Re: OT Farscape Best Scifi Series Ever?
 

Must weigh in...faxes to sci-fi being ignored...

I cry each time I watch Farscape, and think "Hmm...they cancelled this for Battlestar Galactica: TNG or Tremors: Mr. Keaton Kills Stuff" OH my GOD I HATE absolutely HATE scifi for cancelling farscape. I loved Dr. Who because of the way the actors filled out their roles. That is why Farscape is fantastic. Yes, there are some episodes which are *by themselves* somewhat iffy (I think of the stone one with Chiana jumping and getting all dredd-ed out offhand).

But everyone must give credit to the writers and actors for having the courage to
A) Keep women in roles of power, far outnumbering the men on the show (what other show was there? Xena is the only one...)
B) Mess with the main characters. ST and ST:TNG are fine, but I get tired of the morality on there...resulted in the same stories ep after ep. The writers for Farscape were like little boreworms- digging deep into Crichton's brain and squirming around, wreaking havoc with their main character and his emotions. Who else would have their main person go insane? Or be twinned and then die? Or become a nuclear terrorist?
C) Have the best darned production values of ANY show on TV. Farscape has had the best looking, most original villians and creatures of any show (as opposed to the ST "let's put a ridge on your brow" creature shop). Anyone remember the spider lady on Farscape? Or just the Delvians and Saark? (Mmm..blue...)

*sigh* so much energy...no ability to change evil vivendi/usa conglomerate...

Re: OT Farscape Best Scifi Series Ever?
 

Actually, what made Dr. Who rule was definitely the dependancy on acting. When you don't have the funds to produce high quality special effects, the whole life of the show rests upon the actors. That's probably why I love Dr. Who. They did a good job of screening people and made people act their butts off.

Re: OT Farscape Best Scifi Series Ever?
 

The dvds for Dr. Who, like the key to time, have fantastic commentary by the original actors. Its great to listen to them chum around and remember little tidbits about the sets and dialogue coaching and stuff

Re: OT Farscape Best Scifi Series Ever?
 

Best sci-fi....

Farscape ranks up there. *The* best, I dunno, but it's filling my DVD collection of stuff to be watched 20 years from now, and most of Star Trek does not fill that honor (why Enterprise is still on the air is beyond me).

I see some people comparing it to Babylon 5, which is also on my top list. In my mind they're two different shows - one's an epic drama that tries to be Shakespearean, one's a roller coaster strapped to a rocket booster. Both are great, but vastly different flavors. So I wouldn't put them side by side.

And yes, Farscape's acting at times fell flat, but nine time out of ten, it was leagues beyond any other show. Claudia Black I don't think was ever anything BUT Aeryn Sun, and Browder has gone through so many different evolutions it's a wonder he's sane - as a character OR an actor. Ditto B5, who's leading men (Sinclair and Sheridan) early on tended to grin too much and make the show look goofy. But when they hit their characters... some of the best bits of TV. *Especially* the rest of the cast, who in other shows would be made bit characters serving basic plot functions. And the writing (Stracynski is a tiny god for all the amazing work he's done - check out his comics, even if you don't do comics) easily eclipsed any awkward acting moments.

Blathering over.

EDIT - Oh, and that guy in the beginning who thought Firefly was a Farscape rip-off... maybe it did borrow the tone a bit, but there are worse things to rip off. And the show had show it's first glimmers of genius before it got pulled. Pity. Joss Whedon needs something good after the Buffyverse, don't see why Firefly couldn't do it. All the good shows are leaving...

[ March 19, 2003, 16:55: Message edited by: Radhil ]

Re: OT Farscape Best Scifi Series Ever?
 

phaet2112, your so dead on. The Sci-Fi channel has stoopid shows like The Dream Team, Tremors, Scare Tactics ect... I cant see how they couldnt get the money to keep Farescape going, unless some of the actors were leaving *shrug*.

I liked B5, and even was into Crusade, but that didnt Last either.

John Doe is pretty good, cant be ranked the best ever since this is the first season though.

Re: OT Farscape Best Scifi Series Ever?
 

Only saw a couple of episodes of Firefly, but it looked decent, given time to hit its stride I'm sure it would have been excellent.

B5 was a great show, unfortunately a high budget and TNT killed it. Oh well. Crusade was excellent, it drives me nuts having all of those loose ends unresovled.

Haven't seen Farscape in several seasons (I'm missing the end http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif ) it was one of my favorite shows when I could watch it.

Re: OT Farscape Best Scifi Series Ever?
 

Actually, B5 was one of the lowest budgetted shows of the group. Thanks to such cheap hardware to push it. A show that got started with a few Amigas and good ol' Lightwave software. B5 didn't suffer as much as one would. It was a show that was planned to end from the beginning. If I'm correct, with TNT, the show Lasted the whole 5 seasons it was planned to have since its inception. Or did it not go through a 5th season. My bad, as a lack of cable didn't have me see much of B5 since it left regular television. But I definitely remember the interviews about the show when it first started airing. They said it was to go 5 seasons and then stop.

Re: OT Farscape Best Scifi Series Ever?
 

Yes, I know B5 had a ludicrously low budget, but when it got a decent budget, it went to crap.

Re: OT Farscape Best Scifi Series Ever?
 

Damn what a crappy ending to Farscape!

Re: OT Farscape Best Scifi Series Ever?
 

it was a lame ending, and the "to be continued" may be a bit optimistic. There was an commercial for a web site that was asking to save farscape, but it is down, haha.

Re: OT Farscape Best Scifi Series Ever?
 

Foiden: B5 did go the entire five seasons, and had one of the best final episodes I've seen.

I actually thought the ending was pretty good, true to the style of the other endings in the series. Then again, I haven't been able to keep up with the series... I've watched all of season 1, I missed a few of season 2, missed all but a few of season 3 (caught the Last few episodes), and I've only seen one other episode in season 4.

Perhaps everyone was setting expectations unrealistically high for the final episode? Myself, I was just expecting it to tie things up, and leave a few things up to the imagination.

The final episode of B5 did that; Sheridan dies/taken beyond rim, station decommissioned, shows what the rest of the characters did with their lives, wondering where they go from there... Ivonava's final line, going something like "... there can always be new beginnings, even for people like us."
Another one that I'm recalling is the end of Quantum Leap. Dr. Beckett gets cut off from "the present", and continues leaping (while not swapping positions with anyone). Everything is made all better for Al, and you're left wondering where Sam goes from there (obviously not home).

Now for Farscape, everyone is pretty much taken care of. There's the option of what happens with Scorpius & Co.; Moya/Pilot, D'Argo, Chyana, Rygel, Stark, and the Old Lady; and whether that whole "neutralization" thing is really permanant (anyone remember the old Batman episode where the world's leaders are turned into piles of Kool-Aid powder? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif ). The wormhole to Earth is plugged (popped?), removing the option of getting there (since I'm fairly sure everyone has settled on the fact that wormholes are the only way to Earth, correct?). And the whole Peacekeeper v. Scarran thing remains at a stalemate.

The "To Be Continued..." bit at the end did suprise me, though. I don't think there is any real chance of the series being resurrected; if nobody else has picked it up by now, nobody is going to. Perhaps someone will do a movie to conclude it (or if Sci-Fi decides to do a little more with it, probably a mini-series http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif ). This, of course, will most likely flop, since it will only really appeal to Farscape's fan base, and that fan base will be divided... those who are bitter, thought the ending was horrible, want canon to be upheld, etc. will most likely not watch any spinoff movie, mini-series, or full series.

Re: OT Farscape Best Scifi Series Ever?
 

The final episode was the best episode of any series ever. The scene where lorien takes sheridden away, and he says "Oh, The Suns Coming Up." That scene was perfect!

Ahhh... But enought about B5...

I have nothing else to say...

Re: OT Farscape Best Scifi Series Ever?
 

They filmed the season finale before they got the news that SciFi was cancelling them (reneging on contract) so taht is why it said "to be continued". it wasn't inserted after the fact, unlike the crappy one line "SciFi likes to thank all of you SUCKERS for tuning in. HA HA we got you http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif "

Re: OT Farscape Best Scifi Series Ever?
 

I have recently been enjoying Farscape on DVD.
I had no idea I missed so many 2nd year episodes.
Probably because of SCI-FI channels scheduling jugglers.

But, I love this series even more now...

In "Dream A Little Dream" they are stuck on a planet ruled LAW FIRMS, and 90% of the population are lawyers. Eat your heart out Franz Kafka! What a flippin nightmare!!!

[ May 23, 2004, 02:45: Message edited by: Wardad ]

Re: OT Farscape Best Scifi Series Ever?
 

I really have to start collecting this series. Right now I'm put through the torture chamber Mondays at work because Farscape is only played at 1am Monday morning. If I'm up anywhere near that time, I'm watching at least some of it. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: OT Farscape Best Scifi Series Ever?
 

It was a good show that had a hard time with its budget. Sci-Fi supported it here and there but some shows you can really see where the production values fell.

Overall the show was a great joy ride with a punk ending. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif I do hope they produce the mini-series or movies as they claim they are going to do.

Re: OT Farscape Best Scifi Series Ever?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Doesn't the cheeze have a VCR? Tivo? Boss proof wristwatch tv with satellite reciever? (I personally favor the Last approach)

Re: OT Farscape Best Scifi Series Ever?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Now over a year old, the answer to the topic is still the same. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

I never got into this series, a couple of neat ideas and some imaginitive stories - but not enough cool ships to keep me entertained. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

Re: OT Farscape Best Scifi Series Ever?
 

Farscape used to be my favorite. It was indeed the best, edging out B5. After collecting all I was willing to of the Farscape DVDs (at some expense!), I took a risk and got the DVD of the entire series run of Firefly (of which I had only seen a couple of episodes) for the cost of one Farscape "collection" of four episodes.

Not only was it a great deal, I have changed my tune. Firefly is by far the best SciFi series I've ever seen. It saddens me to think such a good show can get canned by Fox as it did. But it wasn't lost on Universal studios - they're shooting the move Version, "Serenity".

Re: OT Farscape Best Scifi Series Ever?
 

a bit even more OT. Does anyone know if John Doe has been picked up again?. I swear I saw somewhere that it was returning in June, but everything I can find lists it as cancelled. I just saw the Last episode and want to know if there will be more. If its no more then "oh, well" and I assume the ad I saw just meant reruns from June. I would just like to know one way or the other.

Re: OT Farscape Best Scifi Series Ever?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Yes I could tape it, but it's the fact that it's on that disturbs my efforts to go to sleep.

Can't....go....to...sleep...without...watching.... Farscape

Or I wind up counting Claudia Blacks and Virginia Heys until I fall asleep.
http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: OT Farscape Best Scifi Series Ever?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">AT, you must have missed my post awhile back that stated that according to the TV guide in my paper, there will be a Farscape mini to wrap everything up; plus, a 13 episode commitment to BAttlestar Galactica will be coming out also. No dates were mentioned, though.