It all began with a bang! Erm ... or was that a zapp?
However you see things, Star Trek began for all practical purposes on this day back in 1966 when NBC aired Gene Roddenberry's second pilot, "The Man Trap." It wasn't as cerebral as the first intended pilot, but it still ignited a fanbase that remains as active and growing today as it was back then. Welcome to the world, Kirk and company! May you all live long and prosper!
However you see things, Star Trek began for all practical purposes on this day back in 1966 when NBC aired Gene Roddenberry's second pilot, "The Man Trap." It wasn't as cerebral as the first intended pilot, but it still ignited a fanbase that remains as active and growing today as it was back then. Welcome to the world, Kirk and company! May you all live long and prosper!
Byron Morrow had a knack for playing authority figures. Heck, during Star Trek's original three year run, he even played different Starfleet admirals twice! He played a Martian for the original The Twilight Zone, and other popular properties he appeared in include Cyborg 2087, The Invaders, Lost in Space, Colossus: The Forbin Project, The Bionic Woman, and Otherworld. Though he's no longer with us, Morrow was born on this day in 1911.
How do you maintain a website celebrating genre performances in film and television and not mention the venerable Peter Sellers? The actor was an incredible, incredible talent who passed away far too early before his time, leaving an indelible imprint on so many fans. As far as genre-specific work goes, I'd be a fool for failing to mention his work aboard the Fantasy-themed Alice In Wonderland (1966) and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972) for good measure. Though he's no longer with us, Sellers was born on this day in 1925. [Source: IMDB.com]
Though he refused to accept much of the credit, Archie Goodwin (I've read) was instrumental in securing the original license to bring Star Wars to life for Marvel Comics back in the 1970's. He also posted significant contributions to the comic books realms of Batman and Starman for DC Comics. Though he's no longer with us, Goodwin was born on this day in 1937.
After crafting the screenplay for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, screenwriter Willard Huyck turned his talents toward the stars, fleshing out the script for George Lucas's next event picture: Howard the Duck (1986). Huyck was born on this day in 1945.
I've only just begun to explore the world beyond the feature film of Swamp Thing as I recently purchased the first season DVD from Amazon. So far? Meh. But Mark Lindsay Chapman has a prominent role aboard the property. He's also appeared in Annihilator (1986), Max Headroom, The Langoliers, Weird Science, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, NightMan, and plenty of other less fantastical fare. Chapman was born on this day in 1954.
Pictured above as the Kryptonian elder Lor-Em from 2013's Man of Steel, actor Julian Richings helped bring to life the alien world of Superman's birth. Otherwise, the man continues to move almost effortlessly in and out of genre work, appearing in such properties as Supernatural, Orphan Black, and Hemlock Grove. Richings was born on this day in 1955.
The 1980's saw a terrific resurgence of pin-up models making it a go at this whole 'acting' thing, and one of the more memorable talents was the lovely Heather Thomas. She headlined 1987's Cyclone, a SciFi-themed motorcycle action flick that enjoys a modest cult following. Thomas was born on this day in 1957.
The fetchingly exotic Sonja Smits lent her aura to one of the most fetchingly exotic films quite possibly of the 20th century: David Cronenberg's Videodrome (1983). She's also wooed genre fans in such properties as Airwolf, TekWar, The Outer Limits, and Showtime's Odyssey 5. Smits was born on this day in 1958.
Thomas Kretschmann has one of those faces you know you've seen before, and that's probably because he's toiled away in an awful lot of lesser, more character driven roles throughout so much of his career. So far as SciFi goes, he's made visits to Total Recall 2070, Blade II, King Kong, Bionic Woman, FlashForward, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Avengers: Age of Ultron to name but a few. Kretschmann was born on this day in 1962. [Source: IMDB.com]
Though David Lee Smith is probably fairly well known for his long-running supporting role aboard CSI: Miami, he did make an appearance aboard Fox TV's Dollhouse during its run. Smith was born on this day in 1963.
While his physical antics may not be to everyone's liking, I've almost always found funnyman Brian Huskey a delight to watch. Thankfully, he's recently shown up as a regular aboard TBS's SciFi/Comedy People Of Earth so that I can mention him here. Huskey was born on this day in 1968. [Source: IMDB.com]
Once called a "poor man's Adam Sandler," funnyman David Arquette defended life as we know it from some pesky yet gigantic Eight Legged Freaks (2002). Arquette was born on this day in 1971.
Master Thespian Martin Freeman rocketed to international stardom with his appearance as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit trilogy from Peter Jackson. He's done so much good work that it's great to see him finally basking in the limelight of projects like Captain America: Civil War. Freeman was born on this day in 1971.
Super-sexy Cari Shayne (above center) spelled trouble for Harry Kim in a guest star appearance aboard Star Trek: Voyager during its third season on UPN. Shayne was born on this day in 1972.
I'll probably always remember Larenz Tate in the role of "Black Shawn" from FX's stellar Rescue Me, but I'm glad he had a role in The Postman so that I can feature his talents here. Tate was born on this day in 1975.
Alas, I think I may've been the only one to watch the televised follow-up to TRON: Legacy -- that being the animated TRON: Uprising -- when it ran on the boob tube. It wasn't all that 'involving' -- which is probably why it never garnered a second season -- but kudos to funnyman Nate Corddry for his vocal contributions to the show. Corddry was born on this day in 1977.
Clearly, Jonathan Taylor Thomas's mainstay is the realm of television sitcoms, but he did board the WB's long-running Smallville for good measure. Thomas was born on this day in 1981.
Jake Sandvig (above center, with the flower) explored the Final Frontier -- well, the moon, at least -- for his role aboard High Moon (2014). He's also enjoyed screen time aboard Sky High (2005), Journeyman, and Reaper. Sandvig was born on this day in 1986. [Source: IMDB.com]
Young Gaten Matarazzo (above center, in the hat) has set the stream-o-sphere alive with his work aboard Netflix's uber-popular Stranger Things. Matarazzo was born on this day in 2002. [Source: IMDB.com]
On this day in 1966 (in Brazil), Star Trek aired "The Cage," the original pilot episode for the classic Gene Roddenberry series. According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:
"Capt. Pike is held prisoner and tested by aliens who have the power to project incredibly lifelike illusions."
"Capt. Pike is held prisoner and tested by aliens who have the power to project incredibly lifelike illusions."
On this day in 1973, Star Trek fans prayers were answered -- in a way -- when Star Trek: The Animated Series finally brought the crew of the Starship Enterprise back to television, even if it was in an animated fashion. The first episode was titled "Beyond the Farthest Star," and here's the plot summary as provided by our friends at IMDB.com:
"The Enterprise finds an ancient abandoned starship, and a malevolent entity on it eager to take over the Starfleet ship."
"The Enterprise finds an ancient abandoned starship, and a malevolent entity on it eager to take over the Starfleet ship."
On this day in 1976, the cult favorite Star Maidens aired the second episode of its first and only season. The adventure was called "Nemesis," and here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:
"Surviving the crash, Adam and Shem steal a police car and go on the run. Supreme Councillors Octavia - head of security - and Fulvia - Adam's mistress - follow them to earth to retrieve them. Many misunderstandings with the humans ensue."
"Surviving the crash, Adam and Shem steal a police car and go on the run. Supreme Councillors Octavia - head of security - and Fulvia - Adam's mistress - follow them to earth to retrieve them. Many misunderstandings with the humans ensue."
On this day in 1997, the seventh episode of Deepwater Black's (aka Mission Genesis) single season existence aired on the SyFy Channel. It was titled "Refugee." According to our friends at TV.com, here's the episode's plot summary:
"The crew encounters a drifting lifepod, it's only occupant an unconscious female whose blood contains traces of an unusual chemistry. Upon waking, she elicits extreme emotional responses from each of the crew members. Is their new guest a soul vampire?"
"The crew encounters a drifting lifepod, it's only occupant an unconscious female whose blood contains traces of an unusual chemistry. Upon waking, she elicits extreme emotional responses from each of the crew members. Is their new guest a soul vampire?"
On this day in 2000, Farscape aired "The Ugly Truth." This served as the seventeenth episode of the program's second season, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"A ship is destroyed by Talyn while Moya's crew is aboard. Talyn, with Crais, starburst away while the rest are captured by another ship. Each member of the crew is interrogated in turn. The one who fired the shot will be executed. Who's telling the true version of the events, and will the guilty party be punished?"
"A ship is destroyed by Talyn while Moya's crew is aboard. Talyn, with Crais, starburst away while the rest are captured by another ship. Each member of the crew is interrogated in turn. The one who fired the shot will be executed. Who's telling the true version of the events, and will the guilty party be punished?"
On this day in 2001, Stargate: SG-1 aired "Wormhole X-Treme!" This served as the twelfth episode of the long-running program's fifth season, and here's the plot summary from IMDB.com:
"A strange ship is headed towards Earth, and the SGC suspects that Martin Lloyd and his companions may have something to do with it. O'Neill is sent to speak to Martin and is assigned as a military consultant on Martin's new show, "Wormhole X-treme!", which uncannily resembles SG-1 despite Martin once again losing his memory. His former shipmates stall Carter and Daniel by throwing them off the trail and into the hands of the NID."
"A strange ship is headed towards Earth, and the SGC suspects that Martin Lloyd and his companions may have something to do with it. O'Neill is sent to speak to Martin and is assigned as a military consultant on Martin's new show, "Wormhole X-treme!", which uncannily resembles SG-1 despite Martin once again losing his memory. His former shipmates stall Carter and Daniel by throwing them off the trail and into the hands of the NID."
On this day in 2006, Stargate: SG-1 aired "Memento Mori." This served as the eighth episode to the program's tenth season, and here's the plot summary as detailed by IMDB.com:
"Vala is kidnapped by agents of the Trust who are trying to find an ancient treasure when an accident causes Vala to forget who she is."
"Vala is kidnapped by agents of the Trust who are trying to find an ancient treasure when an accident causes Vala to forget who she is."
On this day in 2015, Zoo aired "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves." This served as the eleventh episode of the program's first season, and here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:
"Chloe is taken hostage by someone she knows. Jackson and the others are arrive at Zambia to find the leopard to test Mitch's theory of the animal mutation."
"Chloe is taken hostage by someone she knows. Jackson and the others are arrive at Zambia to find the leopard to test Mitch's theory of the animal mutation."
Also on this day in 2015, Zoo aired a second installment, this one titled "Wild Things." This served as the twelfth episode of the program's first season, and here's the plot summary provided by IMDB.com:
"Chloe tries to bring light to the rising threat from the animals. Jackson is taken to a hospital and while they are there Mitch works to create a cure. However, there are many obstacles they must overcome."
"Chloe tries to bring light to the rising threat from the animals. Jackson is taken to a hospital and while they are there Mitch works to create a cure. However, there are many obstacles they must overcome."
