NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft, nearly ten years after its final planetary encounter, suddenly goes quiet. For 66 hours, the space probe returns no signal or telemetry data to Earth, while engineers on the ground send 720 commands to Voyager 2 to begin transmitting again. When Voyager 2 does re-establish communications with Earth, it has switched to a backup transmitter, and the temperature of some on-board components is warmer than expected. The spacecraft has not gone into a safe mode, but reports receiving only 19 of the 720 commands to transmit. At nearly six billion miles from Earth, Voyager 2 is heading for the edge of the solar system at 35,000 miles per hour, and is expected to remain functional into the 2020s, provided the spacecraft experiences no further major faults.
A specially-written Blackadder sketch premieres as part of the celebration of Prince Charles’ 50th birthday. 
(more…)
The eighth episode of Highlander: The Raven, starring Amanda Gracen and Paul Johannson, airs in syndication; the series is a spinoff from Highlander: The Series. Michael Rhodes guest stars.
The 119th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) guest stars in an episode written by future Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan.
This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could join theLogBook team and write this guide or support the webmaster’s efforts to expand the site.
The 29th episode of Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict, airs in syndication, starring Robert Leeshock, Lisa Howard, Von Flores, and Richard Chevolleau.
More about Earth: Final Conflict in the LogBook and theLogBook.com Store
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 76th episode of Xena: Warrior Princess, starring Lucy Lawless and Renee O’Connor. (more…)
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 156th episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Bill Mumy (Lost In Space, Babylon 5) guest stars. (more…)
Receiving more fanfare than any movie preview in the history of cinema, the first teaser trailer for Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace premieres nationwide, appearing before the Pixar computer-animated family film A Bug’s Life. So eager are Star Wars fans to catch their first glimpse of the new prequel that many reportedly pay full ticket price to simply watch the preview and leave before the movie with which it’s packaged. Lucasfilm’s official Star Wars web site posts the trailer on the web – though the size of the file and the still-mostly-dial-up shape of the internet at the time makes watching it online a challenge.
Sony Records releases the Fear Of Pop album Volume One, featuring the single “In Love” with vocals by William Shatner. This is a side project led by Ben Folds, and the collaboration with Shatner will lead to Folds producing Shatner’s later solo album Has Been. (more…)
Atlantic Records releases Jewel‘s second album, Spirit, featuring the singles “Hands” and “Down So Long”. (more…)
The 41st episode of Joss Whedon’s trend-setting supernatural series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, airs on the WB network. Anthony Stewart Head, David Boreanaz, and Alyson Hannigan also star. Eliza Dushku (Dollhouse) guest stars.
This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could join theLogBook team and write this guide or support the webmaster’s efforts to expand the site.
Cable channel TNT premieres the 109th episode of J. Michael Straczynski’s science fiction series Babylon 5. (more…)
UPN airs the 99th episode of Star Trek: Voyager. UPN promotes this heavily as the 100th episode, a count that can only be reached by considering the two-hour pilot movie to be two episodes. LeVar Burton (Star Trek: TNG) guest stars as Geordi La Forge. (more…)
The orbital construction of the International Space Station formally begins with the launch, via a Russian Proton rocket, of the Zarya module. A direct descendant of the core module of the Mir space station, Zarya provides docking access, the station’s first set of solar power panels, and storage. The second component of the station is due to be launched shortly afterward via Space Shuttle.
The ninth episode of Highlander: The Raven, starring Amanda Gracen and Paul Johannson, airs in syndication; the series is a spinoff from Highlander: The Series.
The 120th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. William B. Davis guest stars.
This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could join theLogBook team and write this guide or support the webmaster’s efforts to expand the site.
The 30th episode of Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict, airs in syndication, starring Robert Leeshock, Lisa Howard, Von Flores, and Richard Chevolleau.
More about Earth: Final Conflict in the LogBook and theLogBook.com Store
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 157th episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. (more…)
The 42nd episode of Joss Whedon’s trend-setting supernatural series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, airs on the WB network. Anthony Stewart Head, David Boreanaz, and Alyson Hannigan also star. James Marsters guest stars.
This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could join theLogBook team and write this guide or support the webmaster’s efforts to expand the site.
Cable channel TNT premieres the 110th and final episode of J. Michael Straczynski’s science fiction series Babylon 5. Claudia Christian returns as Ivanova in an episode filmed before the actress allowed her contract to lapse in 1997 (at a time when it appeared that Babylon 5 would end with its fourth season). Though further TV movies and direct-to-video movies are produced, as well as the spinoff series Crusade, this is the end of the main Babylon 5 storyline, and also marks the directorial debut of series creator J. Michael Straczynski. 
(more…)
UPN airs the 100th episode of Star Trek: Voyager. Scarlett Pomers (Reba) guest stars. (more…)
Showtime airs the 84th episode of The Outer Limits, a revival of the 1960s science fiction anthology series. Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) guest stars in a sequel to the episode Double Helix.
This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could join theLogBook team and write this guide or support the webmaster’s efforts to expand the site.
The tenth episode of Highlander: The Raven, starring Amanda Gracen and Paul Johannson, airs in syndication; the series is a spinoff from Highlander: The Series. Polly Shannon guest stars.
The 121st episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. Michael McKean guest stars.
This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could join theLogBook team and write this guide or support the webmaster’s efforts to expand the site.
Sci-Fi Channel airs the 60th episode of the science fiction series Sliders, starring Jerry O’Connell, Cleavant Derricks, Kari Wuhrer, and Charlie O’Connell. Charlie Brill and Tim Thomerson (Quark) guest star.
This series is not fully chronicled in the LogBook. You could join theLogBook team and write this guide or support the webmaster’s efforts to expand the site.
Sonic Images announces the cancellation of its upcoming release of Ron Jones‘ soundtrack from the PC game Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. Despite this announcement, copies of the CD have already been sent to both mainstream and fandom reviewers as advance copies for review. (This title is unrelated to the later TV series of the same name.) (more…)
The eighth episode of children’s science fiction series Aquila premieres on BBC1, starring Ben Brooks and Craig Vye. This episode opens the show’s second season.
This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could join theLogBook team and write this guide or support the webmaster’s efforts to expand the site.
The MST3K Info Club releases Clowns In The Sky II: The Continued Musical History of Mystery Science Theater 3000, a second volume of original songs written and performed by the show’s cast, all from the Sci-Fi Channel era. (more…)
UPN airs the The ninth episode of children’s science fiction series Aquila premieres on BBC1, starring Ben Brooks and Craig Vye.
This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could join theLogBook team and write this guide or support the webmaster’s efforts to expand the site.
Showtime airs the 85th episode of The Outer Limits, a revival of the 1960s science fiction anthology series. Adam Baldwin (Firefly) guest stars.
This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could join theLogBook team and write this guide or support the webmaster’s efforts to expand the site.
Space Shuttle Endeavour lifts off to begin the construction of the International Space Station. Endeavour conducts a rendezvous with the already-launched Zarya module and attached the Unity station module to it. The two modules’ external connections are completed during a spacewalk, and the station is powered up for the first time on December 7th. Endeavour’s 13th crew is Commander Robert Cabana, Pilot Frederick Sturckow, and mission specialists Nancy Currie, Jerry Ross, James Newman and Sergei Krikalev. Cabana and Krikalev are the first humans to enter the International Space Station, but since the fledgeling facility lacks long-term habitation facilities, it is left unmanned at the end of the 12 day mission.
The 122nd episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. Michael McKean guest stars.
This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could join theLogBook team and write this guide or support the webmaster’s efforts to expand the site.
Space Shuttle Endeavour joins the first two modules of the International Space Station together, having carried the Unity docking node into orbit in its cargo bay. With no living quarters or long-term life support facilities, the station is not yet ready for full-time occupancy; two further shuttle missions are required to prepare the station for its next major addition.
Sci-Fi Channel airs the 61st episode of the science fiction series Sliders, starring Jerry O’Connell, Cleavant Derricks, Kari Wuhrer, and Charlie O’Connell.
This series is not fully chronicled in the LogBook. You could join theLogBook team and write this guide or support the webmaster’s efforts to expand the site.