Friday, 28 August 2026

Fwd: This newsletter ain't half bad - Watch This Space - August 2026

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---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Watch This Space <watchthisspace@smartbrief.com>
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 2026 at 18:08
Subject: This newsletter ain't half bad - Watch This Space - August 2026
To: <zvagoman@gmail.com>


Letter from the editor | Ludicrous, nonsensical, an affront to canon — 'Strange New Worlds'' puppet episode is an instant classic | 'Strange New Worlds' latest 'Hangover'-inspired episode is a reminder that 'Star Trek' vacations are never a good idea
Created for zvagoman@gmail.com | Web Version
 
August 28, 2026
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It might just be the massive nerd in me, but things just feel right when there's a Star Trek show airing.


Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4 is in full stride now, and we've had some wild episodes already. Time travelling back to the dinosaurs, a spooky ghost story, a black-and-white noir episode, and now a bunch of muppets in space. Some people's tolerance for all these gimmicks might be wearing thin, but honestly… I love it.


Not to be outdone, Trek's old rival Star Wars is also firing on all cylinders this month with the release of Star Wars: Zero Company, the new XCOM-like strategy game set during the Clone Wars. We thoroughly enjoyed the blend of Clone Wars aesthetic with that underdog feeling of the original movies, and I personally loved getting the opportunity to miss a 95% chance-to-hit shot. That's some classic XCOM action right there.


We also got our first trailer for Blade Runner 2099 this month, and it looks incredible. Blade Runner is my favorite movie of all time, and Blade Runner 2049 is my second favorite, so I might be biased, but this is my most anticipated show by a long way. It's dropping in November, and I can not wait.


I want to believe that you'll be checking out our interview with Chris Carter — the creator of The X-Files. Our Editor Brett had a chance to chat with Chris about his new Director's Cut version of the 2008 movie 'I Want to Believe', and there are some fascinating revelations in there.


If you're feeling nostalgic this month, we've got you covered with some great retrospectives too. The Transformers: The Movie turned 40, and we celebrated its weirdly traumatic place in the canon. We also gazed back at the terraforming science behind 'Ghosts of Mars', the sci-fi B-movie from 2001 that dared to ask the question "What if we sent Jason Statham and Ice Cube to Mars?"


I love it when we get to blend science and entertainment coverage together, and our article on space salvage did that beautifully, comparing real-world space debris cleanup technologies with those seen in some of our favorite video games. We spoke to Christian Steimle, Project Manager for the  European Space Agency's (ESA) ClearSpace-1 mission to see what the games get right, and what they get wrong about cosmic trash collection.


Oh, and in huge news, our regular freelance contributor Jeff Spry has signed a deal to publish his own graphic novel! It's called Killride, it's coming in 2027, and it's about a sentient killer roller coaster. 10/10 premise, no notes.


OK, that's enough yacking from me. Have a great weekend, everyone, and I'll see you out there!


Ian Stokes, Entertainment Editor, Space

 

P.S. Got any feedback for us? Drop us an email at community@space.com. Be nice, or we'll send you to turn you into a puppet.

 
 
 
 
Watch This Space
 
Space.com
Ludicrous, nonsensical, an affront to canon — 'Strange New Worlds'' puppet episode is an instant classic
It could have been a disaster, but "Star Trek"'s collaboration with the Jim Henson Company is a hilarious masterpiece
 
Read the full article
 
Space.com
'Strange New Worlds' latest 'Hangover'-inspired episode is a reminder that 'Star Trek' vacations are never a good idea
Seeking rest or relaxation? You're unlikely to find either on a "Star Trek" holiday
 
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Space.com
'Strange New Worlds' latest lookalike episode is part of a long line of 'Star Trek' doppelganger stories
Haven't we seen your face before? On the final frontier, your identical face twin is never far away…
 
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'The X-Files' creator Chris Carter says new director's cut of 'I Want to Believe' is 'the horror movie that we really wanted to make' (interview)
Chris Carter, creator of "The X-Files", is revisiting the 2008 film "The X-Files: I Want to Believe" in an new R-rated director's cut coming to Hulu on Aug. 14.
 
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'Star Wars: Zero Company' recaptures the magic of your favorite Star Wars films (review)
Bitreactor's blend of XCOM combat and a smaller-stakes story nails what makes the Star Wars franchise so special.
 
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From Hardspace to Clearspace: How space salvage games compare to real debris removal
Clean up on spacelane five.
 
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6 space board games to channel the political drama of 'For All Mankind' and 'Star City'
“Whoever controls space will control the Earth.”
 
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'Aliens: The Video Games' author Mike Diver on overlooked Alien games, tracking down retro game developers, and the future of the Xenomorph (interview)
We chat to author Mike Diver about this complete chronicle of Alien video games.
 
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'We Want to Believe' book explores the reality of UFOs: 'It's always going to be more likely that someone is wrong about what they saw' (interview)
Acclaimed literary critic and Senior Editor at The Atlantic Adam Kirsch explores humanity's insatiable drive to wonder at unidentified phenomena in the skies.
 
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'Project Hail Mary' and 'The Martian' author Andy Weir is headed back to outer space, but not how you'd expect
Weir will executive produce "Exoplanet," a new Audible sci-fi drama coming this fall.
 
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'Transformers: The Movie' at 40: the cartoon spin-off that traumatized a generation of kids
With many fan-favorite Autobots and Decepticons bumped off in the opening act, this was not the big-screen romp '80s kids were expecting.
 
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'Ghosts of Mars' at 25: Are we any closer to living on the Red Planet? We asked the experts
John Carpenter's 'Ghosts of Mars' explored a future where Mars is terraformed, but is it closer to becoming a reality? We spoke to the experts to find out.
 
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