Sci-Fi Storm

Masters of Science Fiction starts airing on ABC at 10pm this Saturday (August 4th). ABC thinks the show is “too artistic” for television – lets show them we want artistry and get the ratings up there – maybe we can at least see the two episodes they don’t plan to show…

That creepy work-loving slave race from Series 2, the Ood, will make a return in the 4th series episode “Planet of the Ood”, where we will find out about the origins of the race and why they behave the way they do. Will they be as creepy though?

Because CBS decided to bring back Jericho with a short order of 7 episodes as a midseason replacement, the writers are busy condensing the story originally meant for a full 22 episodes. Rather than develop stories over two or three episodes, they will have to deal with it in just 1. And in a very rare move, CBS Entertainment president Nina Tassler admitted the network itself may have been responsible for the decline in ratings, due to the long mid-season hiatus.

I had the opportunity to view some advanced copies of the upcoming ABC limited series Masters of Science Fiction from Starz Media, which is a series aimed at bringing together top notch SF writers, screenwriters, directors and actors to tell various stories. Think an A List (at least for SF if not in general) version of The Outer Limits. Read more for the episode descriptions and my impressions.

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Farscape, which had its last production in 2004, will live on in 10 webisodes produced for the SCI FI Channel, with the hope of a possible revival on television. No actors or writers have been signed yet though. Also, Battlestar Galactica will have 8 mini-webisodes that tie directly to the upcoming “Razor” TV movie, dealing with a young William Adama during the first Cylon War. The plot of Razor is also mentioned, dealing with Lee Adama’s taking command of the Pegasus, and what Admiral Cain did during the attack on the colonies (explaining Michelle Forbes’ appearance in recent previews).

Writer Steven Moffat, who has written some of the best episodes so far of the revived Doctor Who, said that there is no reason for fans to worry that the rumored departure of Russell T. Davies will result in the end of the show. “No broadcaster lets go of a show like Doctor Who.” He did not deny the rumor, and sidestepped the question of him taking over. Right now, he’s got his own show, Jekyll, a modern twist on the classic story, airing in the U.K.

The first of four episodes of Masters of Science Fiction will air on August 4th at 10pm on ABC, with the first episode being “A Clean Escape”, based on a short story by Nebula winner John Kessel, adapted by Sam Egan (The Outer Limits, Jeremiah) and directed by Mark Rydell (On Golden Pond), and stars Emmy winners Judy Davis and Sam Waterston. Three more stories with similarly top-shelf names will air in the weeks that follow. Read More for the full press release.

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Well, that didn’t take long. The BBC just announced that Catherine Tate, the comedian who played Donna in last year’s Doctor Who Christmas special, “The Runaway Bride”, will return to the role for the entire 4th series as the Doctor’s new companion.

Freema Agyeman, who played Martha Jones in all 13 episodes of the third series of Doctor Who, will return to the role half way through the fourth series, after three episodes on the upcoming series of Torchwood. In the meantime, the Doctor will hook up with a new companion for the whole series, with an announcement coming soon. The third series begins airing in the U.S. on the SCI FI Channel Friday. Update: It has also been announced that singer Kylie Minogue will guest star in this year’s Christmas episode, “Voyage of the Damned”.

A political revolutionary named Roj Blake is convicted and sentenced to life on a prison planet. On the way there, the transport encounters a derelict ship of unknown design, and several crew are killed trying to board it. Blake, and two other prisoners manage to board and commandeer the ship and escape. They pick up several others and go on to fight against the Federation with the fastest ship in the known galaxy.

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