Top 50 Science Fiction TV Shows 684
pbaumgar writes "Boston.com is running an article discussing their top 50 Sci-Fi TV shows of all-time. What are some of your favorites?" From the article: "Number 10 -'Sliders. 'Sliders' should have been a widespread hit, but it was ahead of its time. The show was about a wiz-kid genius Quinn Mallory, played by Jerry O'Connell, and his band of three companions who slide among Earth's alternate realities. Toward the end of the series, the show quickly slid in quality as three of its stars - O'Connell, Sabrina Lloyd and John Rhys-Davies - departed and were replaced by others. A tragic demise to a fine show." They don't even give a nod to greatest-trek-of-all-time DS9, so I don't know about this list.
Space Above and Beyond (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:DS9??? (Score:5, Interesting)
These days, every episode of Stargate SG-1/Atlantis and Battlestar Galactica (some of the most popular current sci-fi) is based on the entire series up until that point (in fact, the first line in most episodes of SG-1 these days is Chris Judge saying, "Previously, on Stargate SG-1...").
Besides, the soap operatic plot of most sci-fi shows holds up to scrutiny a lot better than most actual soap operas: "I love you, but.... I have amnesia!"
Glaring omission... (Score:1, Interesting)
I don't think I saw Blake's 7 or H2G2 in their either, so it's more a top 50 US Sci-Fi, rather than a general top 50.
Re:Full Listing (Score:5, Interesting)
Red Dwarf
Blake's 7
Battle of the Planets (C'mon, Futurama's in there!)
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
DS9
Lexx
The Prisoner
Seaquest DSV
Stingray
Captain Scarlett
Seems someone's got selective-memoryitis...
Who is number one? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:No Max Headroom? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:"The Invaders" is not on it? (Score:3, Interesting)
I agree with someone above who said that this article was for the purpose of generating traffic, and the list was pretty much pulled out of their ass. That is, it's whatever shows they could remember offhand, with no research whatsoever, and probably by a mainstream TV type rather than a viewer who gravitates toward SF as such.
And mind you, I'm not a purist who says it has to have Science and Social Issues and can't have Fantasy or Whatever -- to me, "Science Fiction" is a broad enough umbrella to cover all these and many more, including a lot of fringe subgenres (yes, folks, The Original Wild Wild West was SF, despite initial appearances. Actually, there have been several SF series set in a Western environment.)
Side thought: one reason some SF series are dull is because they ARE "purist SF" and contain nothing but science and the future, without any concern for who *lives* there.
Futurama got screwed (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:DS9??? (Score:3, Interesting)
Don't get me wrong, Enterprise jumped the shark on occasion (alien Nazis), but at least Enterprise had a little humor, characters with personality, and story arcs about characters you actually cared about. They were just occasionally a little too far-fetched.
DS9, by contrast, when it wasn't devolving into wormhole fantasy and pseudo-spiritual Bajoran mythos crap, could just as easily have happened in 20th century Earth if you substitute the Chunnel for the wormhole and convince the military to fly jets through it. There was nothing futuristic about it. It was just a protracted war with an enemy who was basically evil by design rather than actually a war over something tangible like territory. It's basically the war on terror, only with an even less well-defined objective.
The characters were wooden, the story lines boring, and the whole Dax changeover ranks right up there with the whole baby switching thing. The whole series read like gratuitous verbal masturbation by Berman and Friends. If DS9 is the best Trek has to offer, the franchise should just die now and for all time.
Re:Buffy? (Score:2, Interesting)
Though in their defense, Xena had at least one episode about cloning in modern times. On a similar note, Buffy had the occasional episode that could qualify equally well as science fiction(Robot buffy, the Internet using robot in season 1, etc). Neither were.
Re:Space Above and Beyond (Score:4, Interesting)
Also a little cnfusing is that while they managed to pick up Nowhere Man (which was a surprisingly good show all things considered) they somehow neglected The Prisoner (to which Nowhere Man owes a great deal).
And how exactly does Firefly finish behind Voyager and Xena?
Seems like a real slap dash hodge podge to me.
Jedidiah.
Re:No Max Headroom? (Score:5, Interesting)
Red Dwarf.
Blake's Seven.
Star Cops. I really liked that one from the BBC.
Both series called Probe. Probe from the 80s was written by Asimov no less. I didn't remember Probe from the 70s until I looked up the one from the 80s. It could be redone today.
You also had Time Tunnel from the 60s
I dream of Jeanne! Think about it. It had fantasy, the guy was an Astronaut. It was as much science fiction as say Buffy, or Third Rock. It was also very popular.
And the almost forgotten Planet of the Apes TV series.
And of course a HUGE Hit show that seems to be totaly forgotten from the list... Mork and Mindy!
Six Million Dollar Man (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Outrageous (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Space Above and Beyond (Score:3, Interesting)
It was mature in that there were no ridiculous alien species and warfare was very much a serious business - there was less reliance on rely on flashy special effects and cool guns or technobabble and more focus on conflict and tragic destruction. I remember vaguely the episode "Abandon All Hope" where
It was human in that the main characters were flawed in ways that were fundamental and related to their scarred past. It wasn't the sort of cheap comical character flaws (Roddney McKay in SG:A) which provide for briefly interesting/amusing plot elements but ultimately fail to make up a significant and serious part of the character. In SAAB, these people were struggling with inner demons on a daily (or episodic) basis, and they often made mistakes. The human race as a whole made many mistakes (the AIs, In-Vitros, Season 1 finale) which made viewers question themselves as human beings.
Space: Above and Beyond was mature, it was human, and it was classic in its grittiness. It reminds me of my favorite show of all time, the new Battlestar Galactica, which is at the moment enjoying immense success. Honestly, now that I think about it, I'm led to wonder why SAAB didn't get the same reception. Sure, BSG is far removed in quality from anything we've ever seen before - but SAAB almost shares a cousin-like resemblence to it, at least to my mind.
Re:ranking (Score:3, Interesting)
When Starbuck was presented as a woman that indeed was unique and a good change to make. After listening to the podcast for Pegasus the writers seem to think that it still is original to recast male characters are female characters. The whole story of multiple Boomers, who used to be a male character, also is a great touch because they did something with the character other than changing the sex. The problem that currently exist with the Starbuck character is that it is very little different from the first Starbuck other than sex. It would be nice to see some creativity in regards to the character.
Strong female characters are needed in Science Fiction. Too often we get bouncing boobs on horses or what boils down to girls on trampolines. BSG comes close to these violations much more this second season as compared to the first.
Some good strong female characters from science fiction shows.
Samantha Carter : Stargate SG-1
Delenn : B5
Susan Ivanova : B5
Ensign Ro : ST:DS9
Captain Janeway : Star Trek Voyager
Prisoner Not Sci-Fi? (Score:5, Interesting)
Episode 3 (A B & C) features "dream viewing" technology, something far beyond the grasp of even current technology.
Episode 5 (The Schizoid Man) mentions and Episode 6 (The General) features an advanced AI in charge of predicting complex social patterns and forming brainwashing strategies. It is presented as being capable of answering any question, with the exception of one, insoluble by man nor machine.
Episode 6 also features a concept called "speed-learn," a process by which a person can quickly absorb large amounts of information via a television broadcast. It is presented as giving a full 9-week class in the space of 30 seconds.
Episode 12 (A Change of Mind) fatures a non-invasive form of neurosurgery, using highly focused soundwaves. Although the device is not used on #6, its functionality is demonstrated. Technology such as this did not exist in 1967, and likely does not exist now.
Episode 14 (Living in Harmony) features a combination of hallucinogenic drugs and audio stimuli which produces an impossible effect with any known drugs.
Many elements within the series are used frequently, including implied mind-control rays/beams/lights/sounds which induce instant paralysis, the precise location of The Village, and the unknown function of the teeter-totter device.
And if the final episode (Fall Out) takes place in this universe, I want to know how.
Lexx, Lexx, Lexx, Lexx (Score:4, Interesting)
Time Tunnel, Land of The Giants and The Invaders
There are a bunch of good SciFi series out there that far outranks some of the ones that made the top 50 -
I love Linda Carter as Wonder Woman, but give me a break as SciFi it does not even rate a number IMHO !
Re:Space Above and Beyond (Score:2, Interesting)
Sci-Fi, after all, means Science Fiction - a genre considering the implications of science (both by extending known physical laws, and speculating what would happen under a different set of physical laws) upon individuals and society at large.
Space Above and Beyond closely matches, to my mind at least, a vision of Science Fiction compatible to that posited by masters of the 'golden age' - Asimov, Heinlein, A.C. Clarke, Bradbury, et al., and did a good job of exploring that realm. Too bad it was produced for only one season.
It is interesting to note that ten percent of the listed series (five of fifty) have strong linkage back to Gene Roddenbury's vision - the three Star Trek series, as well as Earth Final Conflict and Andromeda.
Re:Space Above and Beyond (Score:3, Interesting)
I see that resemblence, but in a way BSG has more hope, there is more room for "gee what if". SAAB had a relatively confined, military story, just soldiers trying to get through the war. BSG (not counting pegasus) was dark, but every episode tried to give you hope that, even though your race was killed in a horrific nuclear holocaust, and you were running from an inplacable foe with little or no resources, things were kinda looking up.
That said I still love SAAB more than any series till BSG, but they were short on plot points and heavy on character development, which is great, but not exactly what people tune into sci-fi for (laser guns going
"pyoo-pyoo!", big explosions, fast ships, and klingon boobs?)
It was a bit too real, and seriously depressing, but a great show, sigh.