Perhaps one of the slickest SciFi gems I know -- so long as you don't mind your science fiction with a mix of rom/com -- is 1979's wonderful Time After Time. Released on this day back then, it brought together would-be Star Trek veterans Malcolm McDowell and David Warner as H.G. Wells and Jack the Ripper (respectively), and the story pits H.G. chasing the Ripper from the past into present-day (well, 1979, anyway) after the murderer escapes using H.G.'s time machine. Mary Steenburgen is aboard (the movie, not the time machine) as a modern-day love interest for the bookish Mr. Wells. Nicholas Meyer (yes, that Nicholas Meyer) adapted the story and directed one fun production.
Irwin Allen's Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea bought SciFi down to the Earth and under the water for a whole generation of TV viewers, and venerable Richard Basehart called the shots for the crew in role of Adm. Harriman Nelson. Though he's no longer with us, Basehart was born on this day in 1914.
I'd imagine most of you young Turks wouldn't know who the legendary James Coburn is. For the record, the actor was all over the channels during the Golden Age of Television, and he scored a respectable 'James Bond'-style knock in the 60's with Our Man Flint and In Like Flint. In the 70's, he played Jack Dryden in the SciFi-themed sports film Goldengirl alongside the luscious Susan Anton. Though he's no longer with us, Coburn was born on this day in 1928.
When your die-hard Trekkie friends try to convince you of how Star Trek: The Next Generation improved dramatically throughout its second season, remind them that the stinking gem better known as "The Royale" premiered almost smack dab in the middle of the season, for which the talented Noble Willingham (above right) is remembered. That should shut them up. Though he's no longer with us, Willingham was born on this day in 1931. [Source: IMDB.com]
I'll give you that Larry Hankin doesn't have much Science Fiction to his credit, but doesn't he have one of the more recognizable faces in the entertainment industry? Hankin has appeared on Amazing Stories, ALF, Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), Nightfall (1988), Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Shadow (1994), Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Star Trek: Voyager, and Weird Science. Hankin was born on this day in 1940.
When Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones finally screened for the masses, fans were introduced to another member of the Lars family on Tatooine -- Cliegg Lars was plaed by Aussie actor Jack Thompson. Thompson was born on this day in 1940.
Lee Bryant (second from right, in the red dress) was one of the wives unwittingly co-opted into helping widen the conspiracy at the heart of the great SciFi thriller, Capricorn One (1977). Bryant was born on this day in 1945.
Funny lady and general yuckster Julie Brown joined Geena Davis in the cult SciFi comedy, Earth Girls Are Easy (1988). Brown was born on this day in 1954.
Those of you who missed the CGI version of Star Wars: The Clone Wars missed something that was largely truly epic. Granted, in its six season run (five on television and one available via streaming), there were some plotlines that didn't work as well as they were probably conceived; but the totality of the show proved that there were definitely stories still worth telling in that galaxy far, far away. One of its voice regulars -- Dee Bradley Baker -- did some amazing work bringing so very many iterations of the Clone Troopers to life, including Captain Rex himself. Baker was born on this day in 1962.
The truth is, "You enter The Matrix, and you probably deserve a mention in SciFi History." While Agent Smith gets all of the credit, The Matrix Reloaded widened out the workforce, giving actor and stuntman Daniel Bernhardt the chance to play Agent Johnson. Bernhardt was born on this day in 1965.
Syfy's Riverworld adaptation keeps popping up these days on my research radar, so I guess I'm going to have to Bucket List that miniseries. In any event, actor Jonathan Cake (above center) made a prominent appearance in the piece, and Cake was born on this day in 1967.
I've mentioned before that one of the truly best programs to come out of that horrible experiment that was the UPN Network was a little program called 7 Days. Basically, it was a time travel show, but the conceit was the chrononaut -- played by actor Jonathan LaPaglia (pictured above) -- could only travel back seven days. This basically meant the plots were centralized around averting reasonable global catastrophes. LaPaglia was born on this day in 1969.
Proving she was no longer "In Your Dreams," recovering pop superstar (and lovely blonde) Debbie Gibson slipped into the realm of Science Fiction and Fantasy with a role aboard Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus (2009) and its follow-ups, Mega Python vs. Gatoroid (2011) and Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark (2014). That means she can get "Lost In Your Eyes" on video any time you like! Gibson was born on this day in 1970.
Zack Ward was part and parcel of the military ensemble fighting some evil space machinery aboard Michael Bay's big screen adaptation of Transformers. Ward was born on this day in 1970.
In his youth, Jason Presson (above center) participated in a handful of solid genre projects, yet he's all but disappeared these days if IMDB.com is to be trusted. He had roles aboard Explorers (1985), The Twilight Zone (1985), and Gremlins 2: The New Batch; and Presson was born on this day in 1971.
Even today, I'm one of rare few die-hard SciFi fans who just didn't like The Fifth Element. It seemed a bit too pedestrian for my tastes, but it is what it is. Still, I can appreciate a good chuckle, and Chris Tucker's Ruby Rhod provided more share than any film deserves. Tucker was born on this day in 1972.
While he may not have any big claim-to-fame in the realm of Science Fiction, young Ryan Kelley has been plugging away faithfully. He's earned roles in such properties as Smallville, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and 2009's live action Ben 10: Alien Swarm telefilm. Kelley was born on this day in 1986.
A young and vivacious Holly Earl cracked into the world of Doctor Who with an appearance aboard one of the program's holiday adventures, "The Doctor, The Widow, and the Wardrobe," back in 2011. Earl was born on this day in 1992.
On this day in 1995 (on home video), Project Shadowchaser III served up SciFi thrills and chills. The feature starred Sam Bottoms and Musetta Vander, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"It has been 25 years since the ore spaceship Siberia was last heard from. Unfortunately, it is now on a collision course with the communications station Comstat 5 which is orbiting Mars. After one successful maneuver to avoid the Siberia, it rams Comstat 5 and the crew soon finds that the Siberia crew is dead and the reason that it has been missing for 25 years. But that reason is trying to destroy them all as it destroyed the Siberia crew."
"It has been 25 years since the ore spaceship Siberia was last heard from. Unfortunately, it is now on a collision course with the communications station Comstat 5 which is orbiting Mars. After one successful maneuver to avoid the Siberia, it rams Comstat 5 and the crew soon finds that the Siberia crew is dead and the reason that it has been missing for 25 years. But that reason is trying to destroy them all as it destroyed the Siberia crew."
What? You say you've never seen Returner? Well, I can't say as I'd be all that surprised. It's a Japanese time travel flick -- pretty cool, if I don't say so myself -- that opened over there on this day back in 2002. It's a lot of flash and glam, that way most comic book films are, and the story involves a young woman from the future going back in time in order to stop an alien invasion from wiping out all of humanity. Plus it's got Takeshi Kaneshiro, who knows a thing or two about being a bad-ass with a pistol.
On this day in 1951, Tales Of Tomorrow aired "The Last Man On Earth." This served as the fifth episode of the program's first season, and here's the plot summary from TV.com:
"Martians have landed all over the world and they've left just two human beings alive, but only so they can experiment on them."
"Martians have landed all over the world and they've left just two human beings alive, but only so they can experiment on them."
On this day in 1960, Men Into Space aired "The Sun Never Sets." This served as the thirty-sixth episode of the program's only season, and here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:
"Colonel McCauley is assigned to observe and assist the British space program. Their Vega Project will use a more powerful second-stage rocket engine. McCauley has to express the US concerns about the reliability of this engine."
"Colonel McCauley is assigned to observe and assist the British space program. Their Vega Project will use a more powerful second-stage rocket engine. McCauley has to express the US concerns about the reliability of this engine."
On this day in 2001, Stargate: SG-1 aired "2001." This served as the tenth episode of the long-running program's fifth season, and here's the plot summary compliments of IMDB.com:
"SG-1 makes contact with the Aschen, unaware of that their homeworld is one they were warned previously from the future to be considered off-limits."
"SG-1 makes contact with the Aschen, unaware of that their homeworld is one they were warned previously from the future to be considered off-limits."
Like any good television program should, Falling Skies used the bulk of its (fourth) season to establish some major character arcs for all of the main players; and it went out with a pretty respectable bang. The showrunners delivered a two-part, two-hour season finale on this day in 2014 which answered most of the questions raised throughout several episodes, and it even even asked one or two more to keep them thinking throughout the hiatus. The first hour was called "Space Oddity," and here's the plot summary provided by our friends at the Falling Skies Wiki:
"Tom's mission to destroy the Espheni Power Core is complicated by Lexi's return. Lexi is forced to take extreme measures to save her father’s life – and her own – after a Beamer malfunction. Meanwhile, the 2nd Mass fears an impending Espheni strike by Scorch."
"Tom's mission to destroy the Espheni Power Core is complicated by Lexi's return. Lexi is forced to take extreme measures to save her father’s life – and her own – after a Beamer malfunction. Meanwhile, the 2nd Mass fears an impending Espheni strike by Scorch."
And Falling Skies' fourth season finale (from 2014) was an hour aptly titled "Shoot the Moon." Here's the episode's plot summary also obtained from the Falling Skies Wiki:
"With the weight of humanity’s survival on Tom and Lexi's shoulders, they must defeat Tom’s mortal enemy and find a way to destroy the omnipotent Espheni Power Core. Meanwhile, a new, terrifying Espheni Bomb is dropped onto Chinatown, immobilizing the 2nd Mass and preparing them for Human Skitterizaton."
"With the weight of humanity’s survival on Tom and Lexi's shoulders, they must defeat Tom’s mortal enemy and find a way to destroy the omnipotent Espheni Power Core. Meanwhile, a new, terrifying Espheni Bomb is dropped onto Chinatown, immobilizing the 2nd Mass and preparing them for Human Skitterizaton."
