Whither sci-fi on TV?

Chat about anything you like - within reason!
Matt Darcy
Posts: 164
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2002 1:28 pm

Whither sci-fi on TV?

Post by Matt Darcy »

To skip a little back to the top, I think the trek franchise could go on for ever as long as timelines are followed and continuity flows from series to series, eg: the next generation visited DS9 a few times, introduced characters and locations, then was faded out and the DS9 took over, Voyager set off from DS9 from its first mission thus passing the gauntlet. I don't think that series have to appear in each other like this, but reference each other so that the die hard fans have a MASSIVE story line to follow (in voager they referenced picards return from the borg when saving Seven of 9) and Bashir references Data loads through out DS9 etc etc and have good individual plots for each episode to keep occasional fans watching. Enterprise broke the rules here, because it is set in the past it can't reference the other 3 series, 4 (including TOS) yet it has to set the rules for the other 3 series to "happen" eg: it can't visit Romulas as the star empire had not yet been born, but if it introduces a new "big power" it has to kill it completly as it will not be referenced in TNG. The series should just continue to move on, its a winning formula in the same way the films incorperate the series (in Nemisis Janeway is an admiral as she is back from the delta quadrent) this is why Enterprise is not working as it should be, go back to the winning formula, there is life in the old dog yet.
FZeroOne
Posts: 419
Joined: Tue Aug 20, 2002 1:42 pm

Whither sci-fi on TV?

Post by FZeroOne »

I think Enterprise has got problems if they do many more episodes like the one I saw last night; the script was only just above the level of a Buck Rogers episode! Its really strange, because the episode I saw before that was pretty good... I think possibly the Trek franchise needs some fresh blood into the creative process; Farscape has shown what can be done by thinking outside the box... ( its also been pointed out that DS9 was able to turn being "confined" in one location into an advantage, in that the writers had to find something for the characters to do; Enterprise seems to have quite a few ship-based episodes - apparently for budgetery reasons - but it seems like rather a waste of the concept... )Chnaging back to Spaced, Andt, there was a TV critic in the newspaper the other day who was complaining that nothing as observant or as sharp as The Simpsons has been produced by British TV in the past ten years - well, I think we both know at least one...!
"The power of bakers, the power of artists; even the power of witches! It must be a power given by God... sometimes we suffer for it."- Ursula, Kikis Delivery Service.
AndyThomas
Posts: 1706
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2001 12:42 am
Contact:

Whither sci-fi on TV?

Post by AndyThomas »

That's an interesting observation, Matt. There's a lot to be said for continuity between spin-offs - Angel and Buffy have had some clever and simple crossovers just involving phone calls. A lot of the longer running modern series become quite self-referential as well of course - I smiled watching Stargate the other day when Teal'C said he'd learned to drive in the 60s, for example. They've obviously got a good series bible there.As you say, though, Enterprise has got real problems and while it's a clever idea to go right back it's inevitably left it isolated in some ways. With all the time-based shenanigans going on you can just see the reset button lurking in the background. The flip side is that if they try and set something in the film chronology, it's getting to the point where the technology is so advanced that any threat is just getting laughable. Plus they've already done shows on ships, lost ships, stations, stations with war ships... Sulu was once rumoured to get his own series set on the Excelsior, which would have fitted the existing timeline better, but despite fan efforts we ended up with Enterprise...
Andy Thomas - SFXB Webmaster and Forum Moderator
AndyThomas
Posts: 1706
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2001 12:42 am
Contact:

Whither sci-fi on TV?

Post by AndyThomas »

Hi Babbit, welcome to the forum. Firefly is one of those almost-was series - penned by none other than Buffy/Angel creator Joss Whedon. Unfortunately, if I remember rightly, like Space Above and Beyond which was created by some of the X Files creative team Firefly only lasted for a single season - but the ads on sci-fi suggest that we'll see all the episodes actually made, whereas on US TV they may only have shown half a season.
Andy Thomas - SFXB Webmaster and Forum Moderator
AndyThomas
Posts: 1706
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2001 12:42 am
Contact:

Whither sci-fi on TV?

Post by AndyThomas »

Well, interesting would certainly be a word to describe it. Not necessarily the word I'd use myself, but...! No, in fairness, I've only seen the one episode but it didn't jump into my "must watch" list on that basis. I got the impression that the writers were trying a little too hard to make it clear that they were into the comics - including a reference to someone's spider-sense tingling. I'm surprised they got away with that reference in a series that's about DC/WB characters. Still, I should reserve judgment until it's settled in - although I don't think it was the longest-lived of shows. Which reminds me, I caught some second season Andromeda today which as fluff sf goes is still quite entertaining.
Andy Thomas - SFXB Webmaster and Forum Moderator
User avatar
Crash
Posts: 1920
Joined: Mon Sep 09, 2002 8:16 pm
Location: EDF Moonbase
Contact:

Whither sci-fi on TV?

Post by Crash »

oh! watch out. That sounded like a bad word against Andromeda. Has anyone noticed that Enterprise is getting marginally better than how it started out? The folks at school are waiting for the new episode featuring the borg to get screened. That could either be very good or very, very poor (fingers crossed).
Dream big and bold and daring.
AndyThomas
Posts: 1706
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2001 12:42 am
Contact:

Whither sci-fi on TV?

Post by AndyThomas »

Mmm. Either way, to resort to pulling the Borg out is a fairly desperate ratings winning attempt. I know there's justification for it (just about) but even so... As for Andromeda, I'm moderately neutral - it is what it is, at the end of the day. It's a bit like the A-Team meets Buck Rogers and Battlestar Galactica. If you have a problem, if no-one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire - the Andromeda Ascendant!
Andy Thomas - SFXB Webmaster and Forum Moderator
Post Reply