Most Scifi fans I have ran into can pretty quickly rank the four stars –BattleSTAR Galactica, STAR Trek, STARgate, and STAR wars, but what lesser-known or less-prestigious shows hold a special place in your heart?
This would be mine too - it's the one series that I've actually been back and re-watched multiple times, and I've gone back to the books too.
In contrast to others comments I'm not sure I want any more seasons of it. I loved the current set but it feels like it ran its course and I'm not sure I need anything more.
I would do unspeakable things for more stories set in the Expanse universe. The TV series should at least get another season or two in order to catch up to the last two books and I think it would be great if the authors/showrunners could explore some of the side plots more fully.
Agreed! I would absolutely love them to finish off the story. The show does such an incredible job of developing deep characters and a generally realistic world, I always try to recruit new fans when someone asks for a recommendation.
Also, if you haven't checked into it yet, The Expanse video game from Telltale is a prequel with Cara Gee returning to once again be the voice of Camina Drummer!
They did, but they're back. Probably not many of the same people, if any, so it remains to be seen if they've still got it, but the Expanse game looks awesome, and who can resist playing as Drummer? :)
Space: Above & Beyond. I thought it had some interesting ideas that were never given a chance to be fully explored.
Babylon 5. It's probably up there as #5 in your top 4, tbh.
Planet of the Apes. 1970s movies and TV series.
Space: Above and Beyond was well ahead of its time, one of my favourite of the raft of mid-90s sci-fi that followed the success of TNG and early X-Files.
Space: Above & Beyond was also a classic network bait and switch where they were X-Wing pilots until the budget ran out, then they were the A-Team in space.
Yes, yes, something about "every Marine a rifleman" but still, teenage me was underwhelmed.
Babylon 5. It's probably up there as #5 in your top 4, tbh.
For anyone considering watching it for the first time, I strongly recommend the Episode Guide. B5 came out in a unique time, where techy people were on usenet, but the wide internet wasn't a thing yet. The writer J. Michael Straczynski was on Usenet discussing the show and answering questions, and the episode guide integrates that, so you can read along after each episode for an idea of the questions that came up at the time and his answers, without spoilers.
Fringe is an excellent show. It begins really episodic, like old school Outer Limits and early X Files. But by third season you're knee deep in a mind-bending larger story arc that absolutely rocks. The finale stands as one of my top 3 series closers. It expertly closes out the show with deep character resolution. And the show as a whole doesn't fall prey to the Lost Mystery Deficit. Mysteries are resolved, and there's great callbacks in final season to the mysteries of season one and two.
Furthermore, the cast is excellent. Joshua Jackson. John Noble pulling off Walter White levels of excellent acting and character change (you'll recognize him as Denethor from Lord of the Rings), and heck, Leonard Nemoy is in it.
If you love sci-fi, you can't go wrong with Fringe.
I really like Raised by Wolves, but I think it had a couple of things that actively helped it get cancelled.
Mother was essentially an omnipotent suped up terminator in a post-apocalyptic world. She was too powerful from almost the beginning of the show. There was no room for an antagonist. They attempted to neuter her by hiding her power source, but they would have had to destroy the source to make it work. Also, she was obsessed with keeping that power, so she wouldn't give it up willingly.
Both Mother and Father were supposed to be androids, but they both displayed emotional extremism in opposite directions of the spectrum. With growing anxiety over AI, I think the whole feeling robot schtick is going to be less popular for a while.
Gotta disagree with your assessment about AI and feeling robots being less popular. I think we're going to see a rise in those, only the AI/robot is going to definitely skew more 'evil'.
If you count it as sci-fi, the HBO adaptation of "His Dark Materials" seems to have gotten basically zero attention in the US but was really quite excellent.
Also the original "The Prisoner." (the remake with Ian McKellen was meh)
I mean it's debatable - as with much SF - but if you go by Asimov's definition, "that branch of literature which deals with the reaction of human beings to changes in science and technology," I think it would have to qualify - heck, the opening chapter involves a researcher asking for money to find a scientific expedition, and discoveries concerning the nature of Dust drive an awful lot of the plot line.
And genre-marker-wise, it involves parallel universes and steampunk-y vehicles / machines / etc, and doesn't really have any of the traditional fantasy ones like elves and goblins and dragons and wizards, or really much of any reliance on "magic" that's not mediated through technology.
Definitely Farscape. A very weird but very good show. Ben Browder did a great job playing the lead role and it's a shame he hasn't done anything like it since.
You're in for a great time! I know people say this about every show, but the start of season 1 can be hit-or-miss. Things really pick up near the end of the season so it's worth sticking until then.
Very glad I got to introduce someone to this show though, I hope you have fun with it.
Same here. There is an element of horror/fantasy in there as well. I recently enjoyed Netflix's Black Mirror, which reminded me strongly of the Outer Limits style.
We never got those on TV this side of the world, South Africa. I did read a lot of his short stories growing up though. Pulp paperbacks with cracked glue and cello tape where their backs used to be. Even the smell of those can feature directly in a Bradbury short.
You could try Sliders, but the 90s corniness might turn you off.
As a kid, I was obsessed with the nickelodeon remake ofThe Tomorrow People but it doesn't stand up very well
Then there's Dark City and Gattaca for some more late 90s sci fi that I feel was bigger back then but no one really references anymore, but I think they are worth a view.
I cannot bring myself to watch sunshine, as the entire premise is dogshit. Exploding a nuke that small (compared to the sun) on the surface of the sun would do absolutely nothing.
This is true- the premise isn’t scientifically sound in any way. But the movie isn’t really about that. It’s about the journey through space under the stress of this being earths last chance and also kind of eldritch horror. Plus probably my fav roll for Chris Evans. He does a great job being an unlikeable guy who is technically right so you can’t really be against him. I liked it lol.
Yes, apparently? The device is literally set off and there’s an entire speech about how the word bomb is a misnomer. But yes, person who hasn’t seen the movie, I’m sure you know better
You don't know what was in the nuke, whether it cascaded particles to origin by some unknown yech. Calling it a "nuke" saves the audience technical mumbo-jumbo whilst conveying accurate intent, in the same way that a "phone" probably refers to a mobile phone that can connect with several tech frameworks, instead of a landline dial toner.
As someone who grew up in the 70s and 80s and was a HUGE TOS fan, I think they really nailed what that was like as we got older and understood more about the actors and their relationships with each other and their roles.
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