def METHOD_NAME(names=None):
    global _deps
    if _deps is not None:
        return _deps
    _deps = []
    if names is None:
        names = list(dep_names)
    for name in names:
        try:
            mod = import_module(name)
        except ImportError as e:
            print("could not import software dependency '{}': {}".format(name, e))
            continue
        _deps.append(mod)
    return _deps