The Ultimate Guide to Television: your sci-fi faves

[John_S]

Back in 1985, would anyone here have seriously entertained the thought that TV science-fiction shows were “cool”?

Thought not! But thanks to re-imaginings, blockbuster budgets and top-draw scripts, sci-fi is now commanding huge viewing figures – and respect. And that means even the old-school programmes are now getting a second, more appreciative look.

For the upcoming Ultimate Guide to Television, we’re going to be celebrating this renaissance - and we need your help.

What are your favourite sci-fi shows? Do you think the likes of Battlestar Galactica and the upcoming Star Trek film have rebooted the genre successfully? Why did sci-fi get such a bad rep until recently?

We’ll publish the top five suggestions in the mag, on-sale Thursday June 4.

The floor is open...

 

[Andrew Everard]

My vote goes to this. String vests, purple wigs an' all...

 

[matthewpiano]

Tom Baker era Dr. Who, without a shadow of a doubt.

 

[The_Lhc]

John_S: Why did sci-fi get such a bad rep until recently?

That's easy, you said it yourself; budget.

I mean look at Doctor Who now and the last series. Ok Sylvester McCoy was an "interesting" choice but the storylines were arguably stronger than any of the new shows are but people laughed at it because it looked so terrible. Now they like it because it no longer looks like the walls of the Tardis are going to fall over at any point, even though the show itself is somewhat vacuous.

But Sci-Fi films have always made money, so it was only a matter of time before Studio Execs realised that if the shows had a bit of cash spent on them they might be able to get some viewers.

It helps that scripts are reasonably decent these days as well

We'll publish the top five suggestions in the mag, on-sale Thursday June 4. The floor is open...

Well if you want to know where to start, then obviously Star Trek: The Next Generation was responsible for starting the renaissance, was it 1987? Took TV Sci-Fi to a different level with film-quality SFX (a decent actor in the lead role helped as well...), opening the door for something like Babylon 5 to get signed.

This was the first show to really make people realise that CGI could work on the small screen AND also introduced the concept of a story arc to the general public (in the States at least, we'd been doing it over here for a while, once Paramount realised how successful the concept was they introduced a story arc to Star Trek: Deep Space 9, which really lifted that show out of the doldrums).

Granted the acting in the first series of Babylon 5 was shocking, but from season 2 when Bruce "Cheesy-Grin" Boxleitner took over in the lead role it really took off. I was on the B5 newsgroups back in those days and the excitement waiting for each new episode was unbelievable, not to mention the fact that the writer and producer J. Michael Strazynski (sp?) used to post to the groups as well, even going so far as to apologise for a Season 4 episode that he'd written whilst suffering from the flu and was, by his own admission, abominable! It makes it easier to put up with when you get that level of interaction from the creators!

After that the genre never looked back, apart from to "re-imagine" all the old series that people claimed to like in the 70s and 80s but can't really remember much about. Mind you not all of them work, Flash Gordon anyone? Dreadful...

Sadly I've hardly watched any TV recently, the other half gets fed up if I watch anything I like, and then gets annoyed if I complain because she's watching soaps all the time...

BTW, how will any of us know if the Star Trek film has successfully rebooted the franchise when it hasn't been released here yet?

 

[professorhat]

Buck Rogers and Battlestar Galactica (original series) were my favourites as I grew up. Was Knight Rider sci-fi? Technically it was I think, so I'm gonna throw it out there!

From what I can tell though, sci-fi as a genre still has a pretty bad rep. Sure people like sci-fi films with big explosions, but it would be rare for people to admit they are sci-fi fans. I read a lot of sci-fi and you can tell people regard me as a bit of a geek as a result.

ÿ

 

[John Duncan]

Andrew Everard:My vote goes to this. String vests, purple wigs an' all...

Ooo yeah. I still have nightmares about the episode where they capture a human and stick him in the suit and fill up his helmet with green goop...

 

[John_S]

Great points!

I also think modern sci-fi introduces a lot of grey into the previously black-and-white, good-vs-evil writing style of yore.

Take Joss Whedon's Firefly - criminals as the stars? Crazy! And BSG, with its murderous yet god-fearing Cylons? Just plain intriguing.

I really like the way it's going. It seems as though the TV networks have finally cottoned on to the fact that sci-fi doesn't have to be devoid of human interest, or - heaven forbid - a bit of romance.

As for Star Trek, check this out: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7989146.stm

If even the die-hards like it, I reckon it'll float the popular boat.

 

[Clare Newsome]

I agree that Star Trek: TNG kick-started the recovery (thought the films sucked)

Battlestar Galactica (new version) was awesome.

Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis deserve a mention

I also think it's worth considering how sci-fi has gone mainstream - starting with The X-Files in the 1990s, and followed on by the likes of Heroes. And would you count Lost as sci-fi?

But hey, i'll watch just about anything sci-fi - including Smallville and the so-bad-it's-almost-good Flash Gordon remake....

 

[Andrew Everard]

Gordon's aLIVE!!!

 

[Andy Clough]

Sylar as Mr Spock? Now that is scary.

 

[Anonymous]

Terrahawks sp? with that freaky telekinetic teddy...

 

[The_Lhc]

Fumanchu: Terrahawks sp? with that freaky telekinetic teddy...

That was awesome! Zelda genuinely frightened me when I was a kid!

Yes, mother! <gargle gargle>

 

[The_Lhc]

Clare Newsome: I agree that Star Trek: TNG kick-started the recovery (thought the films sucked)

Ah a couple of them were ok.

Battlestar Galactica (new version) was awesome.

Only got as far as the 3rd series, that took a distinct dip in the middle but picked up again, I just loved the music when it first started, unlike any other series.

Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis deserve a mention

How could I forget SG-1? Mind you only watched 4 series of that as well, but they were the best, that showed that humour could get you a long way, it's the funniest SF show I've watched. Never seen Atlantis though.

I also think it's worth considering how sci-fi has gone mainstream - starting with The X-Files in the 1990s, and followed on by the likes of Heroes.

True, I watched the first two series of Heroes as well and never got round to the rest, I can see a pattern emerging here...

And would you count Lost as sci-fi? SF, Speculative Fiction perhaps.

But hey, i'll watch just about anything sci-fi - including Smallville and the so-bad-it's-almost-good Flash Gordon remake....

Almost, but in the end just so bad it's just bad, Flash Gordon remake. I mean really, he even said "Take that!" when trying to punch robot! And it wasn't even ironic!

Bionic Woman could have worked, if they could have kept the writing and production team together for more than two episodes at a time.

 

[bullitt]

Why 1985 ? dnt get that ! there were loads of stuff before that year.

One of my fav sci-fi programs when i was a kid, was SAPPHIRE and STEEL with the delightfull joanna lumley, i thought it was very under rated, very scary more than Dr WHO !

Current fav shows include Heroes- although can sometimes be confusing other times brilliant, a bit inconsistant.

 

[RTL]

pre-1985, but any votes for Blake's 7?

 

[Anonymous]

gotta be the man from atlantis , now thats web tv

 

[Mr Steve]

To see mankind in a whole new way, 3rd Rock from the Sun - sometimes funny, sometimes hysterically funny

For a somewhat different take, Roswell

 

[Anonymous]

Babylon 5.

As regards the Star Trek canon, my favourite was always Deep Space 9. A bunch of squabbling unfortunates stuck out on an flaky space station at the end of the universe where nothing worked properly. Quite a refreshing change after the slickness of Next Generation.

 

[John_S]

Y'know, I quite liked Deep Space 9, too. It always seems to be regarded as the weird, boring uncle of the Star Trek family - but I thought the massive story arcs were really compelling. It was a nice change of pace.

As for picking 1985, there was no particular reason; it's not a cut-off point. I'm only 30, so I don't really have any frame of first-run sci-fi reference from before then.

I did enjoy watching repeats of Fireball XL5, though!

 

[The_Lhc]

John_S: Y'know, I quite liked Deep Space 9, too. It always seems to be regarded as the weird, boring uncle of the Star Trek family - but I thought the massive story arcs were really compelling. It was a nice change of pace.

I liked it for any number of reasons, not least of which was Andy Robinson, who played Garak (sp?), it was the first thing I'd seen him in since he played Scorpio in Dirty Harry, fantastic actor! I've got a signed photo from him, he wrote "Hubba Hubba Hubba, pig b******!" on it, well chuffed!

It was also the show they seemed to push the boat out on the FX side as well, there was a running war between DS9 and B5 over who could get the most objects on screen at once in a space scene, had been held by Star Wars for years until JMS decided to show Paramount he could do Sci-Fi better than them (they'd turned him down when he pitched B5 to them, then a few months later mysteriously came up with their own show set on a remote space station...), and then it turned into a errr, not sure I can use the expression on here cos it'll get munged, a contest anyway, let's just say that.

As for picking 1985, there was no particular reason; it's not a cut-off point. I'm only 30, so I don't really have any frame of first-run sci-fi reference from before then.

I did enjoy watching repeats of Fireball XL5, though!

ON OUR WAY HOME!!!

 

[oldleodensian]

Farscape!

OK it didn't kick start any sci-fi renaissance, nor did it ever achieve the popular appeal it deserved, but it was one of the best TV series ever.

 

[Anonymous]

Star Trek Voyager (except for Kate Mulgrew - she has such an annoying voice!)

 

[Anonymous]

ValianTX:Star Trek Voyager (except for Kate Mulgrew - she has such an annoying voice!)

Actually I kind of liked her...

 

[Cofnchtr]

Hi,

Not sure which programme started the new revolution...

Remember fondly - Space 1999, Blakes 7, Joe 90, The Thunderbirds (puppets), Captain Scarlet, Star Trek, Fireball XL5 (have cine film reels to use on reel to reel projector). The Six Million Dollar Man kept me glued to the set, took me a LONG time to get into the X Files but once I was in, it was great. Lost series 1 was good but got 'lost' after season 2. The Outer Limits was another where I was rooted to the seat - anyone remember the Invaders?

Don't want to remember - Dr. Who (now or then), Star Trek (any follow up to the original) except the big screen movies, Babylon 5, Stargate.

Definitely want to watch the new Star Trek film.

Am I showing my age?!?

Cheers,

Cofnchtr.

 

[Andrew Everard]

ValianTX:Star Trek Voyager (except for Kate Mulgrew - she has such an annoying voice!)

...It worked for Katharine Hepburn...