Ways to Tap Into the Force, and Beam Up Your Inner Trekkie

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THE newest film in the “Star Wars” franchise, “Rogue One,” is out in theaters. Several excellent science-fiction-themed TV shows are on the air. And there are more sci-fi and fantasy films expected soon.

That means it’s a great time to be a science-fantasy and science-fiction fan. And in a galaxy right here today, a lot of that content is designed for the supercomputer smartphone in your pocket, so you can take your love for the genres anywhere you go.

For starters, there are the Lego Star Wars game apps. These have always been excellent — cleverly put together and containing many amusing moments that tie in to the movies.

My recommendation is Lego Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles, based on everyone’s favorite small, green Jedi knight. As with the other Lego games, this is a 3-D puzzle-solving game that involves the occasional bit of combat. Your characters roam around an environment that fits into the “Star Wars” stories, picking up Lego pieces, smashing objects and using powers to assemble piles of Lego pieces into useful tools that can help get to the next level. The graphics are excellent and the gameplay is satisfying. The app is free for iOS and Android.

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If you prefer to play a game with characters from a more recent “Star Wars” movie, check out Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens, based on the 2015 hit film, which stars characters like Rey and the droid BB-8. The game, which is fun and a challenge to complete, is free for iOS and Android — though to you have to pay in-app to unlock the full content.

For those who prefer to battle the forces of evil in a more grown-up setting, try Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes. This is a turn-based combat game, with 3-D-ish graphics and gameplay set in venues different from those in the movies, prequels and TV shows like “The Clone Wars.”

In the game, you are in control of a team of players, each with a different weapon and combat skills. As you fight against the Empire, you earn rewards and enhance your character’s skills to get stronger weapons. The game has great graphics and sophisticated options for leveling up your characters.

But beware of how this game might affect your wallet. While it is free to download on iOS and Android, you can advance more quickly by buying “crystals” in the app. Though prices start at a few dollars, some options are more expensive.

For more “Rogue One” content, turn to Disney’s official Star Wars app. It has been updated with content from the new movie, including videos and news. My favorite part of the app is the soundboard section where you tap on the screen and are rewarded with samples of speech from your favorite characters or iconic Star Wars sound effects. The app is free on iOS and Android.

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Blastr is a different kind of science-fiction app, designed to bring together news about sci-fi matters from across the web. The home page contains many thumbnail images that entice you to read more, along with a few introductory words. Tapping on a story preview takes you to the full article to read inside the Blastr app, or click through to read it on the original website.

At the moment, there’s a great deal of “Star Wars” content in the app thanks to “Rogue One,” but you can also find news about comics, genuine science and space technology breakthroughs, and coming films and TV shows. You can filter the news stories to see just trending topics, or search for keywords or specific shows. The app’s interface is easy to navigate and the content is absorbing. It’s a free iOS and Android download.

This year was also important for fans of another big science-fiction franchise: “Star Trek,” which this year celebrated its 50th anniversary since Captain Kirk and company hit our screens. One of my favorite apps celebrating “Star Trek” is the official TrekMoji app. This $2 iOS and Android download contains many different cartoon-drawing-style emojis featuring characters and quotes from “Star Trek.” You can use these emojis in different ways in different apps, but on iOS these integrate with iMessage, so you can easily include Trek-style images in any chat messages.

Lastly, there’s Lifeline, a sci-fi game that pays homage to the early days of computer gaming. It’s a text-based adventure game, and its story takes the form of an incoming text message from a stranded astronaut. The tale then evolves over a number of days. When you have to make a choice, you are offered a few text-based options on screen. Simple fun and $1 to download on iOS.

Quick Call

The new BBC Earth Coloring app lets you take part, in a small way, in the BBC’s nature TV show hosted by the naturalist David Attenborough. Tapping into the trend for adult coloring books, this app lets you color in stunning scenes containing animals from all across the globe. It’s absorbing, beautiful and suitable for all ages. The app is free on iOS and Android.