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The first episode of Glen A. Larson’s science fiction series Automan airs on ABC, starring Desi Arnaz Jr. and Chuck Wagner. Inspired by the 1982 movie Tron, Automan involves a hologram of an intelligent computer program who fights crime alongside a nerdy police computer technician. Patrick Macnee (The Avengers, Battlestar Galactica) and Sid Haig (Jason Of Star Command) guest star. The series lasts less than a full season. 
The eighth episode of Glen A. Larson’s superhero series Manimal airs on NBC, starring Simon MacCorkindale, Melody Anderson, and Michael D. Roberts. Jeff Corey (The Outer Limits, Babylon 5) and Robert Englund (V, A Nightmare On Elm Street) guest star in the final episode; due to declining ratings, NBC has cancelled the series. MacCorkindale will reprise the role of Jonathan Chase in an episode of Larson’s 1990s superhero series, NightMan, appropriately titled Manimal.
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The second episode of Glen A. Larson’s science fiction series Automan airs on ABC, starring Desi Arnaz Jr. and Chuck Wagner, taking at least a little bit of inspiration from the 1982 movie Tron. William Windom guest stars.
Hobbled by the recent half-billion-dollar losses of its Atari division, Warner Communications finds itself vulnerable to a potential hostile takeover by Australian publisher Rupert Murdoch, who isn’t shy about his plan to acquire a controlling interest in Warner’s very slowly recovering stock. To stave off Murdoch’s takeover attempt, a 19% stake in Warner is traded for 43% of Chris-Craft Industries’ broadcasting division, BHC Communications. This transaction later has unforseen consequences, including BHC’s near-successful 1989 attempt to block the Time Warner merger, and the creation of the short-lived PTEN television network, a failed 1990s venture whose main claim to fame will be the science fiction series Babylon 5.
The third episode of Glen A. Larson’s science fiction series Automan airs on ABC, starring Desi Arnaz Jr. and Chuck Wagner, taking at least a little bit of inspiration from the 1982 movie Tron. Clu Gulager guest stars.
The 603rd episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. This story opens the 21st season, and marks the first appearance of the Silurians and Sea Devils since 1972 (and the first joint appearance of both); this is also the last Silurian story of the original series. Ingrid Pitt and Ian McCulloch guest star.
The fourth episode of Glen A. Larson’s science fiction series Automan airs on ABC, starring Desi Arnaz Jr. and Chuck Wagner, taking at least a little bit of inspiration from the 1982 movie Tron. Frank Aletter (It’s About Time) guest stars.
The 604th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. This story opens the 21st season, and marks the first appearance of the Silurians and Sea Devils since 1972 (and the first joint appearance of both); this is also the last Silurian story of the original series. Ingrid Pitt and Ian McCulloch guest star.
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!
Order Earl Green’s book VWORP!1 from theLogBook.com Store
The first episode of Chocky airs on Thames Television, adapting the novels of John Wyndham into a television serial starring Andrew Ellams and James Hazeldine. 
Having taken heavy losses and criticism from both the public and the computing press for launching an underpowered machine into the burgeoning personal computer market, Mattel Electronics hurriedly sells off its interest in the Aquarius Computer, handing all rights in the machine back to its UK-based originator, Radofin Electronics. The age of Aquarius has lasted less than a year, but has cost Mattel Electronics dearly.
The 605th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. This story opens the 21st season, and marks the first appearance of the Silurians and Sea Devils since 1972 (and the first joint appearance of both); this is also the last Silurian story of the original series. Ingrid Pitt and Ian McCulloch guest star.
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!
Order Earl Green’s book VWORP!1 from theLogBook.com Store
The 606th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. This story opens the 21st season, and marks the first appearance of the Silurians and Sea Devils since 1972 (and the first joint appearance of both); this is also the last Silurian story of the original series. Ingrid Pitt and Ian McCulloch guest star.
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!
Order Earl Green’s book VWORP!1 from theLogBook.com Store
The second episode of Chocky airs on Thames Television, adapting the novels of John Wyndham into a television serial starring Andrew Ellams and James Hazeldine.
The 607th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Polly James guest stars.
The 608th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Polly James guest stars.
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!
Order Earl Green’s book VWORP!1 from theLogBook.com Store
Apple Computer releases a new home and business computer, the Macintosh, with a sharp black & white display and an eye-grabbing, object-oriented graphical user interface. Early software includes the what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) word processor MacWrite and the graphics program MacPaint, the combination of which jumpstarts an entire new industry, “desktop publishing” – typesetting via computer instead of manual layout. This decisive step away from the now-seven-year-old Apple II architecture is Apple’s answer to the IBM PC.
The third episode of Chocky airs on Thames Television, adapting the novels of John Wyndham into a television serial starring Andrew Ellams and James Hazeldine. Jeremy Bulloch (The Empire Strikes Back, Return Of The Jedi) guest stars.
As part of his annual State of the Union address, President Ronald Reagan commits NASA’s resources to building a space station in Earth orbit using the unique space cargo delivery and construction/repair capabilities of NASA’s Space Shuttle fleet. The space agency draws up various plans for stations of varying sizes, ranging from not much bigger than the Apollo/Saturn-derived Skylab of the 1970s to an eventual proposal for a large, “dual keel” design that could become home base for lunar and planetary exploration. All of the proposals, with their multi-billion-dollar cost estimates, instantly find opponents in Congress: the road to a permanently crewed space station will be a long one.
The 609th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Peter Gilmore, William Lucas and Lesley Dunlop guest star.
The 610th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Peter Gilmore, William Lucas and Lesley Dunlop guest star.
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!
Order Earl Green’s book VWORP!1 from theLogBook.com Store
The fourth episode of Chocky airs on Thames Television, adapting the novels of John Wyndham into a television serial starring Andrew Ellams and James Hazeldine.
The 611th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Peter Gilmore, William Lucas and Lesley Dunlop guest star.
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!
Order Earl Green’s book VWORP!1 from theLogBook.com Store
Space Shuttle Challenger lifts off on a satellite delivery mission, but the launches of both satellites go awry when their boosters (the Payload Assist Modules designed to launch satellites from the shuttle) put them in the wrong orbits. A German satellite is retrieved, repaired, and placed back into its orbit. A few days after launch, a member of Challenger’s crew will become the first free-floating human satellite. On this flight, Challenger’s crew consists of Commander Vance Brand, Pilot Robert Gibson, mission specialists Bruce McCandless, Ronald McNair and Robert Stewart. This is the first shuttle flight to end on the runway at Kennedy Space Center, eliminating the need for a costly, time-consuming 747 ferry flight to retrieve the shuttle from Edwards Air Force Base.
The 612th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Peter Gilmore, William Lucas and Lesley Dunlop guest star.
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!
Order Earl Green’s book VWORP!1 from theLogBook.com Store
The video game division of #1 toy maker Mattel closes its doors immediately after the parent company announces that it lost well over $300,000,000 over the course of 1983, with all of thoses losses occurring within its video game business. The remaining stock of Mattel’s Intellivision video game system and its software are liquidated, and the entire electronics division is laid off. The popularity of its Masters Of The Universe toys and perennial favorites such as Hot Wheels and Barbie are barely enough to keep the entire company out of bankruptcy court.
The fifth episode of Chocky airs on Thames Television, adapting the novels of John Wyndham into a television serial starring Andrew Ellams and James Hazeldine.
The Alan Parsons Project releases its seventh album, Ammonia Avenue, including the singles “Prime Time” and “Don’t Answer Me”.
Astronaut Bruce McCandless becomes the first untethered human spacewalker when he leaves the cargo bay of Space Shuttle Challenger aboard a Manned Maneuvering Unit, a jetpack-like device allowing him to maneuver freely with no hoses or cables connecting him to the shuttle. In development since the Gemini era, and tested briefly aboard Skylab in prototype form, the MMU will see use on only three missions before NASA puts it in mothballs.
Delayed many months during the investigation into the causes of the Soyuz T-10a near-disaster in 1983, Soyuz T-10 lifts off from the Soviet Union. Cosmonauts Leonid Kizim, Vladimir Solovyov and Oleg Atkov take up residence on space station Salyut 7 for a 236-day stay – the longest duration crew of the entire Salyut space station program – during which they have to conduct repairs to the station both inside and outside in a series of spacewalks. Left unoccupied months longer than expected, the station has powered down and must be reactivated, a process taking nearly ten days. A fuel line break on the exterior of the station must be repaired as well. The crew remains aboard Salyut 7 through October.
The 613th and 614th episodes of Doctor Who air on BBC1, in a special 50-minute format due to the BBC’s coverage of the 1984 Winter Olympics. Terry Molloy assumes the role of Davros; Maurice Colbourne, Rula Lenska, Rodney Bewes and Leslie Grantham guest star.