I've said it before (recently on these pages, in fact), and even today I stand my it: sci-fi comedies are not easy to accomplish. You need an absolute winning combination of ideas, emotion, and talent. Back to the Future excelled in all of those requirements, and much its success was do to the affable big-screen charm of its leading man: Michael J. Fox. Fox was born on this day in 1961.
Late in her acting career, Herta Ware embraced Science Fiction by appearing in Cocoon and Cocoon: The Return as well as taking on the role of playing Yvette Picard, the mother to Starfleet's Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Though she's no longer with us, Ware was born on this day in 1917.
It was once said about SciFi and Fantasy author Lin Carter that he just couldn't resist the urge to write. In his years as an author, poet, editor, and critic, he weaved his way in and around many, many realms of the imagination. Though he's no longer with us, Carter was born on this day in 1930.
Hugo and Nebula Awarding winning SciFi author Joe Haldeman is best known for his work, The Forever War, a military/SciFi novel about Earthmen battling in an interstellar war. He's also a SFWA Grand Master as well as a member of the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. Haldeman was born on this day in 1943.
Among many other distinguished appearances, David Troughton assumed a guest role aboard an episode of the BBC's Doctor Who. Troughton was born on this day in 1950.
Hollywood leading man Johnny Depp has struggled to capitalize on the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean films, so maybe he ought to stick with what he does best: pirates. 2014's Transcendence was a particularly brutal box office failure (on the heels of an equally curious debacle that was The Lone Ranger), but I suspect his future remains bright. Depp was born on this day in 1963.
As a screenwriter, David Koepp has contributed to some of the most popular franchises of the modern generation of cinema, including Jurassic Park (1993), Mission: Impossible (1996), Spider-Man (2002), and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). Koepp was born on this day in 1963.
After giving genre fans something to crow about in the 1990/91 series of The Flash, actress Gloria Reuben crossed over onto the big screen with a small role in Jean Claude Van Damme's Timecop (1994). Most recently, she joined up with the resistance fighting the alien invasion on TNT's Falling Skies. Reuben was born on this day in 1964.
In 2013's Dark Skies, Josh Hamilton found himself as the head of the Barret family fighting the encroachment of otherworldly, extraterrestrial forces. Hamilton was born on this day in 1969.
As I've said many times before, we here at SciFiHistory.Net have a special appreciation for SciFi's bit players: those actors and actresses simply working in the background trying to 'eek' out a living in the dog-eat-dog world of genre entertainment. In that respect, say 'Happy Birthday' to Jennifer Kitchen, a lovely talent who has enjoyed small roles in such properties as Smallville, The Dead Zone, Battlestar Galactica, Kyle XY, The 4400, Fringe, Alcatraz, Eve of Destruction, and The Flash. Kitchen was born on this day in 1971.
Former beauty queen turned actress Shandi Finnessey braved the SciFi mutation better known as Piranhaconda (2012) in a direct-to-TV release. Finnessey was born on this day in 1978.
Tough guy Brian Patrick Wade made things tough for the smilers in the Marvel TV universe with several guest appearances aboard Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Wade was born on this day in 1978.
It's true: if you had to judge whether or not actress Natalie Portman could in fact act based on the work she did in the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, then you might be forced to conclude that she couldn't. For my tastes, I thought she did fine, considering the weaknesses inherent in the material. Whatever the case, she did show us her midriff in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, and, for that, male fandom will be forever thankful. Portman was born on this day in 1981.
Mae Whitman has certainly come a long way from playing the President's daughter in Roland Emmerich's Independence Day (1996). She did a great comic turn on Arrested Development, and she continues to be one of the most sought after young actresses in demand today. Whitman was born on this day in 1988.
Lo and behold, easy-on-the-eyes Logan Browning went and found herself some Powers. On the program Powers, she plays Zora, a superhuman who joins forces with humans in order to fight crime. Browning was born on this day in 1989.
I watched a good handful of episodes of the Brit's kinda/sorta superhero program, Misfits, and I'd have to say that Lauren Socha was definitely a bright spot in the show (so far as I cared). Socha was born on this day in 1990.
As part of the film Survivor (2014), luscious Danielle Chuchran played Kate Mitra, a young space traveler who finds herself battling against bloodthirsty aliens and post-Apocalyptic warriors. Chuchran was born on this day in 1993.
Being as old as I am, I've often found it difficult to impress upon younger viewers -- say today's youth -- what science fiction was like back in the day when the first episode of Star Wars set the movie industry on fire. Everyone -- and I do mean "everyone" -- wanted in on that action, even when that meant greenlighting G-rated films to bring in the masses. Case in point: Walt Disney's The Cat From Outer Space premiered theatrically on this day in 1978. And where's the reboot, Hollywood? Huh? Where's that reboot?
On this day in 1984 (in the Philippines), the Fantasy-themed Sword of the Valiant opened in theatres. (It wouldn't open inside the United States for a few months more.) The feature starred Miles O'Keeffe and Sean Connery, and here's the plot summary as listed on IMDB.com:
"Gawain was a squire in King Arthur's court when the Green Knight burst in and offered to play a game with a brave knight. No knights stand to defend their king's honor. Except for the valiant Gawain. After being quickly knighted Gawain plays the game, but learns that it's all a trick, and he has lost. But the Green Knight shows mercy, letting Gawain grow a year older before having to face the consequences. Gawain journeys across the land, learning about life, saving damsels, and solving the Green Knight's riddle."
"Gawain was a squire in King Arthur's court when the Green Knight burst in and offered to play a game with a brave knight. No knights stand to defend their king's honor. Except for the valiant Gawain. After being quickly knighted Gawain plays the game, but learns that it's all a trick, and he has lost. But the Green Knight shows mercy, letting Gawain grow a year older before having to face the consequences. Gawain journeys across the land, learning about life, saving damsels, and solving the Green Knight's riddle."
I'll agree with most that it's hard to figure out what to make out of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, which premiered on this day theatrically back in 1989. Sure, the plot left audiences kinda/sorta scratching their head, but -- for all its blemishes -- Trek V has some of the best character moments (i.e. the campfire scene, Sybok discovering Spock's and Bones' respective 'pains,' etc.) in the entire film series. Here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"Captain Kirk and his crew must deal with Mr. Spock's long-lost half-brother who hijacks the Enterprise for an obsessive search for God at the center of the galaxy."
"Captain Kirk and his crew must deal with Mr. Spock's long-lost half-brother who hijacks the Enterprise for an obsessive search for God at the center of the galaxy."
On this day in 1992, Mann & Machine aired "Torch Song." This served as the fifth episode in the program's only season, and here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:
"Eve's capacity for emotion expands when she makes friends with a singer fearful of a music executive suspected of killing her sister."
"Eve's capacity for emotion expands when she makes friends with a singer fearful of a music executive suspected of killing her sister."
So far as this viewer is concerned, TNT's Falling Skies finally found a story worth telling when writers gave up on all of the 'wandering tales' of Earth's survivors, placed them at a single location, and started to actually develop a resistance against the alien invaders. The show opened its third season on this day in 2013, with two parts (as has been their custom since the premiere).
On Thin Ice: "Season three of Falling Skies opens seven months after the 2nd Mass arrived in Charleston. In the interim, Tom has been elected to political office, but he has his hands full as the resistance continues to battle the alien invaders."
Collateral Damage: "The Volm discover a power source for Espheni weapons and encourage Tom to seek its destruction. Hal has nightmares involving his relationship with Karen. The loyalty of the Volm is questioned. The team also discover a mole is among them."
On Thin Ice: "Season three of Falling Skies opens seven months after the 2nd Mass arrived in Charleston. In the interim, Tom has been elected to political office, but he has his hands full as the resistance continues to battle the alien invaders."
Collateral Damage: "The Volm discover a power source for Espheni weapons and encourage Tom to seek its destruction. Hal has nightmares involving his relationship with Karen. The loyalty of the Volm is questioned. The team also discover a mole is among them."
