Since the seventies, a wave of sci-fi shows depicting unearthly worlds, the weird and wonderful creatures that inhabit them and fantasy battles set against a backdrop of planets and galaxies millions of light years away have captivated space-obsessed audiences around the globe. This influx of sci-fi shows were primarily inspired by the two epic major space fantasy titles at the time, Star Wars and Star Trek, and their status as all-time greats still stands today.
The first Star Trek film, aptly titled Star Trek: The Motion Picturereleased in 1979, with the original series airing the decade prior. Since then, a number of films, television shows and spin-offs have been released and in 2021, it’s still a great time to be a fan. Trekkies can rejoice as not one, but two installments from the franchise, Star Trek: Discovery: Season 3 and Star Trek: Lower Decks: Season 1 are newly available now on Blu-ray™, DVD and Blu-ray™ SteelBook®.
Building on seasons one and two, the third season of Star Trek: Discovery follows the crew of U.S.S. Discovery as they land in a faraway unknown future. Their task? To work together with the help of some new comrades to restore the galaxy. In other Trekkie news, the first animated Star Trek series in almost 50 years, fun spin-off Star Trek: Lower Decks set in 2380 traces the daily work duties and social lives of the support crew of U.S.S. Cerritos while having to battle with external forces rocking the spacecraft. Alongside all episodes, both of these releases boast hours of special features like exclusive deleted scenes, behind the scenes moments and cast and producer interviews for Star Trek fans to enjoy.
To celebrate these releases being available to watch at home now, we take a look at other out-of-this-world TV shows.
The Mandalorian
Based on the epic Star Wars saga of films by George Lucas, The Mandalorian situates itself within the Skywalker era by being set shortly after the fall of the Empire, more specifically five years after the final film from the original trilogy; Return of the Jedi. Twenty-five years later, we see the rise of the First Order in The Force Awakens.
The Mandalorian series develops the Star Wars universe timeline and delves into the events that unfold as the New Republic is formed by the Rebel Alliance, where they hold control over the galaxy. The captivating series comprising two seasons follows a lone bounty hunter operating in the Outer Rim in the shadows of the New Republic as he is hired by Imperial forces and tasked with retrieving ‘The Child’. What ensues is the unexpected adventures he embarks on and the precarious situations he finds himself in. A compelling watch for both die-hard Star Wars fans and newcomers on the scene alike.
Futurama
A noughties American sitcom cult classic, Futurama is an animated adult sci-fi show created by Simpsons maestro Matt Groening. Spanning across ten seasons, it is laden with dark humour and social satire and makes for an entertaining binge watch.
It follows pizza deliverer Phillip J. Fry as he awakens in the 31st Century after accidentally freezing himself and the show tracks his new start in life working for Planet Express, a small intergalactic delivery service. We encounter his work comrades as he makes friends along the way like sassy cycloptic captain Leela, robot Bender and Dr Zoidberg. While being an imaginative and fun show that makes fun of contemporary culture, its content can also be unpredictable at times and adds to its charm that fans of the show love.
Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica, comprising four seasons, is a re-imagining of the original series from the seventies. This American sci-fi series follows the journey of the last remaining humans as they struggle for their survival against the robot Cylons who have already killed all civilians from the Twelve Colonies of Kobol. They are led by Commander Adama and President Roslin of the Battlestar Galactica.
The show traces their search for the ‘mythical’ thirteenth colony called Earth as they travel across the galaxy while being chased by the Cylons. Alongside the imminent danger from the resurfaced enemy, they are faced with supply shortages, internal political conflict and unrest and unsuspecting realisations about the nature of their mission. Having received critical acclaim at the time and today, Battlestar Galactica is definitely a space-fan favourite.
Red Dwarf
The Red Dwarf franchise includes a film and twelve seasons of the sitcom. This iconic British sci-fi comedy cult series spans through the late eighties to late nineties. Its dry humour and satire was typical of the British comedy landscape of the time.
Played by Craig Charles, Red Dwarf revolves around the low ranking and lazy Liverpudlian soup machine repair-man David Lister who becomes the sole human survivor of a radiation leak that killed the crew of the Red Dwarf spaceship he worked on. What follows is his hilarious adventures across space and the universe, alongside his unlikely companions; humanoid cat, hologramatic Arnold Rimmer, android Kryten and Holly the computer. A classic British sitcom worth digging out from the archives with an abundance of funny and slapstick moments.
STAR TREK™: DISCOVERY: SEASON THREE and STAR TREK™: LOWER DECKS: SEASON 1 are available now on DVD, Blu-ray™ and Blu-ray™ SteelBook®.
