Author: Swara Salih

Swara is a data analyst and a co-host of The Middle Geeks. He loves talking about politics, animals, nature, and all things Marvel, Star Wars, and DC.
Interview, Star TrekLeave a comment

Babs Olusanmokun on Playing Dr. M’Benga on ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’

Swara Salih

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds takes us back to the original Star Trek era where Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) led the Enterprise and her crew on daring missions to explore the vastness of Space and make new discoveries and advancements on behalf of the Federation. The crew of the Enterprise is has a vast range of experience and skill they bring to their mission, and one Dr. M’Benga, played brilliantly by Babs Olusanmokun, gets his own featured episode this week.

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DC Comics, Interview, TelevisionLeave a comment

Kausar Mohamed on Joining ‘The Flash’

Swara Salih

There’s a new speedster in town on The Flash! Dr. Meena Dhawan made her debut in “Keep it Dark” and received the spotlight in last week’s “The Man in the Yellow Tie.” Who is Dr. Meena and why has she sought Barry Allen and his team out?

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Marvel, PodcastsLeave a comment

The Middle Geeks Episode 39: ‘Ms. Marvel’ Episodes 1-2 Review

Swara Salih

We discuss episodes 1-2 of the new MCU Disney+ series Ms. Marvel, starring Iman Vellani!

Ms. Marvel is here! We discuss the first two episodes of the series, discussing how wonderful Iman Vellani is in the main role, how well the series does at portraying Kamala and her family and friends, how well it does on portraying Islam, the change to her powers, and where it can do better in certain fronts.

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Interview, Marvel

‘Ms. Marvel’ Creators on Bringing Kamala Khan’s World to the MCU

Swara Salih

Ms. Marvel is nearly here! How does one go about translating this beloved character and her story to life? We got to speak with head writer Bisha K. Ali and co-creator Sana Amanat on how they went about doing just that for Kamala’s entry into the MCU.

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Interview, Marvel

The ‘Ms. Marvel’ Supporting Cast on Bringing Kamala Khan’s Friends and Family to Life

Swara Salih

As Ms. Marvel approaches our Disney+ screens very soon, we got to sit down with the actors playing Kamala Khan’s family (Saagar Shaikh, Zenobia Shroff, and Mohan Kapur) and friends (Rish Shah, Yasmeen Fletcher, and Matt Lintz) on how they helped bring Kamala’s world to life in the newest MCU series!

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Interview, Marvel

Iman Vellani on Playing Kamala Khan, aka ‘Ms. Marvel’

Swara Salih

Ms. Marvel is nearly here! The beloved Pakistani American Muslim character millions already love is making her debut to the MCU with her own series this Wednesday, June 8! And we got to speak with her newcomer star Iman Vellani, Kamala Khan herself!

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DC Comics, Television1 Comment

Danielle Nicolet on This Season’s Final Arc of ‘The Flash’

Swara Salih

As revealed in this week’s episode of The Flash, Deathstorm is a villain unlike any The Flash has faced before. One who can feed off of grief. And for Barry Allen, Iris West-Allen, and their allies, there’s too much of that to go around. How will they take on this new enemy?

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DC Comics, Interview, Television1 Comment

Natalie Dreyfuss on Playing Sue Dearbon on ‘The Flash’

Swara Salih

Since her first appearance in Season 6 of The Flash, Sue Dearbon, as played by Natalie Dreyfuss, has captured the hearts of so many fans of the show. A charismatic socialite who uses her financial resources for good, she’s a force to be reckoned with. Now back this season, she pairs up with the show’s leading lady Iris West-Allen (Candice Patton) as they help troubled meta teen Tinya (Mika Abdalla) reconnect with her long-lost mother. Through it all, Sue has all the flair and confidence to command a presence on screen and enrich the already electric energy that Candice Patton brings as Iris.

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Marvel, Reviews, Streaming

NOC Review: ‘Moon Knight’ Raises the Bar for What the MCU Can Be

Swara Salih

Many new viewers may ask themselves “Who the hell are Moon Knight and Marc Spector?” The protagonist of the titular Disney+ series, Steven Grant, grapples with the same question as he’s swept on a psychological and mythological ride across the globe.

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DC Comics, Interview, Television

Damion Poitier on Returning to ‘The Flash’

Swara Salih

Goldface and Amunet are a criminal pair bringing constant headaches to Central City and Team Flash. Whether they’re together or separate, they each pose a formidable criminal force. Damion Poitier (whose credits include the original Thanos in The Avengers), plays Goldface, always chewing up the scenery every chance he gets to appear on the show, such as in last week’s episode “Lockdown.”

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Marvel, Streaming

The ‘Moon Knight’ Team on the Making of the Series

Swara Salih

Moon Knight meets the hype as one of the most standout Marvel Studios productions. Combing elements of psychology, horror, Egyptology (that for once doesn’t feel Orientalist), and action-adventure, it’s sure to make a distinct impression on audiences so used to the Marvel formula. But what exactly went into the creative process of this series?

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Interview, Star Trek, Streaming

Director/Producer Olatunde Osunsanmi on What’s Next for ‘Star Trek: Discovery’

Swara Salih

Finally, the mystery of Species Ten-C has been resolved. In a stunning finale, Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and her crew of the USS Discovery figured it out with galaxy-spanning ramifications. In this race to the finish with her lover Clevand Booker (“Book”) (David Ajala), who had gone renegade this season in his own pursuit of justice, Star Trek: Discovery delivered yet another stunning finale, with limitless pathways to pursue in Season 5. After this finale, I’m incredibly excited for the next journey of Discovery.

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Marvel, Streaming1 Comment

The First ‘Ms. Marvel’ Trailer is Here

Swara Salih

Ms. Marvel is finally coming to the MCU! And we finally have a trailer! In it, we get to see Kamala Khan as a regular Pakistani American Muslim teen girl fantasize about Captain Marvel and the Avengers, drawing fanart, and dealing with the ins and outs of American high school as a brown girl.

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Interview, Star Trek, Streaming

Hiro Kanagawa on Joining ‘Star Trek: Discovery’

Swara Salih

Hiro Kanagawa has been on our tv screens for decades, appearing in such favorite shows as Smallville, iZombie, Legends of Tomorrow, Inuyasha, The X-Files, Altered Carbon, and much more. Now, joins the critically acclaimed Star Trek: Discovery as the inquisitive Dr. Hirai, one of the Federation’s leading specialists in astrolinguistics, xenophonology, and theoretical semiotics in the 32nd Century. As the Federation prepares to engage with the extra-galactic Species 10-C, Dr. Hirai is pivotal to establishing first contact.

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Marvel, Streaming

‘Moon Knight’ Featurette Gives New Look at the Upcoming Series

Swara Salih

We’re only weeks away from the hotly anticipated new MCU series Moon Knight, and Marvel has given us a new look at the series with a new featurette. We see sweeping landscapes of the Egyptian desert, Egyptian tombs, and new looks at Moon Knight and his master Khonshu, God of the Moon. It promises an epic and psychological adventure

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Reviews, Theatre

The Gift of Sanaz Toosi’s ‘English’

Swara Salih

What goes into learning a foreign language for your livelihood? How does one prepare to become a foreigner in an unfamiliar country? Encapsulating the migrant experience through the microcosm of a TOEFL class in 2008 Karaj, Iran, Sanaz Toosi’s searingly beautiful play English, directed by Knud Adams, answers all of this and much more, running at The Atlantic Theater in New York City to critical acclaim.

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DC Comics, Interview, Television1 Comment

Jessica Parker Kennedy on What’s Next for the West-Allen Siblings on ‘The Flash’

Swara Salih

The Flash fans were delighted by the ending of Season 7 with the arrival of the West-Allen kids of the future. Not exactly the Tornado Twins of the comics, but a composite of multiple descendants of Barry Allen and Iris West-Allen with Nora (Jessica Parker Kennedy) and Bart (Jordan Fisher) West-Allen, the siblings came to help their parents save the day against Godspeed to everyone’s delight. It was a West-Allen peak for the ages, but the kids aren’t done yet as they return to take the spotlight in this week’s returning episode of The Flash Season 8.

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DC Comics, Interview, Television

Daniel Puig Discusses Being Nathan on The CW’s ‘Naomi’

Swara Salih

With shows like Stargirl and now Naomi, The CW is leaning into younger teams, making more “Scooby Gangs,” as it were, for our main heroes and for their audiences to relate with. Nathan, played by Daniel Puig, is one such Scooby member on Naomi, and also happens to be our protagonist’s current love interest.

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Movies, Podcasts

The Middle Geeks: Shayan Sobhian and Max Mooney on ‘Does Bigfoot Dream of Flowers?’

Swara Salih

We are delighted to speak with Legends of Tomorrow cast member Shayan Sobhian and his writing partner and director Max Mooney on their new film Does Bigfoot Dream of Flowers?. What inspired them to do this project? How is this depiction of Bigfoot similar and different from those we’ve seen before? We also hear from Shayan on his role as Behrad on Legends of Tomorrow, and where the show might go from their recent Season 7 finale.

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