like Cookie Magneto and Pissmaster.
That’s right, folks; Rick goes up against a supervillain known as the Pissmaster, and you hardly need to imagine what his ability must be. But through turns and twists that, as usual, no one can see coming, Rick learns the ultimate meaning of sacrifice when he has to take up the mantle of Pissmaster and right the man’s wrongs.
Star Wars fans ponder, yet again, why Obi-Wan didn’t kill Anakin in cold blood when he had the chance
Between them, Obi-Wan and Yoda decided that Darth Sidious and his new apprentice should be put down by any means necessary, but even though the former makes the journey all the way to Mustafar and actually squares off against his long-time padawan, friend, and near-brother, the Jedi Master is reluctant to deal him the final blow. The official novelization for Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith explains that Obi-Wan actually sensed Palpatine coming, so he didn’t have time to linger on.
But if you only have the movie to go on, the decision to just leave Anakin burning and in pain doesn’t make a lot of sense. Even if Obi-Wan had a lot of contempt for his fallen comrade, which he did not, it wouldn’t exactly be following the honorable Jedi Code to leave your adversary in such a state. Or perhaps it does, because you would never rush to strike down a helpless foe. I mean, at this point, who can really say what the Jedi believe or deem honorable? Star Wars fans are still willing to debate it, though, even if it only leaves them with a dozen questions for every one answered.
The Force is strong with all of these Star Wars Disney Plus shows, but only one of them is taking the prize home
The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Andor are all great television shows in their own right, but folks on Twitter recently opened a can of worms when they asked the fandom to pick their absolute favorite from among them. Okay, in fairness, I think the real competition is between Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Mandalorian, and Andor.
As much as we love Tony Gilroy’s Rogue One prequel, we can’t help but remember the amazing duel between Obi-Wan and Vader at the end of that limited series, and The Mandalorian has certainly gone down in history with two amazing seasons, the second of which ended with a twist that essentially broke the internet for a full day. I guess it ultimately boils down to a matter of personal preference, but this being the Star Wars fandom, expect to see a fair bit of hair-pulling as well.
Doctor Who stans think this is the show’s best episode
When talking about a series that has run for 800 episodes and 60 years, it’s not easy to pin down absolute favorites, but Doctor Who fans love “Heaven Sent” from season 9 so much that the penultimate outing comes pretty close to taking that crown. Now, on the episode’s seventh anniversary, Whovians have taken to social media to praise Peter Capaldi’s 12th Doctor, showrunner Steven Moffat, and director Rachel Talalay for their historic accomplishment. We may never know how many seconds there are in eternity, but we can say with absolute certainty that the Doctor is one hell of a bird.