I?ve always enjoyed the Airlock Alpha Genre Awards. Seeing other awards constantly ignore the type of programming I enjoy, it?s reassuring to see the shows and actors I enjoy being recognized for their work.

The Genre Awards are one way I can help honor outstanding performances.

I am a self-proclaimed science-fiction television fanatic. And I might be one of the few people who can actually say he saw every eligible show that aired during the past television season. Having seen all of the nominees in action, I want to take some time to talk about my choices in the television categories of the awards.

Even though I am a part of the Airlock Alpha staff, my vote counts the same as anyone else, and my opinion is no more important than yours.

In the Best Actor category for television, I support Jensen Ackles of ?Supernatural.? Ackles, more than any of the other nominees in this category, has wow?d me. His character started the season knowing he had one year to live due to a devil?s deal. We watched him go through the various stages of grieving, from being the tough guy living up his last days, to wanting to fight his fate, to finally accepting the inevitable.

His portrayal was done so subtly, and in many scenes, performed pages of emotional reaction with his eyes alone. If anyone deserves the top prize in this category, it?s Jensen Ackles.

I thought the nominees for Best Actress for television were rather weak this year. It doesn?t appear the women got any decent writing. With so little to go on, I am throwing my support behind Sophia Myles. ?Moonlight? had a great year, and since they aren?t returning, I want to see them recognized through its only nominee.

Best Supporting Actor, in my opinion, has to go to Michael Emerson, of "Lost." His portrayal of Ben Linus, the show?s main antagonist, has been amazing. He?s been able to make people hate his character, and care about the character all at once. Emerson has a way of making you believe everything Ben says, even when you know he?s lying.

Men?s roles this season were better than the women by far, and Michael Emerson did an amazing job with everything he was given.

?Smallville? is a dying show, and I am hoping that it will put us out of our misery and end with the eighth season. But within all the crap, and episode-long product placement, there?s been Allison Mack, playing Chloe Sullivan.

It?s strange that the strongest character on the show is one that was created for the show instead of transplanted from the comics. I think much of the credit for that goes to Mack. Chloe comes across as smart, with an underlying sexy vibe.

Sullivan is not a cheesecake actress, but an actress of substance. When it was rumored that Mack might not return for the eighth season, I vowed if she didn?t return, neither would I. The character, and the actress, mean that much to the show.

The Best Episode of a series is ?Blink? from ?Doctor Who.? There?s really nothing more to say.

The Best Series was the toughest choice I had in filling out my ballot. But I finally decided to give the nod to ?Supernatural.? It is a show with a small cast with rich, well-developed characters that outweighed other nominees with larger casts. While all of the nominees are outstanding programs, ?Supernatural? was just the show this season I needed to see. Not wanted. When a new episode was airing, it was my most anticipated show.

The last category I want to touch upon is the Roddenberry Lifetime Achievement Award. It?s a good group of nominees, and almost all of them deserve to be there. But my choice, above all others, is Gene L. Coon.

Gene Coon passed away before the proliferation of Star Trek conventions, and his contribution to the show has almost been lost. While Gene R. was the man who created Star Trek, Gene C. is the one who gave it personality. As the script editor, he was the one who added character moments between the big three. He was the one who created the Spock/McCoy "feud." And the idea of the humorous wrap-up on the bridge was also one of his.

He humanized the characters, and showed us that they feel. And that they don't take themselves too seriously.

Television drama in the '60s was about the action, not about the characters. And sci-fi was considered kiddie fare, so just keep the action going, no time for the characters. But Gene C. put in a minute or two, here and there, to allow us to connect with the characters.

Star Trek was a great show, but I wonder how much it would have caught on if the fans had no real emotional investment in the characters. Plus, the man created both the Klingons and Khan.

You can vote for the Airlock Alpha Genre Awards once a day through July 25.

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Ed Left is a columnist for Airlock Alpha, who was lives in the beautiful city of Chicago. He also is the Webmaster of Sci Fi On TV. He can be reached at eleft@airlockalpha.com.