By Jennifer Larson

VERONICA MARS and KEVIN SMITH fans ... you've got something to smile about.

Kristen Bell – who played a perky teenage super sleuth on VERONICA MARS – will be joining the cast of HEROES for a multiepisode arc, this season. This – combined with the recent announcement that Kevin Smith will write and direct an episode of prequel series HEROES: ORIGINS – only makes the anticipation for the upcoming season even more exciting than it already was. We don’t know yet whether Kristen will be on the side of good or evil but, “she’ll play a sexy, intriguing, mysterious young lady named Elle,” according to NBC execs. Adding fresh new blood and talent will help keep this Sci-Fi drama from going stale like some of its counterparts. Perhaps this new character will be the alter ego of fan favorite, Claire (Hayden Panettiere.) In fact, this ensemble show has an edge over others – when it comes to adding new characters – because of their theme.

In other ensemble shows, it can get confusing and frustrating to see regulars come and go, but when you’re dealing with a world where some humans have powers and others don’t, you expect to see old ones die off and new ones appear, especially when you factor in the lack of knowledge the resident scientists have of the genetics that go into it all. That’s why it’s also a brilliant move – on NBC’s part – to add the prequel series. In many Sci-Fi shows, the viewers are left to follow a trail of breadcrumbs, when trying to figure what is really going on. While some ambiguity is enticing, too much can cause us to give up on even trying to figure it all out. And, Kevin Smith – who started out in the comic book world and was a huge Mars fan – is a perfect fit for a show like this. I’m also expecting and hoping to see some of his quirky humor, in the episode he’s responsible for. Perhaps, his will explain who and what our newest little minx really is.

Whether or not Kevin Smith’s installment of HEROES: ORIGINS is the one that furnishes the ins and outs of Kristen Bell’s character, I have high hopes it will entertain as well as inform. And, look for the newest addition to HEROES to explode onto the scene in October.