The 42nd 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 in film, television, home entertainment, and local theatre in 2015 and early 2016, were held on June 22, 2016, in Burbank, California, and hosted by actor John Barrowman. Nominations were announced on February 24, 2016. This ceremony featured several major changes on the television side, with all "Best Television Series" categories being replaced by new ones, with the exception of Best Superhero Adaptation Television Series.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens became the most nominated film in Saturn Award history, with nominations in all 13 categories it was eligible for (except Best Performance by a Younger Actor). With double nominations for both Best Actor (John Boyega and Harrison Ford) and Best Supporting Actress (Carrie Fisher and Lupita Nyong'o), The Force Awakens received a total of fifteen nominations, followed by Mad Max: Fury Road with ten (including a nomination in a "Home Entertainment" category) and Crimson Peak with nine. The Walking Dead led the nominations for television for the second year in a row with seven, including triple nominations for Best Supporting Actress on Television (Tovah Feldshuh, Danai Gurira, and Melissa McBride); Game of Thrones and Hannibal followed with five nominations each.

For film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens won the most awards with eight, including Best Science Fiction Film, Best Actor for Harrison Ford, and John Williams' eighth win for Best Music, with Crimson Peak being the only other film to score multiple wins with three, including Best Horror Film. For television, The Walking Dead won the most awards for the second year in a row with three wins, including the inaugural Best Horror Television Series and Chandler Riggs becoming the first individual to win Best Performance by a Younger Actor on Television twice; Hannibal and Outlander followed with two wins each.

Additionally, 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, with only Abrams winning for writing, while Neal Scanlan received nominations for both Best Make-up and Best Special Effects for The Force Awakens, winning both. Lastly, both Gillian Anderson and Jessica Chastain were the only acting nominees to receive two nominations for different works, with only the latter winning one: Best Supporting Actress for Crimson Peak.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens won eight awards, tying The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) as the second most award-winning film at the Saturn Awards, behind Avatar (2009), which won ten awards at the 36th Saturn Awards in 2010. The Force Awakens' wins were for Best Science Fiction Film, Best Actor for Harrison Ford, Best Supporting Actor for Adam Driver, Best Writing (Lawrence Kasdan, J. J. Abrams, and Michael Arndt), Best Editing, Best Make-up, Best Music, and Best Special Effects.

This was only the second time a trio won Best Writing: Kasdan had already won the award for Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and had received nominations for two other Star Wars films: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983). It was also the first win in the category for both Abrams and Arndt, who had both been nominated once before; Abrams had also won Best Director four years earlier for Super 8 (2011) and would go on to win five years later for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). Ford had previously won Best Actor for Raiders and had already been nominated for playing his Star Wars character, Han Solo, at the 5th Saturn Awards in 1978.

Crimson Peak was the only other film to secure multiple wins: Best Horror Film, Best Supporting Actress for Jessica Chastain, and Best Production Design. This was Chastain's first win and fifth nomination, 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" categories. Furthermore, The Martian won Best Director (Ridley Scott's first win since Alien at the 7th Saturn Awards in 1980), 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 (Alexandra Byrne's second win).