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
Find True Love On Battlestar Galactica
his is in response to Ronald Garrett's letter in Issue No. 124, "Battlestar Galactica Should Stay Dead." Garrett is very right
to
be nervous over the remake of BSG. I am terrified at the prospect of seeing
Battlestar being translated to the silver screen. How many times have we
seen TV SF classics go down the big screen toilet? Especially in the
1990s! But I take issue with Garrett's dismissal of the BSG television
series as not even being worthy of a big screen try-out: Mormon theology
disguised as SF? Quite frankly, Mr. Garrett, if you're going to take
offense
with SF shows because they borrow from our present-day religions, then
you'd better get in line with all the critics who are taking their shots at
the reigning SF film champ: Star Wars.
But I'm not writing this in order to delve into the merits of BSG's more
esoteric philosophies. I'm writing this letter as a young child who, in the
late '70s, thought BSG was a marvelous program. I'm writing this letter as
a
person who, 20 years after the fact, has recently rediscovered BSG on the
SCI FI Channel and is happily re-screening all the old episodes. Sure, the
props look a little cheap, the hair is patent late-'70s, and some of the
"rubber science" is more rubber than science. But BSG was perhaps my first
big SF screen love. Before Star Trek, before Star Wars, BSG beat them all
to
the punch, and paved the way for my eventual exploration into other
universes and other stories. I think every SF fan has a "first love,"
and I dare say BSG might be mine. There are SF shows that have done it
better, there are SF shows that have done it smarter, there are SF shows
that have done it bigger, but BSG survives on the strength of its fandom.
Having just explored the Web, I am astounded at the numerous and well-done
fan web sites revolving around BSG. All these fans can't be excited over
nothing! BSG has touched them in some way, and has managed to make itself
matter to them. Isn't that all we can ask of any television program?
Especially SF?
Battlestar Galactica has endured horrendous criticism for two decades now.
But the fans and the show survive. I'm guardedly optimistic about the new
movie(s). Mr. Hatch and Mr. Larson obviously have their own interpretations
of the show. It would seem that Mr. Hatch's version is steeped in fandom
while Mr. Larson is more concerned with "modernizing" the premise for the
21st century. As both parties compete for Universal's favor, I hope that
both of them keep one thing in mind: BSG is a true SF classic. The fans are
watching! Don't let us down!
Brad Torgersen
subodeon@cio.net
Hatch Will Continue Galactica's Story
read Ronald Garrett's comments in his Issue No. 124 letter, "Battlestar Galactica Should Stay Dead" that I had to respond to. True, remakes don't fly very well, but what
Richard Hatch seeks to do is not a remake. It is a continuation of the
story. Sequels do at times make it. Need I remind you that The Phantom Menace is the fourth in what we all hope will be a long line of movies? Richard
Hatch would like to do a TV movie or series. I for one wish him the best
of luck and am looking forward to seeing it. Anyone interested in this project should visit his Web site. From it I got a link to a list of people to e-mail my support of this project. If all the fans get involved, hopefully someone will listen.
Sharon Marks
smokehousecreek@msn.com
Galactica Is Just Trying To Survive
n his Issue No. 124 letter "Battlestar Galactica Should Stay Dead," Ron Garrett says that Gattaca is superior--it was really bad as far as I am concerned.
Does he know the works of Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Heinlein, Issac Asimov
and even Anne McCaffrey? Battlestar Galactica is like Star Wars--it gave a
downtrodden civilization hope that it can survive under any circumstances. I applaud Richard Hatch for trying to bring
back Battlestar Galactica for the simple reason that it is trying to survive
against all odds. And in the long run--isn't that exactly what we are
trying to do?
Donna King
nascar_chick_24@yahoo.com
Galactica Skeptic Becomes A Believer
was 12 years old when Battlestar Galactica first aired in 1978. Though it only
lasted one season, it quickly became a show near and dear to me. News and
rumors of a revival by either Glen Larson or Richard Hatch left me
skeptical. Leave it alone, and let the fans remember just how good it was.
When Richard Hatch first published his books, I read them. There were
parts I liked, and parts I didn't like. I did not think he could do
justice to the fond memories I had of Galactica, and was truly believing
that Galactica should probably be left alone.
Last weekend I had the opportunity to go to a convention in Ft. Washington,
Pa., where Hatch would be showing his trailer. All I can say is that I
walked in skeptical and walked out completely blown away. Universal will
be missing out on what could be one of the most successful resurrections of a TV show if they don't work with Hatch. Anyone who has the opportunity should see this trailer before making any negative comments. The effects were awesome, the plot that you could grasp from the 3-1/2 minutes was good, and you could see there was an effort to embrace the history of Galactica.
Hatch answered questions at the convention, and he would like to do another
show. I always thought Galactica worked better on the small screen anyway,
and I would love to see a new series based on this concept.
Patti Aliventi
AliventiAsylum@worldnet.att.net
Battlestar Galactica Never Died
n his Issue No. 124 letter "Battlestar Galactica Should Stay Dead," Ronald Garrett stated that Battlestar Galactica should
stay dead. That would be very difficult, since it never really died in the
first place. True, it was cancelled after one season, but it has continued
on all these years in novels, comics, collectable cards, toys, Web sites, fan fiction, and most importantly in the hearts of millions of fans.
Garrett questions Richard Hatch's motives. Richard Hatch started
working on his Battlestar Galactica revival because the fans want it to
come back. As far as billing himself as "the star of Battlestar
Galactica," that's true, that's what he is. Actors are associated with their best remembered roles, and the character of
Apollo made quite an impact on people. It doesn't mean that it's the only
role he's ever had. People will always think of him as Apollo.
On the question of money, Richard Hatch has financed his trailer out of his
own pocket. A lot of people donated their time, because they believe in
what he's doing. He has backers as well, having raised between $40 and $60
million for his version of the revival.
If Garrett doesn't like space battles, he doesn't have to watch the new
project. If he doesn't like theology he can stay home on Sundays. I've
seen Richard Hatch's trailer, and I support him in the revival. Long live
Battlestar Galactica!
Paula Kennedy
galacticafan@hotmail.com
13th Warrior Is Great Even Without Drugs
hank you very much for the positive and honest review of The 13th Warrior. I too had read all of the bad and clueless reviews before seeing this
really excellent film. I too wondered if maybe it was the vicodin I've
been taking for my blown knee that made it so engrossing, suspenseful and
believable. Those bad reviews almost ruined it for me, as I was expecting
a hackneyed and formulaic movie. Luckily for me they were way off the
mark. It was not good fortune for everyone who didn't see it and for the
makers of the film.
It's truly a shame that such a marvelous effort should get such shabby and
unprofessional treatment by the mainstream press. I would easily
compare this film to Conan the Barbarian or Braveheart in overall
quality and enjoyability. The Vikings historically have had lousy reviews
(often undeserved) but there is no excuse for this Viking saga being
panned.
Tim Huck
Tim.Huck@Compaq.com
13th Warrior Was Not That Good
he 13th Warrior was a good movie, but I don't believe it deserves the
"A" that reviewer Mark Walker gave it. Yes, Antonio Banderas did do a good job covering the poet-turned-warrior role--however, it is a role that
seems rather implausible to begin with. The beginning was slow and full of inconsistencies, and though the middle was excellent the end degenerated into little more than average fare. If nothing else the movie was (as far as I, the layman, could tell) a reasonably good reflection of Viking attitudes, technology, and (sketchily portrayed) mythology--however, the storyline was lacking in so many aspects that not even Banderas could save it. (By the way, since when has Antonio Banderas looked Arabic? What were they thinking?)
Brian Guthrie
Kralleus@iName.com
13th Warrior Has Realistic Details
s a person who puts on real armor and fights with rattan swords, I found
the scenes in The 13th Warrior extremely realistic. I appreciate the fact,
also, that they used only minimal and ambient lighting for the night
scenes.
Crichton did his homework; only it wasn't Turks the caravan was fleeing
from, as the reviewer suggested, it was the Tartars--very different.
Being a horsewoman, I also appreciated the fact that they used Fjord
Ponies/Horses for the Ven; even though the larger horses the Northmen rode were non-existent for that time period, I still enjoyed the film.
Zaena Burdick
originalzaena@yahoo.com
Positive Opportunites For Cloning Abound
n response to Antonio Iacoviello's letter "Cloning Isn't Photocopying" in Issue No. 122:
Finally! Someone who has listened to the facts and not the hype surrounding
the cloning issue! I see that when people think of cloning, they think of
either armies of soldiers created to wage war, or dispensable "factories" for organ harvesting (I'm not even
going to touch on the "playing God" aspects). Although, with the
development of technology as it is, it will be possible to clone a person,
I've no doubt of that, but the most useful aspects of that technology lie elsewhere. Think of the lives that would be
saved with the ability to take samples of heathy sections of kidney, copy
it and "grow" a new kidney for an ailing person. The opportunities open to science and medicine are endless. The next few
years will prove to be fruitful to science, more common, "useful to the
every person" applications will evolve, as we continue our march to the
future.
Chelsea Lynn
drlynn@imsa.edu
Don't Forget Clarke's Other Predictions
n your review of Arthur C. Clarke's new collection of essays, Greetings, Carbon-Based Bipeds! you could
have mentioned a few prophecies he wrote in one book. Since James Cameron's
movie about the Titanic there have been a lot of jokes about a sequel, but
one good choice for a movie could be Clarke's novel Ghost from the Grand Banks. In this book Clarke wrote about solving the "millennium bug" almost a decade before anyone ever heard "Y2K." He also wrote about erasing smoking in old movies, which I saw a story about on CNN a few months ago.
Chris Kidd
cckidd@yahoo.com
Wrestlers On Voyager Will Trigger Self Destruct
have to agree with the Issue No. 124 letter "Wrestling On Voyager Is Inevitable" about pro
wrestlers on Star Trek: Voyager. I can see no advantage to the show in pursuing such a gimmick.
Last season was, overall, a disappointment. Some of the best shows of the
series were produced over the last year, but good, quality episodes were
too few and far between. Now we get the news that they have scheduled a
wrestler for a guest star, and hope to include more wrestlers in the future. This is quite an insult to such
a fine crew of stage and Shakespearean-grade actors. I would have hoped
that Brannon Braga and company would concentrate more on further character
development, quality stories that accentuate the quality actors at their disposal, and more of the intensity of
episodes like "Drone," "Extreme Risk," or some of the shows from earlier
seasons. I have received the promise of gimmicks, glitz, and empty
calories, so to speak. I think it might be time to abandon ship--it would seem that Braga, as captain of this show, has
hit the self-destruct button. And this time, it just might be for real.
Mary Burchett
Virscopio@aol.com
Voyager Has Gone Down For The Ten-Count
he decision to feature pro wrestlers on Star Trek: Voyager
is proof to me that the Star Trek franchise is on its last
legs. Can you imagine pro wrestlers appearing on Star Trek: the Next Generation or Star Trek: Deep Space Nine? Television programs resort to gimmicks
like this just before they're canceled and forgotten. Voyager viewers
have already had to endure the cutesy antics of Naomi Wildman and the
blatant sex-object posturing of the Borg with the implants. Along with
UPN's decision to cut two minutes from each episode for more commercials, this latest casting fiasco is nothing but an embarrassment. These pro wrestlers in space might do us a favor by lifting the coffin of Voyager into a deep grave.
After five years, I still don't care about any of the characters or whether
they ever get back to Earth. Voyager has failed to fulfill the promise of
its premise, and is just making the Trek tradition into a pale shadow of
its former glories. I hope Voyager is canceled before Trek fans (such as myself) have to endure any more humiliation.
Will it be much longer before Seven of Nine starts wearing leather pants
and low-cut tank tops? Voyager is going down for the count and taking the
Trek universe with it. Somebody please ring the bell.
Charles Cuthbertson
ccuthbertson@english.usu.edu
The Earth Shall Tremble
he announcement that Paramount was negotiating with wrestlers to guest
star on Star Trek: Voyager to get ratings for their Thursday night wrestling
exhibition has made me come to my decision to stop watching Voyager.
This is the lowest they could go. In the past two seasons Voyager has gotten
worse and worse. Their storylines would not even work on Saturday morning kid
shows.
Please cancel Voyager and put it out of its misery. I have better things to do than watch wrestlers try to act.
California will have a major earthquake before long, and it will be caused
by Gene Roddenberry rolling over in his grave! (Even though he was
cremated.)
Russ Thacker
somdude@webtv.net
It's A Lack Of Story, Not Imagination
have to take offense to the implication by Fred Ermac in his Issue No. 124 letter "Imagination Makes Blair Scary" that those not
frightened by The Blair Witch Project have underactive or are lacking
imaginations. I left the film completely unimpressed and I have what I like
to think of as an overactive imagination.
I thought it had no story. If they had spent half the time they put into
the Web site on the plot, we might have had a story. Who were these people?
Why was Heather involved in this project? There was no character
development of any kind so I had no understanding of who they were and therefore could not involve myself with them or their plight.
I did not find it scary in the least, either, mainly because I lived in the
Maryland/Virginia area for quite some time and can attest to the
otherworldliness of those woods at night. I don't feel that was conveyed by
the film makers in the slightest.
My personal aesthetic runs along nonlinear lines and I am stylistically
inclined towards the look of the film, however, bad camera work is only
excusable when there is content. The problem was that the film makers had
nothing to show us. I could have caught more on tape, and have. And I'm not talking about "money shots" either. I
prefer my horrors implied, subtly wrapping themselves around my
subconscious and shaking the foundations of my life and the convictions I
have held. Violence has shock value but not true horror. Human beings have been doing the most horrific things to one
another since their beginning. It's nothing new. There simply was nothing
horrific here. Just torment. Again I refer to the script or lack thereof.
If I had known why I needed to fear the Blair Witch I might have been able to live that fear along with the
characters. But rather, I was left cold, distant and apathetic.
Which brings me to the performances, which I found amateurish and
one-dimensional. Whether this was due to the lack of material to work with
or the lack of craft on the part of the actors I don't know, but the piece
doesn't work as an improv either. It is repetitive and pointlessly circular. The anger of the characters at each
other seemed unfounded possibly due to the video footage all looking the
same and not communicating the passage of time very well. I wanted them all
to shut up, stop whining and walk to the damn car.
Finally, I felt ripped off by the ending. Not by its lack of revelation but
by the possible mundane solutions that it planted in my head. The
supernatural atmosphere was totally dispersed and I didn't care who was
responsible for the demise of the three. But, importantly, I was convinced it was a who rather than a what, and in my
mind their are no who's worth fearing, for they are only people like
ourselves.
I was intrigued by the hype but in the end that's all Blair Witch has.
The SCI FI Channel pseudo-doc did more for me, frankly. There was content and
thought-out foundations on which to base the fictional mythology which lend
it the credibility that I require in order to suspend my disbelief. Had more material like this been
included in
the actors' banter, it might have better explained why they were there in
the first place. I just didn't buy any of it but I don't feel this was due
to my lack of imagination but rather simply poor performance, lack of substance and bad film making.
Brian Edward Rise
ornery@davidbowie.com
Suspense Is The Greatest Form Of Terror
have a Sixth Sense about The Blair Witch Project. (Sorry about the corny
opening). What other film makers (the studios) need to realize is that
films such as Blair and the The Sixth Sense have something very few films have
had in a long time. Say it with me--intelligence. Fred Ermac hit the nail on the head in his Issue No. 124 letter "Imagination Makes Blair Scary." Blair
doesn't need blood, The Sixth Sense doesn't either. The most powerful tool in creating terror on screen
is making the audience think. (American audiences can...really). Suspense, not
shock, is the greatest form of terror. I am more afraid of what I don't know is out there then what I can
see is. I was weaned on horror films. Nothing bothers me any more. After
Blair I double bolted my door.
Paul Pruett
Yakoub@earthlink.net
What Really Happens In Blair? Not Much...
heard it before I saw it and I've been hearing it ever since I saw it.
It is the call of all the The Blair Witch Project fans to people who didn't like the movie: "You just don't have an imagination." Excuse me? In his Issue No. 124 letter, "Imagination Makes Blair Scary," Mr. Ermac echoes the voices that I've heard before.
Yes, The Blair Witch Project does not deliver the gore, or show the money
shot, or splatter blood gratuitously. That is good. That is fine. All
movies should strive to build a plot and characters before spraying the
actors with blood (Case in point, Blade which literally did spray everyone with blood). I've never been a
proponent of special effects over story, and I don't think the problem with
The Blair Witch Project is due to the lack of "gore" scenes. For me,
repeat, for me, I didn't like the movie because I wanted to jump into those woods and slap the characters around a little. I was glad they got whacked.
But this claim that I, and other moviegoers like me, are devoid of
imagination is foolish and incorrect. I know I have an active imagination,
and sometimes, it doesn't take much for me to "hear" things that go bump in
the night. Any time perception is hazy or unclear, the imagination will run away on you. But the fans of this
movie are desperately clinging to a suggestion that someone has made about
the movie: that you need an "imagination" to enjoy the movie and anyone who
doesn't enjoy it doesn't have an imagination (this is a curious item as it probably makes The Blair Witch Project
fans feel more important about themselves because they have an imagination). And
what you always hear them talk about is what they believe happened off
screen, i.e. not in the movie. I can imagine a lot of things happening off screen that would lead to those whining
punks dying in the woods. What you won't hear the Blair Witch fans talk
about are the enormous plot holes or the terrible "acting." For a movie that supposedly thrives on what might happen in the viewer's imagination, it
focuses very little on what happens in the movie.
Anthony Feliciti
Afeliciti@aol.com
Haunted By Images Of Blair
agree with Fred Ermac's assertion in his Issue No. 124 letter "Imagination Makes Blair Scary" that there were definitely two
types of people who left The Blair Witch Project. I was one of the
frightened ones. My wife on the other hand definitely was not. While she
didn't dislike the movie, it didn't scare her a bit and all she really
wanted to do was make the character of Heather shut the heck up.
While I wasn't scared in the theatre (my wife had to point out the
meaning in the ending) I couldn't sleep well for the next couple of nights
as I was haunted by images of what might have come next. The extensive
official Blair Witch Web site and its various offspring didn't help.
All in all, while I didn't leave the theatre screaming, I don't
remember ever being quite so scared by what is essentially a campfire
story.
Antonio Iacoviello
noise@ionsys.com
TV Won't Be The Same Without Straczynski
fter watching all 13 episodes of Crusade, I have to say I am really
disappointed in the cancellation of this show. It would be a true shame on
the television industry if this show couldn't find a home somewhere else in
the future.
I caught a pilot movie called Babylon 5: The Gathering one Saturday or
Sunday afternoon six or seven years ago and waited for over a year for
anything to materialize out of it. The television shows that eventually
came were amazing and provided me with countless hours of my favorite time in front of my television for years to come. I count the last hour of Crusade that aired among those hours.
What really makes it a shame that Crusade has come to such an untimely end
is that it appears to have never been in need of the rewrites or new ideas
the network attempted to infuse it with. These first episodes were great
and would have undoubtedly lead to an incredible storyline directed by a tried and true talent.
The episodes created after the network got involved were actually excellent
TV SF fare overall, as well. It turns out the infighting behind the
scenes to get these ideas in there--and to keep other, maybe more
detrimental ideas, out--was apparently what doomed the show.
I hope another network with more vision--and less micromanagement--has the
good sense to pick this thing up and let its creator run with it the way it
should have been left to run this year. All of the actors have showed up
at conventions and said--or stated in interviews--that they would love to come back to the show and I
understand even Warner Bros., who makes the show, informed the crew to fold
and store the sets rather than trash them. Given the chance to do things
right, maybe J. Michael Straczynski will come back and tell us the rest of his story. I hope he does. If not, I think my
television viewing experience will be quite a bit more hollow and shallow
for the next several years. TV just won't be the same without regular
visits to the B5 universe.
Robert Wolfe
cmcdunah@rcn.com
