We wrap up our 2025 Sci-Fi Halloween special with our annual recommendations of what Science Fiction you can watch to get you in the mood for Halloween and give you some alternatives to the usual gory monster/thrasher movies this time of year. From Star Trek to Dr. Who, The Alien Franchise to lesser known movies like Disney's Black hole, this list is sure to give you lots of options to have a fun and enjoyable Science Fiction filled Fall/Halloween season! Be sure to check out this year's Halloween Series episode deep dives (Star Trek TNG's "Genesis" & Battlestar Galactica's "Valley of Darkness) on our YouTube channel and your favorite podcast platforms!
The second episode of season 2 of BSG brings us a terrifying episode with dark hallways, dead bodies, blood, a boarding party of Cylon Centurions human remains and an underlying feeling of unease. If this episode isn't meant to watch on Halloween, we don't know what is! With Adama in critical condition, Col Tigh must lead the Galactica through one of its scariest moments yet as he sends the Marines and other members of the Colonial fleet to cut off and destroy the Centurions before they reach critical areas of the ship that could lead to the entire crew being vented into space. This episode is sure to keep your heart racing from start to finish!
We're kicking off this year's Halloween Sci-Fi Series with a very spooky and creepy episode....Star Trek The Next Generation's "Genesis". When Picard and Data return to the ship after disarming a torpedo, they discover the is Enterprise adrift, without main power, and something has happened to the crew...something truly frightening. The crew has begun to de-evolve. Dark hallways, animal noises, jump scares and incredibly scary creatures makes this episode a true must watch sci-fi/Star Trek episode to watch on or near Halloween!
Our Section 31 Spotlight Series comes to an end as we finally discuss the controversial Section 31 movie. We discuss the movie as a whole, give you some of our expectations of what we think SHOULD be in the movie and break down our thoughts including things we liked and didn't like. This movie certainly has had fans in an uproar. Is that uproar warranted or not? Join us as we find out!
Our last Section 31 Spotlight Series episode before we review the Section 31 movie continues where Enterprise's "Demons" leaves off. Paxton, the self-proclaimed leader of Terra Prime, forces Trip to help fix the array in order to shoot it at Earth. He gives all aliens 24 hours to leave Earth as Archer and the Enterprise race to Mars to stop him from completing his objective. T'Pol and Trip face the fact that their daughter, Elizabeth, doesn't make it in an incredibly emotional ending scene.
Well we've reached the end of season 3 of Strange New Worlds. The season finale brings back the evil Vezda, who still inhabits Gamble's body. This time, however, the creature has now transported itself down to Skygowan to control the alien species that inhabits the world.....oh ya he makes them gouge out their eyes. We see Spock and Kirk mind meld in order to "sync" close enough to fire phasers to open the door back to Vadia IX. We also get an "Inner Light" type sequence between Batel and Pike, amongst other memorable or forgettable moments (depending on how you look at it). We certainly had some very strong thoughts on how the season ended.
Episode 9 of season 3 gives us a Lt Erica Ortegas forward episode as we see her volunteer for a solo mission in a striped down shuttle to fly around and study the affects of the strange phenomenon in the region....because that makes complete sense, right? Good thing Erica is mechanically inclined because she will need those skills after she is pulled into a wormhole that appears out of nowhere and sucks her close to gas giant somewhere else in space, stranding her on a small lifeless moon.....or is it lifeless? She runs into an unexpected fellow crashed pilot and what ensues is both funny and dramatic. Certainly a wonderfully written episode that has us loving Erica Ortegas even more!
Episode 8 of Strange New Worlds brings us back to another light hearted episode with four of the crew (Pike, Uhura, Chapel and La'an) turning into full fledged Vulcans. Oh ya and the half Vulcan....Spock! There's just one problem...Pike, Uhura, Chapel and La'an don't want to turn back to themselves. What ensues is oddity, hilarity, and any many eyebrow raising moments that will make you go...."Fascinating".
Episode 7 of Season 3 of Strange New Worlds gives us one of the most unique episodes of Star Trek that the franchise has seen. The episode gives a traditional Star Trek story but wrapped up in a documentary, led by Beto Ortegas. The beginning of the episode shows, what appears to be, a very slanted view of what Starfleet is by Beto as he asks very difficult questions about Starfleet and their mission and purpose. Characters are interviewed and we see events unfold through the lens of this documentary from the Starfleet Archives.
Kirk returns to Strange New Worlds, having been newly promoted to 1st officer, gets his first real shot at the Captain's chair....there's just one problem....he freezes. As the Scavenger ship or "Destroyer of Worlds", as it is referred to by La'an, appears we see a very Death Star like explosion of the planet that the U.S.S. Faragut has arrived to survey/explore. What ensues is a version of Kirk that fans are not used to seeing. Is that bad or good? With a surprise twist, this episode will keep you guessing. From incredibly advanced aliens to Pelia's use of the 1980s telephones, to phenomenal writing, this episode really packs a punch! We have some strong thoughts on the use of Kirk and how this Kirk compares to the Captain Kirk we all know and love.
Strange New Worlds "Through the Lens of Time" takes us to the halfway point already...can you believe it? When Chapel, Dr. Korby, Spock, La'an, Uhura, Ensign Gambel and Beto Ortegas beam down to start work on an archeological dig, things go awry quickly. Locked inside what appears to be a temple or palace, the crew finds themselves separated with no way out. Strange New Worlds brings us back to horror meets science fiction within incredibly intense and creepy episode as the away team attempts to find their way out without ending up like the skeletons the find when they first enter the structure. We got some serious vibes from a familiar yet terrifying science fiction/horror movie from the 90s starring Sam Neil!
Star Trek Strange New Worlds season 3, episode 4 brings us a very whimsical Holodeck style episode with a "Who Dun it?" murder mystery. La'an is chosen to help test out the holodeck with the program and settings of her choice. She decides to put together a mystery from the collection of her favorite novels "The Amelia Moon Mysteries". What ensues is a satire of Star Trek and, specifically, TOS as she tries to figure out who killed the studio head, Tony Hart. He is responsible for helping create the show "The Last Frontier" (an obvious spoof of TOS as mentioned above). What ensues is sure to make you question what exactly you're watching. Oh ya...and there's a twist! We are joined in this episode by special guest Ken Purdie (Zach's cousin-in-law).
When Captain Pike returns to his quarters, he finds Captain Batel passed out on the floor. This leads to Spock and Dr. M'Benga revealing that they must head to a restricted planet, Kenfori, to collect a very rare flower (the Chimera), in order to help save Batel's life. What they find there is both surprising and frightening. This episode is action packed, filled with drama, insubordination, some humor, Indiana Jones style adventure, surprises, the past catching up to Dr. M'Benga and....oh ya....Zombies!! Director Dan Liu joins us again to discuss this episode and provide some incredible directorial insight into this amazing episode!
After the events of "Hegemony Part I & II", Strange New Worlds pivots, as it has in the past, to a more whimsical episode. Don't let "Wedding Bell Blues" fool you, this episode is still full of drama. The awkward arrival of Nurse Chapel after a 3 month fellowship with Dr. Korby leaves Spock in an awkward position as she brings home a "date" for the celebration of the Federation's Centennial birthday. What ensues following her arrival is drama, a love triangle, and a VERY surprising 'Wedding Planner' who would appear to be more than meets the eye....especially at the end.
***Be warned....all of our Strange New Worlds Season 3 episodes will contain spoilers***Star Trek Strange New Worlds is BACK! We are so excited to be discussing this incredible series with you once again. While season 2 left us with a massive cliff hanger, season 3 picks right up where "Hegemony Part I" ends. This episode is packed with a stunning, updated intro theme, a massive amount of action and adventure, crew members lives hanging in the balance, Captain Pike vulnerable and distracted by the injuries to Captain Batel, oh ya and MORE Gorn! This season premiere does not disappoint!
In this episode we discuss Star Trek Enterprise's "Demons". The third of four Section 31 centric episodes, Demons is part 1 of a 2 part episode looking at the interworking of a xenophobic group of humans, calling themselves "Terra Prime". When Archer needs information, he has a change of heart....asking Reed to reach out to his contact, Harris, in Section 31, to learn as much as he can following the discovery of a human/vulcan hybrid baby belonging to Trip and T'Pol. This sets off an investigation & discovery of the baby which is controlled by Terra Prime's leader Paxton.
In this episode we welcome Star Trek Royalty to the show as the Legendary Illustrator/Designer Rick Sternbach joined us. Rick is a senior production illustrator/designer who worked on some projects you may have heard of….Star Trek the Motion Picture, TNG, as well as the first two seasons of DS9 and Voyager. He has also done work for NASA, Sky and Telescope, The Planetary Society, The Smithsonian, Time-Life books and more.He worked as a scenic artist on Star Trek Nemesis, designing the Argo Shuttle, the Romulan Valdore-type sculpture, and more! He worked on Cosmos, Future Flight, The Last Starfighter, and the 2000 adaptation of Solaris. He is an Emmy and Hugo award winner. He has authored numerous Star Trek Technical manuals and is one of the geniuses responsible for so many things we’ve come to love and enjoy in the Star Trek universe!
We continue our Spotlight Series with the conclusion Enterprise to the two part episode with "Divergence". As the Enterprise races to save Dr. Phlox, they must attempt a daring transfer of Trip from the Enterprise to Columbia at high warp in order to remove the Klingon subroutines that have infected the Enterprise's computer system. Archer gives himself up in order to help develop a cure for the augment virus. We also learn how much the Klingons and Section 31 were involved in the development of the augment virus and their plans to sanitize the colony.
Our Section 31 Spotlight Series has reached Star Trek Enterprise! The first Enterprise installment into the Section 31 story arc takes us to Season 4 Episode 15 "Affliction". Lt Malcom Reed is recruited to continue his involvement in a secret organization (not named in this episode) in which he thought he was finished with. This involvement, while necessary in his mind to save his friend Dr. Pholx, is viewed by Captain Archer as treason and betrayal. The Klingons kidnap Phlox in order to help them with a deadly virus that is removing their forehead ridges (TOS anyone?). Full of secrets, intrigue, mystery and more, Enterprise does NOT disappoint as it continues what DS9 started.....Section 31!
The final Deep Space Nine Section 31 focused episode, "Extreme Measures", takes us inside the mind of Luther Sloan as Bashir and O'Brien attempt to find the cure to Odo's disease as mentioned in the previous episodes of DS9 "Tacking into the Wind" and "When it Rains". This episode, which appears only a few episodes from the conclusion of the series brings an end to this portion of the Section 31 story line. As Luther Sloan is dying, Bashir and O'Brien have a choice....save Odo or discover the information necessary to bring down the entire Section 31 organization. Find out our thoughts as we continue our Spotlight Series!
