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October 1

Named for the Roman god of war, Mars is the fourth planet from the sun, an average of 141,620,000 miles (227,920,00 km) from the sun. Also referred to as the Red Planet, it likely got its name because of its color, (reddish orange) which for the ancients probably represented blood. The planet gets its color from the iron rich minerals in its soil which makes it rust colored.

Mars is one of the more talked-about planets due to the strong evidence that water once flowed on its surface. Where there's water, there is a strong possibility of life. Scientists still hope to find water in cracks and pores of subsurface rock or in ice beneath the planet's surface.

Mars has a dramatic landscape of canyons and mountains which surpass . . .

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October 2

John Gavin Malkovich (b. December 9, 1953 Christopher, Illinois) is a highly respected Academy Award-nominated American actor, producer, and director. Genre fans will remember Malkovich in a variety of roles including that of F.W. Murnau in Shadow of the Vampire, Dr. Jekyll and Edward Hyde in Mary Reilly and perhaps most notably, himself, in the award-winning film Being John Malkovich.

Malkovich's intellectual background is noticeable in his performances and choice of roles. He was born to Daniel Malkovich, a conservation magazine publisher, and Joe Anne, a newspaper owner. Though pudgy as a child, he transformed himself into a star athlete in high school. After high school, he . . .

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October 3

Quantum Leap, a science fiction television show created by Donald P. Bellisario, aired on NBC for five seasons, from 1989 to 1993.

The series stars Scott Bakula as Sam Beckett, a multi-talented genius whose particular gift is quantum physics. With the help of his close friend Rear Admiral Albert Calavicci, played by Dean Stockwell, Sam builds a huge government-funded research project called Project Quantum Leap, all based around his "string theory" of time travel. This theory suggests that individuals might be able to leap back and forth through time . . . but only through the duration of their own lifetime.

Sam steps into the Quantum Leap accelerator before the device is completely ready to go, in reaction to threats by the government to cut off funding to the project. He awakens to find himself in the past, on an Air Force base, suffering from . . .

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October 4

Galaxy Magazine was one of the most influential science magazines. Begun in 1951, under the editorship of H. L. Gold (Horace Leonard Gold), it soon became known as a source of literate, witty SF, often with a note of social and political satire.

Among the novels serialized in Galaxy Magazine in the '50s were The Demolished Man, by Alfred Bester; The Space Merchants, by Frederik Pohl and C.M. Kornbluth; and The Caves of Steel, by Isaac Asimov. The magazine also published stories by these writers, as well as fiction by Robert Sheckley, Theodore Sturgeon, Philip K. Dick, and William Tenn.

Gold edited Galaxy Magazine from his apartment because he suffered from agoraphobia. When he was finally persuaded to leave the apartment, he was injured in an automobile accident. Declining health forced him . . .

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October 5

Doctor Who, Season 8 was the first season on which producer Barry Letts would be able to have a major influence. He had been brought in too late in the game the previous season to make any meaningful changes himself.

First off, Letts wanted to return to the shorter 4–6 episode story length that had been most successful earlier in the program's history. He figured that more stories meant more first episodes and, therefore, more opportunities for the audience to tune in. But more stories also meant more sets and more costumes. In short, he needed more money. Fortunately, his "more first episodes" argument made sense to his superiors, as did the fact that the new format showed signs of reversing the program's backslide in ratings. The program's budget would be increased for this season.

Secondly, Letts felt the character of Liz Shaw was too smart to fulfill the function of a companion, which was basically to force the Doctor to explain things at a child's level. In any case, actress Caroline John had become pregnant . . .

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October 6

An epistolary novel is a novel constructed as an exchange of correspondence (from epistle, a letter).

Although epoistolary novels are rare in the genre, they do occur: Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer's historical fantasy Sorcery and Cecelia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot: Being the Correspondence of Two Young Ladies of Quality Regarding Various Magical Scandals in London and the Country (1988), and its sequel The Grand Tour: Being a Revelation of Matters of High Confidentiality and Greatest Importance, Including Extracts from the Intimate Diary of a Noblewoman and the Sworn Testimony of a Lady of Quality (2004), are light-hearted examples set in an alternate Regency London and Europe with magic . . .

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October 7

John Wyndham (John Wyndham Lucas Parkes Beynon Harris) (1903–1969) wrote under various combinations of his many names, but is best known for his science fiction as John Wyndham. He began writing SF during the 1930s, and most of his early work has a distinct pulp flavor, although he was a better stylist and created more realistic characters than most of his peers. Although several of his early works were set in outer space, almost all of his output after the early 1940s was set on Earth.

Wyndham's first major work was The Day of the Triffids (1951, also published as Revolt of the Triffids), which combined aspects of an alien invasion novel with a traditional disaster story. After humanity is afflicted with nearly universal blindness, a mobile, carnivorous plant threatens to become the top of the food chain. Hollywood turned the story into a . . .

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October 8

Adam Baldwin (b. February 27, 1962) is an American actor born in Chicago, Illinois. He is well known in a variety of genre roles including Jayne Cobb on Firefly and Serenity and Animal Mother in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket. He attended New Trier Township High School East in Winnetka, Illinois.

He began acting as a teen, landing a role in the 1980 film My Bodyguard. Also in 1980, he appeared in Ordinary People and in 1983, D.C. Cab. He moved to Los Angeles and studied acting with Roy London. He appeared in several films including Poison Ivy with Michael J. Fox, The Chocolate War, and Next of Kin.

He made his first genre appearance in Predator 2 in 1990. Other genre film appearances include VR.5, Digital Man, Independence Day and Starquest II. In 1997, he had a recurring role on the short lived series The Visitor, he also appeared in the TV monster flick . . .

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October 9

Charlize Theron is an Academy Award-winning South African actress born in Benoni, Guateng, to German mother, Gerda, and French father, Charles. Theron grew on a farm in Benoni and studied ballet as a child. At 16 she lost her father, shot by her mother in defense against his drunken abuse. Shortly after, Charlize moved Milan to pursue a career in modeling. She was drawn back to modeling however and moved to New York to dance with the Joffrey Ballet. Her career was chit short by a knee injury and she was encouraged by her mother to move to Los Angeles and pursue a career in acting.

Charlize got lucky in Los Angeles when an agent witnessed her arguing with a bank manager who refused to cash her check. A few months later, she got her first acting job. She made her film debut in Children of the Corn III in a minor role. She gained moderate notice in 2 Days in the Valley but it was her performance in The Devil's Advocate opposite Keanu Reeves that launched her successful career. She followed up with Trial and Error and Mighty Joe Young.

Theron went on to star in several notable films, including . . .

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October 10

Lexx is a science fiction TV series that gathers a quirky group of individuals aboard a starship known as the Lexx. The Lexx is an insectlike, bio-engineered spacecraft, with the ability to destroy planets. The ship fuels itself on the resultant debris.

Coproduced by Canadian and German production companies, with some additional funding from Britain's Channel 5, Lexx includes a lot more sexual innuendo, including nudity, than most shows that are created strictly for an American audience. Cable networks The Sci Fi Channel and Showcase aired the show.

The crew of the Lexx is motivated largely by fear, lust, and hunger — factors which gradually came to dominate the story-lines more and more, eventually making Lexx famous for its sexual themes and often bizarre . . .

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October 11

Xena: Warrior Princess was an American TV Series created by John Schulian and Robert G. Tapert. The series starred Lucy Lawless as Xena, a character that originated in the series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. The series was filmed in Lawless's home country of New Zealand by Pacific Renaissance Pictures Ltd.. Xena: Warrior Princess premiered on September 4, 1995, and ran for six seasons ending in 2001.

Xena, once a warlord who terrified Ancient Greece, is aided towards reformation by Hercules. Xena makes a turnaround and becomes a hero. On her journeys, she's joined by a young, innocent storyteller, Gabrielle (Renée O'Connor). Like Hercules, Xena and Gabrielle traveled the Ancient world fighting evil and protecting the innocent. On her journeys she is often courted by the god . . .

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October 12

"Rust" is a 3,000-word short story by Joseph E. Elleam, about three killer robots, the last people or things still alive or functioning, centuries after a war between humans and robots. The story was first published in the October 1939 issue of Astounding Science Fiction.

In the ancient ruins of a city, three robots still live. X-120 is the best preserved of the three. Another, called G-3a, is attempting to build a new robot, made up of spare parts lying around unused. The third is L-1716. The previous winter, nine other robots had left, to spend the winter in a tower, but that tower has since collapsed and destroyed all nine. G-3a and L-1716 are both partially disabled, and they must ask X-120 to help solder the last connections on the robot G-3a is trying to build; but the solder causes a short-circuit, destroying the new robot before it is even finished. G-3a says that is the last chance they had to . . .

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October 13

The Modern Age of Comics is an era of comics beginning in 1986, with the conclusion of DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths maxi-series. At this point, DC decided to refurbish and reshape its continuity, virtually restarting the story of two of its oldest heroes, Superman and Wonder Woman. Eventually, much of Batman's history would be rewritten as well. The changes were many, and difficult for both fans and creators to grasp. Among the important changes were:

1) Superman's adopted parents, the Kents, were now still alive. They hadn't died before he came to Metropolis.

2) Superman was the only survivor of Krypton's destruction. No Supergirl or any Super-Pets ever existed.

3) Superman's powers didn't fully develop until he was an adult. So, he was never Superboy. The "Boy of Steel" was wiped from existence and memory, like his cousin Kara.

4) Jason Todd's Robin origin was completely different. Before, he was a cheerful circus performer whose parents were killed by the Batman villain Killer Croc. Now, he was a cynical street kid whom Batman caught trying to steal . . .

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October 14

Nana Visitor (b. July 26, 1957) is an American actress born Nana Tucker in New York City. She is best known in the role of Kira Nerys on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Nana began studying dance with her mother during childhood and began appearing on stage during her teen years. She was accepted to Princeton University but deferred admission and ultimately chose instead, to pursue acting professionally. In 1985, Visitor moved to Los Angeles after starring in a stage revival of 42nd Street. She made several guest appearances on TV series such as Hunter, Remington Steele, The Twilight Zone, Knight Rider, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Hotel, Highway to Heaven, The Colby's, MacGyver, Empty Nest, and Matlock. Visitor starred in the short-lived series working Girl and appeared in the TV Movies The Spirit, Meet the Munceys and A Father's Homecoming.

In 1993, Visitor landed a role on the series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine playing Kira Nerys, a Bajoran officer working alongside Captain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks). She also lent her voice to the series' spin-off video games. Following the end of the series in 1999, Visitor had a recurring role on the series Dark Angel playing the villainous . . .

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October 15

Returner (Ritana) is a 2002 Japanese film directed by Takashi Yamazaki. His second feature brings together time travel and alien SF, Yakuza gangsters, and martial arts. It stars Takeshi Kaneshiro, Anne Suzuki, and Goro Kishitani, along with bullet time and other Matrix-esque special effects.

In 2084, the human race is on the edge of destruction after decades of battle with an alien force known as the Daggra—Tibetan for enemy. In an outpost in Tibet, a final gambit in the form of a time-travel device is under attack. When the man slated for the mission is killed, a feisty young woman named Milly leaps into the breach. She lands in 2002, on the deck of a tanker in Tokyo harbor where hit-man-for-hire Miyamoto is in the process of trying to take out crime lord Mizoguchi and free the cargo container of kids Mizoguchi is buying as organ-harvesting material. The crime lord took Miyamoto's childhood friend for . . .

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October 16

In the last 20 years, former lawyer Stephen Michael Stirling, writing as S. M. Stirling, has brought an impressive quantity of gripping adventure fiction to the world of science fiction. Stirling has created several outstanding series of his own, as well as working in collaboration with Anne McCaffrey, David Drake, Raymond E. Feist, Jerry Pournelle, and others.

An amateur historian, Stirling has made alternate history a specialty. The "Nantucket" series begins with Island in the Sea of Time (1998), in which the island of Nantucket is cataclysmically propelled thousands of years into the past, where the Nantucket folks use their Yankee ingenuity to create a better world. In parallel with this series is the "Change" series, beginning with Dies the Fire, which depicts the chaotic world left behind after the mysterious vanishing of Nantucket and the concomitant loss of . . .

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October 17

Clive Owen (b. October 3, 1964) is an acclaimed Oscar-nominated British actor born in Coventry, West Midlands, England. He is the fourth of five brothers raised by his mother and stepfather after his father left the family when Owen was three years-old. He attended the Binley Park Comprehensive School. He was attracted to acting early on and focused all his energy on youth theater which he joined at thirteen. Despite initial opposition to attending drama school, he was encouraged into an audition at Mountview College. He was accepted but turned down the opportunity.

After two years of little work, he altered his stance on drama school, applied to RADA and was accepted. He studied alongside Ralph Fiennes and Jane Horrocks. He graduated in 1987 and immediately went to work on stage appearing in Shakespeare plays at The Crucible and the Young Vic. While playing Romeo, he fell in love with . . .

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October 18

Mermaids are creatures that are part human and part fish. Typically, the upper half is human and the bottom half is fishlike.

Currently, people think of mermaids (and mermen, the male version of the term) as purely mythical and fictional creatures. In older times, mermaids were considered real creatures, and there are even documented cases.

One popular theory is that mermaids were a case of mistaken identity. Some sea mammals may appear to be nursing their young above water. The top half being female would then make sense (even though the face is not very human). One support for this is that mermaids were typically shown with horizontally flattened tails (which would be mammal like) as opposed to a vertical tail (which would be fish like).

Another point is that the conceptual line between humans and animals was in a sense fuzzier (although the theological line may have been stronger for some people). It is not uncommon for reports of wild men with clothes and tools to be described as animals in the . . .

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October 19

Mecha is the name used to represent large human-driven robots in any universe. They range in height from 15 feet to planet-sized, and anywhere in between.

Mecha are robots, usually bipedal and humanoid in appearance though there are instances of insectlike and quadripedal mecha. Mecha tend to have one humanoid shape, although there are examples of variable or convertible types of mecha, such as Gundam Wing, FASA's Land-Air Mechs, and the venerable Veritech Fighter.

Mecha tend to be tall, in the 30 to 45 foot range, though there are examples of smaller mecha. The pilot of a mecha sits in a cockpit with airplane-like controls. Usually a series of foot pedals and joysticks control . . .

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October 20

What's scarier than an angry six-year-old?

An angry six-year-old with super-powers!

In the Creepy Kids theme, a child (or children) with superhuman powers poses a threat to others.

The threat may come from a typical childhood lack of control, or a calmly reasoned murderous intent. Sometimes it is the lack of child-like emotion that initially makes the adults uncomfortable.

Defeating a creepy kid can be particularly difficult. First, it can be hard to influence a child's behavior. Second, an adult may be reluctant to take action against a child, even if it is appropriate. Finally, other adults may protect the child, not understanding the situation.

Following the success of William March's 1954 novel The Bad Seed . . .

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October 21

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov is a book published in 1950, consisting primarily of nine short stories which Asimov had published in magazines in the 1940’s (all but the first story were first printed in Astounding). The title, I, Robot, was chosen by the book’s publishers over Asimov’s objections, since that title had already been used for a well known short story, written by Eando Binder, and published in the January 1939 issue of Amazing Stories.

In book form, the story traces the early history of robots, and explores the Three Laws of Robotics, namely:

1. A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey the orders given . . .

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October 22

The Thunderbolts are a team of comic book superheroes created by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley for Marvel Comics. They premiered in 1997 in Incredible Hulk #449, but it wasn't until the first issue of their own comic that readers found out about the twist which makes them unique. The unique feature of this team is that it is composed almost entirely by former super-villains looking for redemption.

When the The Avengers (Marvel Comics) and the Fantastic Four disappeared from our universe at the conclusion of the limited crossover series Onslaught (1996), the Marvel Universe was missing the protection of these two premier super teams. The Thunderbolts appeared on the scene, ostensibly to "fill the void" left by them. They seemed fairly competent and heroic, and were easily accepted by a frightened . . .

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October 23

The Mongolian Death Worm, according to the incredible descriptions of nomads in Mongolia, is said to live in the sands of the Gobi Desert. Recently a Czech journalist made two exeditions and recorded new sightings: The animal referred to as the olgoi-khorkoi ("intestine worm") is described as wormlike; 50 to 60 cm (about 2 feet) long, with no head; thick; dark red in color; and very feared by the natives for its ability to kill from a distance (although this detail might be mythical).

Michel Raynal has suggested that the olgoï-khorkhoï might be a highly specialized reptile, belonging to the sub-order of the amphisbaenians: these burrowing reptiles generally have no limbs, and their . . .

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October 24

The Holy Grail also known as the sangraal or sangreal is traditionally defined in legend as the chalice that Jesus used at the Last Supper. It also has been described as the cup that caught the blood of Jesus as he was being crucified or as the platter used at the Last Supper. There are also definitions that say it is a spiritual quest, Mary Magdalene, or that it refers to an alleged bloodline of Jesus. In addition, there are those who believe that the Knights Templar passed to the Freemasons special knowledge of the Grail.

It may have originated in Christian lore, or it may have origins in early Celtic myth, as both have stories of cups with magical powers. In Western Christian lore, the Grail is the vessel that either caught the blood of Christ at the Crucifixion, or was used . . .

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October 25

El Pombero or Pomberito, as it is affectionately known by local residents, is a small, reclusive, implike creature said to dwell in rural areas of Argentina. It is short and squat and is often said to be covered by a large, straw hat. El Pombero is one of a number of imps and goblins that inhabit the Rio Corrientes river basin. A protean imp, it is reputed to possess supernatural abilities, such as being able to turn invisible and shape-shift, allowing it to squeeze through impossibly narrow spaces.

Described by locals as lascivious, El Pombero prefers to follow pregnant women, especially those that are carrying female children. The women of the Corrientes river basin believe that the appearance of El Pombero is a sign that they are pregnant with a . . .

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October 26

Edward James Olmos, who plays Commander William Adama on the The SCI FI Channel series Battlestar Galactica, is an actor, producer, director, and community activist.

He was born and raised in East Los Angeles, and spent many years in theatrical roles until his mesmerizing performance in the 1978 dramatic musical Zoot Suit led to a Tony Award nomination. He recreated his role for film in 1981, and went on that year to star in Wolfen. Quickly following were the acclaimed historical drama The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez and Ridley Scott's landmark Blade Runner. His highly popular role as Lieutenant Martin Castillo for five years on the hit series Miami Vice earned Olmos an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award, plus an additional nomination each. He was recently seen as Judge Roberto Mendoza, a Supreme Court hopeful, in episodes of The West Wing.

Olmos has also been lauded with . . .

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October 27

Halo 3 is the first game in the Halo universe that is designed for the Xbox 360, with improved visuals and physics. Halo is the most successful game on Microsoft's Xbox console systems, with sales of five million and nine million copies, respectively, for Halo and Halo 2.

Bungie Studios and Microsoft's Halo 3 picks up the storyline from Halo 2. The character Master Chief was last seen riding an alien ship down to Earth to head off an invasion that would doom humanity. Meanwhile, massive halo-shaped space stations across the galaxy had just been primed for a remote detonation that would wipe out all life in the galaxy. A dramatic civil war had broken out among the aliens intent on finding and destroying Earth. Plus, there was something about a superintelligent hivemind interfacing with Master Chief's AI.

The tone in Halo 3 is a bit different than in the previous games. "Some of themes we're going to be exploring are definitely darker . . .

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October 28

Super Powers are physical or mental abilities that go beyond that of ordinary humans. Some powers are innate and are an extension of what humans may already be capable of with limitations, such as enhanced sight, hearing, strength, and healing. Others may be new abilities to humans that may be witnessed in other creatures, such as flight, echo location, or the ability to breathe underwater. Of course there are also more unusual abilities that cannot be explained by science such as spell casting and the ability to manipulate magical forces and other abilities not seen in nature such as invisibility, molecular and energy manipulation.

Perhaps the abilities most familiar are extrasensory abilities, such as precognition, telepathy, telekinesis, and the ability to speak to the dead. But wherever there is an unusual ability, there are often equally unusual abilities able to counteract . . .

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October 29

L. Sprague de Camp (Lyon Sprague de Camp) (1907–2000) started writing fiction in the 1930s and went on to produce a substantial body of SF and fantasy, as well as five historical novels and several nonfiction books. His most famous SF work consists primarily of planetary romances, particularly in the Krishna and Viagens settings, although neither is properly speaking a series. He was married to Catherine Crook de Camp, who is credited as co-author on several of his later books but who actually had collaborated with him on previous books without being credited. The Krishna stories in particular were good natured, light adventures with frequent humorous twists. Perhaps the best is the two-part The Hand of Zei and The Search for Zei, which appeared as an Ace double book in 1963, the two halves essentially a single story.

His best SF novel was Lest Darkness Fall (1941), meant to be a rebuttal of Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. De Camp's protagonist finds himself back in 6th-century Rome . . .

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October 30

The Night Stalker (TV Series, 1974), also known as Kolchak: The Night Stalker, starred Darren McGavin as reporter Carl Kolchak, who found that most of the stories he worked on had a supernatural aspect, although it was impossible for him to convince his editor Tony Vincenzo (Simon Oakland), a hard-nosed and hot-tempered adversary, of that fact. The show owes its cult following to the ongoing clash between Kolchak and Tony, along with McGavin's wry portrayal of a man with a healthy respect for his own skin, who tries to do right without the help of any James Bond gadgets or secret superpowers. What Kolchak had was a reporter's scanty income, an expense account, a Panama hat, and a camera. Those, plus determination and a keen brain, saw him through 20 episodes filled with witches, demons, and Aztec cults.

ABC revived The Night Stalker series in 2005, with Stuart Townsend . . .

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October 31

Halloween or All Hallows Eve occurs on October 31 every year. It is said that the dead walk the Earth the night before All Saints' Day.

Halloween originated with the ancient Celtic celebration of Samhain which occurred on October 31. This celebration goes back more than 2000 years. It marked the beginning of the cold and barren part of the year and was associated with death and the spirits of the dead. The dead were believed to walk the earth on this night so bonfires were lit and animal skins donned for protection. The Catholic church later co-opted this religious event and renamed it All Hallows Eve since it was on the the eve of All Hallows Day (All Saints Day).

Trick-or-treating is the most widely recognized Halloween tradition. It is an activity in which children go from house to house asking for treats such as candy with the question, "Trick or treat?" Trick-or-treating is done with children donning Halloween costumes and it is one of the main traditions of Halloween. It has become . . .