When SciFi Channel and MGM announced that both “Stargate SG-1″ and “Stargate: Atlantis” was going to be renewed for 10th and third seasons respectively, there was a lot of cheers coming from the Stargate fandom.I was there cheering, too. But my cheering seemed a bit bittersweet.I am the kind of person that can make a day at Disney World seem like a day in hell, so I decided to keep some of my feelings to myself. I mean, for goodness sakes, the last thing I need to do is write my opinion and piss off an entire fanbase. Not that I’ve ever done it before. OK, maybe once. Twice? Fine! A dozen times.But I was holding my tongue. That is until I made my way to Necronomicon, a sci-fi literary convention right here in my hometown of Tampa, Fla. Since 2001, I’ve been a guest at the convention, one of …

I’m filled with terrible apprehension when I think of “Battlestar Galactica” resuming new episodes in January: I really don’t want Laura Roslin to die. But I’m not sure I want her to live, either.By thrusting not only a woman, but a woman dying of breast cancer, into the presidency of the Twelve Colonies, Ron Moore created a powerful dramatic character, indeed. President Roslin has had to simultaneously deal with the mortality not only of the human race but her own.Actress Mary McDonnell has given the character such vibrancy that she commands nearly every scene in which she appears. (Geena Davis, eat your heart out!)Although she appeared in no way, shape, or form in the original 1970s series, Laura Roslin easily has become my favorite “Battlestar” character.Through the series’ first year, …

November is unofficially “War of the Worlds” month. By the end of it, five different takes on H.G. Wells’ classic novel will be available to buy on DVD, including three films that came out this year. Of those, Stephen Spielberg’s has captured the most attention and money. Not everyone was happy with his liberal adaptation, though. Are Wells’ fans better served by this year’s independent productions from The Asylum and Pendragon Pictures?At its most basic, “War of the Worlds” is about one man’s experiences during a Martian invasion of England at the end of the 19th century. As he attempts to avoid the invaders, the nameless narrator describes his encounters with survivors. In particular, Wells has him focus on an artilleryman and a curate, who might represent the military and religious insecurities …

The following contains MAJOR spoilers for the movie, “Serenity.”Sadly, I think we can all agree on one thing: There will be no grand parade of sequels to Joss Whedon’s “Serenity.”How much a few weeks (and a really poor box-office showing) changes things. Just a month ago, just before the film’s opening, fandom was abuzz with the hope and belief that Whedon’s against-all-odds comeback story would open big, launching what would become the next great science fiction franchise.After all, Whedon had rescued his beloved-but-all-too-short “Firefly” TV series from cancellation hell and brought it back as “Serenity,” a major motion picture. If he could do that, all things were possible, right?That was then.Now we fans have no choice but to watch the slow death of the “Firefly”/”Serenity” ‘verse on a …

With the availability of hi-tech special effects, television and film might seem to be the ideal media for dramatising science fiction stories. Once upon a time, however, there was only radio. In the age of computer graphics it has become an underappreciated source of fantastic entertainment. Yet, radio drama in that genre has a long history and a bright future.The pre-television days of the 1930s were the Golden Age of radio drama. The so-called Old Time Radio Shows of that period were many and varied, and they included some familiar names from science fiction. “Buck Rogers” and “Flash Gordon” are fondly remembered as campy movie serials, but before appearing on film they were extremely popular on radio. Their early audio adventures, which began in 1932 and 1935, respectively, were cheesy …

One image from 1981 forever seared into my memory is the promotional campaign for the film “Superman II,” featuring the three Kryptonian rogues clad in black, glossy coveralls.Their defiant posture and pompous stares carried a vivid sense of awe. After all, each had the same staggering powers as our beloved hero Superman, but none of his compassion. Their presence meant destruction and submission with no exception. It’s a frightening notion. And it still curiously crawls beneath my skin even today.As one Metropolis cab driver exclaimed, “Man, this is going to be good.” Indeed it was. Today, an original “Superman II” poster hangs on my wall. It was one of those rare films from childhood that I fondly recall with remarkable clarity.During the last few years it became very apparent to me why the …

Maybe the downfall of Star Trek really is all Rick Berman’s fault after all.I say that because to start his post-Trek career, the other half of that joined species known as Bermaga has created what is arguably the best of the new network alien-invasion series.I say that as someone who expected to despise Brannon Braga’s “Threshold.”However, after watching all three of the new network aliens-among-us shows, “Threshold” stands out: It’s only one that’s really captured my attention.Comparing and contrasting “Threshold” on CBS against its competition–ABC’s “Invasion” and NBC’s “Surface”–is made easier because all three rivals start out remarkably the same.It’s almost as if all three started out being written by the same guy.Not only do they all revolve around the coming of otherworldly creatures, …