The weekend starts strong for space TV fans with a number of alien-invasion epics Saturday, but then by Sunday the more traditional monsters have taken over, leaving the Sci Fi Channel in particular bereft of space interest.

(all times Eastern)

Saturday, October 23

1:40 AM Body Snatchers (Starz)
Gabrielle Anwar, Meg Tilly and Forest Whitaker argue while aliens take over the personnel of an Alabama military base. Family tension replaces Cold War paranoia in this remake directed by Abel Ferrara, better known for his street-level bloodbaths ('Ms. 45') than his interest in science fiction.

2:35 AM Invaders from Mars (TBS)
Not even the cult presence of Bud "Harold & Maude" Cort and the inimitable Karen Black save this remake of the 1953 classic from failing to measure up to the original. Beautiful to watch, though.

3:40 AM Starship Troopers (Showtime Beyond)
In this 1997 production based on Robert Heinlein's novel, heavily-armed forces from Earth go off-world to battle alien "bugs" bent on planetary conquest. Directed by Paul Verhoeven, who is otherwise known in the science fiction scene as the director of "Robocop" and "Total Recall".

6:45 AM Lost in Space (Starz)
Bizarre Akiva ("Batman & Robin") Goldsman-scribed effort updates the campy 1960s adventures of the Robinsons, their Robot and the nefarious Doctor Smith. Despite the reassuring presence of Gary Oldman, Heather Graham and others, few were satisfied.

7:00 AM Babylon 5 (TNT) - Racing Mars
Franklin and Marcus play spy on Mars, only to find themselves increasingly enmeshed in a bizarre reenactment of cult 1960s TV show, The Prisoner.

8:00 AM Powers of Matthew Star (TVLand) - Daredevil
Matthew's obsession with Earth motorcycles lead him to use his powers to help a friend do some film stunts

8:00 AM Babylon 5 (TNT) - Lines of Communication
Minbari start fighting each other for lack of anything better to do, while Ivanova starts her new career as a propaganda broadcaster against President Clark-controlled IGN.

9:00 AM Mystery Science Theater 3000 (SciFi) - Werewolf
Martin Sheen's brother Joe Estevez stars as the nemesis of a writer-turned-werewolf-turned-race driver. Meanwhile, strange lycanthropic influences make Mike and Crow exchange characteristics.

11:00 AM The Venus Wars (SciFi)
Intriguingly complex animated film from Japan depicts interplanetary war, draws strong characters.

12:10 PM Mars (Showtime Beyond)
Tense murder mystery/action flick set in a mining installation on Mars, whence the title.

5:45 PM Lost in Space (Starz)
For summary see 6:45 a.m. listing.

6:50 PM Mars (Showtime Beyond)
For summary see 12:10 p.m. listing.

10:00 PM The Outer Limits (Showtime Beyond) - Summit
Genre favorite Michael Ironside guest-stars in this tale of diplomatic negotiations between Earth and planet Dregocia.

Sunday, October 24

1:15 AM Mars (Showtime Beyond)
For summary see Saturday's 12:10 p.m. listing.

3:30 AM Star Trek: The Animated Series (TVLand)
No episode title available.

10:25 AM The Outer Limits (Showtime Beyond) - Star Crossed
After aliens take over the world, a misanthropic coffeeshop owner has to choose between keeping his head down and fighting beside his ex-girlfriend to liberate humanity.

2:00 PM Children of the Damned (TCM)
The evil blondes fly to London in this dreary sequel to the original alien-impregnation epic.

3:30 PM The Crawling Eye (AMC)
Drive-in thriller from 1958 pits eponymous alien against a Swiss chalet full of tourists. Arguably better than it sounds.

10:00 PM Contact (HBOPlus)
Aliens help an aloof astronomer (Jodie Foster) work through her unresolved father-daughter issues, while a wide-eyed Matthew McConaughey looks on in religious bewilderment. Also featuring James Woods, John Hurt and Tom Skerritt.

10:30 PM Stargate SG-1 (Showtime Beyond) - Demons
Due to a misunderstanding, the primitive inhabitants of an alien world mistake our heroes for demons.