That tall drink of ladywater is none other than legendary B-movie queen Sybil Danning, and she made her commanding presence known in Roger Corman's cheesy answer to Star Wars called Battle Beyond the Stars (1980). In it, she played a mercenary for hire willing to go up against an evil overlord on behalf of an embattled, peaceful people. Plus, she looked killer in her silver bikini costume, didn't she? Danning was born on this day in 1947.
The venerable Willis Bouchey had a small role aboard one of the earlier Apocalypse-style features: Panic In The Year Zero (1962) with Ray Milland and Jean Hagen. He also visited The Twilight Zone for good measure. Though he's no longer with us, Bouchey was born on this day in 1907.
In 1979, actor Michael Lonsdale played the nefarious Hugo Drax -- the villain who threatened the Earth from outer space -- in the James Bond thriller, Moonraker. Since threatening mankind with certain doom back then, the actor has since focused his talents on much more conventional fare. Though he's no longer with us, Lonsdale was born on this day in 1931.
Brilliant character actor Jim Broadbent brought his considerable talents to Cloud Atlas (2014), but the box office returns confirmed few people saw them. Check it out on home video. Broadbent was born on this day in 1949.
Spider-Man 2 (2004) gave normally straight-guy actor Alfred Molina the opportunity to flex his acting muscles into the plum role of Doc Ock. Molina was born on this day in 1953.
Actor Doug Jones (above insert) has done an impressive amount of genre work, including stints in both Hellboy films as well as being the body for the Silver Surfer in Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Also, he turned up in season 3 of TNT's alien invasion drama, Falling Skies, as Cochise (pictured above). Jones was born on this day in 1960.
Meh. Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy was cinema fun, but it could've used some more of the comic stylings of John C. Reilly if you ask me. Reilly was born on this day in 1965.
Enough folks enjoyed 1996's Dark Skies tv program that it pretty much was guaranteed cult status. In it, Eric Close (pictured above, right) played John Loengard, a man desperately racing to expose the secret truth involving a classified invasion of planet Earth. It lasted a single season, but many folks remember fondly. (I'm not one of them.) Close was born on this day in 1967.
Greg Berlanti is doing the work of several Jedi masters in television, creating a handful of properties for the CW Network exploring the limitless bounds of the DC Comics Universe. Currently, he's marshaling his forces behind Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl. (Here's hoping he'd lighten up on the politics, though, inherent in his expanding plotlines.) Berlanti was born on this day in 1972.
Dash Mihok braved The Day After Tomorrow (2004), a cinematic look at what lay in store for mankind due to an all-new Ice Age occurring. Mihok was born on this day in 1974.
It may not account for much, but SciFi fans long ago learned to take what you can get: funnyman Will Sasso made a guest star appearance aboard The X-Files, allowing me to feature his genius here. Sasso was born on this day in 1975.
The delicious Amelia Cooke bared more than her soul for her work aboard the SciFi franchise installment Species III (2004) for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. She also stole screen time aboard Alien Agent (2007). Cooke was born on this day in 1979. [Source: IMDB.com]
Erm ... did no one warm the lovely Callie Hernandez (above middle) about smiling in an Alien picture? Seriously: you smile, and you're a goner. Such is the case for her role aboard Alien: Covenant, I'm guessing. So sad to see you eaten alive! Hernandez was born on this day in 1988.
I gave up a long time ago trying to explain to some fans why properties like Power Rangers Samurai weren't legitimately Science Fiction; in fact, they're much more fantasy than anything else. Just because they might have some elements more commonly associated with SciFi doesn't make them SciFi. In any event, I gave up the ghost, and -- instead -- I try to embrace the talent here when I see them. Such is the case for the lovely Kimberley Crossman, the dreamy lass who brought the Red Samurai Ranger to life. Crossman was born on this day in 1990.
Back in 2006, a young Cayden Boyd earned the chance to play the younger version of the mutant Angel in X-Men: The Last Stand for 20th Century Fox and Marvel Enterprises. Boyd was born on this day in 1994.
On this day in 1957, Enemy From Space (aka Quatermass 2) enjoyed its theatrical premiere in the United Kingdom. The feature starred Brian Donlevy and Sidney James, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"Professor Quatermass, trying to gather support for his Lunar colonisation project, is intrigued by mysterious traces that have been showing up."
"Professor Quatermass, trying to gather support for his Lunar colonisation project, is intrigued by mysterious traces that have been showing up."
On this day in 1974, Horror and SciFi collided in the realm of the Apocalypse, and the result was something not unlike Chosen Survivors. The feature starred Jackie Cooper and Alex Cord, and here's the premise from IMDB.com:
"A group of diverse individuals are suddenly taken from their homes and flown via helicopter to a futuristic bomb shelter in the desert, one-third of a mile below the surface of the Earth. There, they learn that a nuclear holocaust is taking place and that they've been "chosen" by computer to survive in the shelter in order to continue the human race. The shelter is designed to allow the people to exist underground comfortably for years, but they are faced with a threat nobody could have predicted: a colony of thousands of bloodthirsty vampire bats finds a way into the shelter and launches a series of vicious attacks where they claim the humans one by one."
"A group of diverse individuals are suddenly taken from their homes and flown via helicopter to a futuristic bomb shelter in the desert, one-third of a mile below the surface of the Earth. There, they learn that a nuclear holocaust is taking place and that they've been "chosen" by computer to survive in the shelter in order to continue the human race. The shelter is designed to allow the people to exist underground comfortably for years, but they are faced with a threat nobody could have predicted: a colony of thousands of bloodthirsty vampire bats finds a way into the shelter and launches a series of vicious attacks where they claim the humans one by one."
On this day in 1974 (in Belgium), John Boorman's Zardoz enjoyed a run at the box office. The feature starred Sean Connery and Charlotte Rampling, and here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:
"In the distant future, a savage trained only to kill finds a way into the community of bored immortals that alone preserves humanity's achievements."
"In the distant future, a savage trained only to kill finds a way into the community of bored immortals that alone preserves humanity's achievements."
(Disclaimer: some of these older motion pictures have grown very obscure even with today's vast reserves on the internet, so apologies to all involved that I haven't located a better image.)
It just so happens that religious-themed films that flirt with mankind's impending doom do get wrapped up in the realms of Science Fiction and Fantasy, and on this day in 1978 A Distant Thunder sounded its clarion call for all to hear. Here's the film's premise as cited on IMDB.com:
"The second film, A Thief in the Night being the first, A Distant Thunder continues the story of Patty, a young woman living in the "end times" referred to in biblical prophecy. This action suspense thriller finds Patty living as a fugitive, trying to hide from the ever increasing evil around her. Relentlessly pursued and finally captured by the forces of UNITE, she is given a choice: Either receive "the mark" or face death."
It just so happens that religious-themed films that flirt with mankind's impending doom do get wrapped up in the realms of Science Fiction and Fantasy, and on this day in 1978 A Distant Thunder sounded its clarion call for all to hear. Here's the film's premise as cited on IMDB.com:
"The second film, A Thief in the Night being the first, A Distant Thunder continues the story of Patty, a young woman living in the "end times" referred to in biblical prophecy. This action suspense thriller finds Patty living as a fugitive, trying to hide from the ever increasing evil around her. Relentlessly pursued and finally captured by the forces of UNITE, she is given a choice: Either receive "the mark" or face death."
On this day in 1978, Mars got a bit closer to Earth (in a way) with The Alpha Incident. The feature starred Ralph Meeker and Stafford Morgan, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"A microorganism from Mars, brought to Earth by a space probe, terrorizes passengers in a railroad office."
"A microorganism from Mars, brought to Earth by a space probe, terrorizes passengers in a railroad office."
On this day in 1985 (in West Germany), the distant past met the modern era in Walt Disney's Baby: Secret Of The Lost Legend. The feature starred William Katt and Sean Young, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"A paleontologist and her husband discover a mother and baby brontosaurus in Africa, and try to protect them from a group of hunters intent on capturing the dinosaurs."
"A paleontologist and her husband discover a mother and baby brontosaurus in Africa, and try to protect them from a group of hunters intent on capturing the dinosaurs."
On this day in 1988 (in Argentina), the SciFi/Horror film Breeders enjoyed its release on home video. The feature starred Teresa Farley and Lance Lewman, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"The Manhattan General Hospital has admitted a string of young women who have been raped by something otherworldly. The perpetrator only attacks women who are virgins. Dr. Pace and Detective Andriotti work together to try and isolate the strange organic material found on the victims, and to try and locate the fiend. Soon the victims begin arising in a trance and leaving the hospital by an underground passage where their fate awaits them."
"The Manhattan General Hospital has admitted a string of young women who have been raped by something otherworldly. The perpetrator only attacks women who are virgins. Dr. Pace and Detective Andriotti work together to try and isolate the strange organic material found on the victims, and to try and locate the fiend. Soon the victims begin arising in a trance and leaving the hospital by an underground passage where their fate awaits them."
You can chalk this one up as another one I've never seen and not quite certain I ever will: on this day in 2008, the SciFi/Musical Christmas On Mars came giftwrapped under the tree. Here's the premise compliments of IMDB.com:
"Major Syrtis goes insane as he tries to improve morale in an abandoned colony on Mars through a Christmas pageant, where the first colonist baby will be born."
"Major Syrtis goes insane as he tries to improve morale in an abandoned colony on Mars through a Christmas pageant, where the first colonist baby will be born."
Who would have ever thunk there would be such a thing as Killer School Girls From Outer Space? It arrived on this day in 2011, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
When a shooting star lands in Small Town USA, a teenage couple decide to check it out. They discover their shooting star is a flying saucer piloted by Killer School Girls from outer space on a mission to destroy the earth!
When a shooting star lands in Small Town USA, a teenage couple decide to check it out. They discover their shooting star is a flying saucer piloted by Killer School Girls from outer space on a mission to destroy the earth!
Ouch! That's gonna leave a mark! On this day in 2016, the SciFi-lite feature Subject 0: Shattered Memories enjoyed release in the home video market. According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:
"The perfect prototype is ready. Will they be able to keep everything under control?"
"The perfect prototype is ready. Will they be able to keep everything under control?"
On this day in 1957, Adventures Of Superman aired "Mr. Zero." This served as the twelfth episode of the program's fifth season, and here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:
"The Daily Planet gets a strange visitor who turns out to be a rejected citizen from Mars. It is discovered Mr Zero has a talent that attracts the attention of some local gangsters who draw Mr Zero into their gang."
"The Daily Planet gets a strange visitor who turns out to be a rejected citizen from Mars. It is discovered Mr Zero has a talent that attracts the attention of some local gangsters who draw Mr Zero into their gang."
On this day in 1992 (in the Netherlands), Star Trek: The Next Generation aired "Encounter At Farpoint: Part 1." Officially, this served as the first episode in the program's first season, and here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:
"On the maiden mission of the U.S.S. Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), an omnipotent being known as Q challenges the crew to discover the secret of a mysterious base in an advanced and civilized fashion."
"On the maiden mission of the U.S.S. Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), an omnipotent being known as Q challenges the crew to discover the secret of a mysterious base in an advanced and civilized fashion."
On this day in 1993, "Little Boy Lost" aired as the fifteenth episode of Time Trax's first season. According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:
"Darien watches the news and sees a report on a man who was brought to the hospital and he recognizes him as one of his instructors. He goes to see him and learns that he adopted a boy who is deaf and he was with him. Darien goes to find him. And when he does he gets injured."
"Darien watches the news and sees a report on a man who was brought to the hospital and he recognizes him as one of his instructors. He goes to see him and learns that he adopted a boy who is deaf and he was with him. Darien goes to find him. And when he does he gets injured."
On this day in 1995, Babylon 5 aired "Confessions And Lamentations." This served as the eighteenth episode of the program's second season, and here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:
"Dr. Franklin tries desperately to find a cure for a disease which is killing off all the Markab on the station."
"Dr. Franklin tries desperately to find a cure for a disease which is killing off all the Markab on the station."
On this day in 1997, Dark Skies aired "Strangers In The Night." This served as the eighteenth episode to the program's only season, and here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:
"Juliet and John are sent with Major Colin Powell to investigate the collapse of the Soviet Union's counterpart to Majestic."
"Juliet and John are sent with Major Colin Powell to investigate the collapse of the Soviet Union's counterpart to Majestic."
Oh, you dastardly Borg! One of reasons I was kinda/sorta down on Star Trek: Voyager was that once the starship encountered the Borg it honestly seemed like they were all over the place for too much of the programming schedule. Still, I guess when you have a villain as popular as they were it's perfectly understandable why every writer in the writer's room wanted to have a crack at them. On this day in 2000, the show aired "Unimatrix Zero, Part 1," which served as the finale to the sixth season. According to our friends at TrekCore.com, here's the plot summary:
"Seven of Nine encounters a past lover in a secret Borg hideaway where drones maintain their individuality; Janeway seeks to foster a resistance movement among them."
"Seven of Nine encounters a past lover in a secret Borg hideaway where drones maintain their individuality; Janeway seeks to foster a resistance movement among them."
On this day in 2003, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed aired "The Gathering Darkness." This served as the thirty-third episode of the program's only season, and here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:
"The Archangel limps toward Alaska, having lost contact with both the Strike Gundam and Tolle's Skygrasper. Cagalli, meanwhile, discovers a wounded Athrun, and is shocked to learn what happened. In Alaska, the Archangel crew are told to stand by for further orders, and tensions continue to mount. Elsewhere, Kira awakens and finds himself in the care of Lacus Clyne. ZAFT launches Operation Spit Break, and the Federation is caught completely by surprise. Now, the Archangel is one of a handful of ships left at Alaska to defend JOSH-A from a massive ZAFT offensive. And beneath the base lies a secret that will destroy them all!"
"The Archangel limps toward Alaska, having lost contact with both the Strike Gundam and Tolle's Skygrasper. Cagalli, meanwhile, discovers a wounded Athrun, and is shocked to learn what happened. In Alaska, the Archangel crew are told to stand by for further orders, and tensions continue to mount. Elsewhere, Kira awakens and finds himself in the care of Lacus Clyne. ZAFT launches Operation Spit Break, and the Federation is caught completely by surprise. Now, the Archangel is one of a handful of ships left at Alaska to defend JOSH-A from a massive ZAFT offensive. And beneath the base lies a secret that will destroy them all!"
On this day in 2016, Stitchers aired "All In." This served as the tenth episode of the program's second season, and here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:
"Kristen is getting closer to finding answers about her parents, but her most recent stitch might lead her down the wrong path."
"Kristen is getting closer to finding answers about her parents, but her most recent stitch might lead her down the wrong path."
On this day in 2017, The 100 aired "Praimfaya." This served as the thirteenth episode of the program's fourth season, and here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:
"It's a race against the end of the world as Praimfaya arrives forcing our heroes to make impossible decisions to ensure their survival."
"It's a race against the end of the world as Praimfaya arrives forcing our heroes to make impossible decisions to ensure their survival."
One of the scribes who helped turn Star Trek literature into a sizzling pot of mediocrity is none other than Keith R.A. DeCandido; and his Articles Of The Federation was first released to the consumer marketplace on this day in 2005. [Source: Memory Alpha] According to our friends at Amazon.com, here's the premise:
"Following the surprise resignation of Federation President Min Zife after the disastrous Tezwa affair, Nan Bacco of Cestus III has won a hotly contested election to become the new chief executive of over one hundred fifty planetary civilizations and their colonies. But no sooner does she take office than the Romulan Star Empire falls into chaos. With tensions already high, a Reman refugee ship is sighted approaching a Federation outpost, its intentions unknown. As the first year of the Bacco Administration unfolds, the Federation Council is slow to work with its new president, and not always supportive of her policies or her appointments to key council positions; a successful first contact suddenly becomes a diplomatic disaster; and the sins of President Zife prove difficult to lay to rest...as one celebrated Starfleet officer's career reaches a turning point."
"Following the surprise resignation of Federation President Min Zife after the disastrous Tezwa affair, Nan Bacco of Cestus III has won a hotly contested election to become the new chief executive of over one hundred fifty planetary civilizations and their colonies. But no sooner does she take office than the Romulan Star Empire falls into chaos. With tensions already high, a Reman refugee ship is sighted approaching a Federation outpost, its intentions unknown. As the first year of the Bacco Administration unfolds, the Federation Council is slow to work with its new president, and not always supportive of her policies or her appointments to key council positions; a successful first contact suddenly becomes a diplomatic disaster; and the sins of President Zife prove difficult to lay to rest...as one celebrated Starfleet officer's career reaches a turning point."
Sorry, kids, but daddy's not a "gamer" so I couldn't tell you much about Overwatch ... except that it was released to the general marketplace on this day in 2016. Here's the synopsis from IMDB.com:
"After a devastating war against a combat-ready team of intelligent machines known as Omnics, the former agents of the heroic team known as Overwatch must join forces once more to fight a new threat. A strategy based multiplayer first person shooter game by Activision-Blizzard."
"After a devastating war against a combat-ready team of intelligent machines known as Omnics, the former agents of the heroic team known as Overwatch must join forces once more to fight a new threat. A strategy based multiplayer first person shooter game by Activision-Blizzard."
