Some studios have been more thorough than others. For example, to protect its Sunday night hit, "The X-Files," Twentieth Century Fox has not only gone after the top level domains for xfiles (xfiles.com, .net, and .org) but it also snatched such variations as x-files.com, .net, and .org and thexfiles.com and .net. (However, they missed thexfiles.org, -.ws, and -.as.)

Paramount has so much riding on its "Star Trek" franchise that it's surprising the studio hasn't been more aggressive in this Net endeavor. Though Paramount has startrek.com, where you'll find the official "Trek" site covering all of the live-action series, it hasn't wrapped up startrek.org, which instead is owned by someone in Belgium called Star Trek.Org; the Canadian owner of has startrek.net, the British company Star Trek Merchandising Ltd., which has startrek.co.uk, and the Danish owner of startrek.dk. (If you're wondering, as of Saturday, April 29, the following were still available: startrek.co.za, .kz, .ro, .co.il, .com.ro, .org.il, .sh, .ms, .net.nz, .fm, .as, .tc, .vg, and possible .ly.)

This is a parlor game any Net-connected parlor denizen can play. Simply go to one of the many domain-registration sites such as register.com or registrars.com and use their domain search feature to see if your favorite TV show's name is taken in one form or another. Just like America Online suggesting a screen name of jsmith875 if your jsmith is already taken, these sites suggest possible alternatives that might interest you if your original has already been snapped up. The suggestions are sometimes clumsy, though (easystarwars.com) or just dumb (sellearthfinalconflict.com, quickx-files.com).

Companies that were late to the Internet have sometimes paid the price. Genre publisher Starlog Group managed to get starlog.com, but for its horror magazine Fangoria, it couldn't get fangoria.com and had to settle for fangoria2000.com, as if that's going to be valuable in 12 months. (Fangoria.com is owned by a man in Florida, who has it pointing to a site that lets users know it's not the official Fangoria site. Hey, thanks.)

The late Gene Roddenberry, a vital part of the Paramount "Star Trek" machine, suffers the indignity of having his name sold posthumously. Generoddenberry.com is owned not by Paramount or the Roddenberry family but by a company named "Buy This Name," which suggests its intent. Such squatting is common enough; I remember seeing a notice from a registration company offering discounts for volume buys, and the volume it mentioned was 100,000. That's a ridiculous amount of domain names for anyone to buy, but it suggests that the companies (and others, like Roddenberry's widow) deserve some sympathy if they get frustrated with trying to protect names they've already copyrighted. After all, I couldn't start up a magazine named Star Trek Magazine without licensing if from Paramount, so why should I be able to add a .ws or .whatever after Star Trek and get to own that?

By the way, sfloft.com, bizarrely, is already taken, owned by something called Interactive Classifieds Network Corporation. Gotta get me a lawyer ...

In other news and views

About.com announces that Sci-Fi Channel will run the 1994 British vampire miniseries "Ultraviolet" this summer. The series, which revolves around a policeman caught in a battle to hunt down blood-drinking creatures, will air beginning July 21. Watch Sci-Fi listings for more info. Thanks to "Fordat," who shares this info and assures us that this is a series worth catching.
Also making a comeback: "The Lathe of Heaven." More on this in a future SF Loft.
On the newsstands: It might still be on the stands where you live; so if you're a "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" fan, you'll want to pick up the Rolling Stone featuring "Buffy" lead Sarah Michelle Gellar on the cover. Inside, the feature article takes a look at the fun set and gives credit to creator Joss Whedon for turning his real-life teen angst into mass video fear. The current Starlog features an on-set visit to the making of "Hollywood, A.D.," the "X-Files" episode that aired this past Sunday and was directed by series star David Duchovny.

This week's episodes

All times Eastern. Syndicated episodes are sometimes shown in different weeks in different locations, so your local broadcast may, naturally, differ.

Angel
WB, 9 p.m. Tuesdays; David Boreanaz, Seth Green, and Charisma Carpenter
May 2: In "Sanctuary," Buffy comes to town to hunt down her nemesis, the former slayer Faith. But Angel, Buffy's ex, is protecting Faith.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
WB, 8 p.m. Tuesdays; Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan, Nicholas Brendon, Charisma Carpenter, David Boreanaz, Kristine Sutherland, and Anthony Stewart Head; official site
May 2: In "New Moon Rising," Oz comes back to Sunnydale with his werewolf thing supposedly licked and hoping for a reunion with Willow. But she's got second thoughts; and she has Tara.

Cleopatra 2525
Syndicated; Gina Torres, Victoria Pratt, Jennifer Sky, Patrick Kake, Danielle Cormack, Joel Tobeck
Week of May 2: In "Last Stand, Jake Lawson calls on the women for assistance in getting some plutonium.
Week of May 9: In "Trial and Error," Hel, Sarge, and Cleo need Raina's psychic powers to fight the Bailies.

Earth: Final Conflict
Syndicated, Lisa Howard, Leni Parker, Von Flores, David Hemblen, Robert Leeshock, Richard Chevolleau, Anita LaSelva, Jayne Heitmeyer, Peter Krantz, Barna Moricz, Lindy Booth, Sten Eirik; official site
Week of May 2: In "One Taelon Avenue," Doors' son Joshua falls under the influence of a mind-control device.
Week of May 9: In "Abduction," Liam uses a Taelon relic to learn that humanity is a genetic link between the Jaridians and the Taelons.

Farscape
Sci-Fi, 8 p.m. Fridays; Ben Browder, Lani John Tupu, and Virginia Hey; official site
May 5: TBA
May 12: In "Through the Looking Glass," an interdimensional tear in space, or that must be a rip in the dimension, or in whatever separates the dimension...oh, I don't know. Something bad happens, which sends Moya's crew into a time warp that was created by a destructive alien.

First Wave
Sci-Fi, 7 p.m. Sundays; Sebastian Spence and Roger Cross; official site
May 7: Preempted for a "Lexx" marathon.

Futurama
Fox, 7:00 p.m. Sundays; Billy West, Lauren Tom, John Di Maggio, and Katey Sagal; official site
May 7: "My Problem With Popplers"

Lexx
Sci-Fi, 10 p.m.; Xenia Seeberg.
May 5: TBA
May 12: In "Twilight, the Divine Shadows might come back to life, roused by the power of a strange planet on which the crew seeks medical help.

Nova
PBS, various times Tuesday evenings; official site
May 2: In "Lost Tribes of Israel," the science show looks into the question of whether or not the southern Africa tribe of the Lembas are the so-called lost tribe of Isreal. The Lembas apparently think so; Nova looks at genetic evidence and Biblical testimony.

Now and Again
CBS, 9 p.m., Friday
May 5: In "The Eggman Cometh, the terrorist Eggman plans to get out of jail and exact his revenge on Michael. Meanwhile, Lisa discovers that Michael wasn't killed right away but was at least alive when he was taken to the hospital.
May 12: Preempted by, believe it or not, the Miss Universe Pageant.

Outer Limits
Showtime, 11:30 p.m. Fridays;
May 5: In "Glitch," an android trying to get its freedom gets help from an unlikely source--its dead creator.
May 12: In "Breaking Point," a time-traveling scientist learns he's the suspect for his wife's future murder.

Roswell
WB, 9:00 p.m. Mondays; Jason Behr, Shiri Appleby, Brendan Fehr, and Katherine Heigl
May 1: In "Max to the Max," is Isabel pregnant? Tess's book suggests that; it also posits that she and Max are meant for each other. Another Max (actually Nasedo) kidnaps Liz in an attempt to capture an FBI agent.

Seven Days
UPN, 8 p.m. Wednesdays; Jonathan LaPaglia, Don Franklin; official site
May 3: In "Witch Way to the Prom," Parker heads to Boston after the life of a leading scientist is lost in a hotel explosion. What he finds is a trio of witches who believe they called him into being.

Stargate SG-1
Showtime, 10 p.m. Fridays; official site
May 5: In "Stargate SG-1," the lives of Skaara and Klorel hang in the balance of the outcome of a trial.
May 12: In "Urgo," the Stargaters' minds are invaded by an alien creature.

Star Trek: Voyager
UPN, 9 p.m. Wednesdays; Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Dawson, Robert Duncan McNeill, Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo, Tim Russ, Jeri Ryan, and Garrett Wang. official site
May 3: Remember Kes? She's back but you might want to stay out of her way. In "Fury," a future version of her shows up on Voyager to get revenge on the crew through an alliance with the human-parts-dealing Vidiians.

Xena: Warrior Princess
Syndicated, Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Connor, Bruce Campbell, official site
Week of May 2: In "Livia," Xena and Gabrielle escape from 25 years entombed in ice only to discover that Eve, now called Livia, is a Roman commander.

The X-Files
Fox, 9 p.m. Sundays; David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi; official site
May 7: "Fight Club"

"This scene, David, where I'm playing me, am I smiling?"
—Garry Shandling to writer/director David Duchovny on the set of "The X-Files" episode "Hollwood, A.D.," quoted in Starlog