The DVD set of Star Trek: The Animated Series released last November has been honored by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films with a nomination for a 2007 Saturn Award. It is one of six contenders in the category "Best Retro Television Series Release on DVD."

J.J. Abrams, producer of the in-development "Star Trek XI" project, also received a nomination in "Best Direction" for his work on Paramount's "Mission: Impossible III," which received a total of five nods including "Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film."

The 33rd annual Saturn Awards, honoring excellence in genre television and film during 2006, will be presented May 10 in Universal City. It will be hosted by comedian Jeffrey Ross — one of the William Shatner roasters — and Greg Grunberg, one of the stars of Heroes who is rumored to appear in "ST XI" because of his lifelong friendship with Abrams.

The Animated Series is competing in the "Retro DVD" category with Adventures of Superman, Amazing Stories, Saturday Night Live, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and The Wild Wild West. Two years ago the category was won by the Original Series DVD release.

The Star Trek connections to this year's Saturn nominations are numerous. In addition to "M:I 3," Abrams' most popular TV show, Lost, has the most nominations amongst the television categories, with six. That includes "Best Network Television Series," which it has won each year of its existence (beating Enterprise in its first year of qualification, 2005). Abrams' fellow executive producers on Lost include Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk, who are also involved in "Star Trek XI."

Competing against Lost for Best Network TV Series is Heroes, co-executive produced by Bryan Fuller (formerly writer/producer/story editor for Star Trek: Voyager), and 24, co-executive produced by Manny Coto (formerly showrunner of Star Trek: Enterprise), as well as Jericho, Smallville and Veronica Mars.

Ronald D. Moore's Battlestar Galactica is vying again for "Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series," which it won last year. It's in a field of seven contenders, including Stargate SG-1, Eureka and Doctor Who. Moore, of course, got his start in television on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine.

Heroes has the second-most nominations behind Lost with five, and Galactica is third with four noms.

Back on the film side, Abrams' competition for Best Director includes Bryan Singer, who got to do a cameo on "Star Trek Nemesis" after directing Patrick Stewart in the first two "X-Men" movies. Singer's "Superman Returns" was the big news of the Saturn announcement, garnering 10 nominations — way ahead of the pack — including "Best Fantasy Film."

The third "X-Men" movie, Brett Ratner's "X-Men: The Last Stand" starring Patrick Stewart, is up for "Best Science Fiction Film," and snagged nominations for two of its actors who have worked with Stewart before: Famke Janssen ("Kamala" in "The Perfect Mate") and Kelsey Grammer ("Captain Bateson" in "Cause and Effect"). They were nominated for "Best Supporting Actress" and "Best Supporting Actor."

Jonathan Frakes is not personally named, but "The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines" — a made-for-cable movie he directed for TNT — was nominated for "Best Presentation on Television." Both his stars, Noah Wyle and Gabrielle Anwar, were nominated for TV acting awards.

The category "Best DVD Classic Film Release" includes a nomination for Mark A. Altman and Robert Meyer Burnett's "Free Enterprise," their homage to Star Trek starring William Shatner, which was re-released last year as a Special Edition. Its competition includes "Forbidden Planet" and "This Island Earth."

Another Shatner vehicle, "Over the Hedge," is up for "Best Animated Film." Competing against "M:I 3" for Action/Adventure/Thriller film is "Casino Royale," edited by Stuart Baird.

In technical categories, various Trek alumni are named. "Best Make-Up" includes Todd Masters ("Star Trek: First Contact") for "Slither," and Ve Neill ("Star Trek: The Motion Picture") for "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest."

In "Best Special Effects," nominees include John Bruno (who directed and wrote for Voyager) and Eric Saindon ("Star Trek: Insurrection") for "X-Men 3"; Mark Stetson ("ST:TMP") for "Superman Returns"; and the ubiquitous John Knoll (TNG, DS9, "ST:FC," etc.) for "Pirates."

For more information about this year's Saturn Award nominations, visit SaturnAwards.org.

The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films is a non-profit organization founded in 1972 to honor, recognize and promote the genre fields of filmmaking and television. Membership is open to the public.