Curious... why would you want to 'Get' someone into Scifi.

The most popular movies of all time are predominantly science fiction and fantasy. It's not like people aren't aware that it exists.

TV Sci-fi in particular is not generally 'science' led anyway. All the shows suggested are basically ensemble dramas a la 'West Wing' or 'ER' which happen to have a futuristic environment.

NB - Why not list "The X Files"? After Star Trek that must surely be the most successful television Science Fiction series ever?

Hmmmm you might want to "get" someone into Sci-Fi as you find it an enjoyable passtime that you feel that they might also enjoy if they had a positive first experience of it.

Basically to bring some joy into other peoples' lives

You're right on the other points though, a lot of the most successful movies over have had Sci-Fi themes, but "Star Wars" isn't available on DVD yet so you can't lend them that

And, as you said, TV Sci-Fi isn't usually very "Sci-" anyway, maybe that's the best reason to leave certain shows off the list.

And just because a show is successful, doesn't make it particularly good, or representative of the purer forms of the genre either.

Of those listed, I'd probably also recommend B5, because at the time I don't think anyone else or any other show had the strong arcs that this show had, even if it was never fully allowed to complete them

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by MonSTeR
Basically to bring some joy into other peoples' lives

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Hell yeah.

Im actually going to go down the opposite route.

To get someone into Scifi I would use Stargate SG-1 as you could pick some of the better episodes without having to explain the arc's to them as Stargate doesn't tend to be as arc driven, its also got a lot of humour so they wouldn't think it was too serious.

As much as I love all of the shows listed and Farscape is my favorite you get to the later seasons and they are pretty much inaccessible to new fans.

Get them into scifi then sho them the great stuff

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by MonSTeR
Basically to bring some joy into other peoples' lives

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My mission in life.

I guess my point is this... why divide television into 'sci-fi' and 'non sci-fi' rather than simply thinking in terms of good television and bad television.

There are some good science fiction television shows (well... ok, struggling to think of any currently running but for the sake of argument Babylon 5) but there are also some god awful ones (Dark Angel, Firefly etc).

By the same token, there is The Shield but there is also The Bill.

Is the assumption then that sci-fi watchers are so lacking in discernment that if you can just get someone started on one show that they will embrace the entire genre (NB - I'm not convinced it is a genre but that's a whole different argument)?

Bet you missed me huh?

my boyfriend is in to almosy every sci fi show out there and its his mission to get me hooked on as many as he can.last year he got me watching farscape,now i love it.this christmas i was ill and he lent me stargate,now another one of my fave shows.i have just started watching smallville,but he still hasnt suceeded in getting me to watch harry potter,i cant stand it lol.

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by Incandenza
The most popular movies of all time are predominantly science fiction and fantasy. It's not like people aren't aware that it exists.

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And yet they don't watch it on TV, or not in especially great numbers. Even Star Trek and the X Files never got anything remotely close to the top ratings. This isn't because it's all rubbish - the best of it is as good as the best of any other TV. So, given this disparity, what's wrong with trying to do something about it?

This doesn't mean that once you've 'converted' someone to being a sci-fi watcher, they have to watch anything and everything that may fall into that category, but it does mean that someone who's seen and enjoyed one sci-fi show may be more inclined to at least try watching others.

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TV Sci-fi in particular is not generally 'science' led anyway. All the shows suggested are basically ensemble dramas a la 'West Wing' or 'ER' which happen to have a futuristic environment.

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Well, you're right that it's not really science led. As far as I can tell, people who are big science fiction fans prefer to refer to it as 'speculative fiction'. However that doesn't mean that the only thing differentiating 'Farscape' and 'The West Wing' is the setting.

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by In a State of Dan
...the best of it is as good as the best of any other TV. So, given this disparity, what's wrong with trying to do something about it?

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As a qualitative judgement, there is no right or wrong here, suffice to say that I disagree with you. I don't think there is a single science fiction or fantasy show that can (or has ever been able to) go toe-to-toe against the best drama in terms of acting, direction or writing.

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by In a State of Dan
However that doesn't mean that the only thing differentiating 'Farscape' and 'The West Wing' is the setting.

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No, they are also differentiated by quality.

See, now that's interesting, I've never really rated "The West Wing" it's just another drama show to me that happens to be set around the president and his croneys. Might as well be Bill Pulman from Independence day to me :shrug:

Maybe the real "science fiction" is a show like CSI, where there is both science... and fiction.

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by MonSTeR
You're right on the other points though, a lot of the most successful movies over have had Sci-Fi themes, but "Star Wars" isn't available on DVD yet so you can't lend them that

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It isn't?? Then why do we have that in our DVD collection?

LOL - Ok then, Star Wars is not officially available on DVD...

(unless it is and I wasn't informed?)

(Edited by MonSTeR 18/04/2003 17:05)

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by MonSTeR
See, now that's interesting, I've never really rated "The West Wing" it's just another drama show to me that happens to be set around the president and his croneys. Might as well be Bill Pulman from Independence day to me :shrug:

Maybe the real "science fiction" is a show like CSI, where there is both science... and fiction.

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Heh, your description of the West Wing makes me wonder whether you have ever actually watched it? It's very rare for the personal lives of the characters to be the focus of the storytelling which concentrates instead on two or three (usually) issue led storylines each week. The various characters exist more to expound varying positions on ethical questions than they do to 'develop'.

I think the reasons it is generally held in high regard are:

Aaron Sorkin's writing
Excellent ensemble acting
A willingness to tackle political issues head on (with an admittedly left wing bias), something that television in both America and Britain is generally poor at doing
A basically idealistic tone

CSI borders on science faction surely, since it is not expounding potential future developments but rather the use of contemporary science. I have to say, I'm not a fan but then I get very bored by characters explaining to one another things that they all know already just so the audience can keep up.

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by Incandenza
(quotes)
No, they are also differentiated by quality.

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Whilst I rate the West Wing and Farscape and watch them both for entertainment, they are completly different shows and both have quality writing.

Because the West wing is issue led and as much as i rate the show sometimes the issues they have chose are boring and dont make for good television.

Whilst you may have not liked Farscape A lot of people thoughtit was Muppets in space, it itself was daring with its storylines in another sort of way it wasnt the same as other scifi shows and dared to break the rules for scifi shows and ultimatly died because of it.

(Edited by JtB 18/04/2003 22:34)

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by Incandenza


Heh, your description of the West Wing makes me wonder whether you have ever actually watched it?

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Only once or twice, I didn't find it enjoyable enough to warrant me tuning in every week. I'll agree that what I've seen has been extremely well acted, it just doesn't "grab me".

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by Incandenza
CSI borders on science faction surely, since it is not expounding potential future developments but rather the use of contemporary science. I have to say, I'm not a fan but then I get very bored by characters explaining to one another things that they all know already just so the audience can keep up.

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LOL - Science faction, that's cute Yeah, I suppose you're right here I take it as real science with a fictional story line, hence... Science Fiction

1/ Sci-Fi has an image. Much as Comics, Heavy Metal, Hip Hop or Post-Modernism has an image amongst the majority of adults in our country. An image which leads many adults to ignore it as an art form as they do not believe it has anything to offer them without having actually experienced any. I would try to get a friend into Sci-Fi for the same reason I would try to get them into Rock music or Comic Books. Because I happen to enjoy what I consider to be the better exponents of this medium and would like to introduce my friends to the possibilities it presents. Just as I hope they would to me with the things that bring joy into their life.

2/ Science Fiction is a clumsy title. Yes, most TV Sci-Fi has little to do with Science and often contains 'bad science'. As does most Sci-Fi in the other mediums. Where's the Science in Star Wars? Or Aliens? How about Dune? Judge Dredd? How long a list do you want? There is a sub-genre, 'Hard Sci-Fi', that is science lead, but the majority of Sci-Fi has very little to do with Science, good or bad.

3/ West Wing is an amazing program, with a fantastic script and griping acting, but to say it has no interest in the personal relationships of the primary characters is clearly not true. I agree that the driving force is the political issues and how they are dealt with, and an examination of those issues, but that doesn't mean that the inter-relationships are not examined, nor that the characters are not developed. Just because it isn't done with the same focus as say Star Trek doesn't mean it isn't there at all.

4/ Personally, if I was going to use a DVD to get someone into Sci-Fi (and I wouldn't, I'd use a book or a graphic novel), I wouldn't use a TV series. Probably use Blade Runner, or Silent Running. TV Sci-Fi is ok at best. Much as I love Star Trek it's no Dune (the book, not the film). And when you consider Sci-Fi on the scale of Stand On Zanzibar, nothing in film or TV comes close. Reason? Because of the image that Sci-Fi has. No one is making new Sci-Fi anymore. If we're lucky we get film spin offs, or re-vamps of existing franchises with a proven track record. We have a Sci-Fi channel in this country which is not making any new TV, just showing the stuff no one else wants to by. Mainly because most of it is awful. Which is another reason to get people into Sci-Fi. Increased viewing figures, especially of the more intelligent shows would offer some incouragement to programmers to explore the genre.

The poll's fairly redundant as far as I'm concerned as I don't watch any of these shows.

So, sorry to be difficult, but I'd recommend something different like watching Star Wars, The Matrix, or a similar genre film.