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.
-- Brooks Peck, Editor
Lexx Blows Chunks
our reviewer was correct in being leery of Lexx. I've watched it on and off since its premier on Canada's SPACE, and unless I have somehow managed to view only the lamest, most ridiculous episodes, I would say that this show blows chunks.
David Andersn
dtander@agt.net
Can't Respect Lexx
have been an avid watcher of SCI FI for about four years and have really enjoyed how far the station has come. I was watching this weekend when I saw some new programming--the new show Lexx. Up until now SCI FI has not had to rely on Sexx to increase itsTV watching base. Why? Why? It has great original programs, great new and old movies, etc. Now this blatant sex stuff. Young kids could pretty much watch the station unattended without fear of this kind of programming. It's so sad to see SCI FI do this! I've lost some respect for their talents!
Dana Elston
danae@wildenpump.com
How To Watch Lexx
fter reading Craig E. Engler's review of Lexx, I
have come to the conclusion that he doesn't know how to "watch Lexx."
As a long time fan of Lexx here in Canada, I would like to offer some
advice.
First you must realize that Lexx is possibly the most silly,
meaningless and idiotic piece of SF to hit the airwaves ever.
However, the show itself realizes this, so instead of trying to be
pretentious beyond its means (such as Star Trek: Voyager), the show
offers a nice alternative to most SF television where the universe
is always saved from total destruction in the last five minutes of the
hour. Indeed, the crew of Lexx frequently manages to figure out a way
to blow the hell out of the universe (or parts thereof) in the last
five minutes of the hour.
The crew of the Lexx are total losers (the most noble
character is a dead guy), so it helps to think of Lexx as a mobile
version of "Gilligan's Island From Hell." They leave every planet they
visit in worse shape then when they arrived.
Once you realize this, it is best to sit back, pour yourself
a stiff drink and enjoy the ride.
Joseph O'Neil
joneil@multiboard.com
Lexx Adds Gore To Its Sex
s a sometime watcher of Lexx on UK SCI FI, I can confirm it is a funny if somewhat gory series, but the throw away comment of your reviewer that if sex is all the propels the show it is hard to see how it can go forward week after week can't go unremarked. Well it'll make a change! Most of the shows we see are propelled forward week after week by gratuitous violence....
Steve Taylor
steve@thetaylorfamily.org.uk
Lexx Sacrifices Quality
raise Craig E. Engler for his review of Lexx. I saw the first episode that aired on SCI FI and didn't like it because of the story. It should be called "Come out of the Closet...." I don't mind new shows with new views, but if SCI FI is going to sacrifice quality.... If all shows have sex-related themes that's not good. Disgusting things all the time, are not good also. Tetsuo, The Iron Man is better than Lexx. I hope Lexx is not the future of SCI FI.
Alexandra Almestica
almestica@hotmail.com
Stuart Is Violent And Scary
hile I agree with your critique of the movie Stuart Little (I was bitterly disappointed in what was done to a delightful story), I disagree strongly with your comment that this is a wonderful movie for toddlers. Children around us were saying, "I want to go home," "I want the end." My neighbor's very bright three year old (going on 30) adamantly claimed it was not funny! If you look at this movie from the point of view of a young child, you might see that it is very scary: big cat faces, long chases on a dark night, crashing boats, and on and on.
I would like to have seen much more of Stuart and, wonderful as Nathan Lane is, rather much less of Snowball, et al. I thought at least one part of Lion King was a bit violent for young children, but on the whole, I was touched by the movie. I found Stuart Little to be more violent/scary but failed to be touched by it.
Barbara Gunther
bgmac01@earthlink.net
Bicentennial Actually 8th Asimov Flick
n reference to the Robin Williams interview and letters here about Isaac Asimov on film, IMDb shows that Bicentennial Man is the eighth Asimov story or novel produced for film or television. Others include a 1964 BBC production of The Caves of Steel, and a 1979 PBS production of "The Ugly Little Boy."
Eric Simpson
cripster@humboldt1.com
Hollywood Readers Are Ignorant
find it interesting that the script for Battlefield Earth
was considered a failure after submission to two Hollywood
producers.
Only a few years ago they submitted Casablanca under its
original title, and it was passed over by nearly 90 studios.
Not one recognized it. They also had some lovely little
comments about it.
I imagine the comments made about Battlefield Earth were
made by people who don't read much.
Wes Hutchings
binkley.winkley@mailcity.com
X-Men Site Demands Email
link from your news page to the official X-Men movie site, http://www.x-men-the-movie.com/ initially piqued my interest.
The site started off well (although I can imagine users with no high speed Internet access grumbling about the load time). The site starts a shockwave animation, so far so good. Then it requires my e-mail address to grant me access. This is ridiculous. There is no information anywhere on the page as to what they are going to do with this information.
Let me see if I have this right! The Web site was created to promote the film, but it refuses me access unless I submit my e-mail address (and potentially expose myself to who knows what spam list). Thanks, but no thanks.
I'll wait for your site to give me information, or visit one of the fan sites.
Yusuf Seedat
yuss@email.com
Time For A Star Trek Sitcom
t's time for the Star Trek franchise to have a situation comedy.
Star Trek: The Sitcom would be about a suburban family living in the 24th
century. Dad is from Mars, Mom is from Venus, and every week the home
holosuite breaks down because the teenage son is hacking through the
parental-controls subroutine. There's your whole series premise.
But maybe also, the next door neighbor could be Q, and have a temporal
anomaly in his backyard that jumps the fence and gets loose now and
then. Or new aliens appear in school, and Sis has to decide whether to
date them or kill them (choose wisely--and shoot first!)
And maybe in one episode, the youngest child's class project could
evolve into a super-intelligent species. But nah, that would be too
ridiculous.
Have your people contact my people.
Joe Schembrie
jschembrie@astrotug.com
Take Trek Back To Its Roots
he universe of Star Trek is getting old and worn. If anyone at Paramount would exercise some old fashioned vision, let's return to the "old fashioned" and go back to when the Federation was fresher and space was still exciting and newly explored, instead of the current diplomatic malaise. I would propose a new show based in the times of Pike or Kirk, but telling the stories of other ships in the fleet and not focusing on one ship like the Enterprise. Surely the rest of the fleet had some great adventures of discovery, drama and intrigue. Surely it was not only the Enterprise that had mythic stories to tell. It would be great to see the old Constellation class starships again, but done with today's special effects (remember how great the Enterprise looked in the Tribbles episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine?) With today's special effects there could even be "cameos" by the young Enterprise crew, altered appropriately, to interact with current actors--Kirk on the view screen, Spock on audio or whatnot. Let's go back to when we knew less of the dangers, less of the aliens and yes, less of the anomalies. Back to a more rugged time of adventure! I'm tired of feeling like I'm watching the drama of some office building in space! Let's try something new by going back to something old!
Ed Turner
Starbug6@aol.com
Consider These Star Trek Ideas
ver the past few weeks I have been reading others ideas for Star Trek with great interest. I feel compelled to submit my own ideas. While the previous ones have been great and far out, I believe I have some that could very well challenge them. I currently have three very different plots:
1) This stems from Star Trek: First Contact and takes place between First Contact and Star Trek. It is about the effect of warp drive and the newfound races on Earth or could be about one of the first warp ships and its exploration of the new frontier.
2) A experimental ship built from Borg technology taken from the Enterprise E commanded by a formally cryogenically frozen police officer from the 21st century.
3) The voyages of a time ship as seen in Star Trek: Voyager fixing the time line and running into the cast and crew of the past series.
Chris Stefanovich
_charazard@excite.com
Trek Will Leap Across Time
lthough I have mixed feelings about another Star Trek series, I believe it is unrealistic to think that Paramount would give such a money maker any sort of hiatus. As long as there are fans to watch and potentially buy licensed products, there will be a Star Trek on the air.
In a recent issue of the Star Trek Communicator, Rick Berman was asked if the new series would be set in the same time frame as the previous three series, to which he replied: "That's a very interesting question that, unfortunately, I can't answer just yet."
Perhaps I'm reading too much into this, but I think it is likely that the new series will take place on a Federation timeship as seen recently on Star Trek: Voyager. This opens up the potential for alot of interesting adventures crossing through all the series and beyond.
Ron Desroches
WonderWarrior@aol.com
