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One of the most enduring heroes in all of science fiction is James Tiberius Kirk, protagonist of "Star Trek: The Original Series" and its accompanying films. Iconically played by William Shatner for much of the character's history, Kirk's legacy has spread into subsequent "Star Trek" shows and movies. While actors like "Star Trek" 2009's Chris Pine and "Star Trek: Discovery" cast member Paul Wesley have provided their own modern depictions of Kirk, Shatner's confidently assured captain is still the gold standard for the character. As the captain of the USS Enterprise, Kirk leads his crew to explore the galaxy and spread the United Federation of Planets' ethos of peaceful coexistence.

For the foundations of what makes Kirk such an effective sci-fi character, there are plenty of "Tos" episodes highlighting his qualities and Shatner's performance. These range from showing the more action-ready side of the venerable Starfleet officer to his more vulnerable and compassionate moments.

You may be surprised to know that Dragnet was the first television show to be adapted into a full-length feature film in 1954. While television has been producing some of Hollywood's biggest movie stars for decades, most successful TV series remain in their intended small-screen format. More commonly celebrated movies have become television shows and prequel or sequel series, which include Cobra Kai, Fargo, and the recent Dune movies with Dune: Prophecy.

Successful television shows have certainly drawn their fair share of feature films as well after Dragnet became the first to ever do it. Some famous examples include Miami Vice (2006), 21 Jump Street (2012), and more than a dozen Star Trek movies. Recent examples include Breaking Bad, which spawned the movie sequel El Camino, the upcoming Community movie, and the recent Ryan Gosling action comedy The Fall Guy. Many of these shows were considered outstanding, which inspired their feature film potential.

Doug Widley 1964 animated series "Jonny Quest," animated by Hanna-Barbera, only lasted 26 episodes, but for Gen-Xers, it may seem like a lot more. Thanks to a series of sweet, sweet syndication deals, along with the clever remixing and repackaging of the company's 1960s and 1970s shows, Hanna-Barbera cartoons remained in reruns for decades, allowing new generations to grow up watching "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?," "The Flintstones," and, uh, "Jabberjaw." For kids of the 1980s, not a Saturday slipped past without several Hanna-Barbera shows making their way into our eyeballs, often entirely by accident.

"Jonny Quest" always seemed to make its way into my generation's cartoon rotation, and many viewers my age became very fond of the show's chintzy, stilted animation, thick-lines drawing style, and stock "laser" sound effects. The premise was the stuff of boy's adventure novels: Jonny Quest (Tim Matheson) was an 11-year-old wunderkind who was skilled in martial arts,...

Two of the most-loved sci-fi franchises of all time have a lot more crossover than you might think. Before starring on "Star Trek: The Original Series," several key members of the enterprise popped up in Rod Serling's seminal series "The Twilight Zone." A few decades later, the same pattern would repeat, only it would be future "Star Trek: The Next Generation" stars cutting their teeth on episodes of the '80s "Twilight Zone" reboot. Even the most recent iteration of the show, Jordan Peele's short-lived but ambitious effort that stalled out after just two seasons, has hosted some great past and future "Trek" actors.

It's worth noting that this list concerns the best "Star Trek" actors, and as such, there are no guarantees that these talented folks are actually great or even memorable in their "Twilight Zone" appearances. Some certainly are, while others have only the briefest of guest spots in mostly-forgotten episodes.

Developed by Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett, Superman: The Animated Series originally aired in 1996 on Kids’ WB. It was the second series in the DC Animated Universe after Batman: The Animated Series. The animated series based on Superman comics by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster received critical acclaim for its writing, voice-overs, modernization of Superman’s comic book mythos, and maturity.

Superman: The Animated Series pays tribute to both old and modern-day Superman which has been appreciated by the audience and the critics. The animated series adapted many villains from the comics, including Lex Luthor, Brainiac, and Darkseid. Bruce Timm remembers working on the series that debuted twenty-five years ago.

Superman : The Animated Series (Credits: DC)

Bruce Timm recalls how working with Steven Spielberg on Freakzoid led to Superman: The Animated Series

With 2021 marking the 25th anniversary of Superman: The Animated Series’ debut, visionary animator and producer, Bruce Timm...

Gunsmoke actor James Arness had quite the journey playing U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon over the course of the Western television series. It embraced adult themes, but it didn’t necessarily alienate younger audiences, either. The Western show developed a loyal fan base that continue to watch it long after it left the air. In the early days, Matt slapped another character in the face for the first time in a truly memorable scene involving an intense confrontation.

‘Gunsmoke’ lead Matt Dillon turned to violence when necessary James Arness as U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon | CBS via Getty Images

Unlike some later additions to Gunsmoke, Matt originated from the classic 1952 radio show. Arness was brought on board to play the iconic character from the first episode. Other original characters included Amanda Blake as Miss Kitty Russell, Milburn Stone as Doc Adams, and Dennis Weaver as Chester Goode. However, the television...

There has been a lack of Superman content in recent years outside of comics, but things look to be on the upswing for the Last Son of Krypton. It's recently been announced by James Gunn that a new "Superman" movie written by him is in the works featuring a younger Clark Kent, with Henry Cavill out of the picture. To hold fans over until this Superman reboot, now is as good of a time as any to resist a classic piece of Man of Steel media — "Superman: The Animated Series." The show was put into production following the massive success of "Batman: The Animated Series" and took place in the same universe as that show, meaning fans were given the occasional team-up between the two.

Similarly to "Batman," "Superman: The Animated Series" also took creative liberties with certain characters, changing origins or designs to better suit the world Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett were creating.

To mark the release of the remastered The Outer Limits on 12th December, we’ve been given a Blu-ray copy to give away to 1 winner.

From the moment Vic Perrin’s omniscient “Control Voice” first proclaimed, “There is nothing wrong with your Television Set on 16th September 1963, The Outer Limits was destined for greatness.

The Outer Limits has enthralled and captivated millions of television viewers with provocative stories and a star-studded roster of talent. Enjoy all 49 remastered episodes plus hours of bonus features of this acclaimed series in one comprehensive collection on Blu-ray.

Please note: This competition is open to UK residents only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Small Print

Open to UK residents only The competition will close 22nd December 2022 at 23.59 GMT The winner will be picked at random from entries received No cash alternative is available Please note prizes may be delayed due to Covid-19 To coincide with Gdpr regulations,...

The only woman director to work in Hollywood in the 1950s, Ida Lupino earned full marks as a creative innovator and a positive force in the industry. It was a restrictive time for the movies: politically, socially, every which way. But Lupino’s independent film about a rape victim passed through the censorship gauntlet — as long as the ‘R’ word was never spoken, of course. Mala Powers is the distraught victim who tries to run away from life in the powerful drama, which remains valid and topical.

Outrage

Region-Free Blu-ray

Viavision [Imprint]

1950 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 75 min. / Street Date December 29, 2021, January 7, 2022 / Available from Viavision, Available from Amazon

Starring: Mala Powers, Tod Andrews, Robert Clarke, Raymond Bond, Lillian Hamilton, Rita Lupino, Hal March, Kenneth Patterson, Jerry Paris, Angela Clarke, Roy Engel, William Challee, Joyce McCluskey, Albert Mellen, Vic Perrin.

Cinematography: Archie Stout

Production Designer: Harry Horner

Film Editor: Harvey Manger

Original...

Wow — somebody took their sweet time about it, but we finally have a quality Blu-ray set of an entire generation’s favorite Sci-fi / monster TV show, an attraction that lit up our humdrum lives with anticipation in the Fall of ’63. Respected stars and good writers contributed to a weird-oh winner that can boast at least fifteen classic hours of Sci-fi delight, in velvety black and white. With informative new audio commentaries.

The Outer Limits Season One

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1963-64 / B&W / 1:33 flat full frame / 1632 min. (32 episodes) / Street Date March 27, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 99.95

Created and produced by Leslie Stevens & Joseph Stefano

Talk about a release that should need no introduction: when MGM Home Video released its first DVD sets of Outer Limits sixteen years ago, we saw the pale transfers and the feeble encoding (eight hours per disc!) and immediately wished for a reissue. Syndicated TV broadcasts looked better.