The 44th Saturn Awards, presented by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films and honoring the best in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other genres belonging to genre fiction in film, television, home entertainment and local stage production from February 2017 to February 2018, were held on June 27, 2018, in Burbank, California, and hosted by comedian Jonah Ray. Nominations were announced on March 15, 2018.
Black Panther led the nominations for film with fourteen, becoming the second most nominated film in the awards' history behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) with fifteen, as the former scored nominations in every category for eligibility (2019's Avengers: Endgame would also receive fourteen nominations the following ceremony, sharing Black Panthers nomination record as the second/third most nominated film in the awards' history). It was followed by Star Wars: The Last Jedi with thirteen nominations, and Blade Runner 2049 and The Shape of Water with nine nominations each.
The Walking Dead led the nominations for television for the fourth year in a row with seven, followed by streaming newcomer Star Trek: Discovery and the limited series Twin Peaks: The Return with five each. Seven individuals earned two nominations each, including double writing nominations for Michael Green (for his work on Blade Runner 2049 and Logan, sharing the nods with other writers), and two acting nominations for both film and television for Danai Gurira (for her performances in Black Panther and The Walking Dead, winning for the former).
For film, Black Panther won the most awards with five, including Best Comic-to-Motion Picture Release and Best Film Director (Ryan Coogler), followed by Star Wars: The Last Jedi with three and Coco with two. For television, Better Call Saul and Twin Peaks: The Return won the most awards with three each (ending The Walking Deads four-year long streak as the top-winning series), followed by Star Trek: Discovery and The Walking Dead with two each. However, Rian Johnson's win for Best Writing for Star Wars: The Last Jedi caused some backlash from fans, who expressed their disdain with the decision on social media.
Other notable wins include Mark Hamill's record-tying third Best Actor in a Film win for Star Wars: The Last Jedi (thirty-four years after his second win for 1983's Return of the Jedi), making him the first person to have won three Saturn Awards for the same role in film (Robert Downey Jr. would tie this record the following year for 2019's Avengers: Endgame), and Tom Holland's second consecutive win for Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Film for Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), making him the first performer to win the category twice for the same role or to win it in two consecutive years; Holland won a third the following year for 2019's Spider-Man: Far From Home, surpassing his own record.
Winners and nominees
Film Best Comic-to-Motion Picture Release Best Science Fiction Film Release Black Panther Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Logan Spider-Man: Homecoming Thor: Ragnarok Wonder Woman Blade Runner 2049 Alien: Covenant Life Star Wars: The Last Jedi Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets War for the Planet of the Apes Best Fantasy Film Release Best Horror Film Release The Shape of Water Beauty and the Beast Downsizing Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Kong: Skull Island Paddington 2 Get Out 47 Meters Down Annabelle: Creation Better Watch Out It Mother! Best Action / Adventure Film Release Best Thriller Film Release The Greatest Showman Baby Driver Dunkirk The Fate of the Furious Hostiles Kingsman: The Golden Circle Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Brawl in Cell Block 99 Murder on the Orient Express The Post Suburbicon Wind River Best Animated Film Release Best International Film Release Coco The Boss Baby Cars 3 Despicable Me 3 Your Name Baahubali 2: The Conclusion Brimstone The Lodgers The Man Who Invented Christmas The Square Wolf Warrior 2 Best Film Director Best Film Writing Ryan Coogler – Black Panther Guillermo del Toro – The Shape of Water Patty Jenkins – Wonder Woman Rian Johnson – Star Wars: The Last Jedi Jordan Peele – Get Out Matt Reeves – War for the Planet of the Apes Denis Villeneuve – Blade Runner 2049 Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Rian Johnson Black Panther – Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole Blade Runner 2049 – Michael Green and Hampton Fancher Get Out – Jordan Peele Logan – Scott Frank, Michael Green, and James Mangold The Shape of Water – Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor Wonder Woman – Jason Fuchs, Allan Heinberg, and Zack Snyder |- ! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%"| Best Actor in a Film ! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%"| Best Actress in a Film |- | valign="top" | Mark Hamill – Star Wars: The Last Jedi as Luke Skywalker Chadwick Boseman – Black Panther as T'Challa / Black Panther Ryan Gosling – Blade Runner 2049 as K Hugh Jackman – Logan as Logan / X-24 Daniel Kaluuya – Get Out as Chris Washington Andy Serkis – War for the Planet of the Apes as Caesar Vince Vaughn – Brawl in Cell Block 99 as Bradley Thomas | valign="top" | Gal Gadot – Wonder Woman as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman Sally Hawkins – The Shape of Water as Elisa Esposito Frances McDormand – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri as Mildred Hayes Lupita Nyong'o – Black Panther as Nakia Rosamund Pike – Hostiles as Rosalee Quaid Daisy Ridley – Star Wars: The Last Jedi as Rey Emma Watson – Beauty and the Beast as Belle |- ! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%"| Best Supporting Actor in a Film ! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%"| Best Supporting Actress in a Film |- | valign="top" | Patrick Stewart – Logan as Charles Xavier / Professor X Harrison Ford – Blade Runner 2049 as Rick Deckard Michael B. Jordan – Black Panther as N'Jadaka / Erik "Killmonger" Stevens Michael Keaton – Spider-Man: Homecoming as Adrian Toomes / Vulture Chris Pine – Wonder Woman as Steve Trevor Michael Rooker – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 as Yondu Bill Skarsgård – It as It / Pennywise the Dancing Clown | valign="top" | Danai Gurira – Black Panther as Okoye Ana de Armas – Blade Runner 2049 as Joi Carrie Fisher – Star Wars: The Last Jedi as General Leia Organa (posthumous) Lois Smith – Marjorie Prime as Marjorie Octavia Spencer – The Shape of Water as Zelda Delilah Fuller Tessa Thompson – Thor: Ragnarok as Valkyrie Kelly Marie Tran – Star Wars: The Last Jedi as Rose Tico |- ! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%"| Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Film ! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%"| Best Film Editing |- | valign="top" | Tom Holland – Spider-Man: Homecoming as Peter Parker / Spider-Man Dafne Keen – Logan as Laura Kinney / X-23 Sophia Lillis – It as Beverly Marsh Millicent Simmonds – Wonderstruck as Rose Jacob Tremblay – Wonder as August "Auggie" Pullman Letitia Wright – Black Panther as Shuri Zendaya – Spider-Man: Homecoming as Michelle | valign="top" | Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Bob Ducsay Black Panther – Debbie Berman and Michael P. Shawver The Fate of the Furious – Paul Rubell and Christian Wagner Get Out – Gregory Plotkin Logan – Michael McCusker and Dirk Westervelt The Shape of Water – Sidney Wolinsky |- ! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%"| Best Film Music ! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%"| Best Film Production Design |- | valign="top" | Coco – Michael Giacchino Black Panther – Ludwig Göransson The Greatest Showman – John Debney and Joseph Trapanese The Shape of Water – Alexandre Desplat Star Wars: The Last Jedi – John Williams Wonderstruck – Carter Burwell | valign="top" | Black Panther – Hannah Beachler Beauty and the Beast – Sarah Greenwood Blade Runner 2049 – Dennis Gassner The Shape of Water – Paul Denham Austerberry Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Rick Heinrichs Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets – Hugues Tissandier |- ! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%"| Best Film Costume Design ! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%"| Best Film Make-up |- | valign="top" | Beauty and the Beast – Jacqueline Durran Black Panther – Ruth E. Carter The Greatest Showman – Ellen Mirojnick Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Michael Kaplan Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets – Olivier Bériot Wonder Woman – Lindy Hemming | valign="top" | Black Panther – Ken Diaz and Joel Harlow Blade Runner 2049 – Donald Mowat Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – John Blake and Brian Sipe It – Alec Gillis, Sean Sansom, Tom Woodruff Jr., and Shane Zander The Shape of Water – Mike Hill and Shane Mahan Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Peter Swords King and Neal Scanlan Wonder – Arjen Tuiten |- ! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%"| Best Film Special / Visual Effects ! style="background:#EEDD82; width:50%"| Best Independent Film Release |- | valign="top" | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – Jonathan Fawkner, Dan Sudick, Christopher Townsend, and Guy Williams Black Panther – Geoffrey Baumann, Craig Hammack, and Dan Sudick Blade Runner 2049 – Richard R. Hoover, Paul Lambert, Gerd Nefzer, and John Nelson Kong: Skull Island – Scott Benza, Mike Meinardus, Stephen Rosenbaum, and Jeff White Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Chris Corbould, Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, and Neal Scanlan War for the Planet of the Apes – Daniel Barrett, Dan Lemmon, Joe Letteri, and Joel Whist | valign="top" | Wonder I, Tonya LBJ Lucky Professor Marston and the Wonder Women Super Dark Times Wonderstruck
Television
Programs Best Superhero Television Series Best Science Fiction Television Series The Flash (The CW) Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC) Arrow (The CW) Black Lightning (The CW) Gotham (Fox) Legends of Tomorrow (The CW) Supergirl (The CW) The Orville (Fox) The 100 (The CW) Colony (USA Network) Doctor Who (BBC America) The Expanse (Syfy) Salvation (CBS) The X-Files (Fox) Best Fantasy Television Series Best Horror Television Series Outlander (Starz) American Gods (Starz) Game of Thrones (HBO) The Good Place (NBC) Knightfall (History) The Librarians (TNT) The Magicians (Syfy) The Walking Dead (AMC) American Horror Story: Cult (FX) Ash vs Evil Dead (Starz) Fear the Walking Dead (AMC) Preacher (AMC) The Strain (FX) Teen Wolf (MTV) Best Action / Thriller Television Series Best Television Presentation Better Call Saul (AMC) The Alienist (TNT) Animal Kingdom (TNT) Fargo (FX) Into the Badlands (AMC) Mr. Mercedes (Audience) Riverdale (The CW) Twin Peaks: The Return (Showtime) Channel Zero (Syfy) Descendants 2 (Disney Channel) Doctor Who: Twice Upon a Time (BBC America) Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return (Netflix) Okja (Netflix) The Sinner (USA Network) Best Animated Series or Film on Television Best New Media Television Series Star Wars Rebels (Disney XD) Archer (FX) BoJack Horseman (Netflix) Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Cartoon Network) Family Guy (Fox) Rick and Morty (Adult Swim) The Simpsons (Fox) Star Trek: Discovery (CBS All Access) Altered Carbon (Netflix) Black Mirror (Netflix) Electric Dreams (Prime Video) The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu) Mindhunter (Netflix) Stranger Things (Netflix) Best New Media Superhero Series The Punisher (Netflix) The Defenders (Netflix) Future Man (Hulu) Iron Fist (Netflix) Runaways (Hulu) The Tick (Prime Video)
Acting Best Actor on a Television Series Best Actress on a Television Series Kyle MacLachlan as FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper on Twin Peaks: The Return (Showtime) Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle / Punisher on The Punisher (Netflix) Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams on Ash vs Evil Dead (Starz) Sam Heughan as Jamie Fraser on Outlander (Starz) Jason Isaacs as Captain Gabriel Lorca on Star Trek: Discovery (CBS All Access) Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes on The Walking Dead (AMC) Seth MacFarlane as Captain Ed Mercer on The Orville (Fox) Ricky Whittle as Shadow Moon on American Gods (Starz) Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham on Star Trek: Discovery (CBS All Access)