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Spocks ship from the 2009 Star Trek film has a surprising connection to Star Trek: The Next Generation. JJ Abrams 2009 reboot of the venerable franchise began when Spock was thrown back to the 23rd century, creating a new timeline. The ship Spock arrived in was only seen briefly in the film, but in Star Trek: Countdown #3, readers learn the ship, called the Jellyfish, was created by a Next Generation icon. The Countdown miniseries served as a bridge between the classic Star Trek universe and Abrams reboot.

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In 2009, JJ Abrams, along with writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, breathed new life into the Star Trek franchise with a big-budget feature film. Recasting the iconic roles of Captain Kirk and Mister Spock, the movie spared no expense in bringing the 23rd century to new and vital life. Yet a way was needed to create this new timeline without disrespecting everything that came before. It was decided that Spock, in a bid to stop the Romulan sun from going supernova, would instead be thrown back through time, with a group of vengeful Romulans in close pursuit. These Romulans attacked the USS Kelvin, and the new timeline was born. The ship Spock traveled through time was one of the most unique looking starships seen in the franchise - the Jellyfish.

Related: Spock's Wrath of Khan Death Returns - But This Time He Has a Solution

And in Star Trek: Countdown #3 fans learn its origin. The issue, written by Mike Johnson and Tim Jones from a story by Orci and Kurtzman, and drawn by David Messina, sees Picard and Spock race against time to contain a destructive chain reaction that is threatening to destroy the galaxy. It has already claimed Romulus, and within weeks it will threaten the heart of the Federation. Spock devises an idea: plant a red matter bomb in it and create a singularity to siphon the energy. The idea is sound, and Picard tells Spock he has just the craft to do it. He introduces Spock to the Jellyfish. This tiny, experimental vessel can withstand atmospheric conditions that would destroy a conventional starship. Picard also reveals the ship is theirs to use, due to a personal link to its creator. Arriving at the facility, fans learn the Jellyfish was designed by Geordi La Forge.

The Jellyfish proved more than capable of its mission: it withstood forces and conditions that would have destroyed other ships. The Jellyfish also survived a trip through a singularity and a trip back through time. It was clearly a uniquely well-designed ship, but Countdown does not reveal if any more were made beyond the prototype. Nothing like the Jellyfish has been seen in the new Star Trek shows - perhaps its disappearance erroneously convinced Starfleet the ship was not up to scratch when, ironically, it's one of Starfleets best designs in history.

It should come as no surprise, then, that it was designed by Geordi La Forge. Gerodi was the Chief of Engineering aboard the Enterprise for the second through the seventh seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation. In that time, his engineering prowess saved the Enterprise countless times. He has taken what he learned from his time on the ship and parlayed it into making some truly mind-bending starships, further adding reverance for the larger franchise to the creation of the Kelvin Timeline. While Star Trek movie fans might not have known it, Spock isn't just piloting any ship in the movie, but rather the masterwork of The Next Generation's Geordi La Forge.

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Spock's Kelvin Timeline Ship Has a Huge Next Generation Connection - Screen Rant

Just a week after its leap onto Mac, No Man's Sky is back with another update, this one ushering in a new limited-time expedition focusing on AI corruption and robotic uprisings - and promising hints at future updates and "a deeper story to come".

Expeditions, for those unfamiliar with No Man's Sky's ways, are something like Hello Games' stab at live-service-style seasonal content, serving up limited-time, curated experiences that condense and reshuffle the exploratory space sim's various systems into a series of progression-based milestone challenges with some nifty rewards.

Its latest expedition, Singularity, which launches today, continues the story started in April's Interceptor update (the one with weird, corrupted worlds and strange Sentinel oddities), asking players to investigate curious robot heads delivering cryptic clues across the galaxy. Its events are said to be part of a longer narrative that'll play out as the year goes on.

Singularity will run for five weeks and sees the whole No Man's Sky community working alongside space anomaly regulars Nada and Polo to breathe new life into the galaxy. It promises another selection of exclusive rewards for those that manage to complete its various challenges, including a striking robotic character customisation set.

By the end of Singularity, Hello Games says Travellers will have uncovered strange clues "hinting at future updates and a deeper story to come", and the expedition will conclude with players having to make a choice that will "have far-reaching consequences".

No Man's Sky's Singularity expedition launches today, 7th June, on all platforms - which now means Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PS4, Switch, PC, Mac, and, of course, VR.

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No Man's Sky's Singularity update explores AI corruption and robotic uprisings - Eurogamer.net

There are few melodic/progressive death metal bands that balance softness, harshness, and theatricality better than Swedens Scar Symmetry. Their sixth studio LP (and first in a planned trilogy), 2014s The Singularity (Phase I Neohumanity), demonstrated that exceptionally well; as such, it concurrently solidified that groups stylistic mastery and made the nine-year wait for a follow-up particularly difficult. Now that the significantly lengthier The Singularity (Phase II Xenotaph) is here, however, its clear that the wait was worth it, as its very much a fitting and enjoyableif marginally safer and stalersequel.

Despite dealing with a few changes in members over the last decade, the lineup here is quite similar to that of its predecessor. In fact, the only difference is the absence of longtime bassist Kenneth Seil (who left in 2015) and the addition of guitarist Benjamin Ellis. Along the way, bassist/backing vocalist Andreas Holma came and went, too, so its not clear whoif anyoneplays bass on Xenotaph.

Regarding the extensive delay between Singularity records, guitarist Per Nilsson explained earlier this year:

"It's been a really, really drawn out process. I wrote the songs [for Phase II] back in 2016 the main [parts] of the songs were written back then. We recorded drums also in 2016, and then we recorded the rest on and off for the next few years. Then, in 2017, I started playing with Meshuggah and I also started playing with Nocturnal Rites. . . . That sort of put the Scar Symmetry thing a little bit on the side. We never went on a real hiatus. We were in cryo-suspension or something for a bit.

"We've had the album release postponed almost a year longer than what we thought because we had a sad thing happen where the artwork artist that was working on the artwork for us, he disappeared. Then he let us know that his mom had passed. It's a really sad situation. We haven't really talked about [that situation] a lot, but that postponed things a lot because then we had to find a new artwork artist. Yes, we're currently still in a holding pattern waiting for the release date to be set."

Luckily, their continued exploration of futuristic transhumanism offers just about everything fans of Neohumanity could want.

Admittedly, opener Chrononautilus doesnt pack quite the epic punch as Neohumanitys two-part starter (The Shape of Things to Come/Neohuman), but it comes damn close. In particular, it showcases the albums arguably angrier tone, with belligerent instrumentation and demonic growls largely dominating cleanly sung power metal choruses and countermelodies. Throw in some flashy guitar work about halfway in and you have the quintessential sing-along erraticism of modern Scar Symmetry.

From there, the remaining compositions on Xenotaph basically follow an identical template until the end, which is both its biggest strength and biggest weakness. On one hand, the group relentlessly proves how capable they are at nailing this sound; on the other hand, though, the sequence feels too samey overall (and certainly less diverse and ambitious than its immediate precursor).

Sure, theres the dramatic piano and symphonic respites of Altergeist, Soulscanner, and Digiphrenia Dawn, as well as the empowering choral accompaniments and tantalizingly enigmatic coda of closer Xenotaph. Nevertheless, its hard to deny that the LP as a whole is at least a little repetitive even if each individual piece of the puzzle is highly satisfying

The Singularity (Phase II Xenotaph) doesnt match Neohumanitys freshness, unity, and variety, but its far from a major letdown. Really, its just a noticeably more monotonous and less striving extension of the same musical and conceptual formulas. Either way, its still a damn fine album and a testament to Scar Symmetrys dedicated and characteristic chemistry.

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Album Review: SCAR SYMMETRY The Singularity (Phase II - Xenotaph) - Metal Injection

01.Chrononautilus 02.Scorched Quadrant 03.Overworld 04.Altergeist 05.Reichsfall 06.Digiphrenia Dawn 07.Hyperborean Plains 08.Gridworm 09.A Voyage With Tailed Meteors 10.Soulscanner 11.Xenotaph

When it comes to artful, intricate and progressive melodic death metal, well, SCAR SYMMETRY are really the only show in town. This is the long-awaited sequel to "The Singularity Phase I Neohumanity" (2014), an album that saw guitarist and creative mastermind Per Nilsson expand his band's sound into ever more adventurous realms, while still packing the same hooky punch that has been so fundamental to the Swedes' appeal.

Where that record was purposefully diverse and prog-inclined, "The Singularity Phase II Xenotaph" is dominated by the more brutal and intense side of SCAR SYMMETRY's sound. It is, of course, immaculately produced, full of soaring melodies, courtesy of clean vocalist Lars Palmqvist, and executed with pitiless, virtuoso precision. But despite its futuristic sheen, rapacious brutality, Roberth Karlsson's weapons-grade growls take center stage more often than not. In fact, SCAR SYMMETRY haven't been this aggressive since their earliest albums, and it's genuinely thrilling.

As we all scratch our heads and wonder how this band haven't become vastly more successful, Nilsson has quietly pieced together the most involved and involving record in his band's history. As ever, there are countless moments of strident, bittersweet melody. Both "Overworld" and "Scorched Quadrant" have choruses of indecent size and sound like instant classics. More challenging are the likes of "Altergeist" and "Digiphrenia Dawn", wherein Nilsson's fiendishly sophisticated vision takes an unforgiving turn towards the savage dark, while simultaneously upping the theatricality of the whole enterprise. As grandiose and symphonic as it gets, "Altergeist" rides the hurricane into a swirling vortex of black metal fury and comes out at the other end, aglow with progressive fervor and smelling of laser-scorched roses. "Digiphrenia Dawn" is all mutant, machine-gun death metal, slick AOR melodies and shimmering prog indulgence, with at least two mind-bending guitar solos from Nilsson.

In truth, every last one of these songs takes at least one unexpected detour, moving beyond the realms of pristine tech-death and into territory that SCAR SYMMETRY might as well claim as their own at this point. On the grimly evocative "A Voyage With Tailed Meteors", they revert back to their primitive, death metal origins, but with the ornate menace of symphonic black metal and the confounding chord changes of arcane progressive rock. On the lethally catchy "Gridworm", they build riffs out of unfathomable acts of fret wizardry and squeeze giant, memorable refrains into a dense, disorientating storm of extremity.

Still, the most impressive thing about "The Singularity Phase II Xenotaph" is how detailed, nuanced and complete it is, even taking a nine-year wait between albums into account. With Nilsson's immersive but slightly incomprehensible sci-fi narrative propelling it along, SCAR SYMMETRY's seventh symphony is the perfect follow-up to their tantalizing sixth. A band that have always prized the fine details, they sound as committed to shattering skulls as they do to weaving webs of melodic intrigue. On the closing "Xenotaph", they flex all their muscles at once for a startling, eight-minute grand finale that aches with shellshocked melancholy, ebbs and flows with classic prog abandon, and ends with star-kissed and gently disintegrating ripples of astral electronica. As it dissolves to nothing, a standing ovation would seem an appropriate response.

SCAR SYMMETRY's holistic melo-death explorations continue to dazzle with refinement and melodic audacity, but this one will smash your face in too. It's what the future sounds like. Get used to it.

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Reviews - The Singularity Phase II Xenotaph - BLABBERMOUTH.NET - BLABBERMOUTH.NET

No Man's Sky

The tenth No Man's Sky expedition update is out today, which is sending players on a galaxy-wide quest.

Singularity is out today on June 7 for No Man's Sky on all platforms. This update finally introduces rampant AI robots into the spacefaring game, as part of a storyline that's actually going to evolve over the coming few weeks, and not just drop all at once for players to uncover.

This sort of longer narrative began with the Interceptor update for No Man's Sky earlier this year, and Singularity is continuing this tradition. Players will get to investigate weird robotic heads scattered around the galaxy, and uncover cryptic clues as to where the story will go from there.

The Singularity expedition will last five weeks in total, and the No Man's Sky community will come together to work with Nada and Polo to unravel the mystery. Hello Games really doesn't want to give away much more than this right now for Singularity's story, so we're sort of left in the dark here.

However, we know that Singularity will end with players having to make a choice that'll have "far-reaching consequences." If this doesn't sound incredibly ominous we don't know what does, and there's a sense each player will have to make the choice individually, rather than one collective group.

Oh, and Singularity will tease what's coming in the future for No Man's Sky. Again, we aren't really privy to a whole lot of details here, but it sounds like by the end of Singularity's evolving storyline, we'll have a really good idea of where Hello Games will be taking us in the future.

Singularity's also boasting a "large number of rewards and souvenirs" which can be redeemed across all saves for players. There's also a new character customization set, No Man's Sky's first such update in years, and it sounds like a banging robotic customization set, unlike anything else before it.

Singularity is out today for No Man's Sky across PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Mac, and VR devices, and it sounds like it could be one of the game's most exciting updates in years.

Check out guide to 10 games like No Man's Sky if you're after another ace spacefaring adventure.

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No Man's Sky's Singularity Expedition kicks off a five-week story arc - Yahoo Entertainment