Congratulations to William Shatner for his first Emmy Award! Given during the Tuesday night pre-Emmy ceremony, he hearned the award for his guest role on The Practice. The Story (all the way at the bottom). As a life-long Trekkie, I can't believe this is his first award, though I understand the nature of the Academy is not to award science fiction shows, which are a genre all their own outside of Drama and Comedy.

Now that the SciFi channel is having its heyday, perhaps they should consider adding a new category focusing on scifi TV. Plenty of shows deserve recognition, and there are probably more original science fiction shows on TV than an other genre right now. Stargate is in its 10th season, and others like Enterprise, Farscape, Stargate Atlantis, Smallville, and Andromeda Strain are worthy of review but are often ignored up against a heavy hitting drama like Law & Order.

Solid science fiction shows have come and gone (X-Files, Roswell, Outer Limits, ST: TNG, Quantum Leap) with barely a nod from the Academy, most likely to hand them a minor award in costume or set design. On the odd chance a show was nominated, the nature of the show ensured its loss. Only in scifi do writers regularly combine campy humor and universal ponderings. What might not be high-brow is no less profound.

Further, actors that sign on to a scifi are generally wagering their future careers. Few are able to break the scifi mold and venture back into drama or comedy though their contribution to the TV mythology is no less. Emmys are the way we thank them for that contribution, that it's a valid, well-executed effort which in some ways moved us.

The more serious the enjoyment, the more worthy the award. Who enjoys their TV shows more than a scifi fan? Think about it, Academy.

I'm also a fan, by the way, of creating a Comedy Oscar.

Finally, on the Emmy vein, congratulations, too, to John Turturro for his guest appearance award for his role as Adrian's brother Ambrose on Monk, the best darn show there is out there.