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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just read the review of the DVD set for Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. It's called "The Complete Series." Yet all that is talked about in the review are the adventures on Earth. What about the rest of the series, with Buck and Wilma aboard the starship Searcher, with Admiral Asimov, Dr. Goodfellow, Hawk and Chrighton? Not to mention Lt. Devlin, played by original Star Trek pilot ("The Cage") actor Paul Carr!
As far as I know, that phase of the series had the same title, just a very different format and direction for the plots, and no Tim O'Connor as Dr. Huer. So why is it left out? Doesn't sound very complete to me.
Adam Goss
saganth(at)yahoo.com
Reviewer Todd Gilchrist responds:
Thanks for writing. You're right—my description of the series did not include many of the episodes you reference in your letter, nor characters who appear later in the series (Hawk remains my personal favorite). Alas, in the space given for reviews (much less for an entire series such as this), we simply don't have the space to delve into every episode or plot development; as a result, the basic set-up is detailed, and the rest of the story remains untold for readers to explore on their own. My review may not be "complete," but the DVD collection definitely is.
Best,
Todd
en Browder's return to the SCI FI Channel is nothing short of exciting. I was boycotting the SCI FI Channel in general, and Stargate SG-1 in particular, as SG-1 had been chosen over Farscape to fill the same timeslot.
I am ready to rejoin the viewership of SCI FI Channel for two reasons—the gift of The Peacekeeper Wars and Ben Browder's return to SF television. I feel other 'Scapers will follow suit.
Good decision, SG-1 producers!
Pam Shirkey
Arion214(at)aol.com
just wanted to share my thoughts about Ben Browder joining the cast of Stargate SG-1. Personally, I'm overjoyed by this news. I think that he'll make a great addition to the cast and crew of SG-1, and I'm excited to see how his character will be integrated. I'm also pleased to see that Claudia Black will be joining the show for five episodes.
Wait, that's two Farscape characters moving over to SG-1. I'm a huge fan of both series, but I'm hoping that any references to Farscape will be kept down to a small number. It will be funny to see some on there. I can see Browder and Black's characters asking each other if they've met each other, or Browder's character cracking some similar jokes, but that last thing that I really want to see is SG-1 becoming a parody or reunion of Farscape. They've both totally separate shows, with a lot of different themes, and they should be different. Small references should be interesting, like what they've previously done
with Star Wars and Star Trek in various stories. But if a living ship called Moya, a small green Yoda-looking guy and a huge warrior with head tails show up, it will be awkward.
Andrew Liptak
jeditrilobite(at)gmail.com
recently happened upon the contributions of Michael Cassutt to your Web site—"The Cassutt Files"—and was happily entertained by his many industry insights, but I noticed that his contributions are hard to find when one navigates the Science Fiction Weekly component of [SCIFI.com].
Might I suggest that you give Mr. Cassutt's work its own subsection on the Science Fiction Weekly site? Whether he's still writing it or not, the articles are rich and informative and deserve to be put in a place where they are easily indexed and accessible.
Thanks for your time and consideration,
Victor Sparrow
vhsiv(at)zzapp.org
reative individuals as these master their arts only to vanish and take the fruits of their arts with them." (From Scott Edelman's editorial, "More Than Just a Year Is Gone") Thankfully, you are somewhat mistaken. The fruits of their talents remain for us to savor. Film archives, libraries, bookstores, art prints, sheet music, recordings ... it's all still out there to inspire us and lift us from our maudlin states with the joys that come from these gifts they so generously left behind. And rejoice that each of these fortunate individuals had the satisfaction of leaving a legacy behind them. Mourn those who pass before they have the chance to reach their potential. But don't mourn too long. Your friends and fans await the fruits of your gift of wit, insight and compassion.
Myra Coyle
myc61(at)msn.com
s an avid and longtime fan of Quantum Leap, I was absolutely thrilled to learn that the entire series was being released on DVD. I immediately began saving my money and eagerly counted down the days until the first season became available.
Although I am a British fan, I couldn't wait, and pre-ordered a Region 1 version as soon as I could. It arrived in time for my birthday last summer, and I spent a wonderful day with a friend watching the episodes, and the introductions by Scott Bakula, and the little easter eggs. I loved every minute of it, and was thrilled to have my all-time favorite series at last in a quality format.
I was so impressed, I even asked for a Region 2 version as well, which I received for Christmas.
I was equally delighted to learn that season two was to be released so soon, and looked forward to it being as wonderful as the first. Unfortunately, I have learned from my friends and fellow fans in America that this is not the case.
It seems that season two has poor picture quality and none of the promised bonus features. Worst of all, much of the original music has been replaced with substandard generic noise (I won't dignify it with the term music). This may be little more than an annoyance in many instances, but in the case of the climax to the episode "MIA," when the holographic Al (a major character!) dances with his wife Beth to their song, "Georgia On My Mind" by Ray Charles, it is nothing short of sacrilege to remove the original soundtrack. The scene loses much of its dramatic impact without the haunting strains of that song playing. (And yes, I have been able to see and hear the scene with the substituted music, so I am speaking from an informed position.) It is bad enough that the original music has been sacrificed, but it is insulting that so little thought went into the replacement. The tune played in this instance is not even the right tempo for the dance, and is far too upbeat and cheerful for the mood of the scene.
I appreciate that there are various factors to be considered when releasing a series to DVD, and that copyright issues and music rights have to be taken into consideration. However, I have not yet talked to a single fan (and I am in contact with a good number of them) who does not agree with me that, however tight our finances, we would rather wait longer and pay more to have the complete series as advertised and as we remember it. If they thought we wouldn't notice, they insult us! If they thought we wouldn't care, they severely underestimate us!
Quantum Leap fans are among the most loyal and dedicated people in the world. Witness the lengths we have gone to in order to keep the series alive, both in fighting the original threats of cancellation and, more recently, allowing it to live on in our hearts and minds with brilliant discussion sites on the Internet such as www.quantumleap-alsplace.com/messageboard/
and even the "virtual seasons" where fan fiction has extended the original five seasons of television episodes to (currently) 11 (www.quantumleap-alsplace.com/virtualseasons/main/main.html).
(Here I must boast that I personally have contributed two stories to virtual season 10, and have one due to air in January for season 11.)
With all due respect, while many fans will still buy the DVDs feeling that any Quantum Leap is better than no Quantum Leap, it is under protest that we do so with season two (I myself will be waiting for the Region 2 release, in the faint hope that this issue may have been resolved by then). At best, we would ask that the original musical score be restored to the episodes, and that season two be re-released in a format to rival the excellent first season. At the very least, we fans deserve a proper explanation as to why this did not and cannot happen.
A disappointed but devoted Quantum Leap fan,
Helen Earl
leaper8757(at)hotmail.com
n Roby Statzer's recent letter ("Andromeda Shouldn't Be Mothballed"), he seemed concerned over the possible cancellation of Andromeda, starring Kevin Sorbo. While I'm a vocal advocate of just about anything Star Trek and Gene Roddenberry's creations, this lame, half-baked attempt at science fiction deserves the ax more than most.
While the premise was good, rarely have I seen a modern science-fiction television show so weak on both story and special effects. The effects are weak even when compared to pre-1977 shows. When watching the episodes (and I have tried!), the best I can think is "Hercules in space!" I keep wondering where Iolas is and if Xena is going to drop by.
I realize that this is not exactly kind, but Andromeda is the weakest of the series pulled out of Gene Roddenberry's closet of attempted series. I often wonder what happened to Earth 2 or Genesis 2, both attempts at the same series. Compared to Earth: Final Conflict, Andromeda is a cartoon gone bad.
While I know there are fans of Andromeda that I just insulted in a most terrible manner, each attempt to tighten this show up and make it "better" has been a failure. With five full seasons to its credit, it has outlasted far better series that deserved longer runs.
Hmmm, then again, maybe it's time to bring back Gil Gerard and launch Buck Rogers in the 25th Century: The Next Generation.
Or maybe not.
Keith Kitchen
boyoklaatu1(at)aol.com
y thanks goes out to the SCI FI Channel for picking up Andromeda and giving the fans a season five, but why should it stop there? Andromeda is one of the best science-fiction series in the history of television, and I hear it's going to be canceled at the end of the current season.
The show has been on the SCI FI Channel since April, and from what I've seen it hasn't been promoted very well. SCI FI has excluded the show from its biggest night of sci-fi history promotions even though the 100th episode of Andromeda airs that very same night.
I understand that Kevin Sorbo is leaving at the end of the season, but that is no excuse to cancel the show. At least give the show a chance to stand on its own without him. Andromeda has a large fan base and, given the chance, it can become one of SCI FI Channel's biggest hits.
Joshua Pruett
ihaveaglitch(at)yahoo.com
ndromeda started off with some promise but quickly went south, in large part to Kevin Sorbo's lameness. When lead writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe left the show, the show quickly fell apart. Executive produce Kevin Sorbo wanted to do away with the long story arcs and make more standalone shows. I stopped watching regularly when the quality of the show dropped and Andromeda really did turn into "Hercules in space." Ironically, whenever I checked in with the show, I found long-running, yet silly, story arcs and not many standalone stories. I also noticed that every show was kind of the same: mindless talk and even more mindless action.
I won't miss Andromeda if it goes away, but it can only get better without Sorbo.
Kevin Chu
Kevin.Chu(at)Sun.COM
n response to Roby Statzer's letter in issue #402 of Science Fiction Weekly ("Andromeda Shouldn't Be Mothballed"): It's time to let Andromeda die.
Out of the dozens of science-fiction shows that I have watched over the years, Andromeda probably had the best first season of any of them. Season two was also excellent. The stories were deep and interesting, and the actors seemed to fall right into their roles—unlike most shows, where a full season seems to be required before stories and actors really "click."
Then something happened—beginning with the third season, the stories became cluttered and shallow. Now, the most recent season of Andromeda has taken the cake as far as bad writing is concerned. It has become utterly incomprehensible, and Andromeda has managed to become the most inconsistent science-fiction show in the history of the genre.
If Kevin Sorbo's absence is the excuse needed to finally let this show die, so be it. But the demise of Andromeda is ensured by the horrible writing, not the departure of the show's main star.
Brandon Staggs
bstaggs(at)swordsearcher.com
e absolutely love this [Ghost Hunters]. We have never watched any SCI FI programming until now. You guys better do whatever it takes to keep the Ghost Hunters hunting! Pay them whatever it takes to let them quit their day jobs and hunt full time! This series has brought to [the SCI FI Channel] viewers that [they] never would have had ... new demographics, new everything! Please keep these guys going full-time!
Shawn Hutchinson
Satellitepro(at)cox.net
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