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— Scott Edelman, Editor-in-Chief
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fter picking up and watching the Firefly DVD collection, I had to spend some time calming myself down. All the anger I originally had at the cancellation of this great show just boiled up inside me. This was one of the most entertaining, well-written and well-acted series I've ever enjoyed and it just torques me off at the way Fox mishandled the show.
Being a science-fiction fan meant I was going to give the show a chance before passing judgment on it. The pilot episode that was shown on TV was interesting, but I could see how it would make no sense to someone not so inclined. What mental midget decided not to show the intended pilot? "Serenity" really set the stage for all the succeeding episodes. And of course, pre-emption by baseball didn't help, along with poor marketing. I was just getting my friends to watch the show when it got the axe.
It's frustrating when intelligent shows aren't given the chance to really establish themselves, like Firefly and John Doe for another example. I've always stated that nowadays even the X-Files, which became the show that put Fox on the map, would have never made it to season two. Now we get all these reality pieces of manure instead, which doesn't reflect well on the intelligence of the country. I hope [Firefly creator] Joss [Whedon] can pull off making Firefly into a feature film. I'd prefer a miniseries, that way I could get to see even more Firefly.
Bob Palomino
robert.e.palomino(at)boeing.com
just read several letters about the current sci-fi/fantasy shows and just wanted to make a few comments. As for Smallville being too dark ("Smallville's Dreams Are Too Dark")—well, I don't think so. But I do feel that this season is too much like last season and as a result I and my friends have gotten bored. Clark and Lana don't seem to be progressing enough—or should I say, growing up enough. We have pretty much stopped tuning in.
Enterprise, on the other hand, is just fine with us. Its getting better by the week and we are huge fans. Not too crazy about the constant hints at sexual tension between the T'Pol character and Tripp or the captain. Also we would like to see more episodes that highlight the other members of the crew—instead of the captain and T'Pol. Also, T'Pol is too much like the Seven of Nine character from Voyager. And God knows we didn't like her! Too many episodes centered around her and we quickly lost interest.
Geneva Avant
titan20(at)cox.net
read your report on Enterprise ("Enterprise Season Trimmed?").
If true, the end is near!
Where Klingons, Romulans and Borg failed, poor writing, too much sex and not enough originality finally did in the Enterprise. If it really ends up on Friday night, we'll know for sure.
Joe Castleberry
castleberry.joe(at)ssd.loral.com
arl Weeks ("Officer Etiquette Needs Education") seems to have a real
problem with women officers called sir.
While he has a valid point from his veteran years with the Marines, he fails to to take a major point.
Unless you're romping with Starship Troopers, this isn't about the common experience on this planet, especially with American history where women are considered, at best, unnecessary additions to the battlefield and, at worst, liabilities—or they react to the idea that it's
somehow against a woman's "nature" to do so, that warfare should be left as the traditional province of men—with the false idea that women used to be left out of this dangerous business. And SF writers are far from united in opposition to these ideas. Alfred Coppel's protagonist in Glory's War remarks upon meeting the female commander of one of two factions that have engage in a war of possession over his ship, "Worlds who value peace don't train their women for war."
The fact of the matter is, at this point in our history, "sir" in whatever language it's used, is the root symbol of respect that every male officer in any military branch I've ever heard of expects his due right. (Veterans of other country forces who have experiences that vary with the standard are encouraged to chime in.)
What Weeks does not seem to realize is that science fiction from the get-go has only a tertiary interest in modeling itself from things that are. The main drive has always been an expression of the ever-present urge to explore other sides of hills, other possibilities—including the possibilities of worlds where women share the respect and hazards of warfare in equal measure with their male counterparts. At that point, I guess language would naturally evolve a gender neutral pronoun to replace that "sir." But until that happens, we have to use the language tools available today to communicate with readers. Finding an
alternative to "sir" to express an idea so heretical to modern frames of thought is a tall order.
The suggestion box is open.
Frank Lazar
fmlazar(at)lazarvision.com
nce again, the SCI FI Channel is trying to milk the UFO concept, but now they've gone over the line. Fantasy series like Taken are acceptable fare from a storytelling standpoint, though the sin of promoting absolute falsehood is realized when shows like The
Roswell Crash: Startling New Evidence are aired. I can't argue with the economics of Taken, as it's consistently referred to as the highest-rated series in SCI FI Channel history, even if it's based on hooey. The major problem arises when the SCI FI Channel supports a lawsuit related to the UFO myth ("Group Sues For Kecksburg Docs").
The lawsuit was filed on Dec. 9 against NASA, claiming that they have suppressed evidence of a UFO "incident" near Kecksburg, Penn., in 1965. While I don't begrudge private groups/citizens filing lawsuits (OK, frivolous lawsuits certainly bother me!), I have a problem when a lawsuit is being brought in an apparent attempt to be a promotional gimmick. Three days after the lawsuit was filed, the SCI FI Channel premiered the "expose," "UFO Invasion at Rendelsham." Ordinarily, the SCI FI Channel, like any other business, should retain the right to promote their product, no matter how full of crap it may be. When they use the court system and sue a branch of the U.S. government, I certainly have a problem with that; all of us, as taxpayers, are essentially paying for their advertising, and that's just not right.
I don't expect the SCI FI Channel to suddenly stop producing UFO-related fare, as they generally garner good ratings and therefore generate good revenue. I certainly hope that the time will come when this stuff just doesn't appeal to the masses anymore (though that may require a +20 shift in average viewer IQ), but I'm not holding my breath. In the meantime, it shouldn't be too much to expect that the SCI FI Channel exercise a modicum of restraint and realize that their actions can have negative consequences and in the end generate some ill-will. Wasting the time of the court system and the Federal Government with blatantly false and stupid allegations certainly falls into that category.
Michael Lustig
mpl(at)blackrock.com
he Lord of The Rings: The Return of The King is a magnificent
resolution for an incredible film trilogy. Gollum is probably the most original and most classical science-fiction villain of the 21st century. The enchanting Miranda Otto is a new breed of action-adventure heroine. And both Elijah Wood and Sean Astin are some of the greatest
acting duos in cinematic history. The final chapter in The Lord of The Rings must win the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Picture. I also believe that Andy Serkis (Gollum) should be the first actor to be awarded an Oscar for playing a computer-animation character. This franchise is an unrivaled triumph for director Peter Jackson. It was a wise decision for him to be given the task of bringing to life the masterpiece by J.R.R. Tolkien. Congratulations.
Michael Anthony Basil
mike.basil(at)sympatico.ca
e can lament about the fly poop on the pepper, on how the new Battlestar Galactica didn't meet many fans excruciating expectations—but the most powerful concept of the series, is mankind of Earth descending from mankind of space—that Earth's history may have an extraordinary beginning—colonization from a far away world—in a galaxy thousands of light years from our own!
—That alien intervention was a dynamic part of Earth's history!
—That not only are we not alone in the universe, but there are other humans
trying to survive in their own worlds, perhaps on the edge of oblivion or enjoying the zenith
of universal enlightenment both technologically and philosophically—
What more can you really ask of the show?! As long as they show humanity an extraordinary reflection of who mankind really is or should be—then they've done their jobs as writer's and intellects of sci-fi—for they have lifted the soul of mankind by lifting its intellect by injecting powerful new concepts on the development of society on Earth.
I can only hope, that along with the lengthy, protracted hype of prepping the sci-fi audience at large, many moons of Caprica in advance of the impending return of Battlestar Galactica, we can soon continue this dynamic and extraordinary space saga with a full-fledged season one of Battlestar Galactica.
The science vision behind Battlestar Galactica is as powerful as the Stargate series. If handled well, it will provide years of outstanding entertainment and challenge the audience in the way they look at themselves and their role in the universe.
May the Lords of Cobol be with you,
George Person
phxrox2002(at)yahoo.com
can accept the remake [of Battlestar Galactica] for what it was: a decent sci-fi show with a few twists from the original series. What I don't understand is plastering it all over the airwaves for months as a miniseries, and when it gets here it's a lousy four hours. (More like three hours once you take off for the commercials.)
The expense of the sets, props and advertising had to be a bundle! I was expecting at least five nights of this "mini series" ... instead we got not much more than a movie split over two nights!
Most of the fascination of the series was the journey after the destruction of the colonies.
[The SCI FI Channel] cut it short and missed the boat!
Bill Guy
wmguy(at)sbcglobal.net
ven though the new Battlestar Galactica was not a raging success, I have to congratulate the SCI FI Channel for creating a decent four hours of television based on one of the silliest shows of the past 30 years. With all the glaring scientific mistakes of the original (the usual noise in space; confusing "galaxies" with "solar systems"; etc), I was surprised to find so much intelligence in the new version. Finally we get to see space combat without the deafening explosions, starfighters with maneuvering jets, and reasonably accurate physics.
I was also pleased with the treatment of the characters. They are all greatly improved from the originals, even Starbuck, though I didn't much like the actress. The characters of the original were one of its biggest problems—most of them being ripped off of Star Wars—not to mention the outdated gender roles. In a society so advanced, one would expect to see women and men on equal footing; in the original BG, this was not the case (does anyone even remember the female characters of the old show?). The biggest improvement was Baltar, who went from being a cardboard traitor to a complex, conflicted character.
As for the sexual content, I'm sure most people are mature enough to handle it. If you can stomach simulated genocide and space combat, a little sex can't hurt.
And to the former Marine ("Officer Etiquette Needs Education"): The militaries portrayed in works of science fiction are not the modern United States military. The same rules simply don't apply. Women and men are both referred to as "sir" because they share the same positions, and equal respect is given. I'm sorry that your military training interferes with your enjoyment of science fiction.
Robbie Sundquist
pooneil3(at)hotmail.com
he problem I had with Battlestar Galactica was there were no major and very few minor African American characters. There were no Black men in the show at all or if they were, they had virtually no screentime. In the original series, Boomer and Tigh were both played by African American actors. In this rendition of Battlestar, those characters were played by Asian and White actors. In the Caprica city, there no African American extras. On the Galactica's bridge, there was only one African American actress. Another Black actress could be found playing a religious official that swore in the new President of the colonies.
This was very troubling to me. Do you not want African Americans to watch your show? Do you want to project the idea that African Americans are not part of the future? If so, keep this program staffed with mostly White actors.
What were you thinking? Did you seriously think that no one would notice? What's troubling is that this trend shows up in other shows produced by the SCI FI Channel.
I enjoyed the science-fiction shows of the '70s and '80s because the casts included people who looked like me. I could, in a silly childish way, project my self onto the TV, and the future. These recent shows however leave little place for me.
If [the SCI FI Channel] makes a series out of Battlestar, write a good role for a Black male actor. He doesn't have to be in every show, but he has to be there so my son can believe we make it to the future.
John Parsons
Address withheld by request
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