The Sci-Fi Cast

There are few couples in all of science fiction more deliciously wonderful than Zapp “The Zapper” Brannigan and his hapless, defeated assistant, Kif. Originally intended to be voiced by Phil Hartman, Zapp was portrayed by Billy West and was based upon Shatner’s Captain Kirk. Even when he’s stripped of his rank after destroying the Democratic Order of Planets (D.O.O.P.), Zapp lands back on his two feet. Largely because of Kif.

Ah, Kif. Zapp’s assistant and Amy’s boyfriend, Kif is smart enough to recognize when Zapp’s about to get into trouble, but too timid to do anything about it. Some of our favorite Kif moments are his exasperated sighs. For example:

Leela: You know, Zapp, someone ought to teach you a lesson.
Zapp: If it’s a lesson in love, watch out; I suffer from a very sexy learning disability. What do I call it, Kif?
Kif: [sighs] “Sex-lexia”

If Kif and Zapp ever starred in a buddy road trip movie, we’d be first in line to see it. Here’s to Kif and the Zapper, one of our favorite sci-fi duos.

Sponsorship for September is now available. Sci-Fi Cast sponsorship is exclusive; only one sponsor is scheduled per month. Here’s what you get:

- Promotion in our weekly podcast.
- A text link at the top of the blog.
- At least one tweet on our Twitter stream.

By keeping sponsorship exclusive, we get your product or service before the very geeks you’re after. If you have questions, please let us know. You’ll find the full details here. Thanks.

September is approaching at warp factor 4 with plenty of new science fiction shows in her cargo bay. Here are a few we’re looking forward to (more or less).

Eastwick

Based upon The Witches of Eastwick with Cher, Jack Nicholson and Susan Sarandon, the series stars Rebecca Romijn, Lindsay Price and Paul Gross. The trailer makes it look like Charmed meets Desperate Housewives, so if you like the idea of magic-wielding cougars, tune in. Have we mentioned Rebecca Romijn? “Charmed” indeed. ABC’s Eastwick will premiere on September 23rd at 10 PM.

(more…)

Earlier this week, AMC announced that they’ve gotten the rights to turn Robert Kirkman’s comic serial The Walking Dead into a series. As a devoted Walking Dead fan I’m both elated and horrified by this news.

First, the good. Krikman’s ongoing story (more on that later) is tremendous. Zombie horror is nothing new, but Walking Dead‘s approach is fresh. It follows a group of unlikely survivors in a zombie-riddled world as they fight — the undead and each other — to survive. The typical ingredients like bloodthirsty undead, violent battles and a sinking distrust are in place, but Kirkman doesn’t rest on the tried-and-true zombie formula. I won’t give anything away, but the “how” and “why” aren’t what you’d expect.

(more…)

Earlier this week, Craig Engler, who runs the SyFy Network’s Twitter stream, posted a couple of teasers about Caprica, the forthcoming BSG sequel. He revealed that a rough cut of the 1st episode is being shown around the network. Additionally, he was enthusiastic about a conference call with producer Jane Espenson (@capricaseven on Twitter).

Other rumors are appearing as the show’s January 22nd premiere approaches. According to Sci Fi Wire (an official blog of SyFy), Patton Oswalt will play the host of a late-night comedy show across “…several episodes.” I’m nervous about the selection. Not because Patton isn’t funny, he is. I’m thinking of John Hodgeman’s jarring appearance on BSG.

Additionally, Entertainment Weekly reports that Buffy alumnus James Marsters will join the cast for what they’re calling “… a sizable arc” as the terrorist leader Barnabus Greeley.

We’re very excited about the premiere of Caprica. If you’ve seen the pilot, check out Episode 32 of our show to catch our reactions. So say we all!

Fans of Battlestar Galactica have another chance to own a small slice of the show thanks to a new series of eBay auctions. Propworx, an official auctioneer of Battlestar Galactica props & costumes has some tantalizing items up for sale. Some of the cool props that caught our eye were the BSG Pyramid Ball, the trademark Battlestar tank top and undershirt worn by the Colonial military and a cool set of BSG colored binders, complete with cut corners.

These items would make perfect additions to any BSG fan’s collections, but they do come with a price. The binders alone are currently selling for over $400 and who knows how high they’ll go before the auction is completed. If you’re looking to pick up any of these awesome items from BSG, you better act quick. Many of these auctions end later today so you don’t have time to waste. Have fun!

[Hat tip to Louie Mantia for this post]

Anyone who’s listened to our weekly games of “Truth or Sci-Fi” (see eps 30 & 31) knows that network executives will put almost anything on the tube, regardless of quality. So it escapes us why The SciFi Channel insists on producing made for TV drek like Sharks in Venice when there are perfectly good properties just waiting to be re-imagined for the small screen.

According to the efforts of science fiction illustrator Doug Drexler, Buckaroo Banzai would seem to be just such a property. Over at his awesome blog, Drex Files, Doug gives readers a small glimpse into some of what a new Buckaroo Banzai TV series might look like. Production designer Mike Okuda (of Star Trek the Next Generation fame) approached Doug and several other talented artists to ask if they would volunteer their time to illustrate key elements of the Buckaroo universe. This artwork would then be used by Buckaroo’s original director, W.D. Richter, to pitch the idea of Banzai’s return to network executives.

Some of the artwork created includes a detailed schematic of ‘Banzai West‘, a sprawling underground complex from which Team Banzai heads their west coast operations, and concept sketches for new diabolical gear used by Emilio Lizardo. You know these guys are serious Buckaroo addicts since they donated so much of their time and talent to get Buckaroo going again. Speaking as one of Team Banzai’s biggest fans, I really hope someone at the SciFi Channel does something right for a change and green lights this project. The world could use Buckaroo Banzai again, especially now.

Exciting news for fans of the classic BBC scifi series Doctor Who this week. Doctor Who Magazine is reporting that the third season (or ‘series’ as they are called in the UK) of the Sarah Jane Adventures will feature a two-part episode with starring David Tennant as the Doctor himself. Fans will remember that the Doctor and Sarah Jane parted ways at the end of School Reunion in a bittersweet goodbye that set the stage for Elizabeth Sladen’s return to regular television with her new kids series.

While The SciFi Channel picked up the first season of Sarah Jane, U.S. audiences have so far missed out on season 2 so there’s no telling if we’ll ever get to see Tennant and Sladen together again here in the U.S., at least through official channels. Hopefully BBC America will pick up where the SciFi Channel left off and air this new, exciting adventure from producer Russell T. Davies and writer Gareth Roberts. Head on over to the Den of Geek for more info about this Who-tastic tale.

Now that Battlestar Galactica has ended and Caprica* has jumped far away, SciFi Network executives hope Warehouse 13 will fill the void. It’s set to premiere on July 7, which is just about a month away. This post will let you know what to expect from the network’s would-be flagship show.

(more…)

It’s Saturday,  and that means it’s time to point out our favorite posts, tweets and episode highlights from the week.

Posts

1. Sneak peek at ABC’s “V” reboot. We got two clips from the upcoming remake of “V,” and we’ll be darned if the show doesn’t look good. Sexy aliens, decent special effects and hints of multi-dimensional characters have stirred the parts of our hearts that loved BSG on SciFi. Don’t let us down, ABC! You won’t like us when we’re angry.
2. R2D2 in Star Trek. Gizmodo has taken their best guess at where R2D2 was hidden in the new Star Trek movie. Have you found him? If so, you may win a genuine prop from the movie. Make it so!
3. Sci-Fi Duos we love: Mulder and Scully. We introduced a new series meant to describe the powerful pairs of science fiction. Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully kicked things off, X-Files style.
4. Micro Review: Business as Usual. Another post and another new series introduced. Micro reviews will distill some of our favoite shows into brief posts that highlight the good and the bad. DS9′s Business As Usual received our first micro review. Look for more next week.

Tweets

1. Charmed vs. Eastwick. ABC has a new series in the works called Eastwick, about a coven of witches in modern day New England (will we New Englanders ever live that down?) that resembles a middle-aged “Charmed.” But there is one good thing about Eastwick, and her name is Rebecca Romijn.
2. Is Spock Autistic? Strangely enough, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard this theory. Fascinating.
3. AT-AT Walker cake is about to take your party by storm. That is one bad-ass cake.

Episode 32

This time around, Scott McNulty joined us to talk about the new Caprica movie. The consensus: It’s very good, but waiting a year for the next episode is not.