"Star Trek" celebrated its diamond anniversary last month, marking 60 years since it first aired on NBC on Sept. 8, 1966. There were a bunch of Trekkie-themed celebrations and news stories over September, including festive documentaries, special screenings, tributes, parade floats, interviews, and even a Galileo shuttle story.

Now, publishers Penguin Random House and Ten Speed Press are releasing "Star Trek: The Original Voyages: A Visual History" on Nov. 10, 2026.

This coffee table book promises unprecedented exploration of the pioneering space fantasy television series and enduring pop culture property that bolstered the space race and ignited sci-fi audiences' imaginations by taking us to strange new worlds and civilizations in the final frontier.

It's a striking 416-page hardback written by Kyle Newman and Jeff Bond, documenting all the classic characters and plotlines that are still inspiring artists, filmmakers, authors, and astronauts around the globe six decades later, and we’ve got our hands on a primo copy to show off.

"When the original 'Star Trek' series burst onto the screen in 1966, few could have anticipated the enduring legacy it would create," states the synopsis.

"Although it lasted just three seasons and 79 episodes, 'Star Trek' left an indelible mark on popular culture, and it soon spawned an animated television series, a blockbuster major motion picture franchise, and for its most dedicated fans, a way of life.

"The story of the U.S.S. Enterprise and her crew—James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley), Montgomery Scott (James Doohan), Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig), and Hikaru Sulu (George Takei)—as well as the behind-the-scenes story of its creators, The Great Bird of the Galaxy Gene Roddenberry and his many collaborators, is extraordinary."

Inside this classy collector's edition, which is the first volume of a two-book series gazing back at the complete history of "Star Trek," readers will behold a wealth of archival photos, costumes, storyboards, cast and creators' chats, behind-the-scenes ephemera, props, and filming models.

"Star Trek: The Original Voyages" chronicles not just the iconic TV show but also the short-lived animated series and all six of the big-screen "Star Trek" feature films up to the year 1991.

Above and beyond the dramatic cover emblazoned with reflective lettering, this beefy "Trek" book truly leaps into warp speed, covering all the licensed toys, comic books, convention memorabilia, media parodies, promotional roadshows, trading cards, and vintage magazine covers.

"Star Trek: The Original Voyages: A Visual History" lands on Nov. 10, 2026.

Marvel Studios' existential superhero series "VisionQuest" has arrived on Disney+, and we've already been treated to four intriguing episodes that delve into the complex life of Vision, Paul Bettany's intelligent android and former card-carrying member of The Avengers.

The staggered storyline leading up to this show began with 2021's "WandaVision" and the 2024 follow-up, "Agatha All Along," with Marvel Studios proclaiming "VisionQuest" to be "the final vision of the groundbreaking trilogy." So, for those trying to catch up on current events in this trilogy of MCU shows starring Vision, and to avoid any lingering confusion, let’s take a step back to fill in the gaps.

And now, this isn't as simple as just "watch all the Marvel movies and shows in order," because that is a frankly ridiculous undertaking and entirely too much homework to do before watching a show. We're distilling it down to just what you need to know to understand VisionQuest.

Spoiler warning: It should go without saying, but there are spoilers for previous Marvel movies and shows in this article. You have been warned!

TLDR: Marvel shows and movies you need to watch ahead of VisionQuest

We'll go into some detail on all the connections below, but if you just want a list of the essential Marvel shows and movies to watch before VisionQuest, here it is.

Note that this is just the essentials. There are loads of small references to other movies and shows in the MCU, but they're just nods.

• Avengers: Age of Ultron
• Avengers: Infinity War
• WandaVision
• Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness*
• Agatha All Along

*This one is debatable. It continues Wanda's story from WandaVision, but it's not really essential for understanding the events of VisionQuest.

Both are the true vision. Neither is the true Vision

We kick things off with 2018's "Avengers: Infinity War," where the mighty Thanos murdered Vision by plucking out his golden, forehead-mounted Mind Stone for his Infinity Gauntlet. From that moment forward, Vision was dead, and Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) was cast into unfathomable grief and not-so-repressed anger.

From there, we pick up the story in the 2021 Disney+ series "WandaVision." Set weeks after "Avengers: Endgame," this show features two separate versions of Vision.

One was a new synthezoid version, Frankensteined together from the components of the old Vision by S.W.O.R.D., nicknamed White Vision. The other Vision is a supernatural manifestation, brought to life via Wanda Maximoff’s sorcery; he is known as Hex Vision.

So, which of these two Visions appears in "VisionQuest"? That's the fun (and confusing) part, because the answer is both of them. At the end of "WandaVision," Hex Vision restores the lost memories of White Vision, essentially merging two entities into one.

So, the Vision we see in "VisionQuest" is the physical body of White Vision, injected with thoughts and remembrances of the model that was magically resurrected by Wanda. Confused yet? Don't worry, it's going to get weirder.

Voices inside my head

In addition to the two versions of Vision from "WandaVision," numerous other AIs exist within Vision's skull and are all represented by human avatars acting as factions of his ravaged psyche.

Cast your mind all the way back to 2015's "Avengers: Age of Ultron," and you'll remember that Vision was conceived from a combination of the artificial brain of Ultron, the Mind Stone, and fragments of Tony Stark’s AI butler companion, J.A.R.V.I.S., who was named after the real Jarvis seen in the "Agent Carter" TV series.

J.A.R.V.I.S. appears in "VisionQuest" as his own unique entity, alongside another of Tony Stark's AI helpers, E.D.I.T.H., aka the AI in the smart glasses that Stark left to Peter Parker after his death. She shows up in "Spider-Man: Far From Home," which is a great movie but not an essential viewing if you're preparing for "VisionQuest."

Then let's toss in the fact that papa Ultron (James Spader) is buzzing around in Vision’s cranium, creating what’s been described as more or less an "Age of Ultron" and a "WandaVision" sequel at the same time. As it turns out, Vision did not destroy Ultron at the end of "Age of Ultron"; he copied his code and absorbed him, so now the rabid robot lives on in Vision’s brain.

Like father, like son

The show’s narrative is centered around the complicated relationship between Vision and his son Tommy Maximoff (Ruaridh Mollica). Tommy was created by Wanda's Hex and should have disappeared when it collapsed, but both he and his brother Billy survived through magical shenanigans that are explained in 2024's "Agatha All Along."

Those two Maximoff boys, Tommy and Billy, both vanished from existence at the conclusion of "WandaVision." "Agatha All Along" exposed the truth that their consciousnesses entered the ether before expiring, only to reemerge into the souls of two teenage boys who had just perished, therefore returning them to life. Are you still with us? Good, just checking.

The finale of "Agatha All Along" hinted at the return of the estranged Tommy, and "VisionQuest" dives into that dangling plot point with relish!

Palad-in for a bad time

Every show needs an antagonist, and the voices in Vision's head can't do all the work. "VisionQuest" has introduced a duo of villains for Vision to contend with. Neither of them has shown up in the MCU previously, though, so you don't need to do any research here.

With a massive bounty on his head after breaking free from S.W.O.R.D.'s control, White Vision must contend with a new villainous foe in the form of a mysterious mercenary named Paladin (Todd Stashwick).

This enigmatic Marvel Comics character was created by Jim Shooter and Carmine Infantino and was first seen prowling the pages of "Daredevil #150" back in 1978. He's basically a gun-for-hire in the Marvel universe, often hired to fight alongside or against various heroes depending on the story. We don't know much about his motivations in the show, but we'll learn more as it goes on.

"VisionQuest" also shines a spotlight on the bizarro character of Ultron's "bride," Jocasta, though the MCU version of this character diverges wildly from the comic book inspiration.

It's enough to drive one to madness! Between all the father-son dynamics dancing around the eight scheduled episodes, being hunted down by mercs, and his transcendent search for meaning, Vision and his saga are hopefully headed to a peaceful end.

Created by Terry Matalas ("Star Trek: Picard," "12 Monkeys") and airing two new chapters each Tuesday night on Disney+, VisionQuest is bolstered by a cast that includes Ruaridh Mollica, T'Nia Miller, Lauren Morais, Orla Brady, Diane Morgan, Polly Frame, Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, Emily Hampshire, and James D’Arcy.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond was, unfortunately, not the return many were hoping for when it finally arrived on Nintendo Switch consoles in 2025. After five years in development at Retro Studios, the original makers of the Metroid Prime series, fans were greeted with annoying side characters, a bike for Samus to roam the barren landscape on, and a deeply unsatisfying ending.

It’s a shame, considering how beloved the Metroid Prime series has been since the first title’s 2002 debut for the Nintendo GameCube. Many franchises were jumping from 2D to 3D at the turn of the millennium, and there were plenty of failures — but Metroid wasn’t one of them. The two sequels would enhance how players control Samus with powerful weapons and a multiplayer mode, but the 18-year gap between Metroid Prime 3 and 4 left players expecting something special.

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond’s average reception left fans wondering where the series can go next. It’s admittedly strange that Metroid Prime 2 and 3 have yet to debut on Nintendo Switch, either through the Nintendo Online service or as remasters.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake has just dropped for Switch 2, and seeing Nintendo leverage one of the best games of all time for a modern take has given us an idea: let's give the Metroid Prime trilogy the remake treatment, taking inspiration from Capcom’s efforts with Resident Evil.

To Prime and Beyond

From 2002’s Resident Evil remake to the more recent successes with Resident Evil 2 & 4, Capcom has managed to recreate the feeling and survival horror tropes of the originals while modernizing the gameplay.

Whether it's the constant tension of being stalked by a Terminator-like Mr. X in 2019’s Resident Evil 2, or the palpable paranoia you feel exploring in Resident Evil 4 — the skin might be new, but the bones are undeniably "Resi."

Even recently-announced Resident Evil: Veronica — whilst a remake of 1999’s Code: Veronica — looks set to be a brand new take that evokes the feeling of the original game, but brings it into the modern era.

Prime 4 felt like a game out of time. Sure, it looked the part, but it felt decidedly like a GameCube game. So why not take a leaf out of Capcom's book, apply their "recapturing the vibes" mindset for a Metroid Prime Trilogy Remake, using the Prime 4 engine as its foundation.

2023’s Metroid Prime Remastered showed off the venerable title with better textures and widescreen support, but a remake powered by the fourth game’s engine could showcase the opening and Tallon IV in a whole new light.

Similar to 2002’s Resident Evil Remake with the Spencer Mansion, places would feel familiar but fresh, thanks to updated graphics, better sound, and support for HD Rumble 2 that could help the player become more immersed in the game. And of course, you can change a few things to play off people's expectations.

If Nintendo is feeling brave, the reimagining could even begin at the end of Zero Mission, which is set just before Metroid Prime. Controlling Samus with all her abilities, facing off against Mother Brain in an area not seen in 3D, could be a great introduction to old and new players, as well as giving the opportunity to remake an area from a previous title. Then, players could escape to Samus’ ship, with the ability to pilot it to the Orpheron ship, where Prime begins.

The Return of Metroid Prime Multiplayer

A remake (or remakes) would obviously mean a big step-up in graphics and gameplay across all three games, but it could also herald the long-awaited return of its multiplayer mode from Metroid Prime 2, something that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond bizarrely left out.

Up to four players could take part in one of two modes here - Deathmatch and Bounty Mode, which had players compete against one another by collecting coins to win matches. There were four arenas to choose from, with an additional two to unlock when players got far enough in Prime 2’s single-player mode.

It was a fun time, and its absence in Prime 4: Beyond felt like a big miss, especially with the prospect of playing this mode online with others and using the Switch 2 features like Game Chat.

A remake could fix this injustice, and even expand on the concept by offering new multiplayer modes alongside maps based on locations from across the Prime series. You could even add a co-op mode for the campaign, and a horde mode for co-op fans to enjoy online too.

Give Samus the Itchy Tasty Treatment

As it stands in 2026, the Metroid series feels adrift once more. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will be lost to the sands of time, a mediocre entry in a series filled with bangers. As the latest Nintendo Direct eagerly showcased Donkey Kong, Zelda, and plenty of third-party releases, Samus was notably absent. Sure, she's just had a game, but it's hard not to be nervous after the drought that Metroid players had to suffer in the 2010s.

Capcom was in a similar lull after 2012’s disappointing Resident Evil 6, a bloated and confusing entry that made players fear the end of the series. But the seventh entry, alongside the Resident Evil 2 Remake in 2019, breathed new life into the franchise, which has proved as tough to kill as any of Umbrella's bioweapons.

Metroid's fate feels equally in the balance right now, and in a world where game studios are closing down and rivals like Microsoft are shrinking their focus to big-hitter franchises, Nintendo could easily let Metroid fall back into obscurity. Refocusing on what makes the series iconic is the key to its success, and modern remakes of the originals might just be what they need to rediscover that Metroid magic.

There are some easy wins out there to keep fans engaged; it’d still be great to see more games appear on the Nintendo Online service, like Metroid Prime 2, and we'd love more 2D entries after the excellent Metroid Dread, but nothing hits like Prime, and Prime isn't hitting right now.

If not, then I fear Samus will be riding her Vi-O-La into the sunset, deep within the barren wasteland of Sol Valley for the foreseeable future.

Abandoned, possessed, or infested spaceships in sci-fi films, books, and video games are usually not a welcoming place to hang your helmet and kick back inside.

Many are distinctly marked as DO NOT APPROACH zones and equipped with clearly articulated warning messages to keep your distance, but that doesn't ever seem to stop scavengers, space pirates, or evil industrial mega corporations from waving off these dangerous signs to board anyway.

Other creaky craft are apt to contain nasty alien hitchhikers or biological hazards not exactly conducive to a pleasant star-trekking voyage. Whether these nefarious neglected craft have just reappeared from the other side of a black hole or have been lying dormant for eons on a hostile planetoid, visitors are usually infrequent.

So ignore those distress beacons at your own peril and step into this alarming armada of 9 nightmarish sci-fi spaceships before orbits decay.

Happy Halloween!

1. USG ISHIMURA — "DEAD SPACE" (2008)

It's basically a perfectly good interstellar mining vessel owned by the Concordance Extraction Corporation if you forget about the nasty reanimated corpses found lurking on nearly every deadly deck.

The pesky Necromorphs are a resilient crop of creatures and are extremely inhospitable when it comes to having uninvited guests, yet they don't mind if you're staying for dinner.

This plague of hungry zombified corpses is a real drag, unless you happen to have a flaring plasma cutter in your back pocket and your name is Isaac Clarke.

2. THE GRENDEL — "JASON X" (2002)

Things would be much more peaceful aboard the Grendel if a notorious undead slasher named Jason Voorhees wasn't stashed in the cargo bay, but when scientific discovery enters the equation, many questionable choices follow.

The Grendel is a 25th-century medical research vessel on a field trip from hell to an overly polluted Earth, where the frozen Jason is kept at the Crystal Lake Research Facility and shipped back home to Earth 2 for cellular research.

Once thawed, the ship becomes his private killing field with an ample supply of student bodies until the fiery finale when Jason becomes an inhuman meteor in the sky. Next time, take the school bus.

3. RAMA — "RENDEZVOUS WITH RAMA" (1973)

This spooky classic novel written by "2001's" legendary author, Arthur C. Clarke, focuses on a massive alien spaceship entering Earth's atmosphere.

The 31-mile-long cylindrical spaceship does not parallel park easily and is quite spacious inside. In fact, it’s primarily hollow at first and likely offers up a fantastic location for some echoey yodeling. As we later learn, Rama aliens are apparently collecting forms of intelligent life from around the galaxy, employing their ginormous Rama spacecraft.

As an ice ring thaws and forms a vast ocean, astronauts explore the ship’s cavernous confines, only to find automated bio-machines and weird metallic towers, curved alloy cliffs, and fantastic geometric city-like structures. The myriad mysteries that unfold are enough to drive sane humans to absolute madness!

4. THE SCOPULI — "LEVIATHAN WAKES" (2011)

Ignore that glistening brown protomolecular goo, and come on in and sit a spell in the Scopuli, a light Martian freighter used by the Outer Planets Alliance for clandestine missions and ransacked by the evil security firm Protogen in an attempt to hijack its alien cargo.

Hailing from James S.A. Corey's first book in "The Expanse Series", the Scopuli was found moored to an asteroid by James Holden and his Canterbury crew. The amber-brown mess discovered inside the rigged ship is not to be trifled with, let alone inhaled, eaten, or touched.

Come to think of it, it’s probably much wiser to get out while you can and move along!

5. THE DERELICT — "ALIEN" (1979)

Anything that looks like an organic hammer-headed horseshoe lying canted in a rocky ravine on a hostile, uncharted planetoid is best to avoid. Especially when its repeating SOS beacon is translated into its true message… a dire warning to keep curious rubberneckers the hell away!

Once its strange, sexually suggestive openings are penetrated by Nostromo crew members, seeing fossilized giants and oceans of squishy egg pods in the cargo hold would make most reasonable people flee in terror.

We're better off leaving this sleeping nightmare in its resting place.

6. CHALLENGE 142 — "IT, THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE" (1956)

One of the inspirations for Ridley Scott's "Alien", this Golden Age goodie brings us aboard the sleek silver rescue rocketship, Challenge 142, and locks us inside after a bloodthirsty reptilian alien from Mars decides to catch a lift back to Earth with its new astronaut friends in the far-flung future of... 1973!

Mute, clawed monsters with insatiable appetites for human flesh are never good travel companions in the confines of a steel spacecraft. A wiser choice would have been to have stayed on Mars and used the Challenge 142 as a stylized red planet potato farm.

7. ICARUS 1 — "SUNSHINE" (2007)

Need a glowing golden suntan? This vessel was launched from Earth to detonate a nuclear payload within the sun's fury to keep its fusion furnace burning and was never heard from again.

A sister rescue vessel, the Icarus 2, was dispatched as a last resort and encountered this long-abandoned ship drifting near the scorching star. Inside the Icarus 1, its over-tanned Captain Pinback has been caught in an addictive ritual of basking in the sun's brilliant embrace and has gone quite insane.

Back out quietly and toss him a nice bottle of aloe vera lotion.

8. THE EVENT HORIZON — "EVENT HORIZON" (1997)

Lawrence Fishburne's Captain Miller thinks this place is a tomb! Well, that's not a very polite way to describe what I think is one of the most ominous spaceships ever seen on screen.

The fact that this foreboding vessel, designed after the cathedral of Notre Dame, has appeared in Neptune's orbit following its disappearance after entering a black hole should be enough to keep the crew of the Lewis and Clark from steering anywhere close. Nothing good can be happening on that doomed craft considering the seven-year absence.

One second after discovering that the craft punctured a route straight to Hades and returned with some extra baggage, I'd be running for the exit hatch! The welcome mat is out, but there's no need to knock on this airlock.

9. THE SHENANDOAH — "CREATURE" (1985)

Basically an "Alien" ripoff, this low-budget cult sci-fi flick has its following, but only from those midnight runs to the video store in the '80s to grab the tape with the craziest-looking alien on the cover.

The Shenandoah is a prospecting explorer sent by a ruthless corporation to claim an alien archaeological site on Saturn's moon, Titan. Assorted chaos ensues when a rival West German spaceship is discovered at the dig site, only for our protagonists to find the crew slaughtered.

The carnivorous monster that creeps onto the Shenandoah suffers from little monster syndrome, but its bite is impressive. Best to have never touched the metallic pods in the subterranean cave and just skipped this homicidal mission entirely.

On Episode 234 of This Week In Space, Tariq Malik and Mike Wall are joined by Than Putzig of the Planetary Science Institute about a NASA-backed payload bound for the Marius Hills Pit on the moon.

In our ongoing quest to develop a moon base, could we possibly utilize the area beneath the surface of the moon in order to make the moon habitable? Could Marius Hills Pit, a roughly 50-meter-wide opening that may lead into a lunar lava tube, become the Moon's first living habitat for humans?

Putzig explains how geophysical instruments on a rover could detect hidden voids beneath the surface and measure the size of these lava tubes. We also ask Than how these lava tubes form, what a follow-up robotic explorer could reveal, and how this research fits alongside NASA’s Artemis plans for a south polar moon base. Join us!

Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.

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Space news of the week

• China's secretive space plane caught on camera in incredible new photo released by US military
• Watch Virgin Galactic's new 'Delta-class' space plane take to the skies for the 1st time
• Patrick Stewart, renowned actor and ‘Star Trek’s’ Captain Picard, dies at 86
• 'Star Trek' legend and sci-fi luminary Walter Koenig dies at 90
• NASA's hunting for a secret underground cave on the moon
• Journey Across The Moon - Stunning Images From The SELENE Lunar Orbiter
• LPI - Marius Hills
• NASA Adds New Science Investigations for Moon Base

Model Falcon 9!

Finally, did you know you can launch your own SpaceX rocket? Model rocket maker Estes' stunning scale model of a Falcon 9 rocket that you can pick up now. The launchable model is a detailed recreation of the Falcon 9 and retails for $149.99. You can save 10% by using the code IN-COLLECTSPACE at checkout, courtesy of our partners collectSPACE.com.

About This Week In Space

This Week in Space covers the new space age. Every Friday we take a deep dive into a fascinating topic. What's happening with the new race to the moon and other planets? When will SpaceX really send people to Mars?

Join Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik from Space.com as they tackle those questions and more each week on Friday afternoons. You can subscribe today on your favorite podcatcher.

As we all begin to absorb the bitter news of Patrick Stewart's death at the age of 86, a flood of personal tributes are pouring in, reflecting this global treasure's wonderful life lived with a dignity and bravado that few mortals possess.

We’re getting just a hint of what Patrick Stewart meant to those who worked with him or knew him throughout his stellar career. Whether on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company, on TV as the dashing Captain Jean-Luc Picard in "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and in Hollywood spectacles like 1984's "Dune," four "Star Trek" feature films, and the many "X-Men" movies in which he portrayed Professor Charles Xavier, Stewart was always the consummate professional. His final screen performance arrives on Dec. 18 with "Avengers: Doomsday" where he’ll present his Charles Xavier character once more.

"Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end," Ian McKellen wrote on Instagram of his "X-Men" co-star and friend. "You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues. He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and, in my case, love."

William Shatner, a fellow Enterprise captain, offered his profound sense of loss on Stewart's passing. The legends shared the screen in 1994's "Star Trek: Generations."

"What a heartbreaking week it has been. Sir Patrick Stewart was a friend, a colleague, and a magnificent actor," Shatner posted on Facebook. "From the stage to the bridge of the Enterprise, he brought intelligence, grace, and a deep sense of humanity to everything he did. Captain Picard stood for the best of us, and so did the man who played him. I was filled with affection and admiration for him and his work. My heart goes out to Sunny and his family. He will be deeply missed."

Akiva Goldsman, co-creator of Paramount+'s "Star Trek: Picard" and "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," delivered a sorrowful message in the aftermath of Stewart's death

"Patrick was not only a true lion of the profession, he was the rarest of alchemists, one who could literally turn the written word into flesh and blood," Goldsman wrote. "Patrick was kind, strong, fiercely intelligent, collaborative, vulnerable and wise. His Captain Jean-Luc Picard permanently expanded the universe of 'Star Trek' without measure. He will be deeply missed by this one fan and by so many more."

Stewart's "Star Trek: The Next Generation" family shared their grief and offered up poignant words to try to describe what effect he had on their lives and profession.

"There's no one on this planet that I have acted with or directed more often than my late great friend Patrick Stewart," revealed actor and director Jonathan Frakes, who co-starred for over 35 years with Stewart as Commander Will Riker, in a touching statement. "He will be with me forever. May he rest in Peace."

Finally, Marina Sirtis posted a teary-eyed video in which she explained how much of an impact Stewart had on her life during their time together on "The Next Generation" series and films, in which she portrayed Counselor Deanna Troi beside him.

"Patrick, I loved you with all my heart," she said on Instagram. "I know you're up there now, reunited with all those that you've loved. But to say that you'll be missed down here is probably the understatement of the century. It was an honor to work with Patrick. It was more than an honor; it was the privilege of my life to work with him."

In space, no one can hear you scream... not unlike in the empty theater screens that aging horror franchises play to when the lustre has gone and their final installments limp to the public. It is perhaps little wonder that some horror franchises go to space to die... or take long breaks, at least.

In celebration of Halloween, we're running down some horror franchises that made the journey to the final frontier, resulting in films that range from the sublime and outrageously campy fun to just pure awful.

Absent from the list are space horror movies that have space baked into their natural fabric. So no Event Horizon, no Alien, and no Critters 4 (they were aliens, so they just went back to space; that doesn't count).

1. Jason X (2001)

2001 was a really weird time for the Friday the 13th franchise. New Line had acquired the series in the wake of the terrible box office returns and critical panning of Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. Known as "the house that Freddy built," New Line's plan was clear: pit Voorhees vs. Kruger in a battle of horror icons for the ages.

However, the studio had to keep Jason in the public eye to ensure the eventual crossover lived up to expectations. The first move in that effort, 1993's Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, was an odd start. The movie apparently kills Voorhees, with his iconic hockey mask seized by the equally iconic bladed glove of Freddy Krueger at the end of the film and dragged into the dirt.

Fun bit of trivia: the hand wearing the glove isn't that of Freddy actor Robert Englund but belongs to Kane Hodder, arguably the best Jason Voorhees, meaning Hodder played both Jason and Freddy!

Still, the crossover has stalled in the preproduction process by 2001, as a script couldn't be agreed upon. New Line wanted a new Friday film but in a different environment than the typical Crystal Lake setting. After rejecting a winter-themed movie that would see Voorhees killing cross-country skiers in a snow-covered Camp Crystal Lake, New Line decided to put Jason on ice in a different way, cryogenically freezing Pamela Voorhees' baby boy and sending him to space in Jason X, the tenth movie in the series.

Jason X would see the Crystal Lake Killer slaughter David Croenberg, get his ass kicked by a feisty robot, and double up on his iconic sleeping bag kill from Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (one of my favorites, massively underrated), all on the way to getting a major upgrade from some very unhelpful nanobots to become Uber Jason.

Jason X has a mixed reputation and isn't regarded as one of the better entries in the series, but the movie has a load of positives going for it.

The kills are super inventive, the nitrogen head smash being arguably one of the best in a series known for over-the-top brutality; Kane Hodder is great during his final shift as Jason, and there are a load of laughs. Jason X isn't as tongue-in-cheek as one of the following movies on this list, but it is definitely self-aware and so much better for it.

In honor of arguably the best of these space-relocated horror movies, we'll rate this and the following movies in Uber Jasons out of five. For campy space-based horror featuring a character that is a fish out of water, Jason X is near perfect.

4.8 Uber Jasons out of 5. Hail to the king, baby.

2. Amityville in Space (2022)

Alien is often referred to as "a haunted house movie in space." The elements are all there: isolation, a hidden, poorly understood danger lurking in the shadows, victims picked off one by one. Of course, that is figurative, but Amityville in Space shows why filmmakers should never make things too literal.

Amityville in Space is bad. Not so bad that it is good. So bad, it is bad.

Your opinion on Amityville as a franchise likely depends on your tolerance for utter hogwash. The first movie, The Amityville Horror, released in 1979, is an effective, often quite creepy horror. Since then, the loose Amityville Horror franchise spans nine core Amityville movies and between 50 and 90 low-budget independent additions to the franchise.

Amityville in Space is definitely at the cheapest end of the low-budget spectrum, and as the name suggests, it takes 112 Ocean Avenue further than ever before, to the year 3015 and the edge of a distant black hole.

Literally, the only thing worth watching in Amityville in Space is the hilarious opening that sees a failed exorcism attempt cause the Amityville house to literally blast off the surface of Earth like a rocket.d

Unfortunately, Amityville in Space isn't a corny "so-bad it's good" movie. It's just frustratingly bad. Perhaps disappearing into a black hole is the fate Amityville deserved all along, though with the name being in the public domain, Amityville movies will just keep coming. At least I didn't have to watch Amityville Death Toilet (yes, that really exists).

0 Uber Jasons out of 5. Avoid like a demonic pig called Jodie

3. Leprechaun 4: In Space (1996)

Leprechaun 4 sees the franchise that launched the career of Jennifer Aniston blast its titular antagonist into space. The Leprechaun, played by the unparalleled Warwick Davis, makes the voyage to the final frontier with tongue planted firmly in cheek, and the results are bloody glorious.

The film sees the Leprechaun's attempts to woo a space princess rudely interrupted by space marines and the minor inconvenience of being blown apart by a grenade.

The Leprechaun then exacts his revenge on the spacecraft of the marines, an impressively realized set for a straight-to-video horror movie in the mid-90s.

If you want some camp horror fun on Halloween, the sight of the Leprechaun emerging fully formed from the pants of a space marine is probably going to be unbeatable.

Fans of British sitcoms will be equally delighted by the appearance of Guy Siner ('Allo 'Allo's Lt. Hubert Gruber) as Dr. Mittenhand. While the rest of the cast play the ludicrousness of a leprechaun rampaging through a spaceship offing space marines relatively straight, Davis and Siner don't just chew the scenery; they suck it in like thespian black holes.

As Mittenhand says: "Thank you, Harold, I do the jokes!"

Of course, there is plenty of ropey CGI, as is standard for a 90s genre movie, but there is a wonderful practical creature at the movie's conclusion that pays tribute to David Cronemburg's The Fly. Less Brundle-Fly, more Mitten-Spider. Plus a death that is pure Looney Tunes and a Kaiju-sized leprechaun. Take that, Uber Jason.

4.5 Uber Jasons out of 5. Thank your Lucky Charms

4. Hellraiser 4: Bloodline (1996)

Another horror franchise heading to space for its fourth installment, and this one also came out in 1996. Hellraiser 4: Bloodline marks a real downturn in the fortunes of Hellraiser, being the last in the series to receive a theatrical release and the last to benefit from input from creator and horror maestro Clive Barker.

The film has a portmanteau style beginning in 2127, as Dr. Paul Merchant attempts to solve the mystery of the Lament Configuration, then flashing back to its creation by Merchant's ancestor Phillip LeMarchand in France in 1796. The movie then jumps to 1996, when the Lament Configuration has inspired a skyscraper built by another of Merchant's ancestors.

This second section also sees the franchise's figurehead Pinhead, played by Doug Bradley, come into conflict with the demonic Angelique. A conflict that is carried into 2127.

Arguably, the CGI in Hellraiser: Bloodline is no better or worse than that of Leprechaun 4; the problem is the latter isn't taking itself seriously, but the former really is.

You can't really expect a "fun" Hellraiser movie; that has never been their vibe, and they are better for the serious tone. But it means a poorly realized move to space really doesn't work.

Arguably, the biggest crime of Hellraiser 4: Bloodline is that it's a bit dull. The in-depth investigation of the Lament Configuration is only going to appeal to hardcore Hellraiser fans who will probably just end up wishing they'd watched Barker's original 1987 magnum opus movie instead.

And it was all downhill for Hellraiser after this. The franchise became the poster boy for straight-to-video horror, with some later installments developed from scripts that initially had nothing to do with Hellraiser at all. A real insult to a franchise that felt fresh, daring, and even dangerous at its outset.

Pinhead probably wished he'd stayed in space.

2 Uber Jasons out of 5. You'll need your eyes pinned back to finish it

5. Dracula 3000 (2004)

When you have been around since 1897, it is pretty hard to keep your routine fresh. By 2004, Dracula had pretty much exhausted gothic horror; a relocation to a modern setting hadn't saved Christopher Lee's Dracula in the 1970s and had arguably resulted in the worst entries in the Hammer series.

Where else to take the Count in a new millennium but into space? That's the approach taken by Dracula 3000, which doesn't connect to any other Dracula cinema outings but features character names and locales that pay homage to Stoker's original novel.

The primary protagonist is Captain Abraham Van Helsing, played by Casper Van Dien, fresh from battling space bugs in Starship Troopers. Dracula — here bizarrely called Count Orlok in an unnecessary nod to Nosferatu — is found on the abandoned ship Demeter by Mother III salvage crew member Mina Harker. Unfortunately, the connections to the source material and the infinitely better Nosferatu are present in name alone. The gothic goodness is gone.

However, something strange happened to me as I was watching Dracula 3000. I found myself enjoying it. Dracula 3000 is... fun?

The acting is more wooden than a stake, the dialog is cringy, the characters are so 2D that it is a wonder Drac could draw any blood at all, and the effects are poor. But there is so much here I found myself wanting to show my friends.

Vampire Coolio is a show-stealer; Dracula looks like he has wandered in from a neighboring studio, swanning around a sci-fi setting in full Victorian cape and collar garb. The Demeter hails from the planet Transyvannia, known to be populated by vampires. Drac had no issue procuring oak coffins for his thrall in space. It's all wonderfully silly, and I loved it.

Dracula 3000 isn't as fun as Leprechaun 4, but it definitely isn't boring like Hellraiser 4: Bloodline, and it isn't whatever the heck Amityville is Space is.

3.5 Uber Jasons out of 5. Livin' in a vampire's paradise.

For my money, Leprechaun 4, Dracula 3000, and Jason X would make a cool triple-header of space-horrors for Halloween night. But only 'cause we didn't get the following franchise entry....

Dishonorable mention: Howling IV: Werewolves on the Moon (1988)

OK. Don't Google it. This isn't the Mandela effect at work. The Howling franchise never went to space.

The Howling IV was released in 1988 under the tagline "The Original Nightmare," and though in modern parlance that would indicate a prequel to Joe Dante's 1981 classic, this film is actually a far inferior remake of that first entry in the series.

What a missed opportunity! Though the trope of a fourth film in a franchise going to space, or returning to space in the case of Critters 4, wouldn't be firmly established until 1996, The Howling could have set the ball rolling with its fourth installment.

After all, few horror franchises had suffered the drops in quality seen between the first Howling, a stone-cold classic, and Howling III: The Marsupials (they aren't even werewolves, guys!), with the awful Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf between the two.

The Howling was dying like a werewolf with a silver bullet in its guts already by the fourth film; so an early move to space would have been justified. Come on, at least give us werewolves on the moon!

The franchise would limp on for another four films after the Original Nightmare, including a lame duck reboot in 2011, never answering the question: what would happen to a werewolf on the moon? Is the moon always full on the moon, or is it never full because the werewolf can't see it?

Fans would forgive this missed opportunity. OK, maybe just me.

1,000 Uber Jasons out of Five. It's werewolves on the moon, people. C'mon!

Happy Halloween!

This has been a pretty rough week for "Star Trek" royalty on this 60th anniversary year with the deaths of both Walter Koenig, "Star Trek's" Lt. Pavel Chekov on Sunday, Oct. 25 and Patrick Stewart, the storied sci-fi property's Captain Jean Luc-Picard on Wednesday, Oct. 28.

With the passing of Walter Koenig at the age of 90 this past week, franchise luminaries of all degrees are coming out with heartfelt condolences, kind words of remembrance, and tearful reflections.

William Shatner, 95, and George Takei, 89, represent the final remaining members of the U.S.S. Enterprise's core crew from "Star Trek: The Original Series" and they both took to social media to express their deep sorrow over losing one of their fellow travelers in the final frontier.

"I am deeply saddened to learn of Walter Koenig’s passing," Shatner posted on Instagram.

"Although we did not know each other well away from the set, we shared the later seasons of the original 'Star Trek' series and the six films that followed. What I observed, and what so many fans have expressed over the years, was a man who genuinely loved the 'Star Trek' community.

"At conventions, Walter was rarely content to remain behind a signing table. He preferred to be among the people who had kept 'Star Trek' alive for so many decades. That kind of genuine connection is rare, and it will be remembered by everyone who came into contact with him.

"My condolences to his family, his friends, and the countless fans whose lives he touched."

George Takei, who portrayed Lt. Hikaru Sulu and co-starred with Koenig on two seasons of "The Original Series" from 1967-69, as well as six subsequent "Star Trek" feature films, offered similar thoughts in memoriam.

"My heart is heavy. Walter Koenig, our Ensign Pavel Chekov, passed away early today," Takei shared on his Instagram page.

"Walter and I met on the bridge of the Enterprise in the 1960s, and we stayed friends for nearly six decades. When Brad and I married in 2008, Walter stood beside us as our best man. Just last month, on Sept. 14, he turned 90, on the same day Brad and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary. I will always treasure that he and I shared that date.

"Walter was more than Chekov. He was a writer, a teacher, a thoughtful man, and a loyal friend. To the fans who loved him for so many years, thank you. He loved you too.

"Rest well, my dear friend. Keep navigating a steady course."

Less than a week after the fates took Walter Koenig from our galaxy, another "Star Trek" legend has left us: Sir Patrick Stewart has died at the age of 86.

According to his spokesperson Kelly Bush Novak, the beloved Shakespearean actor passed away on Wednesday (Oct. 28) at his Los Angeles home after a short struggle with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia.

"He has been held in the warm embrace of family and friends, surrounded by live music, prayer, tears, laughter and the kind of profound emotion that only he could inspire after a lifetime of devotion to us all," Bush Novak shared. "We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace."

The first time I ever saw Patrick Stewart was in director John Boorman’s masterful 1981 King Arthur film, "Excalibur." As a young teenager, I was immediately captivated by his commanding presence and charisma portraying King Leodegrance of Cameliard — Queen Guinevere’s noble father and a cunning warrior.

In 1984, he entered the sci-fi realm in David Lynch's grand and ambitious adaptation of Frank Herbert's "Dune," in which he played Paul Atreides' good friend and mentor, War Master Gurney Halleck.

Stewart was later cast as the U.S.S. Enterprise’s Capt. Jean-Luc Picard in "Star Trek: The Next Generation. He entranced millions of viewers in this role, traveling the final frontier with his gallant crew and redefining the brave and compassionate traits of a Federation starship commander. His adventurous journey on that popular show, a spinoff of "Star Trek: The Original Series," ran from 1987 to 1994, encompassing 178 episodes across seven seasons confronting Klingons, Cardassians, Romulans and The Borg.

When the series ended, Stewart continued on in the Enterprise's center seat by starring in four "Star Trek" feature films: 1994’s "Star Trek: Generations," 1996’s "Star Trek: First Contact," 1998’s "Star Trek: Insurrection," and 2002’s "Star Trek: Nemesis." Stewart also reprised the role of Jean-Luc Picard in three seasons of Paramount+’s "Star Trek: Picard," which ran from 2020 to 2023.

Stewart's prodigious talent was on further display in the hit adaptations of Marvel’s "The X-Men." He played the powerful, wheelchair-bound telepath Professor Charles Xavier in 2000’s "X-Men," 2003’s "X2: X-Men United," 2006’s "X-Men: The Last Stand," 2014’s "X-Men: Days of Future Past," and 2017’s "Logan."

Stewart, and Xavier, were prominently featured in those films. The actor and character also appeared in 2009’s "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" and 2013’s "The Wolverine," and will do so again in "Avengers: Doomsday," which will be released around Christmastime this year.

Aside from the two "Star Trek" and "The X-Men" franchise roles, Stewart had a flourishing career that spanned radio, stage and screen and was always a stellar attraction at any comic-con or other fan event around the world. Another of his many memorable projects was the compelling one-man stage show in which he played all the characters in Charles Dickens' novella "A Christmas Carol," captured on a two-disc CD set that I listen to each holiday season.

Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2010, Sir Patrick Stewart leaves behind a remarkable legacy that brought a rare gravitas and humanity to every performance he was ever involved in, and his passing leaves fans, friends and loved ones with heavy hearts. Here’s to a wonderful life well-lived!

Peacock's "Crystal Lake" takes the story of the Voorhees family back to the beginning.

It's a full-circle moment revisiting Pamela Voorhees (Linda Cardellini), who's the real star of 1980's "Friday the 13th" and the catalyst for all the murder and mayhem. While it's a welcome shake-up to the timeline of the horror franchise, nothing tops the originality of the slasher-in-space spectacle known as "Jason X".

It was 2001, and the "Friday the 13th" franchise had hit a bit of a snag. Audiences had seen Jason Voorhees go everywhere from Crystal Lake to Manhattan and Hell, but where else could this hockey-masked killer go? Screenwriter Todd Farmer had the answer: space.

"Jason X" says the quiet part out loud: Jason (Kane Hodder) can't die. In this movie, we find Jason being held at the Crystal Lake Research Facility in 2010. The head of the facility, Rowan LaFontaine (Lexa Doig), wants to put him in a cryogenic chamber, but the government has other plans for him.

Things go as well as can be expected, with Jason freeing himself and slaughtering military men like they're pancakes at a buffet. Fortunately, Rowan manages to lure Jason into a cryogenic chamber as he stabs her, leaving them both frozen in time.

Fast forward to 2455, when a group of space explorers — led by Professor Brandon Lowe (Jonathan Potts) — discover the research facility and the frozen bodies. They bring Rowan and Jason on board their ship, the Grendel.

While they believe Jason to be dead, they're able to revive Rowan using nanotechnology. As it so happens, Jason isn't dead at all (what a shocker); he was just catching up on some sleep and dreaming about stuffing teens in sleeping bags and whacking them against each other. He rises from his slumber and goes on a killing spree in the spaceship.

It's not the slasher-in-space concept alone that elevates this flick (it's pretty much a running joke that every horror franchise ends up in space eventually). No, it's the brave (and honestly wild) turns that Jason X takes towards the end.

They turn the movie's android KM-14 (played by Lisa Ryder of "Andromeda" fame) into a Rambo-esque action hero in the third act, whereby she annihilates Jason with a combination of hokey martial arts moves and ridiculously overpowered weapons.

Sadly, KM-14 makes a critical mistake: she obliterates the silent but violent killer near the medical station where the nanites reside. Not only does Jason get rebuilt bigger and stronger than before, but he's also now a cyborg with a brand-new metal mask and armor.

Needless to say, "Jason X" fully commits to every eccentric idea and bonkers premise. From the "Kung Pow"-before-"Kung Pow" face-off between KM-14 and Jason to the totally ludicrous and gory kills that border on implausible, this is the "Friday the 13th" movie that you'd dream up after eating too much cheese at midnight.

Most importantly, though, it's never afraid to embrace the shlock and humor that's evidently part of its DNA. "Jason X" is a B-movie through and through, and it waters its roots to grow wilder rather than hide or trim them down.

For instance, when Condor (Steve Lucescu) fights against Jason, he throws a bunch of stiff attacks at Crystal Lake's most famous citizen. However, Jason simply pushes him into a giant drill that's conveniently placed there (where are the health and safety regulations on the Grendel?!).

That isn't even the best part here, because when Elijah Brodski (Peter Mensah) asks the others about Condor's status, he gets met with the sensational line, "He's screwed." How this movie didn't get an Oscar nomination for best screenplay is still a mystery…

It would also be remiss to not mention the greatest kill in "Jason X" — and maybe the "Friday the 13th" franchise as a whole — as Jason freezes Adrienne's (Kristi Angus) head in liquid nitrogen then shatters it against the counter. It's a scene so iconic that even the "MythBusters" became fascinated with this idea and had to try it themselves, though without actual human heads being used, of course.

What "Jason X" represents is a different time in Hollywood, when studios and filmmakers weren't afraid to take outlandish risks with their franchises. Think about it: What else was there left for "Friday the 13th" to do? Let Jason murder more teens who cross his path?

Instead of just repeating the same formula over and over again, these filmmakers decided to think outside of the box and venture into an unexpected direction. Whether you like it or not, you have to appreciate the commitment to trying something new and reinventing the franchise.

When all is said and done, "Crystal Lake" will be remembered as a more cerebral examination of the Voorhees family, but "Jason X" might be seen as the pinnacle of creativity in the series that's never going to be reached again. It's so goofy and silly, but the concept of taking an unkillable killer, chucking him into space, and making him a cyborg deserves a standing ovation.

We're once again left wondering: Why aren't we making horror movies like this anymore?

Want to relive the madness of "Jason X" for Halloween? You can catch it on Philo, and you can watch the new Jason/Friday the 13th prequel "Crystal Lake" on Peacock.

Dune: Part Three's marketing campaign has been a long and generous one, but Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures knew an extra push was needed in order to compete with Avengers: Doomsday, as both sci-fi blockbusters will be releasing next to each other at Christmas. In its final trailer, Denis Villeneuve's threequel goes all out.

This isn't the first time a Dune: Part Three trailer has left us with more questions than answers, but the in-depth look at the character dynamics and plot beats that await will make longtime fans of Frank Herbert's works raise their eyebrows.

Messiah, the second installment in the book series, is a novel of long monologues and very tense conversations. Action has a place in it, but it's a more restrained and quieter book for the most part — one that deals with the consequences of Paul's (now a space dictator) originally well-meaning actions.

Of course, the cinematic medium requires a very different language, especially when the main reason why these movies have become blockbuster hits is that Villeneuve has expertly balanced the drama and large-scale action. So, it comes as no surprise that his take on Messiah is looking to bring Herbert's concluding thoughts on Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) to life without sacrificing the grandeur that defined the first two movies.

More shocking to readers, of course, is Zendaya's (Chani) much larger role in this finale versus the book, where she was slightly sidelined with a more passive part. Paul's lover walking away from him at the end of Part Two was a major departure, and one that set her up for bigger things in the third entry. Considering how good Zendaya has been in the role so far, we consider this a win... unless Villeneuve completely bungles her arc in the final stretch.

Dune: Part Three emerges from the sand of Arrakis on December 18, 2026, only in cinemas.

Matt Dinniman's "Dungeon Crawler Carl" is the hottest science fantasy novel series in the galaxy, and now it's getting a comic book adaptation.

"Dungeon Crawler Carl" follows the exploits of pantless Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s kitty, Princess Donut, as they compete in an intergalactic reality TV show to decide the fate of planet Earth. Carl and Princess Donut must endure a series of traps and challenges set forth by the neurotic, foot-fetishizing System AI.

Dinniman exploded in popularity from a viral self-publishing novelty to a New York Times bestselling phenomenon whose eight books in the "Dungeon Crawler Carl" universe have sold 14 million copies worldwide. There is even an upcoming TV adaptation produced by "Family Guy's" Seth MacFarlane and "Thor: Ragnarok" screenwriter Christopher Yost coming to streaming service Peacock.

Now in a move that seems almost obligatory, "Dungeon Crawler Carl" is leaping into the world of comic books with a newly announced series courtesy of Montana-based Vault Comics. A special double-sized, 48-page debut issue will arrive in January of 2027, with subsequent monthly issues landing in stores and digitally.

"New Achievement! You like 'em floppy! You wanted Carl and Donut every month, you get Carl and Donut every month," states the synopsis. "Reward: An ongoing series with scaled up art! You know what's worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Getting stuck on a sadistic alien game show with her cat!"

Vault's "Dungeon Crawler Carl" project will be an adaptation of the popular DCC webtoon series penned by Tevagah and Dinniman and illustrated by Laurel Pursuit Studios.

Artist Kuzomari will aid in the transition from webtoon to comic book format. Main covers will be crafted by Nathan Gooden ("Barbaric') with variants provided by a roster of artists including Ryan Ottley ("Invincible"), Brett Bean, Frank Cho, Clayton Crain, Yoshi Yoshitani, Katie Cook, Riley Rossmo, Tyler Walpole, Doug Mahnke, Trish Forstner and Luciano Fleitas, who creates the novel covers.

"Entering the comic space is nothing short of amazing," Dinniman stated in an official press release. "The fact that I get to work with some of the greatest creators and artists working today feels like a dream."

Serializing the first two episodes of the webtoon series, "Dungeon Crawler Carl #1" will be released by Vault Comics on Jan. 20, 2027.

The "Star Trek" community lost one of its most beloved icons on Sunday, October 25, with the sad passing of Walter Koenig at the age of 90 in his North Hollywood home.

Koenig was best known as the U.S.S. Enterprise's Russian navigator Pavel Andreievich Chekov for two seasons on "Star Trek: The Original Series." The popular American actor continued in that role for Paramount's first seven "Star Trek" films, which began in 1979's "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" and ended with 1994's "Star Trek: Generations."

A native of Chicago, Illinois, Marvin Walter Koenig was born on Sept. 14, 1936, to Lithuanian immigrant parents and spent his formative years in New York City. After a short college stint at UCLA in California, Koenig was accepted into the prestigious Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre in New York in 1958, joining future stars like James Caan and Christopher Lloyd.

TV guest spots in the early '60s on "Mr. Novak" and "Ben Casey" led Koenig to join the intrepid crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise for Gene Roddenberry’s sophomore series of "Star Trek." He co-starred in 36 of the 50 installments airing on the NBC Network in 1967-68 and 1968-69, premiering in famed sci-fi author Theodore Sturgeon's excellent episode, "Amok Time," broadcast on Sept. 15, 1967.

Although Koenig's Ensign Chekov character was not resurrected for the 1973-74 Saturday morning cartoon spinoff, "Star Trek: The Animated Series," due to budget issues, he did write a screenplay for that show’s first season titled "The Infinite Vulcan."

In 1982's "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan," he was promoted to Commander aboard the U.S.S. Reliant when he and Captain Terrell (Paul Winfield) beamed down to Seti Alpha V and ran into the genetically enhanced Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban).

Following his work in the "Star Trek" movies, Koenig scored an ongoing TV role on creator J. Michael Straczynski's "Babylon 5" starting in 1993, where he portrayed the former Psi Ops commander and war criminal, Alfred Bester, through the 1998 season.

A core member of the original "Star Trek" and its Hollywood features alongside William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, and James Doohan, Koenig was often utilized as comic relief.

His thick accent, where he pronounced his “Vs” as “Ws,” was derived from hearing his Russian-Jewish father's particular manner of speech. Koenig’s undeniable contributions to the legacy of "Star Trek" and the chemistry of its cast cannot be overestimated, and he'll be sorely missed.

His bestselling 1998 autobiography, "Warped Factors: A Neurotic’s Guide to the Universe," was later followed by a detailed memoir titled "Beaming Up and Getting Off," released back in 2020.

Koenig is survived by his sole daughter, screenwriter and actress Danielle Koenig.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's non-canon, but come on; Darth Vader wielding the gleaming Infinity Gauntlet is just an excellent visual. This nerd-baiting image comes to us via the main cover of Marvel Comics' upcoming "Star Wars / Marvel: Hope Assembles #1."

"Star Wars" celebrates its 50th anniversary next year, as does the first "Star Wars #1" comic, and to kick the intergalactic party off early, Marvel will publish the debut issue of this 6-issue miniseries from writer Kevin Smith ("Clerks," "Chasing Amy") and talented artist David Marquez on Jan. 13, 2027.

It's the first-ever crossover between the "Star Wars" and Marvel Universe, and we’ve got a sweet four-page preview recreating the memorable opening scene of the original "Star Wars," where the Rebel Blockade Runner is ensnared in a Star Destroyer tractor beam and boarded by Lord Vader and a squad of stormtroopers. But this time, it's got Marvel superheroes added!

We get to see all those iconic scenes, including Darth Vader’s terrifying entrance, Princess Leia’s bold defiance, and C-3PO and R2-D2’s desperate escape in an entirely new light, as Marvel heroes like Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America rush to the rebellion's defense.

This historic event series will showcase multiple themed variant covers from acclaimed artists such as Alex Ross, David Marquez, Kaare Andrews, Cory Smith, Rafael Albuquerque, Dan Jurgens, Matteo Lolli, and many more.

Check out the four-page preview below:

"One of the most exciting things about this series is seeing familiar moments through an entirely new lens," Editor Mark Paniccia said.

"Kevin Smith and David Marquez understand exactly what makes these characters so enduring, and they find surprising, emotional, and often exhilarating ways to bring them together. Every issue has moments that will leave fans smiling, cheering, and eager to see what happens next."

"Star Wars / Marvel: Hope Assembles #1" lands on Jan. 13, 2027, and is available as both a physical copy from your local comic book shop and as a Kindle e-book download.

"Have you ever seen a portal?"

The term "cult classic" has been loosely bandied about in cinematic circles until its definition has diluted into nothingness, but never has it been more appropriately applied than to director Richard Kelly’s strange psychological sci-fi thriller, "Donnie Darko", which celebrates its milestone 25th birthday today.

Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Mary McDonnell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Patrick Swayze, Jena Malone, and Noah Wyle, "Donnie Darko" was released on Oct. 26, 2001, into an unstable world still shocked by the catastrophic Sept. 11 terrorist attacks less than two months earlier.

The thrust of the narrative revolves around an alternative universe accidentally forming via a supernatural anomaly after a jet engine falls off a commercial airliner and crashes through the roof of a suburban Virginia home, landing in the bedroom of our troubled title character.

As the frightening phantom of Frank the Bunny warns, this parallel reality has a ticking clock that’ll result in its imminent collapse in just 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds.

From the haunting voice telling our heroic teen, "Wake up, Donnie," as the grandfather clock in the Darko residence ominously chimed midnight, to its exploration of the nature of mental illness, time travel paradoxes, fraudulent motivational speakers, teenage angst in the 1980s, and the logistics of interdimensional portals, "Donnie Darko" became an ideal parable for turbulent times.

But Kelly's post-modern sci-fi fantasy emerged on the big screen when there existed a pervading fear of gathering in large groups as America was just beginning to recover and process the atrocities committed on 9/11. Newmarket Films was perplexed on precisely how to market the movie, as it is such a unique combination of genres that forges something far greater than the sum of its parts.

Throughout that entire fall, "Donnie Darko" came and went in multiplexes with barely a whisper, pulling in just over $500K off of a meager $4.5 million budget. Years later, it would become a bona fide word-of-mouth sensation via several re-releases, home video editions, and further experiences in regularly sold-out midnight screenings on its way to earning cult status.

It's a deeply personal film that will affect any viewer who allows its meticulously slow build to seduce them into its dreamlike sphere. Much has been debated and discussed about its many metaphors and symbolism, which employed elements of a splintered universe long before the multiverse was hijacked by Hollywood superhero spectacles. It’s a raw meditation on death more than anything, and its labyrinth of quantum entanglements feeds our existential core.

"I remember pulling over to the side of the road to finish reading Richard's script and being mesmerized," Gyllenhaal told The Guardian. "It was clearly influenced by classic directors—Ron Howard, Steven Spielberg—but with this strange psychosis. It beautifully captured the experience of moving into adulthood: the world that felt so solid becoming movable and liquid. I thought, “This is what my adolescence felt like,” although I don’t speak, and have never spoken to, rabbits."

Kelly was just 23 years old when he penned the "Donnie Darko" screenplay in only 28 days based on his own adolescence growing up in Virginia during the ‘80s. Coincidentally, that is the exact number of days Frank the Bunny declares will mark the end of the world, and it is also the same amount of time taken to complete the Southern California production shoot in 2000.

Layered with ‘80s pop anthems like Echo & the Bunnymen's "The Killing Moon," Tears for Fears' "Head Over Heels," The Church's "Under the Milky Way," and Gary Jules' melancholy cover of Tears for Fears' "Mad World," Kelly's mysterious coming-of-age masterpiece still offers up a lucid nightmare tinged with a touch of consuming dread that lingers long after any screening.

Kelly did release a director's cut in 2004 that adds extra footage and alters the soundtrack, but we recommend the original theatrical cut for the purist’s version of this classic!

Considering today’s political strife, climate change concerns, AI paranoia, pharmaceutical overlords, and alienated youth culture, "Donnie Darko" and its 1988 election year setting still seems to have its finger on the zeitgeist's pulse, continuing to present provocative questions.

This Halloween, check out "Donnie Darko's" mind-warping weirdness on this 25th anniversary occasion and let no one ever question your commitment to Sparkle Motion ever again!

Are you a Star Trek fan about to beam down to a Halloween party? Maybe you want to give Trick or Treat a Trekkie twist? We've got you covered with costumes based on the iconic sci-fi franchise, from the original series through to Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Discovery and beyond.

Adult costumes aside, we've also included outfits for younger Star Trek fans and props to round out your outfit. You needn't put them away when Halloween is over, either. Star Trek costumes are so universally recognized you can use them for cosplay purposes too, or the next time someone throws a Trek-themed party.

Or, if you're not a fan of Star Trek, check out our round-up of the best space and sci-fi themed Halloween costumes.

On Episode 233 of This Week In Space, Tariq Malik and guest host Rick Jenet are joined by Dr. Amanda Smith-Hackler, the Director of Education for the Universities Space Research Association and Principal Investigator for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Scholars and STEM Workforce Development Programs, about the new and exciting opportunities available to young people seeking to enter the space workforce.

Newspace is hiring! With the major powers heading to the moon, low-Earth orbit becoming busier than ever, and countless new companies entering the space marketplace, the hiring pipeline is more critical than ever.

Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.

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Space news of the week

• Watch NASA's update on accelerating Artemis moon plans today
• After Starshield interruption, Ukraine wants to build its own satellite communication network with ICEYE and Nokia
• Van Gogh's 'The Starry Night' depicts the sky on July 22, 1889, researchers find
• The Air Force Research Laboratory Scholas Program

Model Falcon 9!

Finally, did you know you can launch your own SpaceX rocket? Model rocket maker Estes' stunning scale model of a Falcon 9 rocket that you can pick up now. The launchable model is a detailed recreation of the Falcon 9 and retails for $149.99. You can save 10% by using the code IN-COLLECTSPACE at checkout, courtesy of our partners collectSPACE.com.

About This Week In Space

This Week in Space covers the new space age. Every Friday we take a deep dive into a fascinating topic. What's happening with the new race to the moon and other planets? When will SpaceX really send people to Mars?

Join Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik from Space.com as they tackle those questions and more each week on Friday afternoons. You can subscribe today on your favorite podcatcher.

It didn’t take long for fans to figure out that the fourth season of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" was going to be unlike any season of "Star Trek" before it. The entire season was one giant gimmick, and that gimmick was shoving "Trek" into as many genres as possible and often directly adapting classic films from those genres.

You could argue that an entire season of gimmick episodes is a bold risk: putting the characters in fun, wacky situations to see how they react. It could be interesting, but the season we got never made the most of the concept. It was all so safe and paint-by-numbers, and, most importantly, it didn't have anything profound or interesting to say.

That should trouble any Trekkie. "Star Trek" — a show built on progressive ideals, thoughtful characters, and boundary-breaking television — was completely and totally afraid to say anything at all.

Mash it up, Scotty

To be clear, "Star Trek" is no stranger to genre mashups, and they're not inherently a bad thing. Trek has been running for nearly 1,000 total episodes, and they've been doing mashups since the very first season of "Star Trek: The Original Series", which featured gangster, historical fiction, and war-themed episodes.

The holodeck took things further, giving the writers an excuse to set the action anywhere they could dream up. No more alien planets that look suspiciously like Earth were necessary to completely flip the series’ genre; just work up a hologram malfunction and suddenly "Trek" is a Sherlock Holmes-esque mystery or a noir thriller. And even without the holodeck, genres are fluid things that often take from each other to tell stories within each other’s realms.

But while "Trek" has always dabbled, it's never done an entire season of genre episodes… in fact, that might be unprecedented in all of science fiction TV itself, let alone "Star Trek". This season of "SNW" didn’t use occasional gimmicks to take a break from space fare; it was all gimmick, all the time.

Check out the episode rundown below:

• Episode 1: Dinosaur adventure/western (Land of the Lost)
• Episode 2: Space horror (Event Horizon)
• Episode 3: Raunchy comedy (The Hangover)
• Episode 4: Wartime drama (Casablanca)*
• Episode 5: Puppets (The Muppets)
• Episode 6: Disaster movie/real-time story (The Poseidon Adventure)
• Episode 7: Soap opera (Days of Our Lives)
• Episode 8: Cold War film/submarine movie (The Hunt for Red October)
• Episode 9: Fairytale fantasy (Anything with a dragon)
• Episode 10: Star Trek (Yes, this episode was basically SNW mashing up with TOS, and we're counting that).

* Some of you are screaming that Episode 4 was a noir. It was not. Not everything in black and white with fedoras is noir.

"Strange New Worlds" season 4 was genre-blending at scale. This wasn’t a hint of another genre influencing the episode; it was full-blown immersion into each and every one.

In the past, when other genres have come into "Trek", the series still felt tonally consistent; the characters never bent to the will of the genre, and its direction stayed the same. That was not true of this season. Characters, directorial style, and tone all bent to the will of the selected genre instead of fitting into the already established universe. There were multiple episodes this season that felt nothing like a "Star Trek" episode.

Also — and I may be in the minority here — there were only two episodes this season that I’d argue were executed well (Episode 6 and Episode 8), meaning that the relentless gimmicks paraded out each week felt not just detrimental to the show itself, but they weren’t much fun to watch either.

To go where everyone has gone before

The real question that crops up from this season is why they did it at all. If you listen to the show’s producers, it’s because they love "Trek" so much and they thought it would help move the characters along.

"I really do respect and hear the criticism that: 'When you have 10 episodes [per season], should they be more homogeneous?’”, co-showrunner and executive producer Akiva Goldsman told TV Line when addressing the criticisms for the season. “For us, the answer was no, because the original series always jumped around in genre … Part of what 'Star Trek' did well was use genre for storytelling, and that was what we wanted to explore in this series.”

He is, of course, absolutely correct; that is exactly what "Trek" has traditionally used genre episodes for. When "The Original Series" went to the Nazi planet, it was one of the first and earliest examples of directly confronting fascism and Nazism on American television. When the show played with Greek gods, it took the moment to have a groundbreaking interracial kiss. Even when it went broad comedy in “The Trouble with Tribbles,” it at least kept its characters consistent and its universe coherent.

For the most part, that practice continued throughout classic "Trek" and even into the modern era, with genre being used to aid storytelling, not overwhelm it.

Season 4 of "Strange New Worlds" does none of this. It isn’t using genre as elevation; it’s using it as a distraction: a shiny gloss over a collection of episodes too afraid to say anything that will get the series accused of being “woke” or progressive. Later in the interview, Goldman claims that they can’t please everyone, but that seems like exactly what they were trying to do this season-- resulting, of course, in pleasing no one.

This season is running scared from the current moment, and it’s doing so by hiding behind gimmicks. Any previous series of "Trek" (or any great science fiction) would be tackling subjects such as immigration, fascism, war, or any other societal issue that is overwhelming us right now, but "SNW" is doing none of that, instead presenting farcical genre fare

Fear exists for one purpose; to be conquered

It’s hard not to draw a direct line from this approach to the purchase of Paramount by Skydance last year and the company’s new leadership, who are more than cozy with President Donald Trump. There seems to be little other reason that a franchise and series that were being bashed for being “too woke” and overly progressive would veer so hard into gimmickry that barely hides the hollow shell this show has become.

Rewatching the first three seasons of "SNW" shows how hard a turn this series has taken since the re-election of Trump and the steady march of companies trying to kowtow to a government that wants to squash progressive ideology.

The show has gone from telling powerful stories for both its characters and society to a series of running gags that do little more than slap the Federation delta onto people’s chests so people think it's still "Star Trek".

It isn’t. This season of nothingness is exactly what you get when you ask "Trek" not to push boundaries, not to be hopeful, not to be bold, and not to progress forward. When a show founded on speaking out and saying something spends an entire season running away from doing just that, it’s not just a condemnation of the show itself; it’s a condemnation of the creative process behind it.

The real issue with this season isn’t the attempt to play in genre for ten episodes straight; it’s that the reason they did it was fear, not hope.

Halo: Campaign Evolved was Xbox’s second attempt at refreshing the 2001 sci-fi FPS classic, and it is perfectly fine. A cromulent remake, if ever there was one, but it’s hardly a franchise-saver, especially as Xbox looks to rethink its studio structure and approach to renowned IPs like Halo or Gears of War.

Halo hasn’t been the same since original developer Bungie — now owned by Sony and working on Destiny and Marathon — departed, leaving 343 Industries (now Halo Studios) to guide the franchise.

Neither Halo 4 nor 5 meaningfully evolved the gameplay formula or overarching narrative. Halo Infinite found more success by reheating what “old Halo felt like” and sticking it into a half-baked open world, but it still felt far from the series’ glory days.

This year’s full remake of Combat Evolved's campaign delivered exactly what it promised: a shiny, 2026 version of the game that made audiences fall in love with the franchise. It was a clear attempt to reignite faith in 343’s vision, but how is a faithful, shinier remake proof of anything?

It might not even matter anymore, as the new Xbox leadership has rocked the ship again, leaving Master Chief and the universe’s future cloudier than ever before. Now, with rumors of a reboot being considered at new steward Activision, is there hope for the Spartans, or will Xbox run into another dead end?

Rebooted or not, Halo needs to leave Master Chief behind

It looks like the ‘Halo Studios’ moniker only lasted a single (remade) game, as Xbox has recently announced that Call of Duty maker and publisher Activision — which houses many FPS-oriented studios — is taking over development, essentially leaving the 343 veterans as a minor support studio, which translates into more layoffs.

If we put aside the human and institutional cost of this whole back-and-forth over the years (a big ask in today’s climate), there are reasons to be optimistic about the quality of an Activision-developed Halo. Regardless of what you think about the Call of Duty IP in 2026 and the publisher’s overall vision for it, it’s clear there’s plenty of talent holding everything together and, more importantly, enough experience to iterate on what Halo’s multiplayer side needs to shine bright again.

But this won’t fix the larger issue with Halo, which is that Master Chief should’ve been left behind long ago. Like it or not, it’s difficult to deny Halo’s “golden era” ended with Halo: Reach (Bungie’s swansong under Xbox) and the Halo Wars spinoffs, which took the series into the real-time strategy genre. These games were wildly different, but they had one core thing in common: they made the sci-fi setting feel bigger instead of smaller, offering the perfect blueprint to build upon in a post-Halo 3 world.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with the Master Chief. Franchises can be built around iconic characters like Mario or Lara Croft. But in the post-Bungie era, his role changed from an extremely competent Spartan soldier to a space messiah. Halo 4, 5, and Infinite used sci-fi nonsense to transform him into this larger-than-life figure, rendering the rest of the UNSC largely powerless in the process.

It’s the same mistake ID Software made with Doomguy, centering the story on how super special he is, and not on the world he inhabits. Now rumours are rumbling that Activision’s reboot might focus on Chief’s origins; that's the last thing Halo needs.

Are Halo 2 and 3 remakes happening?

Forgetting Activision’s next Halo for a second, we were teased with (even if there wasn’t an official confirmation from Xbox) at least a Halo 2 remake via Halo: Campaign Evolved’s alternative ending.

Back in May 2026, renowned insider Rebs Gaming confidently reported that Halo 2 and 3 remakes were in development. But can fans realistically expect them after new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma’s latest shakeup?

Halo Studios could have done a "fine" job with safe remakes of the two original Halo sequels while Activision handles new projects. It’s hard to reject that approach, especially after Xbox finding success with Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered and confirming two Fallout remasters are in the works. It seems like money waiting to be made, but the remakes could be cooked too.

Xbox and 343/Halo Studios have made plenty of mistakes with Halo, but the killer has always been their lack of conviction in their ideas. And look, nostalgia shouldn’t be the driving force behind a franchise in dire need of reinvention, but I’m far more annoyed by the creative rollbacks, flip-flopping, and now the loss of knowledge and talent accompanying the gutting of Halo Studios.

Xbox Live Action

We haven’t even touched on the mess that was the live-action Halo show. It lasted only two seasons, had John-117 walking around outside the Mjolnir armor for most of its runtime, and was cancelled just as the story finally got to the titular Halo. Why would you stray so far from the source material, and how do you miss the mark so badly?

In many ways, it perfectly encapsulated what’s been wrong with Halo as a whole for so many years. The powers that be can’t decide what they really want from it, and thus it’s stuck, unable to leave the past behind or convincingly establish a new horizon for itself. Other franchises have run into the same issues — looking at you, Star Wars — but Halo has been stuck in this purgatory for 15+ years, as Xbox leaders and strategy shifts come and go.

Could Xbox’s newly-formed XP division deliver the focused big-screen adaptation the series has always deserved? I’m sure that’s the plan, but even a cursory glance back at Xbox’s handling of the franchise for the past decade or so says no.

Halo’s deep problems won’t be fixed overnight, and throwing a bunch of hard-working developers to the curb certainly won’t help. Halo’s current struggles didn’t come from Halo Studios or 343 Industries; they came from impatient and incompetent leadership calling the property-defining shots. I’ve seen nothing to suggest that’s changed.

The writing was on the wall, but the news still hit us like a truck yesterday. BioWare, the iconic RPG studio behind the Mass Effect and Dragon Age series, is no more. Development on the next Mass Effect has stopped, but EA might not be entirely done with the IP.

Variety reported, backed by EA’s own statement and BioWare’s goodbye on socials, that EA is laying off 3% of its global workforce and closing down BioWare. The shift comes shortly after the company went fully private this summer, with Saudi Arabia and private equity acquiring it alongside all its studios and properties.

A new Mass Effect game — meant to serve as a follow-up to the original trilogy — had been in development since the early 2020s, though progress was slow following severe downsizing after 2024’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard failed to meet EA’s expectations. According to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, only around 50 staff remained at the studio, which would’ve needed to go on a hiring spree to complete development of the massive sci-fi RPG.

The first post-shutdown shocker arrived a bit later, with IGN exclusively revealing that Mass Effect isn't entirely dead, as the upcoming live-action TV show based on Mass Effect is still moving forward at Prime Video.

The series started active development at Amazon in late 2024, but it has yet to reach production status. Little is known about the story, but rumors point to it aiming to bridge the gap between the original trilogy and the now-cancelled new game. Despite closing the studio that created it, EA still owns the Mass Effect property.

Variety’s report, which includes more comments from EA’s top brass about the present and future of the publisher, also contains updates on Marvel’s Iron Man (developed at Motive) and Star Wars Jedi 3 (Respawn Entertainment). Both are still coming, and the more surprising news comes in the shape of DICE and Respawn teaming up for a totally new project, believed to be Star Wars Battlefront 3 after days of strong rumors from a number of reputable sources.

Elsewhere, ex-BioWare developers have teamed up at new studios like Archetype and Arcanaut. The former is preparing to ship Mass Effect-inspired action RPG Exodus in 2027, and the latter recently started work on Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, with original Knights of the Old Republic (and Mass Effect) director Casey Hudson behind the wheel.

Here’s hoping both studios, as well as the recently laid-off developers, can find success in an increasingly hostile industry.

Few names in the science fiction literary world carry as much weight and respect as author Alan Dean Foster. His award-winning 55-year career as a grandmaster of the genre continues with his latest novel from Blackstone Publishing, "Lost on Paradise," and we have an exclusive excerpt to share with our readers ahead of its release this week.

Foster famously ghost-wrote the first "Star Wars" novelization for George Lucas in 1976 and "Splinter of the Mind’s Eye" in 1978, which was intended to be a low-budget "Star Wars" sequel should the space opera not become a hit. He’s been a mainstay for go-to fantastic adventures featuring engaging characters, dynamic plotlines, and imaginative worlds for six decades.

In addition to crafting the screen story for "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," Foster also wrote the novelizations for the first three "Alien" films, Disney's "The Black Hole," John Carpenter's "The Thing," "The Last Starfighter," "Star Trek," "Transformers," "Terminator: Salvation", and many more.

The near-future, off-world escapades of "Lost On Paradise" are the latest addition to Foster’s acclaimed bounty of bestselling standalone novels and series, including the popular "Spellsinger" series.

"Earth is crowded, polluted, and dismal," states the novel's synopsis. "Like millions of others, Jonos and Liina scrape by on her poorly paying job and what little money he gets selling items scavenged from rich people’s trash. Like millions of others, Jonos and Liina dream of Paradise.

"Paradise: a beautiful, clean, verdant world where three races live in harmony—at least, according to the videos sent back to Earth. There are the Eiquan, masters of astonishing technology; the Lusanata, hunters and farmers; and humans, who may be restricted to a few scattered settlements, but still live a life ten times better than those on Earth.

"On the run after a criminal act, Jonos and Liina finally escape to Paradise. It's everything they hoped for. Until tragedy strikes."

The genesis of Foster's "Lost on Paradise" is something that’s been percolating in his fertile mind for many years.

"I had this notion of a planet called Paradise where everything is perfect, and everything on Earth is seriously messed up," Foster tells Space. "There’s this couple who have problems; they’re poor like everybody else.

"And you have a unique male protagonist because he recognizes that his female partner is smarter than him, so she’s the brains of the outfit, and he supplies the muscle. Although he's not stupid. Too often you get a big, hulking guy with no brains. But she has a potentially fatal disease, and they’re trying to get away like a lot of poor people in the world today. So here's a place called Paradise. How do you get there? It’s expensive and difficult. And what happens if they do? Maybe Paradise isn’t always Paradise."

In crafting a deteriorating New York some 150 years or so down the calendar, it was important to stay sharp regarding developments that pop up in the news to avoid any internal logic conflicts.

"You just don’t want to get caught out by a scientific development that you postulate is near future when it's actually contemporary," explains Foster. "So I was very careful with that. But as you’re building out an alien environment and one that’s supposed to be perfect and beautiful, and then there’s maybe some things about it that aren’t, what do you introduce to show that?

"You don’t want to contradict yourself when you’re worldbuilding. That's a large problem that’s unfortunately common in science fiction," notes Foster. "Where somebody is breathing air, and suddenly they’re breathing methane, and it just doesn’t work. There’s a lot of different variables that come together that prove that Paradise is Paradise in some ways and not in others. A good example would be when the first Europeans reached Tahiti. The problem was that the people who entered this Paradise brought venereal disease and smallpox, to which the Polynesians had no resistance. So it's Paradise until you get there, and then maybe you mess it up."

Now enjoy our exclusive chapter excerpt from Alan Dean Foster’s "Lost On Paradise." Published by Blackstone Publishing.

Why shouldn’t a man and a woman in his and Liina’s position try to get to Paradise? Jonos mused as he treaded his way homeward. Though morning continued its ascent, the sun did not. Or so it seemed, when the omnipresent pollution often rendered day as dark as night. The gloom was useful for masking scavenging activities and for concealing one’s identity. It was less suitable for more plebian activities such as breathing and eating. Or living. Life on Earth sucked.

But on Paradise…

To emigrant humans it went without saying that Paradise was aptly named. Everyone had heard the stories. On Paradise a person could breathe freely. Without a mask, without fear of needing lung implants, without having to worry about inhaling a soupçon of strychnine or similar industrial pollutants. On Paradise food was plentiful and fresh, water devoid of contaminants. There was work, too, for anyone willing to adapt to entirely new surroundings, for those willing to acknowledge the much-talked-about overlordship of the dominant species. For arrivals willing to submit to the experimental, ever-evolving social structure, and to the limitations that were placed on newcomers, the technologically superior Eiquans professed an indifference that amounted to a willing welcome.

Or so the compendium of hugely diverse anecdotes insisted. That’s all they were, Jonos knew. Stories and speculation, rumors and conjecture. Ignoring the spotty rain that had begun to fall, he turned a corner and nearly ran over a couple who scrambled to get out of his way. The man he had accidentally jostled started to say something, quickly realized the size of the individual he was about to chastise, and mumbled on his way, dragging a woman—likely his wife—with him. Jonos paid them no mind. Half of him was engaged in navigating his way home, the other half in dreaming of what Paradise might actually be like.

In truth, he had never met anyone who had actually been to Paradise. He had never met anyone who knew anyone who had been to Paradise. That did not make the distant world any less real. The media periodically released vits and images of the place. These showed an Earth-like planet swathed in an atmosphere perfectly suitable for humans. The indigenous wildlife was fascinating, the few but thriving, improvised communities intriguing, and the rarely seen Eiquans themselves tall, gracile, and sophisticated. So what if they weren’t humanoid? They were bisymmetrical, anyway, highly intelligent, and by all accounts no worse than indifferent to the interests of other species. So beautiful and graceful was their slender physicality, so mellifluous their speech, that even though they were quite alien the idea of living among them held no fear for Jonos.

Anything, he knew, would be a step up from Earth.

Taschen, purveyors of fine art and design special-edition books, have teamed up with George Lucas and his newly opened Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles to present a masterful two-volume catalog of the museum’s illuminating offerings.

Housed in a sturdy slipcase, readers will discover a pair of lavishly illustrated volumes spanning 832 pages and tipping the scales at nearly 14 pounds. At $200 for the pair, it's not cheap, but look on the bright side; hoisting these illustrated tomes will save you a subscription to your local gym!

This immersive collection documents in great detail the astounding scope of rare items on display in Lucas’s treasury of paintings, murals, photographs, sculptures, posters, comic strips, illustrations, costumes, and magazine covers that have spurred humankind’s imagination.

We'd absolutely recommend checking out the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in person if you can.

Our own Chelsea Gohd visited the Los Angeles-based museum ahead of its opening in September 2026 and adored it. But if you're not a California local, getting lost in this collection's glossy pages is the next best thing to roaming the museum exhibitions on a rainy afternoon.

Far beyond a mere companion to the marvels inside the fantastic spaceship-shaped building poised near the University of Southern California campus — the same institution where Lucas attended film school in the late 1960s — these bold editions are an adventure in their own right.

Waiting to be absorbed is an impressive assortment of storytelling expression that showcases beautiful works by everyone from Maxfield Parrish, N.C. Wyeth, and Norman Rockwell to Frank Frazetta, Jack Kirby, and Ralph McQuarrie. Lucas and his wife, Mellody Hobson, curated the museum’s contents that represent decades of collecting narrative art in all of its forms.

Our friends at Taschen were gracious enough to send us one of these Lucas Museum of Narrative Art special editions, and in unboxing this magnificent pair of books, one can feel the quality in the deluxe binding and thick covers. Inside you’ll find an eye-popping array of full-color photography and sharp descriptions for hundreds of artworks, all hand-picked by Lucas and Hobson.

Lucas himself delivers the preface, which is titled "The Art of Story," where he professes his love of art, myth, anthropology, illustrators, and cinema. He recalls when he came to meet his mentor, Professor Joseph Campbell, and how he amassed 40,000 pieces of art beginning when he was a student at USC.

The great director Guillermo del Toro provides a heartfelt foreword praising the importance of the museum and these prestigious companion volumes depicting a multitude of visual wonders.

Between the duo of volumes, sections are divided into chapters dealing with topics such as history, children's stories, the American West, everyday life, romance and adventure, photography, science fiction and fantasy, and, of course, Star Wars in Motion.

They take you on an overwhelming journey through the gallery’s incredibly diverse holdings, not least of which are archival items and concept art chronicling Lucas's involvement in the galaxy far, far away.

This remarkable "Star Wars" section will be of particular interest to sci-fi aficionados, as it contains 100 pages of original props, paintings, concept artwork, costumes, models, and digital renderings created by some of Lucasfilm and Industrial Light and Magic’s best and brightest talents.

Taken with the rest of the 832 combined pages of Taschen's ambitious release that fully captures the dizzying breadth of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, it's a brilliant keepsake to spark your soul and imagination.

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art two-book collection is available now via Taschen's website and Amazon.

Cue the depressing rain, dark trench coats, and a dire dystopian dirge because the Blade Runner 2099 trailer is here!

Cyberpunk is charging back in confident fashion with Prime Video's latest detour into the neon-drenched dystopia of humans and rogue replicants first introduced in director Sir Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner" from 1982, then revisited in Denis Villeneuve's "Blade Runner 2049."

Arriving Nov. 25, 2026, "Blade Runner 2099"'s plot turns the tables as resentful artificial beings are now the ones running the show and hunting down Earth’s humans after a successful uprising against their original makers.

This newest atmospheric trailer was unveiled at last week’s New York Comic-Con and has us totally jacked to re-immerse ourselves in that noirish futuristic realm.

Check it out below:

It’s executive produced by showrunner Silka Louisa ("Shining Girls”) and stars Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh ("Everything Everywhere All at Once") as Olwen, playing a fading replicant Blade Runner who joins forces with Hunter Schafer’s ("Euphoria") Cora, a pure human on the run attempting to evade a squad of exterminating Blade Runners while examining their existential natures.

But aside from the dazzling visuals of the City of Angels at the gates of the 22nd century, fans will also be strapping in for some cool outer space action, as evidenced by fresh footage delivering some arresting scenes of space travel, off-world planets, and Yeoh in a bizarre helmet.

"Blade Runner 2099"'s cast includes Dimitri Abold ("The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes") and Lewis Gribben ("Somewhere Boy”) alongside Katelyn Rose Downey ("The Nun II"), Daniel Rigby ('Renegade Nell"), Johnny Harris ("A Gentleman in Moscow"), Amy Lennox ("Only Child"), Sheila Atim ("The Woman King") and Matthew Needham ("House of the Dragon”).

Launching with an 8-episode debut season and executive produced by Scott Free Productions, "Blade Runner 2099" and its new world order lands on Prime Video on Nov. 25, 2026.

Millennials get a lot of flak for being overly nostalgic, but I don't think that's fair. When the modern-day world has nothing to offer us but AI slop, shrinkflation and a sad acceptance that we can't be bothered to do anything about global warming. It's easy to see why we yearn for the days of Pogs, the Backstreet Boys, and Saved by the Bell.

One area that we definitely had it good in the 90s was sci-fi, when legendary shows like Star Trek: The Next Generation, Stargate SG-1, and — of course — The X-Files ruled our TV screens long before the age of streaming services. You can relive those glory days of alien conspiracies, spooky happenings and cell phones the size of a brick with the Lego Ideas The X-Files set.

This 1478 piece set is essentially two dioramas crammed into a single display piece. The top of the model depicts a spinning UFO floating above one of those iconic coniferous forests that dominated 90s sci-fi. Why? Because — thanks to some generous tax credits — it was cheaper to shoot in Vancouver, so that's where they all flocked.

Beneath the woodland scene, though, is the real star of the show: Mulder's office, squirrelled away in the basement of the FBI's J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, D.C. This dingy little office is where Scully meets "Spooky Mulder", kicking off a glorious sci-fi odyssey that would last for eleven seasons (and two movies).

Mulder's dingy little base of operations has been stunningly recreated here, with both overt references and subtle nods that X-Files fans will appreciate. The iconic "I want to believe" poster adorns the wall, alongside photographs of crop circles and a newspaper clipping from a paper called "The Lone Brickman" — a nice nod to "The Lone Gunmen". There's even an actual X-File sitting on the desk, and a cute Lego spoof of the "Face on Mars", with a photo on the wall that shows a Lego head on the moon.

It's been a hot minute since I watched The X-Files (that DVD box set beside my TV is calling to me), but even so, I had a blast building my way down memory lane, remembering episodes as I assembled the diorama. I love the little touches, like the display cabinets filled with artifacts, the VHS tapes scattered around the office and the black oil spillage on the floor.

As with most Lego sets, the minifigures are half the joy. You get Mulder and Scully, obviously, with the dynamic duo of FBI agents both rocking flashlights (no smartphones with built-in lights back in the 90s). Mulder is wearing dark blue, while Scully is rocking an orangey brown suit, with both of them sporting an FBI badge.

Outside of the principal pair, you also get Skinner, Mr X, and the Cigarette Smoking Man. Mulder's partner-turned-nemesis Alex Krycek also gets a suitably devious-looking minifig. It's the gloves, they just make him look like a bad man (which, to be fair, he is). Finally, to ramp up the paranormal scale, we also get a pair of monster minifigs: a grey alien and Flukeman minifigures. The grey alien was a must-have, especially given the UFO floating atop this display piece, but the one-off monster of the week, Flukeman, felt like a weird choice.

Also, this John Doggett erasure will not stand. Sure, he could never replace Mulder, but Robert Patrick's seasons eight and nine run was excellent and he deserved a spot here.

And while I'm voicing minor gripes, the usual Lego FOMO tricks were in force with this set; if you pre-ordered, you got an exclusive gift set — Scully's Lab — free of charge. This extra little diorama isn't necessary, but it does feel like the collection is incomplete without it and it's not for sale separately, so you'll have to try your luck with eBay scalpers if you want it.

Speaking of Scully, Gillian Anderson has stated that after season 11 wrapped in 2018, she was done with the role. That wasn't entirely accurate, though, as she donned the lab gloves one more time for the Lego X-Files set advert. It's a short bit of fan service, but a nice touch, and, once again, it sparks those 90s neurons.

All these delicious Member Berries come at a price, though, and that's the price. This blast from the past will set you back $199 (£179 in the UK). That's no small chunk of change. But then again, anyone who wants this set is in their thirties or forties and can probably afford that outlay for the nostalgia trip. And look at it this way: when The X-Files debuted back in 1993, the price would only have been about $86.

I had a great time building the Lego X-Files set and if you're a fan of the series, you will too. Nostalgia often feels like a cheat code to our hearts, but there's nothing wrong with that. We deserve to remember the good times and the truth is that The X-Files was about as good as it ever got for sci-fi fans.

You can buy the Lego X-Files set now, available for $199/£179 from the Lego store.

On Episode 232 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik are joined by Chelsea Gohd, former writer for NASA/JPL and now with Space.com, to talk about the recent large data dump from the Artemis II mission.

What was included? Why is this new data important? What observations were made, and what discoveries might result from them? What kind of annotations and notes did the astronauts include that make these observations uniquely valuable?

And finally, we talk about Artemis III - what is the mission profile and what are the stakes for SpaceX and Blue Origin?

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Space news of the week

• SpaceX wants to launch Starship more than 450 times per year from South Texas
• The 1st SpaceX Starship to survive a launch to space just came home to its launch site
• SpaceX thrusters just made a Tesla Roadster 'fly' (and Elon Musk's car is still out there in space)
• Astronomers discover the 1st ever green star, a cosmic zombie just in time for Halloween
• NASA dumped over 800GB of Artemis II data online
• Artemis 2 astronauts fly around the moon in record-breaking lunar loop by NASA
• NASA Releases Artemis II Lunar Science Data, Images
• Artemis II: Sights & Sounds of Science
• Artemis II Crew Saw Impact Flashes on the Far Side of the Moon
• NASA to Discuss Artemis Acceleration, Status of Upcoming Moon Missions
• Prada and Axiom just revealed the stylish cooling suit Artemis astronauts will wear under their spacesuits on the moon

Model Falcon 9!

Finally, did you know you can launch your own SpaceX rocket? Model rocket maker Estes' stunning scale model of a Falcon 9 rocket that you can pick up now. The launchable model is a detailed recreation of the Falcon 9 and retails for $149.99. You can save 10% by using the code IN-COLLECTSPACE at checkout, courtesy of our partners collectSPACE.com.

About This Week In Space

This Week in Space covers the new space age. Every Friday we take a deep dive into a fascinating topic. What's happening with the new race to the moon and other planets? When will SpaceX really send people to Mars?

Join Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik from Space.com as they tackle those questions and more each week on Friday afternoons. You can subscribe today on your favorite podcatcher.

HBO and HBO Max's "Lanterns" served up its big cliffhanger finale on Oct. 4, 2026, and we’ve been slowly digesting thoughts on what the creative direction and ultimate legacy of this debut season were.

While by no means a perfect experiment in trying to shake up the aging superhero genre, there are enough worthy elements to consider this sci-fi mystery show an evolutionary step towards the next generation of comic-based storytelling.

After the emerald-tinted dust has settled, there are many lingering questions about where this acclaimed series from creators Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King might be headed and where the twists and turns might lead for a sophomore season should it be greenlit (get it?) for a triumphant return.

Warning: Major Spoilers For "Lanterns" Season 1 Ahead!

One of "Lanterns"' standout achievements is revealing the true costs of superheroism by deconstructing its DNA and examining the ugly guts of it all.

It dives into the fear, trauma, and seduction that drive humans to take up the serious business of protecting the universe and doling out justice against both Earth-bound evil and intergalactic threats. "Lanterns" also explores mental health issues and PTSD that are the inevitable byproducts of a life of unimaginable violence. The compelling series achieves a provocative dissection of it all with rare confidence without the overindulgence of distracting CGI tossed in for sheer spectacle.

It might not have been exactly the Green Lantern TV series fans wanted, but it was the show we got, and kinda the show we needed. Sure, for a series about a noble order of intergalactic space cops, we were treated to very little cosmic action, and instead we're given a grounded slow-burn police procedural à la "True Detective."

As I said before, it's not perfect, but we shouldn’t dismiss "Lanterns" for its mild shortcomings when it gets so much right. We're willing a second season into existence, and with an average of 20 million global viewers and solid reviews, HBO/HBO Max would be very wise to bring it back.

Whether a second season shifts into the heavens to rocket off on an outer space trajectory for a follow-up season is yet to be seen. For now, though, the Lanterns season one finale has left us with plenty of questions to ponder.

Is Hal Jordan really dead?

"Lanterns"' season finale revealed that Kerry, in an unhinged moment of maternal panic trying to protect her mutant son, Noah, had put a bullet in Hal's head. RIP to the original Green Lantern... or is it?

Kyle Chandler was a fantastic choice to play Hal Jordan, and he brought a charismatic gravitas and twisted sense of humor to the storied comic character. His sudden death in Rushville, frozen in the bleachers of the high school football stadium, certainly looked final, but this is the wild topsy-turvy universe of superheroes, so anything is possible.

And don’t forget that the newly-freed Thaal Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) told the AI “Halogram” and Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart on Antaan's dead planet that the magical green ring could be used to restore Hal’s life. But Sinestro is a sly, slippery foe and is never to be trusted!

Online speculation has proposed that Hal Jordan might be revived and enter the series as Parallax, the living embodiment of fear, but that’s not likely according to the series creators. What’s more probable is that we either see Chandler's Hal Jordan revived, or he'll just turn up in occasional flashbacks or Halogram pop-in scenes.

John Stewart goes rogue?

With his unsanctioned lantern battery now in hand to power his ring, Stewart has become an independent contractor protecting Earth for Guy Gardner’s (Nathan Fillion) Sector 2814.

Fortified with the Sinestro-forged yellow charging unit deemed illegal by the Guardians and the broader members of the Green Lantern Corps., this unattached Lantern is now free to make sure Noah doesn’t turn to the dark side and lean into his evil Manhunter programming.

Will Stewart be seduced into the path of corruption by using Sinestro’s emotionally tainted battery, or steel himself against ill influences and continue to blaze his own trail as Earth's sole protector for the time being?

As a gold-toothed Gardner tells Stewart, "When I take this bull**** up back to Oa, they’re gonna send an army to put you down." This sounds like the perfect setup for an eventful "Lanterns" season 2 where the Lantern Corps come to take Jordan in, dead or alive. It’ll be interesting to see which of the infamous space cops they eventually send. This ain't over!

Noah Macon the Manhunter

Sheriff Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald) and the dorky Billy Macon’s (Jason Ritter) immaculately conceived son, Noah, is outed as a Human-Manhunter hybrid that came into being after Kerry’s initial encounter with Manhunter Zoe years ago.

He might be one helluva gunslinging high school quarterback now, but that pales in comparison to what he could become using his frightful shapeshifting Manhunter genes inherited from his grandmother.

With his new Nebraska collegiate ball cap and now headed off to university, the sleeper agent has some vital decisions to make way beyond declaring a major. His desire will be to wipe out the Green Lanterns and the Guardians, but Earthly domination might come first unless he pledges to subdue his instincts and lead a normal life. And is Noah really the last Manhunter, or are there legions more ready to activate?

Sinestro's fate?

Spazkaban (or Space Azkaban), the notorious cosmic penitentiary controlled by the Guardians, lost one of its most lethal inhabitants in the crimson-skinned Sinestro when Noah (Shea Pritchard), the nascent Manhunter, broke him out of jail to craft him a yellow fear-based lantern.

This persuasive villain was last seen wrapped in chains in the season finale, "Dirt and Stars," being dunked in the waters of madness by Stewart on the poison planet after a portal hop, before trying to coerce Halogram to deliver the prized ring for Jordan's resurrection.

Avid comic fans know Sinestro once commanded his own intergalactic corp that fed upon the addictive yellow glare of fear instead of the emerald light’s will-imposed power.

Will he unite with Noah to take down the manipulative Guardians of the Universe and their legion of space-bound enforcers, the Green Lanterns? Will Noah break bad or go good? And is it possible for Sinestro to forge another yellow lantern and a custom companion ring to escape captivity? As Sinestro explains, "If harnessed correctly, fear can be the most powerful force in the universe."

Shards of "Lanterns" will invariably bleed over into James Gunn's "Superman" sequel, "Man of Tomorrow," which soars to theaters on July 9, 2027, so there’s still a lot of life left in DC Studios' DCU.

All 8 episodes of "Lanterns" season 1 are available on HBO and HBO Max.

The eighth episode of Apple TV's "Dark Matter" season 2 has just dropped, and we're all on the edge of our seats trying to guess how the strange saga of Jason (Joel Edgerton) and Daniela (Jennifer Connelly) Dessen is going to finish up. Not even fans of the books know, as this superb adaptation of NYT bestselling author Blake Crouch's 2016 novel broke out of its source material for season 2.

For Edgerton and Connelly, "Dark Matter" has been a whirlwind project as their characters search for a safe alternate universe while being pursued by a multiplicity of Jasons. The physical rigors and emotional toll of shooting the show and presenting its nuanced storytelling often proved difficult.

"There's two exhaustions that I’ve found in movie work," Edgerton tells Space. "It's either mental exhaustion from going to dark emotional places in your brain or complex dialogue stuff. Then there's the physical challenges, like for doing a fight scene. One of the weirdest ones on 'Dark Matter' was doing a gravity scene where we’re dangling on wires inside The Box. There's something deeply exhausting about it and a bit humiliating. You feel like a human teabag."

Connelly was also a part of that tough sequence and reflects on Edgerton’s tireless fortitude.

"Joel's schedule on this show is really brutal," she notes. "He's in almost all of it. This season is better, but season 1 was crazy for him. It’s surprising; sometimes the things that are most difficult are the ones you don’t anticipate. That's more exhausting at the end of the day after trying to get something to work that you didn’t think would be tricky. I like the days that are tiring because you feel drained because you’ve explored a lot in a scene. That's a nice feeling."

For Edgerton, the simplest thing to remember is that when practicing your craft, always make sure that you go home each day feeling satisfied with what you shot.

"There's nothing worse than going home and thinking that you didn’t get the best out of yourself," he reveals. "As they say, as actors we're not digging trenches. It's not hard physical labor; it's a different kind of thing. Until actually I shot a movie where I had to dig a trench."

Working with Blake Crouch on the series and its unnerving portrait of a marriage strewn across the infinite multiverse has produced new insights into their own lives.

"I find there’s something to be learned from each experience as an actor," notes Edgerton. "Each story takes you through something, whether you like to think it or not.

"You either learn a skill or meet an actor that you admire, and they teach you something inspired by their presence. We were tasked with helping Blake build the disintegration of a marriage, and it's the opposite of what you’re hoping for in real life. That each day you hope you're turning up contributing in a positive way to your relationship rather than engineering its demise. It makes you think about how you can be a better person in life. And there's always room for improvement."

Likewise, Connelly sees a sort of emotional mirroring effect to be absorbed that extends beyond "Dark Matter's" detailed sets, dizzying locations, and sound stages.

"I think Daniela, at a point when Jason is going down paths, and they're struggling, recognizes that sometimes it's hard to distinguish what is really the other person and what we’re bringing to our perception of them," she adds.

"She has things in her history that bias her vision, and she takes herself off on a journey to reconcile those things and try to take responsibility for healing. And that's a good lesson to remember in relationships in general. Being on top of one's own part of the dynamic. Sometimes things we see in each other are really things within ourselves."

"Dark Matter" season 2 airs each Friday exclusively on Apple TV, with the season finale (and perhaps the series end if not renewed) arriving on Oct. 30, 2026.

Fall has officially arrived, and as autumn leaves blaze in vivid colors, there is no better time to plunge into the imaginative world of New York Times best-selling author Matt Dinniman's "Dungeon Crawler Carl", the wildly addictive science fantasy book series that's taking the world by storm.

Even if you haven't read them, you've probably seen folks carrying these books, emblazoned with their loud, neon-colored covers, at your neighborhood coffee house. You'll see it even more in the future, too, as a streaming adaptation of the novels is coming to Peacock, with Seth MacFarlane's Fuzzy Door and co-showrunners Eric Heisserer and Chris Yost at the helm.

The eighth book in the series, "A Parade of Horribles," dropped in May of 2026 and continues the story of Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s precocious pussy cat named Princess Donut as they try to navigate the dangerously daunting levels of a lethal doomsday dungeon for an intergalactic television show deciding the fate of humanity and the planet Earth.

Think Douglas Adams's "The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy" meets "The Running Man" and "Ready Player One" in the "Dungeons & Dragons" RPG realm, and you've got a pretty good idea of the stylistic narrative you'll soon discover when you dare to enter Dinniman's slightly demented literary world.

"The genesis is that I’ve been writing my whole life, and I have a thousand story ideas," Dinniman tells Space on the origins of his sci-fi sensation. "I’ve kept a running list of ideas since childhood, and this one had been on there for some time. The line in my list for this particular one was 'Alien' game show.'"

With over 14 million copies of the "Dungeon Crawler Carl" series sold to date, spooky season is the ideal jumping-on moment so you can share your favorite sadistic dungeon level kill next time you're at a cool cocktail party or fun family function!

"The success is a whole other question. I think I just happened to hit the right story at the right time," admits Dinniman. "It's about a man pushing back against impossible odds. The antagonist isn't just a single person or entity, but an entire system designed to crush any life out of him, all for the entertainment of the masses. That sort of story seems to really be resonating right now. Plus there's a talking cat in it."

Dinniman has described the most recently-released sequel as "the Carl and Donut version of Mariokart—only deadlier," with the cruel dungeon architects tightening their brutal grip. As the current king of LitRPG titles in circulation, "Dungeon Crawler Carl" is the next best thing to a living video game.

"Luckily I’m still in love with this story, and I am in love with writing it," he admits. "It hasn’t gotten old yet. The end is in sight, and I’m more sad than anything that it'll eventually be over."

An episodic series adaptation seems like a no-brainer, and Peacock has wisely tapped into the considerable talents of both Heisserer ("Arrival," "Bird Box") and Yost ("Thor: The Dark World," "Thor: Ragnarok") for this ambitious TV project.

"Both Chris and Eric have a great amount of experience in Hollywood, but more importantly, both have read the books and like them," Dinniman notes. "Chris is a mega fan, and Eric knows more about gaming than any adult probably should. That's a great combination."

Dinniman also confirmed to us that he's serving as co-executive producer on the show, and will be involved throughout the production.

"The most important thing to preserve, I think, is the tone, which will also be the most challenging," states Dinniman. "Thankfully, the team that's been assembled is up to the challenge, and I can't wait for the world to see how it turns out."

With eight books released so far (and another two to come), you've got plenty of reading to do before the Peacock show and/or the next book lands. You can find the Dungeon Crawler Carl book series in your local bookstores and on Amazon. It's also available via Kindle e-readers and as an audiobook.

The truth is once again out there, as Disney & Hulu confirmed today that they have picked up a new "The X-Files" show for a full season.

Described as a "reimagining" of the classic series, the project comes from Ryan Coogler, the acclaimed writer and director of "Creed", "Black Panther", and "Sinners", and will star Danielle Deadwyler and Himesh Patel.

The show's premise will sound very familiar to fans of the original, as it centers on "two highly decorated but vastly different FBI agents who form an unlikely bond when they are assigned to a long-shuttered division devoted to cases involving unexplained phenomena."

"I've loved 'The X-Files' for a long time, so getting the chance to write and direct the pilot has meant a great deal to me," said Coogler. "What Chris Carter created is special, and we wanted to honor everything that made the original series connect with so many people while also finding our own way into that world."

Coogler wrote, directed, and executive produced the pilot for this new show, which impressed executives over at Hulu enough to give the show the greenlight. He's certainly got the pedigree when it comes to "spooky", as "Sinners" was a modern horror masterpiece, winning the Best Original Screenplay Oscar at the 2025 Academy Awards. The X-Files is one of the greatest sci-fi shows of all time, and we can't wait to see what a modern take on the classic formula looks like.

Alongside the leads, the cast will include Amy Madigan, Ben Foster, Devery Jacobs, Lochlyn Munro, Tantoo Cardinal, Joel D. Montgrand, Sofia Grace Clifton, and Hollywood legend Steve Buscemi (an inspired casting choice for any show, but especially here. He looks like a man who's seen the truth).

Both Coogler and Hulu are being coy about how this new series will fit into the continuity of the original show. It's being described as a reimagining, but they've stopped short of calling it a reboot, which could leave the door open for Mulder and Scully to return in some capacity.

The original creator of "The X-Files", Chris Carter, is also on board as an executive producer, which is great news for fans who are hoping this new incarnation keeps the spirit of the original alive.

There is no confirmed release date yet, but Ryan Coogler's The X-Files project will launch exclusively on Hulu (US) & Disney+ (UK).

Nostalgia is a hell of a thing, especially when it comes to sci-fi. For "Star Trek" fans wanting to mark the franchise's 60th anniversary this year, a geeky pilgrimage to upstate New York should be on the cards. Why? Because alongside the splendid autumnal colors, they can steer over to Ticonderoga to behold the newly installed Galileo shuttlecraft.

After a complete two-year restoration project in 2012 headed up by superfan and collector Adam Schneider, this iconic fictional spacecraft, seen by millions in seven episodes over three seasons of "Star Trek: The Original Series," was recently relocated from its former home at the Johnson Space Center Museum in Houston, Texas.

It's now on permanent loan to James Cawley and his Star Trek Original Series Set Tour in historic downtown Ticonderoga, New York, where it joins a family of painstakingly detailed sets based on the official "Star Trek" blueprints.

'Galileo is still the property of Space Center, and it was on display there since 2013," Schneider tells Space. "It went to USS Intrepid for the 50th anniversary of 'Star Trek,' displayed under the Enterprise Space Shuttle. You had the Enterprise with Enterprise's little shuttle Galileo adjacent, which was an extraordinary picture. It went back to Space Center, but it takes up an enormous amount of room, and they took it off display after 8 years."

It seemed a shame to have the shuttle out of sight, so Schneider got to work finding a new home for the shuttle. "Since I was on the board, I tried to figure out a place where it could be aimed", recounts Schneider. "The Star Trek Tour made the most sense, so I worked with Space Center to relocate it, and it arrived a couple of years ago."

Hoping to give the restored relic its own private docking bay due to its enormity, faithful fans raised hundreds of thousands of dollars via a Kickstarter campaign led by Brian Mix and David Harvey, and built a beautiful building addition for Galileo to be safely ensconced in.

"My wife Leslie and I had been tending over the Galileo for a number of years, and it's now successfully displayed there in New York for all to see," Schneider adds. "It's an extraordinary thing to see person if you have not. It's not the size of a chair, it’s the size of a bus. It looks gorgeous in its new space, and if you’re a space aficionado or Star Trek aficionado, that’s even more reason to get involved with this thing."

Opening weekend for the general public at Star Trek Tours to see the newest member of the museum was Sept. 18-20, 2026, and the Galileo was the star attraction. Branded Trekonderoga Weekend, the unveiling ceremony was attended by Assemblymen Dan Stec and Dan Simpson, and 'Trek' luminaries George Takei, Jonathan Frakes, and Brent Spiner.

"We're certainly thrilled that we were able to work with Adam and NASA to get it here permanently," Cawley tells Space. "Then to get it on display properly and share it with all the fans and make sure that it's on exhibit for many years to come. We’re just outside of the village of Lake George, so we’re part of the greater Lake George tourism region.

"You've seen it on television, and now you’re the caretaker of it. What an honor to be able to do that. It’s the simplicity of the Galileo that makes it so unique. It's Matt Jefferies' whole design ethic for the original series. Less is more. It catches your eye in a specific way. It has a blocky-type silhouette and actually it really complements the Enterprise because you really see the shape difference. Everything has that mid-century modern aesthetic. It's just timeless."

For Cawley, being custodian and host of the screen-used Galileo is like a dream. This 23-foot-long mock-up was part of the USS Enterprise's basic design and was rescued from demolition some 14 years ago when Schneider purchased it at a 2012 memorabilia auction for $61,000.

"We had a great rousing opening weekend with it, and business has been very steady into October with people asking about it. It's going to be a big cornerstone to the tour. I think people are becoming aware that it’s here and they’re making a pilgrimage to come because of it."

For more prices, hours, and more information on the Star Trek Original Series Set Tour in Ticonderoga, New York, visit them at https://startrektour.com or call 518-503-5497. You can also see the Galileo in action in Star Trek: The Original Series on Paramount+.

NEW YORK — Set your phasers to back-to-school, space fans. Star Trek is going back to Starfleet Academy for season 2, and we finally have a release date.

The sophomore season of "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy" will warp back to the small screen in March 2027 when the limited series returns for its final season on Paramount+. The series, which follows a class of cadets balancing Starfleet classes, space adventures (and yes, some love) in the 32nd century, will return with its full cast and even add new faces, showrunners announced at a panel at New York Comic Con 2026 on Saturday (Oct. 10).

"Season one is about letting go of who you were in the past to start again at Starfleet Academy," executive producer and co-showrunner Noga Landau said in the Star Trek panel. "Season two is about thinking that you knew who you were, only to realize that as you grow older, your life is going to go in directions you didn't expect, and you're going to have to shift your perception of yourself. So it's really about sophomore year, right?"

Holly Hunter returns as academy chancellor Nahla Ake, a long-lived half-Lanthanite, who will have to face a familiar face in her estranged father, Nyk Ake, portrayed by Bill Nighy (Living, About Time) in season two.

"He plays my full lanthanide father, who has basically, if he wants, can achieve immortality," Hunter said, dropping a big preview about her character in season two. "He plays my dad, and I play me ... and my twin, my twin sister. Very fun."

Also joining this year's Starfleet Academy class is Rosemarie DeWitt (Untamed, The Staircase) as Laytha Sadal, the First Lady of Betazed (and mother of Academy cadet Tarima).

"We have had such a blast," Hunter said of working with the entire cast of Starfleet Academy. "It was a tremendous honor and learning experience for me to do the show for two seasons, and I just really am excited about the second season because there's so much more intimacy that we just comfortably felt with each other over those 10 episodes."

In season one, Starfleet Academy brought back Trek's favorite Emergency Medical Hologram, The Doctor (Robert Picardo), then gave the 800-year-old Star Trek: Voyager physician a daughter in the photonic Sam (Kerrice Brooks) and a Klingon medical student, Jay-Den Kraag (Karim Diané), to train.

"His future existence is forever changed. Nothing will ever be the same for the character," Picardo said in the panel. "The shock of that, and how that changed the character, [...] informs all of season two. My primary relationships are now with my daughter and of course with Jay-Den, as I'm mentoring him as a future physician, and we have some terrific scenes together as well."

Executive producer and co-showrunner Alex Kurtzman promised more space action in season two of Starfleet Academy and showed an exclusive teaser clip of Academy cadets Caleb (Sandro Rosta), Genesis (Bella Shepard) and Sam as they race to recover data from a crashed spaceship on their first away mission. But the best, Kurtzman said, is yet to come when the show's cadets meet up with Nova Squadron, the elite flight team at Starfleet Academy.

"The Nova Squadron episode is amazing on a lot of different levels," Kurtzman said. "We basically did Top Gun in space. "What's available to us now technologically allowed us to go to a place that I don't think we've ever gone to on television before. Certainly not in Star Trek."

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will return to TV in March 2027 on the Paramount+ streaming platform.

Vision (Paul Bettany) is laying low, working the pumps at an Edinburgh pub at the outset of new eight-part Marvel Television entry "VisionQuest", and understandably so given how much the synthezoid has been through.

Resurrected and restored after being sacrificed for the greater good in "Avengers: Infinity War", albeit as an ever-more-disconnected version of what came before, he now spends every other waking hour retreating into a big white house deep within his mindspace, to chew the fat with AI agents J.A.R.V.I.S. (Brian D’Arcy), F.R.I.D.A.Y. (Orla Brady), D.U.M-E (Henry Lewis), U (Jonathan Sayer) and E.D.I.T.H. (Emily Hampshire), and a wisecracking Ultron (James Spader).

However, the threat posed by bounty hunter Paladin (Todd Stashwick) and the prospect of a reunion with his son conspire to draw him out of his stupor.

Below, we explain the cheapest ways to stream "VisionQuest" online and from anywhere with this VPN.

• Stream securely from anywhere with Surfshark VPN (80% off)

When is the "VisionQuest" streaming release?

"VisionQuest" premieres with a double-header at 9pm ET / 6pm PT on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, exclusively on Disney+.

The following six episodes will materialize on the streaming service at the same time on subsequent Tuesdays.

Originally, "VisionQuest" was due to make its worldwide debut on October 14 but Marvel has confirmed that it'll be out on October 13 in the States.

How To Watch "VisionQuest"

"VisionQuest" is available to stream on Disney+ in the US from October 13.

If you want to stream "VisionQuest" or any of Disney+'s other great films, TV shows and live sports while you're abroad, Surfshark VPN will let you access your subscription from anywhere in the world.

What is the plot of "VisionQuest"?

"VisionQuest" is as much about memory as it is Vision, so densely is MCU lore woven into its worlds-within-worlds plot.

At its heart, it's about Vision's identity crisis. He remains hopelessly devoted to an unreachable love, in thrall to Ultron, and at odds with these memories that will never truly be his own – and that's if they're even real to begin with.

But it's not all exposition and musings on existence, because Paladin is hired by an unknown kingpin to track Vision down so that his technological assets can be stolen.

Are there any "VisionQuest" teasers and trailers?

There are multiple "VisionQuest" trailers, which are sure to jog your memory in different ways.

The show is heavily informed not only by 2021's "WandaVision" but also by 2015's "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and 2024's "Agatha All Along", all three of which may be worth revisiting before embarking on "VisionQuest".

Who are the "VisionQuest" cast and creators?

"VisionQuest" is led by Paul Bettany and James Spader:

• Paul Bettany – Vision
• James Spader – Ultron
• Ruaridh Mollica – Tommy Maximoff/Speed & Thomas Shepherd
• Todd Stashwick – Paladin
• T'Nia Miller – Jocasta
• Lauren Morais – Lisa Molinari
• Orla Brady – F.R.I.D.A.Y.
• Diane Morgan – The Handler
• Polly Frame – Fiona Guthrie
• Henry Lewis & Jonathan Sayer – D.U.M.-E & U:
• Emily Hampshire – E.D.I.T.H.:
• James D'Arcy – J.A.R.V.I.S.

Produced by Marvel Television, "VisionQuest" was directed by Terry Matalas, Christopher J. Byrne, Gandja Monteiro and Vincenzo Natali. Matalas served as the showrunner.

• How to watch 'Disclosure Day' online

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"The Space Gal" is blasting off onto her next adventure to promote STEM education with out-of-this-world content.

Science communicator and citizen astronaut Emily Calandrelli, better known to millions of social media followers as "The Space Gal," is bringing her real-world spaceflight experience to the Marvel universe. Calandrelli is lending her voice to an upcoming episode of Disney Jr.'s animated series, "Marvel's Iron Man and his Awesome Friends."

She is stepping into the role of a character called Astronaut Amy in the episode "The Iron Friends in Space," offering another opportunity for Calandrelli to share her enthusiasm for space with younger audiences.

Calandrelli is an engineer, author and television host whose career has focused on making complex scientific concepts engaging and accessible. Growing from her online presence as @TheSpaceGal, Calandrelli has produced numerous educational videos, books and television appearances, including a role on the Netflix "Bill Nye the Science Guy" revival series, "Bill Nye Saves the World."

In a preview clip provided exclusively to Space.com by Disney, Calandrelli's character is welcomed by Tony Stark, Riri Williams, Amadeus Cho and Vision as they explore a moon-themed museum display. The exhibit features a holographic model of the moon and other space-themed artifacts, providing a backdrop for Astronaut Amy to share information about space and lunar exploration.

The show follows younger versions of Stark and others from Marvel's familiar superhero roster, as they navigate conflicts that are scaled down from the franchise's world-ending blockbuster emergencies to more age-appropriate problem-solving and teamwork-building storylines.

Calandrelli's cameo puts her alongside characters already rich in their storylines with backgrounds in science and technology, like Stark and Williams, known by their alter egos Iron Man and Ironheart, both of whose superhero identities revolve around the mastery of sophisticated technology and engineering. And while Astronaut Amy and her super co-stars live in Marvel's fictional universe, Calandrelli's inclusion in the episode creates the opportunity to introduce some real-life scientific concepts.

Her appearance also comes as Disney prepares to expand the animated series to include a larger ensemble. Beginning next summer, the show will evolve into "Marvel's Avengers: Mightiest Friends", and bring additional characters into the fold, including Captain America, Hulk, Black Panther, Black Widow and Thor, according to Disney. For Calandrelli, the role represents another extension of a career dedicated to making space exploration relatable and exciting for the next generation.

In November 2024, Calandrelli became the 100th woman to reach space when she launched aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket on the company's NS-28 suborbital mission. The flight carried her above the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space, and gave her several minutes of weightlessness before the capsule and its crew returned to Earth.

Calandrelli isn't the first real-life astronaut to lend her voice to the Marvel universe. Former NASA astronaut and the first Black woman in space Mae Jemison guest-starred in Disney's "Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur" in March 2023. Jemison voiced a fictional app called Skipster, created by the show's young superhero and scientific prodigy, Lunella Lafayette. Another space traveler, citizen astronaut Kellie Gerardi, also just announced over the weekend (Oct. 12) her cast credit in the upcoming movie "Hexed", from Disney's Animation Studios.

Viewers can catch the upcoming episode of "Marvel's Iron Man and his Awesome Friends," titled, "The Iron Friends in Space," during its Disney Jr. premiere on Oct. 14 or streaming on Disney+ beginning Oct. 28.

"Tomb Raider" celebrates its 30th anniversary this month. While many remember the iconic T-Rex or locking Winston the Butler in the freezer, many forget about the UFO in 1998’s "Tomb Raider III"; a mysterious alien craft that worked a lot like Doctor Who’s TARDIS.

Coming off the back of the hugely successful "Tomb Raider 2", developer Core Design had big plans for the third entry, including kayaking, those iconic London levels, and, of course, a level featuring a UFO in Area 51. Although it looked small on the outside, the UFO featured multiple floors for players to explore as they searched for a vital artifact, all as enemies swarmed in.

Now, I'm something of a Tomb Raider historian, and my upcoming book — "The Making of Tomb Raider: 1997-2000" (available from October 30) — goes into detail about the making of "Tomb Raider III", "Tomb Raider IV", and other games in the series during those three years. While writing the book, I spoke to level designer Richard Morton about how the physics-defying UFO was made and how shows like "The X-Files" inspired him and the team.

The Lone Gunwoman

When you start "Tomb Raider III", you find Lara in India, stumbling across one of four artifacts. After completing India, you can choose between London, South Pacific, and Nevada to collect the other artifacts before reaching the final section in Antarctica.

Richard Morton was one of the designers for "Tomb Raider III", who took on South Pacific and some of Nevada, a location that Neal Boyd had already begun work on before he moved to "Project Eden". Eventually, Lara would find herself in Area 51, with the final part of the level taking place in a UFO that houses the artifact she seeks.

“Area 51 was a bit of a team effort,” reveals Morton. “The part where the rocket launches, Neal did a lot of that stuff. So much of that level is his work, as well as some of the other routes. Andy Sandham helped in finishing off that level, too. And then the bit with the UFO, that was mine.”

Of course, a level called Area 51 needed aliens. In the late 1990s, UFOs were everywhere, ranging from TV shows like The X-Files to countless documentaries on whether aliens were real.

“We knew Area 51 had to have aliens in it in some form. And we did put some down on operating tables – we were all influenced by films and shows like 'The X-Files' and 'Independence Day', which were around at the time of TR3.”

You’d run past the UFO at certain points in between toggling switches, collecting keys, and even launching a rocket. Eventually, you’d unlock a door, letting you in to reveal an impossibly large interior. But all wasn’t as it seemed, and the journey to get here was fraught with challenges.

“I was working quite late one evening, and it wasn't a UFO to start with. I was working on the level and suddenly wondered what would happen if I had three rooms next to each other, with the room in the middle that was only the width of the portal,” explains Morton. “Then I’d link that to a separate room that was only visible inside the portal. I then somehow managed to build this impossible room that was surrounded by eight rooms – the only way I could get it to work. And it did, but it worked horizontally – it was just like Valve's 'Portal', but nine years before.”

AI programmer Tom Scutt, who had joined the team to improve the artificial intelligence for the enemies, worked with Morton to see how a portal could work in the level.

“Tom loved it, but I think he started doing some tests around it – this was just a portal in a room to see if it could be used. Soon after, he explained to me that enemies wouldn't work with it without being heavily reworked, because of how the navigation worked with the enemies,” Morton explains. “So if Lara went through a portal to 'another world', for example, the enemies wouldn't know; they'd just stay in the same room. So all in all, they basically said that they loved it, but you can't do it - and yet I kept trying.”

The truth is in there

With Area 51 taking shape and the portal idea becoming viable, Morton realized that the two could become one, resulting in the UFO. “The next night, I decided to build a UFO, which we'd already built within the level in this rough shape in one of the hangars at the end of the level.”

That night, Morton cracked it, meaning the inside of the UFO could now be far bigger. “I built a ladder going up from the entrance, which went straight up through the tiny UFO model, which was only three by three blocks, with a one-block hole going up into it. So I remade the same trick from the night before, only vertically, and it worked!”

Still, despite getting the trick to work, more had to be done to ensure no bugs would emerge during this final section of the level.

“Once you got inside the UFO, I think we had to do a tiny bit of fiddling around, just to make the enemies warp inside the UFO. But they'd only try to attack you when you were in the UFO. I think we triggered them once you got in there and de-triggered them once you came out, just to stop them from firing at you when you weren't in there, just to keep that illusion of this TARDIS UFO going.”

Programmer Martin Gibbins, who had previously warned that the UFO would break everything, was won over by it. “Despite the UFO being Richard's idea, that was a testament to Gavin Rummery's ridiculous portal system. It had a single-block doorway into what was effectively a room. That was the clip window for the rest of the world, so you could do whatever you'd like inside of it. He got it working, and I thought it was great.”

For its time, it was an amazing feat on PlayStation and PC. With this being the third mainline "Tomb Raider" game, some players felt that the series was getting stale. But it was moments like the UFO and discovering it was far bigger than many initially thought that stuck with players, and still does to this day.

Unfortunately, another moment like the UFO would not happen in subsequent games, with the pressure of making the Thanksgiving deadline looming over the team. But Morton reveals that the team did speak about what could have alternatively happened at the end of the level.

"I think we talked about having a portal room that took you to another area that could have been either another location on Earth or another location across the galaxy. But obviously, we just didn't have time to do anything like that. It would have been awesome, though.”

However, after Morton spent two evenings trying to get the UFO to work and some on the team worried that it would break the game, it became a big highlight of "Tomb Raider III".

“When I showed the team the UFO, they were basically trembling, thinking, 'What have you done now!?' And we found out that it did work, and they ended up loving it. Looking back, I couldn't believe that I'd pulled it off, to be honest. I couldn't believe that the engine didn't just crash the game every time the camera looked into that portal. It didn't crash, and I thought, ‘Wow, that's awesome,’ at the time.”

The impossible geometry of the "Tomb Raider III" UFO is indeed an impressive spectacle, even almost 30 years later. If you’re interested in seeing how the TARDIS/UFO works, you can play "Tomb Raider III" via the Remastered collection, available on PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch 1/2, iOS, Android, and PC via Steam.

If you want to know more about "Tomb Raider 3" and its enigmatic UFO, "The Making of Tomb Raider: 1997-2000" is available from October 30 via Pen and Sword, Amazon, and other retailers.

We’ve had a lot of good Alien video games in recent years, but nothing has quite matched the highs and authenticity of 2014’s Alien: Isolation. It took a decade of players clamouring for a sequel, but in late 2024, our prayers were answered when developer Creative Assembly dropped a trailer announcing Alien: Isolation 2.

Now, we’re slowly learning about what developer Creative Assembly has in store for us. Scary teasers and comments from creative director Al Hope suggest we're looking at a bigger, more ambitious survival horror game beyond an obvious visual glow-up. Our hands-on preview at Gamescom 2026 also confirmed the protagonist isn’t Amanda Ripley, which instantly raises a number of questions.

Ahead of Alien: Isolation 2’s arrival, there are plenty of Alien movies and games to go through – plus Alien: Earth’s stellar first season. Now's also a great time to play through the original Alien: Isolation again, to prepare yourself for the horrors that await us with the sequel.

Now, enough yacking. It's time to get on the express elevator to hell and find out everything that we know about Alien: Isolation 2 so far.

When is Alien: Isolation 2 coming out?

Alien: Isolation 2 doesn't have a confirmed release window yet.

Despite the impressive in-game teaser and gameplay demos, Sega and Creative Assembly still haven’t talked about a potential release window. Though many outlets are running with a 2027 target as possible, the truth is the powers that be aren’t ready to commit yet.

When we know more, you'll know more.

What platforms will Alien: Isolation 2 be on?

Alien: Isolation 2 is launching on PC (Steam), PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2.

Though it’s unclear if the game will release before next-gen consoles arrive, the current plan is to target current-gen machines and, of course, PC through Steam.

Given the high-fidelity visuals, a Nintendo Switch 2 version might come as a shock, but looking at the excellent third-party ports the hybrid handheld has received so far, we’re confident the developers can deliver a thrilling experience on it as well.

Alien: Isolation 2 trailers

After the aforementioned teasers, Sega and Creative Assembly finally unveiled Alien: Isolation 2 with the first-ever in-game footage in summer 2026. Watch its ‘Last Chance’ reveal trailer below:

When does Alien: Isolation 2 take place in the timeline?

Alien: Isolation 2 is confirmed to happen a few months after the events of the first game. Amanda Ripley’s battle against a Xenomorph infestation aboard the Sevastopol Station took place roughly 15 years after the events of the original 1979 movie, which places both games closer to Alien: Romulus in the canon timeline.

This time around, however, there are two big differences: Amanda Ripley isn’t the protagonist anymore, and, instead of a space station, we’ll have to survive on a rainy colony planet.

Deeper plot details are a secret for now, but we know the planet’s name is LV-921. There, a Weyland-Yutani employee named Blake and her colleagues come across a crashed part of the doomed Sevastopol station, which was destroyed by Ripley in an attempt to exterminate the aliens at the end of the first game.

The prologue demo we played at Gamescom didn’t offer much more context, but Blake is an administrative employee who’s just arrived at the colony and wants to prove she fits her new role. As you can imagine, that quickly gets her in trouble. A Xenomorph had crash-landed on the planet already, so maybe it’s up to her to finish the job that the previous Alien: Isolation protagonist started...

What type of game is Alien: Isolation 2?

Like its predecessor, Alien: Isolation 2 is a single-player, first-person survival horror game.

The gameplay loop of the original is preserved. This means you'll have limited access to weaponry and survival tools, and you'll face sneaky (and relentless) Xenomorphs that dynamically adapt to player progress and movement through each level. You’re not meant to kill the aliens, but rather to avoid and escape them.

Through patience, stealth, and smart use of supplies for crafting, survival is achievable, but this isn’t a bug hunt with the Colonial Marines. To quote Ash in the original movie, “I can’t lie to you about your chances, but you have my sympathies.”

Does Alien: Isolation 2 have a multiplayer mode?

Alien: Isolation 2 is a single-player survival horror game like the original. At the time of writing, no plans for a co-op or multiplayer mode of any kind have been shared.

At this point, it’s unclear what the whole Alien: Isolation 2 package will look like — and we wouldn’t rule out an extra, mission-based Survivor Mode like the original’s — but it seems Creative Assembly isn’t chasing co-op trends with the sequel in any way. This is a cinematic, high-intensity solo adventure.

Is there a public Alien: Isolation 2 demo?

Though attendees had access to the second Alien: Isolation 2 demo at Gamescom, no wider public demo has been released.

This could change in the future and as the game nears release, but without a launch window in sight, don’t hold your breath. It’ll be a while before most players can get their hands on the long-awaited sci-fi survival horror sequel.

For a show with no aliens or faster-than-light travel, "Red Dwarf" has crammed an awful lot of sci-fi concepts into its 13 seasons.

Frequently as smart as "Star Trek" — albeit on a much smaller budget — Rob Grant and Doug Naylor's BBC sitcom always punched above its weight when it came to big genre ideas. In fact, many of its stories were truly ahead of their time, built around concepts that have since turned up in hit American shows (including the recent "Strange New Worlds" season four finale) and even Christopher Nolan movies.

Below we've picked out 10 sci-fi storylines and premises (and one honorable mention) where Dave Lister, Arnold Rimmer, Kryten and the Cat got there first…

1. Thoughts made flesh

Episode: "Confidence and Paranoia", "Red Dwarf I" (1988)

In "Red Dwarf": Lister goes down with a bout of space pneumonia, which has the unlikely side-effect of making his fever dreams a reality. In a twist that would give Sigmund Freud a field day, his confidence and paranoia manifest as actual humans — the former played by ex-"The Late Late Show" host Craig Ferguson.

In "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine": With a plot that feels more like a "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" outing, "DS9" season one episode "If Wishes Were Horses" sees the crew's imaginations literally coming to life. The station is soon invaded by out-of-time baseball stars, fairytale villains, and unseasonal snow, all created by aliens eager to understand the concept of imagination.

2. Total immersion virtual reality games

Episode: "Better than Life", "Red Dwarf II" (1988)

In "Red Dwarf": The crew immerses themselves in a total immersion reality game named "Better than Life". Using some headgear that looks nothing at all like a bicycle helmet, they enter a virtual world indistinguishable from reality — though, of course, Rimmer doesn't deal with happiness well, and manages to ruin it for everyone. (Similar virtual reality tech later appeared in "Red Dwarf VI" episode "Gunmen of the Apocalypse".)

In "Ready Player One": Yes, the holodeck turned up in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" a year before — and the "Recreation Room" appeared in "The Animated Series" a year before that — but they're simulations you walk into. The OASIS in "Ready Player One", however, is undeniably a descendant of the "Better than Life" tech, an all-encompassing virtuality experience built to transport you away from the drudgery of everyday life.

3. Life in reverse

Episode: "Backwards", "Red Dwarf III" (1989)

In "Red Dwarf": Kryten and Rimmer crash-land on a version of Earth where time runs backwards for everyone but them. While they wait for Lister and the Cat to rescue them, they make a living as a comedy duo called "The Sensational Reverse Brothers", while also trying to avoid finding out what happens when you go to the toilet…

In "Tenet" (2020): Temporal terrorists use prototype technology to "invert entropy", allowing them to travel through time in reverse. Director Christopher Nolan uses the premise to stage spectacular sequences where cars reverse down freeways at high speed, cause and effect goes topsy-turvy, and fights are just, well, weird.

As a result, it's incredibly difficult to understand what the hell is going on — the "Red Dwarf" version is shorter, easier to follow, and an awful lot funnier.

4. Take a picture

Episode: "Timeslides", "Red Dwarf III" (1989)

In "Red Dwarf": In the ship's darkroom (for the benefit of anyone under 35, that's where pre-digital photos were developed), a weird turn of events causes pictures to come to life. The crew can subsequently step inside images and interact with people and objects in the snaps — as long as they don't step outside the frame of the original photo. This results in a snowball fight, some wedding crashing, and Lister stealing Hitler's bag.

In "Black Mirror": "Timeslides" gets a predictably dark (but moving) twist in the seventh season of Charlie Brooker's dystopian anthology series. In "Eulogy", Paul Giamatti plays the lonely Philip, invited to assist with a memorial for an ex-girlfriend who's just passed away. Using a tech company's tech to explore existing photos — his last connection to his former love — he revisits painful memories and thoughts of what might have been.

5. The odd couple

Episode: "Marooned", "Red Dwarf III" (1989)

In "Red Dwarf": Starbug crash-lands on a remote ice planet, trapping Lister and Rimmer alone on a strange and hostile world. With their survival in the balance, there's nothing for the two frenemies to do but talk. A lot.

In "Star Trek: Enterprise": "Shuttlepod One" is the quintessential American bottle episode, a popular TV device in which the action is predominantly confined to a single set. In a plotline remarkably reminiscent of "Marooned", Trip Tucker and Malcolm Reed find themselves contemplating the end after the apparent destruction of the Enterprise. There's not much for the two crewmates to do but talk. A lot.

6. Seeing what they want you to see

Episode: "Camille", "Red Dwarf IV" (1991)

In "Red Dwarf": On a mission to save a doomed spaceship, the crew rescue a female mechanoid named Camille. Or so they think… she's actually a pleasure GELF (Genetically Engineered LifeForm) who can assume the form of anyone's ideal partner. Hence, Lister sees a Liverpudlian woman, Rimmer encounters a fussy hologram, and the narcissistic Cat gets to date, well, himself.

In "Babylon 5": The mysterious Vorlons, one of "Babylon 5"'s oldest races, spend most of the series hiding away in "encounter suits" that hide their true form. But when Ambassador Kosh eventually reveals himself while rescuing Captain Sheridan from a potentially fatal fall, he projects a more angelic form, with everyone on the space station seeing a face appropriate to their own species.

Because the Vorlons have spent thousands of years tampering with the DNA of younger races, we've all been pre-programmed to see them as beatific beings.

7. A white hole

Episode: "White Hole", "Red Dwarf IV" (1991)

In "Red Dwarf": "So, what is it?" "Red Dwarf" didn't invent the white hole — the concept is based on actual theoretical astrophysics — but the sitcom certainly had a big part to play in bringing the less famous twin of the black hole into public consciousness. In the show, the crew encounters a white hole spewing time and space into the universe, and the only way to close it is for Lister to play space pool, sinking a planet into the interdimensional fissure via an over-elaborate trick shot.

In "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds": With all the spatial anomalies that pop up on the final frontier, it's remarkable that it took until the Strange New Worlds season four finale, "Tomorrow's Enterprise", for a white hole to show up.

The "Trek" version may be surprisingly close to current theory, which suggests that the white hole is essentially the flip side of a black hole — while nothing can escape from a black hole, nothing can enter a white hole.

That said, it's unlikely that a real-life white hole/black hole dyad would allow Uhura to communicate with a future version of herself. Or that it would be the birthing site for a giant space baby with no concept of past, present, or future.

8. Manipulating the odds

Episode: "Quarantine", "Red Dwarf V" (1992)

In "Red Dwarf": The crew visits a virus research centre where they discover a selection of "positive" viruses — rather than making you ill, their effects are generally good for your wellbeing. Examples include inspiration, charisma, sexual magnetism and — most notably — luck.

In Marvel comics: Domino made her Marvel debut just before this "Red Dwarf" episode, but we're going to put this down to a case of convergent evolution. The X-Force and "Deadpool" mainstay is well known for her ability to manipulate the laws of chance — just like the probabilistic microbe, her powers turn luck into a tangible property.

9. Hard light

Episode: "Legion", "Red Dwarf VI" (1993)

In "Red Dwarf": Holographic crew member Rimmer is cursed to live his life unable to touch anything, until gestalt entity Legion upgrades his "light bee" — the hovering device that creates his image — to project "hard light". He subsequently becomes, to all intents and purposes, indestructible, while remaining entirely mobile.

In "Star Trek: Voyager": "The Next Generation" was giving light physical form long before "Legion", but what happened on the holodeck tended to stay on the holodeck. Then the Emergency Medical Hologram became a series regular in "Voyager", and needed some way to set foot outside sickbay — his handy "mobile holo-emitter" is essentially an arm-mounted light bee.

"Starfleet Academy"'s photonic lifeform SAM (Series Acclimation Mil) also feels like a descendant of the holographic starship crew in "Red Dwarf V"'s "Holoship".

10. Quantum entanglement

Episode: "Entangled", "Red Dwarf X" (2012)

In "Red Dwarf": An experiment involving a "quantum rod" from a previous adventure causes Kryten and the Cat to become entangled on a quantum level. In other words, it's an excuse for Robert Llewellyn and Danny John-Jules to perform a masterclass in both physical theatre and spooky action, as they move entirely in sync with each other.

In "The Marvels": It's fair to say it's not quite how Albert Einstein theorized it, but quantum entanglement is also used to justify Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan being tied together in the 2023 MCU movie. The results are slightly different — they keep swapping places every time they use their powers — but it's a similarly loose riff on real-life physics.

Honorable mention: It happened last night

"Thanks for the Memory", "Red Dwarf II"

In "Red Dwarf": When the Boys from the Dwarf hold an epic party to mark the anniversary of Rimmer's death, they get so drunk that four days have passed by the time they wake up. With no memory of the intervening time — why is Lister's leg broken? Who completed that jigsaw puzzle — they try to piece together what happened.

In "The Hangover" (2009): Okay, it's not science fiction, but the hit comedy film is built on exactly the same premise — a bunch of guys get so wasted in Vegas that they end up on a mission to work out how they ended up with one missing tooth, a lost baby, and a tiger in their hotel bathroom.

Recent "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" shore leave episode "Human Best Friend" also recycled that party/amnesia formula.

On Episode 231 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik take a dive deep into their favorite space si-fi across the ages.

From the earliest works of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells to the best of contemporary space science fiction, Rod and Tariq also challenge you with some of the most obscure titles they know.

Download or subscribe to this show at: https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.

Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Space news of the week

• The Integral Trees
• The Smoke Ring
• Lucifer's Hammer: A Novel
• Star Trek Classics: The Mirror Universe Saga
• Rising Stars Compendium
• Farmer in the Sky
• From the Earth to the Moon (Illustrated 1874 Edition): 100th Anniversary Collection
• Between Planets
• The Expanse Series Collection 9 Books Set
• The Murderbot Diaries Vol. 1
• Ancillary Justice
• Firestar: An Epic of Science Fiction for the Twenty-First Century
• The Martian
• Rusty's Space Ship
• We All Died at Breakaway Station
• Edison's Conquest of Mars: A Classic Mars Invasion Science Fiction Adventure and Early Interplanetary War Story
• The Martian Chronicles
• Fury (Golden Age Masterworks)
• Farewell to The Master: The Day the Earth Stood Still
• The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
• A Talent For War (An Alex Benedict Novel Book 1)
• War of the Worlds: Global Dispatches
• The Chimerium Gambit: The Radiation Angels
• The Great Planet Robbery
• Earth Strike: A Gritty Military Space Opera in the Vein of Battlestar Galactica

Model Falcon 9!

Finally, did you know you can launch your own SpaceX rocket? Model rocket maker Estes' stunning scale model of a Falcon 9 rocket that you can pick up now. The launchable model is a detailed recreation of the Falcon 9 and retails for $149.99. You can save 10% by using the code IN-COLLECTSPACE at checkout, courtesy of our partners collectSPACE.com.

About This Week In Space

This Week in Space covers the new space age. Every Friday we take a deep dive into a fascinating topic. What's happening with the new race to the moon and other planets? When will SpaceX really send people to Mars?

Join Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik from Space.com as they tackle those questions and more each week on Friday afternoons. You can subscribe today on your favorite podcatcher.

Apple TV's addictive multiverse thriller, "Dark Matter," has quietly joined their roster of fantastic sci-fi series alongside hits like "Pluribus," "Severance," "Foundation," "Silo," "For All Mankind," and "Star City."

Adapted from New York Times bestselling author Blake Crouch's ("Recursion," "Upgrade") novel of the same name from 2016, "Dark Matter" is a mesmerizing amalgam of time-travel, existential crises, alternate dimensions, and romantic love that transcends the multiverse. We're entering the final few episodes of season 2, so there’s still room to jump on the show's bandwagon and absorb the quantum entanglement for what's bound to be a cliffhanger finale airing on Oct. 30, 2026.

As "Dark Matter" season 2 heads toward its conclusion, we sat down with showrunner Blake Crouch to ask what it's like to adapt your own book to the screen, and the challenges of moving beyond the scope of his original story.

"The biggest challenge for season 2 was time because we needed to move quickly," Crouch tells Space. "This was a brand new plot and brand new story. Yeah, we had the characters from season 1 and kind of knew where they were heading, but coming up with ten hours of new story was daunting."

Crouch again serves as "Dark Matter's" executive producer and showrunner, this time being liberated from the novel's initial plotline and free to continue the story of Jason (Joel Edgerton) and Daniela (Jennifer Connelly) Dessen as they flee from a mob of duplicate Jasons chasing them across parallel existences while struggling to maintain some semblance of a marriage. Come for the trippy time loops and strange variant worlds, stay for the exceptional acting and drama!

"It was a case of go, go, go, and actually I think it kind of helps the process not be precious," explains Crouch. "We sort of committed and went with it. For the second season arc, we wanted to open up the aperture and not just focus so heavily only on the family, but to check in with Ryan and Amanda and Leighton. It seemed like an amazing opportunity to build out the world."

Crouch and his creative team were extremely happy with the debut season's aesthetics, and this sophomore outing was mostly about being faithful to that, although the new batch did indulge in a couple of standalone chapters where the writers got to play a bit and take some big swings.

"It was never something we were afraid of," Crouch adds, avoiding multiverse tropes and clichés. "Because I was starting to write 'Dark Matter' in 2014 and there are plenty of amazing things that came before that dabbled in it. But when the book came out, it was the first story that went all in and committed to the idea of the world in a grounded, emotional, character-driven way. And we always try to stay true to that identity.

"Sometimes the multiverse can be fun shock and awe when it comes to showing how wild and crazy different worlds can become. But for our characters, everyone is just shades of the same core character. And I think that approach hopefully keeps it from falling into some of those trope traps.”

Romance is frequently at the heart of Crouch’s work, which allows the series’ acclaimed cast to evolve and stretch their skills within the complicated narrative.

"I love the way Jennifer describes this second season as a continued exploration of a marriage," he shares. "And in some ways the new season of 'Dark Matter' gets far more deep into the relationship of Daniela and Jason. Because in season 1 they're together for a few minutes in the beginning and then he’s out the door and ultimately gets abducted. He doesn’t return to his family until the end of the penultimate episode."

"There's a sense in season 1 that it’s a love story between these two characters, but Jason 1 and Daniel 1 have very little screen time," he elaborates. "In season 2, we not only get to see how they interact day-to-day, but how they deal with the fallout. "

"I feel a lot of gratitude to work with such amazing creative minds, from our production designer to our actors and directors and editors. It's very humbling to get to work with so many smart people who are all trying to execute your vision."

"Dark Matter" season 2 airs new episodes each Friday exclusively on Apple TV. Fans can also catch up on the entire first season on Apple TV.

Are you stuck for an outfit this spooky season? We've got you covered with our round-up of the best space themed Halloween costumes. Let's face it, even if there aren't any haunted spaceships out there, the vastness of the void is enough to give us the chills.

From Aliens to Star Wars, these costumes are sure to make you stand out, get the conversation flowing and maybe even raise a chuckle or two. And if you're a regular convention-goer, many of these costumes can double as cosplay outfits.

If you're still struggling for inspiration, or want to put your own costume together from scratch, you can always check out the best lightsabers, best streaming services or the best Lego Star Wars and Lego Marvel sets for ideas.

The quick list

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The best space and sci-fi themed Halloween costumes we recommend in 2026

The best overall

As sci-fi horror goes, it doesn't get more disturbing than Alien's infamous chestburster scene and now you can cosplay as one of the Nostromo's unfortunate crewmembers, complete with an alien emerging from your torso.

Admittedly, no one in the movie actually wore beige pants, so there's an inaccuracy there, which is odd given this is an officially licensed Alien costume. But the 3D chestburster, a wonderfully gruesome latex model attached to the outfit's t-shirt, more than makes up for that.

In fact, if you're in a hurry, you can forget about the rest of the costume and just slip on the t-shirt; between the creature on your chest and the Nostromo badge on your shoulder, there'll be no mistaking your outfit. And if you're looking for a couples costume, you can snag this Ellen Ripley jumpsuit.

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The best for Star Wars fans

This outfit may not bear the official Star Wars name but any fan of the saga will recognize it as the iconic robes of a Jedi, as worn by Obi-Wan Kenobi and virtually every light side wielder of the Force.

This cotton costume has plenty of detail and comes with a set of faux leather pouches, and they're unisex, so you can cosplay as whichever pre-Order 66 Jedi you want. Just add one of the best lightsabers.

But what's especially cool about this outfit is that it can be worn in a variety of ways. The tunic, trousers and cloak are all separate pieces, so you can leap into battle or slip the cloak over your head and lurk in a corner, looking all mysterious.

Those who've purchased this outfit praise its quality, in particular the thickness of the fabric. And if you lean more towards the Dark Side, there's a black Sith version as well.

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The best for nostalgia

I used to love watching the Original Series with my Grandad on a weekend. I have no idea how old I was but I have fond memories of those times and the many hours spent trying to learn how to do the Vulcan salute. If you're a fan of the Original Series like me, or just the original of anything Sci-Fi, this might be the Halloween costume for you.

Captain Kirk's shirt is a super simple and fuss-free Halloween costume. People will instantly recognize the striking color and design as being that of Captain Kirk. Combining it with a pair of dark pants will really set this costume off.

One great thing about this item is that it's not only a great Halloween costume choice but also an officially licensed product, meaning it's trademarked and authentic — ideal for true Star Trek fans as an item they can keep and wear again and again. Plus, there is the option of creating the full crew with family or friends, with the women's Starfleet dresses also being available.

It's important to note that the product listing advises customers to look at the sizing chart, rather than ordering based on your known sizes. Some people found the fit to be right, while others had to return it and order another size. To avoid this, it's best to consult the size chart. Reviewers also mentioned that the embroidery can be hit and miss, especially around the emblem.

Regardless of this, I think, for the money, this is a decent Halloween costume that will spark memories for those who grew up with the Original Series.

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The best for women

This Princess Leia costume is a great option for any Halloween parties you might be attending this year. Whether you're a Star Wars fan or not, this outfit is a classic and allows you to feel like a powerful princess while you're wearing it. You can purchase it with and without the wig — if you buy the wig, there will be no mistaking who you are. It's a simple outfit yet one that everyone will recognize. The attention to detail is good, with it mimicking the outfit worn in the films pretty accurately. So, even if you don't purchase the wig, most people will probably guess who you are dressed up as.

Made from cloth and synthetic leather, this costume can be worn by vegans too, so there are no exclusions there. It comes with the belt and, apparently, true-to-size sizing. However, there are no customer reviews for us to be sure whether this is the case or not. It may be a good idea to use the measurements provided to get the right size for you.

The best thing about dressing up as Princess Leia on Halloween? You have a fancy dress outfit ready for other parties, too. Plus, if you're into cosplay, you have your next outfit sorted. And, while some fancy dress outfits are a pain to clean, this costume is machine washable so there's no faff with hand washing. The only thing to be aware of is that it's not suitable for the tumble dryer.

Overall, this is a recognizable and classic choice for Halloween this year. However, if this doesn't feel like the right costume choice for you, you could consider other options in this guide.

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The best comedy

This inflatable spaceship costume takes the famously cheesy fake leg outfit and updates it to the space age. Put it on, let it inflate and everyone will think you're literally flying around the room!

Okay, maybe they won't be entirely convinced, but this ridiculous costume, with its dangling inflatable 'legs', will get you plenty of laughs and attention. Why not combine it with the kid-friendly rocket costume to create a family costume?

It inflates and stays inflated via the use of a battery pack, though some purchasers report you can also use a power bank. Its Amazon reviews are mostly positive, with the only real gripe being that you may need help to put it on.

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The best villain

Another recognisable costume that needs no introduction. What child doesn't love dressing up as the bad guy? And you can't get more iconic than Darth Vader.

This Darth Vader outfit comes with the helmet, cape, boots and gloves, so there's no need for further shopping with your little one to complete their outfit. Should they find the helmet uncomfortable to wear, for example, an added benefit is that the helmet, gloves and cape are detachable should your child decide they prefer to wear it without.

The reviews note it's good quality and durable, with many children enjoying wearing this costume. Durability is definitely something you need for little ones so this gets a thumbs up. One review noted that, although the material was good quality, it was thin, so this might be something to bear in mind if you live in a colder climate. Some reviews stated that the costume was large in places, such as the gloves and cape, whereas others say the sizing was spot on, or even on the smaller side. This may be down to personal preference but it seems getting the right size might prove difficult.

While being a pretty cool Halloween choice for kids, it's also an officially licensed product from Marvel. There's some jealousy that this isn't available in adult sizes...

Altogether, this is a great kid's costume for Halloween that's beyond reasonably priced. You can't go wrong.

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The best for young kids

This rocket costume will light up your child's Halloween. Whether you've got a girl or a boy, this costume is unisex in sizing and design, so it can be enjoyed by any little one. It's super simple to get your little one ready for Halloween — the rocket slides over their clothes. That's it. However, something to note is that it doesn't come with the silver shirt, so you would need to source this yourself if you want to match the rocket. That's the same for the bottoms — you would need to source orange bottoms to match the flames, if that's what you wanted to do.

Users note the material is good quality and that it's lightweight, meaning it doesn't interrupt playtime. One reviewer noted that it arrived crinkled after being in the packaging and advised removing it and letting it hang for a while before wearing. Another reviewer noted they bought it for their older child but the sizing was tight. Therefore, it seems this is a costume best suited to younger children, probably toddlers or up to five or six years old.

One of the benefits of buying a space-themed Halloween costume is that it's not only relevant at Halloween. Your child can enjoy this costume throughout the year or even use it during playtime with friends. There are multiple uses for it and that somewhat counteracts the slightly higher price for effectively an incomplete outfit (as you have to source the top and trousers yourself).

Overall, this is a quirky and cute alternative to Halloween for your little ones to enjoy, especially if they are interested in space.

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Contrary to many people's initial suspicions, "Disclosure Day" is not a story of a weather forecast gone wrong. Meteorologist Margaret Fairchild's (Emily Blunt) creepy report does, however, light the fuse on Steven Spielberg's UFO epic.

Margaret teams up with security expert Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor) – and a few woodland creatures – to unravel the biggest cover-up in history. Are aliens here? What do they want? And can humankind handle the truth?

Below, we explain the cheapest ways to stream "Disclosure Day" online – from only $1 – and from anywhere with this VPN.

• Stream securely from anywhere with Surfshark VPN (80% off)

When is the "Disclosure Day" streaming release?

Friday, October 9, 2026 is "Disclosure Day" in the US, so far as streaming is concerned.

How To Watch "Disclosure Day"

"Disclosure Day" is available to stream on Peacock in the US from October 9.

If you want to stream "Disclosure Day" or any of Peacock's other great films, TV shows and live sports while you're abroad, Surfshark VPN will let you access your subscription from anywhere in the world.

What is the plot of "Disclosure Day"?

A sci-fi conspiracy thriller with elements of mystery and action, "Disclosure Day" is essentially "Snowden", only with a UFO angle instead of surveillance.

Cybersecurity specialist Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor) decides to turn whistleblower upon discovering that the US government has been suppressing evidence of extra-terrrestrial life, as part of a cover-up that goes back decades.

Naturally, that make Daniel the No.1 enemy of the state and Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth), the CEO of shady government contractor Wardex, orchestrates a concerted campaign of violence to silence him for good.

Only, Daniel isn't acting alone. In a seemingly random twist, meteorologist Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt) has his back, but to piece the puzzle together they must first find each other.

Are there any "Disclosure Day" teasers and trailers?

The initial teaser gave so little away it was more baffling than intriguing, especially as the "Disclosure Day" plot details had been so tightly under wraps at that point, but subsequent drops were far more revealing – perhaps slightly too much so...

The trailers, however, were duly upstaged by Steven Spielberg's seemingly earnest assurance, referring to the plot, that "all of this is true."

Who are the "Disclosure Day"' cast and creators?

"Disclosure Day" features an ensemble cast, led by:

• Emily Blunt – Margaret Fairchild
• Josh O'Connor – Dr. Daniel Kellner
• Colin Firth – Noah Scanlon
• Eve Hewson – Jane Blankenship
• Colman Domingo – Hugo Wakefield
• Wyatt Russell – Jackson
• Henry Lloyd-Hughes – Casper Boyd

Produced by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, "Disclosure Day" was written by David Koepp and directed by Steven Spielberg, with a score by John Williams. Spielberg and Kristie Macosko Krieger served as executive producers.

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Well, this wasn't a headline I ever thought I'd be writing.

Premium cookware brand Le Creuset, best known for its striking orange cast iron casserole dishes, has collaborated with Star Trek to produce a branded series of kitchenware. OK, that's a weird partnership, but whatever; Trekkies gotta cook too, and a Star Trek casserole dish is a neat curiosity. It's got the USS Enterprise embossed on the top, a Starfleet logo handle, and the iconic phrase "To boldly go where no one has gone before" embossed on the inside of the lid.

What really caught our interest was the marketing campaign for this collaboration, because Le Creuset strapped one of these limited-edition casserole dishes to a high-altitude balloon and sent it into space (almost, more on that in a bit). No, we're not kidding — there is video evidence, as you can see below.

The USS Enterprise-themed casserole dish* was elevated to the edge of space by way of a hydrogen balloon. Since hydrogen is lighter than air, these balloons can easily exceed altitudes of 100,000m. At the end of the flight, the dish was then safely returned to the ground via a parachute and collected by the team (can you imagine spotting a parachuting casserole dish outside your window?).

Let's get the obvious thing out of the way first; by conventional definitions, the casserole dish did not actually go into space. It reached a maximum height of 110,095 feet (just over 35km), which is well below the Karman line — the most widely accepted barrier to space. Still, at this altitude, the casserole dish was above 99.9% of our planet’s atmosphere.

The Karman line sits at an altitude of 100 kilometres (54 nautical miles; 62 miles; 328,084 feet) above mean sea level and is something of an arbitrary divider because defining exactly where space begins can be rather tricky. The atmosphere doesn't just stop, so we had to draw a line somewhere, and this is the line that most scientists and governments have accepted.

So, it didn't really go to space, but it still boldly went where no casserole dish has gone before (to our knowledge, I don't think they're cooking up fresh batches of gumbo on the ISS).

This impressive feat was achieved thanks to a company called Sent to Space — a UK-based aerospace company that specialises in "upper stratosphere" launches for "global marketing stunts, space cinematography, video production for documentary and cinema, scientific research, aerospace R&D, educational projects and even ash scattering memorial services."

As cool (but also dumb) things to do in the name of brand awareness and fun go, sending a casserole dish to the edge of space gets a big thumbs up from us, and we'll be having some fun of our own with this Le Creuset Star Trek collection later this month, so stick around for that too.

*Fun fact: This style of casserole dish is known as a cocotte in French, though Cocotte also has another meaning that's a little more risque. The more you know.

Pixar's Academy Award-winning director Brad Bird — of "The Incredibles" and "Ratatouille" fame — has been out of the spotlight for a while, working on a project that's been percolating inside his noggin for three decades. That project is "Ray Gunn", and it's finally on the horizon.

The first dynamic trailer for "Ray Gunn" arrived in September, giving us a glimpse of this cool sci-fi crime thriller. Like his previous works, it's an animated movie energized with spectacular visuals and starring the vocal talents of Sam Rockwell, Alan Tudyk, Scarlett Johansson, and Tom Waits.

If you're into retro-futuristic elements like flying cars, jet packs, blazing laser pistols, scary robots, alien hoodlums, and a classic whodunnit storyline, then this will be right up your alley.

Produced by Skydance Animation and directed by Brad Bird, "Ray Gunn" has a long history of development dating back even before Bird's glory days at Pixar. From this sneak peek, it's clear that a lot of love and attention to detail have been poured into this highly anticipated project, which arrives exclusively on Netflix on Dec. 18, 2026.

But what exactly is "Ray Gunn", and why did it take so long to get made?

What is Ray Gunn about?

The adult-oriented plot revolves around a hard-boiled private eye in Metropia named Raymond "Ray" Gunn (Rockwell), his one-eyed alien partner Eyera (Waits) and Venus Nova (Johansson), a sassy pop music starlet who's embroiled in a scandal that might cancel her career and possibly end her life.

"Ray Gunn's" murder mystery screenplay was co-written by Bird and Matthew Robbins, who he penned the script for 1987’s "Batteries Not Included" with.

"The elevator pitch that I boiled it down to is 'Buck Rogers' meets 'The Maltese Falcon,'" Bird told Discussing Film regarding the movie’s influences. "You take the slightly more naïve, optimistic design view of the future, and then you add a dark underbelly to it.

"Usually in these stories, the city is kind of a grimy place. In 'Blade Runner,' it's acid rain and this future you don’t want to be in. But I thought there was something fun about juxtaposing a positive vision of the city of the future, and then showing that still there's going to be corruption and lies."

Ray Gunn has a star-studded line-up of vocal talents too, including Sam Rockwell, Alan Tudyk, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Waits, Matt Berry, Bobby Cannavale, Michale Chernus and Patton Oswalt.

Ray Gunn's long journey to our screens

What’s so cool about this neo-noir passion project is that it reunites Bird with former Pixar Chief John Lasseter ("Toy Story"), with whom the duo delivered some of the storied animation studio's biggest hits. Lasseter left Pixar in 2018 to head up the animation division at Skydance the next year.

The idea for "Ray Gunn" has been bouncing around Hollywood since the late '80s when Bird was with Amblin Entertainment. Its plot was inspired by Blake Edwards' "Peter Gunn" movie, Will Eisner's The Spirit and The B-52’s tune "Planet Claire," but set in an alt-future with humans and aliens.

After a successful run working on the first eight seasons of "The Simpsons," "Ray Gunn" was set up at Turner Feature Animation in the mid-90s but was eventually shelved before Turner merged with Warner Bros., where Bird directed 1999's "The Iron Giant."

Even while working on other live-action endeavors like helming 2011's "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" and 2015’s "Tomorrowland," or spending time on Pixar's "Incredibles 3," Bird held onto hope that "Ray Gunn" might be revived after years of development hell.

Fortunately, he moved on from "Incredibles 3" in 2021 to join Lasseter at Skydance Animation, and the rest is history after setting the movie up at Netflix instead of his old home at Pixar.

Watching this new trailer, it’s hard not to compare its design aesthetics and overall plot devices to movies like "Blade Runner," "The Fifth Element," and maybe a touch of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"

"Ray Gunn" debuts on Netflix on Dec. 18, 2026, and will also have a limited 70mm theatrical release starting Dec. 4, 2026.