On this day in 1996, the brilliantly-conceived but poorly-executed (in my humble opinion) Dark Skies premiered as part of NBC's evening line-up. The show tried to revisit major events in history from the point of view involving possible extraterrestrial influence, an idea so already richly introduced in Fox TV's brilliant The X-Files. Still, kudos for the attempt, but let's hope a reboot gives it a more compelling version.
On this day in 2005, Invasion premiered to those interested TV audiences. Here's the skinny from IMDB.com on the first episode: "A hurricane is quickly approaching a small town in Florida leaving the residents little time to prepare. When the hurricane finally hits, many of the residents' lives are in peril. Rose, one of the town's smallest residents notices some mysterious lights in the heart of the hurricane. Meanwhile, after the storm, Dave discovers some mysterious skeletal remains." As so often happens in the nature of the hour-long drama, Invasion didn't last more than a single season.
On this day in 2015, Fox Television dug deep into the realm of Science Fiction with a TV adaptation of ideas inspired by the work of Philip K. Dick: Minority Report tackled thematically the same territory explored in the similarly-named Steven Spielberg movie from 2002 but forced its characters and circumstances into the weekly procedural. Apparently, audiences weren't all that interested, and this Report lasted only ten scant episodes.
While you may not recognize the face, I guarantee you'll recognize his name: H.G. Wells. The literary genius himself, Mr. Wells is responsible for a whole slew of sci-fi classics, many of which continue to inspire us today in our own pursuits of strange, new worlds. (I've read The Time Machine, and -- to be honest -- I found it a bit tiresome.) He was born on this day back in 1866.
Oh, gosh, I can remember from my youth seeing the face of Henry Gibson all over television. Throughout his time in the business, he appeared in such projects as Wonder Woman, The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1981), The Twilight Zone, Galaxy High School (animated), Innerspace (1987), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Total Recall 2070, and Stargate: SG-1. Though he's no longer with us, Gibson was born on this day in 1935.
Anyone who grew up watching the original Battlestar Galactica should certainly recognize the face of Flight Officer Omega, or as he's more appropriately known in reality as actor David Greenan. Greenan was born on this day in 1943.
Writer and director Nick Castle also celebrates his birthday today. Born in 1947, Nick (along with director John Carpenter) penned the scripts for the two Snake Plissken films (Escape from New York and Escape from L.A.), but his real claim to fame is directing 1984's The Last Starfighter.
How can you not give a shout-out to Bill Murray on his birthday? Come on, man. He's the original Ghostbuster. He headlined the time travel yarn Groundhog Day. And he's easily one of the funniest people alive on the planet. Give it up! Murray was born on this day in 1950.
Actor David James Elliott did what he could to keep our sun from exploding in the SciFi-telefilm, Exploding Sun (2013). Elliott was born on this day in 1960.
I will always remember Angus Macfadyen (pictured above from 2002's Equilibrium) for his work aboard ABC TV's short-lived Fantasy program, Miracles; in any just version of the universe, Miracles would've become a suitable replacement for Fox TV's The X-Files, which kinda/sorta jumped the shark way too much in its golden years. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. Macfadyen was born on this day in 1963.
David Wenham is probably most associated with his work as Faramir aboard Peter Jackson's epic The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but he's also made waves aboard Return To Jupiter (TV), Dark City (1998), Van Helsing (2004), 300 (2006), and Netflix's Iron Fist series. Wenham was born on this day in 1965.
Funnyman Luke Wilson gave a terrific performance in one of The X-Files' better adventures: 1998's "Bad Blood" pitted Scully versus Mulder in a search for the truth involved a town of traveling vampires. Wilson was born on this day in 1971.
That luscious li'l minx is actress Autumn Reeser. She doesn't have what I'd call 'tons' of SciFi credentials to her name, but she has made appearances on Star Trek: Voyager (under heavy make-up) as well as playing a character of sorts in 2008's SciFi-gaming release, Command & Conquer 3: Red Alert (from which the above photo is representative). And she is luscious, no? Reeser was born on this day in 1980.
Maggie Grace found herself as one of the castaways on ABC's super-popular Lost. Since then, she's gone on to more big screen fare, such as appearing alongside Liam Neeson in Taken as well as playing the President's daughter in the Guy Pearce SciFi actioner Lockout (2012). Grace was born on this day in 1983.
In his youth, actor Joseph Mazzello played 'Tim,' the young man who brought our collective fascination with all things dinosaur to life in Steven Spielberg's epic Jurassic Park (1993). Mazzello was born on this day in 1983.
Sadly, I know next to nothing about Pluton B.R.B. Nero, a Spanish-language Science Fiction television series starring the lovely Carolina Bang; and that's only because it appears that the program has never had a DVD release with English subtitles. I have seen her work in non-SciFi properties, and she's definitely a talent worth watching. Bang was born on this day in 1985.
Sorry, folks, but after being super-disappointed with how quickly NBC's Heroes went off the rails, I really wasn't all that interested in giving Heroes Reborn a view. Still, kudos to young star Ryan Guzman for participating in the project. Guzman was born on this day in 1987.
In the role of Claudia Donovan, young Allison Scagliotti was just one of the 'locals' trapped within the mystery at the heart of Syfy's Warehouse 13. Scagliotti was born on this day in 1990.
On this day in 1966, Lost In Space aired "Wild Adventure." This served as the second episode of the second season, and here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:
"Smith finds the course back to earth, but a space female lures Smith out of the ship and saving him again leaves the crew of the Jupiter 2 lost in space."
"Smith finds the course back to earth, but a space female lures Smith out of the ship and saving him again leaves the crew of the Jupiter 2 lost in space."
On this day in 1968, Doctor Who aired "The Mind Robber: Part 2." This served as the seventh episode of the program's sixth season, and here's the plot summary as detailed on IMDB.com:
"With the TARDIS destroyed, the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe find themselves in a strange forest patrolled by mysterious soldiers."
"With the TARDIS destroyed, the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe find themselves in a strange forest patrolled by mysterious soldiers."
On this day in 1969, Land of the Giants aired "The Mechanical Man." This served as the first episode of the program's second (and final) season, and here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:
"A huge robot that is even bigger than many of the giants that the castaways have encountered accidentally destroys a store and in the process kills a policeman. Steve, Mark and Fitzhugh, who were scavenging for food and supplies witness this and in the process Mark and Fitzhugh are captured. They are then brought to the laboratory of its creator Professor Gorn who offers to help them return to Earth if they can help him fix the flaw in his creation. They eventually do and the robot works perfectly. Unfortunately, Gorn double crosses them and decides to turn them over to the SID."
"A huge robot that is even bigger than many of the giants that the castaways have encountered accidentally destroys a store and in the process kills a policeman. Steve, Mark and Fitzhugh, who were scavenging for food and supplies witness this and in the process Mark and Fitzhugh are captured. They are then brought to the laboratory of its creator Professor Gorn who offers to help them return to Earth if they can help him fix the flaw in his creation. They eventually do and the robot works perfectly. Unfortunately, Gorn double crosses them and decides to turn them over to the SID."
On this day in 1974, Land of the Lost aired "Dopey." This served as the third episode of the program's first season, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"A troublesome baby brontosaurus follows Will and Holly home."
"A troublesome baby brontosaurus follows Will and Holly home."
On this day in 1974, Partridge Family 2200 A.D. aired "The Incredible Shrinking Keith." This served as the third episode in its only season, and here's the summary from the Partridge Family 2200 A.D. online website:
"Danny's unfinished invention throws a spray of sparks on Keith, shrinking him to pint size. Keith is furious, but his visiting fans from Minitravia are overjoyed to find Keith their own size. Danny vows to throw away the mechanism, but Keith manages to get a second spray, this time landing him ten feet tall!"
"Danny's unfinished invention throws a spray of sparks on Keith, shrinking him to pint size. Keith is furious, but his visiting fans from Minitravia are overjoyed to find Keith their own size. Danny vows to throw away the mechanism, but Keith manages to get a second spray, this time landing him ten feet tall!"
On this day in 1978, Project U.F.O. aired "Sighting 4015: The Underwater Incident." This served as the first episode of the program's second season, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"Capt. Ryan and S Sgt. Fitz investigate a report of a UFO that came down from the night sky and submerged itself off the coast of California before ramming into a boat, injuring the two men on board."
"Capt. Ryan and S Sgt. Fitz investigate a report of a UFO that came down from the night sky and submerged itself off the coast of California before ramming into a boat, injuring the two men on board."
On this day in 1985, The Tripods aired "Will Is Arrested." This served as the third episode in the program's second season, and here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:
"Will and Beanpole miss their ship after being chased by the Black Guard. With the help of new friends they hope to continue on their way to The Games."
"Will and Beanpole miss their ship after being chased by the Black Guard. With the help of new friends they hope to continue on their way to The Games."
On this day in 1987, Doctor Who aired "Time and the Rani: Part 3." This served as the third episode of the program's twenty-fourth season, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"The solstice nears, making it time for the Rani to bring her plans into fruition. The Doctor's sympathies for Beyus, ruler of the Lykertyans, are rather qualified. Beyus' heart is for his people yet something prompts him to collaborate fully in helping the Rani reach all her objectives. The answer, he's told, lies within the Center of Leisure."
"The solstice nears, making it time for the Rani to bring her plans into fruition. The Doctor's sympathies for Beyus, ruler of the Lykertyans, are rather qualified. Beyus' heart is for his people yet something prompts him to collaborate fully in helping the Rani reach all her objectives. The answer, he's told, lies within the Center of Leisure."
It was on this day back in 1991 that Star Trek: The Next Generation returned from its summer break, launching into its fifth season with the episode, "Redemption, Part 2." The story brought about what I thought was a much-too-neatly-tied-up end to the Klingon Civil War that had divided the Empire -- personally, I would rather have seen the events spread out over several more episodes, if not an entire season -- but I guess that wasn't meant to be.
On this day in 1996, Ocean Girl aired "Extraterrestrial Abilities." This served as the eighth episode of the program's third season, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"Neri awakes on the island to find Kal missing, he's gone to ORCA. Jason and Brett introduce Kal to Diane and Winston. Shortly after, Neri arrives and tells Diane about UBRI's plans to use explosives on the ocean floor in their construction."
"Neri awakes on the island to find Kal missing, he's gone to ORCA. Jason and Brett introduce Kal to Diane and Winston. Shortly after, Neri arrives and tells Diane about UBRI's plans to use explosives on the ocean floor in their construction."
On this day in 2014, Lifetime's The Lottery aired "Mr. Torino." This served as the ninth episode to the program's only season, and here's the plot summary as detailed by IMDB.com:
"The President discovers that Gabrielle has made a deal with Perry and confronts her."
"The President discovers that Gabrielle has made a deal with Perry and confronts her."
