Flash! Ah-ah! He'll save every one of us!

Flash Gordon has always been one of the earliest superheroes, but he had been many other things as well. He has been a scientific genius. He has been a muscle-headed football player. He has been in television, serials and movies. He has been portrayed by Buster Crabbe, Steve Holland and Sam Jones. He has been immortalized in the vocals of Freddy Mercury.

And in roughly one hour, he will star in a new series on the Sci-Fi Channel.

Eric Jones, last noted for playing Whitney, the football playing boyfriend of Lana Lang on the CW's Smallville, will be taking over the role in the new series. It's a contemporary take on the classic character - there is no rocketship, Dale Arden is not a damsel in distress, and Ming has dropped "The Merciless" from his name. Even the Queen soundtrack is being updated for the new millenium.

And hey, it follows Dr. Who - a natural timeslot for the show. BBC updated one classic hero of science-fiction into a contemporary, non-hokey masterpiece. If Jones is half as good as Flash as Christopher Ecclestone and David Tenant have been as the Doctor, we're in for some good television.