# 23rd Saturn Awards

The 23rd Saturn Awards, honoring the best in science fiction, fantasy and horror film and television in 1996, were held on July 23, 1997.
Below is a complete list of nominees and winners. Winners are highlighted in bold.

## Winners and nominees
### Film

| Best Science Fiction Film | Best Fantasy Film |
| Independence Day Escape from L.A. The Island of Dr. Moreau Mars Attacks! Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie Star Trek: First Contact | Dragonheart The Adventures of Pinocchio The Hunchback of Notre Dame James and the Giant Peach Matilda The Nutty Professor Phenomenon |
| Best Horror Film | Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film |
| Scream Cemetery Man The Craft Curdled The Frighteners The Relic | Fargo Bound Mission: Impossible Ransom The Rock Twister |
| Best Actor | Best Actress |
| Eddie Murphy – The Nutty Professor as Sherman Klump / Buddy Love / Lance Perkins / Papa Klump / Mama Klump / Grandma Klump / Ernie Klump Michael J. Fox – The Frighteners as Frank Bannister Jeff Goldblum – Independence Day as David Levinson Bill Paxton – Twister as Bill Harding Will Smith – Independence Day as Capt. Steven Hiller Patrick Stewart – Star Trek: First Contact as Jean-Luc Picard | Neve Campbell – Scream as Sidney Prescott Geena Davis – The Long Kiss Goodnight as Samantha Caine (Charly) Gina Gershon – Bound as Corky Helen Hunt – Twister as Dr. Joanne "Jo" Harding Frances McDormand – Fargo as Marge Gunderson Penelope Ann Miller – The Relic as Dr. Margo Green |
| Best Supporting Actor | Best Supporting Actress |
| Brent Spiner – Star Trek: First Contact as Data Jeffrey Combs – The Frighteners as Milton Dammers Edward Norton – Primal Fear as Aaron Stampler / Roy Joe Pantoliano – Bound as Caesar Brent Spiner – Independence Day as Dr. Brakish Okun Skeet Ulrich – Scream as Billy Loomis | Alice Krige – Star Trek: First Contact as Borg Queen Fairuza Balk – The Island of Dr. Moreau as Aissa Drew Barrymore – Scream as Casey Becker Glenn Close – Mars Attacks! as First Lady Marsha Dale Pam Ferris – Matilda as Agatha Trunchbull Vivica A. Fox – Independence Day as Jasmine Dubrow Jennifer Tilly – Bound as Violet |
| Best Performance by a Younger Actor | Best Director |
| Lucas Black – Sling Blade as Frank Wheatly Kevin Bishop – Muppet Treasure Island as Jim Hawkins James Duval – Independence Day as Miguel Lukas Haas – Mars Attacks! as Richie Norris Jonathan Taylor Thomas – The Adventures of Pinocchio as Pinocchio Mara Wilson – Matilda as Matilda Wormwood | Roland Emmerich – Independence Day Tim Burton – Mars Attacks! Joel Coen – Fargo Wes Craven – Scream Jonathan Frakes – Star Trek: First Contact Peter Jackson – The Frighteners |
| Best Writing | Best Costumes |
| Kevin Williamson – Scream Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore – Star Trek: First Contact Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich – Independence Day Jonathan Gems – Mars Attacks! The Wachowskis – Bound Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson – The Frighteners | Star Trek: First Contact – Deborah Everton Dragonheart – Thomas Casterline and Anna B. Sheppard Escape from L.A. – Robin Michel Bush Independence Day – Joseph A. Porro Mars Attacks! – Colleen Atwood Romeo + Juliet – Kym Barrett |
| Best Make-up | Best Music |
| The Nutty Professor – Rick Baker and David LeRoy Anderson The Frighteners – Rick Baker and Richard Taylor The Island of Dr. Moreau – Stan Winston and Shane Mahan Mary Reilly – Jenny Shircore and Peter Owen Star Trek: First Contact – Michael Westmore, Scott Wheeler, and Jake Garber Thinner – Greg Cannom | Danny Elfman – Mars Attacks! David Arnold – Independence Day Randy Edelman – Dragonheart Danny Elfman – The Frighteners Jerry Goldsmith – Star Trek: First Contact Nick Glennie-Smith, Hans Zimmer, and Harry Gregson-Williams – The Rock |
| Best Special Effects | Best Home Video Release |
| Independence Day – Volker Engel, Clay Pinney, Douglas Smith, and Joe Viskocil Dragonheart – Scott Squires, Phil Tippett, James Straus, and Kit West The Frighteners – Wes Takahashi, Charlie McClellan, and Richard Taylor Mars Attacks! – Jim Mitchell, Michael L. Fink, David Andrews, and Michael Lantieri (Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Warner Digital Studios) Star Trek: First Contact – John Knoll (Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)) Twister – Stefen Fangmeier, John Frazier, Habib Zargarpour, and Henry LaBounta | The Arrival La machine Necronomicon: Book of Dead Pinocchio's Revenge Tremors 2: Aftershocks Within the Rock |

### Television
#### Programs

| Best Genre Network TV Series | Best Genre Syndicated TV Series |
| The X-Files (Fox) Dark Skies (NBC) Early Edition (CBS) Millennium (Fox) The Simpsons (Fox) Sliders (Fox) | The Outer Limits (Showtime) Babylon 5 (Syndicated) Highlander: The Series (Syndicated) The New Adventures of Robin Hood (TNT) Poltergeist: The Legacy (Showtime) Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Syndicated) |
| Best Single Genre Television Presentation ||
| Doctor Who: The Movie (Fox) Alien Nation: The Enemy Within (Fox) The Beast (NBC) The Canterville Ghost (ABC) Gulliver's Travels (NBC) The Lottery (NBC) ||

#### Acting

| Best Genre TV Actor | Best Genre TV Actress |
| Kyle Chandler – Early Edition (CBS) as Gary Hobson Avery Brooks – Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (Syndicated) as Benjamin Sisko Eric Close – Dark Skies (NBC) as John Loengard David Duchovny – The X-Files (Fox) as Fox Mulder Lance Henriksen – Millennium (Fox) as Frank Black Paul McGann – Doctor Who: The Movie (Fox) as The Eighth Doctor | Gillian Anderson – The X-Files (Fox) as Dana Scully Claudia Christian – Babylon 5 (Syndicated) as Susan Ivanova Melissa Joan Hart – Sabrina the Teenage Witch (ABC) as Sabrina Spellman Lucy Lawless – Xena: Warrior Princess (Syndicated) as Xena Helen Shaver – Poltergeist: The Legacy (Showtime) as Rachel Corrigan Megan Ward – Dark Skies (NBC) as Kimberly Sayers |

### Special awards
#### George Pal Memorial Award

* Kathleen Kennedy

#### Life Career Award

* Dino De Laurentiis
* John Frankenheimer
* Sylvester Stallone

#### President's Award

* Billy Bob Thornton

#### Service Award

* Edward Russell

#### Special Award

* Star Wars (for its 20th anniversary)