11 comments

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  Lobo

  1 year ago

  Some of theses shows were just a victim of being in the wrong place at the wong time
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  Anthony

  1 year ago

  I think another problem was that some of these shows were out of place for the networks they were on. Look at what happened with Space Above and Beyond, Firefly, John Doe, and Dark Angel. They were all Fox shows that didn't perform up to network expectations.
  But when you look at Fox programming, a science fiction series doesn't fit in with the network's overall personality. Fox leans towards action and reality shows. What that tells me is that the Sarah Conner chronicles is doomed for failure if it has too much science fiction and not enough action.
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  Lobo

  1 year ago

  I think it Fox should get credit for trying more genere shows than anybody else. Which also means they are going to cancel more. At least they try. I would argue that they tattempt to air more genre shows than most networks. You also have take into to consideration, hat fox has less primetime programming hours than most than the big three Look at this list of shows.
  
  The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (1993-1994)
  Alien Nation (1989-1990) - they really should remake this one
  Dark Angel (2000-2002)
  Encounters (1993)
  Firefly (2002)
  FreakyLinks (2000-2001)
  Harsh Realm (1999-2000)
  The Lone Gunmen (2001)
  M.A.N.T.I.S. (1994)
  Millennium (1996-1999)
  Night Visions (2001)
  Point Pleasant (2005)
  Sightings (FOX/1992-1996)
  Sliders (1995-2000)
  Space: Above and Beyond (1995–1996)
  The American Embassy (2002)
  The Visitor (1997-1998)
  Tru Calling (2003-2005)
  VR.5 (1995)
  Werewolf (1987)
  The X-Files (1993-2002)
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  Anthony

  1 year ago

  I agree, but look at the dates of some of those shows. Outside of point pleasant and tru calling, Fox hasn't had any success with genre shows on the network for a few seasons. I give them credit for having tried more, but much of their shows suffered from a lack of marketing and sports preemption. I think that Fox has sort of established a personality and an expectation from their audience.
  
  Maybe those viewers they captured with shows like Millenium and X-Files have found their fix elsewhere, like Sci-Fi, USA, and NBC which all have had success with genre shows.
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  Target10

  1 year ago

  These shows were either very bad (you know which ones) or didn't tow the ideology line. Rupert M and his ilk has his version of reality that you have to conform with or no air time gets doled out. Art can act cleverly subversive (Millennium and the great Firefly).
  
  It's about power, money and making you think what the boardroom Yallies and Hardvard douchebags think you should think and what culture to have.
  
  Stimulating your imagination makes it difficult to insert those cultural phrases and images of consumer products, so they sell less burghers or cars. They need you blank. It works. Have it Your Way, Where's the Beef, Oh What a Feeling, Ho Ho Ho Green Giant, I'm Lovin' It, Zoom Zoom
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  Bedlam

  1 year ago

  Art has historically been criticized by some as subversive. You won't get an argument about that from me. However, that's a very cynical view of not only television and all forms of media, but it's a bleak view of the world. I agree that consumerism and capitalism drive much of the innovation that occurs in the world. I do believe we will one day be the world depicted in Rollerball, the 1975 version, ruled by corporate interests and mega-conglomerates.
  
  The point of this list is that these shows were good. There were many other shows that were terrible that were rightly canceled, sci-fi or otherwise. That being said, many of these shows were more or less entertainment for the masses. No more than the Gladiatorial combats of the age of Pax Romana. These shows were canceled because not enough people were being entertained to be a target for commercial interests.
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  jeqal

  1 year ago

  Crusades was bad, the dialogue was stilted, and there were serious issues with the characters. I never liked the doctor that they used, she just wasn't tough enough for me to believe she would not have caved under. There were some fun moments but after trying to rewatch it again, forget it.
  Space Above and Beyond (SAAB) was the best written show I have ever seen, I just rewatched it and am annoyed that I can't see more episodes. Needs to be remade but god help us don't cast these "walking dead" female actresses as leads it won't fly.
  Notice how Star Trek borrows from B5 and how Firefly borrowed from SAAB.
  Firefly is my second best written sci fi show.
  Trek is wonderful of course but I mean, too many neat bows without enough string to make sense of how they did it. (Why are there merchants if there is no money and there are no need for merchants with replicators and some biomass, heck in the time frame they are in 20 and 21st century dumping grounds would be enough to fuel at least 1000 years of replicators, who needs the rations).
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  Bedlam

  1 year ago

  I find it hard to go along with how Star Trek borrowed from B5 when it seems to me that the opposite was true. Also, Crusades wasn't as bad as it seemed considering that it was a follow-up to one of the most popular Sci-Fi shows in history.
  
  To me SAAB was the best show on this list, but Crudades would have been even better had it been given time to grow. It probably would have been more fair to have them as 1 and 1A. And Firefly probably shouldn't have been ranked as high as it was considering that they had 4 or 5 seasons plus a fairly successful movie to flesh out characters and stories.
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  jeqal

  1 year ago

  The way that Star Trek particularly Voyager borrowed from B5--spotted creatures (Neelix) American Indian (Chicote), Women having strong personalities and leadership roles, there
  was a lot more logic behind B5 then Star Trek, the Star Trek one shots are disconcerting in comparison with a logical story arc that has arcs inside that complete and move into another episode. Much nicer to watch via DVD then Trek is.
  The time frames were close, TNG was well before any of the others, but Voyager began in the middle of B5 and DS9 ran during the same time frame. B5 began in 1993, the show being picked up then had a run til 1999. The use of the
  
  although B5 did assemble a who's who of other sci fi shows. June Lockhardt (who stole the show during her appearance imo), Will Robinson, Checkov, the kid from the Partridge Family, The second assistant doctor (Sugar Dirt communications officer on the Saratoga), Crusades thief had various cameo appearances here before Crusades, Dude from a few cult shows was the mimbari who sacrificed himself for Delenn, the list goes on, and don't forget Nurse Nancy (Mrs Roddenberry herself who made a guest appearance on the show), also the voice of chucky and serial murderer betazoid seen in Voyager was a serial killer turned monk in B5.
  
  "I find it hard to go along with how Star Trek borrowed from B5 when it seems to me that the opposite was true"
  What elements do you think are borrowed from Trek?
  " Also, Crusades wasn’t as bad as it seemed considering that it was a follow-up to one of the most popular Sci-Fi shows in history."
  
  The writing in Crusades is pretty tough to get through, it shows in how the characters had to act. Also the Doctor was terribly miscast in this show. I would have liked a darker anthropologist too. It did falter in it's story line, but it was better than nothing, however, it is the one DVD set that I have not been able to get through twice, despite generous use of the fast forward. I liked using the thief in the episode where they find the other sentient species who had been infected with a plague like the Drak plague. And the air scooter chase was a great visual effect.
  
  "To me SAAB was the best show on this list, but Crudades would have been even better had it been given time to grow. It probably would have been more fair to have them as 1 and 1A. And Firefly probably shouldn’t have been ranked as high as it was considering that they had 4 or 5 seasons plus a fairly successful movie to flesh out characters and stories."
  
  Firefly only had one season 2002, which shows how truly great it was. I was not fond of the actress who played the companion in FF otherwise it was a flawless cast. Jayne was incredibly good.
  
  The only thing that might have saved Crusades is killing off the Doctor and putting in there a woman who actually seemed to understand the pressures she was under, I had a better feeling that she devoted more time to pedicures and manicures and her hair and make-up and tidying up then she did to any type of scientific endeavor. Really hated her on Mars side, the first episode where she tries to act tough was incredibly bad.
  Her attempts at physical fighting was worse than Lyta trying to punch a guy out mars side.
  
  I think the rest of the characters were salvageable as long as someone could come in that looked like a regular Joe and actually had a sense of what the hell was going on back in earth, instead of posturing.
  
  So often we go along with female character casting because well that is how it is, but it doesn't make it good and it doesn't make for a rewatchable show or series. Which leads me to top worst actresses in sci fi of all time. (not that the actress herself is bad but how the producers make her behave in the role is bad)
  
  3) Counselor Troi (did Picard ever get the stick out of his rear long enough to listen to any advice she ever had as a telepath that wasn't already painfully obvious to the rest of the crew?) I cheered when I thought they had killed her off in one of the movies (Now as an actress she is known as the nicest sweetest blah blah blah, ok that's great but still)
  
  2) I'm putting the Trill from DS9 on this because there is no way in holy hell anyone is going to convince me that a Klingon would marry someone who has been a man period. I stopped watching Ds9 after their romance, and I thought the romance between he and counselor Troi was laughable, (blech)
  
  1) Red Sonja Brigette whatever, nuf said
  
  4) The Doctor from Crusades -- her voice was so polite one wondered if as she was yelling at someone, that someone didn't just filter in a noise control that raised the volume only.
  
  5) The Dr. from TNG Crusher -- she made no sense at all except as a former friend of Picard and someone who could tap dance really well. She would have been dead within the first three years if she had been left to wonder nicely along in alien worlds.
  
  6) Whoever the hell the playgirl bunny was that Sorbo cast to replace Romy in Andromeda
  &7) Kevin Sorbo in Andromeda, let the women have their damn roles, you don't have to be everyone you wussy.
  
  Best Actresses in the roles that they played.
  
  1) 7 of 9 -- my favorite Voyager episode is the one where she is in charge of the stasis units everyone is put into.
  
  2) Captain Janeway, her performance as a captain was the best in the Trek franchise with the exception of Kirk, she went beyond best actress and is in my top sci fi actors.
  
  3) Shane from SAAB, I do think someone without as many mannerisms would have been better but she was believable as Shane.
  
  4) The entire female cast of Farscape including the bit players. Chiana was outstanding, the episode where she slept with her lover's son and was caught was one of the most memorable and classic Chiana bits.
  
  5) River from Firefly, usually I really dislike the "I am a twig and can kick ass" hollywood females of the walking dead, but she was just eerily on point with her lines.
  
  6) the Thief from Crusades, that really could have been a fun character given more time to develop with a more frictioned group on the ship.
  
  7) Romy and the Sun Avatar, they were pretty incredible until Kevin Sorbo (spit on ground) decided he could write and ruined their characters on the show. Whoever the new Romy was that Sorbo created for his dabble into porn on the sci fi network, go into the worst actress list.
  
  8) I am going to mention Kes because the actress did a phenomenal job with her, I personally never liked the role of Kes but I do think that the actress who portrayed her was phenomenal. I always hoped to see her in something else.
  
  9)There are a lot of good female actresses actually.
  
  10) Ivanava from B5 she added much needed humor to the show and was a memorable character.
  
  I know I'm going to miss someone I love but ce la vie
  
  The Bjorn on TNG and the Doctor who was in TOS and replaced Crusher for a few months added much needed tension on TNG and really made the show interesting for me while they were on.
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  jeqal

  1 year ago

  Delenn until the 5th season where she fell into a sort of limbo of the actress lost deal. But she also said one of the most memorable lines in sci fi.
  
  "no earth ships who have ever faced a Membari war cruiser in battle has lived to tell about it save for one, he is behind me, you are before me............................ be someplace else.
  
  and they all turn tail and run hehe.
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  jeqal

  1 year ago

  Top Characters.
  1) the captains sidekick in Firefly is one of my favorite all time characters. The Actress should have made it in my top five actress category list.
  
  2) 7 of 9, a vulnerable woman who has metal viruses in her blood stream that help her kick butt without flinching, yeah gotta love that. will tack on the borg to this.
  
  3) Captain Kirk, Scotty, Spock, Ahura, the Dr. Et al. I took Ahura out of top actress spot because it wasn't fair to everyone else. But she would have been in the top 5.
  
  4) The Undead from LEXX and forgot about the lizard slave from that series she too should have made it in my top 5.
  
  5) The entire cast of Farscape although Crichton did get annoyingly shrill in the last episodes. I often wondered if that was because he was the copy instead of the original.
  
  6) The Nietschean (original) from Andromeda, kind of a combo of Dr. Smith meets Coolio and becomes a greek god.
  
  7) the Invitros from Space Above and Beyond, will put in an honorable mention for the captain of the saratoga because of his guitar playing and introduction of a self into the show.
  
  8) Talon from Earth the final conflict
  
  9) the Dreaming Creatures from Earth 2
  
  10) The Avatars from Andromeda
  
  11) Starbuck from Battlestar Gallactica, she pulled off the role of Starbuck totally she should have made it in my top 10 female roles.
  
  12) Gkar -- and Londo, the entire run of B5 they were awesome.
  
  13) Reevers from Firefly, they were scary.
  
  14) Thief from Crusades was a character I would have liked to have seen again in another show.
  
  15) The Great Machine from Epsilon 3
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