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.
-- Scott Edelman, Editor-in-Chief
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Voyager Losing Its Warp Factor
have to offer these comments on Star Trek: Voyager. Having been a Star Trek fan
since it first appeared on TV, I found that it seemed to improve with time.
Although Star Trek: The Next Generation will always be my favorite, I actually enjoyed Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
But Voyager seemed to lose a lot in the telling. Its premise started out
great. And my daughter and I laughed when the two Ferengi showed up as we
knew they would after getting stuck on the wrong side of the wormhole from
TNG. But even with the addition of Seven of Nine, the stories were dragging
badly. I have every episode of all four series taped and, from time to time,
I go back to watch the old ones. Even the original series had more going
for it then Voyager.
Somehow I think it would have done better to follow the soap opera genre
(as Babylon 5 did), which gave it an ongoing story from week to week. Only doing
one cliffhanger each season (generally the last episode) did nothing for me
when I knew it would be resolved at the beginning of the next. (I think B5
had that down pat. You couldn't wait to see what happened, knowing it would
take a whole season to resolve the Shadow War or taking back control of the
Earth from President Clark.) Voyager lost some great opportunities with the
various enemies they faced.
Pam Knight
Melzark@aol.com
Trek Should Show the Common Man
'm not sure how it happened, but I've become hooked on Science Fiction Weekly. Used to be, I'd just read the News section. Then I found myself beginning to check out the occasional interview if it sounded interesting. Then the book reviews, the movie reviews... now I'm so hooked I'm actually
writing the occasional letter and anxiously awaiting each new issue. Kudos
to the staff for putting together a quality product!
I love Sam Denton's idea ("Star Trek Should Return to Basics") about a Star Trek series to focus on the Federation Diplomatic Corps. I've always felt that Star Trek was wide open to many more possibilities than the writers tend to explore. The need to include just about all of the main cast in each episode is one limitation that's always annoyed me.
There was one memorable episode of Babylon 5
showing the reactions of a couple of janitors to a large-scale battle that
was going on. One could just as easily do a similar story set in the Star
Trek universe. How about a story that focuses on a new crewman's first day
aboard the Enterprise? And how do the people back home react to news
stories of their loved ones being involved in all of these adventures? I'd
be really interested in seeing a Star Trek anthology-style series: each
week would feature a story set in the Star Trek universe, but you wouldn't
necessarily focus on the same characters each week. One week would be a
tale set on Earth, the next on the Klingon homeworld, etc. I suppose a series with no continuing characters probably would be a hard-sell as far as the TV-watching public is concerned though ...
I'm not sure if the idea of having Jesse Jackson, Ralph Nader, Pat
Robertson, etc. suggest story ideas is a good one, though. It sounds as if
such a series would quickly degenerate into a worthy-cause-of-the-week type
of deal. Perhaps not all Diplomatic missions would deal with such weighty
matters? In fact--since we're discussing SF and diplomacy at the same
time--perhaps arrangements could be made to adapt some of Keith Laumer's
Retief short stories into the Star Trek universe (the idea isn't without
precedent: Larry Niven adapted his own short story "The Soft Weapon" for the
Star Trek animated series.) This would supply some nice humorous episodes
to balance out the more weighty ones.
And I noticed one small problem with Tony Wallace's idea ("Tie Classic SF to Newbie Directors") to give newbie directors a chance to direct SF movies: Hollywood is traditionally loath to
grant big budgets to first-time directors. And not all up-and-coming
directors are necessarily interested in SF. Under the current system,
directors pretty much pick and choose whatever interests them, script-wise,
and this seems to me to be as good a system as any.
Stewart Tame
sbt@ans.net
Turn Star Trek Upside Down
ho cares whether the next Star Trek series format takes place at the Academy or aboard a ship whose captain is a man, woman, hologram--or a guy named Sulu? The real question is: will the new format bring new stories?
We've had enough shows about temporal anomalies and "Aritificial
Intelligences Are People, Too!" Witness Andromeda, which travels back in time every third episode and whose computer has the hots for its captain. Something new, please!
How about turning the whole Star Trek universe upside down? The
Federation becomes a dictatorship, the Borg Collective goes schizoid, the Vulcans go
touchy-feely, the Klingons get MBAs and the Ferengi embrace altruism (run for cover!).
Sure, these ideas have been showcased--only to be resolved by a single
episode's dollop of technobabble. How about going deeper, across an
entire series arc, so that they collide with other transformations,
creating an unpredictable maelstrom of chaos, confusion, and... creativity?
Star Trek's motto is, "To go where no one has gone before." If Star
Trek would do that again--instead of wallowing in a holographic Irish pub--it'll be
worth watching for another seven years.
Joe Schembrie
joeschem@seanet.com
Trek's Writing Was Space-tacular
'm writing in response to James Sullivan's comments in your last issue ("ST Should Write Big"). He says the quality of writing has gone downhill since the fourth season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Wrong!
If anything, almost the opposite is true. ST didn't start getting real good until the third season cliffhanger of TNG, "Best Of Both Worlds Part I & II" (can you say "Nebula Award"?). From then, to about the fourth season opener of Voyager, the writing was impeccable (I don't count the 1st seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager. The first season of a Trek series is always horrible, because the writers are having to figure out character development, so Trekkies have learned to forgive
that.)
The writing didn't start to falter until the fourth season of Voyager.
The rock bottom of the Trek universe, however, was season six (Ugh! Lexx has
meatier plots, but not by much!) However, season seven, so far, has shown that Trek may be on the comeback trail.
Adam Boudreaux
TrekAdamG@webtv.net
Verne Has Secret Potential
t's a good idea: Jules Verne meets up with the real Phineas Fogg and goes on secret-agent adventures involving all kinds of fantasy elements. And even the first episode had a good story.
But... Why is it that every SF or fantasy show seems determined to have boring
heroes? This Jules Verne must be the most boring genius/writer ever!
Here's a guy who thinks up the most fantastic things and still has an impact
on writers over a century later... and in this show he's a boring guy whose
dialogue comes from the most unoriginal comic books and who had his
personality surgically removed. Why would anyone team up with this guy,
unless it's to combat insomnia?
And in keeping with the boring hero, the title music has to be the most
uninspired "theme" song by anyone not named John Barry. In fact,
during the fight scene between Rebecca Fogg and the bad guy French dude, the
music sounded exactly like some of the stuff John Barry wrote in The Living
Daylights which he swears is "exciting action movie" music.
On the other hand, the special effects were, for the most part, very good.
Some of it wasn't all that realistic, but I think a show about Jules Verne
and his fantastic adventures should have a little bit of cartoon quality to
the effects. (Now if only they could add some cartoon personality to the
hero!)
So, I'll keep watching. And hope that they either replace the guy playing
Verne, or have Verne killed off and replaced with someone who actually
represents a real, even strange, even entertaining, person. (And did you
notice everyone in France had a French accent--except Jules Verne! Apparently the real secret in The Secret Adventures is that Jules Verne is a secret American!)
Barry Porter
Portero1@aol.com
Steampunk is Information
agree with Lewis Murphy ("Steaming Over Steampunk's Meaning") that calling The Secret Adventures of Jules
Verne a part of the Steampunk genre of Science fiction is mostly marketing.
I disagree, however, with his definition of "Steampunk."
The term Steampunk derives from the Cyberpunk SF movement of the 80s, no one denies that. But, Steampunk was a reaction against the "noir" of Cyberpunk by writers who
still wanted to speculate about the use of information technologies, but
didn't like the meaningless techno-adjectives and new and better sex toys of
late 80s Cyberpunk.
Writers like Gibson, Sterling and Harrison looked out upon the gushing
sewer full of crap that the Cyberpunk movement had degenerated into and
decided to write about something else. Where to set their stories? Well,
where had information technologies started? Babbage, of course,
during that old favorite of authors: Victorian England. So we got "A
Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah!" from Harrison in 1991, followed by "The
Difference Engine" in 1992 and the term Steampunk was born by some nameless
lazy SF critic.
If Steampunk has a definition it should be something along the lines of
"Speculative stories based upon the premise that the information age began
with the success of early attempts to create mechanical computers, rather
than in our history where such devices were not developed until a century
later with the development of electronics." The "steam" part of Steampunk
comes from the fact that industrial power sources in the Victorian era used
steam to transfer mechanical work (as opposed to the hydraulics and
electrical motors of today). For the source of the "punk" part of
Steampunk, see "Lazy SF Critic" above.
I would rule The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne out of the Steampunk genre
because it doesn't use computers but depends instead on analog mechanical
devices that ingeniously apply the laws of physics. That's "science" as
Jules Verne understood it, not speculation as to the information age
arriving a century earlier than it actually did.
Juan Suros
jsuros@yahoo.com
Brisco County Was There First
egarding Kathie Huddleston's review of The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne," she states, "...while Wild, Wild West may have done it first, that was a long time ago, and there hasn't been anything like it on television for a long time."
Ms. Huddleston seems to have forgotten, or has never seen, the late,
lamented, Adventures of Brisco County Jr. that aired on Fox in the early '90s, and was recently re-run on TNT. This western mixed time-travel, mad geniuses and futuristic (for the 1890s) devices in a series that was clever, witty and obviously over the heads of most of its audience. Brisco was closer to Wild, Wild West than Jules Verne could ever be.
A more appropriate comparison to Jules Verne would be Q.E.D. which had
the same concept, and a much more European feel to it (I believe it was filmed in the U.K.)
Iain Delaney
iain_delaney@hotmail.com
Black Scorpion Gets Fan's Venom
feel insulted. As a long-time science fiction fan, I have been overjoyed with many of the things the SCI FI Channel has been doing. Farscape is one of the best programs on TV. The Invisible Man and First Wave are both enjoyable series, and Lexx, which I watch only occasionally, is so lavishly strange that it gets some kudos in its own right. But now, for whatever reason, they've decided to punish Farscape's success by forcing it to carry an audience through their newest shows, Black Scorpion and Jules Verne.
Jules Verne's first episode was mediocre, but at least the concept has some serial/episodic promise. But Black Scorpion?! This is the kind of show that gives science fiction and science fiction fans a bad name. I have no idea who the intended demographic is (I imagine it must be some small percentage of adolescent males), but it certainly is not the same demographic attracted to Farscape.
I saw the show described as "campy," which is apparently code for "the dialogue sucks, the acting is poor, the storyline is terrible, but we show a lot of bouncing cleavage." It doesn't appear that things are going to improve. Commericals for upcoming episodes are already touting the presence of explosions and lightning bolts (apparently pyrotechnics supplant good storytelling). They might as well just announce the number of breasts young male viewers can expect. Nothing personal against the show's creators or actors, but the final product is an insult, and I hope the show is replaced before it becomes a drag on Farscape's ratings.
I used to anticipate Friday night prime--I used to plan to watch it Friday evening--now it looks like I may just be taping Farscape to watch later. Good science fiction will always be about stories and/or characters, enhanced or made possible by some fantastical backdrop. Good science fiction is never about the backdrop itself, and bombs and boobs are just easy outs, ultimately trumping the story with the setting. Given the past two years of product at the SCI FI Channel, I never expected that fans of the network would be asked to endure a Baywatch-style approach to the genre we love. Apparently I was wrong.
Ken Rufo
k.rufo@home.net
Black Scorpion is Cheese Gone Bad
aving read Ms. Huddleston's review of Black Scorpion a few days after seeing the first 15-20 minutes and select bits of the pilot, I can only say that her review was kinder than it should have been.
I tried to watch as much as I could, but the low-budget (read "cheesy") dialogue, character establishment and fetishistic costuming exceeded my pain threshhold, and I was forced to change the channel.
What, for starters, was the relevance behind the cheery little bedtime story the heroine-to-be's father told to her later search for justice? The original message of the tale was that some creatures cannot control their inherent nature, even if it destroys them and everything else around them. This doesn't seem to jive, unless her subconscious is trying to warn her about the path she's taking.
Was it necessary to make the rest of the detectives in her department (with the possible exception of the partner/love interest) little better than comic relief? It wouldn't be much of a stretch for her to be a better cop than a gang of incompetents.
I won't even get into how a squad of alleged "commandos" don't notice a large cyborg standing on top of a van, who has been zeroing in on his intended targets for at least fifteen seconds. Or how a push of a button can not only change the outlines and color of the heroine's car, but squeeze her into a WWF-style dominatrix costume, re-style her hair and give her black eyeshadow in seconds. Or the lack of police back-up on her stakeout of the gun store.
The only comic books that dealt this suspension of disbelief stopped publishing in the '60s, or got better writers.
Rather than Corman, this show looks like an unholy cross between a gender-switched version of TV's Batman produced by rubber-and-leather king Joel Schumacher and Saban's
Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers.
A TV critic (male, by the way) for the wire services pointed this series out last week as one of a handful of shows pandering to the overactive libidos of adolescent boys (chronologically or emotionally) at the expense of good action and storytelling. The addition of former porn queen Traci Lords to First Wave was also mentioned.
Who's making the new-show production and casting decisions at the SCI FI Channel, the hosts of The Man Show? I truly hope this improves, because it's got a long way to go just to be tolerable.
Linda Stoops
jassmoris@yahoo.com
Traci is Lord of First Wave
aving grown up on such classic sci-fi TV series that suggest a more discrete alien invasion idea, such as War Of The Worlds, V, and The X-Files, it's no wonder First Wave is a big hit with me. Now I admit I've missed quite a few episodes (thank the network for Chainreaction!) because of time slotting in previous seasons, but I think its current placement at 8 p.m. on Monday night is perfect.
Now, although I liked the season premiere, it wasn't what I expected, but it worked. I'm quite anxious to see much more--not only of the "Raven Nation" but their leader Jordan Radcliff (Traci Lords). I think these were great additions that were needed. More people means more heat and more action. I can hardly wait for the second episode. As far as Traci Lords goes, I have no problem with her. (Although I would like to see her with a bigger part in Blade 2: Bloodlust.) I really believe Jordan Radcliffe is the role of a lifetime. Hopefully we'll see much, much more of her in this genre. I think this is her thing now.
Tony Wallace
toysoldiers2001@yahoo.com
Racial Issues in SF Are Irrelevant
he SCI FI Channel should not be brought into any "earthly" discrimination issues. Sci-fi movies and books are meant to be enjoyed for the science fiction in them. People need to get over the racial problems of our world and just enjoy whatever problems our protagonist is going through. If the actually story plot deals with discrimination of that world, then that's fine, but stop
complaining, the more you whine the more problems are made.
I can say this with impunity because I can not--in any way--be classified
as white or part of the majority. If a human or half-elf is sneered at, fine,
but if not, I don't worry what color plays what race if the actor can portray
all the characteristics in order for me to enjoy something that has nothing
to do with the real world.
Clare Layendecker
mystful@yahoo.com
Dune Misrepresents Our Future
found Mr. Darnell Davis' letter ("Dune Should Be A Melting Pot") interesting. I would like to add my opinions to the subject he brought up.
Did some tragic race war happen in Dune's distant past where all
non-Caucasians were eliminated? Is the result of this horrible event what
the makers of the SCI FI Channel's Dune were trying to illustrate by not including
diversity in their cast? Or is this lack of diversity just a case of shortsightedness?
The most likely scenario is that we have witnessed a case of shortsightedness. The moviemakers see the world as one where whites are the only people that matter. They then transferred this viewpoint to the vision of the future that they created. Should they be condemned for this? No, many share their viewpoint. I am also sure that many people watched the
mini-series without noticing the lack of diversity. This problem goes beyond a mini-series or movie. It will not go away until all people see themselves as part of the world community.
I think that moviemakers should cast their movies the way they want to. I just hope that some day they will want to have diverse casts that represent the world we all live in.
Ronald Hood
jhubbub@hotmail.com
Dune Lacks Water and Diversity
applaud Darnell Davis ("Dune Should Be A Melting Pot") for bringing up an important issue I have not considered recently. While I do not agree with placing minorities for the sake of having them (as Davis has said he is not suggesting anyway), I absolutely see the possibilities for a more varied cast when such matters are not expressly laid out (and intrinsic) to the storyline and characterization.
Added to this, in Dune in particular, there was no reason not to have some Black or Asian actors. I can understand the Fremen not being mixed because they've had access to only one gene pool for a long time (I don't remember how many centuries). However, they began as a group of wanderers, almost like intergalactic refugees if my memory serves, and there's no reason this group wouldn't contain other races too. I can see the Bene Gesserit as being one race because of their breeding programs, but to imply that they would only prefer the white race's genetic code over any other is very questionable.
However, there are several opportunities to show a bit of--I hate this word but must use it--diversity. Mentats shouldn't be all one race, since race is merely color and cultural influence, their potential for intelligence is not in question. (Although I'm sure we must consider the cultural climate in which this book was written, although I do not remember any specific reference to race or ability.)
The Atreides are known for being accepting of people of other nationalities for their own talents (Duncan and Gurney notably). As well, the smuggler groups that fought with Gurney should at least show some variability, as they are truly a melting pot of personalities and cultures. Again, I thank Davis for bringing this issue up and making me think about the
implications of race in the future world of Dune. It does seem that the only
differences between people in the future are homeworld of origin and humanity/alienness
(in the case of the Tleilaxu). If nations of origin are of different races, the story may have been too mired in commentary to make as many statements about mankind in general.
Perhaps this was done to draw a clear line between good and evil (which is truly what the Atreides/Harkonnen battle is) without having carefully to consider racial implications. Or perhaps it's simply a product of the time in which it was published.
In addition to this, I disliked the Asian motif used to portray the Harkonnens. The uniforms, style of fighting and set all seemed to point to the stereotypical Asian bad guy theme. (I've never understood why in action films the villains are mostly Asian.)
Sarah Colgan
idlesatire@aol.com
Anime Reflects Social History
hile I enjoy many of the letters in your Letters section, very few have ever made me stop and think. The exception was the letter about Japanese history and Anime ("Knowing History Helps Anime Viewing"). The reason it made me think was that the author was wrong in a very important way. The average Japanese citizen does not know his country's history during WWII.
Unlike the Germans, the Japanese have never engaged in the kind of public,
collective self-examination of their history as happened in the Western half
of Germany during the post war years. Japanese politicians still annually
visit a Shinto shrine dedicated to the memory of fallen imperial soldiers.
(Imagine the German Chancellor laying a wreath at a shrine to the SS...)
Japanese text books notoriously shy away from any mention of Pearl Harbor,
the Rape of Nanking, or the subjugation of Korea and Manchuria or any notion
of Japanese Imperial Aggression. (A recently published Biography of Emperor
Hirohito shows the extent to which he was personally involved with, and
approved of, the action of the "break away military faction.")
One of the reasons for this (getting back to Science Fiction) is, of course,
the atomic bombing and the American occupation. From the very beginning, the
bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (understandably) dominate post-war Japanese
SF. Who is the first proto-Anime character? Godzilla, a creature born in the atomic fires, who is the victim of atomic weapons. This is of course a major theme in Japanese SF (anime included). The fear of another bombing made manifest, in the monster who terrorizes and,
then interestingly enough in later Godzilla movies, protects the Japanese people.
Japan's peace had been imposed, its security guaranteed by the U.S military
since it's surrender. The lack of being a "part of of any regional or
international conflict since the war" is due more to the fact that the U.S.
(through the Japanese constitution--written by the U.S. during the occupation)
limits Japanese military power, than say the idea that the Japanese (both
within anime and without) are more peace-loving than other nations.
So the writer is correct in one aspect: Japanese Anime reflects the
Japanese distortion of its history. That is, anime portrays what the Japanese
people want to believe about themselves, and about what happened in their
past--that is was not their fault, that they are more peaceful than other
peoples (of course this idea also implies a Japanese moral superiority), and
finally in the international sphere they were the victims of aggression.
I find this fascinating aspect of anime in no way deters my enjoyment of
it, nor does all anime uniformly express all these themes. In fact Princess
Mononoke (being safely in the distant past) was so good in part because the
story did a good job of showing human aggression and that the price of an
empire may be the lives of innocents and ultimately your humanity. Should a
film of the depth and honesty of Mononoke ever be made about the WWII era,
then I think this would be a reflection of a fundamental shift in Japanese
society.
On a final note. Back in the late '80s and early '90s the South Korean
government finally lifted a post WWII-era law that banned the importation of
Japanese cultural products (anime included.) While black market titles had
been common and available for a while, this official act was greeted with
such hostility by South Korean citizens that there were riots in the streets
of Seoul. In effect, comic book riots. SF cannot be separated from the rest of
the society.
Frank Wegesend
damootch@hotmail.com
Duchovny's Ego Is Out There
eople just don't get it, do they? David Duchovny (Mulder) doesn't really want to do The X-Files anymore. We're really lucky we have him on the show at all. Granted, Agent Doggett isn't the best character, but he's not that bad either. It's greedy actors like David Duchovny (who want a million dollars an episode) that cause great shows to get cancelled.
Why can't people just let Chris Carter either close up all the loose ends or carry on with the character of Agent Doggett? I mean, Duchovny's not going to linger too far because
he knows where his fans and money net are. If there is another movie, he's already signed for it. Besides, I'm looking forward to a Mulder/Dogget team up. Let Duchovny do his thing and his fans can enjoy his other projects, but don't feed his ego. After all, isn't that how The X-Files got into this situation in the first place? There will never be enough money or perks for this guy. I mean he's cute, but not that cute!
Sarah Wallace
just5ive@yahoo.com
We Should Not Fight the Future
hat do the participants in The X-Files Preserve the Partnership campaign wish to accomplish? For Fox Mulder to be found? Well, Mulder is a character on a TV show, not a real person who can be convinced to return to the FBI. For David Duchovny to change his mind and return? Well,
Duchovny is a real person, an actor who has chosen to take his career in a different direction and not fully participate in The X-Files series in the future.
We, the viewers, regardless of the letters we write or money we donate, cannot convince an actor to live his life the way we want them to and continue to play a part that they feel they want to move away from.
Besides, is this really about the show? Would the Preserve the
Partnership campaign be satisfied if the Mulder character was re-cast? I
don't think so. This has nothing to do with the show itself and more to do
with the David Duchovny fans who miss seeing his face on their TV every
week.
If you are truly a fan of The X-Files, take a look at the positive aspects
of the departure of Duchovny--Robert Patrick is a wonderful actor and is
doing a fabulous job as Agent Doggett. He has added a fresh perspective to
the show. Scully is now able to have some further character development by
having to admit to herself that she is now a believer. The character of
Skinner has begun to grow and has taken on a more prominent role, as has his
relationship with Scully.
Since I have already made the Mulder/Scully fans mad, I might as well go
ahead and say that I hope we find out the baby she is carrying is not
Mulder's. They have had a wonderful, close friendship over the course of this
series and I think having a baby together would ruin that. Don't you think
that family responsibility, child support and diapers just might taint their
relationship a little? I say let her be a single mother and if Duchovny chooses to return to the show, Mulder could still be a very important person in the child's life without being the biological father.
To sum up, drop the campaign, let the actors make their career decisions,
and accept the changes that are occurring with an open mind. Enjoy the show
while it is here, it's not going to be around forever you know.
Kelli Doyle
k-doyle@att.net
F & SF Molds Yesterday's Youths
just had to write and express the resonance Mr. Edelman's article ("Three Novels That Changed A Life") engendered in me. The three authors/works you mention were formative for me as well. Tolkien was a semi-constant companion from the time my grade-school librarian pointed me at The Hobbit; my mother received the first three Dune novels for Christmas one year, but it was my bookshelf they tended to reside on. And I was greeted with a shock of recognition when I returned to Heinlein after a fair absence when I realized that a good deal of my politics and many of my notions of proper hospitality and interpersonal relations had their roots in his work. It's good to go back sometimes--it's especially good when the works hold up over time the way these do. Thanks for reminding me.
Joy Ralph
cithra@zipcon.net
The Classics Should Be Grokked
hat a pleasure it was for me to read your column ("Three Novels That Changed A Life") regarding re-reading three classics from your youth. The amazing thing is, I have just recently reread two of those same classics.
When I first read The Lord of the Rings, at age 11 in 1973, I was blown away by the immensity of world-building, something I'd never seen before. Stranger in a Strange Land I arrived at only in 1979, and I remember being wholly transported, and indeed transformed, by the imagination of Heinlein. I read Dune for the first time shortly thereafter, and I reread it a few years later.
I re-read Stranger when the first "uncut" version was released and enjoyed reliving the book. For reading Heinlein is to live in the world he creates. Perhaps that was Heinlein's greatest gift--making it so easy to be the character(s) in the book, to grok them completely. That's why I registered, and still own, the domain name grok.org, having noticed that it had not previously been registered, back in 1996. I also liked the fact that it was a palindromic domain name, which makes it even more grok-worthy.
I re-read Stranger just a few months ago, and what surprised me was that it still holds up so well. Simply amazing. I re-read The Lord of the Rings a few months ago as well, and I was equally impressed with the telling of the tale, but a few curious things occurred to me. My memory of some parts of the story made me think they'd occupy
larger segments of the books, but I was surprised to discover that they were only small pieces of the larger puzzle. On the other hand, some larger sections, and some of the overall themes, I didn't even remember well at all. These combined to make the re-read both rediscovery and discovery anew at the same time. It was a fascinating experience, and if you haven't re-read
Rings in a while, try it. I haven't re-read Dune in quite some time, but having watched the SCI FI Channel production, I'm tempted. Maybe the book would be my "door into summer" this year.
It's always nice to meet someone you share certain things with, but I was particularly pleased to read your column this morning and find that we share a similar devotion to these time-honored classics.
Mark J. Rosen
mjr@grok.org
Most Directors Age Like Fine Wine
our correspondent Tony Wallace writes in issue #194 ("Tie Classic SF to Newbie Directors"), "Older directors tend
to lose steam, newer directors would be more passionate about their work."
Really? Why does the name John Ford come to mind? When he was 61 he directed The Searchers--considered a classic American film. When he was 67 he directed the Civil War sequence of How The West Was Won and directed The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
No, age is immaterial to the problem of quality science fiction on the
screen. Rather than taking classic novel-length material and reducing it to a two
hour movie, I would suggest that using shorter works would be preferable. The movie version of Nightfall was pretty awful, but it told, however poorly, essentially the entire Asimov story. This is not to say that movies from novels are impossible--just more difficult to produce.
Michael Walsh
mjw@mail.press.jhu.edu
Buffy's Sexuality Wasn't Sudden
rederick D. Weaver is absolutely right when he points out that the Tara/Willow relationship wasn't a ratings ploy done simply out of the blue ("Ratings Not Behind Buffy Sexuality"). Joss Whedon did hint that he might go that direction in an earlier episode and it follows well from the character.
But while Mr. Weaver applauds Buffy for being challenging, it seems he
hasn't noticed that the show spent ages coyly offering metaphors for the
homosexual experience. Anyone who doubts that Buffy (a special girl who is
unique in a way most don't understand, especially the parents and other
authority figures in the world) is occasionally a stand-in for gay issues
needs to look at the season finale of season two, when Buffy "comes out" as a
Slayer to her Mom. The entire scene reads like a classic after-school
special on coming out as gay--even to the point of Joyce blaming it on
Buffy's "not having a strong father figure".
In fact, the show has done a very clever trick. By having Buffy and the
Scooby Gang be "special" in their involvement in the supernatural world, it
has let any other difference seem trivial in the grand scheme of things.
Which, of course, it is.
Laurent Castellucci
lightcastle@hotmail.com
Keep Buffy for Kids
t the risk of being politically incorrect, I must agree with those who feel that a show like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, that is intended for and does indeed attract a young audience, is no place for a responsible medium to be promoting the joys and benefits of bisexuality. Parents today have enough trouble trying to give their kids a solid moral base without having to combat the
entertainment industry. It is one thing when people leave home and pay money to be corrupted, it is quite another to have the corruption brought into your home disguised as a beautiful thing. I'm certain I'll be taken to task for this letter by those who agree with the producer that moral decay is good for America, but I'm equally certain that others out there will agree with me that good sf/horror shows have been produced for years by creative people who did not have to stoop to such devices in order to maintain viewer attention. I like Buffy and I watch it, but the ratings would go up if the children could watch it also.
Steve LaFevers
stevelafevers@atari.net
Willow Follows a Classic Pattern
don't believe that the Willow/Tara relationship on (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) is being mined for ratings. Joss Whedon has been far too coy about the physical part of the lesbian pair. If Mr. Whedon really wanted ratings he'd have Willow and Tara french-kissing every episode.
In fact, Willow is following a classic bisexual relationship. According to Kinsey, classic bisexuality follows a pattern of long term heterosexuality, with only a few, or perhaps one homosexual relationship. The homosexual relationship is usually caused by an overwhelming attraction to that one person; not to the homosexual lifestyle. In short, Willow loves Tara, who happens to be lesbian. Willow is not a lesbian who fell in love with Tara.
I would also add the Willow might very well return to a heterosexual relationship in the future. After a recent study (Hite Report) stated that between 30 to 40 percent of college women engage in some sort of lesbian activity.
Now as to the departure of Riley Finn, unlike some people, I enjoyed the Riley/Buffy relationship, and I liked the Finn character. Last season was made all the better by it, but I'll admit with the destruction of the Initiative, Riley became a bit of a trial. I need to point out though Riley was suffering from very typical problems of returning veterans; he felt lost, without a purpose and kind of useless. Add to that the job he lost (hunting demons) was now being done by the love of his life better than he could. It was all a very large blow to Riley's (male) ego. So when he got the chance to return to the military and go back to the job he loved and did well, he jump at the chance. I don't think Riley would have stayed, even if Buffy had caught him at the heli-pad.
I think for Riley being a soldier was not just what he did, it is what he IS. So, in conclusion, I am sorry to say goodbye to the Riley Finn character, but leaving was the right decision for him and for the show.
Patrick Baker
bakerpat62@yahoo.com
Buffy's Characters Have Grown
n response to the letter "Ratings Not Behind Buffy Sexuality", I only wish to say that it seems the writer has taken the original letter almost completely out of context. As a long time viewer of Buffy the Vampire Slayer I've seen the characters grow and develop, and I understand what she was
trying to convey, because it is a feeling I myself have while watching these newer episodes.
Tara's character was what Ms. Chang was attempting to discuss, not the
introduction of a bi-sexual relationship. In fact, not once in her letter,
"Mining Relationships for Ratings" does she attack the introduction of a lesbian or bisexual relationship, only the manner in which this relationship was handled.
Tara's character does, admittedly, leave a great deal to be desired. She is
almost conveniently perfect for Willow, her background is tragic enough to
have been a Mary-Sue invention, and her actual contribution to the show
itself is sadly low. What could have been a fascinating addition to a
program known for pushing the limits, instead became a plot device that
doesn't seem to be going anywhere.
Additionally, Willow's character has been changed dramatically in these
last seasons, a fact I believe Ms. Chang was attempting to introduce in her
letter. Since going to college and becoming involved with Tara, Willow has
gone from the shy, quite young woman who was hesitant to admit her feelings
for her romantic interests (Xander and Oz). She is now sarcastic and snippy.
People change and grow as they get older, an undeniable fact, but it's
difficult not to see the drastic difference in Willow's new personality and
wonder what inspired it.
Lesbianism isn't the issue here--how Joss Whedon and the other writers of
Buffy choose to handle it is. And, as someone who's been involved in a
similar relationship, and experienced it first hand (right down to the woman
I had feelings for having a difficult and traumatic past) I can't help but
feel vaguely insulted.
Sera Dion
sera@chichiri.com
Buffy Fan Rebuts
s a rebuttal to the response to my letter by Frederick D. Weaver ("Ratings Not Behind Buffy Sexuality"), I want to make a few points.
I was not really making complaints about the Willow/Tara relationship. I have many of those, but I tried to tone them down because it wasn't the true point of my letter. My complaints are about the Willow/Tara fans who refuse to allow other points of view, and rush to label
those who think differently with names such as "homophobic" or "inattentive."
Also, I never claimed that Whedon "turned" Willow into a bisexual in a
"cynical attempt to boost his show's ratings." I mentioned "...how the
show's creators and actors are insulting fans who dare to think it was a
ratings ploy (and who can honestly say that ratings played no role?)." I
actually never stated if I thought it was simply a ratings ploy. My
personal belief is that the relationship was partially ratings. There is
nothing on television that isn't, except perhaps public access programs. I
study television and popular culture quite closely--it is my intended
career. There was a part of the decision that was "let's address the
'homosexual' issue." This is also a perfectly normal reasoning, Sci-Fi and
Fantasy television often likes to explore issues that other shows would
avoid.
I also never said, "There would simply be no other explanation for
such a major change in the character." This is putting words in my mouth. I
feel that there are many explanations other than ratings, none of which
validate such an abrupt change in character and writing style.
I have personally witnessed several people coming out to their friends.
Buffy's half-hearted disapproval and then almost instant change of heart
acceptance is very unrealistic. As I said in my previous letter, it is a
great example to set, I'm pleased that the show isn't dwelling on the "look
they're gay, let's persecute them" aspect that I encounter often in
fan-fiction. I agree that having a homosexual couple as regular characters
on a show is new to American SF television. But I do wish it had been done
better.
That, in the end, is my major objection. Willow and Tara are not a well-written couple, especially when compared to previous couples in Buffy.
Willow's character has changed so drastically that many people who used to
love her and identify with her now consider her one of their least favorite
aspects of the show. I have talked to several people who love Willow and
Tara together but no longer like Willow's character. A lot of people also
dislike Tara's character, no matter how confident she is becoming, because
she seems one-dimensional and her entire purpose is to be someone for Willow
to love and help make her life better.
I would very much like to state that I am not offended by the Willow and
Tara relationship. The constant assumption that people who disagree do so
because they object on some sort of moral ground is something that does
deeply offend me. This is the fact that I was attempting to address in my
letter, that those of us who think that this relationship is not a stunning
example of the exploration of a controversial issue are constantly being
attacked and insulted, and rarely listened to.
I would also like to state that I prefer being referred to as Ms. Chang,
since I happen to be female.
Chang Meiran
chang_meiran@hotmail.com
Unbeatable Unbreakable Mythologies
here are several fascinating aspects of superhero mythology. One of them being that while the mystery men and women have lost battles, they have never actually lost wars. The ability to emerge victorious with every battle or against every obstacle is a trick that no one has mastered in real life. Then again, I could be wrong.
Elijah Price went looking for a person who rested on the other end of the spectrum in the movie Unbreakable. A nigh-invulnerable man to counter his fragile physical form. Well, what if there were such a person who rested on the opposite side of the spectrum from the rest of us? He or she has never lost in life. Call it having the luck of the gods, the ability to turn any obstacle into an opportunity, or whatever else you may want to call it, the question I ask is could life be imitating art (comic book)? And if such a person were to exist should he or be saving the day for the rest of us?
While, I must say that it would be thrilling and somewhat fascinating to see that a fantasy has become reality and hope that such a person could bring about a change for the better, the truth is that person would owe the rest of us nothing. It will be within their right to want to live his or her own life for the individual and/ or whomever else that he or she wants to make a part of it.
I recall the classic issue of Superman when destiny had prevented the Man of Steel from saving the day so that the people of Metropolis would learn to turn to themselves for help. A lesson for us all. Still, just to be on the safe side, it would not hurt to know that someone would respond to the ultra-sonic emergency calls on our pagers.
Julian Gift
lira@trinidad.net
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