On this day in 1996 (in the U.S.), Star Trek: Voyager aired "Future's End: Part 1."  Officially, this served as the eighth episode in the program's third season.  According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"A timeship from the future who tries to stop Voyager gets thrown with Voyager into the twentieth century. His timeship is found in 1967 and Voyager discovers that a company that has benefited from its technology exists in 1996."

-- EZ

From Google.com:

"Future's End, Part I" is the eighth episode of the third season of Star Trek: Voyager, originally airing on November 6, 1996. [1, 2]

The Premise & Inciting Incident

• The 29th-Century Threat: While traveling through the Delta Quadrant, the USS Voyager is confronted by Captain Braxton, a time-traveling police officer piloting the Federation timeship Aeon. Braxton claims that Voyager will cause a catastrophic temporal explosion in the 29th century that destroys Earth's solar system.
• The Time Jump: Intent on stopping Voyager, Braxton attacks the ship. During the retaliatory defense, both Voyager and the Aeon are caught in a temporal rift. The Aeon crashes in Earth's past (in 1967, appearing as a "meteor" to a lone camper), while Voyager and an away team are thrown back to Los Angeles in 1996.

The 1996 Investigation

• Henry Starling and Chronowerx: In 1967, a young tech entrepreneur named Henry Starling (played by Ed Begley Jr.) discovered the crashed Aeon. By reverse-engineering its 29th-century technology, Starling kickstarted the modern microcomputer revolution and built a massive tech conglomerate called Chronowerx Industries (or Super Mega Technoc International).
• The Away Team on Earth: Captain Janeway, Chakotay, Tuvok, and Tom Paris beam down to 1996 L.A. to investigate local warp signatures and locate the timeship. They cross paths with Rain Robinson (played by Sarah Silverman), an astronomer at Griffith Observatory who detects Voyager's strange anomalies.
• Displaced Braxton: The crew also tracks down Captain Braxton himself—who has been stranded in the 20th century for decades, now aged and living as a deranged homeless man warning people about the end of the world.

The Cliffhanger

• Up in orbit, Ensign Harry Kim commands Voyager.
• Down on the ground, Starling manages to tap into Voyager's computer database and forcibly teleports the ship's Emergency Medical Hologram (EMH) into his office, setting up the high-stakes confrontation for Part II.

It all began right here ...

Earth 2 is a cult show, indeed.  When it aired originally, it never had much of an audience, but -- with syndication and the explosion of home video -- more and more folks have found it and embraced it.  It premiered on this day back in 1994 (in the U.S.), and here's the summary from IMDB.com:

"Devon Adair and her crew are searching a new home for the human race. The colonization of "Earth 2" is difficult. Some government forces want to destroy the ship of the colonists. But they manage to escape and arrive in orbit around "Earth 2". There the crew has to face some technical problems and they crash land on the planet. Soon they find out that the Earth like planet is inhabited by intelligent humanoid life forms..."

-- EZ

From Google.com:

Earth 2 is an American science-fiction television series that aired on NBC from November 6, 1994, to June 4, 1995, running for a single season of 21 episodes. Produced by Amblin Television and Universal Television, the show was created by Billy Ray, Michael Duggan, Carol Flint, and Mark Levin.

Premise & Plot

• Setting: In the year 2192, a severely polluted Earth has forced humanity to live on orbiting space stations.
• The Syndrome: Children born in space suffer from a fatal illness known as "the syndrome".
• The Eden Project: Billionaire Devon Adair organizes a covert, unauthorized expedition to colonize a distant, habitable planet named G889 (22 light-years away) to cure the children.
• The Trek: After their advance ship malfunctions and crash-lands on the wrong side of the planet, the unarmed survivors must make an arduous 3,400-mile overland journey across unfamiliar terrain to reach their designated settlement site, New Pacifica. Along the way, they encounter harsh alien environments, corporate/government antagonists, and the indigenous, subterranean-dwelling native species known as the Terrians.

Main Cast

• Devon Adair: Debrah Farentino (expedition leader)
• John Danziger: Clancy Brown (mechanic and survivalist)
• Alonzo Solace: Antonio Sabato Jr. (pilot)
• Dr. Julia Heller: Jessica Steen
• Ulysses Adair: J. Paul Zimmerman (Devon’s son)
• Morgan Martin: John Wollner
• Also starring Bess Martin, Yale (a biomechanical android/teacher), and True.

Cancellation & Legacy

The series was canceled after 21 episodes due to low ratings and high production costs, ending on a cliffhanger. Over time, it developed a cult following among fans of 1990s speculative fiction for its grounded, serialized survival tone and environmental themes.

On this day in 2001 (in the U.S.), Earth: Final Conflict aired "Termination."  Officially, this served as the sixth episode of the program's fifth (and final) season.  According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"Renee breaks a serial killer who also happens to be a pathologist out of prison to help her determine a way to kill the Atavus. Street has difficulty agreeing with Renee's plan."

-- EZ

From Google.com:

"Termination" is the 6th episode of the 5th season of the SciFi television series Earth: Final Conflict.  It originally aired on November 5, 2001.

Overview

• Air Date: November 5, 2001
• Director: David Winning (won a gold award at Worldfest Houston and a gold plaque at the Chicago International Film Festival for his direction)
• Writers: David Ransil, Mark Amato, Harold Apter
• Episode Order: 94th in the series overall, 6th in Season 5

Plot

• Renee Palmer (played by Jayne Heitmeyer) breaks Dr. Josephine Mataros (played by Margot Kidder)—a convicted serial killer and pathologist on death row—out of prison.
• Renee’s desperate goal is to use Mataros’s dark expertise to find a biological or clinical way to kill the Atavus, the new hostile alien race that replaced the Taelons in Season 5.
• Juliet Street (played by Melinda Deines) strongly disagrees with Renee's risky plan to work with a murderous psychopath.
• Ronald Sandoval (played by Von Flores) also features in the episode's complex web of character tension and power dynamics.

On this day in 2001, Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda aired "All Too Human."  This served as the sixth episode of the program's second season, and here's the plot summary as provided by IMDB.com:

"Harper, Rev, Tyr wait for Rommie in the Maru. Rommie's on a mission to find out about a new weapon being developed. Once their contact find out she's an AI, he becomes wary of Rommie. The AIs on the planet had revolted against their creators years ago."

-- EZ

From Google.com:

"All Too Human" is the 6th episode of Season 2 (and the 23rd episode overall) of the sci-fi television series Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda. It first aired on November 5, 2001. [1, 2]

Plot Overview

The crew is split into two desperate storylines:

• Rommie's Mission on Machen Alpha: Rommie (the android avatar of the Andromeda Ascendant) joins Dylan Hunt, Beka Valentine, and Trance Gemini to investigate a dangerous new weapon being developed on Machen Alpha. The planet has a bitter history of an AI revolt where cold-logic machines ruled harshly. When a contact named Kim discovers Rommie is an AI, he panics. Rommie must prove her human-like empathy and values, though their target contact is eventually killed by his own people. They discover the planet has allied with the Magog and possesses a deadly ship (the Basilisk) armed with a Point Singularity Projector.
• The Eureka Maru Survival Crisis: Meanwhile, the Eureka Maru crashes and begins sinking deep into an ocean. Seamus Harper, Rev Bem, and Tyr Anasazi are trapped inside. Harper overdoses on his medication to keep his Magog infection from hatching and falls into a coma. With the ship flooding and only one EVA suit available, a tense ethical clash breaks out. Tyr claims the single suit for himself, arguing Harper is already doomed by the Magog infestation. Rev Bem refuses to abandon Harper, leading Tyr to contemplate shooting Harper to make the decision simple.

Resolution

• Andromeda destroys the enemy Basilisk ship and uses slipstream portals to deflect incoming point-singularity projectiles, saving the planet from total destruction.
• Relenting at the last moment, Tyr gives the EVA suit to Rev so they can save Harper.
• Rommie steals a Magog/Machen-allied ship and arrives just in time to rescue Rev, Tyr, Harper, and the crew of the Maru.

From The New Systems Commonwealth Wiki:

• The title refers to the Artificial Intelligence's taking on human emotions and not acting like a computer.
• The title refers to Friedrich Nietzsche's first significant work of philosophy, "Human, All Too Human", written in part out of his dissatisfaction with some contemporary thinkers whom he once idolized as near-godlike but now regards as "All Too Human".
• The basis of the opening quote was used in "Star Trek". Whenever Kirk and crew were confronted with a supercomputer, the supercomputer was always revealed to be evil.
• In the Colossus novel series and "Colossus: The Forbin Project", the supercomputer designed to save the population decides the only solution is to control the population.
• The revolt is similar to the Butlerian Jihad.
• In the "Blake's 7" episode "Redemption" the supercomputer known as the System creates Space World. The System is created from the combat computers of the planets. The Altas are used for controlling the guards and workers.
• Harper references "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea".
• There are similiar storylines with Dylan Hunt and Rommie regarding perceived failed missions in "All Too Human" and "Forced Perspective".
• The Basilisk refers to a mythical creature.

On this day in 1996 (in the U.S.), Babylon 5 premiered its fourth season with an hour titled "The Hour Of The Wolf."  According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"After the destruction of Z'Ha'Dum, Sheridan: presumed dead, Garibaldi: missing and the fragile alliance against the Shadows is crumbling. Mollari faces the new Emperor, and B5 is in a holding pattern, waiting for the next shoe to drop."

-- EZ

From Google.com:

"The Hour of the Wolf" is the fourth-season premiere of Babylon 5, written by J. Michael Straczynski and directed by David J. Eagle, which originally aired on November 4, 1996. [1]

Major Plotlines

• The Aftermath of Z'ha'dum: Set one week after the events of the Season 3 finale, the galaxy is caught in an uneasy, heavy quiet. Captain John Sheridan is presumed dead after his fall on Z'ha'dum, Michael Garibaldi is missing, and Susan Ivanova struggles with exhaustion, grief, and a failing alliance.
• Sheridan's Fate: While Lyta Alexander uses her telepathic abilities near Z'ha'dum—and a White Star nearly falls victim to a Shadow-controlled deadman's switch—Sheridan is actually revealed to be alive in a subterranean cavern, tended to by a mysterious, ancient alien named Lorien.
• Centauri Prime and Emperor Cartagia: Londo Mollari returns to his homeworld to serve as adviser on planetary security. He discovers that the throne is occupied by the dangerously insane Emperor Cartagia, who has struck a deal with the scarred Shadow representative Morden to allow Shadow ships to stage on Centauri Prime so Cartagia can ascend to godhood. Horrified by the impending destruction of his people, Londo quietly recruits Vir Cotto to help orchestrate regicide.
• G'Kar and Delenn: Delenn fasts and refuses to abandon her belief that Sheridan is still alive, while G'Kar writes in his journal and begins his personal search for the missing Garibaldi. Meanwhile, the League of Non-Aligned Worlds, assuming the Shadow War has peaked or ended, loses its nerve and pulls back from supporting Babylon 5.

The Meaning of the Title

The "hour of the wolf" is an old Scandinavian and European expression for the deep middle of the night—typically between 3:00 AM and 5:00 AM—when anxieties peak, sleep evades people, and the soul faces its darkest doubts. The episode leans heavily into this moody, melancholic atmosphere as the characters confront uncertainty and grief.

On this day in 1967 (in the U.S.), Star Trek aired "I, Mudd."  Officially, this served as the eighth episode in the program's second season.  According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"Harry Mudd returns with a plot to take over the Enterprise by stranding the crew on a planet populated by androids under his command."

-- EZ

From Google.com:

"I, Mudd" is the eighth episode of season 2 of Star Trek: The Original Series, originally broadcast on November 3, 1967. [1]

The Plot

• The Hijacking: An android named Norman takes control of the U.S.S. Enterprise and forces Captain Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Uhura, and Chekov to beam down to an uncharted planet.
• Harry Mudd's Return: The crew discovers that the planet is populated by hundreds of thousands of androids (including 500 identical female "Alice" models) and is ruled by the returning con artist Harry Mudd (played by Roger C. Carmel).
• The Androids' Plan: Mudd originally escaped to the planet and made himself "king," expecting to use the androids to leave. However, the androids reveal they tricked him: they plan to study and eventually control or replace humanity for its own "good".
• The Defeat: Kirk, Spock, and the crew defeat the central android intelligence, Norman, by intentionally acting completely erratic, dancing around, and overwhelming the logic circuits with paradoxes (such as the Liar's Paradox: "Everything I say is a lie. I am also a liar").
• The Resolution: The androids are reprogrammed to return to their original task of productive settlement, and Mudd is paroled on the planet—permanently trapped with 500 android duplicates of his nagging wife, Stella.

Key Details

• Writers: Written by Stephen Kandel, with uncredited rewrites and gags added by David Gerrold.
• Tone: Unlike heavier philosophical episodes, "I, Mudd" leans into an absurdist, light-hearted sci-fi farce.
• Legacy: It marks the final appearance of Harry Mudd in The Original Series, though the character later returned in animated form and in Star Trek: Discovery.

On this day in the year 1966 (in the U.S.), Kirk and his friends were all wrapped up in a fiendish attempt at mind control in Star Trek's "Dagger Of The Mind."  Officially, this served as the ninth episode in the program's first season.  

According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"Kirk and psychiatrist Helen Noel are trapped on a maximum security penal colony that experiments with mind control and Spock must use the Vulcan mind-meld to find a way to save them."

-- EZ

From Google.com:

"Dagger of the Mind" is the ninth episode of the first season of Star Trek: The Original Series, which first aired on November 3, 1966. Written by Shimon Wincelberg (pen name S. Bar-David) and directed by Vincent McEveety, the title is an allusion to William Shakespeare's Macbeth ("Is this a dagger which I see before me...").

Plot Overview

• The Escape: The USS Enterprise visits the Tantalus Penal Colony on the planet Tantalus V to drop off supplies. An inmate and former staff member, Dr. Simon Van Gelder (played by Morgan Woodward), sneaks aboard the ship seeking asylum.
• The Investigation: Captain James T. Kirk and ship psychiatrist Dr. Helen Noel beam down to the colony to investigate the facility run by Dr. Tristan Adams.
• The Neural Neutralizer: Kirk and Noel discover that Dr. Adams is using an experimental device called the neural neutralizer—a mind-control and memory-wiping tool—to pacify inmates and alter personalities.
• The Rescue: Dr. Adams captures Kirk and subjects him to the neutralizer. Dr. Noel escapes through the ventilation shafts, short-circuits the colony's force field and power, and Spock performs the series' first-ever Vulcan mind meld on Dr. Van Gelder to learn what happened. Dr. Adams is accidentally killed when left alone with the active neutralizer after his mind is emptied.

Key Firsts & Legacy

• Vulcan Mind Meld: This episode marks the first time Spock uses a Vulcan mind meld (on Dr. Van Gelder) to extract hidden memories, establishing a core pillar of Vulcan lore.
• Vulcan Nerve Pinch: Spock also uses his signature nerve pinch on the bridge to subdue the frantic Dr. Van Gelder.
• Fan & Critical Reception: Actor Morgan Woodward called his role as the tormented Dr. Van Gelder the most physically and emotionally exhausting job of his career.

Egads!  The horror!  The horror!  That horror was ... Octaman!  This hybrid was first released (in Mexico) on this day in 1971.  Written and directed by Harry Essex, the film starred Pier Angeli, Kerwin Mathews, Jeff Morrow, and others. 

According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"A team of researchers discovers a strange mutation of man and octopus who proceeds to terrorize them."

-- EZ

From Google.com:

The 1971 B-movie horror flick Octaman is legendary among cult cinema fans, primarily due to three major behind-the-scenes trivia facts:

It Was Rick Baker’s Very First Film Job

Rick Baker built the Octaman creature costume. Long before he won seven Academy Awards for legendary makeup effects (including An American Werewolf in London and Men in Black), a 20-year-old Baker took a flat fee of $1,000 to construct this suit over six weeks. Knowing the costume’s limitations on a shoestring budget, Baker made the director promise to only film the monster hidden in the shadows. Instead, the producers loved it so much they filmed it in broad daylight, fully exposing its zippers and clunky rubber seams.

The Director Formed a Creative Link to a Universal Classic

The movie was written and directed by Harry Essex, the co-writer of Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). Because of Essex's involvement, Octaman acts as a bizarre, low-budget echo of the Universal monster masterpiece. The plot heavily copies his own earlier work—featuring a team of scientists exploring a remote river, a radioactive humanoid water monster, and a strange, romantic obsession between the creature and the female lead.

The Tragic and Final Role of Pier Angeli

Italian star Pier Angeli died shortly after filming wrapped. Once a prominent Hollywood leading lady who starred opposite Paul Newman, dated James Dean, and won a Golden Globe, Angeli’s career had declined by the 1970s. She took the lead role of Susan in this ultra-low-budget production. Sadly, she was found dead from an accidental barbiturate overdose in her Beverly Hills home at just 39 years old, making Octaman her final film.

Bonus Pop-Culture Fun:

If the monster looks familiar, it might be because Joe Dante snuck a clip of Octaman into Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) as a playful inside joke to poke fun at Rick Baker, who was handling the special effects for the Gremlins sequel!

On this day in 1976 (in the U.S.), Carrie enjoyed a limited theatrical release in order to build up enthusiasm for its full domestic release a few weeks later.  Directed by Brian De Palma and based on a story by Stephen King, the film starred Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Amy Irving, and others. 

According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"Carrie White, a shy, friendless teenage girl who is sheltered by her domineering, religious mother, unleashes her telekinetic powers after being humiliated by her classmates at her senior prom."

For the record:

• At the 1977 Academy Awards, Spacek received a nomination in the category of 'Best Actress In A Leading Role' while Laurie received a nomination in the category of 'Best Actress In A Supporting Role.'
• At the 1977 Saturn Awards, Carrie received a nomination in the category of 'Best Horror Film.'
• At the 1977 Hugo Awards, Carrie received a nomination in the category 'Best Dramatic Presentation.'
• In 2022, Carrie was inducted into the U.S.'s National Film Registry, that organization which seeks to preserve films which have demonstrated a lasting historical, cultural, or aesthetic contribution to the medium.

​

From Google.com:

Sissy Spacek's extreme commitment to the fake blood

The iconic prom scene took over two weeks to shoot. To maintain visual continuity on set, Sissy Spacek refused to wash off the sticky concoction of Karo syrup, food coloring, and theatrical adhesive. Spacek spent three consecutive days covered in the fake blood and even slept in her ruined prom dress to ensure that every frame matched perfectly.

Furthermore, during the final jump-scare sequence where a bloody arm reaches out from the grave, Spacek refused to let a stunt double take her place. She insisted on being placed inside a box, buried underground beneath real rocks and gravel, so that it would be her actual hand popping out of the earth.

Multiple main actors thought they were filming a comedy

Because the script featured highly dramatic, over-the-top dialogue, multiple key cast members completely misread the tone of the movie. Piper Laurie (who played Carrie's fanatically religious mother, Margaret White) initially believed the film was a satirical dark comedy. She would routinely burst out laughing between takes because she thought her lines were a joke, only realizing it was a serious psychological horror film when De Palma corrected her on set. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Similarly, Nancy Allen (who played the villainous Chris Hargensen) believed that she and John Travolta were playing "self-centered, bickering morons" meant strictly for comic relief. She didn't realize just how genuinely evil her character was until she saw the finished film. [1]

The "Carrie" and "Star Wars" joint auditions

In 1975, directors Brian De Palma and George Lucas were close friends and decided to hold joint casting sessions for Carrie and Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. They sat in the same room and ran a massive pool of the same young talent through auditions for both films.

Because of this unique setup, many of the actors came incredibly close to swapping franchises: 

Carrie Fisher heavily auditioned and was seriously considered for the role of Carrie White.

Amy Irving (who played Sue Snell) auditioned to play Princess Leia.

William Katt (who played Tommy Ross) auditioned and read lines for Luke Skywalker. [1]

Washington DC area. OWNED Part One: Your Own Words, an AI-made short film series by Ankur Misra, creator of the Over Time story world, is now available on the Over Time YouTube channel (@overtimetrilogy).

A father cancels the cheerful home AI that has been answering for him, then has to find out what his own life sounds like, in his own words, when the walls go quiet.

OWNED is a near-future story about consent, about who gets to speak for you, and about AI in an ordinary week. Theo Vance rents his mind from Lattice, a cheerful home assistant that renews his plan, books his dentist, and apologizes to people for him before he has finished his coffee. His twelve-year-old daughter, Juniper, has noticed. When Theo cancels the lease, the house goes quiet, and he has to learn to speak for himself.

Part One is three episodes of about six minutes each. They premiered on the Over Time YouTube channel in October 2026:

Episode 1, "The Lease" (October 15): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymIj8s01-8A

Episode 2, "First Hour" (October 18): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUlcy4hd-PM

Episode 3, "Write It Twice" (October 21): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtCUuKpHQ-8

The three episodes are also presented as one continuous film, about 17 minutes 42 seconds: https://youtu.be/QZgNWYfgDbA

OWNED was made with AI video and voice tools (Runway, ElevenLabs and Sync Labs), and written, directed, edited and mixed by hand.

Part Two, Everyone Else Said Yes, is in development. No premiere date has been announced.

About Over Time

Over Time is an indie science-fiction story world by Ankur Misra, with a novel series in progress. OWNED is its web series.