B5 creator writes new Trek treatment.... (1 Viewer)

[Chuck Anstey]

SciFi comedy? Already done on UPN in '96 or '97 about two young guys flying around in "The Hoopty(SP?)" It had James Doohan making regular appearances. It was funny but did not last too many episodes. I do not remember the name and am too lazy to try to find it.

Chuck

 

[Jason Seaver]

That was Homeboys in Outer Space.

There is, of course, also Red Dwarf from the UK.

 

[Rob Gardiner]

Has there ever been a hard science-fiction television series?

THE PRISONER was about social issues. STAR TREK was about social issues, ethical dilemmas, and character drama. THE X-FILES is a combination of modern mythology (UFOs, govt. conspiracies, bigfoot) and Silence of the Lambs-esque police procedural. Most so-called "sci-fi" on TV is really action-adventure in a futuristic setting.

 

[Kevin Grey]

To be fair, Episodes 4-6 hardly did it either.

 

[Kevin Hewell]

They did it well enough to make me care about the characters. That is something that is missing from the first two prequels (with the exception of Obi-won).

 

[Jason Seaver]

StarCops? Maybe Max Headroom, or the late-and-unlamented (by anyone but me, apparently) Century City.

 

[Rex Bachmann]

Mikel_Cooperman wrote (post #55):


I’ll do my usual thing once again: "'Science Fiction' is first and foremost a literature/genre of ideas. That's spelled I-D-E-A-S." I think the point is that, if you don’t care about thinking about anything and just want a standard emotional reaction to some aspect of the "human condition", why go to all the trouble of visiting a "science-fictional" setting? What's the point?

None of that necessarily means that "characterization" is abandoned, just that it's not normally the focus of the story. The focus lies on where it should be, the fantastic event or phenomenon or setting, and whatever implications that has for those inhabiting the story.

If you're not interested in any ideas, then you're not really interested in "science fiction". Period.

 

[Rob Gardiner]

As I said above, Rod Serling and Gene Roddenberry chose to do "science-fiction" so they could slip intelligent & controversial stories past the censors (since sci-fi was considered kiddie fare at the time and subject to less scrutiny than westerns or crime shows or straight dramas). Of course, some episodes of both series do qualify as actual science-fiction.

George Lucas's purpose was to react agains the cynicism of late 60s - early 70s cinema and present a new "mythology" where brave Joseph Campbell-esque hereos prevail over evil. He assumed the audience would more easily relate to a futuristic (Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers) setting than a period setting.

Rex,

Do you know of any hard science-fiction television series?

 

[Jack Briggs]

Rob, I can answer that one: ABC-TV's original The Outer Limits. The best episodes -- notably the Harlan Ellison-scripted "Demon With a Glass Hand" and "Soldier" -- qualify as genuine SF. "Demon" is in my personal ten-best list of all-time SF films.

 

[Yee-Ming]

Yes, actually. And being a 12-yr old at the time (I think) I was a big fan. Of course, in retrospect it was rather campy, but I hardly think it was exactly sitcom-esque. Not even "dramedy" a la Ally McBeal.

Oh well, it's all labels anyway. As long as it's good, people will watch. But that's the catchword, good. I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Rex Bachmann]

An answer to that would depend on what one means by "hard science fiction" (which we won't get into here). And what difference does it make whether I have or haven't? The question I ask is, have the producers of a series labelled "science fiction" striven to sometimes head in the right direction, despite the demands of commercialization of the "product"? Some series may succeed artistically despite the fact that they don't really emphasize the science much at all. Babylon Five, though it has some fantastic concepts that should make Star Trek producers envious, is one of that rare breed, a tribute to JMS's writing skills.

 

[MatthewLouwrens]

It may not be necessary any more to hide controversial subjects inside an SF parallel, we may be able to talk freely about racism or homosexuality or whatever you want now, but that does not mean SF is now an invalid way of discussing these ideas.

 

[Mike Broadman]

Reading this thread and thinking about sci-fi TV, I find that, outside of B5 (my fave show), my favorite eps were were science ideas intersected with the human experience, using the two things people in this thread are talking about to create something wonderful and unique.

Example: Best of Both Worlds
The nature of the Borg is something that can only exist in a science-fiction setting, and it uses science ideas to explain what they are (hive mind communication via subspace, biological/psychological assimilation, etc). When the Enterprise battled them the first time, it was a presentation of a neat sci-fi concept and had cool visuals. But later, when Picard was assimilated, it interjected real human drama (which was fulfilled beautifully by the next episode, where we see that emotional ramifications of the experience). Add to that the awesome acting and screen presence of Patrick Stewart, and it's no wonder why this is a favorite among many, whether they're approaching it from the "science" angle or the "fiction" angle.

B5, as much as I love it, never really did this. They tried a couple of times, like with the movie Thirdspace, and it had no impact.

 

[MatthewLouwrens]

Further on the issue about human drama in science-fiction:
I was reading the page on The Lurker's Guide for Believers, and there is a great quote from JMS on the issue.
Be warned, he doesn't pull any punches.

 

[Rex Bachmann]

MatthewLouwrens wrote (post #71):


Actually,---and I meant to put this in my last post---during the original run of the show in syndication, Mr. Straczinsky was quoted---I believe in The Christian Science Monitor, among other places---as saying that sf is the only avenue left nowadays by which to explore "big" religious (or quasi-religious) and philosophical ideas.

Since he's (mainly) a tv writer, it should come as no surprise to anyone that character interaction is his main concern. I think he's damned good at it.

 

[Rob Gardiner]

Rex,

Just to be clear, my question about hard sci-fi TV series was meant as a legitimate question, NOT as a challenge to your position. I thought if anyone knew of such a series, it would be either you or Jack (who mentioned Outer Limits).

 

[Mikel_Cooperman]

I dont know names of episodes but I saw many episodes of B5 that had an impact, much more than S.T has done since DS9 went off the air.