This winter we're getting a lot great scifi DVD releases. A new "Red Dwarf!" The classic Superman! I've said it before and I'll say it again: the DVD boxed set may be the best thing ever to happen to geeky SciFi fans like me.

January 3, 2006

Alien Nation: The Complete Series

January 10, 2006

The Flash: The Complete Series
Red Dwarf: Series 7

January 17, 2006

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman—The Complete Second Season
The Adventures of Superman: The Complete Second Season (1952)

January 24, 2006

The Time Tunnel: Volume One

February 14, 2006

The Pretender: The Complete Third Season

February 21, 2006

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Vol. 1 (1964)

February 28, 2006

Charmed: The Complete Fourth Season

March 21, 2006

3rd Rock from the Sun: Season 3

March 28, 2006

Quantum Leap: The Complete Fourth Season

And Bonus: A Few Cool DVD Releases You May Have Missed!

These DVDS were released during November and December of 2005.

War of the Worlds—The Complete First Season

If you don’t remember this syndicated series from 1988, check it out now. Based on the 1953 version of the “War of the Worlds” story, this darkly graphic (I remember lots of gore!) but intelligent version starred Jared Martin and Lynda Mason Green. This DVD set contains 22 episodes but no extras. The first season was the best—like many shows, it suffered from a revamp for better ratings in the second season. Believe it or not, this series was probably influenced by “V.”

Space: Above and Beyond—The Complete Series

I must admit that I had completely forgotten about this 1995 series for a really long time—until I was cleaning out old videotapes and discovered that I had the pilot on VHS. Created by “X-Files” producers Glen Morgan and James Wong, it was modeled off the war series “Combat!” and felt grittier than many ‘90s straight sci-fi offerings. They created 23 episodes about a group of soldiers navigating an interplanetary war with mystery aliens. The show barely had time to scratch its potential (and there was a lot of it), and there are few extras on this DVD, but it’s worth seeing if you like the “Starship Troopers” sort of story—and who doesn’t?

Doctor Who Mega Collection

Seven doctors, 64 hours, 33 episodes—whew! This boxed set is a little bit steep in price—almost $600. But given the fact that over 100 episodes of “Doctor Who” from the 1960s have been lost, and there’s therefore very little chance of a comprehensive season-by-season DVD series (sigh!), this might be the closest we get for awhile. And this is really the best of. Episodes include the ones written by Douglas Adams, the ones written by Robert Holmes, “The Five Doctors,” “Ghost Light,” the entire Key to Time, the entire Lost in Time collection…I’m drooling. My husband’s going to have to play a lot of poker to get me this one.

Seaquest DSV--Season One

The second and third seasons of "Seaquest" sadly didn't live up to this series' promise, but the first one was a prime example of what good science fiction could be. Steven Spielberg was involved, the show was based on real, plausible science and it was like "Star Trek" under the sea. Unfortunately, some found it boring for those reasons and spicing it up for the second season proved disastrous. We get melancholy, though, watching these episodes with the late Jonathan Brandis.