scifi

Forrest J Ackerman, the sometime actor, literary agent, magazine editor and full-time bon vivant who discovered author Ray Bradbury and was widely credited with coining the term "sci-fi," has died. He was 92.

Ackerman died Thursday of heart failure at his Los Angeles home, said Kevin Burns, head of Prometheus Entertainment and a trustee of Ackerman's estate.

Confused about where SCI FI Channel's Battlestar Galactica has been and where it left off?

Watch this 13-minute recap of everything BSG, leading up to the premiere of the final episodes, starting at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Jan. 16, 2009.

Win.

I know what you're thinking. What could be better than a below-low-budget sci-fi/horror hypersexualized movie based off of a musical, with a playwright who also decided to star in both stage and screen adaptations? Well, then, what if we up the ante! It's also a socially-conscious cyberpunk movie musical, written, directed, scored and costumed by people in 2008 who have decided that 1996 is as far as the future goes, thanks... so it's also a goth/raver socially conscious cyberpunk movie musical, complete with blue-streaked hair, muppet-fur and clunky vinyl boots! No? We need to aim higher to do better? Well, here comes the kicker, the one element that will immortalize this film: Starring Paris Hilton. Singing. In S&M gear. And a wig. Doing drugs. Lo, I bring you REPO! The Genetic Opera! (The film.) NSFW or self respect.

Local mirror of Paris Hilton in REPO

But that's not what I'm after. The primary thing that science fiction and historical movies have in common is that when it comes to the genre's respective real-world subjects of science and history, neither film genre actually strives for accuracy. Rather, what they strive for is plausibility -- something that is "good enough" to get past the audience, for the purposes of the film.

Character actor Don S. Davis, known for his portrayal of Dana Scully's father Captain Scully on The X Files, Major Garland Briggs on Twin Peaks, and Colonel George Hammond on Stargate, passed away Sunday at the age of 65. Even if you don't remember him from those roles, if you take a look at his IMDB page, you will probably recognize him from something. He had a gift for taking stereotypical military roles and bringing a warmth and gentleness to them. One of his final roles was in the Stargate movie Continuum, which will premiere on DVD this month.

Making sure I'm not a cyborg.

And by cyborg, she means cylon.

TOP TEN REASONS MY DYSTOPIAN VISION OF THE FUTURE IS BETTER THAN YOUR DYSTOPIAN VISION OF THE FUTURE...

1. We went out of our way to make it super double extra dystopian.

2. In The System of Federate Nations, you don't need to worry about saving for retirement, since you're unlikely to live past the age of thirty.

3. Profanity is not only accepted, it is pretty much the only way to make yourself understood.

4. Physical violence is not only not frowned upon, it is expected. And often enjoyed.

5. They finally have something very like flying cars. Although generally they are used to snatch people from the street so they can be beaten and imprisoned. But still.

Sounds awesome, maybe I should pick up the previous book as well.

Never get caught off guard again! Cylon Safety Information Sheet #8, issued by QMx on behalf of the Colonial Ministry of Information, contains 10 tips that can save your life and the lives of your fellow Colonials, so heed them well.

Blake's Back! British science fiction classic Blakes 7 is getting the Battlestar Galactica treatment.

Created by Terry Nation, the original program famously finished with one of the most downbeat endings of all time. However it is probably now more notorious for it's less than special special effects, but what can you expect for fifty quid an episode? It's been kept alive by fans ever since it was first broadcast. Now the big question is, who on earth can fill Jacqueline Pearce's stilettos as Servalan?

I really enjoyed him as an actor, and those of us of a science fictional bent should remember he was really one of the first true A-list stars who did serious work in the field, not just with one film, but with several, building a niche from Planet of the Apes through Soylent Green as SF's go-to guy for charismatic dystopia, and in general helping to elevate the genre's stature in film (also, his cameo in the Planet of the Apes remake was the best thing about that particular film).