Sci-Fi 5

Three young people and a scientist ride around in an ice-cream truck and fight crime with their amazing, superhuman powers - except the ability to draw an audience for NBC. That was the promise, and failure, of "Misfits of Science" which premiered on October 4, 1985 and featured an up-and-coming Courtney Cox.

Follow Sci-Fi 5 for your daily dose of science-fiction history.

Written by Johnny Kolasinski

Hosted by Earl Green

Music by Devin Curry

Star Wars was hot in 1977, but was it funky enough? Fortunately all doubt was laid to rest when Meco released "Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk" on October 1 of that year, making sure that disco and sci-fi would forever go hand-in-hand.

Follow Sci-Fi 5 for your daily dose of science-fiction history.

Written by Earl Green

Music by Devin Curry

Captain Picard found himself stranded with a Tamarian when "Darmok" premiered on September 30, 1991. Find out why their language barrier helped make this one of Star Trek: The Next Generation's most enduring episodes. Temba, his arms wide on today's Sci-Fi 5.

Follow Sci-Fi 5 for your daily dose of science-fiction history.

Written by Andrew Beal and Owen Beal

Hosted by 

Music by Devin Curry

An all-star cast (of sound-alikes), an indestructible hero, and all the (puppet-sized) hardware you could imagine. When "Captain Scarlet" premiered on September 29, 1967, it was a leap forward for Gerry Anderson's "Supermarionation." S.I.G. on today's Sci-Fi 5.

Follow Sci-Fi 5 for your daily dose of science-fiction history.

Written by John Champion

Music by Devin Curry

Public television took to the stars on September 28, 1980 with the premiere of "Cosmos." It was an attempt to impart complex scientific concepts to a wide audience, and host Carl Sagan used science-fiction as one of his teaching tools.

Follow Sci-Fi 5 for your daily dose of science-fiction history.

Written by Ryan Myers

Music by Devin Curry

Hear the story of how the time lord got a do-over before he even started. On this day in 1963, cameras rolled for the Doctor Who pilot, but something wasn't right, and that footage wasn't seen again for decades. We have the "Unearthly" story on today's Sci-Fi 5.

Follow Sci-Fi 5 for your daily dose of science-fiction history.

Written by Earl Green

Hosted by Jessica Lynn Verdi

Music by Devin Curry 

No toy collection is complete without at least a few of the iconic action figures made by Mego since the 1970s and covering a wide range of pop-culture subjects. The "father of action figures," Marty Abrams, is almost as famous as some of his creations, and today we celebrate his birthday.

Follow Sci-Fi 5 for your daily dose of science-fiction history.

Written and hosted by Ryan Myers

Music by Devin Curry

On this day in 2005, Ronald D. Moore's Battlestar Galactica revisited an important plot line from the original series. Hear how "Pegasus" reinvented the Cain character and the dark twists the new story took.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains references to sexual assault.

Follow Sci-Fi 5 for your daily dose of science-fiction history.

Written by Ashely Thomas

Hosted by Earl Green

Music by Devin Curry

It's a story of corporate intrigue and internal backstabbing. On September 22, Kevin Flynn, a bright, young programmer at ENCOM, had his hard work "annexed" by greedy competitor Ed Dillinger. What happened next was a matter of speculation and technological mystery.

Follow Sci-Fi 5 for your daily dose of science-fiction history.

Written by Earl Green

Hosted by Ryan Myers

Music by Devin Curry

One of the fathers of science-fiction: Herbert George Wells was born on September 21, 1866. Known for some of the most influential books in the genre, Wells' social commentary and pointed criticism make him just as relevant today as he was a century ago. Hear his story on today's Sci-Fi 5.

Follow Sci-Fi 5 for your daily dose of science-fiction history.

Written by David Sohl

Hosted by Earl Green

Music by Devin Curry