Suddenly, by the piano stool, she made out a faint shadow beginning to appear. She stared at it curiously as the familiar features of a little dog gradually began to form. The seconds ticked on, until the spirit of her little dog Tiggle materialized and turned to gaze across at her. In that moment, all the grief Tiffany had felt over his loss vanished.

The reimagined television series Battlestar Galactica (2005 to 2009 on the Sci Fi Channel), features religion and theology among its central concerns--but does not simply use its myriad faiths as plot devices or background material. Battlestar Galactica is, in and of itself, a theological text. Over the course of 87 episodes and two television movies, the series' narrative arc explores the meanings of salvation, prophecy, exile, apocalypse, resurrection, and messianism, and clearly demonstrates the working of a divine will in a material world. The book offers a systematic theology for each of Battlestar Galactica's invented religions and surveys echoes of American Christianity in the groundbreaking series.

The term 'cult film star' has been employed in popular journalistic writing for the last 25 years, but what makes cult stars distinct from other film stars has rarely been addressed. This collection explores the processes through which film stars/actors become associated with the cult label, from Bill Murray to Ruth Gordon and Ingrid Pitt.

The vampire and the zombie, the two most popular incarnations of the undead, are brought together for a forensic critical investigation in Screening the Undead. Both have a long history in popular fiction, film, television, comics and games; the vampire also remains central to popular culture today, from literary 'paranormal romance' to cult TV and movie franchises - by turns romantic, tortured, grotesque, countercultural, a goth icon or lonely outsider. The zombie can shamble or, nowadays, sprint with alarming velocity, and even dance. It frequently lends itself to metaphor and can stand in for fascism or ecological disaster, but is perhaps most frequently a harbinger and instrument of the apocalypse. Leading writers on Horror and cult media consider the sexy vampire and the grotesque zombie, as well as hybrid figures who do not fit neatly into either category. These are examined across a range of contexts, from the Swedish vampire to the Afro-American Blacula, from the lesbian vampire to the gay zombie, from the Spanish Knights Templar riding skeletal horses to dancing Japanese zombies. Screening the Undead sheds new light on these two icons of terror - and desire - whose popular longevity has taken them 'Beyond Life'.

"The West Wing" or "Generation Kill" in Space? A show about God-fearing sex-obsessed robots? Or a complex meditation on fate, dreaming and eternal recurrence? Of all recent television science fiction series, the reimagined "Battlestar Galactica" is the most highly praised and consistently inventive and intelligent. Where the original show was a straightforward space opera, the new one is rich, strange and above all unpredictable. This book covers the new "Battlestar Galactica" from beginning to end, covering all of the show's principal themes from the depiction of sexuality in an era of artificial people and downloaded memories to what it means to be a member of a military organization when the stakes are not victory or defeat but survival. Like all the best shows about the future or the past - we are never sure when all this is supposed to be happening - "Battlestar Galactica" is a series about the present; chapters here cover its depiction of the post-9.11 world and such issues as abortion and worker's rights. This definitive book on the full new "Battlestar Galactica" also includes an interview with Jane Espenson, co-executive producer of the show's last seasons and writer/director of the "Battlestar Galactica" prequel film "The Plan", with a complete episode guide.

In attempting to retain her "human" side, does Sharon really have free will? Is killing a Cylon murder or garbage disposal? These are some of the questions addressed in this thoughtful collection of writings on the philosophical underpinnings of Battlestar, Galactica. The book includes a brief analysis of the original 1970s and 80s series but concentrates primarily on the episodes, characters, and issues from the entirely reimagined current series (including its fourth and final season, scheduled for airing in early 2008) as well as the two-hour TV movie and direct-to-DVD release Razor.

As they entered the chamber, Jamie straightaway looked for the Faceless Beings, but there were no signs of them, only the shape of a Celestial Window materialising in one section of the chamber. Jamie stared into it, describing a blazing inferno around which several glowing hot objects were orbiting. In the gaseous matrix, solidifying masses were constantly bombarding the orbiting objects; each object absorbing the impacting fragments. Jamie and Vicky were spellbound, instinctively sensing they were witnessing the aftermath of a genesis; a divine snap-shot displaying the infant period in the creation of a planetary solar system in progress. Jamie and Vicky felt infinitesimal, humbled as witnesses to the Infinite One at work.

He turned into the lane leading to home, serenaded by the haunting sigh of the breeze in the branches of the trees above. As he ambled along, the rustling leaves above personified the sound of whispered voices. He paused and looked up the constantly changing mosaic patterns of the leaves on the swaying branches, the fleeting glimpses of sunlight down on him. He contemplated the eerie sounds, convincing himself he had allowed his imagination to run away with him. While he was standing quietly there, the muttering sounds became clearerthe names Vicky and Jamie clearly drifting down through the confusion of whispering voices.

The owl gazed at Reggie, who by now was totally captivated by the presence of the creature. The owl rocked its head from side to side, as it peered down between the swaying branches at him. Suddenly it took to its wing and flew a short way along the foot-path, leading Reggie further away from the canal tow-path. Settling on the branch of another tree a little farther on, it stared back at Reggie, now obsessed with the creature it, seeming to want him to follow it. He became curious of the owls appearance and presence. Though it had moved away from the light, its eyes still shone brightly. The owl continued to move further along the path-way, with Reggies insatiable curiosity requiring him to follow it he, continually being led away from the tow-path by the creature.

After welcoming the congregation, the priest continued to announce the opening hymn, making no mention of why he had replaced Father Carmichael for the service. It raised the curiosity in Connie, especially as the rest of the congregation seemed relaxed and familiar with the priest addressing them. As the service continued, Connie found herself looking around the church to see if Father Carmichael had arrived. Peering through two pillars adjacent to their pew, her gaze fell upon a commemorative plaque set in the wall beyond. In bold script cut into the stone, Connie focused on the name of the churchs founder. She stared, stunned at the words In memory of Father Carmichael, followed by the dates of his life span several centuries earlier.