Oophorectomy is the surgical removal of the ovaries of a female animal. In the case of non-human animals, this is also called spaying. It is a form of sterilization.

The removal of the ovaries together with the Fallopian tubes is called salpingo-oophorectomy. Oophorectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy are not common forms of birth control in humans; more usual is tubal ligation, in which the Fallopian tubes are blocked but the ovaries remain intact.

In humans, oophorectomy is most usually performed together with a hysterectomy - the removal of the uterus. Its use in a hysterectomy when there are no other health problems is somewhat controversial.

In animals, spaying involves an invasive removal of the ovaries, but rarely has major complications; the superstition that it causes weight gain is not based on fact. Spaying is especially important for certain animals that require the ovum to be released at a certain interval (called estrus or "heat"), such as cats and dogs. If the cell is not released during these animal's heat, it can cause severe medical problems that can be averted by spaying or partnering the animal with a male.

Oophorectomy is sometimes referred to as castration, but that term is most often used to mean the removal of a male animal's testicles.

See also

• tubal ligation & birth control
• circumcision
• genital mutilation & female circumcision

The Chronicles of Riddick
IMDB Page http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0296572/
Writer:	Jim Wheat Ken Wheat
Starring:	Vin Diesel Judi Dench Thandie Newton Karl Urban Colm Feore
Director:	David Twohy
Music by:	Graeme Revell
Distributor:	Universal Pictures
Release Date:	June 3, 2004 (USA)
Runtime:	119 min 135 min (director's cut)
Language:	English
Related:	Pitch Black The Chronicles of Riddick: The Dark Fury
Awards:	None

The Chronicles of Riddick is a 2004 American science fiction film sequel to Pitch Black directed by David Twohy and starring Vin Diesel and Judi Dench, with Thandie Newton, Karl Urban and Colm Feore.

Contents

1 Premise 2 Thematic elements 3 Critics and the box office 4 External links

Premise

Five years after the events of Pitch Black, a group of bounty hunters lead by Toombs (Nick Chinlund) are on the trail of Diesel's character, Riddick, a fugitive on the frozen planet U.V.6. Riddick takes Toombs' ship to go after the only person who could have betrayed him: Imam, whom he saved long ago.

Imam, working with Aereon (Dame Judi Dench) -- an ambassador from the mysterious and rarefied race known as the Elementals -- reveals his reasons for seeking Riddick: to help in the fight against the Necromongers, who are poised to attack Imam's planet Helion Prime, so trapping him in the middle of an intergalactic war called "The 10th Crusade". The Necromongers are a patriarchal warlike race seeking to convert, violently if necessary, the universe to their wicked faith on a journey to the UnderVerse, a constellation of Dark new Worlds.

The Necromongers take on more than they can handle when they try to convert Richard B. Riddick who is later revealed to be the last of a warrior race known as Furians who can stop the Necromongers.

Thematic elements

Much of The Chronicles of Riddick deals with the internal conflict of Vin Diesel's title character between selfishness and empathy. Billed as an anti-hero in the popular press, Riddick is closer to a reluctant hero driven by the essential human needs of self-preservation and, ultimately, revenge.

Critics and the box office

Fairly or unfairly, Riddick received poor treatment from the critics and mediocre performance at the U.S. domestic box office (US$57 million), though its total global box office take (US$109 million) was almost enough to cover expenses (estimated at US$120 million) . An Xbox game (Escape from Butcher Bay) released simultaneously was very well received, as was the anime short film Dark Fury by Aeon Flux director Peter Chung, and may have made the whole endeavor a financial win for Universal Studios. As Pitch Black became a cult-hit on DVD, so perhaps will Riddick.

The Unrated Director's Cut DVD was released on November 16, 2004, and sold 1.5 million copies on the first day alone. Director David Twohy has said that sequel plans depend in large part on the commercial success of the DVD.

See also: Furians

External links

• Official website http://www.thechroniclesofriddick.com/
• The Chronicles of Riddick http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0296572/ at the Internet Movie Database