Defiance Reporter – MMO Reporter
Defiance Reporter Episode 13 - Can you hear me, Major Tom?
It’s a case of celebrity fever in Defiance, with an astronaut from 2013 found aboard an Arkfall. Â Chris and Ben discuss the implications of this episode on the world of Defiance, and the plague fever hitting the game.
Listen now:
DRAMA IN DEFIANCE
EPISODE 8 “I Just Wasn’t Made for These Timesâ€
Recap
Nolan and Tommy find a long lost human astronaut in a crashed Votan ship. And if that isn’t exciting enough, something seems to be wrong with the surviving astronaut Gordon McClintock, and leads to bigger issues that need to be handled delicately.
Thoughts and Observations
Any Stargate Universe fans out there? Brian J Smith guest starred as an astronaut of all things in this episode!
OMG FEMALE SENSOTH! AND BABY!
We don’t fly anymore because of radiation and debris. I get the debris part, but going any higher than 400 feet seems very low. The Gateway arch, before the terraforming upheaval was 630 feet tall! If the arch was raised a bit and then buried, wouldn’t Alak Tarr still be above that 400 foot mark and glowing green by now?
I’m all about Rafe McCawley this episode and I take back every doubt I had about Graham Greene since the pilot! We get to see Rafe “honor†a hero of his by offering him his son’s clothing and bedroom (best room in the house), come to the defense of Gordon when no one else did, talk him down from suicide when everything was taken away from him, still believing in him even when Gordon wasn’t what anyone thought he was, and finally covered for his escape by selling his death. Rafe was eager to believe in what was in his mind, humanity unchanged. What things used to be like.
Interesting fact in Defiance Lore: Spitting on one’s own hands to clean them is considered a bit coarse by Earth standards, but those don’t apply to Castithans. In Casti culture, those of higher liros are culturally superior to those of lower ones. Shanje liro saliva is considered cleaner than alien germs. (Slide 6 http://www.defiance.com/en/series/photos/inside-defiance-episode-8)
Indo-Sapiens. Didn’t see that coming until McClintock bled silver. I figured on the cloning bit, but not being part Indogene. Are there still other Indo-Sapiens out there?
McClintock: “Could she [my wife] love me… like this?!†You mean as a young, strong, and handsome astronaut? Yeah, I think she’ll be fine with it.
Nolan vs. Connor: It’s becoming obvious Nolan cares greatly for Amanda, but who will she chose? An old flame whom she almost got very serious with or the gun wielding grunt who slept with her sister?
Disclaimer: I can be TOTALLY off on this mark. Connor as a bad guy makes sense. He’s E-Rep and E-Rep hasn’t given us any reason to trust them thus far, but to make us (as an audience) conflicted about his intentions seems a bit forced. I don’t feel even the slightest hint of that chemistry between him and Amanda that is supposed to show us Connor wants to be a good guy for Amanda. I almost want Amanda to hurry up and spurn him so that he can immerse himself in whatever villainy he is capable of.
And finally, Doc Yewll. I’m happy we get to focus on her now for a bit, even if it might be in a negative light initially. She sure knew quite a bit about the Indo-sapien project to not have been deeply involved in it. How much of what she told us about the VC is true? Obviously enough to piss us off for sure…
The idea of planting sleeper agents among the enemy or for reconnaissance in an unknown situation is not an idea so radical that the VC would not have given its full support to. So having the ex-soldier Nolan have his suspicions about what Doc Yewll told them (while no one else well versed in military anything didn’t) gave me a deep sense of satisfaction when he confronted the doc… only to have my moment stolen from me seconds later by a silly plague.
Favorite scenes
Ben
I liked the warm and chummy evening of drinking and talking with fans and friends. It was nice seeing some smiles, laughs, admiration, and respect all in one scene, especially one that gave more background on the lore of the Defiance Universe in a plausible, conversational situation. It’s also nice to see Rafe out of his funk and being congenial. The twilight reference was cute, too.
As dark a scene as it was, Rafe talking Gordon out of suicide was a touching scene and it showed us a depth of Rafe’s
I also got excited when I heard Charlie Rivers say her name to McClintock as I’ve heard her name once before. Those of you who play the game know what I’m talking about and recognize the tie-in. Those of you who don’t, Charlie Rivers is the sister of Douglas Rivers, one of the first patients Eren Niden recorded as having the I-Rath Flu.
Chris
I loved the drunk banter. Awesome
Gordon was very well played. Loved his role!
Dislikes?
Ben
I know we had to plod along the Stahma and Kenya storyline this episode, but it seemed very unnecessary. We know that Datak will eventually find out about the relationship (as we’ve discussed two episodes ago), so raising the tension levels isn’t a surprising move, but was it really needed? Couldn’t they have just said Datak is still out of town today and will be back tomorrow and just air these scenes with next week’s episode?
Also, is Kenya the worst escort this side of the Badlands or what? She keeps having relationships with people free of charge, has trouble compartmentalizing her true feelings from her job, and refuses clients on principle and pride, which is not what an escort would do REGULARLY.
Chris
None this week.
Speculations for next week
Will Connor run back to E-rep with what he learned about the Votanis Collective?
Will Connor be the one to get rid of Amanda “by any means necessary?â€
Will Nolan and Doc Yewll get to finish their conversation about how much she really knows about the Indosapiens?
Preview of next week’s episode “If I Ever Leave This World Aliveâ€
Looks like that plague we’ve been hearing so much about has finally hit Defiance. Lets see what interesting things we can gleem from next week’s preview trailer:
Looks like Earth Republic is responding to the threat just like any other military force today would, by quarantining the town and shooting anyone who tries to leave.
Castithan’s are immune to the plague? And Irathient’s aren’t? I hope they go on to explain this sickness in some depth this episode (one thing the game has lacked thus far)
While Nolan is outside the town with that E-rep who’s been hanging around Defiance, Amanda gets sick and now Datak is in charge. Say WHAAAAA?
Looks like Christie comes down with the plague, too (but we all know she will survive since the wedding is the big theme this season).
Show Predictions
For those of you keeping score at home..
Ben
Datak is going to do a stellar performance running the town (with Stahma whispering in his ear the entire way) while Amanda is sick that he will have the courage to run for office.
And don’t forget about Rafe. I’m sure he will have his spirited moment bucking Datak’s authority, leading him to throw his hat in the race against Datak in the upcoming Mayoral Elections
Chris
One Night Only! The Rumble in the post-apocalyptic non-jungle environment for the Mayor’s seat. In this corner, we have Rafe, wearing the mine-dust covered short. In the other corner, we have Datak, wearing what can only be described as his wife’s bathing attire?
OFF THE SET
Shooting the Shtako Episode 8
http://www.defiance.com/en/series/video/2653277 (not on youtube yet)
Kevin Murphy sits with Grant Bowler to discuss this week’s episode.
I love that Kevin Murphy calls the episode what it is: an unfrozen caveman astronaut episode.
Grant Bowler calls this episode the smallest, most intimate episode in terms of story. (thoughts?)
Kevin Murphy was surprised that an episode focused on a character who lost everything and then had his identity taken from him too (calling it such a bleak idea) had such a positive and happy ending.
Grant Bowler felt that the interesting thing about this character was that he was untouched by everything that went on in the world between when he was frozen in time to now. He was more vulnerable and receptive to the world than the characters around him. It played really well in setting up exactly how far the world has gone.
Just for fun – Defiance Bloopers for Episodes 2-8
http://www.defiance.com/en/series/video/2653320
This is really just for fun. This short 1 minute video only found on Defiance.com shows some fo the strange, bizarre, and funny things that came out of filming the first 7 episodes post pilot, so if you’re interested in seeing it, the link is in the shownotes.
Some of the funnier scenes were Jamie Murray getting her finger knitting tangled and any scene with Graham Greene. That man sure can keep a straight face!
Reviews Across the Web
http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/11/defiance-i-just-wasnt-made-for-these-times-review
Last week we covered Noel Kirkpatrick’s article from TV.com, before that we covered Lisa Macklem’s opinion piece from SpoilerTV.com, so today let’s see what IGN’s Jesse Shedeen had to say:
This episode took its name from the classic Beach Boys song, which is about the pain and loss of innocence involved in growing older and not being able to relate to those around you. That speaks directly to the struggle Gordon McClintock faced in this episode.
How do you go from being a respected commander of the International Space Station to becoming a celebrity in a world ravaged and populated by half a dozen different alien species? That conflict alone would have been enough for a perfectly decent installment of Defiance, but the truth of the matter was far more interesting.
The episode delved into an even more recurring and fundamental conflict in science fiction – what exactly defines humanity? Is having thoughts and emotions enough to qualify an artificial being as alive? That’s a struggle I never get tired of seeing explored.
Rafe McCawley enjoyed a number of memorable scenes, particularly when it came to his palaver with McClintock in the mines. I liked how he was able to use his own ongoing struggle with the death of his son to pull McClintock out of his own spiral of misery
One other element worth noting this week is the disparity in visual effects quality. The opening shot of the valley and its varied flora was about as low quality and unconvincing as anything I’ve seen this season. Defiance doesn’t seem to do well with these sorts of sweeping environmental shots. But the interior of the crashed spaceship, as well as the neon-lit pool in Rafe’s mine, were far more pleasing to the eye. Hopefully the visual effects crew will examine what worked and what didn’t in this season and focus a little more on the latter scenes.
The only aspect of “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times” that really bugged me was the ending. I wanted more clarification as far as how the dynamic between the Republic and the Votanis Collective is going to be affected by the discoveries this week. Is Lang heading back to New York to start beating the drums of war? And how can the citizens of Defiance still tolerate Doc Yewll after all she kept from them. This latter question at least was on the verge of being addressed before the episode suddenly dovetailed into a new conflict involving a plague. It felt like a pointless cliffhanger. I would have preferred the episode ended on a happier note and cut off with the scene of McClintock reuniting with his wife.
Come see some Defiance Concept Art by Peter Han
http://conceptartworld.com/?p=24466
A lot of familiar and some interesting unused (or yet unseen) designs.
Unused races Aerisian and Modunauts look very alien indeed, Modunauts with 8 limbs (6 for walking) and almost no face and Aerisians look like tall flying lemurs
Four different Volge enemies shown; the viscera, the trooper, the bomber, and the colonizer.
The first we get to see, even in concept, of the Gulanee race.
The Nanites look immensely adorable and cool, having a vaccuum tube as their heads.
NEWS FROM THE BAY AREA
What we did in game
Ben
Completed my plague content pursuits and got a sweet ride.
Spent an hour cleaning out my inventory by selling, salvaging and modding.
And completed the contracts for the day and week today.
Chris
Complete the instanced mission for the plague
Ran a couple of sieges.
Continuing the main story. What the heck happened to Von Bach?
Across the Badlands Episode 9
Dahanese explained the difference in Arkfalls in the Defiance Universe across the show and game very well, stating that Ark hunters near former St. Louis are very lucky in that their arkfalls are complete, whole arkfalls, whereas those of us hunters in the San Francisco Bay Area only get small fragments of tech and arkships.
Fan Find of the week / Interview
Active Community member and friend of Defiance Reporter Beck Altarr had his radio station K-TAM Radio featured on Across the Badlands!
Reminder on Sieges
Sieges will be gone after this week.
They will be brought back to the game later as tie in. They have mentioned Volge Sieges before.
For those of you interested, at the 19:41 mark there is an intel video on the plague sieges. We covered the information from it last episode.
The Challenge Hour Site is now up!
The site is now up and our first challenge will be underway at 10am pacific, Friday June 14th. The site has a nifty count down timer for those of you who don’t feel like doing time zone math and just need an idea as to when the challenge is up.
The Challenge is to “Kill the most Plaguer Tremblers in Defiance during Challenge Hour.â€
Go to https://www.defiance.com/en/challenge-hour/ to register
Share the unique URL with your friends to gain sponsorships
During the Challenge Hour, log in to DEFIANCE and complete the posted challenge.
The winner of the contest gets a FREE copy of Defiance (PC-only) plus the following (depending on the number of sponsors they have) – a signed art book (1 sponsor), HELLBUG statue (5 sponsors), a small HELLBUG plushie (10 sponsors) or a huge hellbug plushie (20 sponsors).
Sponsors will see an invite page with your Acocunt and the number of sponsors youve accumulated thus far.
The page reads: You have been invited to sponsor ACCOUNTNAME for a Defiance Challenge! If ACCOUNTNAME wins the challenge, the first 20 sponsors will receive a FREE copy of the Defiance game (PC version). You can only sponsor one challenger!
Your friend  will have to sign up with their name, email addresss, and date of birth to be able to sponsor you.
They will have a chance to spread the word to get you more sponsors and with that more prizes.
The first 20 sponsors of the WINNER will also get a free copy of Defiance on PC.
Challenge Hour will be hosted weekly and the time frame when the Challenge takes place will change weekly.
User Submitted Questions
Are there going to be new co-op maps with plague content? Sieges were introduced as new content and there is new content regarding the plague (see Plague update below) but no new maps.
Can you tell us about easter egg content that the community has missed, like hidden vendors, etc? You guys have NOT found everything yet.
Are there plans for hard mode in co-op? Yes.
Are there any plans for a tabbed inventory that sorts out items by type? There are plans to update the UI. A tabbed system is not what the team is currently going with, but rest assured it is something the team is working on.
Could we have a definitive answer as to what sort of XP for leveling weapons you can get; small vs large arkfalls; bosses vs crystals and enemies? Basically the more you use the weapons the more weapon xp you will earn for them.
Plague Update – Launching a cure
By now, the plague has hit its peak in the Bay Area and Eren needs our help to lock down the cure. Thanks to arkhunters defending the vaccine synthesizers, a care package of vaccine can be sent to the town of Defiance where the plague has just started.
Added to the sieges and pursuits last week brought gamers, we now have a mission to  clear out a bunker and launch the vaccine in the quickest mode of transportation possible… a missile.
Everything available last week is still available now for completion, but this weekend is the last weekend to complete them. Plague Sieges are gone come Monday.
News from E3?!
That’s right! Trion Worlds had a few words with and gave some hands on time to journalists about the upcoming DLC!
Massively http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/06/12/e3-2013-previewing-defiances-new-dlc/
Trion was quick to assure the press that it has heard the complaints about Defiance not having enough of an “MMO” feel. Granted, part of this may come from players being used to levels, auto-attacks, and grinding raids. To help address this, Trion is adding a new chat display that… well, actually looks like something you’d see in an MMO. Trion wants to try to guide players more towards group content as well, such as arkfalls.
It seems the recent sieges are doing quite well, so there will be a new one for players to experience in the DLC. The new one features a new enemy from the show, the Volge. Nice, big, meaty targets to practice on! And they come with another new feature: turrets. Players can add resources to upgrade turrets, which automatically shoot nearby enemies. Players who upgrade turrets will get bonus points for the turrets’ work.
Trion will allow you to simply remake your character as a Castithan. You don’t lose anything in the process either.
As a new playable race in Defiance, you don’t gain any special abilities but you will have access to a specific questline that will give you more insight to the lore surrounding them.
Also added to the game from this pack are light sabers, er, charge blades. These melee weapons look pretty cool with a stylized blade of light, and can certainly be effective if an enemy gets close enough to you, while also providing special AOE jump attacks. Like other weapons in Defiance, you can modify and specialize charge blades to your exacting standards, including changing the color of the blade.
Side note: The star of the Defiance TV show, Grant Bowler, booted me (Greg Tito) out of my demo of the game. He was very excited to try his hand at playing the game – for about five minutes – before ducking into the back room to meet with some executives.
And a surprise I came across on the Defiance Facebook Page.. Dark Matter Arkfalls! Looks like a major Dark Matter arkfall will have us fighting a monolith!
LAST MINUTE ANNOUNCEMENTS
Join our clan IGNI FERROQUE! <defiancereporter.guildlaunch.com>
No registration required, just look for one of these officers in-game, Corso Vanlocke, Jack Thundersteele, or Almazar to get an invite!
CONTACT US!
Email: defiance@mmoreporter.com
twitter: twitter.com/defiancepodcast or @defiancepodcast
site: defiancereporter.com
Voicemail: 616-666-6778 (and our new widget on the ride hand side of the page)
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