|
|
 |
 |
|
Current number of entries:
9,987
|
 |
|
 
|
SCIFIPEDIA:Today's Featured Article/April 2007 <span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>
You might need to purge the cache to see the changes you make here.
 Cleopatra 2525 was on the air for two seasons from 2000 until 2001. Set in the year- you guessed it!- 2525. A young stripper named Cleopatra (Jennifer Sky) is awoken from a 500 year cryogenic sleep after going in for a routine breast enlargement in the year 2001. She is shocked to discover that the human race is now ruled over by machines, and is taken under the wing of two warriors from the human resistance- Helen ‘Hel’ Carter (Gina Torres) and Rose a.k.a. “Sarge” (Canadian actress Victoria Pratt). These machines, known as the “Baileys,” rule the surface world while humanity lives like rats in a labyrinth of underground tunnels. Also hunting them are Betrayers- robots built to look like organic humans, their bodies able to morph into an expansive array of weapons (gun arms and the like). There are also a wide variety of mutants among the human resistance, most likely from whatever drove the humans underground in the first place. A disembodied female voice (Elizabeth Hawthorne) simply (and aptly) known as The Voice gives these futuristic female freedom fighters their orders. While Sarge and Hel are seasoned warriors, it seems Cleo’s greatest skill is . . .
 H. P. Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937), Howard Phillips Lovecraft, was equally remarkable as a fan and as a writer of fantastic literature. In this regard, it's worth pondering S. T. Joshi's comment that Lovecraft's letters (which comprise five volumes) are as important as anything he wrote. A native of Rhode Island, Lovecraft was from early childhood an Anglophile and a lover of the historical. He was plagued by ill-health and appears to have feared that the insanity that ran in his family might affect him as well, although it never did. During his ill-starred marriage in the 1920's, Lovecraft lived in New York City and found he could not tolerate its modernity. Returning to New England, he lived marginally. He ceased writing fiction during the last years of his life, although he kept up his voluminous correspondence until nearly the day of his death from cancer at the age of 47. Lovecraft began writing fiction more or less within the areas of horror first explored by Edgar Allan Poe and Lord Dunsany. "The Outsider" (1921) is possibly the foremost of his tales along the lines of Poe; while "The Cats of Ulthar" (1920) may be the best of his stories after the fashion of Lord Dunsany. It is his creation of the "Cthulhu Mythos" that has secured his reputation, however. This cycle of stories, and the sequels and related works written by others, constitute the main body of horror fiction in English during the middle of the 20th century. The central . . .
 The Hobbit (more fully, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again) is a 1937 novel for children by J. R. R. Tolkien. The Hobbit (especially in its first edition) is an adventure tale for young people, in which Tolkien draws on the invented languages, characters, poetry, and legends of Middle-earth which he had been developing since 1914 to provide a sense of depth and history. An unassuming hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, is chosen by the wizard Gandalf the Grey to accompany a party of dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield on a quest to recover a lost treasure from the dragon Smaug. Along the way, Bilbo encounters elves and trolls, and wins a magic Ring in a riddle-game with the mysterious creature Gollum which will prove to have a significance even its author did not foresee at the time of writing. The book was immediately successful, in a modest way; the first . . .
 Lt. Colonel Samuels is a fictional character on the series Stargate SG-1 played by Robert Wisden. He played the role of General George Hammond's executive officer and first appeared in the series premier Children of the Gods. He was sent to bring Jack O'Neill out of retirement so he could confirm the destruction of Abydos. Samuels was exceedingly cautious about the Stargate and sought to have the gate shut down with SG-1 offworld. He appeared in the episode "Politics" alongside Senator Robert Kinsey. The two arrived to force Hammond and SG-1 to justify the continued operation of the Stargate program. Kinsey decided to . . .
 Diana Seelix is a fictional character on the reimagined series Battlestar Galactica portrayed by Jen Halley. Seelix worked a deck hand specializing in avionics under chief Galen Tyrol before becoming a pilot in training. Seelix was a member of the team that crashed in Raptor 1 on Kobol. She had enough medical training to tend to Socinus' wounds but eventually suffered a bullet to the leg while trying to escape the Cylons. She was pulled to safety by Cally Henderson. She returned to Galactica and aided in the construction of the Blackbird. She eventually settled on New Caprica and when the Cylon occupation began, she joined the resistance. She was a member of the resistance team that rescued Laura Roslin, Cally Tyrol, and Tom Zarek from . . .
 The plot device of giving a character an evil twin has been extensively used in science fiction and fantasy series. It typically involves the same actor playing two roles, and allows them to do things in the show that would normally be out of character (which is why the secondary character is usually evil). There is usually some way to tell the two apart, such as them having different hair color. However, the evil twin often impersonates the good twin, typically causing disruptions in the main character's work or social life. Good finds a way to triumph, until the next time. The characters don't need to actually be siblings. They may be cousins, or one could even be . . .
These starfaring behemoths are the principal expression of Cylon power throughout known space. A Base Ship can dwarf the Battlestar Galactica. In fact, these gargantuan battle carriers overmatch the Galactica in nearly every tactical respect. Base ships are designed to make hyperlight jumps and are equipped to deploy large-scale strikes with high-yield nuclear ordnance. They carry at least 250 Raider fighters on their exterior service pods, and an indeterminate number of additional fighters inside. Unknown at this time is whether the base ships contain manufacturing facilities to replenish their complement of Raiders. No estimates of crew complement for base ships are currently available. Although the staggering number of . . .
 The Chupacabra is a cryptid that first became famous in Puerto Rico in the early 1990s. The name means "goat-sucker", and refers to the penchant of the beast for leaving bloodless animal corpses. The reports have spread around the world, particularly in Spanish-speaking areas. While not as well-known as Bigfoot, it has become a cultural phenomenon, inspiring appearances in songs, movies, and comic books. The descriptions have varied, but the following characteristics have been reported:
While sometimes treated humorously, the depradations of El Chupacabra were taken seriously in Puerto Rico. The mayor of Canovanas, Jose "Chemo" Soto, led expeditions to deal with the creature . . .
 The Price You Pay is a novel set in the Stargate universe, specifically that of the SCI FI Channel's Stargate SG-1 TV series. Published by Roc in 1999, The Price You Pay is the second book in the series. Jack O'Neill and his SG-1 team find themselves stranded on a primitive world where the inhabitants pay homage to the Goa'uld by providing their best specimens as host bodies for the Goa'uld's young. In so doing, they avert total annihilation, while the hosts are doomed to a living death. For years, the helpless supplicants have been sacrificed. With the new "payment" about to be sent, the team struggles to rescue a terrified populace that does not want their help, while facing the possibility of being marooned forever. And one fact overshadows all else—the Goa'uld are already on their way . . .
 The Atlantus Outpost is an Ancient base in the fictional Stargate universe. It is all that remains of Ancient civilization on Earth. The outpost was left behind after the city of Atlantis—known in the Ancient language as Atlantus—left Earth for the Pegasus Galaxy several million years ago. The outpost was covered in ice for several millennia before it was rediscovered by Jack O'Neill in the Stargate SG-1 episode "Lost City, Part 2." When O'Neill downloaded the Ancient repository for a second time in "Lost City, Part 1," the Ancient knowledge led him to an Ancient outpost known as Taonas on the planet Proclarush or as spoken when dialed Proclarush Taonas. Proclarush was destroyed when its sun, a red giant, neared the end of its life cycle. When visited by SG-1, the planet was covered in lava, but . . .
 The NID (National Intelligence Division) is a shadowy U.S. government agency that provides civilian oversight of the Stargate program and Stargate Command (SGC) and its personnel. Despite its origin in legitimate operations, its eventual evolution draws comparisons to the shadow government in The X-Files. The main goal of the NID is to defend Earth. In their attempt to do so, certain NID members employed rather extreme measures that placed them in conflict with the SGC and eventually led to the reorganization of the agency. The NID and the SGC had major disagreements on the methods used to acquire the technology needed to defend the planet. This led to the formation of a rogue group within the NID whose goal was to acquire alien technology by any means necessary, employing tactics the SGC considered unethical. While the SGC desired technology, they valued the alliances they made with other races more; a method that proved . . .
 Jay Acovone is an American actor known to fans of Stargate SG-1 in the role of Charles Kawalsky. He was born on August 20, 1955, in Mahopac, New York, and graduated from Mahopac High School in 1973. He is the youngest of three children. His family owned a dry-cleaning business started by his grandfather, but Acovone followed a different career path. He moved to New York City to study at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute. He currently lives in the Los Angeles area. Acavone has appeared in the films Independence Day, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, and The Peacekeeper. He has also guest starred on the series Dark Skies, Sliders, Viper, and The X-Files. He appeared in the Stargate pilot "Children of the Gods" but his character was killed . . .
 Jacob Carter is a retired U.S. Air Force General and the father of Samantha Carter on the TV Series Stargate SG-1. The character is played by Carmen Argenziano. Jacob ultimately became a host to the Tok'ra symbiote Selmak and Earth's liasion to the Tok'ra high council. Jacob first appeared in the episode "Secrets". He offered Sam the opportunity to join NASA hoping that Sam would follow through with her life-long dream of going into space. When Samantha inexplicably rejected his offer in favor of her continued work at Cheyenne Mountain with NORAD on deep space radar telemetry, Jacob was disappointed. His relationship with his daughter and son, Mark, had been strained for a while. Jacob then revealed he had terminal lymphoma and would only live a few months. Jacob's estimation proved overly optimistic however and he was forced to enter the hospital. Knowing he was dying and not buying Sam's explanation, he requested an explanation from General Hammond about his daughter's top secret . . .
 To Terraform a planet (or moon) is to make it Earth-like through the use of technology, usually so it can be inhabited by Earthlings. The process might include: altering an atmosphere by the addition or subtraction of elements; adding water to an arid planet; adding plants to a lifeless planet; and so on. Carl Sagan proposed the terraforming of Venus in 1961. While theoretically possible in the real world, it has been done many times in Sci Fi works. A planet must first meet some basic requirements before being suitable for terraforming and by extension, human habitation. It must be located in a suitable star system within the habitable zone. It must have a suitable mass and density, and the ability to maintain an atmosphere and must meet several other . . .
 Gerak was the first leader of the Jaffa high council and a Prior of The Ori in the Stargate universe. Gerak was played by acclaimed actor Louis Gossett Jr. His first appearance was in the Season 9 episode "Avalon, Part 2." Gerak was a former First Prime of the Goa'uld Montu, who was in service to Ra. After the Tau'ri killed Ra, he became a servant of Baal where he served until the Replicators and Goa'uld were defeated in the season eight episode "Reckoning". Soon after the defeat of the Goa'uld, the Free Jaffa Nation came to power. To get the nation off to a good start, they formed a high council representing the different Jaffa according to the System Lords they served. The council provided government until all affairs and disagreements regarding what type of government they would employ were settled. Gerak was in favor of a system much like that of the System Lords determined by military power; a government that would put him in power. Teal'c was in favor of a . . .
 An Al'Kesh is a Goa'uld spacecraft designed for the purpose of medium-range bombardment and transportation of troops. It is a maneuverable vessel considering its size and shape. The Al'kesh is armed with two staff cannons located beneath the ship along with other explosives. These explosives are the primary surface bombardment weapon and are powerful enough to collapse the Tok'ra's crystal tunnels. Despite its fire power, its defenses are weak and it has no known shields. Most of the strength is in the type of metal the ship is made of. The ship can easily be destroyed by a Death Glider. The ship is also equipped with sub-light and hyperdrive engines. The engines are based on crystal technolgy like many . . .
 A Puddle Jumper is a spacecraft in the Stargate universe that is capable of planetary and space flight. The puddle jumpers were created by the Ancients and were stored in some of their outposts, including Atlantis. The ships were named by John Sheppard, who got the name from the puddle-like appearance of the event horizon of the stargate. As a pilot, Sheppard would also have been aware of the use of the term puddle jumper in aviation, meaning a small commercial aircraft. This fits in with other Stargate terms, such as GDO (Garage Door Opener), which use the name of common technology for extraordinary devices. The puddle jumper was mainly designed to fit though the Stargate. It is divided into two parts: the control area and the cargo hold. The cargo hold has enough room for a team of five or six people to fit in. To exit the ship, you must . . .
 Gotham City is a fictional city originating in DC Comics, first featured in Detective Comics #48. It is most famous for being the birthplace and home of Bruce Wayne and the protected domain of his alter ego Batman. It is the backdrop of all Batman's exploits and is featured in all Batman series. Gotham is essentially a fictional variation on New York City which is also, on occasion, referred to as Gotham. It is not however, a direct or modern reflection of New York City, but instead seems to capture an exaggerated imagining of New York as it was at some time in the past. The animated Batman Beyond series features a changed futuristic version of Gotham that bears little resemblance to the Gotham of past series. Gotham is typically portrayed as a dark, gritty city. As Batman appears largely at night, so does Gotham. Gotham reflects the character of its protector, who is a darker and edgier superhero particularly when compared with . . .
 Charmed is a TV series created by Constance M Burge and produced by Aaron Spelling. The series ran from 1998 to 2006 on the WB and starred Holly Marie Combs as Piper Halliwell, Alyssa Milano as Phoebe Halliwell, and Shannen Doherty as Prue Halliwell. Rose McGowan joined the series as Paige Matthews in 2001. The series bore some superficial similarities to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and premiered at a time when shows with similar themes were popular. It had a strong underlying theme of girl power and was a very female-centered show with heavy romantic plots. The series lasted eight seasons, becoming the longest running series with female leads. The series ended on May 21, 2006. Three sisters reunite at their family home in San Francisco and discover they are witches with magical powers and a destiny to battle demons, warlocks . . .
 In Japanese mythology, Amaterasu is the sun goddess and an important Shinto deity. She was born of the left eye of the creator Izanagi. In the series Stargate SG-1, Amaterasu is a Goa'uld System Lord played by Kira Clavell. She was first seen in the episode "New Order, Part 1" where she visited Earth with fellow System Lords Camulus and Lord Yu to negotiate for the use of the superweapon the Tau'ri used to destroy Anubis' fleet. The wanted to use it to battle Baal. Dr. Elizabeth Weir oversaw the negotiations and refused to aid them. In "Reckoning, Part 1" the Jaffa prepared to attack Amaterasu's ships but . . .
 James Doohan (March 30, 1920 – July 20, 2005) is a Canadian actor born in Vancouver, British Columbia. This gifted actor is best known to genre fans the world over as Montgomery Scott, aka "Scotty," of Star Trek. James starred as Lieutenant Commander Scott—the hard-drinking, bare-knuckles-fighting chief engineer of the starship Enterprise—on all three seasons of the original Star Trek television series, and reprised the role in the franchise's first seven theatrical films, as well as in a special guest-starring role on Star Trek: The Next Generation (episode 6.04, "Relics"). In addition to his now-immortal turn as Scotty, James also provided a veritable legion of voice characterizations for the series, as well as returning to provide the . . .
 Ratchet & Clank is a video game franchise developed for the Sony Playstation series of consoles. There are currently six released games in the series, which was coded and developed by Insomniac Games for Sony Computer Entertainment. The first entry is Ratchet & Clank, and the latest, for the Playstation 3, is Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction, with a tentative release date of September 2007. Ratchet is a anthropomorphic fox-like alien named Lombax from the planet Veldin, where he was a mechanic until his robot sidekick Clank literally crashed into view. Ratchet had always dreamed of travelling offworld, and had built a spacecraft out of spare parts. with Clank's aid, they launched and were off on their adventures. The franchise is primarily a third-person shooter where the camera sits somewhere behind Ratchet and the player guides him and/or Clank through various levels of mostly destructable environments, blasting anything and . . .
 Teryl Rothery is a Canadian actress born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on November 9, 1965. Her career in the performing arts began at age 13, when she performed as a dancer in the musical Bye Bye Birdie. She also performed in Annie Get Your Gun for which she won a Most Outstanding Performer award from her theatre company. She first appeared on television on a CBC Halloween special, Boo, at age 18. She is perhaps best known in the role of Dr. Janet Fraiser on Stargate SG-1 but she has guest starred on several scifi series, including The Outer Limits, The 4400, Viper, Smallville, Dead Like Me, The Dead Zone, The X-Files, M.A.N.T.I.S and Kyle XY. She has also appeared in the movie based on Dean Koontz's novel, Sole Survivor (Movie), Masterminds with Patrick Stewart, Best in Show, The Operative and the sequel to White Noise, White Noise 2: The light. Rothery is also a voice actor and has lent her voice to . . .
 The Doctor is the main character in Doctor Who, the long-running television program of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The character is also featured in the various spin-off media from the show: books, radio dramas, online serials on the BBC's website, and movies. Although the program is called Doctor Who, the title is actually a running gag rather than the character's name. The character usually introduces himself as simply "The Doctor." This often prompts other characters to ask the question framed by the show's title—which invariably causes The Doctor to change the subject. In the more than 40 years (and hundreds of episodes) since the show's beginning, the character has never revealed his actual name. Friends and acquaintances address him as . . .
 The Flash, the fastest man alive, is a DC Comics superhero. He can run so fast that he often moves faster than the eye can see. He can run up walls, over water, and even control the speed of his own molecules so that he can vibrate through solid objects. There have been several men who have taken up the Flash mantle over the years, all of whom received their speed through some weird scientific accident. The original Flash was Jay Garrick, who was very popular in the 1940s, known as The Golden Age of Comics. Jay's Flash wore a winged helmit like the greek god Mercury, and was never recognized in his "secret identity" despite never wearing a mask. He was a member of the original Nazi-fighting super hero club, The Justice Society of America, and is still active today as a supporting character in Flash comics and as an elder statesman in the current incarnation of the Justice Society. In the 1960s, when DC Comics decided to revive, recreate, and modernize their old 1940s heroes, the Flash was the first one up. This new creation is considered the signal event of what would become known as comic's Silver Age. The new Flash was Barry Allen, police scientist, who survived a lab accident where a bolt of lightning struck . . .
 Eva Mendes (March 5), 1974) is an American actress of Cuban heritage. She was born in Miami, Florida and raised in Los Angeles. She attended Hoover High School in Glendale, California and later attended Northridge University where she studied marketing. She dropped out to pursue a career in acting. She studied with acting coach Ivana Chubbuck. CareerMendes appeared in commercials and music videos before graduating to television and film roles. She guest-starred on ER and appeared in Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror, A Night at the Roxbury , Mortal Kombat: Conquest which also starred Kristanna Loken and . .
 Robert Beltran (b. November 19, 1953) is an American actor born and raised in Bakersfield, California. He is best known to genre fans in the role of Chakotay on the series Star Trek: Voyager. Beltran fell in love with acting as a child. He studied at Fresno State University and graduated with a degree in theater arts. Beltran has had extensive theater experience and has appeared in numerous productions of Shakespeare plays including A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hamlet, and King Henry IV. He also worked with El Teatro Campesino under writer/director Luis Valdez. There, he appeared in Rose of the Rancho and La Pastorela both on stage and Before gaining genre fans on Voyager, he gained notice in his second film role playing the title role of Raoul in Eating Raoul. His film debut was 1981's Zoot Suit. His genre roles over the years have included . . .
 Michelle Forbes is an American actress born Michelle Renee Forbes Guajardo in Austin, Texas, on January 8, 1967. She is well known in the role of Ensign Ro Laren on Star Trek: The Next Generation. She has also appeared on Battlestar Galactica as Admiral Helena Cain. CareerForbes attended the Performing Arts High School in Houston, where she studied ballet. While vacationing in New York City, she auditioned for a role in a film. She lost the part but was signed with the William Morris Agency. She first appeared on television on an episode of The Guiding Light. She played several small roles ins The Playboys, Shannon's Deal, and Love Bites. She also played a small role in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, playing Dara the daughter of Dr. Timicin (played by David Ogden Stiers). The small part led to a recurring role as Esign Ro Laren, a Bajoran officer. After her run on Star Trek: TNG, she appeared in . . .
 Bridge to Terabithia is a 2007 Walt Disney Pictures fantasy adventure film based on the Katherine Paterson children's novel Bridge to Terabithia. The film is directed by Gabor Csupo with the screenplay from Jeff Stockwell and David Paterson. Bridge to Terabithia opened in US theaters on February 16, 2007. Fifth-graders Jesse Aaron and Leslie Burke form a friendship despite being rivals for the title of fastest runner, which Jesse looses to new girl in town, Leslie. The two become best friends and create an imaginary magical kingdom which they name Terabithia, accessible only by a swinging rope over a stream in the woods near their homes. In Terabithia, they fight the Dark Master and his minions and plot against . . .
 David Palffy (b. March 5, 1969) is a Canadian actor who has appeared on several TV series in the scifi action genre. Palffy attended the University of Calgary and graduated with a degree in political science. He began acting while in college and appeared in Storm. Storm won critical acclaim and David later attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in England. He also appeared in the Stanley Kubrick film Full Metal Jacket. Palffy returned to Canada in 1988 and won first genre role in the 1989 series Friday the 13th (TV Series). He also guest starred on Neon Rider and appeared in The Fourth War. In 1990 he visited Europe to star in the Dutch miniseries The Summer of 45. He remained in Holland and appeared on stage with the National Theater Company and eventually formed his own theater company. He acted and directed productions such as David Mamet's Speed the Plow. Palffy returned to Canada where he continued acting, directing and producing. He became the artistic director of the Globe Theater in Vancouver where he currently lives with wife Erica Durance. Palffy's genre credits include a recurring role on Stargate SG-1 as Anubis and Sokar, and appearances on The Sentinel, The X-Files, Viper . . .
2008, SCI FI. All rights reserved.
|
|
|
