The Letters to the Editor department is intended to be a forum for our readers to express their own opinions and ideas. While we appreciate the many complimentary letters we receive each day, you won't find them on this page. Instead, you will find letters that go beyond or even contradict what we have written, letters that offer a different perspective and provide a different view of science fiction. If you would like to submit a letter, please use our feedback form or send a message to scifiweekly@scifi.com.
-- Craig E. Engler, Editor
Special Note: The following letters contain numerous spoilers about the end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Please read at your own risk.
Disappointed With DS9
thoroughly enjoyed the final episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine! My only disappointments were:
1. Odo's departure with the understanding he would never be back. I think that should have been left open.
2. I think they should have left time for Ben to come back after his lessons with the Prophets to see the birth of his child.
The greatest moment as far as I was concerned was when Dukat and Winn
finally got what was coming to them.
Kathy Sivage
unicorn7448@yahoo.com
Dukat Was Better Alive Than Dead
an you be more disappointed with a series finale other than Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's? I have really enjoyed the last few years of DS9 very much. Unfortunately, the writers came up with some pretty lame ideas not only for the finale, but for even some of the story arcs that they built up.
1. Gul Dukat's insanity: I am sorry. I love the Cardassians. I cannot
believe they made Gul Dukat go insane. Come on! Get real! He is a Gul! A
lifelong military solider who oversaw Bajor's occupation. He would not go
insane.
2. Sisko/God's child/Christ complex: Is anyone else tired of this story line where the main character is called home to the heavens or whatever? It didn't work for me in Babylon 5 or The Phantom Menace and it doesn't work here, either. Did the writers have nothing better for him to do?
3. The Founders would have never agreed to peace: I don't care how good Odo links with the female shape shifter...she would not have agreed to surrendering to the Federation and even if she did, the other Changelings in the Gamma quadrant sure as hell wouldn't. There is a time and a place for diplomacy. This sure wasn't one of them.
4. They built up the storyline over weeks and weeks and you are expecting a
big bang from the war, which you don't really get.
5. Kai Winn: Sorry, another victim of this-character-wouldn't-do-this syndrome. Just like Gul Dukat would never go insane, the Kai would never betray Bajor or
the Prophets. The Kai may bend the rules and not care for Sisko and crew,
but she would never join up with the Pau Wraiths and Gul Dukat just so she can gain some power.
6. The ending: Okay, Worf going to be the Federation ambassador to the Klingon Empire, I can swallow that...but the chief would never leave Julian and DS9. Quark should have become the Nagus and shown the change of heart and the "Federation" values he has started to adopt. Rom should have stayed with the bar. Sisko talking to his wife and not his son? Please...and leaving DS9, never! I liked Vic okay, especially with "Let's hear it for the losers" song, but this song in the finale really bit. And finally, Odo would never have gone back to his people and leave Kira after all he
has been through and discovering his love for her through his double that he met a few years ago.
And one last thing. Do you wonder if Kira is starting to develop a complex with the men in her love life? They either die or come near death or try to kill her or she tries to kill them or they try to betray her.
Trevor Smith
TSmith8500@aol.com
What's Wrong With Flashbacks?
agree completely with what Andrew Wang wrote in his letter last issue, "Worf Forgot Jadzia," about there being no mention of Jadzia
in Worf's flashbacks in the series finale of DS9.
Maybe they could make history by remaking the finale and get that part
right.
But I disagree with E. Torres' comments in the letter "The DS9 Ending Was A Letdown." What's wrong with flashbacks? I for one was pleased to be reminded how good the show was, except for Worf's
part as I've already said.
The truth is I've always thought that the better episodes were before they
added Worf to the cast. I always thought that the relationship between Worf
and Troi was more believable than the relationship between Worf and
Jadzia. If they had added Troi at the same time they added Worf to the cast, maybe it would have been better.
Greg Hanlin
greghanlin@yahoo.com
Where Was The Enterprise?
bout the only complaint I had with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's final year was the fact that throughout this big honking war that took all of the Alpha Quadrant races banding together, the Enterprise was not seen or mentioned! Come on, isn't the Enterprise supposed to be the Federation flagship? And if they were not involved, then why? I doubt that their latest movie, Star Trek: Insurrection, could have taken place throughout the entire war!
Brian Bengtson
BrianBengt@aol.com
DS9 Leaves Us Wanting More
tar Trek: Deep Space Nine's "What You Leave Behind" was poetic and inspiring, and a hearty
congratulations goes out to all involved. And, I do not believe they will be
making any transition to movies...hence the reason that the production
and creative personnel gave the final episode the title that they did. "What You Leave Behind." Face facts: DS9 is, sadly, over. For my two cents, Berman & crew left us right where they wanted us...only wanting more.
Ed Zimmerman
zimhouse@aol.com
DS9's Ending Contrasts B5's
n the whole, I thought the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine wrap up was trite and uninteresting. What was
the motivation behind O'Brian leaving other than that it was the end of
the series? Why did Dukat become the emissary of the Pah-wraiths at
practically the same time they wrapped up the war with the Dominion,
other than that it was the end of the series? Not to mention that after
living his entire life among humans, they finally decide to release Worf
back into the wild, for no other reason than that it was the end of the
series. To me the entire thing was a stark contrast to the final few
episodes of B5, where it made absolute sense for everyone to leave. But
then the trademark of Star Trek has always been mediocrity. I have to
say that I was hoping against hope for more. I always felt that, of the
three series, DS9 always had the most unrealized potential, and
occasionally they did get there. But not this time.
David Bright
Yuri@worldnet.att.net
Crusade Isn't Like B5
would have to say that I enjoy Crusade. It has a good cast and a great looking starship. The music is a little strange, but I'll forgive that.
As for it being just like Babylon 5, it is not and it shouldn't be, as that would defeat the purpose of having a "new show." It would be very repetitive and boring to watch the same show we've watched for years and them telling us it is "new." Even Star Trek: The Next Generation
and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine were different.
I also enjoyed the last episode of DS9. I liked the ship battle most of
all. It was well done (even though some of it was reused footage),
although I was hoping to see the Enterprise. It could have done without the flashbacks, but it didn't take anything away from the episode. It closed out much like Babylon 5, by dispersing its main characters.
Ted Venter
lventer@inetnebr.com
Crusade Shows Promise
've read a lot of mixed reactions about Crusade, most of the negative
reactions comment on the rigid plot structure. In response I have to make
three points:
1: TNT has said from the beginning they wanted to stay as far away as
possible from Babylon 5 in Crusade. This is them sticking their big nose where it doesn't belong.
2: Watch the first season and the first half of the second season of B5.
Now, tell me honestly, does it compare at all to the dynamic latter second,
third, fourth and moments of the fifth season? Give J. Michael Straczynski a chance, he's still busy introducing us to the characters.
3: Finally, Straczynski himself said that he was going to make Crusade less story-arc intensive. But then again--you can never expect what he's about to do either.
All I can say about Crusade is, so far it shows promise, now just give it a chance and see where it goes. In other words--watch more than three
episodes before you start criticizing.
Gina Pieters
gpieters@usa.net
Straczynski Is Responsible For Crusade
o all the Crusade fans saying "give it a chance" I'd point out that
"War Zone" and "The Long Road" were episodes 108 and 107. If this is what
it's like when J. Michael Straczynski is seven and eight episodes into the series what will 101 and 102 be like? We do a disservice to others to make excuses for Straczynski and this show. It does not stand up to the B5 standard. The effects are uninspired. The dialogue is over written at best and just plain nasty at worst. Straczynski always seems to respond negatively to direct criticism of his writing, choosing to put the blame on TNT for "War Zone." Hey, TNT didn't write "War Zone," Straczynski did, and if the dialogue sucks it's his fault. He's too close to the problem to see it, in my opinion.
Ian Kennedy
ianken_ms@msn.com
Crusade Isn't Just About The Plague
hey have recently aired the first two episodes of Crusade here in Canada.
Though I didn't think too much of the opening episode, which was largely
full of loud explosions and at least one pointless fist fight, I felt that
the second one was absolutely fabulous! Absolutely great character
moments!
The concerns about this show seems to be the fact that we are almost
certainly going to find the cure to the Drahk plague. Well, yeah. Just
like we knew that Londo & G'Kar were going to strangle each other at some point in the original B5 series. So what? We don't actually know how that ending is going to go. The show stated that we have "five years" to find the cure before "every man, woman and child on Earth is dead, and some will be affected sooner than others." This tells me that we could have a lot of dead people before this is over.
The ending is not so important as how we got there. What cost will we pay
in order to survive? What else is going to happen? B5 was not only (or
even primarily) about the Shadow War. Crusade may not only be about a
plague.
Max F. Exter
mexter@home.com
B5 Rips Off Alice In Wonderland
don't understand all this complaining about Crusade being a rip-off of
Starblazers. Even grand masters like Arthur C. Clarke admit that there is nothing new in science fiction. It is entirely possible that J. Michael Straczynski never even heard of Starblazers. If you look at some of the B5 episode guides you will see many other instances where Straczynski is accused of ripping off things, some of which he never even heard of. Someone even accused Sheridan's falling down the hole on Za'ha'dum as being a rip-off of Alice in Wonderland!
Chris Kidd
cckidd@yahoo.com
Sliders Will Never Be The Same
few weeks ago, I sat in front of my television set in almost
unbearable anticipation. "Only a few more minutes until the season premiere
of Sliders!" I thought. Then, the opening scene begins and I start to panic. I've heard rumors that Jerry O'Connell and his brother Charlie were leaving, but I never believed them. By the time the theme started to play (not even spoken by Jerry anymore!) I was in tears. I decided to watch the episode anyway since I knew that my friend would want to discuss it with me later that night, so I did. I still cannot believe that the wonderful, intelligent, witty, and funny characters of Quinn and Colin Mallory could be replaced by such incompetent characters! Now, I still have a small amount of trust in the writers, seeing as they have finally made me like Maggie, but the show will never be the same after this cast change!
Josephine Parker
Unblonde@aol.com
Sliders Should Have Ended
was reading the letter by Ann Schwartz "Sliders Is Nothing Without Jerry" about season five of Sliders. She said that Jerry O'Connell is Sliders. I totally agree with her. I watched the first two episodes, and all I could think about was Jerry's departure. When season four ended, and I read that Jerry O'Connell would not be back, I thought that Sliders was going to suck this season. There were a few story lines that will not get
resolved and they are:
1. Quinn and Colin are not going to find their home Earth.
2. We will not see more of a romantic relationship between Quinn and
Maggie.
Those two story lines attracted me to the show, which I started
watching last season, and the week night reruns. I thought the show
"Roads Taken" was the best episode of season four. I enjoyed the bubble
universe plot line. Now that Jerry is gone this will not be resolved.
I will not watch Sliders as religiously as I did this past year. They
should have ended the series as soon as they found out that Jerry
O'Connell would not be back.
Joe Zaragoza
jazaragoza@yahoo.com
Bring The Sliders Home
am a huge Sliders fan, I watched it when it started on Fox and was
thrilled when SCI FI picked it up. However, I must say that I am
disappointed with what has happened with the show. All of last season
concentrated on the Kromaggs and Quinn and Colin's search to find their home planet with the "weapon." I hated it when John Rhys-Davies left because he was an excellent actor, but at least they made up for it with Maggie. Then Wade left, and Colin was an adequate replacement. Now you have the main star leave. That is a horrible turn of events.
Hanif Gulamhussein
hanifg@pdq.net
SF Films Need Human Characters
recently read the letter column as usual and was enjoying it as
always. Then I came across something spellbinding, a letter from Shane
Kliese asking what fans and critics want out of films. Well, Mr. Kliese,
I salute you and I'm going to do so by following your suggestion. I'll tell everyone what I want from a science fiction movie. I want me to be in the movie. No, I am not so brash as to say that I should be in every science fiction film, but there should be a human character. Let me explain better.
What was lacking from The Matrix, Star Trek: Insurrection, and The Phantom Menace? Well, flawed human characters. Look at Insurrection: I enjoyed the film immensely, but there was no human foil, no one who let their desires interfere with their duty, no one who hated anyone else, no one who distrusted anyone, except of course the villains. Now look back on the previous Star Trek films and even the series. In Deep Space Nine, O'Brian hated the "cardies." Kirk was willing to let the
Klingon Empire die in the beginning of Star Trek 6. Spock hid his brother away from the rest of the crew in Star Trek V because he was ashamed that his own brother had emotions. Throughout all of the original adventures Kirk could not keep a female companion. I'm sure you can find other examples yourself, and it is these small little things which
made these movies so much better than the current ones.
Now, as for The Phantom Menace, again, no really flawed character. Sure
Jar Jar was clumsy, but not in any way I could identify with successfully.
Obi-Wan showed impatience when trying to get to Qui-Gon in order to save
him from Darth Maul, but still that was the lone weakness in him. The Queen was perfect. Where were the characters we had grown to love despite their flaws? For example, my favorite character from the other Star Wars movies was Lando Calrissian. Why? I liked Lando because he was really flawed. He tried to act calm and suave, but all the time he was afraid of the Empire, so much so that he sold out his friends. In the end, though, he has laid plans to save them and he is again a hero, but you realize he is as flawed as you, and you walk out feeling better because you realize subconsciously that heroes can be flawed. The logic behind Han Solo is the same, he's a scoundrel, but you can identify
with him.
As for The Matrix, another enjoyable film, but if you were honestly in
Neo's shoes, would you act half like he did? There is just a human element
missing.
In the end, the science fiction films that I personally like will be
the most human ones.
James W. Thomas
captain_scott@hotmail.com
The Stories Belong To Their Creators
'm starting to wonder if anybody ever has anything good to say in these
letters. Come on people, just because a show or movie does not turn out the way you think it would does not mean it's crap. It's not your story to write. Let the creators write their shows their way!
Todd Behrmann
tbaz@netwurx.net
SF Shows Have Lost Their Way
peaking as an SF fan, I must say that with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine gone and with Star Trek: Voyager the only Trek series still going on, I am disappointed with the current SF shows. As a fan of Star Trek,
Babylon 5, Sliders and Star Wars, I look at the SF shows on as of late and see that all of the favorite shows of mine are now gone or have lost their way.
I think that the DS9 finale was a bit disappointing to me, and everything was wrapped up a bit too quickly and some of it was done incorrectly. I believe that while we have only seen three Crusade
episodes, it is turning out to be one of the weakest Babylon 5 productions ever to come off the "production line" so to speak. I think thanks are in order for TNT and Warner Bros. who wouldn't do anything to assist J. Michael Straczynski and his companions on this project.
Moving on to Sliders, I think that Jerry O'Connell and the Sliders powers-that-be have made a grave mistake. O'Connell shouldn't have left the show, despite whatever happened. If anyone were to leave the show it should have been Kari Wuhrer and Charlie O'Connell--and the writers who
have been dishing out the rotten Bantha fodder. Perhaps these new Sliders can bring back some of what Sliders was--and I should probably send a letter to Cleavant Derricks thanking him for sticking with the show.
Joe Beaudoin
JoeBeaud2@aol.com
The Force Is A Religion
n response to Joseph O'Neil's letter "Why Are Star Wars Fans So Defensive?" last issue, of course Star Wars fans defend their beliefs with the conviction of one defending their religion! The Force is a religion, and that entire cult-like atmosphere is what attracts so many viewers. There is a lot of profound background information that makes the Star Wars saga so much more than a movie. While many may feel that this is bordering on insanity, and we should all be recommended for care under the supervision of men in neat little white outfits, Star Wars
deals with issues of humankind's purpose and destiny in life, which many people tend to identify with. No wonder we get defensive about these things.
Sarah Collins
jamfrog42@yahoo.com
Aliens Fans Are Ready For Action
he Aliens versus Predator computer game demonstrates how crossover marketing can revitalize two science fiction film franchises.
The Dark Horse Aliens and Predator comics have consistently done well over the past 10 years, showing support exists for future projects. Perhaps Fox should pass on making another Aliens film under the artistic direction of Sigourney Weaver.
After killer alien dogs and Ripley clones, fans are ready for action.
David Uhe
duhe@azstarnet.com
Why Attack Those With A Different View?
have been following with some curiosity a discussion of T. Hannibal Gay's views ("Lesbians Don't Deserve This Much Attention," Issue No. 112) about The Conqueror's Child. He dislikes the author, the premise, the plot--even the review. And then we have an editor who feels the need to allow the author and the reviewer to comment upon another person's opinion.
The only grievous error I see in any of this is the underlying suggestion that someone cannot have a differing view. For all the cries of "diversity" that are screamed from the various minority camps, why do they attack someone who chooses to prefer a different view? Isn't this "diversity"?
It annoys me no end that "alternative lifestyles" fill every television show, movie, book, story, easily 25 percent of the news and media when--statistically--"alternative lifestyles" (which encompass everything from gays and lesbians to bisexuality, open marriage, group marriage, communal living and more) makes up less than four percent of the population of the United States.
As a heterosexual these characters and story lines lend nothing to me. Zero. Zilch. In fact, I find them rather offensive, at times. But, you know, this is still a semi-free country--and it's still my right to express my views.
I applaud the author for expressing her views, the reviewer for expressing hers and the reader for expressing his. Let the free-market system decide. If we don't want it in our culture, then the book won't sell. Pure and simple. If it doesn't sell, the writer gets less money for the next one--when it doesn't sell, less money--and so on. Until finally the author has written herself out of existence. (Or, alternatively, makes a killing and therefore places more of her writing into the mainstream.)
Evan Moore
evanmoore@aol.com
Editor's Note: In cases where readers personally attack reviewers and/or authors, we usually give the reviewers and/or authors the chance to respond. Normally we don't publish such letters, but in this case I thought T. Hannibal Gay was making some interesting points. Of course, if we didn't want to promote the diversity of opinions you speak of, we simply wouldn't have published the letter.
