Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Meh, I just figure they get bored. Hollywood is always very interested in generating buzz for their movie by hireing TV stars opposite their favorite cinematic standbys.

Maybe some actors, producers, media moguls and other people just like killing TV shows to show how powerful they are.

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Great acting is always relative in Sci-Fi TV... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yes, is great acting reporting to Sci-Fi (not like Hamlet) http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

I have the solution!

Get 5 sci-fi shows from writers all across the nation, put them under vigorus Effects test and private paneling, then showcase them in front of a jury and let the viewers choose what they want!

Le's call it Starwars-Wannabe!

... nah. can't do that. Won't make enough money.

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

hi

just my opinion but the original outer limits,

who can take any sci-fi seriously where the aliens all talk like american yuppies,

i thought star trek had to be the one of the dummest shows ever.
harlan ellison said they managed to screw up the few episodes he wrote for them.

outer limits was very fresh and original then and still hold up well.

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

Canuk:

Try the newsgroup

rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated

It has a pretty knowledgable and loyal following. You can find out the answers to most or your B% questions.

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

Just finished watching tonights episode of 'Firefly'. I havn't laughed that much in a loonnng time. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif Man this is a fun show.

Anyone else liking this show at all (was kinda fuzzy on the second ep I saw but this third one has me really liking the characters).

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

I like Firefly so far. Some people think it's too much "Western" and not enough "Science Fiction".

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

I'm kinda disturbed bu the huge lack of racial diveristy on the show.... of course, most sci-fi series are that way to avoid pissing off the demographics....

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">That's the first I've heard that particular criticism; I don't see it. Two regular characters are African-American, and I'm uncertain of the ethnicity of the "companion" character (I'm terrible with names). There were Asians and an Eastern European in the first episode, and I'm told that the language the characters sometimes shift to is some dialect of Chinese.

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

Unfortunatley, I still haven't seen an episode of Firefly. I'd like to see it before Major Tom's prediction comes true. I only got to see one episode of The Lone Gunmen, and was disappointed when it was cancelled. Hopefully that will be released on DVD soon. Anyway, Major Tom is right about Friday nights. Even if I am home, rarely is the remote control in my hand, and as I've stated before, my wife isn't a sci-fi fan. So I don't get much opportunity to watch any of these sci-fi shows. The only exception is Enterprise, because my wife knows I'm a Trekkie and I won't be denied my dose of new Trek. I still haven't seen a complete episode of Andromeda, just snippets, so I can't make a judgment there. I finally saw my first episode of Mutant X the other day, and not being a big X-Men reader (don't get me wrong; I loved the movie, but I just don't read too many Marvel comics. I'm a DC fan from way back), I couldn't really get into it since I didn't who these characters were. I'm just glad we do have all of these choices, because for those to young to remember the 70's and 80's, we didn't have much of a selection to watch sci-fi or fantasy. And if a show did exist, it usually didn't Last too long. There were exceptions, like the Six Million Dollar Man, which Lasted 5 or 6 seasons. And the Incredible Hulk, which Lasted almost as long. But most shows, like V, Battlestar Galactica, etc., just didn't Last too long. At least networks are now willing to gamble and create a sci-fi series. Hell, you don't know how long I wished for a channel like the Sci-fi channel. It's still a disappointment, because it looks like suits are running the show and there are a heck of lot of shows that could be on there that are not. And I just wish they would get rid of Crossing Over. That is not even in the neighborhood of science fiction, yet it's on and wasting the time slot that could have a Star Trek episode, or a (original) Twilight Zone episode or some other real sci-fi show.

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

" I'm kinda disturbed by the huge lack of racial diveristy on the show "

Not a flame but....

Don't see this as a problem considering the show has a mixed race couple which I don't remember being a staple of T.V. these days. That and it's still the first few episodes we have been shown (actually the latest one was supposed to be the 7th episode, Fox just messed with the numbering again...). Joss's other shows (Buffy, Angel) have a history of being very diverse in their casts (blacks, hispanics, Lesbians, Wicca in 'Non-Satanic' roles, women in the 'power role'), I mean the whole theory behind 'Buffy' was the point of the man (Luke Perry) being the 'Damsel in Distress'.

At least it seems natural, not like Star Trek where they sometimes did things to make a point (and to the point of being preachy). (IMO...sometimes).

Edit, just a sidebar but I seem to remember a sci-fi book (or show, can't recall which one) where they said that in the far future, with the continuing 'mixing' of human races (inter marring etc) that most likely the human race would have a 'blended' look. With the most prominant features being vaguely oriental (or dark skinned) since the human population is dominant in that side in shear numbers (ie, China and the '3rd' world countries.). Esp with their prediction that once China is thrust into the 'current age' it will become a major super-power. Wish I could remember what series this was...think it might have been a 'Battletech' novel or something.....ah well, too many tangents again http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif

[ October 07, 2002, 03:33: Message edited by: Deathstalker ]

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

I'm hoping that it does start to show more ethnic Groups, many sci-fi shows have been narrowing down and even editing out some of the other ethnic Groups represented.

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

One other point, I am actually quite excited by this season of T.V. Don't really watch much but I find myself seeing some really good shows (and a few of them are actually 'sci-fi' http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif )

Ones I'm looking forward to (no particular order)

Buffy,
Angel,
Haunted (quite strong, X-Files meets 6th sense)
Birds of Prey (bring on The Batman!! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif )
Firefly
C.S.I (not that horrible Miami one, ugh!)
Crossing Jordan (though the new beginning is pure crap!)
Smallville (if I can actually find it on when I'm not working!!)

heh, non-computer time, who'd a thunk it http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

I actually really liked the Last Firefly. It was well written, acted, and had some humour. However, I hope that they don't keep on pushing cowboys in space. Seeing the 'cowboy planet' where everything is completely 1880's, down to the music, really detracted the possibility for reality. I read an article by Joss, who said that he is not including alien life, because he does not believe that there is alien life out there... But we will revert our society to copy the late 19th Century in the US West exactly...

However, leave it to me to finally really like a show and find that it is cancelled. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

The lineup this year has a lot of potential winners, and a lot of losers.

Shield looks good (even though it is HBO or something)

Boomtown as well

Buffy and Angel are still on the decline, and getting absurder and absurder. The School gets destroyed by a big worm, and there are still those in denyal... I guess we will have to see how this series ends, maybe Buffy will start fighting Vampires again, instead of Robots, Giant Worms, Gods, Computer Geeks and various ugly demons.

Birds of prey reminds me of this horrid show, I think it is called Black Scorpion, or something like it. I have not watched this yet, as I am not that desperate to watch TV.

If you like C.S.I., I would recommend you to get a hold of some episodes of "DaVinci's Inquest", a Canadian production based out of Vancouver. The funny thing about C.S.I. Miami is that a substantial number of the cast are individuals who left successful TV shows and failed in their solo TV and movie careers. The next member of the CSI Miami crew will be someone from Seinfeld.

Crossing Jordan has let me down for another year. Competing against all of those new forenzic shows (C.S.I. #1 and #2, DaVinci's Inquest, as well as Monk), this show is not individual enough to Last. Unfortunately there was nothing else worthwhile on after Third Watch Last year.

Haunted is probably the only Television show on in a while that actually made me jump in my seat. I am amazed that nobody has tried to do this yet on TV.

Smallville, now there is a total winner. It is on at the same time as Buffy here, and I am constantly drawn to watch it as it is still early in the series to be fresh, new, and with great writing.

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

I don't necessarily see the need to change the cast of Firefly, as you cannot necessarily include everyone from every type of individual, or else you would need a cast of hundreds.

There are 4 Girls and 5 Guys, so it is gender equal. Even still, 3 of the Girls and 3 of the Guys look to posess 'strong' personalities, so it will not be a show where the guys do everything to save the girls.

There are 2 African Americans, 6 European Americans, and 1 Canadian. Try to pick out who? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

To add an Oriental would be the next obvious choice, possibly a Hispanic, but would that really increase the demographics? I watch the show "Sex and the City", even though there are no lead male roles. I don't necessarily believe that every show must have equal demographics with its main cast. However, should the minor cast (i.e., eposidic cast or frequent guests) not represent a realistic demographic, then there is something up. You might not have a major character being White when you are dealing with an African-American family sitcom, but you do have reocurring characters who are.

I feel that Firefly will probably continue with the introduction of different cultures intermixing in space, hopefully not representing itself in a total historic context (like the US 19th Century west!!!!!).

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

How about we start a re-launch of Seaquest DSV?

From what I remember, that was a fine a piece of entertainment...

[ October 07, 2002, 06:39: Message edited by: Captain Kwok ]

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

All I'd like to see is more ethnic Groups on the series overall, not as the leading roles. Give the show a bit more diversity.

As for Seaquest, HELL NO! I don't want to StarTrek the Next Generation under water.

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">It has just ran its 3rd Episode, so I think that in time the will be able to do this. Realistically, when individuals emigrate to other places they tend to do it with people they are familiar with, who tend to be from their same culture, so you will probably expect to find many ethnically restricted planets.

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I was being sarcastic...

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

You don't joke about the bastard child of StarTrek:TNG and 20,000 Leagues.

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Just what the future needs. La Terre Francaise.

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Just what the future needs. La Terre Francaise.</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Either that or every planet is populated by.....

AMERICANS!! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

Only if you're lucky http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/tongue.gif

If you're not, we might end up with (blindly spins globe to find a country to descriminate against) OCEANIAIANS!

hmm, all those tourism dollars must translate into a sizeable budget for space travel, in the future. either that, or they are the only survivors when the rest of us nuke each other in 1995. Oh wait, that didnt happen. DARN YOU, SARAH CONNER!

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

Ooh, there's an idea: a show set in the universe of Keith Laumer's "Corps Diplomatique Terrestrielle" (or however it's spelled).

Probably have to be animated; most of the alien races Retief encountered weren't even vaguely humanoid.

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

Now here is a serious, but mute, complaint about FireFly. Why haven't we scene more alien enviroments. Sure planets will develop along similar lines, but at different rates and try different things naturally. The argument against this is that humans like to extinct native species and move our own junk it.

Eviction of the weakest indeed...

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">The biggest problem with creating exciting aliens and alien environments is COST. Unfortunately our favourite Sci-fi shows rarely have large enough audiences to bring in that kind of money.

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

my main complaint about sci-fi shows, especially Star Trek, is that everyone knows the same language. I know on Star Trek the universal translator is supposed to be on and that's why everybody understands each other on a first contact situation. Bull!! If the computer has never encountered the language before, how can it understand it? At least on Enterprise they're trying to show how it's supposed to be done when encountering a race for the first time. I just wish more of these shows would pay attention to that kind of detail.

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

Well, if you have a galaxy chock full of aliens, then;
1) Many Languages would be derivatives of others, and thus fairly easy to extrapolate to.
2) You meet a race, exchange language knowledge, and then both your translators will work with many races you haven't met yet. Meet one of these new races, and do the same thing. Pretty soon you have all the translation info for the major races, and most of the minor ones too.

There were a few episodes on untranslatable Languages, and some where the delay for sampling & extrapolation was critical to the plot.

[ October 09, 2002, 20:12: Message edited by: Suicide Junkie ]

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

Tonights "Enterprise" proved to me that they are just going to the old enemies of TNG, VOY and DS9. I was thrilled when they were talking to the Telerites, the guys who disappeared after TOS, but then was dismayed to realize by the end of the episode that all they are doing is to reintroduce another group of dangerous enemies, that got really tiresome in Voyager.

I won't give away more for fears of spoiling the episode for someone who has it on TV later in the week.

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">But not many people want to site through a show that is potentially half-subtitles. Nor do the producers/writers/etc want to come up with a new alien language every week. I'm willing to suspend a little disbelief here and there...

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

Dogscoff,

I think the Morman Fanatics http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif would create their own colonies if given the chance. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Personally, i think it is more likely that ethnicity will eventually cease to exist if globalisation continues at its current rate. Space colonisation would probably accelerate the process.

As more and more babies are born with parents of different races, completely white/ completely black/ completely {insert ethnic grouping here} people will become more and more of a minority compared to the growing group of mixed heritage somewhere-in-the-middles. Eventually, dozens or hundreds of generations into the future, everyone will be the same colour.

Looking at the proportions of ethnic groupings in the current world population (ie the vast majority of the human race being in China and the 3rd World), you can try to guess at what the final colour of humanity might be. All those white supremacist arseholes are in for a shock http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Granted, loads of people, for whatever reason, find people of their own colour more attractive or at least more available, but eventually globalisation will change this.

This might one day spell and end to racism, which can only be a good thing, but the loss of diversity saddens me. Then again, by that time we'll have the tech to modify our bodies' colour as easily as changing our clothes. Being black or white might one day be nothing more than a fashion statement=-)

It also makes you wonder whether 200 generations ago there might have been racial Groups and genetic features which have been bred out altogether now...

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

I think that there is enough cultural paranioa in just about every society to keep 'the cultures separate'. Look in any society, and 'intermixing' is looked down upon, even in very liberal societies. You can force equality in law, but never force it in thought, unless some brainwashing machine is used, and that would require a lot of quarters.

(on a side note here, I never understood why different types of people are called different 'races', as you do not call a poodle to be of a different race then a schnauzer. Indeed, isn't there just one race of humans? The Human race?)

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

In Toronto, I'm glad to see a lot more inter-racial couples nowadays. It should be really interesting in about 20 years when a lot of the recent immigrant's children begin to move away from a lot of different traditions etc...

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

"(on a side note here, I never understood why different types of people are called different 'races', as you do not call a poodle to be of a different race then a schnauzer. Indeed, isn't there just one race of humans? The Human race?)"

Amen. I just wish more people would realize this, eveyone is human (even lawyers....or tax collectors http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif ). People just put too much emphasis on race (both for and against). We're people. Lets just leave it at that and get on with our lives.

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">There is only one human SPECIES. Race is more like nationality. Of course, some people living in different environmnents have some unique adapatations that are normally not found anywhere else.

Edit: Yes some racial Groups are "extinct". Some ethnic Groups in siberia are now gone, Native tribes were almost entirely killed off, and some of the first nations/ethnicities are gone, hauled off by a stronger power or massacred http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

[ October 11, 2002, 17:56: Message edited by: TerranC ]

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">The pure blood Hawians are few in number. The rest either intermarried or died of disease.

So there are natural forces at work besides one tribe of monkeys beating another one with sticks.

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

I'm living in the South (Florida in particular),and believe it or not, I see a lot of interracial couples. Sure, we got some rednecks down here who probably still have their sheets hanging in the back of their closet, but from what I've seen since I've lived here is that it's not such a big thing anymore.

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

Hate to beat a dead horse, but here in Ontario they just put Farscape on syndication with ANOTHER set of TV stations.

So far, that makes 3 stations showing Farscape in Ontario (all of them are at different points in the series).

We get Farscape on TV on Monday at 8:00pm, Friday at 8:00pm and 9:00pm (twice with 2 different stations showing different episodes) Saturday at 3:00pm and Sunday 2:00pm (however, one Friday, Saturday and Sunday show the same episode).

I really believe that this show is finally taking off, 'Ratings' here are fairly high (as it is given very favorable timeslots). Unfortunately I beleive it will do a 'Star Trek' and really only take off after its cancellation. However, this might lead to what happened with a few other shows.

Star Trek started to go to the movies (possibly the Farscape season finale will be finished in a movie, or made for TV movie).

A Canadian show called Nikita (based off of the French la Femme Nikita) ended after so many years, but the fan base responded with a letter campaign that had them do another 1/2 season to finish off the show right, instead of the quick ending they had before.

So, Farscape may not be saved as it is, but it could come back if it does very well in syndication in different forms (movies, a short season to end the show, or a new series).

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

For those that are interested-

http://www.strangehorizons.com/2002/...farscape.shtml

Re: Best Scifi Series ever, canceled! (OT)
 

Another thing to keep in mind is that every planet is different posing different sets of enviromental challenges. These in turn trigger a degree of evolution.