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
Persistence Is Cosmically Rewarded
cannot believe that The Lathe of Heaven is finally being released. I have called WNET in New York every year since I first saw the movie on KCET in Los Angeles years ago. I've called them every year for the past 15 years to request the status of the release of movie or ask if they were ever going to show it again. As a matter of fact I just emailed the SCI FI Channel on Sunday to ask if they could help mount a campaign to get it released. The Channel's response was to check out SCIFI.COM because for its story on the movie's actual release. Is this cosmic or what! All I can say is that it's about time! This is a wonderful story and movie. I have a bootleg copy that I treasure but its quality is not very good. It's going to be a real treat to finally see it as it should be seen.
Janice Smith
jis@kern.com
Yearning For Long-Lost Films
n your recent article about the re-release of the television movie The Lathe of Heaven, you also mentioned the 1972 filmed version of "Between Time and Timbuktu." Please say that this wonderful production will someday be available, too! I have such vivid memories of the actor Kevin McCarthy as the prophet Bokonon, sadly saying, "I suppose that it goes to show that you have to be very careful what you pretend to be . . . because, one day, you may wake up to find that's what you are."
Of all the impossible-to-get films in the world, it is this one--and Hallmark Hall of Fame's production of Paddy Chayefsky's play Gideon--that remain still beyond my grasp. Please say there is hope that we may one day soon be able to revisit Between Time and Timbuktu.
Ruthann Oenone Adamsky
Tleatha@aol.com
Hubbard Provides The Best Evil
lthough I have not had a chance to see the movie (of which we have heard so much bad press), I just wanted to respond to some of the unjust criticism of the novel Battlefield Earth.
While I am not a great fan of Hubbard or Scientology, I have read, reread and enjoyed the book for almost 15 years. It is a piece of fiction that, while not great in any one aspect, is more than worthy of note in the annals of science fiction writing. Like any work of fiction, it has its strong points and weak points. Hubbard take a long time to set up each of the three main action sequences, thus making the book slow going at times. However, the action more than makes up for it--tense, gripping and in some cases full of blood and guts. But no matter what, it makes you think a little. I would rather have more thoughtfulness and detail than be lost in a lot of questions ("How did that happen?") like with Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. The end result is a work that is full, rich and entertaining.
If you like a fast read, a quick shot of blood and guts, forget it. If you want a world with a capable hero, with a good supporting cast, and one of the best evil characters this side of Darth Vader, then buy this book and sit down for a nice long read. You will enjoy it.
Patrick Maloney
pmaloney@ddiworld.com
Examine Battlefield Before Deciding
don't believe in Hubbard's religion and I have certainly read far more in the field of science fiction and fantasy than most people. I don't think the book Battlefield Earth is awful. It isn't great like the Foundation series, but it is worth reading, definitely more than any Star Wars novel. The first 350 pages are rather weak. The only way to read it is to go through 300 to 400 pages each night and you'll get to the better half in no time. It's like watching seasons two and three of Earth: Final Conflict and saying the entire show is bad, without taking the first season into account. Everything, especially a novel, must be examined in whole before determining its value.
Daniel Rasmussen
rasnet@rconnect.com
Travolta Protests Too Much
he people have spoken and have shown what should be of no surprise: Battlefield Earth should never have been made into a movie. After being out for three weeks, it is not in the "top 10 movies" list. The book--in plain words--stinks and that is primarily why the movie is so horrible. I had the privilege to take a college class taught by Dr. Martin Greenberg--one of Dr. Asimov's close friends. He told our class about a meeting that Pohl Anderson and his wife, and Hubbard and his wife, had in Florida, where they dreamed up the idea of Scientology and the start of Battlefield Earth. It was very interesting because part of the Scientology concept was about mind control and population control. Sound familiar? Look at John Travolta and his denials about the movie--seems like he is "protesting too much": what does he have to hide? I can say this, based on over 40 years of reading practically every SF book that I can. Please note I wrote "SF" not "Sci Fi"--if you don't know the difference, you should find out.
Gary Baierl
gbaierl@milwpc.com
Don't Limit The Outer Limits!
here has everyone gone? There's mention every week about how Star Trek: Voyager bites, but no one has mentioned that Showtime is canceling The Outer Limits. Like early X-Files, this show has an edge and intensity like no other. Sure it had a good run, but where else can we see a truly different view of reality each and every week by a plethora of authors? Must we be trapped with the singular vision of one author (or a select few), as with most of the "popular" shows? If anyone else feels the way I do, please email me and we'll get a campaign going. Otherwise, I'll be catching up on some SF reading.
Michael Jager
mjjager@comdisco.com
Save Our SF Show, Part II
believe that CBS has just handed the SCI FI Channel an opportunity--an opportunity to pick up a mature, smart, funny, completely engaging science fiction show called Now and Again. I just read that CBS has canceled the show, which is a loss for them and for the show's viewers.
No, it doesn't take place in the future, nor does it have any aliens running around. No, it isn't chock-full of action, although more action could easily be included. The show doesn't fit the standard SCI FI Channel mold, but that could be a refreshing feature. After all, the SCI FI Channel does show The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, both of which contain episodes that are thoughtful and character-oriented while still being entertaining--in other words, similar in style to the weekly episodes of Now and Again.
Maybe the show spent too much of the season on characterization, and not enough time on the "golly-gee" fictional science vs. the sinister evil-doer plotlines. But it was in the process of remedying that with the season's final episodes. Some other network should give the show a chance to prove itself. Now and Again was too good to simply dismiss.
Dennis Money
dionysusdm@netscape.net
Roswell Isn't Dawson In Space
s a faithful and concerned fan of the WB's Roswell, I don't feel the show is going to be given a fair shake. I feel that the 13-episode renewal of the show is a way to save face before the fans and not leave the show on a cliffhanger. For cryin' out loud, Roswell's ratings were better then the godawful Felicity or Popular after the switch from Wednesday to Monday night. Yet they were so indecisive about renewing it.
Let's face it. Roswell is more than Dawson's Creek in spacesuits--it's more like The X-Files or First Wave in that it centers around an underlying alien invasion conspiracy. And the fact that the main characters are aliens and in the dark along with the viewer makes it that much better. We're not talking aliens like Mork, ALF or the Third Rock From the Sun crew, we're talking alien/human adolescent hybrids who are more human than alien.
Before WB gets a chance to screw up a good thing, Roswell should be moved or picked up by the SCI FI Channel, where it would have a good home and a fighting chance. Monday nights are the best night because there's never anything on TV, whereas on Wednesdays, sci-fi people like myself have to decide between watching Roswell or Star Trek: Voyager.
Theodore Wilczynski
toysoldier2001@yahoo.com
What Fans Give, They Can Take Away
o hell with David Duchovny! For the last few seasons of The X-Files, he's been making the talk show rounds and giving interviews, ridiculing the role that made him famous and extremely wealthy. Now he's touting the fact that he will actually be making fewer than the 11 appearances previously announced by the show's producers, and crowing about the obscene amount of money he's going to make. What a slap in the face to every fan who has supported The X-Files over the years. The man is a mediocre actor who was lucky enough to find a role that brought him fame and fortune (they certainly didn't come from his inept movie career--check out his films), and his attitude is downright insulting. Why Chris Carter puts up with this egomaniac, with little real ability to back up his inflated sense of self-esteem, is beyond me. If the show should continue its success, it will be due in great part to the grace, talent and charisma of Gillian Anderson. (Hey David, she's the one who won an Emmy.) Let Duchovny be consigned to the trashpile of has-beens, where his name will most often be brought up in trivia games.
David: the fans gave you what you have. You might remember this when lounging around the pool waiting for the offers that, if there's any justice, won't be rolling in.
Larry Brewer
LarryCBrewer@webtv.net
MI:2 Disappoints Intellectual Fan
on't get me wrong, Mission: Impossible 2 is an exciting movie. But despite the movie title and theme music, this is about as far away from Mission: Impossible as you could get. What made the TV series good was its intricate plots that relied on the split-second teamwork of the IMF members, using misdirection, not munitions, to trick the bad guys. This film is only about Tom Cruise and lots of explosions. Not helping matters is that the lightweight plot is lifted directly from Hitchcock's classic Notorious, but without the emotional dynamics that made that one great. I guess it's true that audiences of modern films, especially summer blockbusters, have such short attention spans that they can't be bothered with character development or logical plots. I enjoy a mindless action movie every once in a while, and this one was certainly fun, but I had hoped for more than that with the Mission: Impossible name on it.
Norman Cook
unclescrooge@hotmail.com
Gladiator Makers Did Their Homework
ale Sproule's observation about Gladiator being a SF film in his Issue No. 162 letter "Give Us More SF Or We'll Take Rome" is a little off. Everyone must remember that Hollywood has this thing about historical accuracy ... or rather a total disregard for it. Boasts from many filmmakers about attention to historical detail have been so much hot air, to say the least. The History Channel occasionally airs a discussion group, with Sander Vanocur as moderator, that studies the accuracy of such movies as Gladiator, Sixty Seconds Over Tokyo and The Fighting Misfits (on which the series Black Sheep Squadron was based).
Although the characters in Gladiator are misplaced or altered to fit with the drama, the director Ridley Scott and the writers David H. Franzoni, John Logan and William Nicholson took great pains to portray Roman life in the First Century A.D. as accurately as possible. The scenes of ancestor worship, military tactics, Imperial intrigue, use of maggots as a disinfectant (being used again these days to treat slow-healing wounds, with remarkable results), and even the games themselves are true to what we know of actual life at that time. Gladiator is more historical fiction than alternate-history fiction. For it to be truly alternate, the writers would have had to do something like show the Christians openly rebelling or the German tribes defeating Caesar's Legions, then planning an assault on Rome itself. None of this happened in the film. The film is just a modern variation of the Jim Reeves Hercules classics ... only lacking Gods or mythical monsters to deal with. Gladiator depicts a despot king and a general determined to redeem his honor and avenge his family. Nothing more, nothing less.
James K. Chambliss
WeirdArchives@excite.com
Gladiator Repelled From SF's Door
think that a better term for Gladiator would be historical fiction. Even though it was speculative, it did not show any advances in technology or changing of scientific theory. I believe one or both of these is needed to gain entrance to the science fiction genre.
T. Sean Prescott
tsean@instaprint.com
TV Star May Fill Big, Evil Boots
'm not a huge fan of the Star Wars series but I am very excited about
Hayden Christensen playing Anakin Skywalker. He's a very talented and
interesting young actor, and folks can check him out on Fox Family Channel's
Higher Ground. With Hayden as the lead character, I may actually go see Star
Wars: Episode II.
Laura Cvengros
lcvengros@aol.com
More Cudgels Raised To Defend DS9
ravo to Max Gremlin's defense of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. It has always been my favorite Star Trek series. I loved the storylines that lasted throughout entire seasons. I loved the camaraderie and chemistry between O'Brien and Bashir, Odo and Quark, Sisko and Kira, Nog and Jake. I loved that the good guys weren't perfect, and the bad guys weren't all bad. (Some of them even turned out to be good guys.) When the Cardassians went from being allies to enemies, then back to allies, it was believable. The story pulled your sympathies along. When Worf killed Galrog it was unexpected. (I thought, certainly, he would stop before the actual kill and let him go.) And it pulled in a storyline from years ago on Next Generation. (It was actually Worf's killing of Durass that brought Galrog to the Chancellorship.)
All the other series have been about fixing problems and moving on to the next adventure. DS9 was about sticking around for the long haul. To me, that is what allowed for the depth of character development that made the show so interesting.
Carol Wilson
macwilson@peoplepc.com
DS9 Is Missed
never understood the negative reactions to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. I find that I really miss the characters and their stories. By restricting the sphere of action to the space station and a limited number of surrounding areas of the galaxy, the writers were able to develop longer storylines and pay closer attention to character development and relationships than was the case in Star Trek: The Next Generation (or Star Trek: Voyager), where the encounter of the week was more the focus. I found the final show a genuinely touching farewell to characters I had come to care about.
Walter Vestal
wvestal@ridgenet.org
