StargateAtlantis

It wasn't love at first sight for me and Syfy's Warehouse 13. The first few episodes showed some promise, but the series' fun and kooky concept was weighed down by a batch of stale case-of-the-week procedural plots. Thankfully, things got better as the first season progressed. The show got funnier and weirder, and it took on a more serial tone, leading to a thrilling season ender that left me jonesing for more.

And more is on the way. Syfy says production on the 13-episode second season officially kicks off this month, for a premiere on July -- you guessed it -- 13! The ol' relic hunitin' gang -- Saul Rubinek, Eddie McClintock, Joanne Kelly, Allison Scagliotti, and CCH Punder -- is gettng back together to take down big bad MacPherson (Roger Reese) and to bag some more supernatural souvenirs. And just like last year, the show will welcome some geek-friendly guest stars in season two.

The first will be Jewel Staite, aka Firefly/Serenity's Kaylee. Staite tweeted the news about her upcoming guest appearance earlier this week:

"Got offered a lovely role on Warehouse 13. Wish I could tell you more. All I can say is, you Browncoats are gonna freak," she posted.

So what's so "freaky" about Staite's Warehouse role? Will she be playing a spaceship mechanic? Will she appear as twins, with one twin acting like Kaylee and the other walking and talking like Dr. Keller from Stargate Atlantis? Whatever the case, I can't wait to see her, and the show, return to TV.

Welcome to Captain's Log -- your (semi) daily round-up of sci-fi randomness from around the web. Here's what's happening:

Hello, Mal! Firefly might be long gone, but SciFiWire noticed that next week's Castle has Nathan Fillion dressed in a verrry familiar outfit and referencing a certain vampire slayer.

A new Spanish post-apocalyptic short film called Waiting Room will screen before The Road at the Stockholm Film Fest. See a trailer for the 13-minute film over at Quiet Earth.

In Canada, they give out little awards called Geminis, and Variety reports that during the first round of award giving, Stargate Atlantis grabbed wins for Dramatic Series Writing and Make-Up.

Fringe is getting a new villain, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Sebastian Roche (CW's The Beautiful Life) will play a soldier from another dimension, replacing Thomas Kretschmann who had a scheduling conflict. Added bonus: Trent Reznor is getting in on the musical action.

MTV recently talked with David Duchovny, and he thinks yet another X-Files flick could happen.

Get ready for more Vampire Diaries. Variety reports that CW has ordered a full season of the show based on L.J. Smith's YA series.

Looking for something good and geeky to watch? Here are this week's notable DVD and Blu-ray releases:

Stargate Atlantis: The Complete Series Collection
I was never a big fan of Stargate: SG-1, but its goofier, action-oriented spinoff hooked me from the start. I counted Atlantis as one of my favorite guilty pleasures for years, but I really grew to love the show's amusing -- if thinly drawn -- characters, its game cast, and its silly but somehow engaging stories and plots. It's no BSG or Firefly (what is, really?), but Atlantis delivers fine fun and fantasy while riffing on age-old sci-fi tropes. The DVD set features all five seasons and some really gorgeous packaging. Stargate fans will be glad to know the set is priced under $150 at most online retailers.

Trick 'r Treat
I haven't seen X-Men scribe Michel Dougherty's horror anthology yet, but people (and by "people" I mean "the Internet") tell me its destined to become a Halloween classic (read our own Peter Hall's review at Horror Squad.). The studio inexplicably botched the film's theatrical release, but it's available today on DVD and Blu-ray to give you fresh nightmares and put Rob Zombie to shame.

More of this week's DVD releases after the jump.