Best Space Opera TV of This Decade?
- Thread starter Kegg
- Start date
Voted Farscape, BSG and Firefly. Stargate SG-1 was good but too rarely brilliant and by the time I've decided whether Universe will have a place on the list it'll be the new decade. Doctor Who has had some great episodes, but on the whole it's just not my cup of tea.
Well, it could, but I did specifically preclude failed TV pilots and the like.Ah, just checked, you're right. I suppose Babylon 5: Legend of the Rangers could technically go on here, but I don't know of many who could handle the shame of voting for it!
Because for all intents and purposes the only thing that differs Legend of the Rangers from Mansquito is the latter didn't want to become a weekly series. Stuff like Firefly might have got canned early but at least it was, briefly, a series.
Oh, Mansquito. *shudder*
I just wondered, since you included Frank Herbert's Children of Dune, even though that was only a miniseries and never a regular series (though such an idea was briefly considered).
I could have sworn it was a proper series. Wasn't the first one a proper series? And I heard this one combined Messiah and (of course) Children of Dune, so I had assumed it was a proper series if you wanted to cover that whole length of text.
Well, further lack of inquiry on my part. Next time I do a poll thread I'll do research on each and every series and not just the ones I felt uncertain about, that was educational.
Frank Herbert's Dune was in three parts, each covering one of the three "books" found in the original Dune novel. Frank Herbert's Children of Dune was also in three parts, the first devoted to adapting Dune Messiah, while the second and third devoted to adapting Children of Dune.
I sort of liked the first set of (Brian) Herbert prequels. You just have to accept them as pulp on the level of a Star Wars tie-in set in the Dune universe. The books beyond that lost me, though. They're just a mess. And yet they go on and on.
I must admit, I've only read (Frank) Herbert's first four books in the series. I haven't had the motivation to finish it out yet, since the only proper conclusion to his unfinished trilogy would mean reading two more (Brian) Herbert/Kevin J. Anderson novels.
I must admit, I've only read (Frank) Herbert's first four books in the series. I haven't had the motivation to finish it out yet, since the only proper conclusion to his unfinished trilogy would mean reading two more (Brian) Herbert/Kevin J. Anderson novels.
I've read the six Frank Herbert novels, and while it'seen many, many years since that happened, I recall thinking the final two novels were the weakest of the lot. This may be why I never particularly wanted closure - I certainly don't remember needing any.
Then again, they are Frank's novels, so I don't know how they'd compare to the ones by Brian and Kevin J. Anderson - I at least liked them, anyway.
Then again, they are Frank's novels, so I don't know how they'd compare to the ones by Brian and Kevin J. Anderson - I at least liked them, anyway.
I voted for everything on that list from "Dune" to "Children of Dune". 
But of those five, BSG wins for me.
But of those five, BSG wins for me.
1. Farscape
2. BSG
3. Dune/Children of Dune
Got to go with Farscape because I think it was more consistent over the run of the series and BSG had two great first seasons but petered out by season four. I thought Farscape started pretty good, had some misfires here and there, but ended fairly strongly too. And the Peacekeeper War was a nice wrap up.
Despite the miscasting of Alia for COD, I thought the change in casting for Duncan and Stilgar were right on the money. I love that scene where Paul's soldiers are wiping the conspirators out mafia style. I still wish they had combined the time and attention of the Sci-Fi Dune movies with the look of Lynch's film. Now that would've been truly awesome.
Firefly, honorable mention. One not mentioned, and not sure if it fits, but Torchwood. I can't get into Dr. Who, but Torchwood has been surprisingly good.
A word about Andromeda. Man, with a better approach this show could've really been something. What a shame.
2. BSG
3. Dune/Children of Dune
Got to go with Farscape because I think it was more consistent over the run of the series and BSG had two great first seasons but petered out by season four. I thought Farscape started pretty good, had some misfires here and there, but ended fairly strongly too. And the Peacekeeper War was a nice wrap up.
Despite the miscasting of Alia for COD, I thought the change in casting for Duncan and Stilgar were right on the money. I love that scene where Paul's soldiers are wiping the conspirators out mafia style. I still wish they had combined the time and attention of the Sci-Fi Dune movies with the look of Lynch's film. Now that would've been truly awesome.
Firefly, honorable mention. One not mentioned, and not sure if it fits, but Torchwood. I can't get into Dr. Who, but Torchwood has been surprisingly good.
A word about Andromeda. Man, with a better approach this show could've really been something. What a shame.
Grade A Shows (the two I voted for on the poll)
1. Battlestar Galactica
2. Firefly
Grade B Shows
3. Star Trek: Voyager
4. Stargate SG-1
5. Star Trek: Enterprise
6. Stargate Atlantis
7. Dune and Children of Dune
Note: I haven't seen enough of Farscape to rank it yet - I plan to watch the show through sometime - and I haven't seen any of Stargate Universe yet.
Another space opera show that aired this decade is Starhunter. I've never seen it, and from what I've heard of it I doubt anyone will want to vote for it, but I mention it for the sake of completeness. There's also the recent Flash Gordon series.
1. Battlestar Galactica
2. Firefly
Grade B Shows
3. Star Trek: Voyager
4. Stargate SG-1
5. Star Trek: Enterprise
6. Stargate Atlantis
7. Dune and Children of Dune
Note: I haven't seen enough of Farscape to rank it yet - I plan to watch the show through sometime - and I haven't seen any of Stargate Universe yet.
Another space opera show that aired this decade is Starhunter. I've never seen it, and from what I've heard of it I doubt anyone will want to vote for it, but I mention it for the sake of completeness. There's also the recent Flash Gordon series.
Yes, you really should. The first Dune mini-series does suffer a bit from an on-stage and low budget look, but it is still worthwhile.
The "Children of Dune" mini-series is truly excellent, though. I step up in every area of the production, with a truly EPIC soundtrack. Perhaps the best soundtrack of any direct-for-TV sci-fi production.
It should be noted that the first Dune miniseries was deliberately theatrical in its set design. Whether that works or not is up to the viewer, but I thought it was effective. Also, be sure to watch the Director's Cut of the miniseries, although this may be gratuitous advice, since that may be the only version available in Region Two.
I should have included Torchwood but I'll admit to complete ignorance as to what exactly Dr. Who is. In my research (read: half hour on Wikipedia) I discovered the new series isn't considered a new series, it's just the old series only it's come back... um.
I mean really, it isn't even Dr. Who: The Next Generation? Because surely that's what it functionally speaking is. And then Torchwood has a third season with a different name, is that another show or not? Perplexing to an outsider like myself, to be sure, but that may be just my stupidity.
Quite. I followed this show when it first aired, from the initial hype (yes believe it or not the series began with a decent amount of fanfare in the Trekkie community - a DS9 writer striking out to give us an arc-heavy space opera epic that will compete with a B&B show? Hey, same idea that nuBSG came batting with), to the dwindling afterwards as the whole thing sort of fell apart when RHW was fired.
You are absolutely right that both of these should have been here, and the omission of Flash Gordon is spectacularly egregious on my part as I've actually heard of the show (Starhunter not even vaguely, or if I did probably confused it with Starfighter).
Firefly: had potential, but too short.
BSG: huge potential, but went off the rails.
So the prize goes to...
Farscape: quality-wise, all over the map, but creatively thrilling and inventive. Pulled off four worthwhile seasons and bowed out with a very nice finale miniseries.
And I can't sign off without mentioning
Stargate SG-1: the series most in need of a reimagining. I hung on for practically the entire run, and they consistently threw great ideas into the mix and then did nothing particularly interesting with them. Extremely frustrating to see such potential going to waste.
BSG: huge potential, but went off the rails.
So the prize goes to...
Farscape: quality-wise, all over the map, but creatively thrilling and inventive. Pulled off four worthwhile seasons and bowed out with a very nice finale miniseries.
And I can't sign off without mentioning
Stargate SG-1: the series most in need of a reimagining. I hung on for practically the entire run, and they consistently threw great ideas into the mix and then did nothing particularly interesting with them. Extremely frustrating to see such potential going to waste.
Voted for Dr Who, Farscape, BSG and Firefly.
I voted for those shows I found I always looked forward to, and contributed most to the format by their originality: Lexx, Firefly, and, after some hesitation, Battlestar Galactica (yes, the ending was terrible, and yes, it did irreperable damage to the series as a whole retroactively, but I was very entertained at the time). Which isn't to say that I didn't watch VOY or ENT, but it was really televised comfort food, not anything new.
Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman
Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman
The thing about Doctor Who is that it doesn't need labels to differentiate its various series. It's a show that thrived on re-inventing itself every few years with a new production team at the helm - a 1963 episode is almost nothing like a 1967 episode, which is almost nothing like a 1972 episode, which is nothing like a 1976 episode, which is nothing like a 1979 episode, which is nothing like a 1981 episode.. I could go on...
So as it's got that whole concept of continual changing and adapting built into its premise, there's no reason for the new series to be anything other than the latest iteration of the concept. It's not a "Next Generation" sort of sequel, since it still features the same leading character. Mind you, it's not really what I'd call "space opera" though - it's only done that occasionally over the years - nor is Torchwood for that matter.Similar threads
