Slashdot Mirror


Premature Rumors about Stargate Season 7?

An anonymous reader writes "While some were excited about the news of Stargate's renewal, others remained cautiously skeptical. Those is who did might be interested in reading this story posted on Zap2it." I for one hope the show keeps going. With the loss of Farscape, SG1 is possibly the best straight up sci-fi on TV- and the last show on the SciFi channel I watch.

99 of 231 comments (clear)

  1. Stargate by SargeZT · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Was an excellent series until Daniele Jackson died, then it just went downhill. I wouldn't be suprised it it was continued, because of the trend that SciFi seems to be taking. But, if they do continue it, I will continue to watch it. KREE!

    --
    And why did you staple the trout to the RAM?
    1. Re:Stargate by Goalie_Ca · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I dissagree. I liked seeing Daniel Jackson go. I would like to see that prodigy air force university student, she's blonde i think, take his position. I think stargate is nearing its end. No good thing can last forever but there were too many weird changes in an attempt to keep things new and fresh. I liked things they way they were, minus Daniel Jackson :P. I like him better than Sam Carter though.

      --

      ----
      Go canucks, habs, and sens!
    2. Re:Stargate by McFly69 · · Score: 2

      The actor that plays Daniel Jackson, I heard he wanted to leave the show to start his own career. As a result, the writers wrote him out (death but with the possiblty of coming back as a guest). Anyone else heard the same? Let me know.

      --



      NO! NO! Please don't mod me, I'm too young to die a troll. *click* Oh the pain, the pain...
  2. Robots by Trusty+Penfold · · Score: 5, Funny


    Are there any robots in Stargate? SciFi is only good when there's robots.

    1. Re:Robots by AntiFreeze · · Score: 2
      Actually, one of the episodes this week deals with the SG1 team being transformed into robots. It'll play either tomorrow or Thursday at 1am [well, I guess that makes it Thursday or Friday morning].

      I shit you not.

      --

      ---
      "Of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong." --Dennis Miller

    2. Re:Robots by runlvl0 · · Score: 5, Funny


      [Nerd alert]

      Episode 18, Season 1, Tin Man.
      Original Air Date: February 13, 1998
      O'Neill and the SG-1 team arrive on P3X-989, only to be zapped by an electrical trap that renders them unconscious. When they awake, they find themselves in an underground lab with Harlan, a strange but apparently peaceful native of P3X-989 who claims to be 11,000 years old. Harlan, the planet's last survivor, who has lived for 11,000 years in a synthetic (that is, "robot") body, has also created robot duplicates of SG-1. Hilarity ensues.

      "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your colonel speaking. Welcome to P3X-niner-eight-niner where it's a balmy... room temperature." - Col. Jack O'Neill

      How embarrassing for me.

      --

      Carthago delenda est!
    3. Re:Robots by BrookHarty · · Score: 2

      Spoiler. :)

      robots...

      There is a race of insect robots that where built as toys for a Special android chick. When the creators decided to turn her off, the little robots tried to protect her, killing the entire planet.

      And of course the little Grey dudes (Thor and company) are fighting the little robots that took over the entire galaxy.

      Nice subplot, why are there hardly any alien vistors? They are off fighting wars.

    4. Re:Robots by djupedal · · Score: 2

      Does the tracked vehicle they send thru first count? There must be dozens of those guys abandoned near various gates...

    5. Re:Robots by packeteer · · Score: 2

      Hes MACGYVER... hes a practially a MACHINE...

      --
      unzip; strip; touch; finger; mount; fsck; more; yes; unmount; sleep
  3. anyone else starting to get disappointed in scifi? by domninus.DDR · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The last show I watched regularly on the SciFi channel was Mystery Science Theater 3000, which I can never find on anymore. By the way, what happened to anime week during the summer? Or saturday morning anime? My SciFi channel viewing has gone down a lot over the past few years and no SG1 (which I only watch every now and then) would shoot it down to zero.

  4. How about a movie? by phorm · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'd very much like to see another Stargate movie. While the TV-series was cool, it didn't have quite the impact of the precluding movie. We've had enough same-ol-same-ol trek movies, perhaps Stargate could throw a new spin into things (hopefully without making it just a long episode).

  5. Re:anyone else starting to get disappointed in sci by bravehamster · · Score: 3, Informative
    MST3K is on Saturday mornings at 9am. At least it is for me. Check your listings fo', or get yourself a Tivo.

    --
    ---- El diablo esta en mis pantalones! Mire, mire!
  6. Mr Anderson by T-Kir · · Score: 5, Informative

    Apparently, it is in part due to Richard Dean Anderson... he is relocating to LA to be back with his family (a bit like Anthony Head (Giles in Buffy) returning to England for over a year. But he might rough it and do a hotel stint for the 7th season (if it does go ahead).

    A great Stargate site to go to is Gateworld, not only for nes and tidbits, but is great for episode info... etc.

    I sincerely hope that Stargate does get renewed for a seventh season, and that the possible post series feature film (that might deal with finishing off the Goa'uld) as well as Stargate: Atlantis, we are certainly getting a great amount of Science Fiction viewing.

    The Enterprise production team seriously ought to look at Farscape and SG1, because they are way superior to what recycled crap they are coming out with... the only good new thing going for Trek is the soon to be released Nemesis.

    --
    Are you local? There's nothing for you here!
    1. Re:Mr Anderson by Reziac · · Score: 2

      There are two general streams of SF, both in media and in the printed word:

      The Perfect World: Every ethical issue is black or white; every setting is pristine or at least clearly defined; every plotline ties up all its loose ends (or at least tries to); endings are typically "happy" (or at least positive); storylines are typically event-driven (that is, plot dictates how the characters behave). Star Trek is a prime example of this type.

      The Imperfect World: ethics come in shades of grey, orange, green, paisley, striped, and plaid; the setting is to various degrees lived-in or even downright worn; plotlines frequently leave loose ends wherever they may lie, to be picked up again whenever they happen to trip someone; endings can be ugly or frustrating for all involved; storylines are typically character-driven (that is, events derive from how people behave, not the reverse). Stargate is a prime example of this type.

      Personally, I've reached the point where I find the Perfect World type of SF all but unwatchable and unreadable. And Stargate is presently the only show I set time aside to watch.

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
  7. I hope it goes off the air by nukem1999 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Not for the show's content itself, but so SciFi will lose such a large portion of their viewer base that they will realize (shortly before going under, should all go well) that canning good shows is not a good idea.

  8. What's left to watch on Scifi? by Cheeziologist · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Without any new farscape episodes after the wrap up of this season, and if there were no more episodes of stargate sg1 after this series, would there really be anything worth watching anymore on scifi? (besides of course the good episodes of both when they are in reruns, but even that gets boring after repeated viewing)

    1. Re:What's left to watch on Scifi? by kalidasa · · Score: 2

      Without any new farscape episodes after the wrap up of this season, and if there were no more episodes of stargate sg1 after this series, would there really be anything worth watching anymore on scifi? (besides of course the good episodes of both when they are in reruns, but even that gets boring after repeated viewing)

      No. In fact, I wouldn't include SG-1 in that list, which is at best a guilty pleasure. I'm just going to buy the Farscape DVDs and stop watching SciFi altogether.

  9. Stargate is _good_! by shadowj · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Yeah, the movie sucked... but the TV series is produced by different people, folks who know what they're doing and actually understand science and science fiction. Try it. You might want to stay far away from the new Saturday morning animated show called Stargate:Infinity, though. It shares some concepts with the movie and SG1, but it's a real dog.

    --

    --Larry

    Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence

    1. Re:Stargate is _good_! by Reziac · · Score: 2

      Understanding science (that is, considering it mainly as gadgets) and only knowing one type of SF is part of why most media SF sucks, or is just rehashed Star Trek (itself too much a "set piece" ie. everything falls into predetermined slots). See my post above about Perfect World SF (which typically prides itself on its science and revolves around some aspect thereof) vs Imperfect World SF (in which science is present exactly to the same degree that a *resident of that setting* would expect -- and no more than that. It doesn't INTRUDE, and it's not necessary that everyone understand it.)

      What makes *good* SF is understanding how dramatic TV works, then applying that to a SF setting/plot. Shoehorning science into poor drama with cardboard characters is why so much media SF sucks.

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
    2. Re:Stargate is _good_! by shadowj · · Score: 2
      What makes *good* SF is understanding how dramatic TV works, then applying that to a SF setting/plot.

      Agreed, but... in order to consider a story SF the setting and plot have to include some measure of speculation and extrapolation from current trends, *and* the trappings of the story have to be internally consistent and stay within the bounds of known or easily extrapolated reality. By that measure a lot of what passes for SF really isn't; a lot of Star Trek episodes would work just as well as westerns, soap operas or sitcoms. Most of SG-1's plots are driven by the exploration of new worlds, or the results of events that occurred in the framework of its original premise (that many ancient religions and beliefs were spawned by extraterrestrials). Without these speculative elements, most of SG-1's plots wouldn't work.

      And, in my opinion, they do understand how do do dramatic TV. Of course they've had their share of dogs. Half of anything has gotta be below average, right?

      --

      --Larry

      Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence

    3. Re:Stargate is _good_! by Reziac · · Score: 2

      Actually, "extrapolated reality" is the key -- doesn't matter if it's science-oriented or not. And tho I've only seen one season of SG-1 (I think the broadcast channel I lately found it on is somewhere in season 5), I'd say its plots are more driven by human desires and interactions and the urge to explore and defend one's "territory"; the plots derive from whatever they smack into in the process, but they don't entirely depend on it. Admittedly someone's gotta throw nails in the road for this to work [g] but it avoids twisting the characters out of shape just to fit the plot of the week, and it avoids that worn-out planet of the week premise that ST has suffered from since way back. (I saw TOS first run. I'm old. :)

      From the dozen or so eps I've seen, SG-1 has been very consistent with its characters and has done a nice job of defining and staying within its own reality. It has *continuity*.

      And yes, they do indeed understand dramatic TV -- and that's the biggest reason why it works. I recognise some of the production crew's names as having previously worked on shows that held together well regardless of premise or genre (couldn't tell you which shows, since my memory for such things tends to be for "groups" rather than specifics).

      Yeah, even in the small set I've seen, they've had a couple that weren't quite up to snuff, but even so they weren't total losses -- only rarely does dialog fall down (and even then, they mostly talk like real people, not like robots :) and it never loses that easy sense that these are real people who LIVE here and have to deal with consequences. They don't turn off the lights and go home at the end of each episode, to start afresh next week. (Conversely, I swear no one actually LIVES in the ST universe. :)

      Pet peeve plot all too common in SF TV: some longstanding character is suddenly suspected of alien influence/treason/perfidy/whatever uncharacteristic behaviour; everyone else suddenly goes along with the notion that they're subverted; this leads to various lame explanations for the behaviour (pon farr/infiltrating enemy/bad drugs/whatever). Um, if we know this person so well, why is trust so readily shattered, and why is it so easily recovered next week? I *hate* that.

      I was all prepared to be pissed at one ep of SG-1 that threatened to go that way... and next thing we know. Gen.Hammond has made up his mind that our people DO know what they're talking about and he should act on it, regardless of appearances. IOW, they don't mangle the concept of personal and professional trust just to contrive a plot. Hooray!!

      (BTW, I write character-driven SF myself :)

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
  10. Re:Stargate: maybe best to leave now? by BigAl_nz · · Score: 4, Informative

    Since the departure of James Spader, the show just hasn't been the same.

    How much of a fan of the show are you, if you can't remember that James Spader was only in the movie, and it was Michael Shanks that played the role of Daniel Jackson in the TV series.

    --
    --- There isn't any problem that can't be solved by a small, low yield nuclear device, is there??
  11. Stargate SG-1 has been good, but... by anzha · · Score: 5, Interesting

    They have had a few stories this season that have been a bit more fast and loose than the equivalents were on Showtime. Admittedly, the USAF has been working on alien tech for a while now, and they have been very good about making it obvious that while we can replicate and understand how to make some of the technology, once they moved over to the Scifi channel, tech starts popping out all the place. The fighter with the hyper drive, the warship (which cost a bit too little for it being made of such rare materials under such secrecy and with such one-off parts...and in a ridiculous shape for the task at hand too...sheesh), and so on.

    Well, a good way of putting it is that there has been a lot of ideas thrown around without thought of what the consequences might be unlike before.

    Don't get me wrong, it's still orders of magnitude better than Trek, but...the flavour change isn't quite as tasty as before. Think New Coke.

    --
    Do you know why the road less traveled by is littered with the bones of the unwary?
    1. Re:Stargate SG-1 has been good, but... by coyote-san · · Score: 3, Informative

      IIRC, the fighters were built from recovered death glider parts (the first one almost exclusively, the second with much more Tor'ii parts), and the cruiser was mostly built from the baby Go'ulds in Oregon. Or wherever "Nightwalkers" was set.

      As for the "rare mineral," haven't you noticed that about every third episode involved trade negotiations, especially for Naquadaa? Some of these planets may have been "mined out" for the amounts required by the Go'uld, yet still worth operating for the quantity earth needs at this time.

      --
      For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong. -- H L Mencken
    2. Re:Stargate SG-1 has been good, but... by Monkelectric · · Score: 2

      Little known fact, the X-303 brother to the TB-303 which spawned a generation of terrible "baselines" :D

      --

      Religion is a gateway psychosis. -- Dave Foley

  12. Even if it does not get picked up next season by UpLateDrinkingCoffee · · Score: 2, Insightful
    It had a good run and was at least given a chance... more than one promising sci-fi series have been cancelled prematurely IMHO. "Earth 2" and "Nowhere Man" come to mind.

    In the case of Earth 2, they just pre-empted too many shows due to football on Sunday nights and kept moving around the timeslot. I was an avid viewer and couldn't find the show half the time. No wonder the ratings weren't what they wanted. As far as SG-1 goes, I kept Showtime for two years just for that show... and dropped it as soon as it moved over to sci-fi.

    1. Re:Even if it does not get picked up next season by Neon+Spiral+Injector · · Score: 2

      Earth 2 was amazing, Sci-Fi also showed it sindicated. VR5 also wasn't bad, I would have liked to see where it was going. But it started on USA (Sci-Fi's mother station), so it stood no chance. Oh, The Burning Zone was great too, not sure where it started life, but sindicated on Sci-Fi.

      But it seems that Sci-Fi picks up shows just to kill them. Sliders and MST3K come to mind.

    2. Re:Even if it does not get picked up next season by mlong · · Score: 2
      In the case of Earth 2, they just pre-empted too many shows due to football on Sunday nights and kept moving around the timeslot. I was an avid viewer and couldn't find the show half the time. No wonder the ratings weren't what they wanted. As far as SG-1 goes, I kept Showtime for two years just for that show... and dropped it as soon as it moved over to sci-fi.

      Kindof like what Fox did to Dark Angel. Also I only subscribed to Showtime for Stargate...I mean, I *tried* to find other stuff on Showtime worth watching...but there wasn't any

      --
      //m
    3. Re:Even if it does not get picked up next season by Tumbleweed · · Score: 2

      You thought "Earth 2" was promising? That was one of the worst tv sci-fi efforts _ever_. Yikes. Scary-bad.

  13. I have problems watching SG1 by pixel_bc · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm a Vancouver person -- I find it odd that every single planet they visit happens to look just like Squamish, BC. :)

    1. Re:I have problems watching SG1 by IronTek · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yes, I imagine being so close to where it's shot would ruin the illusion quite a bit! ...well, I guess you'll just have to figure out how to enjoy watching it from the viewpoint of it being a show about a secret team exploring the outer reaches of Canada...it's almost just as alien, you know!

    2. Re:I have problems watching SG1 by Reziac · · Score: 2

      Count your blessings. To us SoCal residents, everything else on TV looks just like Los Angeles! :)

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
  14. Crossing Over? by victim · · Score: 5, Funny

    I just checked their web site. Looks like their only original series left will be Crossing Over. Sort of a misplaced show. High marks for fiction but no a zero for science.

    They should change their name to the fi channel

  15. Re:Stargate: maybe best to leave now? by EverDense · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...and if they can't do a dignified farewell, at least get some more hot chick involved. Do a spin-off show called "Stargate SG-1 Hawaii".

    --
    http://jesus.everdense.com/
  16. Re:Man that would suck by gmhowell · · Score: 2

    Andromeda. Firefly is decent. Umm... Hmm. Yeah, guess you're right.

    --
    Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
  17. and that bald chick in the Star Trek movie!... by coyote-san · · Score: 2

    Yeah, and what's with that bald chick in the Star Trek movie? I mean, that ruined it for me.

    I'm so glad I haven't wasted any of my time with the subsequent movies or series. I mean, if it's that bad on the first movie you shudder to think of how bad it must have been by, oh, the 4th or 5th year of the first spinoff series.

    --
    For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong. -- H L Mencken
    1. Re:and that bald chick in the Star Trek movie!... by Quila · · Score: 2

      You mean Miss India 1965, Persis Khambatta (died 1998). She was quite beautiful with her hair, and it freaked her out to shave her head for the role.

  18. I'm still missing Lexx by MadBurner · · Score: 2, Funny

    Lexx had it all. What more could a sci-fi nut want? Great tits, erotic undertones, a dead assasin and a live ship. Only thing it was missing was full frontal nudity.
    Oh God, I hope I didn't miss the full frontal nudity.
    Anyone know which episode it was in if I did miss it?

    1. Re:I'm still missing Lexx by Cyno01 · · Score: 2

      as much as i liked lexx, i realized that is was just MTVs Undressed in space

      --
      "Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
    2. Re:I'm still missing Lexx by Kanon · · Score: 2
      Only thing it was missing was full frontal nudity.

      I don't know about that. I've got the upcut episodes on DVD and I've certainly seen something Zev's mother wouldn't like me looking at.

    3. Re:I'm still missing Lexx by Tony+Hoyle · · Score: 2

      Actually seeing nudity would have spoiled the fun :-)

      I liked lexx series 1+2 (some of series 2 was seriously strange!). Series 3 was in danger of becoming what it was trying to parody - staying on the same planet was a mistake IMHO. Haven't seen series 4 yet.

      The biggest problem with Lexx over here is they show it at 4am or something so it gets almost no viewers. Tivos aren't that common (actually, most people don't even know what they are, since you can't actually buy them in shops any more).

      It's also a very individual taste... the humour is unique, being originally german. It's not surprising US types don't always get it (don't worry, most of us europeans don't get your style of humour either - is frazier actually supposed to be funny?).

      OTOH I've never been able to sit through an episode of Farscape without switching off in boredom (Tried series 1 - muppet show.. Tried a later one (series 3?) - still muppet show. In fact my wife started singing the muppets theme tune about halfway through...)

  19. Five words: Crossing Over with John Edward by peaworth · · Score: 2, Funny

    What mindless drones feel this should be included with Science Fiction? How about palm reading with Madame Zora and your daily horoscope by Hubert the One-eyed goat?

    1. Re:Five words: Crossing Over with John Edward by taxman_10m · · Score: 2

      The SciFi channel used to run Sightings with Tim White. That didn't fit exactly either, but I enjoyed watching it. Not sure if it is still on.

    2. Re:Five words: Crossing Over with John Edward by Tetsujin28 · · Score: 2


      John Edwards: the man who put the "iffy" in SciFi.

      --
      - - - -
      The real Tetsujin 28 is a giant robot.
  20. Re:Maybe they could change it too..... by shadowj · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Funny how perception varies. I thought the movie had a hokey plot and poor dialog, and that the TV series excelled in both categories.

    Aside from purely subjective impressions, consider this... SG-1 consistently maintains full continuity with every previous episode, so that the entire series is, in a sense, one giant story. Although it's not as carefully pre-plotted as Babylon 5, that feature makes things a lot more interesting... it's much more difficult to recycle an old plot. On the other hand, that may render the show more difficult for a newcomer to understand (you could always buy the 1st and 2nd season DVDs...).

    The writers are also very, very good about keeping the science real and the technobabble to a minimum, while still keeping things entertaining. I've seen them carefully avoid just about every silly movie and TV cliche you can think of (OK, they still make things go whoosh in the vacuum of space... the only people who get that right are the guys who produce Firefly).

    --

    --Larry

    Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence

  21. Doesn't that creap you out? by sweatyboatman · · Score: 4, Funny

    In other news: Hollywood has perfected human cloning. Until this post I too thought they were the same person.

    or perhaps the original poster was saying that the show hasn't been the same since it began... without James Spader.

    --
    It breaks my pluginses, my precious!
  22. Check out Starhunter by benh57 · · Score: 5, Informative
    I don't think many US folks have heard of this one yet since its on so late. (sunday 11:30 PM UPN here..) Currently in US syndication is this british show starhunter.

    One of the cool things i noticed in the last ep is that they take relativity into account - the bounty hunter captain talking to his supplier mentioned that what was 3 weeks to them on the ship was 4 years to the folks back home.

    1. Re:Check out Starhunter by Dynedain · · Score: 2

      I saw it last night....it was...well...pathetic

      --
      I'm out of my mind right now, but feel free to leave a message.....
    2. Re: Check out Starhunter by Dynedain · · Score: 2

      yeah...i turned off the tv to run down to the laundry room to put stuff in the dryer, came back, and forgot what i had been watching (the only other thing on was infomercials)

      --
      I'm out of my mind right now, but feel free to leave a message.....
  23. Re:Stargate: maybe best to leave now? by gmhowell · · Score: 2

    I believe that the actor who played Boone wanted out. In any event, it was straight into the toilet after he left.

    --
    Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
  24. Re:priorities by shadowj · · Score: 3, Informative
    ...they should release the earlier seasons (DVD VHS etc.) first.

    They already have.

    --

    --Larry

    Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence

  25. Premature Rumors about Stargate Season 7... by Tomble · · Score: 3, Funny
    ...I'm, I'm sorry, really this has never happened to me before...


    Aw, sorry, I just couldn't resist it. Personally, I've not really watched it much recently (on plain UK tv that is), but I did like it (and the film of course) when I watched it in the past. Wonder which series it is they're showing over here, I expect we should get a fair few more before the end.

    --
    Be careful! New moon tonight.
    1. Re:Premature Rumors about Stargate Season 7... by Tony+Hoyle · · Score: 2

      I think C4 is mostly a mixture of old series (AFAIK they don't show them in order). Sky1 is just beginning to show the series after Daniel Jackson died (Season 5? 6?), intermingled with lots of older stuff, so you have to be careful to check otherwise you get confused.

  26. Re:Stargate: maybe best to leave now? by shadowj · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Since the departure of James Spader, the show just hasn't been the same.

    It's kind of never been the same, since James Spader never appeared in the TV series. That character (Daniel Jackson) is played by Michael Shanks.

    And while the Egyptian motif is one of the most unique in sci-fi...

    The Egyptian motif is relevant only to one of the continuing subplots... the Goa'uld, a race of parasitic nasties, hijacked Egyptian mythology several thousand years ago for their own purposes. We've also seen cultures descended from Mongolian horsemen, native America, and classical Greece, among others, plus a bunch that have no clear predecessors. One frequently referenced race of good guys, the Asgard, are related to the Norse pantheon.

    I think the show is still fairly fresh... Daniel's departure has allowed them to do a few completely new things, and there's still a lot to explore (who created the Stargate system, for instance?). And come on, guys, this is a popular TV series that's managed to handle seriously abstract concepts like Von Neuman machines, and turn them into major plot elements! I do agree that they should recognize when it's time to quit gracefully, but I don't think that time has come yet.

    --

    --Larry

    Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence

  27. Re:anyone else starting to get disappointed in sci by TheRealFixer · · Score: 4, Insightful

    SciFi is starting to pull an MTV. They don't seem to play that much sci-fi anymore. Slasher flicks are NOT sci-fi. Hellraiser is NOT sci-fi. They seem to play more horror movies than anything else. And not just because of Halloween.

  28. Ringworld! by shadowj · · Score: 3, Informative
    It would be uber-cool if someone would make movies out of the Ringworld series.

    A Ringworld movie has been in the works for some time, but, Hollywood being what it is, it seems to be stuck in limbo. The latest news I could find on the project is about a year old; here's a link to a news story that sounds like it may have been real. No word on whether anything will come of it, but I'm sure they'll do it eventually; look how long we had to wait for Lord of the Rings.

    --

    --Larry

    Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence

    1. Re:Ringworld! by Twirlip+of+the+Mists · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The first problem with a Ringworld movie is the Ringworld itself. Any big-ticket Hollywood producer is going to want the Ringworld to look cool, right? After all, it's a big space ring, better make it look like a big space ring!

      From space, the Ringworld would look like an astronomical object until you got close enough, at which point it would look like an infinite black wall, or like an infinite flat plain, depending on your orientation to it. From the surface, it would look just like a planet, only with an almost-invisible arch over it. It wouldn't even look cool from altitude above it; it's just too big. (There is a series of 3D renderings of the Ringworld available here. They're interesting, but they're definitely not gripping movie material.)

      So any attempt to make a Ringworld movie is going to be crippled by the fact that they either have to make special effects that aren't that cool, or they have to make ones that aren't that accurate.

      But-- as if that weren't enough-- the biggest problem is that the plot would pretty much have to be gutted. There's a ton of back-story in Ringworld: the Puppeteers, the Kzinti, the Man-Kzin wars, lucky Teela, invulnerable spaceship hulls, sunflowers, stasis fields, hyperdrive... it's a great book, but as a movie it would either be incomprehensible to most of the world, or include five minutes of exposition for every ten minutes of action. I mean, there's more intricate background in Ringworld than there is in The Lord of the Rings! LOTR got away with, "Once upon a time there was a bad man who made a magical ring." Ringworld would need to go into detail on-- or at least mention-- a dozen or more key ideas that are basically unrelated to each other. It would be a tough screenplay to write.

      The alternative, of course, is to get rid of Niven's characters and back-story. Just get the main characters-- just humans, none of those pesky and expensive aliens-- to the Ringworld, have 'em crash, and have 'em find a way off. But that's not a particularly interesting story. It'd be difficult to make it interesting without going into some discussion of who built the Ringworld and why, and Niven's own explanation is unacceptable unless they make a Protector movie first and release it as a prequel.

      I hate to say it, but I suppose I'd rather not see Ringworld on the big screen.

      --

      I write in my journal
    2. Re:Ringworld! by shadowj · · Score: 2
      On the one hand, I'm afraid that you may be right; there's a huge amount of dense detail and backstory in Ringworld that would be very difficult to do right on the big screen. After seeing several cherished classics mangled by Hollywood, I may be ready to concede that there are somet things that are just not right for a movie. I'm still angry at Paul Verhoeven, though... Starship Troopers was a story about honor, duty, and an innovative method of government that could have been a very effective film. He turned it into a splatterfest about bug-hunting Hitler Youth.

      On the other hand, don't forget that some of the backstory for Ringworld actually came after the fact. Ringworld, the novel, was published in 1970, before most of the Known Space series was written. Most readers didn't know about a lot of the backstory until years later! In particular, the novel didn't attempt to explain who created the Ringworld; it wasn't until Protector, three years later, that it became clear. One of Niven's early essays, in Tales of Known Space (1975), implies that Niven himself didn't know who built the thing... he sort of wrote himself into a corner with Protector.

      --

      --Larry

      Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence

  29. They have jumped the shark, but... by Cyno01 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    i think sci fi could redeem istelf from its lack of orginal programming by maybe showing reruns of good sci fi shows that got canned, i'm thinking earth 2, space above and beyond, sliders, hell, even seaquest(please reply with other good suggestion). they could show like 2 episodes of a series at 7, an episode of their defunct original programming at 9, farscape, sg-1, lexx, MST3K, then maybe give john a spot after prime time. theres so much more they could show besides crossing over and horror movies, which IMO are not SCI-fi at all, they could show old eps of unsolved mysteries and stuff like that, any other ideas about what they could do for non original programming thats good and actually is sci-fi?

    --
    "Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
  30. Space Above and Beyond - burnt apparently by tqft · · Score: 2, Informative

    Expensive to restart the series now "... The sets are gone now, having been turned into firewood for the failed Fox program "Firefighters." >>>' http://www.cyberpursuits.com/heckifiknow/saab/defa ult.asp

    --
    The Singularity is closer than you think
    Quant
  31. Daniele Jackson? by WIAKywbfatw · · Score: 4, Funny

    Was an excellent series until Daniele Jackson died, then it just went downhill. I wouldn't be suprised it it was continued, because of the trend that SciFi seems to be taking. But, if they do continue it, I will continue to watch it. KREE!


    Daniele Jackson? Have you been watching SG-1 in a parallel universe where all the cast members are of the opposite gender?

    --

    "Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue." - David Brent, Wernham Hogg
    1. Re:Daniele Jackson? by plover · · Score: 2

      Hey, that's how Teal'c used to pronounce it in the first season. "dan-yell-jak-sun", like it was all one word.

      --
      John
  32. Current Information about Farscape by antis0c · · Score: 5, Informative

    Currently, there is a massive online campaign going on to save Farscape. You can view it here at Save Farscape and sometimes here due to DNS problems, Save Farscape.

    Essentially the current working theory on why Farscape was canceled boils down to this. In Part, Michael Jackson (not the singer obviously) and the head of USA Networks don't like Space shows. The other part, Stargate SG1 only costs around $500,000 per episode to make, where-as Farscape costs around $1,200,000 to make (yes, 1.2 million) per episode. This is why they moved Farscape to 10pm on Friday nights from their original 9pm slot, and put Farscape into the 9pm slot. They ended up losing a good part of their younger audience due to bedtimes. Why? They wanted to get the Farscape fanbase interested in Stargate while intentionally dropping ratings for Farscape. This way they could issue a statement that they are cancelling Farscape due to a slip in ratings, and actually keep the overall ratings with Stargate, all while saving $700,000.

    From a business standpoint sure it looks good. But people watch the network, not robots. They get upset and angry when favorite shows of theirs are canceled, especially when there was an announcement they were picking up season 5 and it was in a contract, little be knowns to the public there was a huge out loophole in the contract. So anyhow, if you are a fan of Farscape, head over to those links and see what you can do.

    --

    ..There's a-dooin's a-transpirin'
    1. Re:Current Information about Farscape by Exatron · · Score: 2, Interesting
      There's one thing about the cost of making Farscape that you forgot. It may cost $1.5 million per episode, but Sci-Fi only pays half of that. The downside for Sci-Fi is that they're only licensing Farscape for a limited time and number of airings and can't make money on DVDs, videos, toys, etc.

      Sci-Fi owns SG1 and can offset the show's cost with merchandising and endless reruns, plus they already have the audience SG1 established on Showtime and in syndication.

      I do agree that SciFi engineered the circumstances needed to cancel Farscape. The 10 PM timeslot, delaying season 3's final four until April, and underpromoting the show in general gave Sci-Fi the perfect excuse to cancel the show; though, they hadn't planned on people finding out while there was still a chance to save it (a press release from the previous week even mentioned Farsape as a contributing factor to the network's ratings increase). Sci-Fi's assumption that science fiction fans are undiscriminating idiots who will watch whatever gets thrown at them didn't help matters either.

      The network execs don't understand their audience or the genre.

      --
      "I think so, Brain, but 'instant karma' always gets so lumpy." - Pinky
      "Decepticons FOREVER!!!" - Ravage
  33. Re:Stargate: maybe best to leave now? by Boone^ · · Score: 2

    I just couldn't take it anymore! :)

  34. What? by xagon7 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    "With the loss of Farscape, SG1 is possibly the best straight up sci-fi on TV- and the last show on the SciFi channel I watch. "

    What the frell are you smoking?

  35. Back episodes on DVD by shadowj · · Score: 2
    Yeah, but you have to wait a year between releases... it'd be nice if you could get at least say seasons 1-4 if they are showing 6 on SciFi and 5 on syndication.

    I have no idea what the marketing people are trying to accomplish by holding back older episodes... but for what it's worth, the sci-fi channel is running all the SG-1 episodes from the beginning. Consult your local listings, etc.

    --

    --Larry

    Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence

    1. Re:Back episodes on DVD by Twirlip+of+the+Mists · · Score: 2

      the sci-fi channel is running all the SG-1 episodes from the beginning. Consult your local listings, etc

      Or you could just tune in on Monday nights from 7:00 to 11:00 Eastern time. Seeing as how Sci-Fi is a nationally programmed network, checking local listings is unnecessary.

      This, my friends, is why god gave us TiVos.

      --

      I write in my journal
    2. Re:Back episodes on DVD by shadowj · · Score: 2
      This, my friends, is why god gave us TiVos.

      And why, Prometheus-like, we hacked them to add many, many hours to their capacity...

      --

      --Larry

      Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence

  36. not just scfi by asv108 · · Score: 5, Insightful
    SciFi is starting to pull an MTV. They don't seem to play that much sci-fi anymore

    Well it seems that every channel is doing that these days:

    • Discovery Channel 10 years ago use to have informative documentaries.. Now they have multiple idiots with accents discussing dangerous animals..
    • Headline news, use to be straight up news, now its lets talk about time Warner's latest CD. Movie, etc.
    • CNN was targeted towards educated TV viewers, now its a bunch of commentary instead of hard news. Hell, even Crossfire is now more like Oprah..
    • The Learning Channel has turned in to the Demolition Derby Network..
  37. Looking Forward to Next Dune Miniseries by Nintendork · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I have the first one on DVD. Seen it about 4 times (By myself, showing girlfriend, showing mother who read it in her youth, and with my stupid roomate.) For those interested, here's the /. posting about the next one.

  38. What about Starhunter? by MsWillow · · Score: 2
    OK, so Farscape is great, and I deeply mourn its passing. However, Stargate is far from the only other straight-up sf show out there. My current favorite is a series, now filming its third season (and whose first season is being shown in the USA now, tho at horrible times) called "Starhunter"


    The setting is not too distant. Mankind has moved from just the Earth, colonizing asteroids, moons and other planets in the system. Along with this spread, mankind is discovering that there are a few genes on the human genome that are of, well, alien origin.


    Things get interesting. The ship's captain, Dante Montana, is searching for his child, abducted years ago by raiders. His neice, Percy, is the engineer, such as it is, on the ship. Luc is the other human crew member, and the computer rounds off the complement.


    I've seen three and a half episodes thus far, and it looks rather good. Check them out, but beware, the listed "start time" is usually wrong (here in Seattle, it starts at 11:05 Saturday night).

    --

    Lemon curry?
  39. Re: Firefly, an alternative sci-fi show by Black+Parrot · · Score: 4, Informative


    > Ok, this maybe a bit off topic, but i think a majority of /.ers would be extremely suprised at how creative Firefly [fox.com] is. Its funny, refreshing, and the writting has been incredible. Not to mention the great job of the cast.

    Also, people who watch the first episode and haven't been back might want to give it another try. E1 was by far the worst episode they've aired. The characters are really starting to get interesting.

    --
    Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
  40. Re:Stargate: maybe best to leave now? by Tumbleweed · · Score: 2

    I think you meant to say "Stargate: The Raven", right?

  41. Re:Man that would suck by Maserati · · Score: 2

    Firefly. Andromeda is decent.

    --
    Veteran, Bermuda Triangle Expeditionary Force, 1992-1951
  42. Re:Man that would suck by rusty0101 · · Score: 2

    Been watching both Starhunter and Firefly of late. Neither are Star Trek worlds. Both have holes I think you could drive a truck through, on an icy road, sideways, and recover.

    In a variation on the ST world, I am still a fan of Andromeda.

    Of course none of these are on the SciFi channel. Perhaps this is the one instance where Harlan Ellison (drat I remembered his name) is right and the pronuciation of SciFi is Skiffy, and for this channel has nothing to do with Science Fiction.

    There are a few who like the idea of Xfiles on the Skiffy channel, I have never really followed the show however.

    Your opinions may differ.

    -Rusty

    --
    You never know...
  43. Re:Stargate: maybe best to leave now? by Twirlip+of+the+Mists · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Honest mistake. Whether it's by coincidence or by design, Michael Shanks's voice is incredibly similar to James Spader's. They don't look very much alike, but close your eyes and it's a challenge to tell the two apart.

    (Unrelated nitpick on the subject of voices and dialects. Jackson is a linguist, right? Why, oh why, does he mispronounce "Goa'uld" as "goold" just like O'Neill and the other humans? As a linguist, shouldn't he be able to pronounce it "go-ah-oold" just like Teal'c and the other non-Earthlink characters do? Grumble-mumble.)

    --

    I write in my journal
  44. Re:Stargate: maybe best to leave now? by Twirlip+of+the+Mists · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Plus, you've gotta respect any series that writes in a cat named Schrodinger, and then doesn't explain the joke.

    (Following their lead, I won't explain it either. If you don't know what Schrodinger's cat is, please turn in your Slashdot pass at the front desk and show yourself out.)

    --

    I write in my journal
  45. Re: Firefly, an alternative sci-fi show by Twirlip+of+the+Mists · · Score: 2

    E1 was by far the worst episode they've aired.

    Oh, I don't know. It had some pretty outstanding moments. Apart from the one that everybody already knows about, there was the scene where the captain was under cover trying to pass himself off as a harmless job-hunter to the local sheriff. His story isn't perfect, though, because he claims to have gotten a lead on a job in town from a Mr. So-n-so.

    "When was the last time you talked to Mr. So-n-so?" asks the sheriff.

    "Never did myself," says the captain. "Heard about him through (blah blah, some other connection)."

    "Well, that's funny, because Mr. So-n-so died 'bout nine months back."

    "Did he now?" asks the captain. Then there's like a five second pause, which is a long time on television. "So..." he says, real slowly, "would his job be available?"

    Cracked me up. What a great show.

    --

    I write in my journal
  46. Just have to say it: FIREFLY RULES! by Dr.+Spork · · Score: 2
    Look, I'm sad about Farscape and SG, but there is one huge consolation in all of this: FOX's show Firefly. I must say that the worst Firefly episode so far has been better than the best episode in any other SciFi show ever. And I'm including Dr Who, all the Star Treks, B5 ...

    I know this reads like a troll, and I'm shocked I feel this way, because I really loved so many Sci-Fi shows in my life. Still, I think Firefly just has the best writers, hands down. I guess it's not the show for people who like plots about time travel, holograms and other mishandled philosophical issues. Firefly is more like the chronicles of a D&D adventure group. Whatever. It really kicks ass. ... Well, that's enough of my gushing; I'm glad I got that off my chest.

  47. Who the f*** cares? by candylilacs · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Stargate is a syndicated piece of crap on par with Andromeda/Relic Hunter/Tracker with $50 (Canadian) production budgets.

    Sure you might watch it once in a while but you would never admit it. What's wrong with you guys?

    b.

  48. Jeremiah is worth keeping SHO for by The+Rizz · · Score: 2, Interesting
    As far as SG-1 goes, I kept Showtime for two years just for that show... and dropped it as soon as it moved over to sci-fi.

    That's too bad, because you've missed out on what is looking to be the best new sci-fi show of the year; Jeremiah.

    Some of the episodes have been fairly cheezy, but the "plot" episodes have been excellent. It is reminding me alot of Bablyon 5 - slow beginning with some weak episodes. In fact, Straczynski (of Bab5) is doing this series, too, and I think it's going to turn out to be one heck of a show.

    --The Rizz

    "Comedians and politicians each tell the audience what it wants to hear. The difference is that the audience laughs at the comedian and the politician laughs at the audience." --Alexis A. Gilliland

  49. "SG1 is possibly the best" by EnglishTim · · Score: 2

    "With the loss of Farscape, SG1 is possibly the best straight up sci-fi on TV"

    Ahh!

    Ah ha ha ha!

    Oh....

    Mercy!

  50. Wait a minute, it's called... by praedor · · Score: 4, Insightful

    the SciFi Channel? I thought it was the Stargate Channel as that is the only show on that channel. Open up the TV guide and all I see is SG-1, SG-1, SG-1, etc, etc, ad nauseum. Kinda like the misnamed History Channel. It is actually the WWII Channel as that is the only stuff they show.


    I have been steadily widdling down the number of channels I actually watch since getting my satellite dish. Hundreds of channels but nothing of note to watch. I USED to watch the SG-1 Channel when it had B5 and Farscape running. Now, it's just crap (X-Files reruns don't cut it...I've seen 'em all already several times over).


    It is almost to the point that it makes just as much sense to ditch the satellite and go back to my aerial with its 3 or 4 available channels. It has about as much variety as the Satellite at no cost. SciFi Channel indeed! My @ss!

    --
    In Bushworld, they struggle to keep church and state separate in Iraq as they increasingly merge the two in America.
  51. Ugly, ack! by Quila · · Score: 2

    That ship was so ugly I'll be surprised if Thor let's them park it anywhere around the Asgard home planet. There goes the property value.

    It would be like parking an old trashed Corvair in a Ferrari neighborhood. Did you see the shot with Thor's ship and that thing together? Ugh!

  52. Words by shadowj · · Score: 3, Funny
    Other words are: Tau'ri, Goa'uld, Tok'Ra, Drey'auc, Sha'tak, Bra'tac, Rya'c, ....

    Wal-Mart must have been having a blowout sale on apostrophes when they wrote the series guide.

    --

    --Larry

    Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence

  53. Lexx is their number two show? by c.emmertfoster · · Score: 2

    I viewed Lexx for the first time a few days ago... and was rather shocked.

    The premise appears to be a cranky old man, porno-quality woman, and an invincible man with enormous hair living in a spaceship/insect.

    The episode consisted of a number of hostile, floating arms attempting to eat said spacecraft.

    I can't decide whether I love it or I hate it.

    --
    We can neither love nor pity nor forgive. If you make a slip in handling us you die!
  54. Odyssey 5 by samdu · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The best SF on TV right now is over on Showtime. It's called Odyssey 5 and stars Peter Weller. It's about a Shuttle crew that is in orbit when the Earth is destroyed. They encounter a strange alien, who's homeworld was also destroyed in the same manner, that sends them back in time five years to attempt to discover what happened and prevent it. It is very reminiscent of Babylon 5 in tone and the overriding arc. Great writing and really interesting characters.

  55. Re:Maybe they could change it too..... by naasking · · Score: 2

    I thought the movie had a hokey plot and poor dialog, and that the TV series excelled in both categories.

    Excelled in hokey plot and poor dialog? :-)

  56. Re:Low quality SciFi? by paRcat · · Score: 2

    Not to mention, Anderson's character Jack is a Simpsons fan. :)

    In the episode where they all had their memories wiped... one of the few things he remembered was a "bald guy in a t-shirt", "I think he was important to me", "I think his name was Homer".

    And in the episode in Antarctica... He said to Teal'c, "D'oh! I forgot to record the Simpsons." Teal'c looked at him strangely. "It's very important to me."

  57. Crossfire by taxman_10m · · Score: 2

    Crossfire is ok when they have Bob Novak on. He's the only one that isn't a party shill. The rest would defend whatever the party line was even if it included poisoning the milk of school children.

  58. some others by taxman_10m · · Score: 2

    American Gothic - rocked
    Brimstone - rocked
    Dark Skies - eh, it was watchable

  59. History Channel by taxman_10m · · Score: 2

    "Ahh - the Luftwaffe, the Washington Generals of
    The History Channel." - Homer Simpson

  60. Re:Stargate: maybe best to leave now? by Scarblac · · Score: 2

    If you don't know what Schrodinger's cat is,

    I know! You can find them in boxes in Nethack sometimes! (but half the time they seem to be dead for some reason)

    ;-)

    --
    I believe posters are recognized by their sig. So I made one.
  61. Wot 7th season? by Snaller · · Score: 2


    I wonder why this crops up again and again. Brad Wright has previously said that he quite expected season 6 to be the last season, it was building towards something which would be continued in a SG1 movie. Then if there was interest he has an idea for a spin of series, based on a seed he claims to have planted back in season 1.

    --
    If Google really cared they would fix Android Chrome to reflow text, instead of discriminating
  62. All I have to say is... by GeneralEmergency · · Score: 2

    .
    .
    Amanda Tapping, do you have any sisters?

    .

    .

    --
    "A microprocessor... is a terrible thing to waste." --
    GeneralEmergency
  63. Re:Firefly, an alternative sci-fi show by shadowj · · Score: 2
    I for one wasn't expecting "sweet little" Kaylee to be introduced the way she was.

    And half the fun of that rather unique introduction is that she wasn't at all embarassed by it. She cheerfully greeted Mal and immediately started to tell him what was wrong with his engines. Makes Scotty look like a slacker, doesn't it?

    --

    --Larry

    Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence

  64. Re:Stargate: maybe best to leave now? by BigAl_nz · · Score: 2

    Honest mistake. Whether it's by coincidence or by design, Michael Shanks's voice is incredibly similar to James Spader's. They don't look very much alike, but close your eyes and it's a challenge to tell the two apart.

    Actually, one of the reasons that Michael Shanks got the part was that he turned up for his audition, and the casting people thought he was James Spader! This was intentional on Michael's part of course.

    As to the reason why he's left the show, it was creative differences with the direction the show was taking. Michael more or less said, if you continue to write the show in this way, I'll leave. They said, here's your hat. *sigh* A pity. Still, Jonus Quinn isn't too bad, even though they've really made his character super smart. Corin Nemic really can't loose, can he ? :)

    --
    --- There isn't any problem that can't be solved by a small, low yield nuclear device, is there??
  65. Andromeda by shadowj · · Score: 2

    I don't know what went wrong with Andromeda. It's got an interesting premise, rich backstory, nice effects, surprisingly intelligent use of real terminology (I like the way that they compute short-range distance in terms of light-seconds)... yet somehow it just doesn't ever come together for me. The dialog is flat, the acting is wooden, the characters are cardboard cutouts. Why is it so bad?

    --

    --Larry

    Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence