If you're never seen the phenomenal Soylent Green (spoilers: it's people, you know), then stop what you're doing right now and head out to your local rental store or, better yet, purchase yourself a copy. On this day back in 1973, it premiered in theatres, and even folks back then really thought it was something special. Some critics thought that the film may've indirectly predicted the inevitable demise of mankind as well as planet Earth ... but, me, I just thought it was really solid sci-fi put together extremely well. Also, it was Edward G. Robinson's last film, and that alone makes it worth your time: his performance is tremendous.
In the SciFi/Thriller Looker (1981), Albert Finney's 'Dr. Larry Roberts' took an interest in Susan Dey's beauty, all in the name of science. Though he's no longer with us, Finney was born on this day in 1936. [Source: IMDB.com]
The lovely Virginia Wetherell enjoyed a guest spot as 'Dyoni' aboard Doctor Who's 1964 season. She also had a small role in A Clockwork Orange (1971). Wetherell was born on this day in 1943.
Benjamin Lum's time aboard the Starship Enterprise-D was short-lived -- only a single episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "The Naked Now" -- and maybe that's because he showed up drunk on-the-job! (Truth is, that was the episode in which everybody was drunk.) Though he's no longer with us, Lum was born on this day in 1953.
It's another one of those cases wherein sci-fi lost one of its own too soon before his time: Kevin Peter Hall played the signature alien from Predator and Predator 2 to excellent physical prowess. Though he's no longer with us, Hall was born on this day in 1955.
Most recently, hers was one of the voices behind the growing conspiracy at the heart of Syfy's big-event miniseries, Ascension. (For those of you who missed it, the program was intended as a series but lacked a successful pick-up. Too bad as I quite liked its premise.) Wendy Crewson has also booked appearances aboard Murder In Space, Bicentennial Man, The 6th Day, ReGenesis, and Alcatraz. Crewson was born on this day in 1956.
While she wore her mortal coil, Lorena Gale built an exceptional track record in the world of genre entertainment, securing roles aboard such properties as M.A.N.T.I.S., Millennium, The X-Files, First Wave, The Outer Limits, Seven Days, Stargate: SG-1, Smallville, Battlestar Galactica, and many, many more. Though she's no longer with us, Gale was born on this day in 1958.
He's a terrific resume in genre entertainment, but most folks probably wouldn't know it. Brian Cousins appeared as Crosis (aide to Lore, pictured above) in Star Trek: The Next Generation's stellar two-parter, Descent. He's also been a part of Mandroid, The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., Roswell, Babylon 5, Space: Above and Beyond, Dark Skies, The Sentinel, Timecop, Sliders, and Star Trek: Enterprise. Cousins was born on this day in 1959.
With his ol' soul, back country personae, it's hard to imagine actor John Corbett fitting in to a Science Fiction program, but -- truth be told -- he's participated in a few. Back during the 1997-98 TV season, the man headlined a program called The Visitor which was about an abductee returning to Earth decades after his abduction. He was also part of an ensemble for something titled The Warlord: Battle for the Galaxy (pictured above) in 1998. Corbett was born on this day in 1961.
Gary Daniels has quite a resume in some B-Movie territory, and if that career leads you to trading blows with something called Reptilicant (2006) then you deserve a mention. Daniels was born on this day in 1963.
Lovely Anna-Louise Plowman enjoyed the great gig as a recurring guest on Stargate: SG-1 (pictured above right), playing Dr. Sarah Gardner (aka Osiris). In 2005, she had a role in the BBC's rejiggered Doctor Who's first season. Plowman was born on this day in 1972.
Niki Spiridakos entered the realm of Science Fiction with a plumb role aboard Moontrap: Target Earth (2017). Spiridakos was born on this day in 1975.
Actor Karl Thaning appeared as 'Judge Chan' aboard Dredd (2012). He's also booked screen time in Supernova (2005), The Triangle, Doomsday (2008), and Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (2008). Thaning was born on this day in 1977.
No stranger to genre projects, Rosario Dawson joined Josh Hartnett is examining the SciFi threat behind a biological catastrophe in Parts Per Billion (2014). Dawson was born on this day in 1979.
Chris Zylka earned some screen time -- as well as Emma Stone's ire if the above pic is any indication -- by securing the role of Flash Thompson in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012). Zylka was born on this day in 1985.
Grace Gummer is part of the cast of the Steven Spielberg produced SciFi summer series on CBS, Extant. Gummer was born on this day in 1986.
On this day in 1968 (in Iran), the original Planet Of The Apes enjoyed its theatrical release. The SciFi/Classic feature starred Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowall, and here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:
"An astronaut crew crash-lands on a planet in the distant future where intelligent talking apes are the dominant species, and humans are the oppressed and enslaved."
"An astronaut crew crash-lands on a planet in the distant future where intelligent talking apes are the dominant species, and humans are the oppressed and enslaved."
On this day in 1986, No. 5 came alive as Short Circuit premiered in theatres. For those of you who don't know, No. 5 was WALL*E before WALL*E was cool. (I thought I'd read somewhere that some Hollywood executive wanted to reboot this franchise, but I'm coming up empty on a search right now.) According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:
"Number 5 of a group of experimental robots in a lab is electrocuted, suddenly becomes intelligent, and escapes."
"Number 5 of a group of experimental robots in a lab is electrocuted, suddenly becomes intelligent, and escapes."
Here's another one you can file in the "I've Heard Of But Never Seen" category: Timescape starred Jeff Daniels as a man who manages an inn whose guests would appear to be time travelers. It premiered on this day in 1992. Here's the plot summary compliments of IMDB.com:
"Before they can complete renovations on their new inn, Widower (Ben Wilson) and daughter (Hillary) are visited by a woman seeking immediate lodging for her strange group of travellers. Why they won't stay at the hotel in town is just the first of many mysteries surrounding the group that lead Wilson to a startling discovery affecting his family and neighbours."
"Before they can complete renovations on their new inn, Widower (Ben Wilson) and daughter (Hillary) are visited by a woman seeking immediate lodging for her strange group of travellers. Why they won't stay at the hotel in town is just the first of many mysteries surrounding the group that lead Wilson to a startling discovery affecting his family and neighbours."
On this day in 1995, Deadlocked: Escape From Zone 14 (aka Deadlock 2) premiered as a SciFi/Telefilm. It starred Esai Morales and Stephen McHattie, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"Tony is framed by Claremont for a murder he didn't commit. He is sent to prison but Claremont promises him freedom if he can find Allie in the prison and bring her out. Allie and Tony soon join forces and the actual escape from the prison is a small part of what they will go through together."
"Tony is framed by Claremont for a murder he didn't commit. He is sent to prison but Claremont promises him freedom if he can find Allie in the prison and bring her out. Allie and Tony soon join forces and the actual escape from the prison is a small part of what they will go through together."
You'll have to forgive me, folks, but I never much cared for Luc Besson's The Fifth Element. Sure, I guess it was fun (in a forgettable way), and, yeah, it served up a pretty solid performance by the ever-reliable Bruce Willis; but Besson himself said that he'd penned the script when he was but a high schooler, and it didn't it feel that way to you, too? It certainly didn't seem all that flash'n'sizzle that it received, but I know some folks have a soft spot for it. It premiered theatrically on this day back in 1997. Here's the summary from the usual suspects over at IMDB.com:
"In the colorful future, a cab driver unwittingly becomes the central figure in the search for a legendary cosmic weapon to keep Evil and Mr Zorg at bay."
"In the colorful future, a cab driver unwittingly becomes the central figure in the search for a legendary cosmic weapon to keep Evil and Mr Zorg at bay."
College coed Anna Rijnders (played by the lovely Hannah Hoekstra) finds her life being taken over by technology in ways never imagined in the sharp but kinda/sorta silly Dutch thriller App which was released on this day theatrically (in the US) in 2014. For those who'd like to know more, you can check out my review on Amazon: link Also, here's IMDB.com's summary:
"A young psychology student is drawn into the dark and fearful world of a diabolic and mysterious App that starts to terrorize her, distributing compromising photographs, videos and text messages about herself and delves deeper and deeper into her personal life, flawlessly exposing all of her deepest secrets."
"A young psychology student is drawn into the dark and fearful world of a diabolic and mysterious App that starts to terrorize her, distributing compromising photographs, videos and text messages about herself and delves deeper and deeper into her personal life, flawlessly exposing all of her deepest secrets."
On this day in 2015 (in Barcelona, Spain), Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome enjoyed a rare cinematic re-release. The SciFi/Thriller starred Mel Gibson, and here's the premise as listed on IMDB.com:
"After being exiled from the most advanced town in post apocalyptic Australia, a drifter travels with a group of abandoned children to rebel against the town's queen."
"After being exiled from the most advanced town in post apocalyptic Australia, a drifter travels with a group of abandoned children to rebel against the town's queen."
On this day in 1952, Tales Of Tomorrow aired "The Gold Ingot." This served as the thirty-second episode of the program's first season, and here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:
"A chemist has been trying time and again to make gold from lead. He has been laughed at and his bills are overdue. Will he ever succeed? Or what would happen if someone were to fake his success?"
"A chemist has been trying time and again to make gold from lead. He has been laughed at and his bills are overdue. Will he ever succeed? Or what would happen if someone were to fake his success?"
On this day in 1963, The Twilight Zone aired "Passage on the Lady Anne." This served as the seventeenth episode to the program's fourth season, and here's the plot summary as detailed by IMDB.com:
"A young American couple, the Ransomes, who are trying to salvage their troubled marriage, insist on booking passage on an old trans-Atlantic cruise liner. But other passengers try to persuade them to disembark immediately."
"A young American couple, the Ransomes, who are trying to salvage their troubled marriage, insist on booking passage on an old trans-Atlantic cruise liner. But other passengers try to persuade them to disembark immediately."
On this day in 1964, Doctor Who aired "Sentence of Death." Here's the episode summary from IMDB.com:
"The group are reunited with the Doctor in the city of Millennius where Ian faces trial for murder after the fourth key is stolen."
"The group are reunited with the Doctor in the city of Millennius where Ian faces trial for murder after the fourth key is stolen."
On this day in 1967, The Invaders aired "The Condemned." This served as the season finale for the program's first season, and here's the plot summary as detailed by IMDB.com:
"Tate has managed to seize and hide a file named "Command Roster One" and the aliens are desperate to recover it. They bring in Tate's estranged daughter Carol to pressure the man, but with David Vincent's help, Tate may manage to save his daughter and recover the hidden file. If he can, it would be a terrible setback for the invaders."
"Tate has managed to seize and hide a file named "Command Roster One" and the aliens are desperate to recover it. They bring in Tate's estranged daughter Carol to pressure the man, but with David Vincent's help, Tate may manage to save his daughter and recover the hidden file. If he can, it would be a terrible setback for the invaders."
On this day in 1992 (in TV syndication), Star Trek: The Next Generation fans were introduced to a kinder, gentler Borg with the airing of I, Borg. This socially-charged story served as the twenty-third episode of the program's fifth season, and it helped set the stage for greater events to follow in coming plotlines. Here's the plot summary as provided by TrekCore.com:
"The Enterprise detects a distress call and finds a single survivor amidst the wreckage of a Borg scout ship. As Picard is faced with a reminder of his ordeal, he argues with Guinan about the ethics of sending the Borg back as a weapon to wipe out the Collective."
"The Enterprise detects a distress call and finds a single survivor amidst the wreckage of a Borg scout ship. As Picard is faced with a reminder of his ordeal, he argues with Guinan about the ethics of sending the Borg back as a weapon to wipe out the Collective."
On this day in 1993, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine aired "Progress." This served as the fifteenth episode to the program's first season, and here's the plot summary as provided by TrekCore.com:
"Evacuating a Bajoran moon, Kira finds a stubborn old farmer called Mullibok, who has been living on the moon since the Cardassians arrived on Bajor. Soon she finds herself torn between her duty and her compassion for Mullibok."
"Evacuating a Bajoran moon, Kira finds a stubborn old farmer called Mullibok, who has been living on the moon since the Cardassians arrived on Bajor. Soon she finds herself torn between her duty and her compassion for Mullibok."
On this day in 1994, Robocop: The Series aired "Faces of Eve." This served as the tenth episode of the program's only season, and here's the (edited) plot summary as detailed by IMDB.com:
"A new miracle product from OCP offers consumers new identities via gene transplant therapy. Things go wrong quickly when Pudface Morgan and his gang become aware of this product, and use it to spring out of prison and commit a murder. Things get even worse when Pudface plans to plunge Delta City into chaos by using the Chairman's identity to sabotage OCP and the police department."
"A new miracle product from OCP offers consumers new identities via gene transplant therapy. Things go wrong quickly when Pudface Morgan and his gang become aware of this product, and use it to spring out of prison and commit a murder. Things get even worse when Pudface plans to plunge Delta City into chaos by using the Chairman's identity to sabotage OCP and the police department."
On this day in 1994, Time Trax aired "Almost Human." This served as the twelfth episode of the program's second season, and here's the plot summary as detailed by IMDB.com:
"Sahmbi's newest invention is an android that acts and looks like Darien Lambert, with a mission to kill and replace Darien."
"Sahmbi's newest invention is an android that acts and looks like Darien Lambert, with a mission to kill and replace Darien."
On this day in 2001, Star Trek: Voyager discovered a colony of Talaxians in the distant reaches of space, and the ship's cook makes a major decision about his future as a member of the crew. "Homestead" bid a fond farewell to the alien and his race.
On this day in 2008, Syfy's Battlestar Galactica aired the sixth episode of its fourth season. It was titled "Faith," and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"A vicious injury ends the mutiny attempt aboard the Demetrius, Kara leads her crew to the Cylon rebel's Basestar, and Roslin begins to understand Gaius Baltar's appeal to his followers. Meanwhile, Anders attempts to secretly find answers to his purpose as a member of the Final Five."
"A vicious injury ends the mutiny attempt aboard the Demetrius, Kara leads her crew to the Cylon rebel's Basestar, and Roslin begins to understand Gaius Baltar's appeal to his followers. Meanwhile, Anders attempts to secretly find answers to his purpose as a member of the Final Five."
For whatever reason, most fans of the Stargate franchise seemed to pretty much hate Stargate: Universe, but I liked it well enough. Now, truth be told, that could be because I never much cared for what little I had seen of Stargate: SG-1 and Stargate: Atlantis (was there ever a Stargate: Des Moines?). Those shows always seemed a bit saccharrin to me. But, after two relatively low-rated seasons, Stargate: Universe came to its inevitable end with the airing of 'Gauntlet' on this day in 2011 -- an obvious cliffhanger if there ever was one -- and it's never been heard of since. Too sad. I kinda miss it.
