It was on this day theatrically back in 1979 when audiences first learned that, in space, no one can hear you scream but they sure as heck can hear it in the movie-house: Ridley Scott's seminal Alien took us to realms unimaginable. Understandably, plenty of folks were scared silly when the creature first appeared on screens, and decades later the movie continues to be one of sci-fi highwater marks of sci-fi greatness. For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, I offer you the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"The commercial vessel Nostromo receives a distress call from an unexplored planet. After searching for survivors, the crew heads home only to realize that a deadly bioform has joined them."
"The commercial vessel Nostromo receives a distress call from an unexplored planet. After searching for survivors, the crew heads home only to realize that a deadly bioform has joined them."
Veteran character actor Michael Lerner has nearly 200 different projects to his name (according to IMDB.com), and he turns up in genre projects, too, from time to time. SciFi fans probably recognize him from his work in Godzilla (1998) or X-Men: Days Of Future Past. Lerner was born on this day in 1941.
TV science fiction in the 1970's was so much different than TV sci-fi of today. For one thing, we didn't have all of this CGI that could fix issues in post. Perhaps The Bionic Woman is one of the best examples. The lovely Jaime Sommers -- as played by the equally lovely Lindsay Wagner -- used her bionics to help solve crimes and fight dastardly villains; because these Space Age biomechanics were buried beneath human tissue, producers didn't have to squander their budget on expensive make-up effects. Plus, fanboys got to swoon over Lindsay for an hour, and that wasn't a bad trade-off. Wagner was born on this day in 1949.
Actor Graham Greene plays Rafe McCawley on Syfy's Defiance, a program about the survivors of planet Earth after an alien war has decimated the cities. Mr. Greene was born on this day back in 1952.
Tuvok -- the Vulcan Security Officer who appeared on Star Trek: Voyager -- was a character I had plenty of respect for. In actor Tim Russ's more than capable hands, the Vulcan always maintained a level of dignified respect for everyone around him, but there were some wonderfully quirky moments laced with just the right balance of that forbidden emotion. Mr. Russ was born on this day back in 1956.
Genre favorite Bruce Campbell has flirted with an awful lot of properties that dabbled with sci-fi, but perhaps the best (for my tastes, anyway) was Fox TV's single season outing of The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. In it, Campbell played the signature kinda/sorta lawman roaming the West in pursuit of baddies who used futuristic technology to murder his legendary father. Campbell was born on this day in 1958. Groovy!
Catherine Disher definitely has a lingering love affair with genre projects. From Forever Knight to the short-lived War of the Worlds television series, she's dabbled in some exceptional guest roles and even provided voice to some wonderful animation. Disher was born on this day in 1960.
While he continues working in projects today, actor Nicholas Lea really made a splash in fandom when he took on the role of the dastardly Alex Krycek in Fox TV's The X-Files. He has also made appearances in the universes of The Outer Limits, Andromeda, Kyle XY, V, and Continuum. Lea was born on this day in 1962.
Paterson Joseph should definitely be familiar to SciFi fans. Since launching his career in entertainment, he's been a part of Doctor Who, Aeon Flux (2005), Hyperdrive, and Survivors. Joseph was born on this day in 1974.
On Syfy's retooled Battlestar Galactica, actor Michael Trucco played Samuel Anders for the program's entire run. The talented young man has also booked appearances aboard Tru Calling, Meteor Storm (TV movie), V, and a wealth of more mainstream fare. Trucco was born on this day in 1970.
Hmm. Looks like somebody has a bird problem. That's Laila Rouass, TV survivor from such SciFi projects as the BBC's Primeval and The Sarah Jane Adventures. Rouass was born on this day in 1971.
The multi-talented Sarah Edmondson has a terrific history with genre entertainment in both on-screen and voice roles. In the flesh, she's appeared on The Twilight Zone, Stargate: SG-1, Andromeda, The Dead Zone, Fringe, and Syfy's Continuum. Edmondson was born on this day in 1977.
In the role of Billy Keikeya aboard Syfy's Battlestar Galactica reboot, the young Paul Campbell advised President Roslin on all matters of state. Campbell was born on this day in 1979.
Although SciFi doesn't seem to be her first, best field of employ, Stephanie Jacobsen has still gravitated toward some stellar choices. Her TV debut was in a brief role for Farscape. In 2007, she appeared in the Battlestar Galactica: Razor telefilm. Then, in 2008, she stepped into the Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles as Jesse Flores, a mysterious woman with ties to the future. Jacobsen was born on this day in 1980.
2007's Dragon Wars: D-War is far more fantasy-themed than it is SciFi, but as it's definitely a "close relation" I have no problem citing it here, especially when it gives me the opportunity to give a celebrity shout-out to someone as fetching (and talented) as Amanda Brooks. Brooks was born on this day in 1981.
Will you just look at those eyes? Wowza! The lovely Margareth Madè had a role opposite Alec Baldwin (of all people!) in 2015's SciFi thriller Andron. (It's available on home video, if you're interested.) Madè was born on this day in 1982.
Hubba-hubba! Actress Lindsay Ridgeway growed up real nice! In her youth, she had a guest role aboard UPN's Star Trek: Voyager. Ridgeway was born on this day in 1985.
Joe Dempsie had a role in the 2008 season of Doctor Who (pictured above right). Fans of his work are probably familiar with his role aboard HBO's Game of Thrones. Dempsie was born on this day in 1987.
Sparkly up'n'comer Portia Doubleday played a small role in 2013's critical favorite Her (with Joaquin Phoenix). Doubleday was born on this day in 1988.
Karla Crome first caught my attention as part of the BBC's superhero drama, Misfits. Then she made it over to our side of the pond for a somewhat devilish role aboard CBS's Under the Dome. Crome was born on this day in 1989.
Alas, in fandom we've seen it happen all too often: inferior sequels. Robocop 2 opened theatrically on this day in 1990, and, sadly, it followed that ugly, ugly trend. Thankfully, Peter Weller was back, as were an awful lot of the secondary players' familiar faces, but even they didn't have the right stuff to elevate this relatively dry and unimaginative addition to the Robo-world. Or is that Robo-heavens? In either case, it was less than acceptable.
On this day in 1999, the SciFi/Western Timegate: Tales of the Saddle Tramps roused up a little interest. It starred Amy Lindsay and Kim Yates, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"While visiting an historic western town, two beautiful women stumble upon a device that transports them over a century back in time to the Old West. When the girls are mistaken for brothel babes, they get a hankerin' for some real cowboy action! But their erotic recreation with the local cowpokes soon ruffles a few feathers in town- and when the deputy winds up dead, the posse's hot on their tails for some answers! They must go back to their own time, before they're punished for the crime."
"While visiting an historic western town, two beautiful women stumble upon a device that transports them over a century back in time to the Old West. When the girls are mistaken for brothel babes, they get a hankerin' for some real cowboy action! But their erotic recreation with the local cowpokes soon ruffles a few feathers in town- and when the deputy winds up dead, the posse's hot on their tails for some answers! They must go back to their own time, before they're punished for the crime."
It all came down to this: on this day in 2007, the space saga that was Stargate: SG-1 came to its inevitable conclusion with the airing of "Unending," the twentieth and final episode of the program's tenth season. According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's all you needed to know about its big finish:
"General Landry accompanies SG-1 on a mission to collect the knowledge of the Asgard. When the Ori show up however, Sam is forced to evacuate the crew and Landry and SG-1 stay aboard, but are stuck helpless in a time dilation field for decades."
"General Landry accompanies SG-1 on a mission to collect the knowledge of the Asgard. When the Ori show up however, Sam is forced to evacuate the crew and Landry and SG-1 stay aboard, but are stuck helpless in a time dilation field for decades."
On this day in 1952, The Shadow radio serial aired "The Terrified Wife." According to our friends at The Shadow Wiki, it appears that all of the details involving this tale have sadly been lost to history. Not even The Shadow knows!
