The Flash: Harry And The Harrisons

The FlashThe CW airs the 89th episode of The Flash, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ superhero starring Grant Gustin. Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) guest stars.

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Syfy cancels The Expanse

The ExpanseIn the midst of the show’s third successful season, cable broadcaster Syfy surprises fans of The Expanse by announcing the show’s cancellation; the decision is made not due to ratings, but due to post-broadcast distribution rights on streaming services, rights which are controlled by the production company and not Syfy. A fan campaign begins to find a new home for the series, with Netflix and Amazon Prime seen as the best contenders to rescue the show.

Amazon Prime rescues The Expanse

The ExpanseRecently cancelled by Syfy due to contractual redistribution rights which don’t favor that network, The Expanse finds a new home at Amazon Prime mere days after its cancellation. As part of the new arrangement – which will see a ten-episode fourth season debut in 2019 – the redistribution rights will shift to exclusive distribution through Amazon Prime. A focused fan campaign to save the series, which leaned heavily on the fact that James S.A. Corey’s novels (on which the series is based) have been best-sellers for Amazon, can be credited with the show’s continued survival.

The Expanse now streaming on Amazon Prime

Star Cops: Mother Earth 1 – One Of Our Cops Is Missing

Star CopsBig Finish releases the audio drama box set Star Cops: Mother Earth 1, including the audio episode One Of Our Cops Is Missing, the first official continuation of Chris Boucher’s futuristic 1980s TV police drama Star Cops. As some members of the original TV cast have died in the intervening years, this first audio adventure introduces new characters and cast members. Read more

Brad Smith, Voyager imaging team lead, dies

Brad SmithBradford A. Smith, a research astronomer and former professor of planetary science and astronomy at the University of Arizona, dies at the age of 86 from complications arising from an autoimmune disorder. Smith became a public figure during the peak years of the uncrewed Voyager missions in the 1970s and ’80s, where, as the head of the imaging team for Voyagers 1 and 2, it fell to him to interpret freshly-received images from the outer planets and their moons for the press and the public, combining authoritative knowledge with a dry sense of humor at press conferences. Smith had reshaped the specs for Voyager’s onboard cameras since the mission was given the go-ahead in 1972, not only pushing for more powerful telescopic optics, but going out of his way to hire geologists and planetary science experts who could interpret the geological processes shaping the moons of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune from photos alone. When the moons of Jupiter greeted Voyager’s cameras with recently-reshaped surfaces and active volcanoes, that decision paid off. Prior to the Voyager mission, Smith had also been involved with imaging science in the Mariner and Viking missions to Mars, as well as helping to shape the specs for the planetary camera being developed for the yet-to-be-launched Hubble Space Telescope and advising imaging teams working on later missions.

Blue Origin NS-9

Blue Origin NS-9Commercial spaceflight operator Blue Origin, owned by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, launches its ninth New Shepard flight. The uncrewed (but human-rated) capsule includes several commercial and research payloads, but serves primarily as a test of the ascent escape engine system designed to pull a crewed New Shepard capsule clear of a booster in the event of an anomaly during launch. As with past missions, both the capsule and its single-stage suborbital booster come in for soft landings near Blue Origin’s Texas launch facility. This is the third flight for the third New Shepard reusable capsule, as well as the third flight for the third New Shepard reusable booster.

Doctor Who: The Five Doctors (expanded soundtrack)

The Five DoctorsSilva Screen Record releases an expanded edition of Peter Howell’s soundtrack from the 1983 Doctor Who 20th anniversary special The Five Doctors, including music from both the original 1983 broadcast version and the additional material from the extended home video version. Read more

Gary Kurtz, Star Wars producer, dies

Gary KurtzGary Kurtz, producer of Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back and George Lucas’ right-hand man during the making of both movies, dies at the age of 78 after a year-long battle with cancer. Kurtz was instrumental in the deal-making behind both Star Wars and its predecessor, Lucas’ American Graffiti, initially pitching both to Universal Studios. While Universal was eager to make American Graffiti, they passed on Star Wars, which was then pitched to 20th Century Fox. Kurtz was literally in the Death Star trenches helping Lucas complete the first film, directing many second-unit shots (including many of the X-Wing cockpit scenes from the movie’s climactic battle) and riding herd on the somewhat overburdened Industrial Light & Magic. Fundamental differences over the storytelling choices Lucas was making for Return Of The Jedi led Kurtz to distance himself from Lucasfilm, and he would go on to produce such films as The Dark Crystal, Return To Oz, and Slipstream.

Star Wars: Resistance: The Recruit

Star Wars: ResistanceCable channel Disney XD airs the first episode of the series Star Wars: Resistance, set prior to the events of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Oscar Isaac guest stars as the voice of Poe Dameron. This is the first Star Wars TV series set in the era of the current movies produced by Lucasfilm after its acquisition by Disney. Read more

Doctor Who: The Woman Who Fell To Earth

Doctor WhoThe 843rd episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1 (the 144th episode since the series’ revival), opening the revived series’ 11th season, as well as introducing Jodie Whittaker as the first woman cast as the Doctor and new showrunner Chris Chibnall (Torchwood, Broadchurch). Jodie Whittaker, Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill star. Read more Hear about it on the Sci-Fi 5 podcast

Star Wars: Resistance: The Triple Dark

Star Wars: ResistanceCable channel Disney XD airs the second episode of the series Star Wars: Resistance, set prior to the events of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Gwendoline Christie (Game Of Thrones, Wizards Vs. Aliens) guest stars as the voice of Captain Phasma. Read more