It's shockingly and disturbingly true that if you had to judge whether or not actress Natalie Portman could act based on the work she did in the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, then you might be forced to conclude she couldn't.  Being perfectly honest, I thought she did fine, considering the weaknesses inherent in so much of the material.  Whatever the case, she did show us her midriff in Attack of the Clones, and, for that, male fandom will always be happy.

Portman was born on this day in 1981.

I've said it before, and even today I stand by it: sci-fi comedies are not easy to accomplish.  You need an absolute winning combination of ideas, emotion, and talent.  Fortunately, 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.

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, which incidentally was incomprehensibly bad), but I suspect his future remains bright.  Depp was born on this day in 1963.

Lovely lass Mae Whitman has certainly come a long way from playing the President's precocious daughter in Roland Emmerich's Independence Day (1996).  She did a great comic turn on Fox TV's Arrested Development, and she continues to be one of the most sought after young actresses in demand today.  Good for you, girl!  Whitman was born on this day in 1988.

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?  Grumpy Cat's available.

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."

No offense intended to any of the Whovians who might be reading this, but Colin Baker was never a favorite of mine.  He did a great job as the time traveler, but -- for so many of us -- I think it was simply too hard for anyone to follow in the footsteps of the memorable Tom Baker.  Still, he held on to the role from 1983 thru 1986, and, for that, all fans of Doctor Who should be thankful.

Baker was born on this day in 1943.

The late Robert Preston was best known in Hollywood as being part of the big movie musical, but sci-fi fans got the chance to see him in his very last silver screen appearance as Centauri in 1984's The Last Starfighter.  (Note: he did participate in two other made-for-TV projects after that.)  I saw this one when it first played theatrically, and I loved it.  It's one of those underrated gems of the 80's.  Though he's no longer with us, Preston was born on this day in 1918.

Legendary crooner James Darren made quite an entrance to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, appearing as the holographic Vic Fontaine.  (For those of you who are unfamiliar with Vic and the impact he had on DS9, you really have no idea what fun you're missing!)  He made frequent guest appearances over the next few years, and he's even become smitten with the Trek convention circuit.  Happy Birthday, Mr. Darren!  He was born on this day in 1936.

And speaking of DS9 ...
Bernie Casey has only sparingly crossed over into the world of science fiction (a real shame, if you ask me), but he did enjoy one truly great role as part of a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine two-parter entitled "The Maquis."  He's also had the chance to appear on Babylon 5, Seaquest 2032, and Time Trax.  Casey was born on this day in 1939.

One of the smartest, slickest shows to emerge from the whole debacle that was the UPN Network was the time-travel adventure Seven Days, and he -- in the guise of Dr. Bradley Talmadge -- was tasked with running it.  Actor Alan Scarfe has made appearances in such programs as Babylon 5, Andromeda, Stargate: Atlantis, and Star Trek: The Next Generation.  Scarfe was born on this day in 1946.

I hate for this to sound as sexist as it probably will, but -- so far as I care -- the only reason to tune in regularly and watch Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda was for Lexa Doig.  For starters, she's hotter than blazes, but her character -- a sentient hologram built into the ship's mainframe -- was the only one really all that interesting.  And with heart.  Doig's definitely found a home in sci-fi, and she's also worked in The 4400, Stargate: SG-1, Eureka, V, and Continuum.  Doig was born on this day in 1973.

Whuuuut?  Star Trek's Walter Koenig and fan favorite Bruce Campbell actually made a movie together?  They sure did, kids.  Back in 1989 -- when studios would churn out flicks they were afraid would get trashed in U.S. theatres -- it wasn't uncommon for distributors to dump these cheaply made films into the foreign market, and Moontrap appeared on this day back then in West Germany.  I know I've seen this one, but I honestly don't remember it.  Here's the plot summary from our friends over at IMDB.com:
"During a routine flight, two veteran space shuttle pilots discover an alien artifact and bring it back to earth. It soon turns out to be an extraterristial war robot, which is able to recycle any biological or technical material for its own deadly use. The two astronauts are sent to the moon where Nasa expects to uncover the mystery of the alien robot's origin. They discover an ancient humanoid culture and battle the ultimate threat of the war machines heading earth."

Think what you will, but I've always believed that good sci-fi comedies are a tough sell.  I don't say this because of the subject matter; rather, I think you have to have the perfect cast with just the right chemistry to pull it off.  One of the biggest disappointments for a talented cast to fail to live up to its potential was Orlando Jones, David Duchovny, Seann  William Scott, and Julianne Moore in Evolution, which premiered theatrically on this day back in 2001.  It just didn't quite work for me.  You?

Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn was one of those characters who -- despite a truly awful script -- truly lit up the screen when given the chance to throw down opposite Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.  I'm not one of those fair-weather-fans who hated all things about the Prequel Trilogy, but I'll be the first to admit the narrative had problems.  Think what you may, the gravitas actor Liam Neeson helped stabilize even the weakest of those films.  As much as he could, Neeson emboldened Jinn with the right amounts of nobility and (dare I say?) cynicism as the Jedi who sees the fate of the galaxy within his grasp while the Jedi Council wastes time fracturing over every possible mention of Anakin Skywalker bringing "balance" to the Force.  (Whatever that was!)  Neeson was born on this day back in 1952.

Birthdays
Late in her incredible career, Jessica Tandy was given the opportunity to appear on-screen not once but three times with her real-life hubby Hume Cronyn in sci-fi-themed films: first was in Ron Howard's Cocoon (1985), second was Matthew Robbins' Batteries Not Included (1987), and last was Daniel Petrie's Cocoon: The Return (1988).  Though she's no longer with us, Tandy was born on this day in 1909.

I know more people who flat-out hated Mars Attacks! when it premiered in theatres, but what I honestly don't understand is why.  To be honest, I enjoyed its good-time shtick from start-to-finish, and, yes, I even loved it when legendary crooner and ladies' panties collector Tom Jones showed up in an absurd role.  Jones was born on this day in 1940.

Still, George Lucas's Star Wars isn't the only franchise who had a warrior born on June 7: back in 1969, Anthony Simcoe was brought into this world by way of birth.  His face sans make-up is probably not all that recognizable to genre fans, but, once he's properly done up in the guise, he played Ka D'Argo on Syfy's absolutely stellar Farscape.  Happy birthday, indeed!

Star Trek (2009).  Star Trek Into Darkness.  Fox TV's Almost Human.  Dredd.  Need I go on, or do you get the point?  I penned an article for UnrealityMag.com not all that long ago about how Karl Urban had indeed become 'the Man' to watch in sci-fi.  Although JJ's Trek films haven't exactly grown on me and although Almost Human didn't make it past its first season, I for one am holding out hope that someone greenlights a Dredd sequel for this man.  Urban was born on this day in 1972.

The equally incomparable and delicious Anna Torv is what made watching Fox TV's Fringe such a delight.  She put a human face on some otherwise inhuman science, and the opportunity to play both good and evil versions of one single persona gave her a chance to display her acting gifts.  Torv was born on this day in 1979.


And that's all I have for today, folks.  In the meantime: May the Force Be With You, Live Long & Prosper, So Say We All!

Actor Robert Englund is vastly more well known for his work in the Nightmare On Elm Street movies, but sci-fi fans known him best as 'Willie' from the 1980's miniseries and TV shows, V.  Englund was born on this day in 1947.

Ah, the lovely Amanda Pays had a solid entry into genre work in the 1980's, appearing in CBS's The Flash series as well as the seminal Max Headroom.  Pays was born on this day in 1959.

Actor Jason Isaacs is one of those fellows that you see in everything, and you like him in practically everything he does.  Too bad he can't land a great sci-fi series!  NBC's Awake was pretty close, but it ended up being a bit more modern-day fantasy than anything else.  Isaacs was born on this day in 1963.

After surviving ABC's Lost, actress Sonya Walger -- who's just lovely, isn't she? -- took a bigger role as part of ABC's Flashforward, a show that largely sputtered out of control very quickly and never quite recovered.  Still, Walger is a welcome addition wherever she shows up.  She was born on this day in 1974.

While it certainly wasn't one of the biggest roles in the Star Wars prequels, it was arguably one of the coolest ... and young Daniel Logan (seated above on right) played the young Boba Fett, the character who would grow up to become the most feared bounty hunter in the galaxy.  Logan was born on this day in 1987.

At the Movies
On this day in 1980, the late Dorothy Stratten went where no man had gone before in high-camp fashion.  Galaxina was little more than a Star Wars rip-off, but it did give the lovely Ms. Stratten a brief chance to shine in her short-lived life.  Here's the plot summary from Amazon.com:
"The pilot of a spaceship falls in love with a voluptuous robot who has everything a man could want...Including feelings and the ability to add extras to her female repertoire."


On this day in 1986, the gloriously tepid Space Camp opened in theatres, giving a group of young astronauts-in-training the chance to prove they have 'the right stuff' when they find themselves accidentally launched into space!

Also on this day in 1986 (and who would dare open up against Space Camp, eh?), the remade Invaders From Mars premiered theatrically.  I didn't see this one in theatres, but I'm pretty sure I've seen it on home video.  Don't remember much of it.  Here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"In this remake of the classic 50s SF tale, a boy tries to stop an invasion of his town by aliens who take over the the minds of his parents, his least-liked schoolteacher and other townspeople. With the aid of the school nurse the boy enlists the aid of the U.S. Marines."


Television
On this day in 1964, "The Bride of Sacrifice" aired as part of Doctor Who's first season.  Here's the episode summary from IMDB.com: "While the Doctor tries to find a way back to the TARDIS, Tlotoxl continues to plot Barbara's downfall and sees an opening when Susan questions Aztec custom."