Star Trek

10 Biggest Missed Opportunities in Science Fiction and Fantasy

The biggest question in science fiction and fantasy is, “What if?” And sometimes we can’t help applying this to the history of the genre itself. What if some of SF and fantasy’s biggest mistakes hadn’t happened? Here are 10 of the all-time great missed opportunities in the history of science fiction and fantasy. We had…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Why aren’t we in a golden age of genre television?

We are, most people would agree, in the midst of a Golden Age of Television. Since the late-1990s, the programming that’s been pumped into our homes has been as good as it’s ever been — and, in many respects, better than the movies that have long sat atop the Pop Cultural Quality Pile. But why…

Television Marc Bernardin

Could Star Wars happen today?

Chances are, you spent the weekend rediscovering the magic of Star Wars (with a few unwelcome tweaks.) The original Star Wars was a miracle of seat-of-the-pants film-making that captured the world’s imagination and boosted science fiction to new popularity. https://gizmodo.com/darth-vader-will-lose-a-little-more-of-his-dignity-in-s-5835951 But could something like Star Wars even get made today? There’s plenty of reason to…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders

The First Wave of Action Figures: From G.I. Joe to Star Trek

Action figures are a fan’s best friend. A squadron of Star Trek, Star Wars and comic book figures on your desk is the next best thing to having Darth Vader and Worf physically present in your cubicle to distract you from the horror of being trapped at work. Maybe that’s why the action figure industry…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

J.J. Abrams Officially Directing Star Trek 2

Get ready for a sequel full of lens flares! J.J. Abrams, who directed 2009’s Star Trek relaunch, will be returning to direct the second film. According to Vulture, pre-production is already underway, and the plan is to start shooting this winter. We’re glad Abrams is committed, after a long period of uncertainty during which the…

Movies Meredith Woerner

When Aliens Smoke: A Video Remix

Aliens who come to Earth inevitably get hooked on our human vices. It’s just a natural law of the cosmos. And sooner or later, every extraterrestrial wants to smoke. It’s a filthy habit, but just barbaric enough to seem fascinating. We’ve made a special video tribute to aliens who like to smoke, with clips from…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

10 Science Fiction and Fantasy Actors Who Make Everything Better

There are many actors who help make science fiction and fantasy awesome, but there are some faces you see again and again. And some actors just automatically brighten the screen whenever they appear. No matter what movie or TV show they’re in, they make it better. Here are 10 actors who automatically make everything better…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Watch Star Trek‘s John de Lancie playing a godlike entity on My Little Pony

You read that right. John “Q” de Lancie is playing an omnipotent Q-like character in the season premiere of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic — and he’s forcing the ponies to play his games. Or else. But which pony is Jean-Luc Picard? (And which pony will have the gumption to sock Q in the…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Vote for the greatest use of pop music in all of science fiction and fantasy

Welcome to the third io9 music smackdown! We’re putting together the ultimate science fiction (and fantasy) playlist – all the music that every self-respecting fan should have on his or her iPod. Today, we’re focusing on the pop songs that appeared in our favorite science fiction and fantasy shows and movies. What’s your favorite pop-music…

io9 Meredith Woerner

Remastered HD Star Trek: The Next Generation Episodes Could Stream to Netflix This Fall

Well, this news is a long time coming for most Star Trek Fans. Apparently, CBS is hard at work remastering the Next Generation as an HD offering, and will beam it to you via Netflix this fall. While no official announcement has been made, the rumblings got a Geordi-sized boost earlier this month when actor…

Tech News Jack Loftus

Celebrate Star Trek‘s 45th anniversary by baking your very own character cookies

45 years ago today, Star Trek was telecast on NBC for the very first time. And to celebrate the milestone, Bakingdom’s resident baker-geek, Darla, has put together a step-by-step guide to baking your very own Star Trek: TOS character cookies. Darla explains the motivation behind the cookies: I am alone in the final frontier, on…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Chart: Who owns our modern myths and legends?

Our modern era doesn’t just celebrate stories about gods and demi-gods — we have a whole host of new mythic figures that we obsess about, from Luke Skywalker to Superman to Captain Kirk. But who owns these legends? We decided to find out. Top image: Superman Vs. Spider-Man, by Alex Ross. We’ve compiled a chart,…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders

Relive 45 years of Star Trek in one handy timeline

Today is the 45th anniversary of the greatest space opera TV show of all time, and Space.com is celebrating with a cool infographic showing key moments in the first 45 years of Starfleet — as well as space travel in general. Some of the juxtapositions are fascinating, like Chris Pine being born the year after…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders

10 Crazy Things Viruses Do In Movies And Television

Viruses never act realistic on television or in the movies — usually, they just kill their hosts way too quickly, probably with a brief fever and some well-spritzed movie sweats. But sometimes, fake viruses get way more insane. What are the craziest viral symptoms ever seen on your screen? What’s the worst that can happen…

Movies Meredith Woerner

10 Reasons We Love Fictional Engineers and Techies

No hero, or team of heroes, is complete without the techie. Every starship has an engineer. Every secret agent has his (or her) gadget-maker. Every superhero team has the person who can fix stuff. Usually, this person is pushed to the background — but they end up being our favorite character anyway. Here are 10…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Why We Need More Space Adventures

Two depressing facts became apparent the other day: 1) NASA is so desperate to get people excited about space travel, they were willing to consider collaborating on the horror mockumentary Apollo 18. 2) The fall 2011 season is the first time there’s been no TV show, on any network, featuring people on spaceships, since probably…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

How to crochet your favorite science fiction and fantasy icons

Need a good crafts project for the long weekend? Want to make something cool and awesome for your kids? How about crocheting your own Spock from Star Trek, or Darth Vader? Or this totally amazing Wall-E and Eve from Wall-E? Craftster has an amazing collection of crocheted characters, as well as instructions on how to…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

10 Greatest Examples of Space Battle Smack Talk

The greatest tacticians in space don’t just use high-energy beams and force shields, they use psychology. And the best interstellar smack-downs start with the trash talking before a single shot is fired. Whether it’s Kirk mocking Khan’s superior intellect or Adama growling into the space-phone, nothing improves a shootout in space like a good calling-you-out…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

Expect carnage in the True Blood Finale! Plus Scads of Set Pics from Man of Steel, Fringe, and World War Z!

Don’t expect every beloved character to survive True Blood’s season finale! And don’t hold your breath for the Ouija and Fantastic Voyage movies. Check out some photos of Brad Pitt shooting World War Z! Plus, what makes Loki tick in The Avengers, and a possible new Star Trek TV show. Spoilers from here on out.…

Television Kelly Faircloth

Learn more about the army facing The Avengers. Plus tons of World War Z set photos!

Zachary Quinto has a totally off-the-wall speculation about what could happen in the next Star Trek. In the True Blood season finale, Sookie steps up at last. Plus, massive set footage shows the havocWorld War Z will wreak on Philly. Spoilers ahead! Star Trek 2 This is probably just an actor’s speculation, but Zachary Quinto…

io9 Kelly Faircloth

10 Biggest Missed Opportunities in Science Fiction and Fantasy

Why aren’t we in a golden age of genre television?

Could Star Wars happen today?

The First Wave of Action Figures: From G.I. Joe to Star Trek

J.J. Abrams Officially Directing Star Trek 2

When Aliens Smoke: A Video Remix

10 Science Fiction and Fantasy Actors Who Make Everything Better

Watch Star Trek‘s John de Lancie playing a godlike entity on My Little Pony

Vote for the greatest use of pop music in all of science fiction and fantasy

Remastered HD Star Trek: The Next Generation Episodes Could Stream to Netflix This Fall

Celebrate Star Trek‘s 45th anniversary by baking your very own character cookies

Chart: Who owns our modern myths and legends?

Relive 45 years of Star Trek in one handy timeline

10 Crazy Things Viruses Do In Movies And Television

10 Reasons We Love Fictional Engineers and Techies

Why We Need More Space Adventures

How to crochet your favorite science fiction and fantasy icons

10 Greatest Examples of Space Battle Smack Talk

Expect carnage in the True Blood Finale! Plus Scads of Set Pics from Man of Steel, Fringe, and World War Z!

Learn more about the army facing The Avengers. Plus tons of World War Z set photos!

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