Force Ghosts and Vader: The Mystery

By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues

Photo copyright Owen Quinn

I know there are probably other people that have noticed and written on this subject but I have to get my two cents in.

When recently watching Star Wars A New Hope, we get to the climatic fight between Vader and Kenobi aboard the Death Star. When Kenobi gives Vader that smartarse smirk and says “If you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine,” it occurred to me that Vader has not one baldy notion of what he is talking about. Now as we know in hindsight Kenobi is a sneaky, lying old bollocks as witnessed in my article on his intentions for Luke: https://timewarriors.co.uk/2020/11/19/luke-skywalker-rebel-without-a-cause/

That, ‘I know something you don’t know’ look gets on my goat and I haven’t looked at my 12 inch Kenobi the same ever since. So when Vader cuts him down and the body vanishes, poor old Vader is left scratching his helmet in puzzlement as he prods the rags with his boot. I’m pretty sure those robes probably stank too after Tatooine’s weather. It’s not as if he had time to grab a shower or tin of Lynx before they blasted off in the Falcon. And I’m not even going to point our those rags included Kenobi’s underwear….I’ll leave that to your imagination.

So my little brain piped up and realised that Vader does not know about Force ghosts. If he did then he would have kept Kenobi alive. So how then does he become one at the end of Return of the Jedi and became his younger self. Now by Empire Strikes Back it is clear Vader knows about Luke and he is the baby daddy but surprisingly there is no canon detailing if he learned about Force ghosts and how to become one in the event of his death. I’m pretty sure this is a hole Disney would love to plug with a new series as it has it’s three fingers in every other plothole. I can’t say nothing and suddenly there’s a series about it.

Now, of course, it took an Irishman to discover how to come back from the afterlife. The big man himself, Liam Neeson, tells Yoda he has learned this great new party trick and can now visit whenever he wants. It is said literally as a throwaway line at the end of Revenge of the Sith but it has major repercussions for the Jedi. If you notice, there are no Sith Force ghosts at all. Maul is brought back by literal dark magic and Palpatine survives until Rise of Skywalker despite his death in Return of the Jedi. (Yes, we know it was a desperate ploy to save the trilogy Disney messed up with the Last Jedi but who am I to cast aspersions? *smirks smugly like Kenobi about to die in his dirty drawers*)

There is evidence in a non canon book Vader went searching for the knowledge of the Force ghosts but it doesn’t really stand. In fact, I discovered that there is no actual reason for Vader to turn up as a ghost in Return. He was probably more concerned with finding out who blew up the Death Star and how much child maintenance he would have to pay.

Now in the recent Obi-Wan Kenobi mini series or season one as it is now known, it was a sure thing Liam would turn up and teach Kenobi the secrets of becoming a Fore ghost. My only problem is you can’t float like a ghost would. You still have to walk and sit as seen when Luke pulls Kenobi up about his lying manipulation. Even as a ghost the bastard still twists it to suit himself. It’s obviously not heaven they are in. So in-between Liam coming back on Tatooine and that fateful fight on the Death Star, Kenobi had an ace over his former friend.

I would assume the Emperor didn’t know either or he would have told the Sith. He didn’t need cloning to survive. He could just return as a shimmering blue ghost and be a pain in the galaxy’s ass forever. This would indicate that only good guys can become a ghost to wander spying on everyone and spouting wisdom that they really should have taught others when they were alive. Even Yoda’s cane makes it to the afterlife but it was a loyal cane they said.

There are clearly rules as to who can cross between worlds so it could be and has been theorized that when Vader saved Luke and killed the Emperor, his soul was saved allowing him access to the afterlife. It is said that when he died, Kenobi met him on the other side with Yoda and helped him take his final step to becoming like them. This would also explain why he appeared as his younger self in the new edit as he was good as a young man. But then if your best friend cut your legs off and left you to burn alive, you wouldn’t be so forgiving either. I’d hunt the bastard down with my new longer legs too. My circle of buddies just read that and their blood drained audibly. Guys, you know me, gentle as a kitten……

But the older Anakin also became good when he saved his son and daughter from the Emperor so that’s why he appeared originally at the end of Jedi along with Yoda and Kenobi. Those two were good all their lives so their old age versions popped up. Come to think of it, Kenobi’s robes became ghosts and Anakin got new ones so are they they just visual representations of how their loved ones remembered them explaining the clothes and cane? So if this is true then either version of Anakin is valid as a ghost. Still, if I was Kenobi, I’d be asking Liam how I go about getting my younger face back.

So, that’s my meanderings of Force ghosts which might make me think, I really need to get out more, but then again; if I died without being sucked in by the Star Wars universe, things would be a lot more boring.

Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live new trailer

Presented by Owen Quinn author

video copyright AMC and photo copyright Owen Quinn

It’s getting closer until we find out what happened to Rick Grimes and will Michonne reunite with him? The teasers are coming in tantalising droplets. In a recent episode of Daryl Dixon, he speaks to Carol over the radio who tells him someone has come back but who? Static prevents him from hearing the name but in Fear the Walking Dead, Morgan left to find Rick. Surely that is not a coincidence ? Check out the new trailer below as February gets closer for The Ones Who Live.

Book Excerpt: Zombie Blues 2: Ice Queen Zombie

By and copyright of Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues

More Zombies, more trouble. Welcome to book 2 of Zombie Blues who give us their view on the world and life from behind undead eyes. This time round meet Diabetic Zombie, Racist Zombie, the Ice Queen and why is there a zombie with no teeth?

Now available on Amazon

The state does not exist to provide scroungers and vagabonds an easy life while the rest of us work for our money.

No, my Mama always said I was destined for greater things than the half baked servants we employed. My Mama, Alexandria Benoit, a socialite in the highest of Parisian circles due to her father being the French ambassador for the United Nations for many years, always inspired me.

The reason people are servants and working subservient jobs is because they were far too lazy to get an education. Knowledge, she drummed into me, is the greatest passport in the world. There is no door that cannot be opened with education and she was right. With our familialnwealth, I studied every medical book I could find in her extensive library. If we did not have it in our library then Mama ordered it in.

There was never any question of me going to a boarding school nor a private one. I might be with people equal to my social status but there were deviants even in those circles. I could meet the wrong type of person and be led astray into habits that inflict the lower classes. Even girls like me can be sucked into that black hole.

To that end, Mama brought in a governess to tutor me, to guide me to the path I was to take. Her name was Madeline Graffon. She was a stern faced woman who melted in the presence of Mama. I took great pleasure in that because she was a hard teacher, forever pushing me to soak in the knowledge I needed. Resentment grew as I needed no encouragement to learn because my path was so clear; it was almost a waste of her time educating me. She had the waft of peaches about her which mildly irritated my senses but a deft squirt of a perfume soon put paid to that. I was a defiant student constantly challenging her teachings but by the end of it all, I had a knowledge second to none thanks to my absorption of her lessons.

However, the failings of the underclass wormed its way into our homestead.

One evening, I heard the most outrageous row between Mama and Papa. They were screaming at the top of their voices at each other. I grew frightened by it because it was alien to me. Etiquette and couth was paramount to Mama especially when facing the public in her role of socialite. We were France’s Kardashians long before it was fashionable.

I cowered in my room hugging my raggedy doll, Anna, when Papa knocked on my door. He entered and gave me a loving smile. His dark eyes glistened as he sat on the edge of my bed and took my hand gently. My Papa was a large man with a round face with dark whiskers forming a curt beard. His expression told me something was wrong. I had never seen him look like this before. I was afraid for probably the first time in my life as he spoke to me. I learned why he and Mama were shouting at each other. He told me he was going to live elsewhere but it didn’t mean that he didn’t love me any more. Mama and he had decided they needed time apart. I clung to him tightly begging him not to go. I recall to this day his embrace full of love and tenderness but there was something final about it. Even at that young age my instincts were good.

All I remember after that moment was the sound of doors closing. First my door then his bedroom door and finally the front door that shut with a funeralesque thud. I never even heard my mother cry her heart out that night. My father never came back after that and I assumed he just didn’t love me anymore. Mama told me so two months later over dinner confirming my suspicions. As Mama trained me, I showed no emotion in front of her. Inside was another matter entirely. From that night on I grew a shell around my feelings, vowing to never let anyone hurt me ever again.

Forgotten Villains: Darkman’s Robert G. Durant

By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues

Now, let’s consider my points, one by one. One, I try not to let my anger get the better of me. Two, I don’t always succeed. Three… I’ve got seven more points.

The above is the speech Robert G Durant gives to Eddie Black as he uses his cigar cutter to take his fingers off one by one. Black had refused to sell his property to Durant so the gangster killed Black’s men in an unusual way. Moments earlier, Durant uses his goon’s one legged status to smuggle in a machine gun to kill Black’s men. He is the nemesis of Liam Neeson’s Darkman released in 1990. Durant is a mob boss into literally everything with no conscience or compassion. He is sadistic as the finger cutting scene shows.

When he attacks the lab of Liam Neeson’s Peyton Westlake seeking a document, the Belisarius Memorandum, Peyton is working on a synthetic skin for burns victims unaware he will be the first person to need use of it. But it’s imperfect and only stabilises in dark surroundings. Durant orders Peyton’s assistant Yakitito murdered then the scientist himself is burned beyond recognition. As a parting gesture Durant orders the lab assistant’s fingers cut off for himself. Like the Governor in the Walking Dead, Durant has a sick habit. He collects fingers and keeps them in a wooden display case.

Played by Larry Drake, Durant is buying up property for his illegal activities under RGD Corporation, and its subsidiary, the Intercity Land Development. He has secrets on everyone giving him control and multiple bases to dodge the authorities. Durant has an ally in the form of equally corrupt but not as evil, Louis Strack Jnr. Together they plan a City of the Future which will be totally under their control.

But it starts to unravel for Durant when Darkman duplicates one of Durant’s minions, Paulie. He goes on a mission to obtain cash for Durant but when both vanish, Durant storms to Paulie’s apartment where he finds Paulie asleep. Despite his protestations, Durant throws him out of the top flor window for stealing his money. Durant has no loyalty to even those who have served him well over the years. Unaware that he is being listened in to and played, Durant finds himself being arrested for robbing a convenience store and is caught when he says his name into the security camera while not wearing a mask. Darkman plans this so he can take Durant’s place in a money handover with one of his Japanese counterparts. They say they have no money trying to play him for a fool. Durant lights a cigar saying he better have the money by the time he finishes the cigar and thanks to a slick lawyer, Durant meets the other Durant with the money. They both fight and the minions have no idea who is the real Durant. One Durant floors the other, taking the case but his face begins to melt, giving him away.

Seeing the melting mask, Durant catches on who is behind the thefts. He attacks Darkman’s lab but he has it rigged and kills all his minions in one swoop. They then fight on a helicopter being pursued by a police chopper. Durant will let nothing get in his way and blows it out of the sky. Darkman manages to get on top of a truck and hooks the helicopter to it. Helpless Durant is caught in the massive explosion as the helicopter is pulled into a tunnel by the truck. However all great villains find a way back and Durant is no exception.

In The Return of Durant, Durant has survived the explosion and is now after full control of the drug trade. He was in a coma for 878 days and upon waking found his empire in ruins. Weapons make big money so Durant breaks out a specialist from an asylum, Dr Alfred Hathaway. Prior to Durant’s coma and Hathaway’s arrest, he was developing a brand new weapon unlike anything that has been seen before; a particle weapon called the Vigilante. Durant tries to force the Brinkmans to sell their warehouse to him but both refuse. Darkman is friends with the Brinkmans but his helping Laurie escape Durant reveals to Durant that Darkman is alive and ready to be taken down permanently.

Given their last meeting and the fact Darkman can duplicate anyone, Durant becomes ever more paranoid. The only thing that matters is to kill Darkman once and for all. The second movie is much more violent than the first reflecting the desperate thirst Durant has towards his foe. Virtually everyone is killed in the battle leaving Darkman to trap Durant in a car and kill him by setting off the car bomb. In his final moments Durant does a ‘Khan’ and curses Darkman.

Durant is by far one of the coldest and heartless foes ever to grace the big screen. Larry Drake doesn’t even sweat in the role; comfortable in taking out obstacles and those who have left him down. One mistake equals termination. He and Darkman are a rawer more animalistic duo than say Daredevil and Wilson Fisk, although there are parallels between them. Based in their cartoon roots, the Darkman movies are worth a catch up. You may never look at pink elephants the same ever again.

Time Warriors Shorts: Varran vs Racists

By and copyright of Owen Quinn 2023

Dracula Drive

“Y’all don’t look like you’re from round here. You from the big city?” grunted a raspy voice seemingly out of nowhere.

Turning on the dirt track, Jacke and Varran blinked at the overweight man in his dirty denim dungarees and murky bulging white T-shirt cradling a powerful looking black hunting rifle curiously. His thick brown leather boots with their scuffed surface, laced with mud, spoke of previous treks into the dense whispering forests surrounding them against a backtrack chirp of multiple birds that serenaded them. Standing here on this dirt track in the middle of Shaw’s Forest, made this sudden encounter feel a bit uncomfortable to him. He threw a ‘ready for action’ reassuring glance towards the equally cautious Jacke before Varran took in the men standing before them.

The man’s thickening jowls were showing minute white whiskers amid his red veined flaky skin on his weathered features, He was sweating despite the relative cool June morning. It was hard to judge what the day’s weather would bring from the stalemate sky.

In a second Varran’s sapphire eyes had scanned the man and his two comrades flanking him and Jacke in seconds. He and Jacke were dressed in jeans and shirts suitable for the time, Varran’s loose fitting jacket was tan and Jacke’s was dark navy, to suit the time and climate yet here they were being confronted for no reason by this trio of hunters who quite frankly could do with being put through a spin cycle in a washing machine or a sheep dip; twice. It was as if they carried the dirt of the woods in their probably alcohol tainted blood judging by the smell of their collective breaths. Varran nodded over-enthusiastically, rocking on the balls of his feet bringing a strange glance from Jacke.

“Yes, indeed Huckleberry, very astute,” he gushed. “We just had to see your lovely state for ourselves. Place names like Velvet Street and Zion make it sound like a cross between delicious, succulent, mouth watering cake and mystery central. Sure, how could we resist?” He smiled disarmingly.

“My name ain’t Huckleberry mister.”

The man’s reply was quietly threatening, his grey eyes fixed on this strange white man with the piercing sapphire eyes.   

“Apologies,” Varran offered in a humble tone looking at the burly man to his left, “You must be Huckleberry or is it Buck? Willy?”

The burly man with the thinning ginger hair tilted his head but said nothing. Varran pulled a face and pointed to the last man. “Huck or Buck?”

The last man, his scarred hands tightly cradling a sleek black hunting rifle in his hands with dirty ginger nails fell for the goading. He stared coldly at the stranger that had seemingly come out of nowhere invading their territory. Jacke couldn’t help but star at the large mole on his cheek. It has gross hair sprouting it like spider legs.

“It’s Bill, Jeff and Colton mister,” he said. “Are you deliberately trying to disrespect the three of us? Think we’re hillbillies? You shouldn’t be walking here cause you’re scaring the animals away.”

With that he shifted his footing casting a look at Jacke who held his stare. It disguised very little and spoke volumes.

“Are we trespassing on your land or is it something else bothering you? Why don’t you join us later for a pie. He’s the sucker for red velvet cake,” she smiled gesturing at Varran, Her suggestion seemed to make them uncomfortable. It suddenly struck her velvet cake may not have been invented yet.

“You need to be careful round these parts, “ Colton said, his creased T-shirt not quite as white as Jacke first thought upon seeing him.

“Why’s that?” Varran asked innocently brushing away a fly of some sort. He was selfishly enjoying their discomfort.

“You got to know your place round here or trouble will follow,” Bill said, his scarred hands tightening on his weapon. Jeff nodded.

“Maybe this is not the place for you especially your companion.”

Varran’s head snapped from the three men to Jacke and back again, eyes wide with innocent query.

“But we heard you have lovely food here in town,” he said gesturing with his hands. “Even if your blood sugars and cholesterol are in serious danger.” He forced a laugh that died in his throat as the three men stared at him totally unimpressed or amused or obviously not seeking to engage with either him or Jacke.

“It seems that these strangers won’t be dear friends we haven’t met yet,” Jacke remarked with a sigh. “Pity. We could use directions.”

Bill’s mouth tightened as he glared at Jacke who held his gaze.

“You’re black but then again I heard your kind aren’t that smart,” he chimed earning grins from his two friends.

With a startled gasp of surprise, Varran stepped back whirling round to look Jacke straight in the face.

“You’re black?” he gasped as if it her colour was a sudden revelation he had been blind to all this time.

Jacke put her hand to her face, her mouth agape. Gently Varran closed it for her.

“I never knew!” she feinted.

“When did it happen?” Varran asked worriedly.

Biting her lower lip in thought and putting her chin in her fingers as she stroked her chin and raised her eyes to the heavens as if looking to God himself for answers.

“I think when I was born but don’t quote me on that,” she replied.

“Oh I won’t but it demands further study,” Varran sympathised. “Did I ever tell you my secret; that I am colour blind?”

Putting her hands on her hips Jacke again feinted mock surprise. “Two revelations in one morning; guys, every day’s a learning day.”

The trio of hunters looked at Jacke and Varran uncertainly. How could the white haired one fail to notice the girl’s skin colour. Those weird eyes of his looked like they could see through anything.  Maybe these two had just escaped from somewhere or been locked in a barn for years and just recently got out. Whatever the story, they held on to their weapons a bit tighter than usual.

“What blind?” Bill asked, his brow furrowed with curiosity.

Whirling round, Varran stared at them nodding furiously while at the same time reaching into his inside pocket whipping out his hand unit.

Suddenly alarmed at the sight of the strange slim metallic device in the hands of what be an unstable person, Colton and Jeff cocked their weapons pointing them at Varran.

“Colour blindness, first discovered in 1794 by John Dalton. He and his brother suffered from it,” he explained quickly. “If only you knew your history as well as you know hunting,” There was a sudden wistful melancholy in his voice.

“Are you government mister? I ain’t ever seen a machine like that before,” Bill demanded taking a step back and jerking his rifle meaningfully at them.

Holding his hands up disarmingly so they could see his device clearly, the Xereban cocked his head with a reassuring grin. Oh gents, in seventy years or so you’d think this was a mere cellphone but you’d be sadly mistaken, he thought.

“No, I’m an inventor and this device helps me see what colour people are.” He paused. “I just wave it around your head like this.”

I can’t believe he’s doing the actions, Jacke thought, trying not to smile at her friend’s antics. She’d have to speak to Tyran and Michael; the older he’s getting the more of an extravert he’s becoming. But then again, when you don’t know if you’re immortal or not, you probably are inclined to take more risks. Is that behaviour a sort of attempt to see if he can push someone to kill him so the riddle could be answered once and for all or a subconscious reaction to recent events when he suffered a mini breakdown? I really need to have a chat with him and put my training to use, she thought. No point being a qualified psychologist if you accept sudden changes in a person without questioning it. 

“Do you want to hold it?” Varran pressed to the cautious trio holding it out to tense Bill then the others. None of them took up his offer.

“We’re white just like you Mister. Any fool can see that. We can eat wherever we like; we can do what we like,” Jeff spat watching Varran with every hunter instinct he had, his finger on the trigger.

“Let me show you!”

Varran moved almost like a dancer running the hand unit over Bill’s head first, the unit buzzing lightly. He would then studiously check the hand unit, move his fingers across the settings then check Bill again making small noises in his throat. Bill pulled back slightly as if an irritating hornet was ready to sting him.

With a sudden weary sigh, Varran frowned and turned the hand unit off. He licked his lips and eyed Bill like a naughty child caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

“I’m sorry Huckle- I mean Bill but I’m afraid that I have unsettling news for you.”

His face was set as steel, his voice hard as if trying to control his emotions.

“What?” demanded Bill.

“You’re not white,” Varran deadpanned.

“The hell I ain’t. I’m as white as you, you damned idiot!”

Shaking his head slowly and giving an indignant Bill a worried look, Varran sighed again holding up the hand unit for him to see. Bill saw an image of his face with weird veiny lines over his skin.

“Normal sunlight prevents you from seeing it but you’re yellow. I’m sorry but your liver is sick. There’s a build up of bilirubin in your blood. Bilirubin not so good for good old reliable Billy. It’s a sure solid indicator of heavy drinking. Have you thought of water only with milk; I would be if I were you as of now; isn’t life ironic at times?”

Jeff and Colton were both scanned next as Bill stood dumbfounded. They were clearly nervous at hearing Bill’s news, eyeing him to see if they could catch a tinge of his yellow skin. The mottled sunlight trickling through the trees obviously was shading it very well from them.

Varran walked round in a small circle, really milking their mutual anxiety much to Jacke’s amusement.

“Jeff, you’re blue, not sky blue, closer to lips blue, can’t breathe blue. Your cholesterol levels are high and arteries are finding it hard to pump blood and oxygen round your body.” He grabbed his right hand tightly and lifted it up for inspection. Noting the yellow and brown discolouring round the fingers, Varran made a triumphant little noise.

“You need to stop smoking now. Go for a run in the mornings or you’ll be dead in no time at all. One fine morning the sun will be shining brightly promising a brand new day and you’ll be clutching your arm as your heart explodes. Nasty way to go don’t you think?”

“No! My darlin’ Myrtle will be devastated!” he cried genuine anguish in his voice.

“Your wife?”

“No, my goat!”

“Say nothing,” Jacke muttered under her breath as Varran struggled with that piece of information.

He turned to Colton who was trembling at this point. His blue eyes were wide with a silent pleading.

“I don’t smoke or drink mister so I’m fine right? I’m not going to die like these two right?” His voice elevated in pitch like a choirboy in the hope that Varran would smile and tell him he was fine. “Right mister?”

“Off-white diarrhoea for you. It has been seeping through your pores for a long time now. You really need to drink more water and tons of fruit and porridge to really clean out that colon and bowels Colton. Otherwise you’ll spend your days in the outhouse 24/7 with neither a magazine or enough toilet roll to save you.”

Jacke grimaced. “Trust me, you really don’t want a burning ring as your last memory.”

Shocked by the startling news, the three hunters looked at each other. This was just going to be a squirrel hunt but now it had turned into ‘you have a short future’ day. Bill thought to himself he was going to give Doc Burton a mouthful when he saw him next, which was going to be sooner than planned. He wanted to see his three sons grow and teach them to carry on the carpentry business he ran.

Colton could see his wife, Karen, nag him when he told her. Seeing a dark future of nagging wife, he decided he’d change without telling her and become this hero in her eyes. She wouldn’t have anything to complain about with an Adonis for a husband. He pressed his left mob and swore to take this stranger’s advice. Now driven, he would give Karen the babies she wanted and he’d been avoiding. Memories of his dark childhood had haunted him for years but kept a wall between the two of them. No, things change as of today. 

“Maybe you guys can exercise together for encouragement and form a running club; go swimming in the creeks and lakes about here. You’ll soon see the benefits,” Jacke added.

Bill stared at his hands.

“But I’m as white as you are mister,” he said disbelievingly.

With a puzzled look at Jacke, Varran shook his head in disagreement.

“Sorry Bill but I’m off duck egg white, a sort of mottled grey in fact.”

“So we have black, duck egg grey, yellow, brown and blue,” Jacke mused. “Wow, every day really is a learning day.”

She jerked her head at Varran to take this opportunity to leave. They set off down the trail leaving the three hunters bewildered and with a lot to think about. They were holding their hands up to the sky to see the real colour of their skin as described by Varran.

“I can’t believe you did that,” Jacke muttered chuckling to herself.

Varran laughed too. “I hate racists.”

Suddenly he stopped and turned on his heel wincing as he did so. The boots he had worn for this trip to the 1930s, they were rubbing into the back of his heel.

“Excuse me sirs!” he called out to the trio of hunters. “Are we heading the right way to get to Dracula Drive? We’re looking for the Melonheads.”

Also available from Owen Quinn

The Time Warriors First Footsteps

The Time warriors The Voalox Horror

The Time Warriors Red Water

The Time Warriors Tempest

The Time Warriors Venom

The Time Warriors The Moon Once More & Other Storiesink this was a cellphone

The Time Warriors Spooklight & The Skull

The Time Warriors The Belbridge Mystery

Th Time Warriors: Only the Dead Get Off at Kymlinge & Other Stories

Zombie Blues

Zombie Blues 2

Zombie Blues 3

Get your copies today at www.amazon.co.uk        

                      About the author

Owen Quinn is a resident of Northern Ireland and has been a life long science fiction and horror fan. His desire to write for his favourite show Doctor Who at the age of fifteen led to the birth of the Time warriors series. He is the creator of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues books.

He is a regular attendee at conventions across the country and infamously fell and broke his shoulder at his first Walker Stalker convention. He still managed to keep his photo ops with both Chandler Riggs and Danai Gurira.

He is a keen photographer also has a secret desire to be the first Irish Doctor Who.                           

Toys To Write To: Boba Fett In Disguise Figure

By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues

Watch any child play with toys and you are witnessing a brand new world being created right before you that only they are privy to. Every single story begins behind the wide eyes of a mesmerised child.

People often ask what inspires me to come up with sci fi or horror scenarios and aliens. I’ve written an article here on that very subject of inspiration and ideas. Read it by clicking on the link here https://timewarriors.co.uk/2023/04/03/to-sit-down-and-write-get-off-your-arse/ However there is one thing I actually forgot about and yet have surrounded myself with them all my life and will enjoy to the day I die.

As a child you are forever creating stories with your tpys and when I was young it was the Star Wars toys especially that gave us our new Star Wars adventures and spin offs along with the comic strip in Star Wars Weekly. I had a Tardis and a Star Trek transporter that could send my imagination anywhere and to any time. So when my Dad built a rockery in our garden it was the site for many new Star Wars stories and with the plethora of figures released, anything could happen and crossovers between shows were common long before it became popular. Luke Skywalker travelled in the Tardis and R2 was beamed to a lost dimension of Transformers characters. So in this series I will look at the toys that blew me away as a kid and helped spin new worlds in my head. Every single story begins behind the wide eyes of a mesmerised child.

So what is it about this particular piece that sends the imagination into overdrive? Well War of the Bounty Hunters was a comic book event that I and many others collected. It was set between the Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi and saw the frozen Han Solo in carbonite being the prize sought after by not only a plethora of bounty hunters but Darth Vader and the Crimson Hand.

But the one thing that set fans alight was the debut of a new version of Boba Fett. Titled Boba Fett in disguise, it saw an all black armour retaining the Mandolorian look. Fett used it so no one would figure it was him when he went undercover to locate Solo. And it’s arrival in print saw a surge in demand for an action figure variant. This did not happen in the 3.75 range but in the Black Series in a special presentation box with art from the comic books. The closest we got to a 3.75 version was a mock up on a comic book cover.

So what is it about this figure that would send any writer’s imagination spinning in new directions? For me, it was a reminder that every once in a while your characters should do something unexpected. We are so used to how iconic Fett looks and at this stage very aware of all the different versions of Mando armour there is out there but never before have we seen an all black version. It immediately propels you to think Batman, symbiote Spiderman and heroes and villains using dark outfits to keep the city safe or try to destroy it. In this story Fett is up against dark underground forces and even darker villains, so this alone adds new layers to his character.

While it is important that the cores of your characters stay the same, this black armoured Fett invoked me to wonder how far I could push one of my characters into a position where it brings out something new but still maintains their core values. If you are doing a series involving the same characters it is important to expand upon your own mythology. Believe me when I tell you that a mythology builds much quicker than you think and to fully indulge in it. Bringing in new elements is vital to your characters such as new villians and monsters to fight and new worlds to plunge them into. Reveal hiiden secrets or past guilts in order to keep them real. No one is perfect and everyone has hang ups. Doing this solidifies your characters within their journey and hopefully the audience will be engaged enough to stay with them on that journey.

Another thing it reminded to do is never be afriad to go too big in a story. If it’s the potential end of the world make the threat real. Never be afriad to destroy entire countries if you have to or leave scars on the world that will remain because a reset button is too easy to use. Just as events have consequences with your characters leaving some scars emotionally or physically then so too should the world bear those scars. The Avengers Civil War is a good example of this following the events of Age of Ultron. The world and characters are changed forever. How deep those scars will be is up to you as the writer.

Seeing this figure sit on my shelf always reminds me to ask the most important question a writer can ask themselves when faced with a blank sheet of paper…what if?

Quest Lion and Lily children’s book out now!

Presented by Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues

Stephen Carey has released his first children’s book which is on sale now on Amazon. It’s important kids read as much as possible and here’s the perfect opportunity.

It contains 3 fun stories, and if you know someone who’d like a copy, you can order it from Amazon here 🙂

Quest Lion and Lilly is a fun and exciting adventure book for kids! Our main heroes, Leon Mane and Lilly Lilypad, take on all sorts of quirky quests in a world full of unusual characters! Action, adventure, and some fun wordplay, this is the perfect fantasy book for kids of seven and up! “No quest too big, no quest too small! Give us a quest, we complete them all!”

Forgotten Villains: The Visitors

By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues

Photos copyright WB

I was recently made aware of just how many movies and television shows the younger generation have never heard of, never mind seen. So to that end, we look back at some characters you really need to see before you kick the bucket.

Everybody has a best friend. Everybody has friends. Sometimes that friendship is short-lived, turning negative over a wrong word or action. Many friendships survive a long time despite time and distance. But it is painful when a friendship turns sour but that is life. However, imagine if that friendship turned murderous because you never saw your friend’s real face. You never caught what their intentions really were. We were swept up in the blaze of a new friendship, were they stand by you, helping you out and taking nothing in return. Then suddenly a core of bad people turn on them. Your first instinct is to defend them because how could these people be so horrible to someone that has been nothing but nice to you personally.

Well, that’s what happens when the Visitors came to Earth in their giant spaceships offering us the hand of peace. They feely offered the entire human race cures for diseases yet incurable, medicines and resources that would enhance our lives and society. We were in awe of seeing these ships in the sky and the friendly inhabitants. We had watched sci-fi movies for years telling us an alien arrival would be a bad thing because they weren’t to be trusted. They had a hidden agenda which would not go in our favour. On the other hand we had ET and Star trek where we live in harmony with many alien species. So here they were with their laser pistols and shuttles. They wore sunglasses due to our sunlight and spoke in funny voices which we as a species connected with; something as harmless as Spock having pointed ears. It was just one of those things that reminded us they were from another world. The scientific community inevitably fell over themselves to get to nosy aboard the ships to see what technology that they could adapt or use for the human race. We were so in awe of first contact we couldn’t see the insidious patterns and behaviors that were emerging all around us. It’s our fault because we don’t want to see any flaws in our new best friends. The fault must lie within ourselves. And that shortcoming opened the door to hell for the human race.

The outward human appearance was in fact a mask beautifully constructed to hide the reptilian features beneath. Suddenly respected scientists are now wanted for treason and sabotage against the Visitors. Whole families disappear only to be returned behaving differently. The Visitors play the victim well; innocent benefactors from beyond the stars that have nothing to gain from us but so much to give to a primitive society. So if they were so affronted then why did they not just return to their home world, flipping the bird to humanity? Instead they stay. Wider eyes would have seen that their ships are positioned over major cities. There’s nothing to stop them dropping a bomb, especially on the likes of Washington or Moscow. Their symbols are reminiscent of the swastika and they quickly establish the Visitor Youth Programme just as the Nazis did. These human kids were to inform on their own kind and the Visitors would then take them into custody for questioning.

It was thanks to the likes of Mike Donovan that the Visitor agenda finally came to light. Donovan learns that these lizards eat birds and rodents when he sneaks through the ventilation shafts of the mothership. The Visitors can spit venom blinding their opponent. This ability was almost never used after that but the most shocking discovery is yet to come. Donovan discovers humans kept in pods in huge cathedral like chambers. The Visitors have come for two things; water and food. The problem is that food source is us. Such is the extent of the Visitor infiltration that they along with their human collaborators including Donovan’s mother control the media. News of entire towns disappearing is never reported on. Even proof positive of the lizards unmasked is swept under the carpet. Processing plants are false set-ups for the draining of our planet’s resources.

Diana is the leader of the Visitors, a beautiful woman on the outside but old and calculating like a reptile who will stop at nothing to subjugate the human race. However a resistance has sprung up which Donovan is quickly sucked into. Diana is forever in a power struggle with her own officers who are not convinced about her methods. She uses a mind manipulator to brainwash people, something Julie Parrish experiences first hand. As the resistance against the visitors, with the likes of mercenaries (Ham Tyler played by Michael Ironside) and scientists (Julie Parrish) joining forces, they come up with a Red Dust which could drive the Visitors off. Brian, who is charge of the Youth Programme, demonstrates just how little regard the Visitors hold humanity in. He seduces teenager Robin Maxwell to see if he can get her pregnant and if so what that child will look like. However he pays the price when Robin tests the Red Dust on him killing him instantly. We are nothing but something to be eaten and experimented upon in their eyes.

In one of the most memorable television moments ever, Robin gives birth to a set of twins. One is a human baby that flicks out a lizard tonguee while the other is talked about to this day. From Robin’s open stomach emerges a full lizard humanoid baby. Those that were not there at the time will not appreciate the impact of that scene on audiences, shooting V to a global phenomenon.

The lizard child dies but the human one grows faster than normal. We will later learn that the Star Child named Elizabeth was prophesied to join both species together as one. A priest delivers her to Diana thinking he is doing the right thing and is killed for his troubles. As the Red Dust floods the atmosphere and Visitors choke to death, Diana sets the self destruct on the mothership. She will leave no one alive if she cannot have the Earth. But Elizabeth has powers that save the day and for now the Earth is safe. Well, at, least until the public wanted more so the Red Dust turned out to be a short term solution. Prisoner Diana was free agent to cause havoc.

Not all Visitors are bad. We have Willy, the vegetarian Visitor, who joins the resistance and cannot quite master the human language. Willy would survive right through to the end of the short lived television series when V went weekly. Elizabeth mutates into a grown woman and finds a love interest in new cast member Kyle. Kyle is estranged from his father, Nathan Bates, who runs a neutral city where Visitors and humans can meet freely. Donovan became close friends with Martin who controlled the Visitor resistance, the Fifth column. They saved Donovan many times and sabotages Diana at every turn. Martin is murdered but his twin brother Philip turns up blaming Donovan for his brother’s death but soon learns the truth. Diana retrieves Donovan’s son, Sean, from the food chambers and begins brainwashing him to hate his father. Not all the Visitors agree with the stripping of Earth and in the final episode of the television series the Leader, the most holy of the Visitors, orders a ceasefire and comes to Earth to negotiate peace. But we will never know what happens as the series ended on a cliffhanger with Elizabeth and stowaway Kyle on the Leader’s ship which Diana has rigged to explode.

The television show expanded the Visitors culture but made it mundane in the process. The Visitors acted just like the characters of the big soaps like Dallas and Dynasty with the bitching and female power plays. Lydia and Diana were more like Krystle and Alexis. We had arranged weddings, murder of the groom and Visitor saunas. This was a chance to really create an unique civilization for the Visitors but it fell into cliché and duels to the death. This diminished them to nonsensical characters leaving the resistance as real people. The Visitors even came up with a faster way to process humans with the creation of a walk through microwave saving prep time and the gutting and slicing. It was clear that the show’s budget was cut to hell and main characters were killed off without a fanfare like Elijah. Ham and Robin simply walked out a door never to be seen again. The resistance fell to a handful of people and the final episode was never even filmed, which would have resolved the cliffhanger and set up the second series.

Book Excerpt: World Through A Window Zombie

By and copyright of Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues

Cover by Conaire McMullan

The zombie rollercoaster continues as the undead continue to give us their view of being a rotting corpse under the control of Mother Nature.
This time round we meet Comic Book zombie and the zombie who thinks the ending of Toy Story 3 is sacrilege. What happens when a zombie’s faith in God is rocked to its very foundation and why is the spirit of Elvis Presley still going strong in the vast
roaming herds?
A zombie tells why the covid pandemic was much preferable to being undead and why having a club foot makes you feel normal as a zombie. Plus more zombie characters than you can shake a stick at.

Available on Amazon now!

World Through a Window Zombie

I knew all about the midlife crisis that men go through no matter how much they deny it.

 Unlike the female menopause which according to my cow of a former wife allows a woman to get away with stabbing her husband in the middle of the night just for snoring too loudly, the male version seems to strike at any age. In fact it has different impacts on different men. I’ve known men get struck down with it at thirty and suddenly they are married to the thorn girlfriend they were about to dump. It isn’t long before a divorce comes through as if the veil drops and they suddenly see in the cold light of day the mistake they made while in the throes of the crisis.

For me it was a sudden smack in the face as I fretted over all the things I haven’t done which totally eclipsed everything that I had done in life. A near death experience didn’t help at all but it lasted for a little over a week. Other men buy new cars; cheat with a younger woman or man or go under the knife to pull that sagging skin back, all in an effort to keep their youth. Maybe it’s some sort of inbuilt thing in our genetics but whatever it is it gets us all at some point.

So here I am at fifty two years of age in relatively good health, survivor of the midlife crisis. I would like to think I still have a lot of years ahead of me. I’m married with two teenage kids and in a job I enjoy with a house that seems to be in a constant cloud of redecoration.

Most of my friends are scattered around the country due to jobs etc so I don’t have any of them close at hand for a drink or any type of social life. Social media is our way of keeping in touch unless we arrange a meet up or there’s a convention or show of some sort on. My wife recently graduated from university and is in a new career which seems to take up most of her time and the kids live in their rooms ironically with their friends’ network also over social media. They will be going to further education in a heartbeat leaving their old folks behind until of course their coppers run dry. With a bit more free time, I indulged in some of my old hobbies which due to time and finances had fallen to the wayside a bit.

I recently dug out my old collection of Star Wars figures and vehicles from when I was a kid and began filling in the missing gaps. Jesus I remember when these figures only cost me ninety nine pence now some of these buggers are charging a fortune for them. Hindsight’s a truly wonderful thing so thankfully it was only a matter of replacing the missing figures and ships occasionally picking up a little extra that caught my fancy. At my age I have a disposable income which we never had when me and the wife got together and were putting our home together. It was years of red bill city and debt collectors from Provident. Nothing we did seemed to put us above water and with two young kids it was hard. I think that was part of the reason the missus went back to school at her age so we wouldn’t fall back into that plus it was to satisfy her own needs to do something worthwhile that she could be proud of.  I don’t have anything to really complain about and yet…

I can’t believe I am saying this. I don’t know why.

At fifty two, I have never felt so lonely in all my life.

It began when the Covid restrictions were imposed and the whole country went into lockdown. Life changed for all of us as pubs, gyms, barbers, comic shops were all shut down to prevent the spread of the disease. Even clothes shops were shut as not considered essential. Yet the supermarkets were still allowed to sell their clothes ranges. With so many people browsing through so many garments, surely there was a source of contamination right there no matter how many blue rolls and hand and trolley sanitiser they provided at the front doors. Social distancing and bubbles quickly became common place with threats of fines and police raids for anyone breaching the law or holding house parties. Those vulnerable people including me due to asthma were restricted by government shielding. This meant that we could not leave the house bar medical reasons or a walk for exercise reasons. Millions were trapped in their own homes as the dark cloud of the virus turned the whole world into something we had never imagined. We could not see our families and social media became a lifeline for all of us. The old and the infirm were trapped in their homes unable to see grandchildren or loved ones which were often the highlight of their days. I remember one girl telling me she couldn’t see her grandmother for the entire three months but when shielding was eased the first place she went to was her grandmother’s house to check on her. Well granny had put on her coat, grabbed her handbag and was out before anyone knew where she was. Talk about a hare out of a greyhound trap. There was nothing wrong with her hips that day.