The Morning Watch is a recurring feature that highlights a handful of noteworthy videos from around the web. They could be video essays, fanmade productions, featurettes, short films, hilarious sketches, or just anything that has to do with our favorite movies and TV shows.

In this edition, go behind the scenes of Star Trek: Picard to learn about the making of various props for the series. Plus, Patrick (H) Willems is back with a new video essay that suggests Predator might be the smartest genre mash-up ever, and Star Wars Resistance co-star Bobby Moynihan reads a Star Wars story for all the little nerds out there.

First up, listen to Star Trek: Picard prop master Jeff Lombardi as he talks about all the various items needed to effectively take us into the final frontier again. It’s not just sci-fi items like phaser rifles (though that’s his favorite item the prop department created), but also tea cups, canes, and so much more.

Next up, Predator may not quickly come to your mind as a fine achievement in cinema, but Patrick (H) Willems makes the case for it being much more than “Commando with monsters. The video essay digs into film history to enhance the argument, and it’s a whole 22-minute explanation as to why Predator might be the smartest genre mash-up ever.

Finally, Disney brought in their Star Wars Resistance cast member Bobby Moynihan to read the children’s book C-3PO Does Not Like Sand. In the book, C-3PO, R2-D2 and BB-8 are on a special mission to the desert planet of Tatooine for the Resistance, but the latter two droids keep getting distracted, and C-3PO has to keep them on task while also dealing with the sand he hates.

The post The Morning Watch: The Props of ‘Star Trek: Picard’, The Genre Mash-Up of ‘Predator’ & More appeared first on /Film.