Sci-fi on TV

**-Stage-** · Mar 2nd, 2011, 02:58:54

This thread reminded me of Fringe, which I watched a few episodes of when it was new then sort of forgot about until a couple weeks ago. It starts out very silly, but builds up an incredible story which defies the tropes normal TV usually goes for. Some of the actors playing characters only in a single episode are just astonishingly good, and while the main cast didn't portray characters that I liked early on (with the exception of the character Walter Bishop, the series' biggest drawcard for me, superb mad scientist), the way they handle some of the really challenging stuff later on (which I can't describe without massive spoilers) impressed the hell out of me. I see some really nice Philip K. Dick, Arthur C. Clarke and Neal Stephenson influences in the story, among others; I think there's some serious nerds behind this show, and the way the series progresses hints to me of the nerds winning a war against the TV execs.

**Wrangeline** · Mar 2nd, 2011, 03:03:58

Lexx anyone?

**Canibaal** · Mar 2nd, 2011, 07:00:28

Its scary to realize that I like watching shows like True Blood , Spartacus. Both have embrassed the dark side of humanity and not to mention the sex(which is completely understandable).

My favorite sci-fi shows are Dr Who and Star Trek TNG/Enterprise. Caprica showed a lot of potential tbh. Scraping that show is a big mistake.

**SSK** · Mar 2nd, 2011, 12:34:17

Space: 1999 was my first sci-fi series I saw and I'm still waiting base on moon

**Tshaar** · Mar 2nd, 2011, 14:34:09

Originally Posted by Wrangeline

Lexx anyone?

Tried watching it a few years ago, wasn't up to the task

a wee bit too crazy for me.
But I'm more then willing to try again after I'm done with Farscape. Guess it broke the "living ship" ice ^^

**Wrangeline** · Mar 2nd, 2011, 17:55:55

Originally Posted by Tshaar

Tried watching it a few years ago, wasn't up to the task

a wee bit too crazy for me.
But I'm more then willing to try again after I'm done with Farscape. Guess it broke the "living ship" ice ^^

Hehe

I first saw a few episodes when I was much younger and it was strange and hard to get into. Strangely interesting though. I guess I made some kind of mental note in the back of my head to watch it properly at a later time.

Then maaany years later I found episodes on youtube and I started watching it again. I watched all episodes and found it to be the most.. "unique" show I have ever seen. Each episode revels in new strangeness and it just got more and more bizarre the more I watched. It doesn't really have quality story or quality acting but it sure is interesting once you get used to it and accept that it's strange for strangeness sake

**Regidoc** · Mar 2nd, 2011, 18:06:37

Originally Posted by Wrangeline

Hehe

I first saw a few episodes when I was much younger and it was strange and hard to get into. Strangely interesting though. I guess I made some kind of mental note in the back of my head to watch it properly at a later time.

Then maaany years later I found episodes on youtube and I started watching it again. I watched all episodes and found it to be the most.. "unique" show I have ever seen. Each episode revels in new strangeness and it just got more and more bizarre the more I watched. It doesn't really have quality story or quality acting but it sure is interesting once you get used to it and accept that it's strange for strangeness sake

I actually got to see a taping of one of their shows one time. My room mate's aunt was one of of the head make-up artists and we managed to get some backstage passes into the studio. I got to meet Xenia Seeberg in person. She's very tall in RL, but that might just have been the boots she was wearing at the time.

**Wrangeline** · Mar 2nd, 2011, 18:52:17

Originally Posted by Regidoc

I actually got to see a taping of one of their shows one time. My room mate's aunt was one of of the head make-up artists and we managed to get some backstage passes into the studio. I got to meet Xenia Seeberg in person. She's very tall in RL, but that might just have been the boots she was wearing at the time.

That's cool

Lexx is one of those shows that some wont "get" and many wont enjoy but I feel like people should watch some episodes anyway. Because this show was made in a time when technology, money and TV making philosophy enabled people to actually make a show like this. I seriously doubt a show like Lexx will ever be made again because no one would give people a greenlight to create such a show these days. No one is willing to take the risk on something so "out there". So Lexx has kinda become an anomaly in TV history and should be looked into. Because if people don't watch at least some of it, they have missed out on something that they probably never will get a chance to see again.

Red Dwarf is famous for being silly and strange but mostly funny. Funny sells it. Lexx however is silly, extremely strange and just a little bit funny. It compensates for a relative lack of "funny" with an incredibly creepy atmosphere, stories that kinda glue you to the screen because you find yourself to be strangely fascinated by the freaky characters, story, setting and atmosphere. You kinda watch it thinking "I have no idea why anyone thought this SHOULD be made but I'm glad they did because if they didn't, then I would never have gotten to see any of this in my life."

I mean, the basic story, for those of you that never even heard of this show, goes like this: (working from my memory here)

There are 2 universes. The "normal" one (still pretty freaky) and the dark one.

There are 4 main characters on the show and they are from the normal universe.

A dead man that has been turned into an unkillable assassin, working for the evil character in this show called "His divine shadow". This assassin is, as far as I know, the last of his people. He has no feelings and no desires. His blood has been replaced with a fluid that keeps him working. If you cut his head off, his body just picks up the head and puts it back on the body. No problem. He stops working for his divine shadow though and is part of "the good guys" throughout the series.

A fat ugly woman that refused to "perform her wifely duties" to her husband and as such was sentenced to have her body physically altered to become a perfect woman (a love slave) and her mind altered to fall in love and wanting to please the first person she would see after the sentence was carried out (which would be her husband I guess). She was changed physically but when her mind was supposed to be changed, she managed to hold a robots head in the machine so that this robot head became a lovesick freak while she kept her old mind. The robot head saw this woman first so it wants her.. bad.

And Stanley Tweedle, the worlds biggest dork, working a pointless job and generally not being good at anything.

His divine shadow has a ship called The Lexx that is the most powerful weapon in both universes. It can blow up whole planets with 1 shot. It's also a living ship, that talks to you and constantly wants food.

So after much stuff happening, these 4 people end up on Lexx and uses it to escape his divine shadow by entering a portal leading to the dark universe. A place where there are no rules and NOTHING makes sense.

This show is basically about what happens when sexual frustration meets the chaos theory. They are flying around, looking for a place to call home but mostly they are just frustrated. Because Stanley wants the woman really bad but she finds him dusgusting. The woman wants the dead guy but he is dead so he doesn't care at all. The robot head is just a disembodied head that is insanely lovesick after the woman and becomes incredibly jealous when anyone gets near her. The robot hates Stanley because he wants her. And Stanley hates the robot head because the head always talks crap at him.

So they fly around, planet to planet, space station to space station, looking for someone to "get with" but it always ends with bizarre problems. Like them being lured down to some planet only to find that they are being tricked there so that people can harvest their organs. Or for example landing on a planet where TV shows was EVERYTHING to the culture that lived there a looooong time ago. So the people there are just disembodied heads in boxes, pointed towards TV screens where they show tv shows all the time, every day, for ever. Whoever lands on that planet becomes actors in these TV shows and have to be entertaining enough or get decapitated.

This is the kind of show you just sit and watch and when the episode is over you feel compelled to watch another one just to see what freaky stuff happens next.

**Lupusceleri** · Mar 2nd, 2011, 23:40:38

Originally Posted by Windguaerd

Babylon 5, BEST MOFO SCI FI SHOW EVER!

Is it me or does the Omni-Tek logo look an awful lot like the Babylon 5 logo if it'd be mirrored?

**Windguaerd** · Mar 3rd, 2011, 01:43:53

Originally Posted by Lupusceleri

Is it me or does the Omni-Tek logo look an awful lot like the Babylon 5 logo if it'd be mirrored?

OMG!!! Vorlons were behind it...

**Wrangeline** · Mar 3rd, 2011, 06:11:15

B5 is my favorite sci fi series too.

**Mostadio** · Mar 3rd, 2011, 06:24:26

Originally Posted by Wrangeline

B5 is my favorite sci fi series too.

A friend of mine was all up ons about B5 many years ago. He lent me the DVD set and I couldn't even get through the first season. It seemed pretty hokie and the acting was abysmal. About 5 years later another friend of mine was also all up ons about it and I told him my tale of disappointment. He then gave me a pointer: skip the first 2 seasons, read the cliff notes, and jump right into season 3. The result: flawless victory. Though the end of the Shadow War was a little.. meh. They just... left? That's it? After a massive military campaign all the younger races had to do was tell them to leave?

PS: G'Kar has the best dialogue.

**Riawn** · Mar 3rd, 2011, 06:34:57

Originally Posted by Windguaerd

OMG!!! Vorlons were behind it...

Vorlons are clearly redeemed.

Baran-Kuir do have some similarities with the Shadows, don't they?

**Wrangeline** · Mar 3rd, 2011, 06:43:35

Originally Posted by Mostadio

A friend of mine was all up ons about B5 many years ago. He lent me the DVD set and I couldn't even get through the first season. It seemed pretty hokie and the acting was abysmal. About 5 years later another friend of mine was also all up ons about it and I told him my tale of disappointment. He then gave me a pointer: skip the first 2 seasons, read the cliff notes, and jump right into season 3. The result: flawless victory. Though the end of the Shadow War was a little.. meh. They just... left? That's it? After a massive military campaign all the younger races had to do was tell them to leave?

PS: G'Kar has the best dialogue.

The first season is pretty weak compared to the rest. To me it doesn't really feel like the main story starts until BRUCE gets in charge of the station in season 2. So seasons 2 and 3 are best. Season 4 is ok too but is more of a tag-on.

G'kar is my favorite TV character of all time. Best dialog ever.

**Riawn** · Mar 3rd, 2011, 09:01:56

Pretty much any scene with G'kar and Londo is epic.

I still love the episode where they're stuck together in an elevator for the entire show.

**adeptall** · Mar 4th, 2011, 01:46:04

Eureka definitely, awesome show.

**Mostadio** · Mar 4th, 2011, 04:39:05

Originally Posted by adeptall

Eureka definitely, awesome show.

I saw an episode of that once. Groan.

**Somniforum** · Mar 4th, 2011, 11:13:20

Originally Posted by Lupusceleri

Is it me or does the Omni-Tek logo look an awful lot like the Babylon 5 logo if it'd be mirrored?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Te...nn_manhole.jpg

It certainly feels funny to live in a town called Galway and see OT logos everywhere.

**Binarybits** · Mar 4th, 2011, 14:45:49

Macguyver was an awesome show though it wasn't really a true sci-fi show... it was still a fantastic show that had flawed science in it :P and a mullet!

**Mostadio** · Mar 5th, 2011, 04:18:18

Originally Posted by copperneedle

Macguyver was an awesome show though it wasn't really a true sci-fi show... it was still a fantastic show that had flawed science in it :P and a mullet!

back when I was in crypto school I used to watch that on my breaks. The fashion sense of the 80s came back and bit us in the face. MacGuyver got bukkake'd with denim. The mullet... the little "ninja tricks" that we'd go "lolwut" over... But still, I watched it as a child and loved it <3

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