We focused on big, awesome, brain-eating box sets for this roundup — so, for example, we didn't include too many sets that were just individual seasons of TV series, if we could recommend the series' complete run in one set instead. And similarly, for movies, we tried to find the sets that would make the most impressive gift. But we also have a ton of suggestions for bargain-basement DVD sets that still make awesome gifts, in these trying economic times.

Movies On DVD: The Best New Box Sets And Gift Sets

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Give Your Friends Enough Television To Ruin Them For Real Life

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10 Cheap-Ass DVD Box Sets That Make Good Ironic Stocking Stuffers:

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We've selected ten types of science fiction fans, offering you great gift ideas for fans of the big franchises, this summer's biggest movies, and even something for the steampunks and zombie lovers. You can also check out our fan gift guide from last year, which also includes gift ideas for fans of Battlestar Galactica, Harry Potter, and Batman.

Gifts for the Star Wars Fan (Gallery-free view)

Gifts for the Star Trek Fan (Gallery-free view)

Gifts for the Transformers Fan (Gallery-free view)

Gifts for the GI Joe Fan (Gallery-free view)

Gifts for the Doctor Who Fan (Gallery-free view)

Gifts for the Joss Whedon Fan (Gallery-free view)

Gifts for the Terminator Fan (Gallery-free view)

Gifts for the Vampire Fan (Gallery-free view)

Gifts for the Steampunk Fan (Gallery-free view)

Gifts for the Zombie Fan (Gallery-free view)

Additional gift ideas by Meredith Woerner.

I traversed the city, poking my head in each store looking for what might be gone and what's probably still in stock for you last-minute shoppers. Now, just because some stocks were dwindling in my town doesn't mean it's lights out for Watchmen across the nation. But just in case we've got a list of back-ups so you don't show up to the holiday festivities empty handed. Sorry — there are only so many times you can use the "I bought you Netflix" line, when you simply showed up with nothing.

Video Games:

Sold Out: Gears Of War 2
Instead: First off, ask the clerk. I ran into three lying liar faces that had more copies stashed in the back room. "What you see is what we got" need not apply to most video games, as they churn out these discs like heroin. But should you run into this predicament, there are more video games out there, trust me.
Instead: Try Fallout 3 or Dead Space. Both should be in ample supply.

Sold Out: Wii or Wii Fit. Yearning to try the workout of the future? Too bad. They are sold out — all of them. You will get laughed at to your face by some 16-year-old on winter break. (I did.)
Instead: Flip Camera. Sure, it's not a Wii, but really what is? And at least they'll be ready when the Cloverfield Monster strikes their town. They're reasonably priced (a little over $100) and can hold a lot more video than most of the cell phones out there.

Movies:

Sold Out: Hancock, because apparently a lot of people liked this movie.
Instead: There are two other infinitely better bad good movies that had loads upon loads in stock. I suggest Death Race or Doomsday. They're both action packed and terrible in a good way, and NO WILL SMITH.

Sold Out: WALL-E. I actually found a few here and there shoved in the wrong spots, so keep a keen eye out. Plus, the Blu-ray had a few left over.
Instead: So you can't watch the new awesome robot from Disney? Well, what about the old awesome robots, gadgets and space creatures? Teach others about the great scifi kid movies of our past. Flight of the Navigator, Honey I Shrunk The Kids and Black Hole are all on sale at Best Buy for $5.99. If that doesn't work, go with Enchanted, but seriously if your child/friend/sig. other doesn't like one of those first three, you need to sit them down and have a long holiday talk.

Sold Out: Dark Knight. This is hard to replace, I admit, but there are other big releases that should tempt some scifi fans.
Instead: Wanted and the new X Files were in stock but personally if I couldn't have Batman for Christmas a close second would be Bill Murray. There is a Ghostbusters box set with both movies for a mere $15.

Sold Out: Futurama's Bender's Big Score (the best of the Futurama DVD movies)
Instead: Aqua Teen Hunger Force Volume 4

Books And Comics And Things:

Sold Out: Twilight Book Set
Instead: Teach your Twilight fan about the other work of Stephenie Meyer, The Host. Or go really crazy and pick up the other vampire series, from Charlaine Harris: the Sookie Stackhouse books, which are now HBO's True Blood series. But be careful, these Twilighters are a fickle breed.

Sold Out: Watchmen.
Instead: Y The Last Man in hardcover, Buffy The Vampire Slayer and the Joker hardcover. Our intrepid comics reporter Graeme McMillan has put together a fantastic collection of 10 great graphic novel gifts that would also make a fantastic gifts, if the Watchmen you're looking for is no longer about.

Sold Out: Neal Stephenson's Anathem
Instead: Sly Mongoose by Tobias Buckell, or Karen Traviss' Clone Wars. Need more to go on? Jot down a few of these book gems from Annalee's bookish gift guide.

Sold Out: World War Z by Max Brooks
Instead: Easy — Max Brooks' Zombie Survival Guide.

Quick Gifts:

Box sets, I'm telling you this is the way to go. Don't get a mere chapter of a series, get the entire collection. The ones that caught my eye was a $10 DVD of BOTH Never Ending Story movies, the Resident Evil Trilogy, and possibly the most amazing thing I've ever seen the Alien Predator Pack, an 8 disc set of every single Alien, Predator and the two AVPs for $55.

But should you have more questions, you can always consult the Ultimate Scifi Gift Guide.

We've covered every zone of fandom possible - just click the links to find out what will make gift-giving day the Best Day Evar for the scifi nerds of the world.

Gifts for the Star Wars Fan

Gifts for the Star Trek Fan

Gifts for the Battlestar Galactica Fan

Gifts for the Doctor Who Fan

Gifts for the Batman Fan

Gifts for the Harry Potter Fan

Gifts for the Whedonverse Fan

Gifts for the Twilight Fan

Gifts for the Steampunk Fan

Gifts for the Zombie Fan

Serenity Complete and Official Map of the Verse: Plan your smuggling route with this map of the multi-star Serenity Verse. Perfect for learning more about the Verse, roleplaying, or just to hang on your wall. $26.95 from Quantum Mechanix.

Buffy and Serenity Comics: For those who miss Buffy, they can get caught up with the Season Eight comics. The most recent collection, Wolves at the Gate was released last month, following the events of The Long Way Home and No Future for You (You can get all three books from Amazon for $42.18). The second Serenity comic collection Better Days was also released this fall, and takes place between the Firefly television series and the Serenity film ($9.95 from Amazon).

Serenity Ornaments: Tree-having Browncoats can appreciate these Christmas ornaments, which depict the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity. $17.99 from Entertainment Earth.

The Zombie Survival Guide Deck: A handy pocket-sized version of Max Brooks' classic book, these cards offer a quick and easy reference that should prove vital in the even of a zombie outbreak. $12.55 from Amazon.

Dismember Me Plush Zombie: Practice dismembering the undead from the comfort of your desk or home. Tear off the limbs, head, and torso of this zombie toy, and he'll just come back for more. $12.99 from Think Geek.

Brain Gelatin Mold: You may as well practice eating brains with this brain-shaped gelatin mold. The mold creates a gooey, lifelike brain and includes instructions on how make a sugary gray matter substitute. $6.99 from Think Geek.

Cylon Toaster: Celebrate BSG's favorite racial slur each morning. This handsome appliance burns a Cylon centurion head into one side of your toast and the phrase "Frak Off!" into the other. $65.00 from NBC.

BSG Themed Tees: The BSG store at NBC offers a wide range of Galactica-themed apparel, or you can head over Enclothe to grab a "Baltar is My Homeboy" t-shirt. Of course, Neighborhoodies offers these stylish "Cylons are for Lovers Hoodies" designed by your friends at io9.

Cylon Action Figures: If you've got $8590 to spend on your BSG-loving loved one, you could drop it on this life size Cylon Centurion. But an 8" New Caprica Centurion is much more economical ($14.99 from Think Geek), as this Head Six action figure ($20.00 from NBC; also available in Caprica, Apollo, and Hot Dog) and BSG MiniMates ($9.00 from NBC).

Steampunk Anthology: Edited by io9 contributors Jeff and Ann VanderMeer, this anthology features steampunk stories from Neal Stephenson, Michael Chabon, and Michael Moorcock. $10.17 from Amazon.

Extraordinary Engines: Another steampunk themed anthology, Extraordinary Engines also includes stories by Michael Moorcock and Jeff VanderMeer, as well as Stephen Baxter and Ian MacLeod. $7.99 from Amazon.

Handmade Crafts: Handcraft site Etsy is a veritable treasure trove of steampunk-style handmade goods, so you're sure to find something to suit your favorite steampunker. Various prices from Etsy.

Harry, A History: The True Story of a Boy Wizard, His Fans, and Life Inside the Harry Potter Phenomenon: The webmistress of Harry Potter fansite The Leaky Cauldron, Melissa Anelli traces the history of Potter fandom and tries to explain the meteoric rise of Rowling's books. $10.88 from Amazon.

Varsity Quidditch Apparel: Now that Quidditch has become an intercollegiate sport, players and fans will need to display their allegiance to their favorite team. Gryffindor supporters can pick up their t-shirts and hoodies from CafePress.

The Time Traveller's Almanac: This handy, fully illustrated guide to time-space teaches you all you need to know to about the species, places, and notable figures of the Doctor Who universe, as well as little known "facts" from Earth's own history. $21.94 from Amazon.

Doctor Who Laser Battle Set: Reenact the Doctor's battles against the Master with this set of screwdrivers. Choose the Doctor's sonic screwdriver or the Master's laser screwdriver and try to hit your opponent five times before they hit you. $59.99 from Think Geek.

Dalek Voice Changer Helmet: Have your friends and colleagues cowering behind the sofa by donning this helmet and yelling "Exterminate!" The death beam lights up, but will not actually disintegrate your coworkers. $79.99 from Think Geek.

Batman Gotham Knights: Six animated adventures reveal the further adventures of Bruce Wayne. Batman battles Scarecrow, Killer Croc, and Deadshot, and uses high-tech weapons and ancient techniques to defend Gotham City. The two-disc collector's edition is available for $19.99 from Amazon.

LEGO Batman: Explore LEGO Gotham City as minifig Batman and Robin, capturing Batman's foes and putting them in Arkham Asylum. Then play as the villains, committing crime and mayhem while dodging the dynamic duo. Available for Playstation 2 and 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo DS.

Batman: The Complete Animated Series: The complete boxed set of what many people consider the definitive representation of the caped crusader includes all 109 episodes of the animated series, commentaries on 12 episodes, eight featurettes, and a new documentary on Batman's animated evolution. $75.99 from Amazon.

Bat-Manga!: The Secret History of Batman in Japan: A Japanese publisher acquired the rights to the Batman character and for a year, published a Japanese version of Batman and Robin's adventures. Translated and collected for the first time here, the comics show a Batman influenced by the culture of 1960s Japan. $37.80 from Amazon.

Twilight T-Shirts: Announce your love of dazzling vampires with official merchandise from Hot Topic or fan-made shirts from Zazzle.

Bella's Engagement Ring: Sure to make girls look at their ring fingers and sigh, this ring is available as a fashion ring ($59.00), fine ring ($549.00), or genuine diamond ring ($2,199.00) from Twilight Teez.

Twilight Books: Stephenie Meyer's guide to the Twilight saga doesn't come out until next year, but a box set of all four books in hardcover is available ($45.65 from Amazon), as is Meyer's latest book, The Host.

Essence of Twilight: Attraction in Twilight is based on the scent of the characters, and the Essence of Twilight products give you the opportunity to smell like Edward, Bella, Alice, or Jacob. Various prices from Etsy.

Let's say you'd rather not get another sweater for the holidays (even if it has a Star Wars pattern). Consider asking people to give that gift money to a charity instead - the kind of charity that helps nerds in need.

All the organizations we've listed below are non-profit organizations, and donations to them are tax-exempt. Mostly they focus on orgs in the United States. If your favorite geek charity isn't listed here, please feel free to pipe up in comments and tell people about it.

Science Fiction Arts

Strange Horizons
This online magazine of science fiction has been publishing weekly doses of speculative stories, art, and essays since 2000. They publish a lot of first-time writers, giving exposure to weird new voices as well as more established ones. Donations go to paying science fiction writers and artists published in the magazine. Donate here.

Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
Since 1986, CBLDF has been championing First Amendment rights in the world of comic books, fighting censorship in the courtroom so that you can get comic books that haven't had their spikes shaved off. Donate here.

Clarion Workshop Scholarships
Tons of famous scifi writers got their start at the Clarion workshops, where authors from Kim Stanley Robinson to Octavia Butler have taught intensive classes in short story writing. Since 1968, Clarion has improved the brains of aspiring scifi authors, and a donation to the Clarion scholarship fund could help create the next novel that blows you away. Donate here.

Carl Brandon Society
The Carl Brandon Society is devoted to promoting the work and careers of people of color writing speculative fiction. They offer awards and scholarships aimed at making fandom a more diverse place. Donate here.

Preservation of Geek Cultural History and Freedom

Wikipedia
Sure, Wikipedia is a repository of all cultural knowledge, but you and I know that the best-represented bodies of knowledge on this free, user-generated online encyclopedia are all of the geekly nature. Science fiction, science, and technology topics are covered in exhaustive, granular detail. And that's the way we like it. Wikipedia is preserving our culture, but it needs your help to keep chugging along. Think of all the times you looked up an obscure reference on Wikipedia in the last year. Isn't it time to give something back? Donate here.

Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is devoted to preserving digital history, especially on the Internet. From the Archive site:

The Internet Archive is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form . . . Collaborating with institutions including the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian, we are working to preserve a record for generations to come.

Not only does the Archive's "wayback machine" allow you to visit older versions of websites going back to the mid-1990s, but the Archive also boasts a huge, impressive collection of free music, e-books, and movies (including a lot of old science fiction and science/tech stuff). A donation helps with the Archive's many digital preservation projects, as well as with equipment they need (think LOTS of terabyte hard drives) to keep all this stuff accessible to the public. Donate here.

Creative Commons
The lawyers and nerds at Creative Commons (CC) are trying to make it easier for creators of the future to gain access to culture of the past. They've created legal CC alternatives to highly-restrictive "all rights reserved" copyrights, so creators today can designate "some rights reserved." Doing this means, for example, that future professors could freely make xerox copies of a CC-licensed book to hand out to students, or future musicians can remix their beats. The CC site explains:

Creative Commons provides free tools that let authors, scientists, artists, and educators easily mark their creative work with the freedoms they want it to carry. You can use CC to change your copyright terms from "All Rights Reserved" to "Some Rights Reserved."

Supporting CC means helping a devoted team of people educate creators about how to share their creative work in the way they want, without losing money and without being plagiarized. Donate here (you'll get some cute t-shirts and stickers with your donation).

Electronic Frontier Foundation
If you want to help preserve the future of digital culture, as well as your freedoms to make use of technology in any (safe) way you like, then EFF is your one-stop shop for geek causes. A kind of ACLU for the geek world, EFF is both a legal defense fund fighting for privacy and free speech online, as well as an activist organization that educates the public about the complicated intersection of cutting-edge tech and the legal issues it creates. EFF has been around since 1992, and has most recently been involved in the fight to prevent large telcos like AT&T from handing over people's private online data to the NSA (or other government organizations). They've fought to prevent legal restrictions from destroying P2P networks, and have helped whistleblowers stay anonymous online. Basically, they are the guardian angels of the high tech world. (Caveat: I used to work for them!) Check out their website, which is an amazing resource in itself, and donate here (yes, you get cute shirts and stickers).

Science Education

Public Library of Science
The mission of PLoS is quite simply to share scientific discoveries with the world. A network of scientific journals that publish cutting-edge research in the life sciences, the organization was founded to encourage scientists to freely share their publications with each other and the public. Most scientific journals - including the two big ones, Science and Nature - put their articles behind a very expensive subscription wall. But PLoS makes all its articles available to everyone. A donation to PLoS goes straight into science education for everyone, including scientists! Donate here.

Donors Choose
Donors Choose lists hundreds of schools that need small amounts of money to fund classroom projects: Everything from reading materials to science kits. You can browse to find a needy school in a specific state in the U.S., and also look for a topic like "science." The site works pretty much like eBay - you search for a topic and region, get a list of possible places to donate, and can click through to donate right away.
Teachers describe what they're looking for and will send out status updates and photos to donors describing how they used materials after they receive funding. (If you are donating as a gift, you can ask that the updates be sent to the person whose name you're donating under.)

Summer Science Program Scholarships
This is a summer program for gifted teens where they spend several weeks at a top-notch astronomical observatory, doing a project related to celestial mechanics. From the website:

By day, students learn college-level astronomy, physics, calculus, and programming. By night, working in teams of three, they take a series of telescopic observations of a near-earth asteroid, and write software to convert those observations into a prediction of the asteroid's orbit around the sun. Stimulating guest speakers and field trips round out the curriculum.

Donating to their scholarship fund could make a big difference in a future astronomy geek's life. Donate here.

National Center for Science Education
Defending the teaching of evolution in public schools. This is a big issue in the United States, and many school districts are fighting to eliminate evolution from their curricula. Giving money helps fund local groups trying to keep science on the agenda in their neighborhood schools. Donate here.

Society of Women Engineers
Since the early 1950s, SWE has been offering grants, felowships, and networking opportunities for women engineers. Their mission is that simple, and it's still needed today. Women are still far underrepresented in the engineering professions, and a donation to SWE could help a young woman on the road to a life of geekery and innovation. Donate here.

One Laptop Per Child
Founded by engineers and software geeks, OLPC is devoted to making and distributing low-cost laptops designed for children all over the world. You can donate, or you can buy a laptop and help fund the creation of another laptop that will be given to a needy kid who wants to learn about technology and how to use the internet. OLPC laptops are extremely durable, designed for small hands, and packed with kid-friendly software. They're specifically designed to interest kids in using computers, as well as exploring how they work. Perfect for the kid in your life, and kids whose lives you can change with just one donation. All donations go toward creating free laptops for needy kids. Donate here.

Greater Good Science Center
Want to help scientists figure out what makes people become altruistic and happy? To reward people who are working on ideas that could increase social well-being? Then check out the Greater Good Science Center, where they say:

We study the social and biological roots of positive emotions. Our research agenda engages scholars in multiple disciplines, including neuroscience, psychology, sociology, political science, economics, public policy, social welfare, public health, law, and organizational behavior.

They fund research and publish a magazine devoted to prosocial behavior. A donation to this organization helps scientists and scholars understand rationally what it takes to make a better world. Donate here.