Sci-Fi

Since the 1990s, the Hubble Space Telescope has been beaming images of stars, nebulas and galaxies back to Earth, giving us the best look anyone alive had ever seen at the worlds beyond our own Milky Way home. Our nearest neighboring galaxy, Andromeda, is but a mere 2.5 million light years from Earth, and though you can view it on a clear night without the aid of NASA's orbiting photography satellite, consumer-grade optics just don't have the same panache. But thanks to Bioware and Mass Effect Andromeda, we don't really need it either. The latest entry in the spacefaring RPG series from EA's Bioware studio transports players to the Andromeda galaxy, presenting them not only with a whole new galaxy to explore, but some of the most awe-inspiring space imagery I've ever seen.

Some monsters are surprisingly small, no bigger than a person or smaller still. They intimidate psychologically or with supernatural powers, not with size and strength. But then there are monsters that are big. Giant monsters are easy to understand. They are to humans what we are to ants, and we all know all too well how many ants we've stepped on. With Monsters Unleashed going on at Marvel, and Kong: Skull Island currently in theaters, this feels like a great time to pay tribute to the various giant beasts and kaiju that have graced the covers of comic books for about as long as comics have existed.

You’re going to see a whole lot of Peter Capaldi as Doctor Who Season 10 kicks off the 12th Doctor’s final run, but you may see more of Pearl Mackie’s new companion Bill, judging by the latest trailer. Get the full picture of Season 10 (including Missy’s return) with some new Doctor Who, and Class to boot.

Once again, Star Wars Rebels will hinge its endgame around the climactic showdown of two legendary Star Wars foes. Where last year brought us Darth Vader against his former apprentice, Season 3 will see an older Obi-Wan Kenobi in a final battle with Darth Maul, and we’ve got new “Twin Suns” footage and photos to prove it.

Star Trek: Discovery will prove the first outing of the franchise without a Captain as its lead, but the Discovery’s ranking officer will nonetheless be a familiar face. Harry Potter and The OA star Jason Isaacs confirms his role in CBS’ Star Trek: Discovery, finding a nice comfy chair in the process.

Updates in the design of Doctor Who are built into its central character, so it isn’t any surprise that recent decades have upgraded some of the sci-fi staple’s more hokey-looking foes. Now, Season 10 will take us back to the classic-looking Cybermen for a two-part arc that kicks off Peter Capaldi’s final episodes.

Disney XD’s Star Wars Rebels has achieved a crossover success significantly higher than its animated predecessor, and their battle with the Empire is far from over. As Season 3 prepares for a climactic endgame, Lucasfilm confirms Season 4 will bow in fall 2017.

While the Golden Age established comics as a medium, the Silver Age was when comic book art really came into its own. And it's worth noting that comics' Silver Age corresponded with a wider cultural fascination with science fiction. The actual Space Race was in full swing, and everybody was thinking about rocket ships, alien monsters, and the wonders of science. This gallery collects some of the best sci-fi comic book covers of the Silver Age, featuring strange invaders, curious tech, and multiple threats to life as we know it.

It was a relatively small showing from Kotobukiya at this year's Toy Fair, but nearly everything being shown off was brand new. That includes a healthy dose of ArtFX statues both large and small, and some new licenses like DC's television shows. Sure, there were more Star Wars and Bishoujo pieces in place, but Koto has plenty in store for fans of just about everything under the sun.

Given that the Star Wars film franchise is between movies at the moment, it wasn't surprising to see Hasbro's offerings for the Star Wars Black series dialed back just a bit. The Last Jedi is still 10 months away, and with Force Friday II coming in September, it's going to be a few more months until we learn everything about this year's Star Wars Black plans. However, 2017 is the 40th anniversary of the celebrated sci-fi franchise, and Hasbro isn't letting that go unnoticed.