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.
— Scott Edelman, Editor-in-Chief
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n her reviews, Kathie Huddleston gave nearly even marks to Century City and Kingdom Hospital, but in actuality, there's no comparison.
She warned that Kingdom Hospital started slowly, and getting the same episode here the second and third weeks—(did something pre-empt it back east the second week?)—meant only three episodes in a month—and it went nowhere. It's beginning to remind me of Twin Peaks, and that's no compliment. Even if there is a good story coming, at this rate, it'll be canceled before they get to it.
On the other hand, I haven't watched a lawyer show since occasional episodes of Perry Mason as a kid. Yet, Century City is resonating for me. It has the "mind candy," new ideas and implications of them, that is the hallmark of good science fiction for me. What a great forum to examine what might be—very soon. This is science fiction in the vein of Andromeda Strain, War Games or Capricorn I—just a short hop into the future.
I consider Century City a find, but if CBS is expecting Joan of Arcadia ratings, it'll be gone in no time.
Barbara Goldstein
psifidoll(at)comcast.net
was wary of this show, as we have all seen a million court room dramas; however, Century City has proven interesting in the issues it tackles.
At first, I figured it would dryly debate the old cloning arguments, but instead put a nice twist on it making it a believable show.
The last show tackled a man who suing to keep his implant and treatments that kept him from being functionally retarded ... it could have stopped there and been interesting but it took a different twist and was very good.
Granted the "future" special effects are rather cheesy, but easily overlooked by the virtue of good sci-fi story telling.
I certainly hope more sci-fi fans give this show a chance and I hope it continues with good stories.
Mike Kromski
Address withheld by request
Assistant Editor Brian Murphy responds:
It appears that your pleas may go unanswered, Mike. As reported here on SCI FI Wire, Century City has been canceled after only four episodes.
Best,
Brian
'm pleased to see [Scott Edelman] getting the award for science fiction activity ("Who's Serving Whom?"), because you certainly deserve it. SF Weekly is one of fandom's main resources now, I would think. In these days, fandom is getting discursive somewhat to the vanishing point, and I think rather endangered, but SF Weekly is keeping things going real well and providing a good focus as well as maintaining the spirit of fandom. Seeing the photo of Dave Kyle brings to mind how fandom used to be, before it started merging so much with mainstream and world events.
I hope you and SF Weekly continue to keep up the good work, and that there will be more like it.
John Thiel
thiel(at)dcwi.com
hile I do agree with ML Coonfield's assessment about the lack of originality in science fiction ("Remakes Should Be Rejected"), he seems to have a little misunderstanding about the nature of anime, which I mentioned in my previous letter.
Here is what he says about it: "One gentleman stated that animation was the way to go. Good for him. You can go watch those stupid anime cartoons." Obviously, he has not seen much anime outside of Pokémon and other animes targeted toward children. I'm talking about the stuff they show on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block late at night, stuff that is mostly reminiscent of a John Woo movie, but only in terms of style. They all have innovative concepts and plots, as well as technology and/or magic that isn't conceptualized nearly as realistically anywhere else as it is here.
Many of them very intelligently deal with themes that are intelligent and important; human nature, the effect of technology on society, the corruption caused by power, and the loss of tradition as society evolves. In short, science fiction themes; even in Inu Yasha, a fantasy series, can these themes be found.
And they do it all with a budget much lower than your average sci-fi/fantasy series simply because they are animated, and no sets need be built, no props made and special effects are limited, if present at all. In fact, if they are present, they often look incongruous and could have been done better drawn. And despite this they are engaging stories that still have plenty of eye-candy.
Perhaps Mr. Coonfield and all you others out there should give anime a second glance.
Shane Stephenson
deckmaster84(at)hotmail.com
wholeheartedly agree that the true future of visual science fiction lies in anime. Science fiction movies have simply not kept pace with the best work coming from Japan. To this end, I propose two projects: 1. The entire six-book Frank Herbert Dune series done as a 104-episode anime, and 2. Starship Troopers, done as Heinlein envisioned it, not as a sleazy, insulting parody a la Paul Verhoven.
While the TV version of Dune was ambitious and admirable, there were visual needs that film cannot do as well as animation. And regarding Starship Troopers, Verhoven's version was a deliberate slap in the face of Heinlein's political ideas, was uselessly sleazy and the omission of powered armor was infuriating. Even though the Bugs were my favorite alien adversaries of all time, the movie was an absolute stinker.
Greg Crider
criderjg(at)bellsouth.net
'm sending this letter to thank the late Sir Peter Ustinov (who passed at age 82, from heart failure, on March 29) for his appearances in various SF/fantasy genre shows, including televised versions of Animal Farm (1999), Alice in Wonderland ('99), one guest appearance on The Muppet Show ('76), and a strange yet compelling portrayal of a nameless Old Man in the film Logan's Run ('79).
I'm sure that I must be forgetting quite a few other genre appearances, but these are the most memorable for me. (I regret not being able to find the cartoon short "Grendel, Grendel, Grendel," in which Sir Peter voices the monster from Beowulf; is that one out yet on DVD?). Godspeed, Sir Peter. You've served your public well.
Henrik Harbin
kirneh1(at)cox.net
f the entire SF and F community agrees on one thing, it's that science fiction and fantasy are not real. Yes, Virginia, there is no Frodo or Frankenstein's monster, no Superman or Spock, no Peter Pan or Peter Parker. Never was and never will be. It's all made up, as fake as Tooth Fairies and Easter bunnies.
But what if ... ? Ah, what if, indeed!
Two thousand years from now, our earth will be a very different place though I'd like to believe that SF and F will still be a cherished part of the human consciousness. Let's push that premise and imagine that the classics of the genre have become so ingrained that they have evolved into history, accepted as fact along with the Industrial Revolution and World War II. Imagine archaeologists searching the ends of the earth for Middle Earth, stellar missions scouring the cosmos for debris of Kal-el's Krypton and every tornado funnel examined in hopes of finding that elusive gateway to Oz.
Ridiculous? Preposterous? Absurd? Not so fast. As you are reading this, renowned scientists from all over the globe are closing in, as they have been for 2,000 years, on a magical land whose existence is based solely on the words of the father of SF and F. That's right, SFW readers, Homer's Atlantis.
The real purpose of this letter: If anyone out there has a map, complete with certificate of authenticity, showing the exact location of Wonder Woman's Paradise Island, please contact me immediately!
Kevin Ahearn
KEVTOMA(at)aol.com
ince there's a lot of armchair captains out there trying to fix Enterprise ("Enterprise Should Trek to SCI FI", "Trek Should Go Back to Its Roots", "Enterprise Doomsayers Aren't Fans", "Star Trek Should Consider Sequels"), allow me to give a few suggestions and perhaps help out in reviving the Star Trek mythos before something bad goes down ... assuming it hasn't already.:
First of all, bring back the call for fan scripts! The minute Rick Berman and company put the end of this long-beloved practice, things started to go wrong. Granted, the storylines have improved over time with the introduction of the Xindi and having T'Pol get her rebel up, but frankly some of the stories the staff writers have come up with have been ... lacking. That "Space Cowboys" episode with Wild West descendents giving grief to their former alien masters? The episodes with the Borg and the Ferengi? Trip getting ... well, you know. I don't mean to be picky, but wasn't the idea of Enterprise supposed to be before the founding of the Federation and a little less gimmicky. I'm sure there are some fans out there who know a lot more and are daring enough to push the boundaries of the mythos than fall back on rehash and redone.
Second, time to have Jeffery Combs as a permanent cast member! I'm not kidding. The man has done wonders with DS9 and dang it, he's exactly the type of foil Archer needs now that T'Pol is more or less on his side. Besides, am I the only one here who thinks Earth might be courting the Andorians because Vulcan has an issue with "immature species?" Time for the man to be formerly adopted into the Star Trek family and legally. I can't wait to see him play off John Billingsley's sweetness with some sour. There's some comedic gold in them hills, bub.
Third, someone on the crew must die! Last we saw Enterprise, it was getting the bejesus blown by the Xindi and the crew valiantly trying to save themselves. It's time someone on the core cast made the ultimate sacrifice and this time, there's no Sim to fall back on. I don't mean offing Porthos as a fallback or some minor character mentioned on a few episodes. I mean someone damn close to Archer, someone that will be missed and whose passing will mark a turning point of the series. I mean, if Tasha Yar's death can affect TNG, then perhaps it's time to bid farewell to someone with equal standing.
Four, how about some organization on Earth to try to compete with Starfleet and give some reasoning to why the Federation was formed in the first place? I'm guessing there's at least one group who doesn't feel so uptight about violating the Prime Directive and thus open up a can of worms.
Finally, bring in more of the familiar aliens from the original series ... and I don't mean Tribbles, people! Where are the other founding members of the Federation like the Alpha Centauri? Surely the universe isn't full of just five or seven species now, not including the Xindi.
OK, who has a problem with these suggestions?
James K. Chambliss
weirdarchives(at)prodigy.net
n the past, I'd been critical of Enterprise, but I have to admit that it has gotten better now that it's edgier.
I agree with Kent R. ("Enterprise Doomsayers Aren't Fans") that we've seen enough Klingons (with the exception of the Klingon-Federation war), but not the Romulans (who remained a mystery until "Balance of Terror"). There are other races that I'd love to see. CGI Tholians for instance.
I have to disagree with Jonathan Grove ("Star Trek Should Consider Sequels") and Carl Thompson ("Enterprise Should Trek to SCI FI"). There are plenty of sequels and prequels that can be done. The adventures of Capt. Pike, Capt. Sulu and Capt. Riker are a few that come to mind. There are plenty of stories that can be told about other aspects of the Trek universe. Starfleet Academy would do nicely. I enjoyed quite a few of those comic books. It could be done in any century (as long as there are no younger versions of Kirk et al as the central characters. They should be left as guest stars). Even the Gary Seven series that Paramount passed on might work now. They could do a series about the Klingon Empire, I think there are some books and videogames floating around like that. There are plenty of great stories written by fans that have not yet made a name for themselves in the literary world.
I agree that there needs to be different thinking in these creative endeavors for established franchises. But the great ideas and stories that come from Trekkies or plain sci-fi fans may never see the light of day or the glow of a screen because there are people in meaningful position at Paramount that only want to help others in fat positions. And that's too bad for us, the fans. Sci-fi should never be about "formula." I just want great stories and acting. Special effects shouldn't be the driving force for a story or series, it should only enhance it.
Sash Scott
Cptsscott(at)aol.com
n regards to Todd Gilchrist's gushing and glowing review of the remake of Dawn of the Dead, I think I see another example of corporate synergy at work. Universal, the distributor of Dead, is the parent company of SCI FI, so it's only fitting that nothing but praise is heaped upon it, even though it's obvious from the review that Gilchrist was writing about a film he never watched. How else do you explain his statement, "James Gunn's screenplay ups the ante on gore while retaining the original's sense of characters and story."?
This putrid remake of George Romero's classic has only two things in common with the original: Zombies and a mall. That's it. End of comparison. The characters in the new film are one-dimensional at best, and half of them aren't even mentioned by name. They exist only to be killed. And Gilchrist says the girl in the beginning is the daughter of Sarah Polley's character, when in fact she's actually the neighbor's daughter. Maybe Todd got a bit confused, but of course, that was a plot point that probably would have been more clear had the filmmakers actually bothered to develop any of the characters in this script instead of racing towards the next zombie attack scene.
Granted, attention spans have decreased dramatically since the release of the original Dawn in 1978, and the hacks in control of this abberation had a responsibility to cater to today's youths. Perhaps Mr. Gilchrist is one of these youngsters, and he was genuinely excited to see fast-moving zombies that resembled the creatures on his PlayStation games. But for us "old-school" fans, this film is an insult, and to have it compared in such a slip-shod manner to the far more witty and horrifying original is a slap in the face. Having to remain fiscally responsible to your parent company and hype the newest release in order to stay in business is one thing, but is it too much to ask to at least be honest and recognize this turd for what it is: A psuedo-horror/video game capitalizing on a name that is sacred to genre buffs.
Scott Voisin
brisco(at)wcoil.com
Editor Scott Edelman responds:
Believe me—the opinions expressed in our Dawn of the Dead review were solely those of the author, and were not the result of any supposed corporate synergy. It might help your confidence in Science Fiction Weekly's independent voice to know that in the past, SCI FI shows have occasionally been given grades as low as D- —which certainly proved to the creators of those shows that honesty trumps synergy every time.
Best,
Scott
Reviewer Todd Gilchrist responds:
First off, I must apologize for my oversight of the zombie girl's affiliation to Sarah Polley and her husband/boyfriend; it was a misappropriation that was not remedied until I went to see the film for a second time during the first week of the film's release (after the review was posted on the site). That correction aside, however, I stand by my review of Dawn of the Dead 100 percent. I was recently afforded the opportunity to watch the original again, and love it now as much as I did when I saw it several years ago for the first time. I don't think that the new film is by any means a superlative version of Romero's classic, but Synder's Dead is a great horror movie in an era when they are typically defined by stultifying implausibilities and moronic characters rather than legitimate scares.
The brilliance of the original film lay not in its anti-consumerism message but its juxtaposition of fairly obvious scares (such as the slow creep of the zombies to places where it seems inexplicable they wouldn't be noticed) with a strategic and well-humored sense of goriness; the zombie who gets decapitated by a helicopter blade is funny and smart enough that we can forgive certain lapses in logic, such as when David Emge's pals look on in muted horror (rather than helping) while he struggles alone with a zombie on the floor of the department store. In this film, the zombies are faster, which I think is a change that intensifies the characters' struggle and gives the narrative a more visceral impact. And, regardless of how much you care about the characters (who are smarter than most horror film protagonists), the remake gives them a sense of life before the "invasion" that its predecessor just doesn't. Gunn's screenplay gives Polley's character a life before the zombies, and a person whom she cares about; Romero's version opens
with the world going mad, and doesn't spend a lot of time thinking about the victims outside the mall who might be friends or family members.
I'm 28 years old, don't own a PlayStation, and don't typically enjoy horror movies. I've seen as many bad ones as good, and I really, really enjoyed BOTH Dawn of the Dead films. Each of them holds a different appeal—one is more existential, one more immediate—but I fail to see why one can't enjoy the two films as different and equally legitimate takes on the same material. I can't say I've found more than a handful of enjoyable horror films among the countless
pictures that were released since 1978 (Halloween and the original Romero Dead being the endpoint for the genre's most fertile period), but Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead is
one of them.
Best,
Todd
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