Real SF Shows
From AJS.COM
Contents |
What's a real SF show?
TV, space-based SF shows are a dime a dozen these days, and I'm here to tell you that 90% of them aren't real shows. Lost In Space, now that was a real show. You had the space race pushing the limits of people's idea of what space travel would be like, and here was a show that distilled all of that into popular culture. Brilliant!
The pretenders
Then you had Star Trek. Star Trek was just Lost In Space with fewer children, a larger ship, a more annoying version of Dr. Smith as the captain, and a navigation system that worked.
Space 1999 wasn't a real show either. That was just Lost In Space with far fewer children, an entire moon for a ship and a navigation system that worked even less.
Battlestar Galactica (the original one)? Nope. Lost In Space with more robots, a bigger ship and prostitutes.
Buck Rogers? Nope. Lost In Space with a robot as the kid, a smaller ship (then a larger one in later seasons because they realized their mistake), time travel, large breasts and chest hair on alternating stars.
Star Trek: The Next Generation? A knock-off of a Lost In Space knock-off where they put back the kid and the robot.
Babylon 5? Close, but no cigar. Lost In Space with a stationary ship, no kids (that survived) or robots and a Dr. Smith that could only speak via fortune cookie quotes.
Red Dwarf? Sorry. Lost In Space with curry stains, fart jokes, and a human-looking robot.
Star Trek: Deep Space 9? Lost In Space with a stationary ship, mostly no kids (that survived) or robots and a Dr. Smith that could only speak in old-west sheriff quotes.
Star Trek: Voyager? Lost In Space with a physically (but not mentally) grown up version of the kid as navigator and several seasons without the robot.
Farscape? Lost In Space with the kid as the main character, the robot-as-ship, and a Dr. Smith in S&M garb.
Stargate? Lost In Space without a ship.
Star Trek: Enterprise? Lost In Space with the kid as the engineer, the robot as the first officer and lots of antiseptic gel.
Battle Star Galactica (the re-make)? Another knock-off of a Lost In Space knock-off with slightly fewer robots, more sex, and a more insane Dr. Smith.
Other changes
There are, of course, some additional changes. Most of the shows that followed Lost In Space have not used quite as much silver lamé and never quite worked up as good a catch-phrase as "Danger! Danger! Warning! Danger, Will Robinson!"
Credits
Written in 2006 by Aaron Sherman.
