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.
Baker was born on this day in 1943.
BIRTHDAYS
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.
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.
SCIENCE FICTION MOVIES
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."
"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?
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