The new Syfy series Nightflyers is based on a novella by George R. R. Martin that was first published back in 1980. Fantasy author Erin Lindsey says that the original story feels dated, but that it displays a basic storytelling competence that the show never really achieves. "The things that I didn't like about the Martin novella were details, at the end of the day, but I thought the bones were good, and in a certain way this is the reverse," Lindsey says in Episode 341 of the Geek's Guide to the Galaxy podcast. "Some of the details are cool, but they can't make up for the fact that the bones aren't there." Science fiction author Matthew Kressel notes that Nightflyers never really moves beyond recycling familiar elements from better movies and TV shows.

The latest adaptation of Nightflyers, a novella and short story collection written by George R. R. Martin in the 1980s, premiered on Syfy last weekend. If you're following the nightly episodes, you'll know how integral the titular spaceship, with its gloomy corridors and breathtaking habitat domes, is to the plot and mood of the show. Syfy and Universal Cable Productions paid Territory Studio, a specialist in on-set motion graphics, to shape the vessel's visual language. The team produced over 1,200 'screens' -- fictional interfaces that actors could see while performing -- across a broad range of sets, including medical labs, cabins and cargo bays. If you love science fiction, there's a good chance you've seen Territory's work before. The company, based in London, New York and San Francisco, has contributed to a number of blockbuster movies including Blade Runner 2049, Avengers: Infinity War, Ex Machina and Ghost in the Shell.

This week college football rolls into the conference championship rounds, while science fiction fans can check out the latest George R.R. Martin adaptation, Nightflyers. Unlike most cable shows it will be available for a 10-episode binge from day one, so you can see all of this "haunted house story on a starship." Tonight HBO is airing The Truth About Killer Robots, which is a program that sounds like it was developed by killer robots to lull us into a false sense of security. It's narrated by a Japanese robot called Kodomoroid, and "goes beyond sensational deaths to examine more subtle but pervasive ways that robots affect humanity." Meanwhile, the "screenlife" wonder Searching is available on Blu-ray, while gamers can choose between games like Darksiders III or Abzû.

As Game of Thrones fans gear up for this summer's Season 7 premiere, George RR Martin is making moves to expand his own kingdom. The fantasy author's 1980 novella Nightflyers is being developed into a series for the SyFy network, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Related: HBO is working on four different'Game of Thrones' spinoffs Unlike the land-based Game of Thrones series, Nightflyers is a more traditional science fiction story about a crew of space explorers on a mission to intercept a mysterious alien spacecraft they believe may be able to save the Earth from destruction. Taking a page from 2001: A Space Odyssey, the artificial intelligence system guiding the crew's ship turns evil, complicating the mission. This isn't the first time the entertainment industry has taken an interest in Nightflyers.