Sci-Fi Storm

With half of Season 2 remaining to air (thanks to SCI FI’s “Summer” and “Winter” half-seasons) Battlestar Galactica has been renewed for a third season, with all the cast and production team back.

Night Stalker has been cancelled by ABC – again. ABC aired the original Kolchak: The Night Stalker during the 1974-1975 season, lasting 20 episodes. This one has aired six, but ABC has pulled the plug on production with three more in the can and no plans to air them. Gee – its against The Apprentice and C.S.I. in the hot Thursday 9PM slot – what did they expect?

The Daily Mirror is reporting an exclusive that Billie Piper is quitting the Tardis to avoid being typecast, and will leave during the third series. The BBC is not commenting – wonder if that means its true… 🙂

With the recent release of [sfs=560]Season 4[/sfs] of Star Trek: Enterprise, we bid adieu to a show that – for better or worse – tried to fill in the history of the Star Trek universe. My opinion? Continuity problems or not, they did a great job. I will miss this crew. Read More for the whole review.

(continue reading…)

Ironic given the review I’m about to post, but Brannon Braga, who has helped produce the various Star Trek incarnations over the past 15 years, has announced he’s through – and even alludes to the harsh fan criticism often aimed at him. Now if we can get rid of Berman, perhaps Trek can move on…

Warner has announced In2TV, a new free service for AOL members that will allow users to download classic TV episodes – some 4,800 in the first year. It is supported by non-skippable commercials – 1-2 minutes per 30-minute episode. Series include The Fugitive, Wonder Woman, and even Babylon 5. Use of the service does require being part of the distribution network – similar to Bittorrent, at least for their “High quality” version. Given the recent announcements own TV downloads, I wonder how quickly the unions will jump in to negotiate residuals.

Steve Jordan writes “”Berserker,” the next novel from Steve Jordan, will be released on November 14th on his site, www.SteveJordanBooks.com. From the book description:

“Carolyn Kestral, discharged Galarchy Ranger, begins her new life as a freighter captain and collects a small crew. But there is a question of whether the Berserker virus that forced her Ranger discharge is still capable of being activated and turning her into a deadly human weapon. If it is merely dormant, will it be set off by a clandestine first run and a dangerous run-in with the Spiders in deep space? Will her crew stick around long enough to find out?”

Following the successful and critically lauded release of “Robin,” Steve Jordan is continuing to offer his books according to the Right Brane e-Book model, selling at a low price and without Digital Rights Management (DRM) limitations, to demonstrate his trust in the market and his customers. For more information, or to purchase a Steve Jordan novel, go to www.SteveJordanBooks.com.”

The Doctor’s other favorite nemesis are making a return. The Cybermen will appear in the upcoming second series of the revived Doctor Who, and they’ve gotten a makeover. Check it out. Doctor Who will return first with “The Christmas Invasion” on Christmas Day on BBC One. Still no word on DVDs or a network in the States.

First, oh, my: The more talented geeks at MIT are doing a Star Wars Trilogy musical (probably to coincide with the exhibit at Boston’s Museum of Science); the MMORPG Star Wars Galaxies is undergoing a massive revamp, never heard of in the MMORPG realm, including the removing of classes; and the combined sales of the Episode III DVD and Star Wars: Battlefront II game (PC CD-ROM/PC DVD-ROM/PS/2/XBOX) reached $210 million in the first week.

Didn’t even know this was in the works: Fox has committed to a pilot for the tentatively-titled The Sarah Connors Chronicles, based on the character played by Linda Hamilton in the first two Terminator movies, following her and her son John. Hamilton is not expected to be involved, nor is Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Included is a mention of a possible 4th movie, as perhaps the start of another trilogy.