Badmovies.org Forum

There just isn't very much sci-fi on tv that is of a decent quality anymore.  I think (since I am a star trek fan) that Star Trek Enterprise had really good potential and it was pulled off the air way too fast.  Personally I would have prefered a cast member from Voyager carrying over somehow into the Enterprise series or even a series that goes further into the future perhaps 50 years (or more) from the next gen's era or even into the 25th century.  

I know Blade the series is coming on tv soon, but do we really need a tv series based on the Blade movies?  I thought Buffy the vampire killer killed all the vampires?

Don't even get me started about Stargate.  How many Stargates are they going to make?  A few years ago they brought back the Twilight Zone and I thought it had some excellently written stories very much in tune with the original Twilight Zone as well as the 80's Zone.  

Unfortunately it seems that most viewers now only care about who the next American Idol is going to be or who gets voted off the island instead of stories that might make them think a little bit or open their mind.  

Maybe it's a sign of the times:  everyone just dreams of fame and fortune.   Yet why would anyone want to watch someone else achieve the dream that they themselves yearn for?    Although I criticize, I too am not completely immune to the reality tv craze.  I have watched a season or two of America's Next Top Model but have since gotten bored with it (too repetitive).  I also watched Hell's Kitchen.  That British dude is such a royal (no pun intended) S.O.B.(and yet there is something likeable about the guy)   To see the contestants endure his insults is amazing to say the least.  I myself would want to hit him.

I just think that tv always needs good sci-fi and right now it's so hard to believe that there isn't any.  I have the Sci-fi channel and there's hardly anything on that's decent.

kolchak Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Personally I would have
> prefered a cast member from Voyager carrying over
> somehow into the Enterprise series or even a
> series that goes further into the future perhaps
> 50 years (or more) from the next gen's era


Huh?  How could a character from Voyager carry over when Enterprise was a Prequel (before ToS)? Besides, virtually none of the Voyager characters were remotely likable enough for the fans to want to see them again.

>
> Unfortunately it seems that most viewers now only
> care about who the next American Idol is going to
> be or who gets voted off the island instead of
> stories that might make them think a little bit or
> open their mind.  
>
> Maybe it's a sign of the times:  

It is a sign of the times, but economically not culturally.  The 'reality' shows are dirt cheap to make compared to traditional shows.  Sci Fi has to be on the expensive side, since it typically has more fx or futuristic sets, etc.

ulthar Wrote:
>
> Huh?  How could a character from Voyager carry
> over when Enterprise was a Prequel (before ToS)?
> Besides, virtually none of the Voyager characters
> were remotely likable enough for the fans to want
> to see them again.

Timewarp, your friendly plot device that can explain just about anything.

You could also use this to make Captain Kirk his own father, which would make more sense (despite being an illogical loop) than anything else I have ever heard.

There are actually several good shows on right now. I happen to like both the Stargate's. There is Battlestar Galactica, Dr. Who, The 4400, and the Dead Zone (although not technically SciFi).

SciFi channel has several new shows in the pipe.

As far as Voyager , the only good character that ever had any development was the hologram.

You pretty much answered your own question, Mr. Kolhack, Kohock... Kolchak (I love that one). People don't care, and thus the stories wither and die. People have to put effort into something like that for it to live, and without them, it withers.

Voyager characters? Come on now....I would've been all over Janeway...that dirty little...oh...uh...ok, so I'm not too picky.

Andrew Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You could also use this to make Captain Kirk his
> own father, which would make more sense (despite
> being an illogical loop) than anything else I have
> ever heard.

Didn't that happen to Lister on red Dwarf? I have a vague recollection of something like that.

I agree that Enterprise was a good show. I liked that Trek was trying to get back to its roots with that one, which is why I don't think a show set further into the future would have been any good. The future in TNG was already getting too squeaky clean. In TOS, space was a much more dangerous place, and people were generally less enlightened, not to mention that problems were not always solved by a combination of technobabble and sanctimonious lectures. I liked Enterprise, because it went back to the original Trek universe, but at an earlier time, when humans were not leading a mighty starfleet, and everything was much more dangerous. The further Trek got from its roots, the more the adventure suffered. Not that they didn't try, by adding wars and one new hostile race after another, but it just didn't work for me. For me, each new Trek series was less interesting than the one before it -- until Enterprise. Sad that too few people would give it a chance.

Of course, one thing I think was even hurting Enterprise was the damned story arc that every show since Babylon 5 seems to require. I like a show with good stand-alone episodes, that can be watched in any order, and missed occasionally. That's one of the reasons I don't bother with today's SF shows. If you don't start a show at the first episode, it's hard to get into it. If you stop watching for a while, it's hard to get back into it. And if you're not prepared to set aside that hour every week and follow the show religiously, you might as well not bother. That's why I stopped watching B5, DS9, Voyager, Stargate and other shows, and why I don't even bother with others. You can't be a casual viewer. You're expected to tune in every week and wonder when this character and that character will finally get together, or whether so-and-so's dirty secret will be revealed or some such crap. SF TV has turned from adventure into freaking soap operas.

Give me back the days when nothing could happen in an episode that would alter the show beyond that episode (barring an actor leaving or the show changing direction). In the original Trek (or almost any series prior to the 90s), everything would be back where it started at the end of the episode, as far as the recurring characters were concerned. Next week, it would be forgotten. You could pick any episode and watch it. Today, you just can't do that.

I agree.  I really like the stargate series.  And I used to watch firefly before it was cancelled.  But you are right about reality TV killing television.

Set a Star Trek a hundred or two years beyond NG et al., with the Federation disintigrating and rival factions competing for control of various sectors and strategic planets.  Not necessarily a shooting civil war, but perhaps some skirmishes.

Unfortunately, Firefly suffered from bad timing.  Not showing the pilot first didn't do much to help it either.  The movie was good though.  There is going to be a mass charity screening of Serenity on or near June 23rd (Joss Whedon's birthday) with all the proceeds going to charity.  If there is enough response, it may help promote the idea of a second movie.

Another good series that didn't last because of incorrect order of broadcast was Space Rangers.  They only aired four episodes and showed them 4 3 2 1, rather than pilot first.  Anybody remember it?

And of course, Space Above and Beyond never got the following it deserved.  It was a great show with an interesting ensemble cast....

The only sci-fi show I'm watching right now is 'Dr. Who'. I only wish that it weren't on SciFi, because SciFi has become more and more and even more lame. They are even now showing wrestling! WTF?!?

The sci-fi of Dr Who?  was always lame.  The cheese factor was part of the charm.  Sadly, I cannot bring myself to watch the new Dr Who, or the new Night Stalker...

IMHO this continuation of Dr. Who is still cheesy as hell, despite the amped up budget.

Cheese has always been part of the appeal of Dr. Who.

As far as wrestling on SciFi, I could care less, I just don't watch it. This is probably NBC meddling around with their schedule. NBC aquired Vivendi Universal last year which means they own SciFi and USA, as well as Bravo and the new Sleuth channel (all mystery and cop show reruns).