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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Straczynski Agrees About Cute Kids
ust caught up with Al Smith's rant ("Muppets, Robots and Kids Must Go") about Muppets, robots, and kids. I wonder if he is consciously or merely coincidentally echoing one of J. Michael Straczynski's dictums when he was doing Babylon 5, "No cute kids, no cute robots! Ever!" I'm unclear whether Al truly objects to children and androids altogether or simply to the all-too-common unrealistic depiction of both in SF. Unfortunately, the latter results (I suspect) from Hollywood types who feel they need to somehow throw in something for demographics and/or marketing, and it's the sort of thing that gives TV and movie SF a bad image.
A brief aside for those who think that George Lucas may have succumbed to that same impulse when adding R2D2 and C-3PO in Star Wars: A New Hope: go watch Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress, which Lucas cites as a major inspiration. It contains two bickering peasants reluctantly dragged into protecting a headstrong princess from enemy forces. Lucas brilliantly made droids the peasants, the "immigrant labor" of his milieu; his society tends to be as dismissive or patronizing of, impatient with, and/or oblivious to the droids as we all too often are of those who clean our offices and hotel rooms, tend our yards, serve us fast food and generally make our lives a whole lot more pleasant and easy then they would be otherwise. Some food for thought next time you fire up the Star Wars movies. And when will Lucasfilm get off its collective posteriors and release them on DVD?
As for Al's third point, the "Muppets" in Farscape don't bother me at all; it's just a relief to see aliens other than the omnipresent "humans with strange makeup." Unfortunately, the only ways to get around that affliction cursing most visual SF are to use puppetry of some sort or computer generated images. Most TV shows don't have the time or the budget for CGI aliens mixed with live action (as the climactic fight scene of The Mummy Returns shows, it can be tough to do well with a large budget of time and money). To again drag in Star Wars, this is why the Cantina scene was so memorable and was cited (favorably ) in almost every mainstream review at the time--people not acquainted with real SF were surprised and delighted at the variety of aliens so casually presented. (Even the humanoid ones were beyond the usual Star Trek norms.) On the other hand, honesty compels me to admit that I was very put off by Yoda when he first showed up in The Empire Strikes Back. He not only looked like a Muppet, he sounded like one (likely because Frank Oz was doing his voice).
Enough for now. Break's over, back on my head.
Bruce F. Webster
bwebster@bfwa.com
Crusade Deserves a New Crusade
would just like to follow-up on another reader's wish ("Quality SF Always Gets Slaughtered") for the Babylon 5 follow-up series, Crusade, to continue in some form. I think it is rather unfair for people to dismiss the series as boring and uninteresting and unworthy to continue the Babylon 5 franchise. For Christ's sake, the show just started when it was untimely cancelled by TNT! Babylon 5 actually started out slow, too, becoming really interesting and exciting only towards the end of its 1st season. I believe Crusade would have progressed more or less in the same manner. J. Michael Straczynski actually said that the whole thing was planned to take a surprising and dramatic twist midway through its aborted 1st season. I hope the SCI FI Channel allows the show to continue even as a series of TV movies. As starters, it would be nice to see JMS' unfilmed midseason scripts on the small screen soon. Of course, the Crusade plotline may also be woven into the new Babylon 5 show, Legend of the Rangers, right? Lastly, I would be happy to see a future Babylon 5 series built around the PsyCorps mythology. How about it, JMS and SCI FI Channel?
Teofilo Mangubat
filomango69@yahoo.com
Aborted SF Can Leave Fans Empty
've really enjoyed reading the opinions of the viewers on this site. I'm not a youngster that traditionally posts on a Web site. I date back to watching The Twilight Zone (the original series) live during its first time playing in the 1960s and fighting with my Dad to watch Star Trek instead of the Gillette Fights on the other channel.
However, my only problem with getting "involved" with sci-fi shows, is that they are never allowed to complete their stories. Earth 2 ended before they found the settlement, Crusade wasn't allowed to find the cure for the virus (jeez, didn't even get started on their 5 year mission), and all the others. The SCI FI Channel picks up these "discarded" programs and shows the re-runs and leaves you with an empty feeling as the other networks did the first go around. How I wish that when SCI FI picked up a program, that they would continue with a program. They did this with their picking up of Sliders (a program I personally didn't get into), and The Outer Limits.
Anyway, cost is always a factor for production, but how I wish the continuation of Crusade and other programs could happen on this channel. I'd love to know what the author had in mind for that 5-year mission, wouldn't you all, too? Thanks for listening to the opinion of an old sci-fi fart.
Bunny Brueggeman
brueggeman@mn.mediaone.net
Knight Got It Right
ell, Patrick Lee, how about we do something a little different. I think that all of the "miscast" problems you describe in your review of The Knight's Tale give the movie something special. They got away from the "same old, same old" and gave a little more life to the medieval genre. As far as your "medieval purists" go, they need to get a life. I don't think teens will be alienated in any way. I think it tried to target them with the "off-the-wall" antics and designs that were used. I saw more teenagers than any other age group in the theatre. I believe they were very interested in the movie. There was less talking and more watching going on than in other movies I have been to with that many teenagers. They enjoyed the action, the comedy, the movie itself. So, maybe you should go see the movie when there are more people in the theatre than just yourself. And on behalf of those with a brain, don't ever insult me again. Or I will bring you up on charges of slander. I hope you understand. Thank you for your input on the movie, but maybe you should try to make a movie or be an actor before you criticize how something is done.
Michael G. Phillips
cglavan@adelphia.net
Watch More Buffy Instead of Bashing
n the letter, "Don't Compare Buffy and Prisoner" by Stewart Tame, the allusion is made that somehow Buffy The Vampire Slayer has less than a breathtaking form of verbiage.
Considering he, himself, admits to only having seen "3 or 4" episodes of the series--may I suggest he go back and watch a few more. Maybe "Restless," "Hush," "Dopplegangland," "The Body," "Forever," "The Wish," and just about four out of five episodes and look again with a non-jaundiced eye (he was probably expecting the show to be the Kristy Swanson movie) for the stellar acting by Sarah, Alyson, Nicholas, Anthony, James, Amber, Emma and Michelle.
Again look for the outstanding writing that has led Buffy to wrap up its 100th episode with another two seasons to be assured. Look for what has driven this wonderful vehicle to spawn comics, books, computer games, a successful spin-off--and possibly another--among so many forms of tangible memorabilia. In short, before Mr. Tame makes a blanket statement of 100 episodes by watching three or four, he really should brush up on his facts.
Scott E. Johnston
sjohnston@cfl.rr.com
NASA Must Allow Space Tourism
loved Will McCarthy's column this week! ("Claiming Space") I've long been a proponent--if only in my own mind--of private space programs. We need the Russians on our team, and fast. I remember the awe of watching the first moon landing when I was 7, but I haven't seen our space program do much that exciting since. And as McCarthy points out, the reason for this is NASA. Kick them out and let somebody else play for a change!!
Rachel Sinclair
bluegirl@teleport.com
Space May Not Be For Everyone
hree cheers and a tiger for Wil McCarthy! The column on Dennis Tito ("Claiming Space") was a pure joy to read. One point made me wonder, though; Wil said "we all want to
go" into space.
Do we?
I do, and I'll bet most of the readers of Science Fiction Weekly are ready for orbit, but I'm not so sure about "everyone." Astronaut dreams were the lifeblood of my generation, but can the new generations see beyond the gleam of their metallic piercings? Are we still a nation that cares about the future? I wonder. Most politicians are intent on re-writing the past for rhetorical advantage. They can't see beyond the next election, and I'm not playing favorites, all parties are to blame. It seems as a nation we're amusing ourselves to death with pointless "reality" television, and quiz shows.
I hope Wil is right and space has finally opened up to the common man. It may have cost him 20 million dollars (almost one-seventh of the Russian Republic's space budget by the way) but a rich man has finally found a way of getting into the Kingdom of the Heavens. And his camel didn't even have
to go through the eye of a needle.
Alan Katerinsky
alank@buffnet.net
Pan Am Rises Like a Phoenix
n the "Claiming Space" piece by Will McCarthy he states; "And the Pan Am company not only doesn't run commercial flights into outer space, it runs no flights at all, having been dissolved by a bankruptcy court in 1991."
Dead wrong--Pan Am operates flights out of Manchester, NH, and other locations!
Cat
cat@greenmanreview.com
Wil McCarthy responds:
I've gotten a number of comments on this, yes. To clarify: the present Pan Am corporation is a startup which purchased the name and logo from the original corporation's bankruptcy trustee in 1998, seven years after the airline went bust. The two companies are not otherwise related. For those interested, employees of the original Pan Am still maintain a "heritage" Web site at www.panam.com and www.panam.org. The startup can be found at www.flypanam.com.
Best,
Wil
Keep Wonder Woman Wonderful
s if the Charlie's Angels film, as well as Avengers didn't kill the quality of the shows which they were loosely based on, now a Wonder Woman film is in the works. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan and would want nothing more. But, if there is any truth to the rumors that the screen-play stinks and Sandra Bullock is up for the role, you won't see me at that screening. This is down right wrong! Let the comic book writers pen the script, not some screenwriter who doesn't know Wonder Woman from the Pillsbury Doughboy. Let anyone but Bullock play Diana. Jessica Alba would be my choice, as well as Catherine Zeta-Jones and, let us not forget Lucy Lawless! But, heck no on the Bullock campaign. Hollywood is full of people who want to muck up a good thing.
Andromeda Watson
Superhumanalienhunter@yahoo.com
Return to The Mummy Returns
just came back from seeing The Mummy Returns. Before I go into my own thoughts about it, I wanted to comment on one thing about Patrick Lee's review. When I read a review, I'd expect a short plot description and then a in-depth look about the good and bad points. But, Lee's ends up describing half the movie. Literally. I'm glad I didn't read it before seeing it this evening.
Anyway, I have to agree the action sequences were just too much for the movie. I truly liked the character development and getting to know about each one as things went on. In this sequel, they just seemed to redo parts of The Mummy and hoped it worked in this film. For example, in the first movie we had the library shelves falling like dominoes. In this one, we had columns in an ancient city. Though the dialogue was humorous, it was campier than the last one.
The one thing that truly bugged me was a lot of the fight scenes were filmed so fast it looked blurry when played. The whole scene in the O'Connell mansion was so hard to keep up with and looked blurry. Also, the film editing was awful. The cuts from scene to scene were very poor and looked liked the film was put together with tape instead of a smooth transition.
If anything, I truly thought the first movie was better than this one. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd rate The Mummy Returns a 6.
Bernard E. Cana
Devon@aol.com
Seeing The Mummy is Believing
t seems painfully obvious that your reviewer of The Mummy Returns didn't see the movie. The details given about what happened in the movie were largely erroneous (but did match up with what was reported in movie rumor sites like Ain't it Cool News). You might think I'm nit-picking (in a way I am, because this is the first time I've been motivated to comment on a review), but almost from the first sentence your reviewer is incorrect in describing the details of the film. The basic plot is correct, but as I said earlier, that has been known on the net for months. Maybe next time someone at Science Fiction Weekly could shell out the money and go to the theatre before writing the column. Before now I've trusted what I've read on your site regarding various media reviews (movies, books, games, etc), but now I feel a large grain of salt may be needed for seasoning.
Marv Howard
beowulf@howardkeep.com
Patrick Lee responds:
I saw the film. Twice.
Best,
Patrick
Praying For Prey's New Home
irst of all, I would like to congratulate Bonnie Hammer on her recent promotion to President at the SCI FI Channel. You're doing a great job Ms. Hammer!!
Secondly, I would like to say thank you to SCI FI and Ms. Hammer, for bringing Prey into syndication. Prey is such an original show, there just isn't anything else like it. I was an avid fan when the show originally aired in 1998, and nothing has struck me the same way since. It has such a perfect combination of science, mystery, and romance. Kind of an X-Files meets Beauty and the Beast. Suffice it to say that the 3 a.m. time slot (Pacific time) is a little hard to take, but at least we can tape it. The chain reactions are heaven, and I haven't missed one yet. It's always a little sad when we get to the 13th, and final episode, and come crashing into the brick wall that is the terrible cliff-hanger ending!! I sincerely hope this thoughtful, intelligent and addictive show will get that sequel movie that I've been hearing some buzz about. In the meantime, thank you SCI FI, for giving Prey a home. I think I speak for all of its fans when I say that I hope Prey has a home with you for some time to come.
Barb Reedy
Babsreedy@aol.com
Death and Change Should be Real
fter having read my first issue of Science Fiction Weekly and more specifically, my first Letters page, I find myself slightly disappointed with some of the opinions on the deaths of characters such as Captain Kirk and Zhaan. I can understand the attachment we can develop toward characters and that we can be disappointed when they die and sometimes even mourn their passing.
However, what helps to make for good storytelling, even in a fictional setting, is reflection of real life. In life, people come in and out of our lives in ways that can even include death. In fiction, as long as it is well done and adds to the story, the passing of a favored character can help to advance a series (just look at the comings and goings of characters in Babylon 5). The all-too-common theme of resurrection of deceased characters usually serves to lessen the impact of those who are killed off, after all who cares if they died if they are just brought back next season.
We can see the characters we love by watching the old episodes again or by having the come back in episodes or novels that take place before their death. Sure, write novels about Captain Kirk, just have them take place before he died so as not to diminish his death. In Star Trek we saw Scotty die and get resurrected in the original series (I think the episode was "The Changeling"), Spock dies and get resurrected in the movies and now Kirk dies in the movies and get resurrected in the novels. I half expect to find DeForest Kelley brought back to attend the next Star Trek convention.
Yes, mourn their passing, but remember that change can be good. There is potential in every story, including those that eliminate our favorite characters. Look for and embrace that potential.
Michael Murphy
mmurphy1968@earthlkink.net
Humans Not Needed for Matrix Energy
omething that really bugged me about The Matrix was when Morpheus specifically stated that machines relied on humans along with a form of fusion to provide the energy they need. Even that, I found myself wondering, "If they have fusion, why use humans?" Keeping millions or billions of humans in suspended animation and requiring who-knows-how many specialized machines just to support and maintain the system seems to be a gross misuse of resources when fusion, from everything I've ever heard, would produce far
more energy than all the human beings in the world put together. About the only answer is that the fusion wasn't efficient enough but, then again, even fission would be more useful than humans (how many fission generators could one built for the space required for just a few hundred humans?). In reality, the machines would have just done away with the humans all together and relied on other, better sources of energy; after all, they are clearly intelligent, thinking entities so they can't rely on humans for anything besides energy.
Richard Gaulding
f.gaulding@students.oglethorpe.edu
Studio Must Weigh Stewart's Worth
ow can Virgil Yancey ("Picard Must Be Replaced, Not Killed") compare Patrick Stewart to David Duchovny? Patrick Stewart was only unknown to those who watch little else but TV. Had you gone out to the theatre you might have seen him in great charismatic roles such as King John, Shylock, Henry IV, Cassius, Titus Andronicus, Oberon, Leontes. For those keen on pop-culture, you may have also spotted him in films such as Dune, Excalibur and (wink, wink) Moby Dick.
Criticisms aside, instead of judging whether the fee requested by Patrick for the next installment of Start Trek to the cinema is greedy or not, we should be asking how much is Picard worth to the studio? After all, the studio will start to make a profit within a week of release in the States alone and $20 million is a drop in the ocean for them.
If the studio feels that he is crucial to the next installment in the series, they will pay him the requested fee. If, however, they do not think that he is crucial to the success of the film, they can always replace him with someone cheaper and run the risk of losing money in the long run and he is free to do whatever work he wants to do.
As to whether he should be replaced or not, well, I always think that changing the actor without changing the character does not work, especially if the actor is any good as he or she will always add a little of their traits to the character, traits that cannot be copied by a successor. So my verdict is: Replace the character with another if need be, but never ever simply bring in a new actor and hope the fans will not notice!
David Weighman
twopommies@ozemail.com.au
Kirk and Crew Call For Closure
would have to agree with Gloria Hoffner ("Kirk is Still the Best Captain") comments about the death of Captain Kirk. It personally left a bad taste in my mouth. It was kind of painful to see him die like that to me, but it was not as painful as Spock's death. I can look at the Wrath of Khan now, and his death still bothers me, even though he was brought back to life on the Search for Spock. I really felt bad for weeks after seeing the movie when it first aired. These are feelings that some of the hero type characters evoke whether they die in an honorable fashion or a lackluster fashion.
Kirk's death was not as tragic as Spock's death, it just paved a way for Patrick Stewart's character to waltz through the captain's doors, and it paved the way for Star Trek: The Next Generation movie sequels too.
I also think the way Captain Kirk died left his script wide open. If I am not mistaken, Picard and Kirk went back in time to save the Enterprise, and killed the evil Professor Soran. I think the way Kirk died, sort of left his slot wide open. Granted, he is older now, but the TNG or even a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine movie could integrate something in a movie plot where they attempt to
bring Captain Kirk back to life, along with some other conflicts that are taking place.
I think it would be cool to bring him back to life in that fashion, and then if the writers deem it necessary to kill Kirk off again, then maybe they'll do it right this time, huh? There is so much untapped potential in Kirk's role, and it is being wasted.
The original Star Trek character's role were not resolved properly in my mind. What happened to Scotty? Yeah, yeah, he was rescued by TNG engineer in one of the TNG TV series. But, what happened to him after that, and what happened to Sulu, to Spock, Urhura, man I could keep going?
I mean they did not ride off into the nearest star literally, even though that is what happened at the end of the Undiscovered Country movie, where they were opening the door for TNG. The writers of the original Star Trek did not bring proper closure to their roles. I also felt like the way DS9 ended was rather strange too.
Captain Kirk would risk anything to save his crew, and other beings. He was this strong Captain, and he would deviate around what was called Starfleet's directives "by the book" to save his ship and his crew. I do not expect Kirk and Picard to be alike, but they did have some similarities, and they had some differences.
The writers have an opportunity with the end of Star Trek: Voyagers's season coming up, and the beginning of the new Star Trek series Enterprise coming in the fall on UPN. They have a series that bears the name Enterprise. They have another chance to do the right thing with the captain's role in this series. They also have a chance to do the right thing with the crew as well.
I hate to stray off of the beaten path here, but I would like to thank the SCI FI Channel for producing that new Dune DVDs. It rocks!. We're still waiting on George Lucas to put The Phantom Menace on DVD. Hey George, we are still waiting. Wonder how many Phantom Menace VHS tapes you got laying around? How long does it take to produce a DVD?
It did not take the SCI FI Channel long to produce their Dune dual DVD. How hard could it be? As long as it is taking George, I suppose he is converting the other movies over to DVD format. I guess we will find out in two or three years.
Virgil Yancey
virgil.yance@worldnet.att.net
Subtract Seven of Nine From Trek X
read with interest your article about Seven of Nine supposedly appearing in Star Trek X, and it is my opinion that putting her in without extensive refit of the character would be a mistake on the part of the writers.
I know that this will make me unpopular, but I have had enough of Seven of Nine as she is right now. Jeri Ryan is talented, I'll admit, but Seven's character should be left on Voyager and not included in any non-Voyager movies unless, for instance, she would be completely de-Borg-ified and allowed to become completely human at last. All we've seen of her so far is either (1) a Borg drone; (2) a filling for tight costumes; (3) someone who pisses off the crew all the time; and (4) the "Mary Sue" Seven--a new, beautiful crewmember who outdoes everybody else. Unless something radically new is done, there is nothing left for Seven to live for elsewhere. Being Brannon Braga's girlfriend should not be an excuse for cross-pollination into other forms of Trek.
Henrik Harbin
kirneh1@home.com
Anime Quality is Subjective
n response to Stewart Tame's comments ("TV Execs Aren't Always the Problem"), yes there are several anime that is treated OK on American television. Also, the various series I mentioned are available on uncut DVD. Actually, the series Vison of Escaflowne was available subbed on VHS long before it premiered on Fox. I'm highly appreciative of the fact that more series have become available on U.S. shores, just not as much when I see the way that the networks treat these series on television.
As far as the sub/dub debate is concerned, I stated before that it's really up to the viewer to determine the quality of the dub. I'm not a militant dub-hater. There are several series that I feel worked just as well with the English language cast to a large extent. Also, I don't feel that the fact that not every dub writer can be Neil Gaiman can be faulted for every bad dub. The English language voice actors that voice the characters shoulder greater responsibility. Unfortunately, the smaller distributors have a harder time acquiring the better actors. Other times, it's the fact that it was simply a case of casting the wrong actor/actress for the part. Of course, if the script is absolutely terrible, not even the best voice actors could salvage it.
Justin Graham
jgraham_70@hotmail.com
Cautious Over Comic-Con
was very sad to read that Wondercon has been bought by the Comic-Con people. There was a time that Comic-Con was a great experience. The halls were full of artists and dealers. Now it is like going to Disneyland at the height of the tourist season! They have filled the exhibit hall with huge techno displays and if you can even find one artist without having to wait for an hour and a half in line I would be amazed!
In 1985 I went to my first Comic-con and it was a blast. The DC and Marvel people were all seated near each other and were throwing paper balls and joking back and forth with each other. Now it is so crowded and overloaded with fancy lights and noise that you can't even talk to someone standing next to you!
Ahhh, bring on Wondercon--what a wonderful event. They have managed to retain after 15 years the small con atmosphere that Comic-con lost. I went this year (and have gone to about 10 of the past 15 years!) and was able to stand and talk with Caitlin Brown (Na'Toth from Babylon 5) and David Allen Brooks (Max from Crusade) as well as meet several new artists that I never would have met in the insanity that Comic-Con has become.
I hope the Comic-con people will not transform the small-con atmosphere of Wondercon so much that it becomes the expensive sensory overloaded monster that is the current Comic-con! Otherwise I shall have to find another convention to attend.
Cybele A. Baker
drkjedi1@pacbell.net
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