The 33rd episode of the science fiction drama series Men Into Space airs on CBS, starring William Lundigan.
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The 102nd episode of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone airs on CBS. Donald Pleasance and Liam Sullivan star in the third season finale, written by Serling.
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The 209th episode of Doctor Who airs on the BBC. This story sees the return of the Cybermen and the introduction of Wendy Padbury as the Doctor’s new companion, Zoe. This episode concludes the series’ fifth season, but it leads directly into an unusual “in-universe” rerun of The Evil The Daleks for the following severn weeks. This is one of two episodes remaining intact from this story.
This timeline entry leads to an entry covering this entire Doctor Who serial; there are plans to write new episodic entries in the future. You can support this effort!
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The Soviet Union launches Soyuz 9, a long-endurance mission which becomes the longest space flight in human history to date, lasting 18 days. Biomedical measurements are taken of cosmonauts Andrian Nikolayev and Vitaly Sevastyanov throughout their two-and-a-half-week stay in orbit, and Soyuz 9 is seen as a trailblazer for the Soviet space program’s new focus of long-term crewed space stations. Both cosmonauts suffer from muscle loss during their flight, as the Soyuz capsule isn’t big enough to allow for exercise.
The 380th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. This is the final story of the third Doctor’s era.
This timeline entry leads to an entry covering this entire Doctor Who serial; there are plans to write new episodic entries in the future. You can support this effort!
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Atari releases Superman as a cartridge for the Atari 2600. This is the first major synergy between Atari and fellow Warner Communications unit DC Comics, riding on the renewed interest in the character generated by the 1978 movie. 
RSO Records releases The Story of The Empire Strikes Back, an adaptation on LP for younger listeners, recreating and encapsulating the movie’s story with audio from the film, narrated by Malachi Throne (Star Trek).
Magnavox releases the video game Pachinko! for the Odyssey² home video game system in North America, designed and programmed by Ed and Linda Averett. The game is released later in Europe for the equivalent Videopac console, and in France for the Jopac.
Magnavox releases the video game Blockout! / Breakdown! for the Odyssey² home video game system in North America, designed and programmed by Ed and Linda Averett. The game is released later in Europe for the equivalent Videopac console, and in France for the Jopac.
Magnavox releases the video game Casino Slot Machine! for the Odyssey² home video game system in North America, designed and programmed by Ed and Linda Averett. The game is released later in Europe for the equivalent Videopac console, and in France for the Jopac.
Magnavox releases the video game Pocket Billiards! for the Odyssey² home video game system in North America, designed and programmed by Ed and Linda Averett. The game is released later in Europe for the equivalent Videopac console, and in France for the Jopac.
The first episode of the short-lived TVNZ series Under The Mountain premieres on New Zealand’s state-run television network. Shot entirely in New Zealand, the single-season children’s fantasy show is adapted by Ken Catran from Maurice Gee’s book of the same name.
Exidy’s utterly bizarre coin-op video game Pepper II arrives in arcades, and players are given the task of guiding an angelic being on his mission to zip up a maze made of zippers while pursued by little devils. While trying to figure out if any of it makes sense, the industry spends far too much time coining phrases like “wouldn’t you like to be a Pepper II?”
Mattel Electronics releases the Burgertime cartridge for the Intellivision home video game system, a home version of the Data East arcade game. The game gets a surprising nationwide marketing push, benefiting from a realignment of priorities behind the scenes at Mattel.
MCA Records releases John Barry‘s soundtrack from the movie Out Of Africa.
Mindscape releases the educational computer game The Halley Project for the Apple II home computer system, designed by Omar Khudari and Tom Snyder. The game’s release is timed to coincide with increasing public awareness of the upcoming appearance of Halley’s Comet in 1986.
Alan Silvestri’s soundtrack from the movie The Abyss is released on Varese Sarabande Records.
Timothy Zahn’s novel “Star Wars: Dark Force Rising”, the second in a trilogy of officially licensed follow-ups to the original trilogy, is released by Bantam Books. As with the first installment of the new trilogy (which will become known years later alternately as the Zahn Trilogy or the Thrawn Trilogy), “Dark Force Rising” requires no Jedi mind tricks to wind up at the top of the bestseller lists.
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 124th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. This episode goes on to win a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.
Baen Books publishes the second novel in the Honor Harrington series, “The Honor Of The Queen” by David Weber. Written simultaneously with the first book (which was published two months prior), this novel introduces further complications and introduces Honor’s new home-away-from-home, the planet Grayson.
The 12th episode of RoboCop: The Series airs in syndication, starring Richard Eden, Yvette Nipar, Blu Mankuma, and Andrea Roth.
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Baen Books publishes the sixth novel in the Honor Harrington series, “Honor Among Enemies” by David Weber.
Canadian broadcaster CHCH-TV airs the 21st episode of Art Monterastelli’s sci-fi series Total Recall 2070, starring Michael Easton and Cynthia Preston, very loosely based on the 1990 film Total Recall. Martin Sheen (The West Wing) guest stars.
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Pocket Books releases the first book in its post-TV revival of Star Trek: Voyager, “Homecoming” by Christie Golden.
The 210th episode of Stargate SG-1 airs on the Sci-Fi Channel, starring Ben Browder, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, Claudia Black, Beau Bridges, and Michael Shanks.
Sci-Fi Channel airs the 57th episode of Stargate Atlantis.
Big Finish Productions releases the 13th episode of the new Eighth Doctor Who audio dramas, starring Paul McGann and Sheridan Smith.
Film Score Monthly releases an expanded 2-CD edition of James Horner’s soundtrack from Star Trek III: The Search For Spock, presenting the movie’s full score for the first time.
Actor Matt Smith announces that he will be give up the role of the eleventh Doctor in the forthcoming Christmas 2013 Doctor Who special, handing the TARDIS off to the twelfth actor to play the Doctor. First announced as the eleventh Doctor early in 2009, Smith has occupied the TARDIS since his first appearance in the closing scenes of 2010’s New Years’ Day special The End Of Time Part 2.
This timeline entry leads to an entry covering this entire Doctor Who serial; there are plans to write new episodic entries in the future. You can support this effort!
The University of Nebraska Press publishes Bold They Rise: The Space Shuttle Early Years, 1972-1986, a comprehensive history of the development and early flights of the American Space Shuttle program written by David Hitt and Heather R. Smith. The book is part of University of Nebraska Press’ Outward Odyssey: A People’s History of Spaceflight series.