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The 1990s were a great time for television sci-fi. It was the heyday of Star Trek, with The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager all running in syndication. But, at the same time, another science fiction show, Babylon 5, pushed the envelope and arguably paved the way for loftier fare, such as the acclaimed Battlestar: Galactica reboot. What made Babylon 5 so special?

For one thing, it pioneered the idea of serialized television. Under the helm of J. Michael Straczynski, who dipped his toe into similar fare with the short-lived Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future (another Gone But Not Forgotten favourite), Babylon 5 was unique in that it told one continuous story over its five-season run. If you were a fan of the show, you really couldn’t afford to miss one episode, with so much continuity between each episode that the entry point for non-viewers was almost non-existent.

X-Men ’97 has been a huge success, and Marvel Animations has really engrossed fans with nostalgia in the show. There are several epic moments that are vividly astonishing and that run through several episodes. The continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series, the show brings almost all the original cast complementing the epic nostalgic vibe, it was certainly a treat for fans.

Magneto in X-Men ’97

The Marvel series for Disney+ also has some cool easter eggs that involve Michael Fassbender and Ian McKellen, who previously played different versions of Magneto, aka Erik Lehnsherr in 20th Century Fox’s X-Men franchise. The show also paid homage to the original X-Men: The Animated Series’ Magneto actor David Hemblen through the easter egg.

X-Men ’97 Easter Egg Featured Michael Fassbender and Ian McKellen

Magneto actors’ easter egg in X-Men ’97

Michael Fassbender and Ian McKellen, who played different, respectively, younger and older versions of Magneto,...

The Borg, inspired by Alien's design, are a formidable and chilling foe in the Star Trek universe. Originally insectoid, the Borg's cybernetic humanoids reflect a blend of organic and mechanical elements. H.R. Giger's influence on the Borg design continues to shape modern Star Trek iterations, like Star Trek: Picard.

The Borg remain one of Star Trek's best villains, and their design owes a debt to the Alien franchise. Introduced in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 2, episode 16, "Q Who," the Borg make one of the most memorable entrances of any Star Trek villain. When Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the crew of the USS Enterprise-d first encounter the cybernetic drones, they quickly realize that, unlike any alien threat they have faced before, the Borg cannot be reasoned with. The United Federation of Planets' ideals of diplomacy and peaceful first contact prove ineffective, as do the weapons and...

We knew something was on its way from Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski but we weren’t expecting this: a new animated movie from Warner Bros. Animation and WB Home Entertainment.

Straczynski described it as: “Classic Babylon 5: raucous, heartfelt, nonstop, a ton of fun through time and space, and a love letter to the fans.”

It might not be as well known as his comic-book work, but Straczynski actually has a background in animation – writing episodes of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, She-Ra: Princess of Power, Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors, Captain Power, The Real Ghostbusters, and other 1980s action favorites.

We know that Bruce Boxleitner is back – which is also fitting, as he’s got some hefty voice acting chops, reprising his most famous other science fiction role for the 2012 show Tron: Uprising – but we’re going to have to wait another week for more details.

Produced by Warner Bros. Television, the sci-fi series Babylon 5 ran for a total of five seasons and 110 episodes, wrapping up in 1998. There were also six TV movies, a short-lived spin-off series called Crusade, tie-in novels and comic books… and series creator J. Michael Straczynski has been hoping to revive the show in some way for quite a while. In 2014, we heard he was planning to make a Babylon 5 feature film. In 2021, it was announced that he had set up a reboot series at The CW. Now Straczynski has taken to social media to reveal that a Babylon 5 animated movie is coming from Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment – and it’s already finished and in the can! He said the release date will be “very soon”.

Straczynski said the animated movie is “classic Babylon 5: raucous, heartfelt, nonstop, a ton of fun through time and space,...

Voice actor David Hemblen, known to longtime Marvel fans as the voice of Magneto on X-Men: The Animated Series, has sadly passed away. While the cause of death isn't clear, the actor's obituary states that he died earlier this month on Nov. 16. He was 79 years old. The X-Men: The Animated Series Twitter account, maintained by writers Julia Lewald and Eric Lewald, have also addressed Hemblen's passing with a post online.

"This horrible, heart-breaking year continues... Our #Magneto," the post reads.

David Hemblen was born on Sept. 16, 1941, in London, England. He'd grow up in Toronto, Canada, taking an early interest in theatre and performing. While attending college, Hemblen took to the stage and began working consistently as an actor, starting in the 1960s. He'd go on to appear in several dozen stage productions at major Canadian theatres, at one point earning a Dora nomination for Best Leading Actor for his role as Dr.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that Captain Power & The Soldiers Of The Future was aimed squarely at children. After all, it was a merchandising phenomenon that sold a ton of kid's toys, including action figures and vehicles. The show's biggest draw was a basic level of interactivity between the toys and the special lighting effects used on-screen in each episode.

Related: 10 Tropes About Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi Films All Fans Know

Despite the focus on moving a lot of merchandise, Captain Power's story was very mature both in tone, and subject matter. Here are 10 reasons why Captain Power was not actually a kid's show, but one better suited for older audiences.

Den Of Geek Nov 24, 2016

Ron Thornton – who worked on Bablyon 5, Star Trek, Spaceballs and more – has sadly passed away.

We have some sad news to pass: visual effects pioneer Ron Thornton has passed away after a lengthy battle with illness.

Thornton began his career working in special effects for Doctor Who and Blake’s 7, and went on to forge an impressive path through the world of visual effects. He worked on sixty-five episodes of Babylon 5 (through his company, Foundation Imaging), seven of Star Trek: Enterprise, and seventeen of Star Trek: Voyager (on which he co-created Species 8472 and worked on the famous crash landing scene from Timeless, which earned an Emmy nomination).

His visual effects prowess was also implemented on Star Trek: Nemesis, Starship Troopers: The Series, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, the 2005 version of Captain Scarlet and the 2001 directors edition of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. He worked in models and miniatures,...

Power on! Goddard Film Group and Planet X Productions are developing the Phoenix Rising TV series. Watch a teaser, below. The sci-fi drama thriller is a sequel to the Canadian-American Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future TV show, which was cancelled in 1988 after one season in syndicated first-run.Deadline reports Captain Power co-creator Gary Goddard is on the reboot team. Phoenix Rising is in "...active development from Goddard’s Goddard Film Group and ex-Syfy execs Thomas Vitale and Craig Engler’s newly formed Planet X Productions."Read More…...

Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup are set to fight crime in Townsville for another season.

Cartoon Network has renewed The Powerpuff Girls for Season 2 after the series received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Short Form Animated Program.

RelatedEmmys 2016 Nominations List: Game of Thrones and People v. O.J. Lead Pack, The Americans Enters Race

The Powerpuff Girls, which originally ran from 1995 to 2004, will make its San Diego Comic-Con debut with a panel and Townsville-inspired booth later this week.

Ready for more of today’s newsy nuggets? Well…

* MTV is developing a pilot based on Michael Doneger’s 2015 film The Escort, which...

Captain Power And The Soldiers Of The Future is one of those properties from the 1980s that I had a blast with. It was a cool sci-fi TV series that you could interact with the tie-in action figure toy line. It was actually on a list I put together of 1980s toys that you might not remember. The original series took place in the year 2147 and was set in the aftermath of the Metal Wars, which was an World War that involved an epic battle between humans and machines.

The original co-creator of the series, Gary Goddard, is rebooting the franchise in a new series called Phoenix Rising. and thanks to Deadline, we have information on the story and a teaser trailer for you to watch:

Phoenix Rising picks up 15 years after humanity has lost a devastating war against an artificial intelligence called Overmind. Jonathan Power, the son of the man who caused that war,...

The 1980s sci-fi TV series "Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future" is set to be rebooted under the new moniker "Phoenix Rising".

The original series was a twenty-two episode space drama set on Earth in the year 2147 and the aftermath of a global confrontation between humans and machines. The show was one of the first series to incorporate CG characters with live-action performers.

The new take begins fifteen years after humanity lost a devastating war against an A.I. called Overmind. Jonathan Power, the son of the man who caused that war, learns the truth about his father and discovers a new type of battle armor that will enable a team of soldiers and civilians to fight the Bionic armies of the New Order.

The original's co-creator Gary Goddard is one of those behind the reboot which is in active development at Goddard Film Group and Planet X Productions.

Exclusive: The 1980s sci-fi TV series Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future is coming back from the past, with original co-creator Gary Goddard among those behind a reboot plan for the Canada-u.S. space drama that spanned 22 episodes in syndication. The new series is titled Phoenix Rising and is in active development from Goddard’s Goddard Film Group and ex-Syfy execs Thomas Vitale and Craig Engler’s newly formed Planet X Productions. Vitale worked at Syfy and…...

Hollywood always seems to be looking for the next big lucrative film franchise. Studios have looked at several existing properties in hopes of finding their big meal ticket, and some of those properties include classic action figure toy lines and cartoon series from the 1980s. We’ve already seen films for G.I. Joe, Transformers, He-Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and a few others, but there are a helluva lot more out there that would make for some great movies!

I’ve put together a list of several different action figure and cartoon properties that I would love to see adapted for the big screen. Most of the properties on this list are ones I loved as a kid, and it would be so cool to see them brought to life in a way we've never seen before. I briefly talk about each franchise on the list and give a...

Not long ago, I put together a list of 15 toys from the 1990s that you may have forgotten about. I decided to go back in time a little further and find some from the 1980s that you may not remember or maybe never even heard of. I grew up in the '80s and some of my favorite toys consisted of G.I. Joe, He-Man, Transformers, and more. You can read through 12 of my favorites right here. While I was doing some research on these toys, there were some things that I completely forgot about! It was so great to be able to unlock some of those memories that I hadn't thought about in years. It was seriously like going back in time, and now I want to buy back my childhood in the form of toys!

Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future

I completely forgot that this ever existed,...

Last week, Idw released a new X-Files comic, “X-Files Season 10.” Like the Buffy series from Dark Horse, as well as continuations of Jericho, Smallville, Charmed and Farscape, comics are increasingly becoming home to cancelled television shows. Most of these shows have a cult following, so continued runs in comic form suits them well. I asked the comics team at Sound on Sight to think about what cancelled TV shows they would most like to see completed via comics. Here’s what we came up with…

Carnivale

By Tony Nunes

When the cancellation of Daniel Knauf’s Carnivale was announced, I can’t say that I was completely surprised. I can tell you though; I was pissed! HBO’s Carnivale was one of the most bizarre, subtext-filled supernatural dramas ever on television. Twin Peaks was and is my favorite television series of all time. That series ended after two seasons (like...

Director Steven Kostanski Talks Manborg, in theaters and on VOD and DVD today!

Manborg is blazing a trail across the Internet as it makes its theatrical, VOD, and DVD debut this week. Already an instant cult classic, we caught up with director Steven Kostanski to talk about the making of this Canadian sci-fi thriller that has wowed action fans across the globe. Here is our conversation about this awesome throwback to 80s VHS class warfare and a true throwforward to the future of digital independent cinema.

Can you give me some of the history on Manborg? What did it take to get this movie made?

Steven Kostanski: Obviously, a lot of it was done on the cheap. I used a lot of lights and camera equipment that I got from my old high school. The green screen we shot on in my parents' garage was sewn together by my mom.

Welcome back to our weekly look at the new podcasts available at our “partners in podcast crime” the GeekCast Radio Network. As usual here’s our weekly look at the podcasts from Gcrn, This Week in Geek and the latest toy review videos from Baltmatrix, with descriptions and links to each and every podcast. But first a word from TFG1Mike:

All Right B3K readers we at the Gcrn are winding down 2011. However we.. meaning I TFG1Mike do not take a holiday break! I power on through by blogging and podcasting as much as I can. Last year I started the trend of end of the year/what’s coming up the next year blog posts. This year is no exception. We have created The Gcrn Guide to 2012. 2011 was our biggest year yet. We had tons of interviews, and awesome podcast episodes. We also had our buggest project...

A couple of the summer's biggest disappointments hit stores this week as Cowboys & Aliens and The Hangover: Part II make their way to DVD and Blu-ray along with one of the surprise hits of the year, The Help. We've also got the Jim Carrey family comedy Mr. Popper's Penguins and John Madden's The Debt, plus the acclaimed French thriller Point Blank, Criterion's re-release of Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes on Blu, and new Extended Editions of the original The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo Trilogy. In my mind, however, the essential releases of the week are the HBO series 24/7 Penguins/Capitals: Road to the NHL Winter Classic and the '80s live action sci-fi series Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future: The Complete Series. Time to break out your interactive toys and take on the Bio-Dread Empire! What will you be buying or renting this week?...

Season two scripts for Captain Power And The Soldiers Of The Future were commissioned and written but the show was canceled after a 24-episode run in it's first season. This was a starting point for industry stalwarts J. Michael Straczynski (everything), Ken Girotti (Supernatural), Marv Wolfman (you know who this is),Larry Ditillio (Transformers: Beast Wars) and so many others. Well if the show's creator, Garry Goddard (director of Masters of the Universe) has his way, the show will return with an adult orientation. Source: CNN Lost amidst the 80's hits of Thundercats, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Transformers was the show Captain Power And The Soldiers Of The Future, which trust me folks, is the very definition of cult following. The show was groundbreaking, mixing live-action and early CGI animation and bringing a mature storyline sensibility previously not seen in programming intended for kids. "I wanted CGI villains," Goddard...

Source: CNN Lost amidst the 80's hits of Thundercats, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Transformers was the show Captain Power And The Soldiers Of The Future, which trust me folks, is the very definition of cult following. The show was groundbreaking, mixing live-action and early CGI animation and bringing a mature storyline sensibility previously not seen in programming intended for kids. "I wanted CGI villains," Goddard told CNN. "Computer animation was very new. No one knew if we could push to the level of getting characters but I thought we could." Another first of the show was the interactive toyline which actually interacted with episodes shown on TV (see the commercial below). The series will be available on DVD on December 6, with a new in-depth documentary and new footage along with six hours of bonus features. Goddard is currently working on bringing Captain Power back in "an expanded version...

I was a little too old for this sort of thing by the time “Skeleton Warriors” came along in 1993, but it is exactly the type of monstrous “Masters of the Universe” type of cartoon/toyline that I would have been all about as a kid. For the first time ever, all 13 episodes are headed to DVD - just in time for Christmas.

“Skeleton Warriors” was the Landmark Entertainment Group’s attempt to spawn a new hit multimedia-platform toyline. You had toys, a Marvel Comics mini-series, Sega Saturn and Playstation video games, and a 13-episode animated cartoon that aired on CBS. That it only lasted a year should tell you it never caught on.

The story takes place on the distant planet of Lumimaire. The conflict of the plot revolves around the need to control the Lightstar Crystal. This potent crystal powers the great city of Luminicity. Baron Dark, the show's main villain,...

It was almost a year ago that Titan Books released the fantastic, and best-selling, book The Art of Drew Struzan, and now they’re following it up with an all-new hardback tome entitled Drew Struzan Oeuvre, which is set for release next month.

With text penned by Struzan’s wife Dylan and a foreword by George Lucas, the book features a massive 250 pieces of art, including all of Struzan’s iconic movie poster art, as well as his lesser-known works. Having plied his trade across many a medium, Drew Struzan Oeuvre contains works across many formats including album covers, book covers, trading cards, stamps and more. Best of all the book also contains Struzan’s personal, never before published original artwork along with more never-before-published pieces for films such as Star Wars Episode 3, Indiana Jones 4 and Pans Labyrinth. The book is so up-to-date that it even includes his recent The Walking Dead...

According to an Official Facebook Fan Page that recently popped up for the cult science-fiction television show Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future, the criminally underrated (and forgotten) series is finally on track for a DVD release in 2012. And based on a five minute documentary excerpt on the show and bevy of behind the scenes photos posted on the page, it is a good bet the set will include a some hefty special features.Captain Power is probably most famously remembered as that 80s television series where you could buy a toy light-gun, shoot at the screen during episodes and both receive points and register hits, with the gun going so far as to eject an action-figure when you took too many shots. But the...

“You don’t like anything.”

I get told I’m negative... a lot... pretty much perpetually. It’s been like this damn near my whole life. I don’t think people understand how that affects me. I’m not some armchair despot of media literacy, spewing bile for no reason other than to do so. I’ve taken the time, and money has been spent to construct an education in stringing words together, a real degree-holding education from an accredited university with big brick buildings and dorms and a football team - the whole nine yards. What I have gone through to get this knowledge is ridiculous, convoluted and could definitely be considered “the hard way,” but it has left me with a much finer understanding of what we are fed and told to be entertained by.

When I have a negative opinion (which is admittedly frequent), it’s because...