Star Trek: Discovery premieres
CBS premieres the first episode of Star Trek: Discovery, the first new Star Trek TV series in 12 years, starring Sonequa Martin-Green (The Walking Dead) and Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Marco Polo). The second episode also premieres, but instead of airing on CBS, it streams on CBS’ fledgling CBS All Access paid streaming service. Despite the unusual distribution arrangement for a two-parter, the premiere is watched by over nine million viewers.
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Star Trek: Discovery now streaming on Paramount Plus
Star Wars Rebels: Steps Into Shadow
Cable channel Disney XD premieres the 36th episode of the series Star Wars: Rebels. The third season opener guest stars Tom Baker (Doctor Who) as the mysterious Bendu, and reintroduces the character of Grand Admiral Thrawn (voiced by Lars Mikkelsen), originated in the 1991 novel “Heir To The Empire”, to the current Star Wars continuity.
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Star Wars: Rebels now streaming on Amazon Prime
Mangalayaan arrives at Mars
The unmanned Mangalayaan space probe arrives, intact and functioning, in Mars orbit, making India the first country on Earth to successfully reach Mars on its first attempt. (A high failure rate among past Mars missions has plagued both the Russian and American space programs.) A 23-minute engine burn slows Mangalayaan down enough to be captured by Mars’ gravity, but leaves the vehicle with twice the fuel reserves expected for its projected six-month mission.
Doctor Who: Closing Time
The 784th episode of Doctor Who (the 86th since the series’ revival) airs on BBC1. James Corden guest stars.
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SJA: Revenge Of The Slitheen
Capitalizing on the popularity of Sarah Jane Smith and K-9 in a recent Doctor Who episode, CBBC premieres The Sarah Jane Adventures‘ second episode and third episode. The Slitheen, a recurring enemy in Doctor Who, return for the series relaunch, which also adds Daniel Anthony as new series regular Clyde Langer.
Peter Gabriel: Up
The Peter Gabriel album Up is released, featuring the single “The Barry Williams Show”.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Lessons
The 123rd episode of Joss Whedon’s supernatural series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, airs on UPN. James Marsters, Anthony Stewart Head, and Alyson Hannigan also star in the seventh season premiere.
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Sliders: A Thousand Deaths
Sci-Fi Channel airs the 82nd episode of the science fiction series Sliders, starring Cleavant Derricks, Kari Wuhrer, Robert Floyd, and Tembi Locke.
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Sliders now streaming on Amazon Prime
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UPN airs the Lois & Clark: Ordinary People
The 45th episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman airs on ABC, starring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher. David Leisure guest stars.
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Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman now streaming on Amazon Prime
Space: Above And Beyond
Fox premieres the two-hour pilot episode of Space: Above And Beyond, a military science fiction series created by X-Files writers Glen Morgan and James Wong. Shot in Australia with a huge budget, the series only lasts one seasons but gains an immediate fan following. F. Lee Ermey (Full Metal Jacket) guest stars.
The X-Files: Squeeze
The third episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny, and guest starring Donal Logue and Kevin McNulty.
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Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.: Socrates’ Sister
Fox airs the fifth episode of the sci-fi western, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., starring Bruce Campbell, Julius Carry, and Christian Clemenson. John Astin (The Addams Family) and Judith Hoag (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) guest star.
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The Adventures Of Brisco County Jr. now streaming on Amazon Prime
The Sci-Fi Channel
After months of build-up and publicity (and not very many cable systems signing up to carry it), USA Network’s genre-specific offshoot Sci-Fi Channel launches on American cable TV. Its early schedule is comprised entirely of reruns of such series as Doctor Who, Dark Shadows, and several series from Gerry Anderson’s Century 21 Productions, as well as genre movies. In the years to come, Sci-Fi Channel begins originating its own programming (primarily by entering co-production deals with the makers of Canadian-made and other foreign-made genre series). A protest from a small but vocal number of industry figures and science fiction writers, all of whom object to the “derisive” term “sci-fi,” fails to convince the network’s Florida-based founders to change its name to “SF Network.”
Star Trek: TNG: Best Of Both Worlds Pt. II
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 74th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Despite a summer of rumors (spread primarily via pre-internet computer bulletin board systems) involving cast members being killed off in the conclusion of the Borg two-parter, the regular cast returns, leaving Riker with the task of recovering and restoring the Borg-abducted Captain Picard. A soundtrack album for both parts of the story is released in 1991 by popular demand. This episode opens the series’ fourth season.
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Star Trek: The Next Generation now streaming on Paramount Plus
Superman: Episode 2
CBS airs the second episode of the animated series Superman, starring the voices of Beau Weaver and Ginny McSwain, and comprised of two stories: Fugitive From Space and The Supermarket.
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Superman now streaming on Amazon Prime
Twilight Zone: The Curious Case Of Edgar Witherspoon
The 36th episode of a revival of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone airs in syndication. Harry Morgan (M*A*S*H) stars in the third season premiere. The third season, still produced by CBS despite the cancellation of the series on the network’s schedule, is produced in Canada with the intention of increasing the number of episodes to make further syndication of the new Twilight Zone viable. The third season is overseen by Mark Shelmerdine (I, Claudius) and J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5, Jeremiah, Sense8), and is reformatted into single-story, half-hour episodes.
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The Twilight Zone now streaming on Paramount Plus
Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends: The Bride Of Dracula!
NBC airs the 18th episode of the Marvel animated series Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends, starring the voices of Dan Gilvezan, Kathy Garver, and Frank Welker.
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The Powers Of Matthew Star: The Accused
The second episode of the science fiction series The Powers Of Matthew Star airs on NBC, starring Peter Barton and Louis Gossett Jr. Carmen Argenziano (Stargate SG-1) guest stars.
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Sega releases the arcade game Megamania!
Activision releases the Megamania! cartridge for the Atari VCS home video game system. Inspired by the arcade game Astro Blaster, and subtitled “A Space Nightmare”, Megamania! pits players against airborne bow ties and hamburgers – and their own energy management skills. A national TV ad campaign featuring The Tubes heralds the game’s arrival.
Star Blazers: Episode 16
The 16th episode of Star Blazers, an English rewrite and dub of the 1974 anime series Space Battleship Yamato, premieres in syndication across the U.S.
Battlestar Galactica: Lost Planet Of The Gods
The second episode of Glen A. Larson’s science fiction series Battlestar Galactica airs on ABC. Part one of a two-part story, this is one of a handful of two-part episodes that hint toward Larson’s original preference toward occasional miniseries events rather than a weekly series. Jane Seymour guest stars.
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The Bionic Woman: Fembots In Las Vegas Part 1
The 39th episode of The Bionic Woman, starring Lindsay Wagner and Richard Anderson, airs on NBC. James Olson (The Andromeda Strain) and Melinda Fee (The Invisible Man) guest star.
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Doctor Who: Horror Of Fang Rock, Part 4
The 457th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. The Rutans, shapeshifting mortal enemies of the Sontarans, appear for the first and only time in the original series.
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Space Academy: Hide And Seek
The third episode of Filmation’s Saturday morning science fiction series Space Academy airs on CBS. Something is causing everyone at Space Academy to vanish, occasionally in mid-sentence.
Night Gallery: The Return Of The Sorcerer
NBC airs the 30th episode of Night Gallery, an anthology series of original short plays and short story adaptations hosted by Rod Serling. Vincent Price and Bill Bixby guest star in the third season opener; the series has now been cut down to a half-hour time slot.
The Immortal: Sylvia
The first episode of the modern-day science fiction series The Immortal premieres on ABC, starring Christopher George. Carol Lynley and Glenn Corbett guest star.
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Doctor Who: The Smugglers, Part 3
The 129th episode of Doctor Who airs on the BBC. This episode is now missing from the BBC’s archives.
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Adventures Of Superman: The Bully Of Dry Gulch
The 62nd episode of The Adventures Of Superman airs in syndication, starring George Reeves, Noel Neill, and Jack Larson. Myron Healey guest stars.
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Adventures of Superman now streaming on Amazon Prime