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David Meadows
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Best SF TV in the world, ever
(I've posted this elsewhere, but for those who haven't seen it... I await you challenges...)
Star Trek - the original series. There's probably nothing I can say about this that hasn't already been said. What Superman was to comics, so Star Trek was to television SF.
Doctor Who - any era, every Doctor, they all have merit. DVD releases have been patchy, but they're worth waiting for -- each one is carefully restored and complete with commentaries, etc.
Babylon 5 - Solid characters, clever SF background (with the legendary Harlan Ellison as creative consultant), and really intelligent writing. One of the first TV shows to use "story arc" plotting. Of course that's routine now, but when B5 come out it was a pretty radical concept. Freed from the "reset button" approach to TV drama, characters could actually make decisions with -- gasp -- long-term ramifications!
Stargate SG-1 - In my opinion, the natural successor to the original Star Trek. Boldly seeking out strange new worlds and blowing away the bad guys with superior firepower. Cool! (I want to be Jack O'Neill when I grow up.)
Blake's 7 - All the praise (rightly) heaped on J. Michael Strazinsky for the "groundbreaking" Babylon 5 missed one important point -- the ground had already been broken, 20 years earlier, by Terry Nation in Blake's 7. Look past the wobbly sets and budget special effects and you'll see the best acting and writing ever found in TV science fiction.
Firefly - It's actually extremely bad science fiction, but it's clever, witty, alternately gripping and downright funny, character-driven drama. With real characters that you really like and care about. Sadly only 15 episodes (and one spin-off movie) were ever made -- I suspect because it was so quirky and clever that people couldn't understand it. It's not like anything else out there -- it's better.
Battlestar Galactica - the current series, not the 1970s original. I think this is the best thing on television at the moment. Every episode manages to surprise me. It's deep, it's complex, it's intelligent, and it's extremely believable. It has real characters, flawed characters that you actually care about regardless of their flaws. I spend most of the show on the edge of my seat. Honestly, when I thought a particular character was going to die last week, I was trembling. But it's not just the drama in the action scenes -- it's the little things, like feeling you're going to cry when a certain character takes a drink after... ah, it's impossible to explain little bits of it unless you've seen it all and become immersed in the huge cast of characters (you even care about the minor characters with walk-on parts). But above all, it's got an incredibly high standard of writing. It's full of moral ambiguities and ethical questions that your mind dwells on long after the episode is over. Intelligent. That's the best word for it.
Thunderbirds - yes, it was made for children. Yes, it was a puppet show. Yes, the dialogue sounds dated. Yes, the future looks like the 1960s with more chrome and fins on everything. Ignore all that. Look at the concepts, the ingenuity, the boldness of the drama. Look at the surprisingly solid science and engineering -- this is actually "hard" SF before the term hard SF was invented. And let's not overlook the most important thing -- Thunderbirds is a deeply moralistic show. Watch it if you want to learn how to be a hero. Nuff said. This seriously is the best television show ever made.
--- "We believe you're about to do something very dangerous with a particle accelerator."
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12/3/2006, 22:09
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Ray Oceanweaver
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Re: Best SF TV in the world, ever
Yes, yes, never seen it, yes, yes, never seen it, yes, yes. 
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Rachel
~The optimist fails as badly as the pessimist, just has a better time of it~
Reading: Harry Potter: a l'école des sorciers - translation by Jean-Francois Ménard
Writing: "A Stray Lock" - working title
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13/3/2006, 18:06
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lardboy
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Re: Best SF TV in the world, ever
Hate to say it, got to agree on most of them. Except for Star Gate which I'm afraid never grabbed me. Probably cos the soldiers were all tactically inept, without even the excuse of wearing red jumpers!
With the rest of the list I'm not left much room to manoeuvre. However Dave, I'm always gonna have a big fat fight with you over the best "Thunderbird"!
Ray, you really must treat yourself to watching Serenity some time. It's corkingly clever and occasionally subversive stuff, as one would expect from Joss Whedon I suppose. Though I'm not sure my favourite character is supposed to be the most dull witted, reprehensible and psychotic member of the crew...
Anyhow, to contribute another alternative there was that "Ultraviolet" mini series in the UK that didn't take off. Aye, I know it were the old vampire schtick again, but I liked the spin on it. They were a lot more devious in that one.
And going back a long, long while I always liked the black and white Flash Gordon series with Buster Crabbe. Pretty basic scripts I know, but there's loads of memorable scenes. Especially the appearance of them really creepy Clay Men. Oh aye, that got me as a kid that did. And Professor Hans Zarkoff is the benchmark against which all mad (but heroic) scientists should be measured by! In both deed and name!
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14/3/2006, 14:22
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knightflyer
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Re: Best SF TV in the world, ever
Yes, Probably, Yes, Have to watch, Yes (When I get round to the first series), Yes, I see my backlog getting bigger, Yes (if a bit wooden).
If Ultraviolet was vampires it must have been fantasy. But I agree with Flash Gordon! I really like the film! Or is that the music?
Stuart
---
Stuart
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"What goes around come around."
"And sometimes you get what's coming around."
"And sometime you are what's coming around."
Jim Butcher, Grave Peril
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14/3/2006, 22:22
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lardboy
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Re: Best SF TV in the world, ever
Oh no, you ain't going to be dragging me into no "Sci Fi vs Fantasy" arguments my boy!
And, "a bit wooden"! Aaargh!
As for Flash the film, I must confess a certain fondness for that excessively gaudy confection. Despite my supreme loathing for Queen. Go figure.
Having a bit of a tough time thinking up more "Best SF TV" cos that swine Dave's nicked all the good stuff.
Hmmm. Does the Seventies series, "Survivors", count as SF?
Finally, having just finished watching that last season of the generally very bland "Enterprise" I would have put that forward for best SF TV if we'd have just watched all the unpleasant "Mirror Universe" characters all the way through! Just goes to prove, villains are generally so much more interesting...
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15/3/2006, 12:12
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DrDiamond
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Re: Best SF TV in the world, ever
yes i know, im digging up old topics, so sue me
to get this out of the way
yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes
as for Ultraviolet, thats def in the sf relm and was cracking good to boot
and this may cause some controversy, but nobody mentioned Star Cops
Chris
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20/2/2007, 15:40
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lardboy
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Re: Best SF TV in the world, ever
Never got to watch "Star Cops" I'm afraid, late boy...
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20/2/2007, 16:10
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David Meadows
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Re: Best SF TV in the world, ever
I have a dim memory of Star Cops but it's like my brain is trying to lock it away for some reason.
It didn't have a character with a cat's head, did it? 
---
Marmalade, I like marmalade.
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21/2/2007, 14:05
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jellyman
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Re: Best SF TV in the world, ever
I can remember star cops being on telly, but I never watched it. I did watch a recent documentary on it though (well, I caught the ending).
meanwhile...
Star Trek - the original series. - yes. A victim of its own success in the last series however.
Doctor Who - yes. but peter davison to sylvester mccoy was not good. again a victim of being self aware that it was a very popular series. new series is really good..but too rushed. if they slowed down the storytelling to +50-80% then that would be better, more dramatic & you would care more about the end of the world scenarios & plot development, ecetera, ecetera..
Babylon 5 - yes. the best american sci fi series I think I've seen. good plot & character development
Stargate SG-1 - no. yawn.
Blake's 7 - yes. Villa was the best. last series was crap though. scripts & new characters were not interesting enough & weer too similar.
Firefly - pass. not seen it. enjoyed serenity, but it wan't the be all & end all that the hype & people make out it is.
Battlestar Galactica - the current series - pass. not seen it. the original series was dire though.
Thunderbirds - yes. F.A.B.
And to add to this thread,
Torchwood - yes. really liked this. except for the last episode which was a schmaltsy disappointing waste of character build up I thought. But the rest of the 'season' was great. interesting character development & has gwen cooper too. yey.
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21/2/2007, 16:55
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Ray Oceanweaver
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Re: Best SF TV in the world, ever
Has anyone subscribed to that Star-Trek original series rip-off magasine/DVD thingy?
My parents have. 
--- Rachel
~The optimist fails as badly as the pessimist, just has a better time of it~
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24/2/2007, 14:32
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