“I’ve always wanted my life to be as private as I can make it,” Bijou Phillips tells Us Weekly at her home in Beverly Hills. It makes sense: She was born famous and stayed that way.

Her father, John, founded the Mamas & the Papas; her sisters are One Day at a Time actress Mackenzie Phillips and Wilson Phillips singer Chynna. More recently, the Almost Famous actress has been in the news as a result of her ex-husband, Danny Masterson, who in 2023 was found guilty of rape and sentenced to 30 years to life in prison. (Phillips filed for divorce that year.) She hasn’t given a sit-down interview in a decade and is breaking her silence now because she needs help — for herself and anyone else who is fighting for their life.

Phillips, 45, was born with underdeveloped kidneys; she spent her first three months on dialysis and recovered, but with limited kidney function. She needed a transplant at 36 (her friend Chris Wadhams was the donor), but on February 11, she revealed on social media that she was hospitalized and on dialysis again. Finding a new donor was a matter of life and death.

“To put my health out there publicly was terrifying, but my friends and family got fed up with me. They took control and were like, ‘We’re doing this.’” Her support system includes her siblings, her boyfriend, businessman Jamie Mazur, and lifelong pals like Nicky and Paris Hilton, and Kimberly Stewart. They serve as her advocates when she can’t be, sending messages and presents and even talking with her doctors via group chat.

Related: Inside Bijou Phillips’ Health Struggles as She Seeks 2nd Kidney Donor

Even before Bijou Phillips revealed she needed a second kidney transplant, the actress had been open about her health struggles over the years. Phillips, who is the daughter of musicians John Phillips and Geneviève Waïte, was born with underdeveloped kidneys. She required her first transplant in 2017. “I’m asking as a friend, a sister, an […]

In person, what shines through is her remarkable spirit, despite the fact that there’s currently a catheter in her chest that makes it impossible to shower, and dialysis can skyrocket her heart rate to 190. She is upbeat and calm, wearing a wide smile throughout our interview. There is a sense of peace as she talks to Us about facing her mortality, raising organ-donation awareness and trying to maintain a sense of normalcy for her 12-year-old daughter, Fianna.

It’s lovely to see you, and I’m sorry it’s under such sad circumstances. How are you feeling?

I feel pretty good since I started dialysis… I was possibly going to be able to get a kidney from my brother [Aron Wilson], but he wasn’t a match. He’s maybe going to be able to get into the kidney exchange, but they’re not sure. They’ve already denied him once, so he’s gonna try again.

How does that work? 

If he gives his kidney, it would put me higher on the list. So then I would get the next kidney that’s a match for me. I have antibodies [that make kidney rejection more likely], so it makes it complicated.

How are you feeling emotionally?

Strong. I’ve been through a lot in my life, and I don’t know if I would change anything. I’m a pretty happy-go-lucky person, and I usually look at the bright side of things. It takes a lot to make me lose my way or feel sad.

Have people reached out after your Instagram post on February 11? 

So many people, it’s just beautiful.

Like, 1,300 people came forward and said they want to get tested. Out of those, I think we have like 50 or 60 that could possibly be a match [Phillips’ blood type is B negative, so O+, O negative and B negative can donate.] There’s 90,000 people in America that need a kidney. It’s something people don’t really understand or talk about. There are so many people that are suffering and on dialysis. Dialysis is not a cure, and it’s not something that is going to help you live a real life. You really do need to get a kidney transplant… I think it’s useful to raise awareness, [to encourage] more people to donate into the ether. It’s such a wild disease. Your kidneys balance your electrolytes; they make a hormone that tells your white blood cells or your bone marrow to make red blood cells. It really affects you in so many different ways.

We’re seeing many stories about stars struggling with the cost of medical care. What has your experience been? 

On my first transplant, SAG denied coverage. We had to fight for months to get approval. Then, once I was on dialysis, I qualified for Medicare. They initially said they’d cover it, and then they didn’t. SAG also refused to pay. [A rep for SAG-AFTRA Health Plan could not provide comment to Us, citing HIPAA regulations.] I was left with a massive bill while trying to survive. This time around, because of that experience, I carry multiple insurance policies and Medicare. It’s insane that you have to strategize insurance while fighting for your life… There are still medications I need that won’t get approved. They’re unbelievably expensive. I pay out of pocket because I don’t have a choice. The system is incredibly complicated, opaque and stacked in ways that make it hard even for people with resources. For families without them, I can’t even imagine the pressure.

Have doctors given you a timeline for when you need a transplant?

I’ve needed a transplant for a year. I’m sort of hanging on by a thread. My dad had a liver transplant when I was 10, and then when I was 20, he had to get on dialysis at UCLA. The medication you take when you’re transplanted is very toxic to kidneys. So when you get a transplant — heart or liver or kidney — within a decade, you’re probably going to need a kidney transplant. My dad needed to get on dialysis after his liver transplant, [and] he got an infection in his line and was dead within three days because his immune system was so weak. So for me, getting on dialysis at UCLA was terrifying.

Because you saw your dad go through it.

I’ve been immunosuppressed for so long… I could make it on dialysis for a couple years, or I could get an infection in my line tomorrow and be gone in a few days. I’m really hopeful, [but] it’s an extremely urgent situation.

How has this experience changed your approach to life?

I have so much more compassion for myself and an ability to really take time to take care of my body and myself… I’ve found a deep need for spirituality that I didn’t have when I was younger. I’ve been praying a lot. I’m in a little group that prays the rosary in the morning, right after drop-off. I’m going to try to do a traditional Lent, fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays. [Despite widespread reports that Phillips left the Church of Scientology, her rep tells Us she was never a member, and her only connection to the Church was being married to Masterson, a lifelong Scientologist.]

Are you afraid of death?

Before the first transplant, I went through a dark night of the soul. You get to this point where you have to be OK with your life and think, “You know what? I’m proud of myself. I’ve checked all the boxes I wanted to check. I feel confident leaving.” I was married and able to let go and be at peace with it. It’s sort of the death of the ego, because there’s this part of you that wants to keep going and make another movie and make another album and fight, fight, fight. You have that fire inside of you when you’re an artist… Now I’m a single mom and things are different. I want to be here for her, and I have to be here for her. The fight is back. That had been gone for a long time. I’m it. I’m all she’s got.

How is Fianna dealing with things?

She’s the strongest little human. She’s brilliant. She’s a great piano player and songwriter, and she does phenomenal in school. And she’s very cool, way cooler than me. She’s really wise, and I’m just so proud to be her mother. She takes things that are really hard in life and handles them in this really classy way. I don’t deserve such an amazing human in my life. It’s magical.

She was 3 when you had your transplant. Has she always understood it?

She would play with her dolls and be like, “This doll is going to dialysis.” In some ways, this is normal for her.

What does your typical day look like right now? 

Today I took my daughter to school, came home, had a little snack, went to dialysis, came home, and normally I would go do a couple things, grab her from school, take her if she has an after-school thing, or maybe go get an early dinner or come home and make dinner. That’s my day. If I don’t have dialysis, I’m running errands and going to the grocery store.

Related: Bijou Phillips’ Rare Photos With Daughter Fianna Francis Through the Years

Bijou Phillips has kept a close bond with her daughter, Fianna, following her split from ex-husband Danny Masterson. Phillips tied the knot with Masterson in 2011 after seven years together. The pair welcomed their only child, Fianna Francis, in February 2014. After Masterson was found guilty on two counts of forcible rape for incidents that […]

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Are you still able to create things or work at all?

Before I got the call that my… kidneys were failing again, I was playing shows and putting music out. I was working on a new album… I was about to go make a movie in Bulgaria… I was so excited — it was such a good part — but I had to pull out because I got sick.

How do you cope with the uncertainty of finding a donor?

I’m just giving it to God. I’ve been tested my whole life. There have been so many things that have brought me sadness and shame and fear and worry. I had to grow so much. I’ve had to really look at myself [and be] thankful for what I’ve had. We’re so lucky to be here on this planet, in these bodies, getting to live this life. There’s so much love, there’s so much beauty. It’s unbelievable. When you live in a body that you can’t always trust… it makes the things that are beautiful so much more beautiful. It’s kind of like the cheat code. You go through all of these hard things, but God, it makes the sunsets prettier, and it makes taking a breath like a glass of champagne. Everything is better because you have so much gratitude. I find that the people who really haven’t suffered, haven’t gone through too much, they have the hardest time. The littlest things can send them into a spiral. The people that have really gone through it, you can’t help but just be overwhelmed by the beauty of life.

Days of Our Lives suggests EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel) could be plotting a huge corporate maneuver for DiMera Enterprises using his dead sister Lexie Carver (Renee Jones) as a tool to manipulate and leverage her son Theo Carver (Cameron Johnson). EJ’s conspiring with Abe Carver (James Reynolds) to keep Johnny DiMera (Carson Boatman) in the CEO seat and make sure Theo doesn’t return.

But EJ is taking things so much further than Abe knows. We’re going to talk about EJ’s plans for the test tube person.

Dr. Rolf and the Mystery Woman in the DiMera Lab on Days of Our Lives

It shouldn’t be too much longer before Dr. Wilhelm Rolf (Richard Wharton) revives the mystery woman in the test tube. At this point, I would be shocked if it was anybody other than Lexie based on the name-dropping, the red flags, and the affectionate way EJ is speaking to the body person.

He promised Abe that he had a plan to get Theo out of the CEO chair, but EJ told Abe that he doesn’t really need to know the details of the scheme. And that’s because if EJ told Abe the truth, he might have an actual coronary, because it is truly shocking what EJ’s planning.

For several months now, fans have been speculating about who Dr. Wilhelm Rolf is planning to revive. We know it’s somebody close to EJ, and we know the person in the giant tube in Rolf’s lab is a woman. And with Chad DiMera (Billy Flynn) and the kids gone until April, I’m pretty much ruling out Abigail Deveraux (AnnaLynne McCord). I do think it’d be great to get her back, and maybe we will one day. And of course, we know her grave was empty and her remains remain unlocated.

Is Lexie Carver Returning to Days of Our Lives?

Even so, the other red flags for EJ, Rolf, and the body person don’t really align with them resurrecting Abby. There’s been a lot of heavy-handed foreshadowing that suggests that Rolf’s special patient is Abe’s late wife, Lexie Carver, who is Theo’s mom.

Plus, in the big winter promo, we saw EJ showing a shocked Paulina Price (Jackée Harry) who the woman is in the tube. I don’t think EJ could shock her more than by showing Paulina that he’s got Lexie, the love of Abe’s life, right there, and she’s about to be revived, awake, and back in Theo and Abe’s lives.

That will leave Paulina facing probably the loss of her husband because I can’t imagine he wouldn’t run back to Lexie. Though the other benefit of all this is that EJ could destroy Paulina’s life because he hates her. EJ knows that Theo is a bright young man. He’s got a good future ahead, and EJ doesn’t wish Theo any ill will. Not at all.

Theo Carver’s Recovery and the Fight for the DiMera CEO Seat on DOOL

EJ’s goal of keeping Johnny close by as DiMera CEO aligns with Abe’s wish to keep Theo out at DiMera and away from the family. In fact, it was actually Abe who first approached EJ asking him to figure out how to get Theo to step down and not be CEO anymore.

Now Johnny’s running the show, but Theo just got clearance from his neurologist to go back to work after he recovered from the traumatic brain injury from the kidnapping. When Theo told Abe and Paulina that he’s going back to DiMera and he’s so excited, his stepmom was supportive as always, but Abe stormed out.

He was hoping that Theo would just step back from DiMera since working there made him a kidnapping target. Abe also worries that Theo working for the family company will have him in ongoing danger, which is fair.

EJ DiMera’s Secret Strategy to Stop Theo’s Return

With Johnny heading out and Theo about to clock back in as CEO, there’s some urgency to this. We may be getting that resurrection sooner rather than later. Abe ran back to EJ again to talk to him about stopping Theo’s return. EJ reassured Abe the plan’s underway, but then he wouldn’t tell Abe any details. Abe agreed with EJ, but he’s frustrated and impatient. Abe wants this to happen now on Days of our Lives.

But of course, EJ can’t just tell Abe, “By the way, I’m just waiting to resurrect your dead wife, Lexie. Then we’re good to go.” If you don’t recall, Abe lost his wife, Lexie, to an inoperable brain tumor. It was caused by exposure to toxins in the DiMera tunnels when she had been kidnapped by Andre DiMera (Thaao Penghlis). EJ never forgave himself for his role and how that all went down. He was really close to Lexie and he truly cares about her and about Theo.

Rafe Hernandez and the Search for the Secret DiMera Lab on Days

Meanwhile, EJ’s sneaky assistant, Cat Greene (AnnaLynne McCord), and Rafe Hernandez (Galen Gering) are still very intent on figuring out what EJ’s doing in the new lab at the hospital. It was kind of interesting to see Cat and Rafe perplexed because EJ let the cops search the lab for Stephanie Johnson (Abigail Klein). They know security there is really tight, but then EJ threw open the doors and let them in.

What they don’t know is there’s a secret lab within the secret lab. That super secret hidden lab is where EJ and Rolf have the lady in the body pod stashed. Cat knows that something hanky is going on because her brother Dr. Mark Greene (Jonah Robinson), who is Dr. Wilhelm Rolf’s right-hand man, had to sign a strict NDA and he won’t tell Cat anything.

Very soon Rafe is able to get into the super secret lab and finds the human test tube and he is stunned. But is the tube empty by then or does he actually open it up? Also, there may be a point where they bring the pod person into the main lab to show Paulina and actually do the resurrection. That could be when Rafe stumbles upon her because they’re still trying to crack the code to get into the lab and poke around, but the ISA device is going slowly.

Dr. Rolf’s New Resurrection Serum and Brain Cell Regeneration

Dr. Rolf has finally perfected his resurrection serum by combining it with Versix, which is the miracle sepsis drug that saved Bo Brady (Peter Reckell) life last year. What’s key to it is that the Versix helps brain cell regeneration. Brain cells don’t typically regenerate, much less in someone who is deceased.

That’s exactly what Lexie needs. It’s also what Dr. Rolf’s serum had been lacking because a lot of times people came back with flawed memories or no memories. He’s been resurrecting people for the DiMeras for decades, but this new mixture could be perfect and it could make millions of dollars for EJ and for Gwen Rizczech (Emily O’Brien).

Dr. Rolf doesn’t really much care about the financial rewards, but he would probably like a bigger and fancier lab if it all works out and pays off. In the end, here’s what I think EJ’s plan is and how reviving the pod person is going to benefit him.

The Consequences of Lexie Carver’s Resurrection on Days of Our Lives

First is the obvious: if that is Lexie in the tube, EJ is going to get his darling sister back. Second, if he resurrects Lexie, there’s no way she’ll let Theo keep working at DiMera. And third, if Lexie comes back, Paulina’s marriage is ruined, which EJ will love.

If Theo’s mom, Lexie, comes back from the dead, obviously Theo is going to do whatever she wants. And if Lexie says no more DiMera, that should be it. That would leave the CEO seat wide open for Johnny to stay. Let’s be real, he actually does enjoy the job. It’s just that Chanel Dupree (Raven Bowens) hates him being around anything that’s DiMera.

Days of Our Lives Casting News: Johnny and Chanel’s Exit

However, we also know we’ve only got another eight months or so of Johnny and Chanel before EJ’s son takes off out of Salem. Carson Boatman and Raven Bowens were fired when they came back from their Christmas holidays along with Leo Howard and Ashley Puzemis.

So yeah, looks like we’re getting this resurrection soon because it really needs to happen in time to stop Theo from taking over the CEO seat again. So buckle up. We’re going to have a return from the dead very soon.

By Nina Phillips
| Published 1 hour ago

One of the most popular TV adaptations of Arthur Conan Doyal’s Sherlock Holmes series is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+. The modern version of this story grew popular with many fans over its four seasons.

The 2010 Sherlock series follows a consulting detective named Sherlock Holmes in modern London. He helps police solve crimes with his flatmate, Dr. John Watson. Overall, the show follows a very similar story to the original Sherlock Holmes novels but is set in a more modern time.

Stephen Moffat (Doctor Who) and Mark Gatiss (The League of Gentlemen) worked together to create this version of Sherlock. The cast was impressive as well, with Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes (Doctor Strange) and Martin Freeman (The Hobbit) as John Watson. Additional cast members include Rupert Graves (V for Vendetta), Una Stubbs (Till Death Us Do Part), Jonathan Aris (Vivarium), and Lara Pulver (The Split).

Sherlock was interesting in the way it presented itself. Though it was a TV series, each season was made up of only three episodes that ran for approximately 90 minutes. This meant that each season was more like a trio of movies than an actual series.

Because of how long each episode was, and the fact that the directors were working on several shows at once, seasons took a fair amount of time to come out. Season 1 came out in 2010, Season 2 in 2012, Season 3 in 2014, and Season 4 came out in 2017.

Reactions To Sherlock

Upon release, Sherlock did well, especially in the first two seasons. According to IMDb ratings, it has an average rating of 9.1 out of 10.

When it comes to modern Sherlock Holmes adaptations, Sherlock is considered one of the best. There’s a lot to like about this four-series show. The main villain, Moriarty, was played by an amazing actor, Andrew Scott (Spectre). Additionally, the story is easy to follow and has a fast pace.

Dueling Modernized Sherlocks

However, it’s not always seen as the best modern Arthur Conan Doyle adaptation. That award is sometimes given to Elementary. This seven-season show focused more on the human side of Sherlock and the people in his life than on the actual drama and crime. Johnny Lee Miller (Aeon Flux) plays Sherlock, while Watson is played by Lucy Liu (Kill Bill).

The reviews on Rotten Tomatoes support this. Where Sherlock earned a critic score of 78 percent and an audience score of 83 percent, Elementary had a critic score of 95 percent and an audience score of 89 percent.

How Sherlock Sabotaged Its Own Legacy

Part of the problem was that while the first two seasons were rather good, Sherlock declined in the last two. The show shifted away from the crimes to focus more on character development, and the writers also added crazy and far-reaching twists, such as Watson’s partner. While Sherlock started to fall flat, Elementary remained a good show throughout all of its seasons.

Sherlock is available on Hulu and Disney+.

Netflix’s Bridgerton made a major change from Julia Quinn‘s book series by having Penelope replaced as Lady Whistledown.

During part 2, which premiered on Thursday, February 26, Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) made the decision to stop writing Lady Whistledown’s scandal sheet. The retirement didn’t last long, though, because very quickly someone else emerged to take over for Penelope — without her knowing their identity.

“Penelope went through such a giant growth arc last season. She’s not the powerless girl who needs Whistledown to take back her voice anymore,” showrunner Jess Brownell told Tudum about the decision. “While she stands by everything she believes about gossip being information, gossip being power for the voiceless, she realizes that it’s time for her to stop being in that role.”

Brownell expressed excitement at deviating from the book series, which never had anyone else filling in for Penelope.

Related: Biggest Differences Between ‘Bridgerton’ Season 4 and Julia Quinn’s Book

Season 4 of Bridgerton pulls inspiration from Julia Quinn‘s book An Offer From a Gentleman — but there were also a few major changes. The latest season of Bridgerton follows Benedict’s (Luke Thompson) love story with Sophie (Yerin Ha) from the third novel in Quinn’s series. As some fans know, Benedict’s world gets turned upside […]

“Penelope was Julia Quinn’s Whistledown, so we knew we couldn’t really play with that reveal for too long because people could just Google it,” she added. “But now, we get to play with audience expectations.”

Brownell hinted how the shakeup will affect future seasons, saying, “Starting with Genevieve, the modiste in season 1, to Penelope as Lady Whistledown, and now looking at Sophie as a maid, it’s really key for us to explore the lives of these women who do work, because it’s a time period in which women had so few options and so little agency.”

She concluded: “Showing that there were women who didn’t just settle for what was handed to them, but tried their very best to make more of their station, it broadens the female experience in the show.”

While season 1 unmasked Penelope as Lady Whistledown, Brownell chose not to reveal who is currently behind the scandal sheet. Some popular fan theories include Hyacinth (Florence Hunt) or Eloise (Claudia Jessie).

Bridgerton is no stranger to book changes since its premiere in 2020. Season 1 centered on Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page), who were the leads of the first book, The Duke and I.

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Related: ‘Bridgerton’ Cast and Crew Explain Why the Show Isn’t Following Book Order

The decision for Bridgerton not to follow the exact order of Julia Quinn‘s book series certainly hasn’t been favored by all. The historical drama, which premiered in 2020, focuses on the members of the wealthy Bridgerton family as they search for love in 19th century London. Season 1 focused on Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and […]

Season 2 took inspiration from The Viscount Who Loved Me, which followed Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) as he found love with Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley). Despite Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) being the subject of the third novel, An Offer From a Gentleman, his love story with newcomer Sophie (Yerin Ha) wasn’t explored until season 4.

The third season instead focused on Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Coughlan) as seen in Quinn’s book Romancing Mister Bridgerton.

From going out of order to gender-swapping pivotal characters, Brownell has found ways to surprise the audience from season to season.

“I am really not trying to shake things up too much. I really believe in the vision of the show,” Brownell told Refinery29 in April 2024. “I really want to serve the stories and the books the best way possible.”

Bridgerton is currently streaming on Netflix.

By Chris Snellgrove
| Published 13 seconds ago

How do you fix a controversial show that audience members keep complaining about? Simple: through blatant fan service!

Starfleet Academy has been under constant fire from Trekkies who think the brand is being worn by it like a skinsuit. In an effort to combat this, the new spinoff has been making more and more callbacks to classic shows, attempting to strengthen its ties to some of the franchise’s best episodes from Star Trek’s golden age.

The latest Starfleet Academy episode, “Life of the Stars,” takes fan service to the next level by serving as a direct sequel to a forgotten Voyager episode. In “Real Life,” the Doctor used Voyager’s holodeck to create a family for himself, but thanks to the realism of his simulation, his digital daughter died after a freak accident. While he never seemed all that bothered about it in subsequent episodes, Starfleet Academy just revealed that he has been carrying around the horrific trauma of her death for over 800 years.

The Real World

“Real Life” was an episode of Voyager’s third season in which the Doctor wanted to learn more about what it meant to be a human. Accordingly, he programmed a family in the holodeck, giving himself a wife and two children.

After Tom Paris and B’Elanna Torres (who visit for dinner) tell him everything is a little too perfect, the Doctor tweaks the program to make it more realistic. This results in more rambunctious teenage children: the son falls in with a bad crowd of local Klingons, while the daughter starts playing the dangerous fictional sport of Parisses Squares.

While it looks like the Doctor’s son is in the most danger (it isn’t very long before he wants to get involved in Klingon bloodletting rituals), things take a turn for the worse when his daughter receives a fatal injury while playing sports. The Doctor’s attempts at treating her fail, and he shuts the simulation down out of sheer pain; however, after Tom Paris reminds him that families must support each other through even the worst tragedies. The holographic healer resumes the program and stays by his daughter’s bedside until she dies.

An Unexpected Callback

Star Trek: Voyager was a very serialized show, so it never really followed up on how the Doctor felt after watching his daughter die. However, the Starfleet Academy episode “Life of the Stars” dropped the bombshell revelation that he has been carrying around the extreme trauma of that event for more than 800 years. This also provides a retroactive explanation for why the Doctor has been so weird about SAM, his fellow hologram: she has reminded him of his daughter since day one, and he shut down her attempts to reach out to him because spending time with her reopened old wounds that had never fully healed.

SAM is glitching out in this episode, and the Doctor helps her mysterious alien race diagnose the problem: namely, that she never had the benefit of growing up, so she lacked the emotional resilience to process the recent trauma (namely, the Doctor’s own rejection of her) that she has experienced. In order to help her do so, the Doctor makes the radical decision to raise SAM on her homeworld, giving her 17 years of life experience before she returns to Starfleet Academy. But thanks to some timey-wimey stuff with her home planet, what feels like 17 years to SAM and the Doctor only amounts to about two weeks back at the academy.

Fan Service Done Right

Some critics of Starfleet Academy have complained that previous fan service episodes (mostly “Series Acclimation Mil,” which focused extensively on Deep Space Nine) are just naked attempts to please the audience. That doesn’t make them bad, necessarily; for example, some DS9 fans were happy to finally learn more about what happened to the Sisko. But “Life of the Stars” arguably takes fan service to the next level by making a perfect (albeit obscure) Voyager episode even better nearly 30 years later.

“Real Life’ is an underappreciated gem of an episode that allowed Robert Picardo to do some of his best work as an actor. He channeled some major pathos back then to portray the grief of a man experiencing grief over losing a daughter he never realized he loved until she was gone. Starfleet Academy brings that pathos back, letting Picardo give a master class in acting while adding some much-needed depth and complexity to his character.

Even if you’re not a huge fan of the show (maybe you even outright hate it), Starfleet Academy just added serious rewatch value to one of Voyager’s best episodes. The show also did this while giving explicit callbacks to the golden age of the franchise. Now that the show is finally getting decent (even downright good on occasion), let’s hope that this new Star Trek spinoff can defeat the ultimate no-win scenario of them all: premature cancellation by Paramount.

Singer-Songwriter Neil Sedaka
Rushed to Hospital

Published
February 27, 2026
10:36 AM PST

As a decade, the 1990s is probably now more nostalgic than some people would like to admit, or acknowledge. If a movie came out during this decade, it is, at the time of writing, at least a quarter of a century old, and some of the earliest ones are pushing 40. Time comes for everyone and everything, movies included. Ruthless.

As for specific genres, sci-fi seemed to do pretty well throughout the decade, as far as movies are concerned. That once far-off and futuristic-sounding year of “2000” was right around the corner, so maybe stories about technology and the future were on people’s minds to an even greater extent. Whatever the case, these are some of the best – and hardest to fault – science fiction movies of the ‘90s.

10

‘Starship Troopers’ (1997)

Image via TriStar Pictures

Starship Troopers does feel pretty different depending on how old you are when you watch it. As a piece of satire, it does feel on the nose if you’re of a certain age, but if you’re young enough, maybe it mostly feels like a cool and kind of edgy sci-fi flick about a futuristic military force waging a war against aliens that are basically giant bugs.

Some of that bug action is still fun in a mindless sort of way, but it’s the rest of Starship Troopers that elevates it, and makes it feel like more than simply a B-movie that just so happens to have the kind of budget usually reserved for A-grade films. It’s the sort of thing Paul Verhoeven, in his prime, was incredibly good at doing (see also the original RoboCop, which was one of the best sci-fi movies of the 1980s).

9

‘Ghost in the Shell’ (1995)

Image via Production I.G

If you’re talking about great dystopian anime movies, it’s always going to be tough to top Akira, which came out in the late 1980s, but Ghost in the Shell is still worth considering as a competitor. It’s got some lofty themes alongside being entertaining as a futuristic crime movie of sorts, with terrorists here who can hack people’s brains, and police officers who’ve been enhanced by cybernetics.

Great science fiction can be escapist, or it can dig a little deeper and get a bit heavier, with Ghost in the Shell arguably being in the latter camp more than the former. Still, it’s tremendously engaging and inventive, and the quality of the animation here also holds up tremendously well more than 30 years later. Also, more than 30 years later, we’re almost at the point in time when Ghost in the Shell is set: the year 2029.

8

‘Face/Off’ (1997)

Image via Paramount Pictures

The 1990s was a time when a movie star could sell a movie more so than the 2020s so far (not that there aren’t people worthy of being considered movie stars), and so when you throw two big names into the mix and promise a “face off” between them, you’ve got almost inevitable gold. Enter Face/Off, which is about John Travolta vs. Nicolas Cage, effectively, but with both playing each other.

Okay, okay, technically, their characters are facing off, and their characters swap faces, but again: it was the 1990s, and people probably saw this for the stars over anything else. If you were into it because it was directed by John Woo, though, then that’s also valid, since he directs the hell out of it all. And if you can’t get on board with the goofy sci-fi stuff for whatever reason, hopefully you can easily enjoy the action Face/Off offers.

7

‘Godzilla vs. Destoroyah’ (1995)

There have been various eras of Godzilla movies, with the Heisei one having most of its entries come out in the 1990s (all besides The Return of Godzilla and Godzilla vs. Biollante). Of those 1990s Godzilla movies, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah is probably the best, and it’s good enough just as a movie to be one of the most impressive science fiction films of its decade, too.

It brings the Heisei era to a close in a dramatic fashion, and the stakes here have the whole thing feeling more dramatic (and eventually tragic) than your average Godzilla movie. Also, Destoroyah is one of the best foes Godzilla has ever taken on; perhaps even the best to only appear in a single movie to date… at the time of writing, at least. Never say never, fellow Destoroyah fans.

6

‘Open Your Eyes’ (1997)

Image via Sogepaq

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Some people might be more familiar with the remake, Vanilla Sky, but 1997’s Open Your Eyes is superior. Penélope Cruz plays the same role in both, though, which is kind of interesting; like the acting equivalent of Michael Haneke directing both versions of Funny Games. But to focus on Open Your Eyes, it’s a psychological thriller/mystery movie that’s also kind of a sci-fi movie.

There’s also a romance element to it, as there was with Vanilla Sky, and things jump around tonally as well as genre-wise, seemingly all in an effort to keep you, as a viewer, on your toes, and maybe even a little confused, but not necessarily in a bad way. Open Your Eyes also rewards repeat viewings and analysis if you’re willing to dig in… or you can just appreciate the strange ride it takes you on, from a purely emotional/visceral standpoint.

5

‘The Iron Giant’ (1999)

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

A more approachable and optimistic animated film than the aforementioned Ghost in the Shell, The Iron Giant is also a cult classic; famously one that got buried, to some extent, in the cinematically crowded year that was 1999. It’s got a familiar sort of story, about a boy befriending some sort of unusual being, but it does that well-worn premise effectively… think E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, but with a giant robot instead of a much smaller (and initially terrifying) alien.

There’s also something irresistibly retro about The Iron Giant, as it was set in the past and also had a traditional animation style at a time when computer animation was starting to take off, and had almost become the norm. It packs a lot of humor, creativity, and heart into a runtime that clocks in at under 90 minutes, and it’s also hard to imagine many people watching The Iron Giant and coming away disappointed or underwhelmed, even with its lofty reputation preceding it.

4

‘Until the End of the World’ (1991)

Image via Warner Bros.

You can’t really overstate how impressively ambitious Until the End of the World really is, so long as you make sure to watch the director’s cut over the theatrical version. Yes, doing so involves finding almost five hours of free time, which is a pretty high demand, but it’s worth that sort of undertaking. Also, the movie earns such a runtime, since it’s a fully global road movie that crosses into various countries, rather than “just” different states or territories.

The sci-fi elements of Until the End of the World are underplayed for certain stretches of the film, though that’s okay when significant chunks of it are about humanity’s relationship with technology, and the (then) near-future. It also really makes use of everywhere it ended up being shot, and the resulting film is among the best-looking ever made on such a scale.

3

‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ (1991)

Image via Tri-Star Pictures

There was a little movie in 1984 called The Terminator that isn’t really a little movie anymore, in hindsight, but maybe it felt like that at the time. James Cameron wasn’t a household name or anything, and Arnold Schwarzenegger had been in Conan the Barbarian, but also wasn’t a star the way he’s now known, but The Terminator ended up doing so much for the careers of both men.

And then Terminator 2: Judgment Day had to feel like a big movie when it came out, because it couldn’t really sneak up on people or be a sleeper hit like the first one. There needed to be a good reason to continue this story, and upping the stakes and spectacle was also a must, and so that’s what Terminator 2: Judgment Day did on just about every front, to the extent that it can easily count itself among the most exciting and entertaining sci-fi films ever made.

2

‘Jurassic Park’ (1993)

Image via Universal Pictures

Even among entertaining Steven Spielberg movies (there are a bunch of them), Jurassic Park stands out as being particularly thrilling, fun, and easy to revisit. Lots of the other movies here are perfectly paced, or close enough to it that they might well be perfectly paced, but even then, Jurassic Park is still probably the best paced. Hell, call it the best-paced sci-fi movie of the 1990s, then… why not?

It spends the right amount of time developing the characters, getting to the island (while building anticipation for it), explaining the science that’s plot relevant, and then showcasing all the various things going wrong, with each big set piece marking a point of escalation. Calling Jurassic Park a blast is a big old understatement, as it is, quite plainly, one of the best blockbusters ever, science fiction-related or otherwise.

1

‘The Matrix’ (1999)

Image via Warner Bros.

Some of the best action scenes of the 20th century were saved for the very end of it, as The Matrix has a few sequences that are absolute all-timers. If it were just an action movie, and not also an amazing science fiction movie, it would still be a classic, but the fact that it manages to do both at the same time is truly impressive. Hell, it’s more than just one sort of action movie, too, as there are martial arts fights and heroic bloodshed-esque shootouts here, and sometimes, you get a bit of both at once.

Narratively, it’s inventive, and thematically, there’s also so much to dig into when it comes to The Matrix, especially if you want to break down what it has to say about identity and conformity. It satisfies intellectually and also satisfies as spectacle, so you get the best of both worlds in a movie that’s sort of about two worlds, one of them simulated. There really is something for everyone here.

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The Matrix

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Release Date

March 31, 1999

Runtime

136 minutes

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