42nd Saturn Awards

Eight individuals earned double nominations: J. J. Abrams, Guillermo del Toro, Alex Garland, George Miller, and Colin Trevorrow were all nominated for both Best Director and Best Writing, while Neal Scanlan received nominations for both Best Makeup and Best Special Effects for Star Wars; additionally, actresses Jessica Chastain and Gillian Anderson were the only individuals to receive several nominations for different works.

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, actress Nichelle Nichols, who portrayed Uhura in the original series and its six sequel films from 1966 to 1991, received The Life Career Award for "her contributions to genre entertainment, the musical arts, and her tireless support of NASA and space exploration." Fellow Star Trek contributor, TV writer, and producer Brannon Braga, whose work also includes 24, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey and Salem, will receive the Special Recognition Award.[4]

The Spotlight Award was awarded to the TV series Better Call Saul. Screenwriter and producer Simon Kinberg received The George Pal Memorial Award for being "a true creative force in the entertainment field", including for his work in the X-Men film franchise and The Martian.

Actress Melissa Benoist received The Breakthrough Performance Award as "one of this generation's brightest talents. She is a positive role model to young kids with her work on the successful series, Supergirl." The Dan Curtis Legacy Award was presented to Eric Kripke, the creator, and producer of the TV series Supernatural.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens won eight awards, tying The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King as the second most awards at a Saturn Award ceremony, behind Avatar, which won ten awards at the 2009 ceremony. The film won Best Science Fiction Film, Best Writing, Best Actor for Harrison Ford, Best Supporting Actor for Adam Driver, Best Music, Best Editing, Best Makeup, and Best Special Effects.

It was only the second time a trio won Best Writing: Lawrence Kasdan had already won the award for Raiders of the Lost Ark, and had received nominations for other Star Wars films The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. It was the first win in the category for both J. J. Abrams and Michael Arndt, who had both been nominated once before; Abrams has also won Best Director for Super 8. Ford had won Best Actor previously for Raiders of the Lost Ark, and had already been nominated for playing his Star Wars character Han Solo in 38 years before.

Crimson Peak was the only other film to secure several wins: Best Horror Film, Best Supporting Actress for Jessica Chastain, and Best Production Design. It was the first win and fifth nomination for Chastain, including her Best Actress nomination the same year for The Martian.

Eleven features won a single award: Ant-Man, Bridge of Spies, Cinderella, Furious 7, Inside Out, Room, and Turbo Kid won the other Best Film awards. Additionally, The Martian won Best Director (Ridley Scott's first win since Alien in 1979), Mad Max: Fury Road won Best Actress for Charlize Theron (her first win and fifth nomination), Jurassic World won Best Performance by a Younger Actor for Ty Simpkins, and Avengers: Age of Ultron won Best Costume Design (her second win).

On television, the Saturn Awards premiered several new Best TV Series awards, replacing older ones: the fourth and final season of Continuum won the inaugural Best Science Fiction Film, winning its first and only Saturn Award after 10 overall nominations. The second part of Outlander's first season (the first half having been aired the previous year) won the inaugural Best Fantasy Television Series, with its lead actress Caitriona Balfe winning Best Actress on Television for the second year in a row.

The Walking Dead, which had won the Best Series award it was nominated for all of its previous seasons (Best Television Presentation twice, and Best Syndicated/Cable Television Series three times), continued its winning streak by winning the first award for Best Horror Television Series. Danai Gurira also won Best Supporting Actress in Television, while Chandler Riggs became the first person to win Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Television Series twice. Hannibal concluded its own winning streak by winning Best Action-Thriller Television Series for its third and final season, after winning Best Network Television Series twice. Its guest star Richard Armitage also won the award for Best Supporting Actor on Television, a year after winning Best Supporting Actor for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.

The Flash won Best Superhero Adaptation Television Series, its second award in the same category, after winning the inaugural award the previous year, while Marvel's Daredevil won the first Best New Media Television Series.

Other award-winning programs were Haven winning Best Guest Starring Role on Television for William Shatner (his second win after Best Actor for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in 1982), and Doctor Who, which won Best Television Presentation for its Christmas special "The Husbands of River Song". Although it is the first win in the category for the series themselves, the eponymous 1996 film, which is a part of a common chronology, had won as well. Ash vs Evil Dead also won Best Actor on Television for Bruce Campbell, making it the third work in the Evil Dead franchise to win a Saturn Award after The Evil Dead and Army of Darkness.