August 1999	selected from Cult Times #47
All highlights this month by our resident see-it-all, Paul Spragg

1st - 6th August

	Star Trek: Voyager
	Dark Frontier Sky One: Monday 2nd, 20.00 – 22.00
	Janeway has come up with a cunning if rather foolhardy plan to get the crew home quicker: yes, they’re going to steal a transwarp coil from the Borg. However, the Borg Queen is aware of the plan, and is determined to bring Seven of Nine back to her Borg family. Voyager’s showcase episode for the season, Dark Frontier has a high budget and it shows it, in some fantastic effects shots of what can only be called Borgville. Essentially, the plot is a three-way piece between Seven, Janeway and the Borg Queen, but there is also an intriguing look at Seven’s childhood as her parents set out to seek contact with the Borg. A neat twist makes this an interesting one to watch. (PS) pic © Paramount

7th - 13th August

	3rd Rock from the Sun
	Collect Call for Dick: BBC2, Thursday, 21.00
	A new craze has arrived in Rutherford, and now everyone is obsessed with collecting the entire set of the furry toys known as Fuzzy Buddies, including the Solomons. One of the better efforts of the season, watching the reactions of the Solomon family and their friends to the new fad is very funny, especially Dick who is willing to pay any money and do anything to complete his set. Meanwhile, Tommy has been accused of a lack of ‘pep’ and made to perform as the school’s mascot, Hooty, with surprising results... (PS) pic ©

14th - 20th August

	Buffy the Vampire Slayer
	Anne Sky One, Friday 20.00
	Buffy has left Sunnydale, and under the truly inspired disguise of using her middle name of Anne, she’s taken a job in a canteen. However, her holiday from fighting demons is about to be cut suddenly short... Sky finally reach the start of the latest season of Buffy with an unusual episode that features mainly Sarah Michelle Gellar alone. It’s not the strongest start to the season, but it is an effective rites of passage story for Buffy, as seems to be essential at the start of each season. For those paying attention, there’s also an appearance by a member of the vampire cult from Lie to Me who brings the Slayer back to the world of butt-kicking. (PS) pic © Fox

21st - 27th August

	Stargate SG-1
	The First Commandment Channel 4, Tuesday, 18.00
	The SG-9 team vanish, so SG-1 is sent to discover what has happened to them. What they find is that the team leader has set himself up as a god and SG-1 must convince the natives otherwise. Admittedly this Sci-Fi concept has been done before in various forms, but there’s a certain finesse to the way this is put together. The cast are starting to come together, especially the superb Richard Dean Anderson, and the series gets better from here on in. Stick with it; it’s worth it. (PS) pic © MGM

hIGHFor more highlights, with broadcast and merchandise listings for August, see Cult Times #47