Galaxy Quest: Granted, the worst thing that happened at the actual convention celebrating the long-cancelled (and nonexistent) TV show Galaxy Quest was its star getting wasted and telling off a fan. But a long ways away, the Thermians were experiencing the minor crisis of genocidal war. For them, the convention is a bit of a salvation, as it puts them in touch with the actor they mistakenly believe to be the heroic Capitain Peter Taggart.

Futurama "Where No Fan Has Gone Before": Yes, the slaughter of all Star Trek fans (whose conventions had evolved into religious ceremonies) was pretty horrible, but the cast of the original Star Trek series seemed more miffed by the actions of noncorporeal fanboy Melllvar, who stages the most annoying Star Trek convention ever, and forces them to battle the crew of Planet Express.

Family Guy "Not All Dogs Go to Heaven": After watching the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation field a litany of irrelevant fan questions, a frustrated Stewie builds a transporter and kidnaps the actors to stage his own personal Star Trek convention (taking a page, it seems, from Futurama's Melllvar). And, in the spirit of the show, he kills off Denise Crosby early on.

Family Guy's Stewie meets Star Trek The Next Generation from Work Avoidance on Vimeo.

CSI "A Space Oddity" and "Fur and Loathing": Some fans will take drastic measures to keep their favorite shows from getting remade. In "A Space Oddity," a filmmaker looking to remake the cult TV show Astro Quest turns up murdered. As if that weren't a sufficiently obvious reference to Battlestar Galactica, Grace Park, Kate Vernon, Rekha Sharma, and Ron D. Moore all have cameos.

Perhaps more notorious is the episode "Fur and Loathing," where a dead murder victim is found wearing a raccoon fursuit, leading the CSI team to a furry convention. But it's portrayed as less a fan convention than an opportunity for costumed attendees to "yiff" one another.

Mr. Monk in Outer Space by Lee Goldberg: How do you get away with murdering a science fiction creator? Dress as one of the show's most popular characters and escape into the convention. That's the set-up for the fifth Monk novel, where Monk must investigate the creator of the fictional scifi drama Beyond Earth, and rely on his agoraphobic fanboy brother to help identify the killer.

Bones "The Princess and the Pear": When a booth babe from a science fiction and fantasy convention is found decomposing in a nearby sewer pipe, her fellow convention-goers seem less concerned for her well-being than for the fate of a sword she owned, a prop from an early fantasy film. The otherwise geeky team is out of their element here, relying on gloomy intern Colin Fisher and wunderkind psychologist Lance Sweets (who, amusingly enough, dons a redshirt Star Trek uniform) to infiltrate the con.

Numb3rs "Graphic": Admittedly, this episode of Numb3rs has occupies a soft spot in my heart, and not for the theft-of-priceless-comic-book-ends-in-murder primary plotline. It's because in addition to Numb3rs star David "Mr. Universe" Krumholt, it features Wil Wheaton as a douchebag collector.

Bimbos of the Death Sun by Sharyn McCrumb: Sharyn McCrumb's novel is an object lesson for all crotchety creators. Appin Dungannon is a fantasy author whose temper is so legendary that his fans attend conventions just to watch him throw furniture. When the small-statured author winds up dead, a hard science fiction author (implausibly named James O. Mega) has to figure out if one of Dungannon's fans took his insults to heart.

Deep Secret by Diana Wynne Jones: Jones' novel brings the entire multiverse down on an unsuspecting scifi and fantasy convention. Rupert is a Magid, a sort of magical lobbyist aiming to make Earth more magic-friendly. When his mentor dies, Rupert must take on an apprentice, and he gathers all the likely candidates at science fiction convention. Naturally, when things go awry, all multiverse breaks loose, leaving the convention vulnerable to rampant centaurs and assassins.

Atomic Betty "Cosmic Comicon": Conventions just wouldn't be the same without the occasional supervillain attack. When Atomic Betty's pal Noah publishes Atomic Chick a comic book based on her adventures, Dr. Cerebral becomes confused by a fan cosplaying "Dr. Brainy," and launches an attack on the convention. But, fortunately, a group of cosplayers portraying Atomic Chick make short work of him.

Link:

Sandman "The Doll's House": The "cereal convention" described in the second arc of Neil Gaiman's epic comic series isn't precisely a fan convention, but it's too weird and disturbing to ignore. Like any other group of professionals, serial killers apparently need to meet, hold panels, and swap trade secrets. But woe unto any tourist who inadvertently wanders into panels titled, "Women in Serial Killing" or "There is No Sanity Clause."

Power Rangers: Dino Thunder "Drawn into Danger": Who knew that Artists' Alley could be weaponized? The Power Rangers run into typical trouble at a comic convention, where their nemesis/high school principal hands a famous comic book artist a magical pen that traps the Rangers in a superpowered battle with the latest monster of the week, Fridgia.

Roswell "The Convention": It's no surprise that the city of Roswell, New Mexico, would attract the occasional alien enthusiast convention. And, given that Jonathan Frakes numbers among Roswell's executive producers, it's hardly shocking that Commander Riker would make a guest appearance. What couldn't be anticipated is the bloodshed that ensues when a conspiracy theorist meets up with an actual alien.

The Simpsons "Mayored to the Mob": Generally, the worst thing to hit Springfield fan conventions is the Comic Book Guy and his perpetually superior attitude. But during one ""Bi-Mon-Sci-Fi-Con," a riot sparks, threatening to kill Star Wars actor Mark Hamill. And in, a first for celebrity guest stars on The Simpsons, Hamill finds Homer Jay Simpson is his only hope.

Admittedly, the astronaut in question, Edgar Mitchell (who flew in 1971's Apollo 14 moon mission) is from Roswell, New Mexico, but that's not the only reason why he is so convinced of our alien neighbors; he claims that he's had it confirmed to him by a Pentagon official, according to a CNN report:

An unnamed admiral working for the Joint Chiefs of Staff promised to uncover the truth behind the Roswell story, Mitchell said. The stories of a UFO crash "were confirmed," but the admiral was then denied access when he "tried to get into the inner workings of that process."

The same admiral, Mitchell claimed, now denies the story.

Mitchell, meanwhile, is unlikely to deny what he considers mankind's true purpose:

Our destiny, in my opinion, and we might as well get started with it, is [to] become a part of the planetary community. ... We should be ready to reach out beyond our planet and beyond our solar system to find out what is really going on out there.

It's a laudably noble hope... I just wish that Mitchell didn't seem quite so paranoid in the story surrounding it.

Former astronaut: Man not alone in universe [CNN] (Thanks, Matthew.)

Roswell: Based on the Roswell High series of young adult novels, the WB/UPN TV series blended extraterrestrial sci-fi with teen drama. Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess are human/alien hybrids, cloned from members of the Antarian royal family. Their pods, which landed in Roswell, were spirited away and left in a ship in the desert for 40 years before hatching human-shaped tots. But things don't really get complicated until they become hormonal teenagers willing to divulge their secrets to anybody with a cute smile.

Futurama: In "Roswell That Ends Well," an incident involving metal in the microwave sends the Planet Express crew back to the year 1947 and causes the ship to crash land in New Mexico. The military personnel find Bender's body, which they mistake for a flying saucer, and perform an alien autopsy on a still-living (and still eating) Dr. Zoidberg. The episode won an Emmy and had far-reaching ramifications for the series, though due less to the Roswell incident than to Fry's rather disturbing solution to the grandfather paradox.

X-Files: Fox Mulder is always after the truth of alien life on Earth, and, though the event is often referenced, he gets closer to discovering what occurred in 1947 Roswell in "The Unnatural." Mulder learns of Josh Exley, an alien who played baseball for the intriguingly names Roswell Grays. Exley's death at the hands of an alien bounty hunter coincided with the incident at Roswell. However, the Cigarette-Smoking Man will later suggest that Roswell was merely a smoke screen for more nefarious activities.

Deep Space Nine: Quark has a well-known distaste for humans, impolitely tolerating them and their root beer at his bar. And he gains greater insight into the self-destructive history of humanity when a warp accident sends him, Rom, and Nog to the Roswell site. He witnesses a time when humans detonated nuclear weapons on their own soil and sucked down cancer-causing smoke. The only things standing between Quark and a big payoff from the gullible humans are a bunch of paranoid government officials and a return trip to his own time.

Stargate SG-1: In the Stargate novel Roswell, we learn exactly why the Asgard resemble accounts of Roswell Greys. The SG-1 team gets trapped in 1947, where they become embroiled in a conspiracy involving a crashed Asgard ship in Roswell and end up wreaking havoc with the timeline.

Doctor Who: Although the Doctor has not yet found himself in the New Mexican desert, he did once visit near-future Utah, landing inside a museum of alien artifacts. The archive's amoral owner reverse engineers found alien technologies and sells them to the world, including one discovered with the Roswell spacecraft.

Taken: The Roswell crash sets the events of multi-generational epic Taken are set into motion. Captain Owens becomes obsessed with the secrets of the crash, emotionally abandoning his family though his son eventually inherits his obsession. The crash's sole survivor blends in with humanity and even fathers a child, producing a line of humans with alien abilities. And, after his abduction by aliens, Russell Keys finds extraterrestrials take an obtrusive interest in him and his family.

Roswell, Texas: In this alternate history online comic, Roswell and the rest of New Mexico fall within the jurisdiction of the Federated States of Texas, an independent nation seated between the US and Mexico. Upon hearing reports of a flying saucer crashing in Roswell, President Charles Lindburgh tasks a quartet of Texas Rangers to learn the truth. They manage to beat the American, Californian, and various European forces to the punch, but can't quite wrap their heads around what they find.

American Dad: It's unclear how Roger went from box store greeter to interstellar traveler, but he is one of many who claims responsibility for the Roswell incident. He was eventually discovered by Stan Smith in the CIA's care at Area 51. Since then, he's gorged on snack foods, gulped martinis, watched plenty of syndicated television, and been in no particular rush to get home.

The Invisibles: Conspiracy theories are truth in The Invisibles, and the Roswell alien is no exception. But instead of a creature from space who flew down to Earth in a saucer, this Roswell alien is a liquid being of pure suffering from another universe, drained into our world through the detonation of the atomic bomb.

Roswell Conspiracies: Aliens, Myths and Legends: The conspirators in Roswell Conspiracies aren't covering up an alien landing at Roswell. In fact, they staged the whole thing to distract people from the fact that aliens landed long ago. And, on top of that, aliens are actually the ones behind all the creatures of folklore: ghosts, werewolves, banshees, and vampires.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: If Indiana Jones has to get caught up in a search for extraterrestrial artifacts, there is no better place for him to start than with a certain alien visitor to the Southwest, who has posthumously made the trip to Nevada. Ever resourceful Indy leads hard-nosed KGB agent Irina Spalko to the ET's highly magnetic remains by following the bouncing metal balls.

Roswell, Little Green Man: One of Roswell's more adorable extraterrestrial immigrants comes from Bongo Comics co-founder Bill Morrison. Wide-eyed Roswell wears a cowboy hat, rides an atomically-enlarged bunny rabbit, and befriends a brilliant but underemployed diner waitress named Julienne Fryes.

Independence Day: Everyone is utterly shocked when an alien mothership enters Earth's orbit and promptly vaporizes several US cities. Well, everyone except conspiracy nuts and certain members of the government, the latter having kept the aliens' scout ship stashed away in Area 51 for decades. It's a good thing, too, since that ship proves to be humanity's last hope.

Tracker: Alien bounty hunter drama Tracker takes a detour through Roswell. Cole chases a pair of alien convicts to New Mexico, where they try to recover an item lost in the crash. Everyone comes up empty-handed and, in the end, the item becomes part of a diner waitress's collection of Roswell-themed tchotchkes.

Majestic, The Grays: Whitley Streiber, perhaps best known for his novel The Day After Tomorrow, claims grey aliens abducted him from his cabin in upstate New York. Unsurprisingly, these aliens have been a favorite subject of his. In Majestic, he weaves together reports from the Roswell incident to enable his ex-CIA agent protagonist to discover the truth about our alien visitors. In The Grays, the Roswell incident occurred long ago, and the grey aliens live secretly on Earth, freely sharing their advanced technology.

Seven Days: The NSA possesses the Chronosphere, a technology that can send one person back in time seven days to avert disaster. As it turns out, the US didn't create the technology itself, but acquired it from an alien ship that crashed en route to a penal colony. When members of Project Backstep innocently attempt to return one of the survivors to his home planet, they find that not all greys are friendly.

Zoom Suit: Another piece of Roswell-found tech forms the plot of zoom suit. NSA agent Simon Bane steels a powerful alien suit the government failed to reverse engineer. But the suit was lost in a melee and discovered by 12 year-old Myles who uses it to become a superhero.

Lilo & Stitch: Social worker Cobra Bubbles wasn't involved in the 1947 Roswell incident, but he did have an alien encounter there in 1973. To ensure the Earth's protection from extraterrestrial forces, he manages to have the planet declared a wildlife preserve for the "endangered" mosquito.

Tripping the Rift: After getting in a fender bender with a pair of scam artist greys, Chode tries to escape higher insurance premiums by fleeing through a wormhole. The greys pursue and crash in the desert, with predictable results.

While streaming TV online isn't exactly a new idea - we've been using Hulu.com as our procrastination tool of choice ever since they added Galactica 1980 to their line-up - what differentiates TheWB.com isn't just their io9-friendly selection of shows (As well as the two listed above, you'll also be able to find episodes of Angel, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Roswell, Smallville and non-geek-but-awesome-nonetheless shows like Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girls and The OC, amongst others) but the fact that the channel will also be offering brand new series from creators like Terminator: Salvation's McG and Chuck's Josh Schwartz alongside their more familiar offerings.

Sure, the announced new shows don't sound that promising so far (Although we're looking forward to Chadam), but if the first batch do well, then we're hoping to see some more SF in future seasons. Until then, we'll be keeping ourselves occupied by looking for signs of Ron Moore's Battlestar Galactica greatness in his Roswell episodes.

TheWB.com adds six to online offerings [Hollywood Reporter]

Whether or not Spaceport America ever becomes the first Earthly landing strip for interstellar visitors is still up for grabs (some would argue that title goes to Roswell, NM, 200 miles to the east). For now the fledgling base is content to host "domestic" flights only, with space tourism runs planned to start as early as next year. Here's what the prototype looks like, and a snippet from the KRQE article discusses the possibility of military testing on the way:

For Lockheed Martin Spaceport America in southeastern Sierra County offers the perfect venue for research like this.

"To be able to have a spaceport located down here where we can come in and almost just drop right in, do our thing and then be able to go back home and review the data and then be able to schedule and come back, that is very key for us," Simpson said.

To provide the actual launch services for this vehicle the new firm hired the company that's already launching rockets at Spaceport America: UP Aerospace.

UP Aerospace knows the state hopes for big bucks from a space tourism industry, however...

"Space tourism is great, but if it could be broader and include aerospace companies and military operations and things like that, then it will be much more stable as a spaceport moving forward," Jerry Larson of UP Aerospace said. "It won't be so reliant on just one tenant."

Photos: KRQE Albuquerque

We were skeptical going in, but I have to say that Harrison doesn't look bad at all, and we didn't even mind the jokes about him getting creaky with age. Ray Winstone looks decent as fill-in material for Sallah/Marcus Brody, and Cate Blanchett's Russimatrix look is going to inspire some costumes come Halloween. We just hope the final film isn't laden with CGI, and there are a couple of shots in this that look a bit too close to that for comfort. After all, this does have the Lucasfilm name on it, so you know George will try to cram in as much CGI as possible.