Sci-Fi Storm

Just a couple of Stargate Atlantis tidbits: This is somewhat old news, but exec producer Joseph Mallozzi confirmed that Torri Higginson (Dr. Elizabeth Weir) will not return in Season 5, and it sounds like it may not happen in the future either. In addition, Robert Picardo (Richard Woolsey) took part in a conference call (I was invited but the time was a conflict) to discuss becoming a regular cast member this season, where he said that it was a “bold thing” by the producers to pick a character “who doesn’t seem to be necessarily the first choice for a leader.” And a further side note: Star Trek: The Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton, in which Picardo appeared, is closing September 1st. He said, “…it breaks my heart a little bit to no longer be my own theme park ride.” There is hope it may live on somewhere else in some form though.

Actor Don S. Davis, best known for his role as Major General George Hammond in command of the SGC on Stargate SG-1, as well as numerous appearances in other genre and mainstream shows and movies (he was the Racine coach in A League Of Their Own), passed away Sunday from a massive heart attack at the age of 65.

Tomoko Kawamoto writes “Eleven fans of the epic science-fiction television series Babylon 5 (1994-98)–all previously unknown to one another, and living in places from Washington State to England–have bought a pristine prosthetic mask used on the show and donated it to Museum of the Moving Image (New York). Worn by actor Andreas Katsulas in his role as the exiled alien ambassador G’Kar, the mask had been put up for auction on eBay. The donors pooled their resources to purchase it and then gave it as a gift to the Museum, so that the mask would be accessible to fans and to the general public.

To view the mask on the Museum’s Collection Catalog, go to:
http://collection.movingimage.us/index.php?g=detai l&object_id=99056

Full press release can be read at:
http://movingimage.us/press/pdf/2008/babylon5_mask _062008.pdf“

Some new casting announcements were made today. Paul Campbell (President Roslin’s late assistant Billy Keikeya on Battlestar Galactica) will join Knight Rider as the head of Knight Industries research (do I smell a geeky character?); and Leven Rambin (All My Children) will join Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles as Becky, who may provide a love interest (and tension?) for John.

An article at the Chicago Tribune (unconfirmed by SFC) says that the series finale for Battlestar Galactica could reach three hours long. Also mentioned are a possible TV movie (or movies – up to three), and that the second part of the final season will be 11 hours (not sure how that figures in to the length of the finale). Still no word on when the rest of the season will air.

Up on our YouTube Channel is a short preview for the upcoming half-season finale of Battlestar Galactica, “Revelations”. Need to review what happened in the last episode, “The Hub”? We’ve got the “What the frak?” recap for that as well.

William Shatner, who like a lot of actors it seems avoids watching himself in his roles, recently caught himself on TV during a sleepless night recovering from hip surgery. He saw the original Star Trek episode “A Piece Of The Action”, in which Kirk and Spock beam down to a planet that modeled itself after the Chicago gang wars of the 1920s. What did he think? “You know, that’s rather good.”

The mystery wait is over. Reboot has come back as a comic book, but it includes fan involvement, with the fans apparently acting as consultants. “The ReBoot saga continues with this first installment of the Code of Honor storyline: Paradigms Lost. Two mortal enemies set aside their differences to battle a viral outbreak that threatens the stability of cyberspace. Will the unlikely allies cooperate… or stab each other in their backups?” There are still plans for three feature-length films though, produced wholly in-house, and previously described as a “reboot” of the franchise.

SCI FI Wire has details about J.J. Abrams’ upcoming Fox series Fringe (warning: some spoilers in the article). The pilot contains elements of Alias and Lost (both Abrams shows) along with X-Files. Anna Torv’s character, FBI special agent Olivia Dunham, is described as a cross between Dana Scully, Sydney Bristow and Kate Austin.

The miniseries just aired on A&E, and the DVD will be released next Tuesday. Remaking a classic (albeit dated) movie is always a risky business, so the obvious question is – did they do a good job? Alas, not really – but they could have…

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