Topic: The State of TV: Sci-Fi Edition

[Morari]

Bareil, Shakaar, Mirror Universe Bareil, and Odo. ...Dukat?. Even if she wasn't interested, I recall there being numerous characters that were instantly infatuated with her. Regardless, I guess just about everyone had a romantic subplot shoehorned in during the final couple of seasons.

[NWR_insanolord]

Most of those romances were handled well. Jadzia and Worf getting married worked really well, and Ezri and Bashir's thing was somewhat creepy because of his feelings for Jadzia, but intentionally so. Kira and Odo kind of had to happen. Garak and Dukat's daughter felt shoehorned, but I don't mind it as much because it gave Garak something to do. I never really cared about Sisko's girlfriend/wife, though, and she makes my issue with what happened to him in the finale even worse.

[Plugabugz]

The thing about science fiction is that its cyclical, and it's dying out again. SGU was cancelled and that was the last american space sci-fi on air.

The only stable ones left are all the British ones. But i reckon part of the reason is that our seasons are so short the quality is kept up. To make it worse, Doctor Who this year will be split into 2 mini-seasons of 6/7 episodes with a 8 week gap in between.

If you want a short series watch Paradox. It's like 5 episodes (60 mins each) and bows out quickly.

[Morari]

Most of those romances were handled well. Jadzia and Worf getting married worked really well, and Ezri and Bashir's thing was somewhat creepy because of his feelings for Jadzia, but intentionally so. Kira and Odo kind of had to happen. Garak and Dukat's daughter felt shoehorned, but I don't mind it as much because it gave Garak something to do. I never really cared about Sisko's girlfriend/wife, though, and she makes my issue with what happened to him in the finale even worse.

I disagree. I think that Bareil was the only one to have really been handled well. The others felt really superficial, with Odo being the worst. Wolf and Jadzia worked well enough, but didn't fit with a lot of what had been explained of Wolf's character throughout TNG. I always thought that Garak was actually gay... I think Dukat's daughter was thrown in just to defuse any doubts.

[MaryJane]

Okay, so I fell behind a little, a lot of things were said, and I don't feel like going back to quote everything I'm going to mention, so just bear with me.

I tried to enjoy Enterprise so much. As I mentioned before, I loved all the Star Trek series (DS9 a close second to TNG) and I wanted to at least like Enterprise, and I just could not. The suits threw me way the **** off, the classless acting of the first season (the only one I watched) was often laughable, and the storylines just weren't intriguing to me. The characters of DS9 were some of the best, but I think that may be because they were mostly restricted to the ship, and we were able to delve deeper into their character than in other series where the character's character came out individually in contrived situations with one-episode aliens that we almost never saw them interact with again. DS9 was the opposite, you could see one person dislike someone, than something happens where they get trapped in an elevator together, form a comradery, and that comradery comes back when the station is under attack or duress. The romances of DS9 were also very compelling, but again I feel that is something that can only properly be done in the setting of DS9. I liked the on and off relationship of Riker and Troi because it fit into the space exploration setting, marriages and long term romance made a lot more sense when people were on a non-moving spacecraft together for years and years.

As for the state of Sci-Fi TV, what I'm asking, is why does it fail to capture audiences? Don't people dream anymore? Or are they content with the dreadful realism of life? Sure I enjoy my life, but imagining things beyond it, and being told stories of such things, I find very entertaining. Why doesn't our general population? Perhaps I'm just thinking about too much, but it's another thing that interests me. Sci-Fi movies often do well in theatres and DVD releases, but make a TV show and you're lucky to average 2million viewers an episode.

[oohhboy]

Garak is neither gay or straight, he was a PIMP.

Kira was was ok as a supporting actor, but I never really like the stories that focused on her. If you really want someone to strangle to death, it would be Kai Winn. What. A. Bitch.

In the pale moonlight is the episode that exemplifies what DS9 is about. It's a world where people are tested and at time broken. The illusion that is the Federation is shattered with a single death.

I really wished instead of making Enterprise(Blech), they had made something based off Section 31. Having existed at the beginning of the Federation, they could have gone to any time period at anytime to show turning points in Federation history. Or the Temporal Investigations Division. Whatever it might have been, it would have needed better writers than what Enterprise had, along with better opening credits. I mean gees, what a sappy load of rubbish that was.

[Morari]

I really wished instead of making Enterprise(Blech), they had made something based off Section 31. Having existed at the beginning of the Federation, they could have gone to any time period at anytime to show turning points in Federation history. Or the Temporal Investigations Division. Whatever it might have been, it would have needed better writers than what Enterprise had, along with better opening credits. I mean gees, what a sappy load of rubbish that was.

Actually, a series focusing on the Temporal Investigations Division could have been pretty neat. I don't think that I would have much cared for a Section 31 show though, as it seemingly exemplified a lot of what I felt was wrong with DS9.

Enterprise did have one of the worst opening credit sequences ever... I'll give you that. I think it was worse after the tempo change, even.

As for the state of Sci-Fi TV, what I'm asking, is why does it fail to capture audiences? Don't people dream anymore? Or are they content with the dreadful realism of life? Sure I enjoy my life, but imagining things beyond it, and being told stories of such things, I find very entertaining. Why doesn't our general population? Perhaps I'm just thinking about too much, but it's another thing that interests me. Sci-Fi movies often do well in theatres and DVD releases, but make a TV show and you're lucky to average 2million viewers an episode.

I just don't think that the general masses are educated enough or have the attention spans to appreciate science fiction. That's why you see supernatural  and fantasy content doing better, because there's nothing to explain... it's just magic! This could also easily tie into religious preferences, but we won't get into that here.

[oohhboy]

Yesterday I managed to score most of DS9 for 90NZD or 69USD sans season 1. I could have gotten most of Voyager, but I remembered that I was only fond of only a few episodes, mostly the doctor ones and the odd adventures or Paris and Kim, Year of Hell and other time travel episodes.

I am sure there are episodes I haven't seen of DS9 and seeing them in sequence is going to be epic. I might chase down season one as it doesn't cost too much more, although I didn't like it too much.

[Toruresu]

You know what I really want to see? A new Babylon 5 series.

Showtime started the whole Stargate SG-1 series, and screw you guys, SG-1 is awesome

[Morari]

I've never watched any of the Stargate shows. I was immediately turned off by the idea when it was announced that they were recasting the film's characters instead of simply writing them off.

[Plugabugz]

I've never watched any of the Stargate shows. I was immediately turned off by the idea when it was announced that they were recasting the film's characters instead of simply writing them off.

Only one major character AFAIK was recast which is Daniel Jackson.

O'Neil (in the film) is a different person to O'Neill (Two L's!) in SG1 and in one episode explicitly says so.

And none of the characters from SGA or SGU are from the movie film.

[ShyGuy]

Stargate, like Buffy, is a case where the TV show eventually exceeded the original movie. Highlander is probably better too, if you average it out with the movie sequels.

[MaryJane]

Wow I totally forgot about Highlander. I used to love that show, but it was the also the show that opened my eyes to eyes the folly of immortality.

[oohhboy]

With Highlander, there can only be ONE.

Highlander was never meant to have a sequel(s) or increasingly terrible TV serie(s) made from it. It's far easier just to say there was the one movie and that's all they made. There is only one.

Stargate is great. While Mcguyver will never quite escape his past, you have to hand it to Michael Shanks for making the character his own. Season 1 he is effectively impersonating Spader, but as the character develops, he moves away, while adding and keeping the essence of the character. Michael is also an awesome dude. A kid asked him what it felt like going through the Stargate and he came up with the most awesome, cute and funny answer without breaking the illusion that the Stargate isn't real.

You have to love the SG-1 Pilot though, I am sure those bare sweater puppies convinced the execs to give SG-1 the green light.

[Morari]

Stargate, like Buffy, is a case where the TV show eventually exceeded the original movie. Highlander is probably better too, if you average it out with the movie sequels.

I liked the Buffy film a lot better, personally. The show started taking itself way too seriously somewhere along the line. Besides, only one of them had Paul Reubens.

The only Highlander films really worth watching are the first two, and that's only if you watch the "Renegade Version" of the second one. The anime was alright (Search for Vengeance?)... The shows were kind of up and down, with the Raven being more so.