Sci-Fi Storm

According to the official Star Trek website, James Doohan will bid farewell to fans with what is supposed to be his last convention appearance, being billed as “Beam Me Up Scotty … One Last Time”, and will be held August 28-30th at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel. James Doohan is the only convention guest I ever met that greeted the fans outside the convention in line while waiting for it to open…

According to TrekToday, Star Trek: Enterprise has been renewed for a fourth season. The official announcement is expected Thursday. Update 5/19: SCI FI Wire says that Variety is reporting on the renewal, adding that it is likely to move to Fridays. Hope they are smart enough not to place it directly against the Stargate shows, but UPN isn’t known for being smart…

The official website for The Hitchhiker’s Guide ot the Galaxy movie has gone live, with a few different flash animations and even a blog (albeit with only one entry so far).

UPN announces its Fall lineup next week – and lots of eyes and ears are tuned in to find out if Trek may live – but SCI FI Wire paints a bleak picture, and points out that if Enterprise ends, it will be the first time in 17 years that a first-run Trek was not in production. And even if it goes on, exec producer Rick Berman says, “I think, eventually, Star Trek will be taking a breather.”

Executive producer Joseph Malozzi tols SCI FI Wire that changes are coming to Stargate SG-1, including a major character leaving (long rumored to be Gen. Hammond, played by Don S. Davis, who is not contracted to appear), and a big change for Col. O’Neill (Richard Dean Anderson, who has been reducing his schedule). Plus an old villain will return (Apophis again?) and villain vs. villain (not sure, other than Gou’uld infighting which isn’t new). Season 8 starts July 9th, with Stargate: Atlantis spinning off on July 16th.

SCI FI Wire is full of news on movies being made or considered: James Cameron will begin shooting a new unnamed SF movie, using his 3-D highdef camera process. He’s also working on an update to the classic Fantastic Voyage; Production on Serenity begins in three weeks; Polar Express will be released in IMAX on the same date as traditional theaters (Nov. 19th); Arnold Vosloo thinks there will be a Mummy 3; and X-Men 3 will begin shooting in 2005.

Time to catch up on the news. The 30th Annual Saturn Awards were given out on Wednesday, with Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King taking the most awards with 8. Other theatrical winners include X2 and Finding Nemo, and in television Angel and C.S.I. (?!) tied for Best Network Series, and Stargate: SG-1 got Best Syndicated/Cable Series. Battlestar Galactica won for Best Mini-Series, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers won best DVD Special Edition Release, and Firefly won for best DVD Television Release. See the link above for the complete winners list.

TrekToday has an article detailing some of the extras of the forthcoming box set for the first season of the original Star Trek series, although it is unclear if this will also apply to Region 1 sets. Probable release date is August 30th, but it is not set yet.

So, you’ve seen the original 1983 V miniseries, as well as the 1984 conclusion to the alien invasion, V: The Final Battle? But you herd that wasn’t the end – that there was a short-lived series that picks up where they miniseries ended? Well, now you can pick up V: The Complete Series, and see what you’ve missed – and why.