ITV airs the 11th episode of Roald Dahl’s anthology series Tales Of The Unexpected, hosted by the author himself and adapted from his short stories. Derek Jacobi guest stars.
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ITV airs the 11th episode of Roald Dahl’s anthology series Tales Of The Unexpected, hosted by the author himself and adapted from his short stories. Derek Jacobi guest stars.
Atari releases the home version of Space Invaders as a cartridge for the Atari 2600, the first time that a video game company has licensed another company’s game for home play. (All of Atari’s arcade ports up to this point have been home versions of Atari arcade games.) It turns out to be an astute move: Space Invaders is the “killer app” of the VCS, becoming so popular that the cartridge boosts sales of the system needed to run it. 
BBC1 premieres the 36th episode of Terry Nation’s science fiction series Blake’s 7. This episode is written by novelist Trevor Hoyle, who has already penned two Blake’s 7 tie-in novelizations during the series’ first season.
The second episode of Beyond Westworld airs on CBS, starring Jim McMullan, Connie Sellecca, and James Wainwright. NFL players Anthony Davis and Delvin Williams guest star in a football-themed episode.
The 52nd episode of the live-action series based on Marvel’s comic The Incredible Hulk airs on CBS, starring Bill Bixby, Jack Colvin, and Lou Ferrigno.
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ITV airs the 12th episode of Roald Dahl’s anthology series Tales Of The Unexpected, hosted by the author himself and adapted from his short stories. John Mills guest stars.
The fourth episode of a vastly retooled Battlestar Galactica (or, depending on how you look at it, the show’s 25th episode) premieres on ABC.
BBC1 premieres the 37th episode of Terry Nation’s science fiction series Blake’s 7.
The third episode of Beyond Westworld airs on CBS, starring Jim McMullan, Connie Sellecca, and James Wainwright. Rene Auberjonois (Benson, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) and Ronnie Sue Blakley (A Nightmare On Elm Street) guest star. Due to low ratings, CBS cancels Beyond Westworld after this episode airs, leaving two completed shows unaired.
NBC airs the 20th episode of Buck Rogers In The 25th Century.
The 53rd episode of the live-action series based on Marvel’s comic The Incredible Hulk airs on CBS, starring Bill Bixby, Jack Colvin, and Lou Ferrigno.
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ITV airs the 13th episode of Roald Dahl’s anthology series Tales Of The Unexpected, hosted by the author himself and adapted from his short stories. Rod Taylor (The Birds, The Time Machine) and Cyril Cusack guest star.
The fifth episode of a vastly retooled Battlestar Galactica (or, depending on how you look at it, the show’s 26th episode) premieres on ABC.
BBC1 premieres the 38th episode of Terry Nation’s science fiction series Blake’s 7.
Following eleven days of precursory earthquake activity, Mt. St. Helens, a volcano in Washington which has been dormant for over a century, emits a small eruption of ash and steam. Similar eruptions continue on an hourly basis, though the frequency will gradually diminsh through April. This activity lasts barely a month before ending, at least for a week or two. The north face of Mt. St. Helens begins bulging noticeably, and emergency planners fight to keep sightseers away from the mountain while drawing up evacuation plans for nearby populated areas. Some locals vow to remain despite possible evacuation orders.
NBC airs the 21st episode of Buck Rogers In The 25th Century. Sid Haig (Jason Of Star Command), Pamela Hensley and Michael Ansara guest star.
ITV airs the 14th episode of Roald Dahl’s anthology series Tales Of The Unexpected, hosted by the author himself and adapted from his short stories. Andrew Ray and Judy Geeson guest star.
The sixth episode of a vastly retooled Battlestar Galactica (or, depending on how you look at it, the show’s 27th episode) premieres on ABC.
Construction begins on what is intended to be the fourth and final member of the current Space Shuttle fleet, Atlantis. With four orbiters in service, NASA will be one step closer to the routine, almost-weekly schedule of orbital flights envisioned in the Nixon-era mandate for the shuttle. Refinements and improvements in the process of constructing the shuttle fleet make Atlantis the lightest shuttle to date, over three tons lighter than Columbia.
BBC1 premieres the 39th episode of Terry Nation’s science fiction series Blake’s 7, ending the third season and seeing out series regular Jan Chappell (Cally) and the Liberator. This is the last script written for the series by Terry Nation, as he has decided to try his fortunes as a writer and producer in Hollywood, and is intended to be the series finale. When broadcast on the BBC, a voice-over on the end credits informs viewers that Blake’s 7 will return in 1981 – something that even the cast and crew aren’t aware of until then. Gareth Thomas guest stars as Blake.
Microsoft enters the computer hardware business with a Z80 processor card for the Apple II computer. This peripheral allows the Apple II to run the CP/M operating system and Microsoft BASIC (the Apple II is well on its way to dominating the home computer market at this point). Selling it for nearly $350 is responsible for bringing in the bulk of Microsoft’s revenue between now and the introduction of Microsoft DOS for the IBM PC.
NBC airs the 22nd episode of Buck Rogers In The 25th Century. Sid Haig (Jason Of Star Command), Pamela Hensley and Michael Ansara guest star. This concludes the series’ first season, and a significant rethink of the show’s premise and cast takes place before a second season begins filming. The series will return in 1981.
The 54th episode of the live-action series based on Marvel’s comic The Incredible Hulk airs on CBS, starring Bill Bixby, Jack Colvin, and Lou Ferrigno. Marc Alaimo (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) guest stars.
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ITV airs the 15th episode of Roald Dahl’s anthology series Tales Of The Unexpected, hosted by the author himself and adapted from his short stories. Miriam Margolyes guest stars in the first episode not based on a Dahl short story.
The Soviet Union launches Soyuz 35 en route to space station Salyut 6 for a long-duration stay. Cosmonauts Leonid Popov and Valery Ryumin set a new space endurance record with their 185-day stay, lasting until October 1980. Ryumin had been a member of the last Salyut 6 crew as well, having stayed on the station for six months in 1979, and was not originally scheduled for this mission, rotated into the prime crew due to the illness of the originally assigned crew member. Four other crews visit Salyut 6 during the Soyuz 35 crew’s stay. By the end of this mission, Ryumin holds a personal record for the most time accrued in space by a human being – 352 days, barely two weeks short of a full year of spaceflight experience.
Two years after the shutdown of its orbiter leaves it sending observations of the Martian environment back to Earth at a low bit rate, the Viking 2 lander’s batteries are depleted and the second spacecraft to land on Mars shuts down permanently. Its three-and-a-half-year operational lifespan has been a bonus round for a robotic vehicle expected to function for a few months in Mars’ harsh weather.
The 54th episode of the live-action series based on Marvel’s comic The Incredible Hulk airs on CBS, starring Bill Bixby, Jack Colvin, and Lou Ferrigno. This episode concludes the third season.
This series is not yet fully chronicled in the LogBook. You could help change that.
ITV airs the 16th episode of Roald Dahl’s anthology series Tales Of The Unexpected, hosted by the author himself and adapted from his short stories. Ron Moody (Into The Labyrinth) guest stars.
The seventh episode of a vastly retooled Battlestar Galactica (or, depending on how you look at it, the show’s 28th episode) premieres on ABC. Wolfman Jack guest stars.
In contrast to 1977, where no toy licensee had a lock on the right to make Star Wars toys until weeks after the movie’s premiere, Kenner rolls out the first toys for The Empire Strikes Back nearly a month ahead of the movie; kids (and their long-suffering parents) make the first wave of figures an immediate sell-out, despite not knowing anything about the movie’s plotline.