5th Saturn Awards

5th Saturn Awards
DateJanuary 14, 1978
SiteCalifornia, U.S.
Hosted byKaren Black
William Shatner
Highlights
Most awardsStar Wars (12)
Most nominationsStar Wars (8)

The 5th Saturn Awards were awarded to media properties and personalities deemed by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films to be the best in science fiction, fantasy and horror released in 1977. It was held on January 14, 1978, and taped for television broadcast under the title Science Fiction Film Awards, which aired on January 21, 1978. This was the first ceremony in which the nominees for the acting categories were more than just a single individual while the category Best Editing was introduced. The event was hosted by Karen Black and William Shatner.

Star Wars won the most awards with eight, including Best Science Fiction Film, Best Director (George Lucas) and Best Writing (Lucas). Additionally, the Academy gave it five special non-competitive awards to reward the film's art direction, cinematography, editing, set decoration, and sound. Other winners included Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane, and Oh, God! with two wins each.

This ceremony is also notable for when Shatner performed a spoken word rendition of the song "Rocket Man", introduced by Bernie Taupin.[1][2][3]

  1. ^ "William Shatner's Wild 'Rocket Man' Performance Lives On". Heavy. April 25, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  2. ^ William Shatner "Sings" 'Rocket Man' (1978) - BEST QUALITY!. YouTube. January 2, 2008. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  3. ^ "William Shatner Singing Elton John's "Rocket Man" Is Still The Funniest Damn Thing We've Ever Seen". I Love Classic Rock. 22 December 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2022.