Stephen Moore, actor, dies
Actor Stephen Moore, who originated the woeful voice of Marvin the Android in the original 1978 BBC Radio production of Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, dies at the age of 81. Ironically, it was another voice role, in a Czechoslovakian-made production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 1959, featuring only puppets, that started Moore’s screen career. He would later go on to play memorable roles in Rock Follies, The New Avengers, Solo, and The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole. In 2010, he appeared as a war-weary Silurian elder opposite Matt Smith in the Doctor Who episode Cold Blood. Having played Marvin’s voice on radio in 1978 and 1979, and reprising the role for the 1981 BBC2 TV adaptation of Hitchhiker’s Guide, Moore returned to play Marvin again in BBC Radio’s early 21st century adaptations of the Hitchhiker’s Guide novels that weren’t directly based on the original radio series.
Robert Forster, actor, dies
Actor Robert Forster, a fixture in films and TV since the 1960s, dies at the age of 78 following a brief battle with brain cancer. Cult sci-fi fans may know him best as Captain Dan Holland in 1979‘s The Black Hole or for his regular role in Heroes, but Forster’s credits spanned over 100 movies, the last of which – the Breaking Bad epilogue film El Camino – debuted on Netflix on the day he died. (An appearance in an episode of Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories revival would not premiere until after Forster’s death.) He was the lead in two early 1970s series, Banyon and Nakia, and received an Oscar nomination (and an unexpected resurgence of his career) for his role in Qunetin Tarantino’s 1997 film Jackie Brown. He went on to play regular roles in such series as Karen Sisco, The Grid, Alcatraz, Last Man Standing, and the 2017 revival of Twin Peaks.
Alexei Leonov, the world’s first spacewalker, dies
Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, the first human being to perform extravehicular activity (or, as it has become more commonly known, a spacewalk) outside his spacecraft, dies at the age of 85. He was among the 20 Soviet Air Force pilots selected to undergo cosmonaut training in 1960, and undertook the historic first spacewalk on March 18th, 1965, aboard the Voskhod 2 mission. He remained outside the vehicle for twelve minutes, but due to his spacesuit inflating with the pressure of his breathing oxygen, he had severe difficulty climbing back into the tunnel that extended from the vehicle itself for his exit, leading mission controllers in Russia to consider the possibility that he might perish without being able to climb back in. He was able to re-enter the Voskhod capsule with considerable effort, and became a favorite among Soviet-era mission planners for the honor of being the first cosmonaut to set foot on the moon, but crewed Soviet lunar missions never came to fruition as the Apollo moon shots took the lead in the space race. Leonov was later selected to lead the Soyuz 19 mission, the Soviet half of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, in 1975. He was also an avid artist who drew and painted many of his own space experiences, as well as those related to him by other astronauts and cosmonauts.
The Flash: Paradox
The CW airs the 48th episode of The Flash, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ superhero starring Grant Gustin. Ralph Hemecker (Witchblade) directs.
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Missing Doctor Who stories recovered
The BBC announces that broadcast archive company TIEA has recovered nine missing episodes of Doctor Who, all from the Patrick Troughton era, completing one story of which only one episode was previous held in the BBC archives (The Enemy Of The World) and almost completing another story (The Web Of Fear), which is now missing only the third of its six episodes. All nine episodes have been found in surprisingly good condition in at a regional broadcaster in Nigeria, which had received the episodes from a Hong Kong broadcaster in the early 1970s. All nine episodes are made available for digital download, with remastered DVD releases due in time for the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who in November 2013. The find had been the subject of wild speculation on the internet for months.
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Red Dwarf: Fathers and Suns
The 57th episode of the science fiction comedy Red Dwarf airs on UK cable/satellite comedy channel Dave. This is the second episode of Red Dwarf X, the first full season of the series since 1999.
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Lost: The Glass Ballerina
ABC airs the 49th episode of the J.J. Abrams-produced series Lost. Byron Chung guest stars.
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Lost now streaming on Amazon Prime
Planet Of The Apes: The Series soundtrack
Soundtrack specialty label Intrada releases the first-ever soundtrack from 2009 Planet Of The Apes: The Series, featuring music and the series title theme by Lalo Schifrin, and additional music by Earle Hagen.
2004 Robot Hall Of Fame inductees
Carnie Mellon University inducts five new members to its Robot Hall Of Fame at a press event promoting the movie adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot. The 2004 inductees, again split almost evenly between fictional and real robots, are:
- Astro Boy (1951, manga/anime character)
- Robby The Robot (1956, from Forbidden Planet)
- Shakey (1966, Stanford Research Institute – first robot capable of autonomous tasks)
- C-3PO (1977, from Star Wars)
- ASIMO (2000, Honda – humanoid robot capable of navigating uneven terrain)
Judges for the 2004 Hall include SimCity creator Wil Wright, roboticist Ruzena Bajcsy and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.
UPN airs the STS-92: opening the ISS for business
On the 100th flight of the American shuttle program, Space Shuttle Discovery pays a 13-day visit to the International Space Station, making final preparations before the station’s first crew arrives. A new shuttle docking port is added, and the first section of external truss is bolted onto the station, the beginning of a structure that will support the larger solar power panels to be installed during later construction missions. Discovery’s 28th crew is Commander Brian Duffy, Pilot Pam Melroy, and mission specialists Koichi Wakata, Leroy Chiao, Peter Wisoff, Michael Lopez-Alegria and William McArthur.
E:FC: The Vanished
The 46th episode of Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict, airs in syndication, starring Robert Leeshock, Jayne Heitmeyer, Von Flores, and Richard Chevolleau. Lisa Howard (Highlander) guest stars.
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The X-Files: Home
The 75th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. Tucker Smallwood (Space: Above & Beyond) guest stars.
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Sliders: The Guardian
Fox airs the 26th episode of Tracy Torme’s alternate-universe science fiction series Sliders, starring Jerry O’Connell, John Rhys Davies, Sabrina Lloyd, and Cleavant Derricks.
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Babylon 5: Divided Loyalties
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 41st episode of Babylon 5. This episode is the last appearance of Andrea Thompson as Babylon 5’s resident telepath, Talia Winters. Patricia Tallman guest stars.
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Star Trek: TNG: Gambit, Part I
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 155th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
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Highlander: Turnabout
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 25th episode of the fantasy series Highlander, starring Adrian Paul (War Of The Worlds), Alexandra Vandernoort, and Stan Kirsch, and based on the mythology created in the 1986 movie of the same name.
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Star Trek: DS9: The Siege
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 22nd episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Frank Langella, Louise Fletcher, Philip Anglim and Steven Weber (Wings) guest star. This is the conclusion of a three-part story.
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Doctor Who: Ghost Light, Part 2
The 688th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Ian Hogg and Sylvia Sims guest star. This is the last story filmed for the original series, though it’s broadcast as the second story of the season.
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Quantum Leap: The Americanization Of Machiko – August 4, 1953
NBC airs the 11th episode of Donald Bellisario’s science fiction series Quantum Leap, starring Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell.
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Red Dwarf: Parallel Universe
The 12th episode of the science fiction comedy Red Dwarf airs on BBC 2. Angela Bruce guest stars as the female Lister from the alternate universe, and Hattie Hayridge makes her debut as Hilly, an alternate female Holly (Hayridge joins the series full time in the third season). This is the final episode of Red Dwarf’s second season.
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Red Dwarf now streaming on Britbox
Knights Of God, Episode 5
UK regional broadcaster TVS airs the fifth episode of Richard Cooper’s alternate-history series Knights Of God, portraying a struggle between oppressive government and rugged resistance fighters in a post-civil-war UK. Nigel Stock and Don Henderson (Star Wars) guest star.
Doctor Who: The Trial Of A Time Lord, Pt. 6
The 647th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Lynda Bellingham, Michael Jayston, Nabil Shaban and Brian Blessed guest star.
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Twilight Zone: Episode 27
CBS airs the 27th episode of a revival of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone. Glynnis O’Connor and Lisa Eilbacher star in an episode comprised of two short stories, Rockne S. O’Bannon’s The Storyteller and Nightsong.
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Twilight Zone: Episode 3
CBS airs the third episode of a revival of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone. Eric Bogosian, Lorna Luft, and Jeffrey DeMunn star in three short stories.
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Rocky’s Boots
The Learning Company tries on Rocky’s Boots, an innovative educational computer game designed to teach players the basics of circuit diagrams and basic logic by designing virtual machines to kick specific objects on screen. The game is designed by Warren Robinett, a former Atari programmer whose previous claim to fame is the hit game Adventure.
Donald Fagen: The Nightfly
Warner Bros. Records releases the first solo album by Donald Fagen, The Nightfly, featuring the singles “I.G.Y.” and “New Frontier”.
Hammer House Of Horror: The House That Bled To Death
The fifth episode of the Hammer Studios-produced horror anthology series Hammer House Of Horror airs on ITV. Nicholas Ball (Lifeforce), Rachel Davies (Boon, Linda Green), and Brian Croucher (Blake’s 7) guest star.
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Doctor Who: Meglos, Part 3
The 532nd episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Jacqueline Hill (who starred in early seasons of Doctor Who as Barbara, one of the Doctor’s first companions) guest stars.
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Buck Rogers: The Plot To Kill A City, Pt. 1
NBC airs the fourth episode of Buck Rogers In The 25th Century. Frank Gorshin (Batman) and Markie Post (Night Court) guest star.