• The summer movie season is over, but the fall TV season is now in full swing. The X-Files returned this fall with last season’s cliffhanger. Mulder survives (as if we didn’t know otherwise), and our two favorite FBI agents are back together again. In a new twist, Assistant Director Skinner seems to have finally gotten a clue. As a result, the first two episodes of this season has moved Skinner as a closer ally of agents Mulder and Scully.
Finally, X-Philes are starting to know more about that “mysterious global organization” that our cigarette-smoking friend is a part of. All of this unraveling intrigue is coupled with even more alien sightings by Mulder and Scully.
Are we X-Philes starting to get a few more answers? Are we any closer to The Truth? Baloney! All of this intrigue just introduced a lot more questions!
• Space: Above and Beyond is our new entry to television’s crowded space soap opera category. Brought to us by the Fox Network, the Space premiere episode managed to capture all the attention and Neilsen points that it wanted. Barely two episodes have passed at the time of this writing, folks. It’s still hard to determine if SAAB will be taken as a serious contender in the SciFi TV arena. The youthful cast looks like the producers took some Melrose Place standby’s and forced them into space marine boot camp for the movie “Alien”.
More on SAAB as we start getting a better consensus on viewer reaction and the show’s future direction.
• Speaking of space cadets and boot camp... Star Trek: Voyager has graduated its first year with flying colors! Despite all those previous months of trash talk and the whining (mostly from TOS or TNG purists) about how unorthodox the Voyager setup was, the show was generally well-received during the first season, and its healthy ratings continues to keep the Trek franchise in good shape. Still, the Star Trek television franchise (now DS9 and Voyager) seems to be getting plenty of competition from the growing audience of Babylon5, as well as new entries like Space: Above and Beyond.
• The Fox Network recently featured the much-anticipated Alien Nation: Body and Soul this October. This is the second such Alien Nation telemovie created after the original TV series was cancelled a few years back. Newcomer George Francisco (Eric Pierpoint) and detective Matthew Sikes (Gary Graham) return to uncover a secret about the ship that brought the Newcomers to Earth.
• The Episode List for Babylon 5 as follows:
Week of No. Title Writer Director
10-11-95 220 Divided Loyalties JMS JT
10-18-95 219 The Long, Twilight Struggle JMS JF
10-25-95 221 Comes the Inquisitor JMS MV
11-01-95 222 The Fall of Night JMS JG
SEASON THREE
11/06/95 301 Matters of Honor JMS KC
11/13/95 302 Convictions JMS MV
11/20/95 303 A Day in the Strife JMS DE
11/27/95 304 Voices of Authority JMS MB
*** Airing date is week of. Listed dates are tentative and may vary according to location of broadcast. Please consult the Babylon5 FAQ for an updated and comprehensive listing of episodes.
• Partial list of upcoming SF game titles for the Macintosh:
Planned for release late '95 to first quarter '96
The 11th Hour Virgin Interactive
The Dark Eye Inscape
X-Wing Collector's CD-ROM LucasArts
The Dig LucasArts
Rebel Assault II LucasArts
Pax Imperia II Blizzard Entertainment
Marathon 2: Durandal Bungie Software
Descent Interplay/MacPlay
Burn: Cycle Philips
Escape Velocity Ambrosia (shareware)
MSD Observer information provided with the help of Roger Ogawa.
