“Black Panther” won five Saturn Awards. {image via Marvel}

Black Panther won five Saturn Awards, which has MCU fans cheering delight. Every year, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films celebrates  the best in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, home media releases, and  theater productions. This year, Black Panther won five awards, The Last Jedi won three, and Coco won two.  For the television categories, Twin Peaks and Better Call Saul won the most awards.  Seth MacFarlane’s The Orville was named Best Science Fiction TV Show.

Film Awards

Black Panther was nominated for fourteen awards.  It won Best Comic-to-Film Motion Picture, Best Director for Ryan Coogler, Best Supporting Actress for Danai Gurira as General Okoye, Best Make-Up for Joel Harlow and Ken Diaz, and Best Production Design for Hannah Beachler.  Surprisingly, and to the disappointment of many fans, Ruth Carter did not win for Best Costume; that honor went to Jacqueline Durran for Beauty and the Beast.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi was nominated for fifteen awards and won three.  The Last Jedi won Best Screenplay for Rian Johnson, Best Editing for Bob Ducsay, and Best Actor for Mark Hamill.  This is the third time that Hamill has won Best Actor for playing Luke Skywalker; he also won for The Empire Strikes Back  in 1981 and Return of the Jedi in 1984.

Mark Hamill has won his third Saturn Award for Best Actor for playing Luke Skywalker.{image via Lucasfilm}

Coco, not surprisingly, won Best Animated Feature, as it had already done with the Academy Awards, the BAFTA Awards, the Golden Globes, and the Annie Awards.  Coco also won for Best  Music.   Other awards in the film categories were:

• Best Science Fiction Film: Blade Runner 2049
• Best Comic-to-Film Motion Picture:  Black Panther
• Best Fantasy Film: The Shape of Water
• Best Horror Film: Get Out
• Best Action/Adventure Film: The Greatest Showman
• Best Thriller Film:  Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
• Best International Film:  Baahubali 2: The Conclusion
• Best Animated Film:  Coco
• Best Independent Film:  Wonder 
• Best Actor: Mark Hamill (Star Wars: The Last Jedi)
• Best Actress: Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman)
• Best Supporting Actress:  Danai Gurira (Black Panther)
• Best Supporting Actor: Sir Patrick Stewart (Logan)
• Best Performance by a Younger Actor:  Tom Holland (Spider-Man: Homecoming)
• Best Director: Ryan Coogler (Black Panther)
• Best Writing:  Rian Johnson (Star Wars: The Last Jedi)
• Best Production Design: Hannah Beachler (Black Panther)
• Best Editing: Bob Ducsay (Star Wars: The Last Jedi)
• Best Music: Michael Giacchino (Coco)
• Best Costume: Jacqueline Durran (Beauty and the Beast)
• Best Make-Up: Joel Harlow, Ken Diaz  (Black Panther)
• Best Special Effects: Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner, Dan Sudick
  (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2)

Gal Gadot won the Saturn Award for Best Actress as Wonder Woman [Image via Warner Bros.]

 Television Awards

For the television awards, Better Call Saul and Twin Peaks each won three awards.  Better Call Saul won Best Action/Thriller TV Series, Best Supporting Actress for Rhea Seehorn as Kim Wexler, and Best Supporting Actor for  Michael McKean as Chuck McGill.  Twin Peaks won Best Presentation on Television, Best Actor for Kyle MacLachlan as Dale Cooper, and Best Guest Star for David Lynch as Gordon Cole.

The Walking Dead and Star Trek: Discovery each won two Saturn Awards.  The Walking Dead won Best Horror TV Show and Best Younger Actor for Chandler Riggs as Carl Grimes.  It’s the third time Riggs has won a Saturn Award as Best Younger Actor, and the fifth time he’s been nominated.  Star Trek: Discovery won Best New Media TV Series and Best Actress for Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham.

Michelle Yeoh as Captain Philippa Georgiou and Sonequa Martin-Green as First Officer Michael Burnham. “Star Trek: Discovery” {image via CBS}

The Orville won fir Best Science Fiction TV Series, Outlander won for Best Fantasy TV Series, and  Star Warss Rebls won for Best Animated TV Series.  For a complete list of Saturn winners, click here.

• Best Science Fiction TV Series: The Orville
• Best Horror TV Series: The Walking Dead
• Best Action/Thriller TV Series:  Better Call Saul
• Best Fantasy TV Series: Outlander
• Best Presentation on Television:  Twin Peaks
• Best Animated TV Series:  Star Wars Rebels
• Best Superhero Adaptation Television Series:  The Flash
• Best New Media TV Series:  Star Trek: Discovery
• Best New Media Superhero Series:  Marvel’s The Punisher
• Best Actor on Television:  Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks)
• Best Actress on Television:  Sonequa Martin-Green (Star Trek: Discovery)
• Best Supporting Actor on Television: Michael McKean (Better Call Saul)
• Best Supporting Actress on Television: Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul)
• Best Younger TV Actor:  Chandler Riggs (The Walking Dead)
• Best Guest Star on Television:  David Lynch (Twin Peaks)

“The Orville” won the Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction TV Show. {image via Fox}

For a complete list of Saturn winners, click here. For a complete list of the nominees, click here.  The competition was tough this year, with a lot of good movies and TV shows nominated.  What’s your opinion of the Saturn Award winners?  Do you agree with the Academy’s  choices, or would you have made different selections?  Sound off in the comments section below!  We want to hear your opinion.

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