Sci-fi questonnaire

[wiseheart]

For the fans among us; because I miss discussions of the kind. (And because there really isn't anything to report today.) Answers are welcome, examples not mandatory but also welcome.

So, let's see...

1. What are your favourite sci-fi settings?

2. What do you like most - look forward to primarily - when reading/watching sci-fi?

3. What are your pet peeves/most hated clichés in sci-fi?

4. Which one do you like better: geeky sci-fi with lots of (imaginary) technology or the one with monsters.


1. Space. I prefer my sci-fi to be set on alien planets, spaceships or space stations. That's why I still prefer the classics like the earlier series of Start Trek, Babylon 5, Andromeda and the likes. Also SG-1 and SGA; they may not have spaceships, but they have the Stargate, which is cool.

2. World-building, consequent character development, personal interactions, clash of cultures. Also, story arcs that bridge several episodes or entire seasons, in the TV-version. My greatest regret is that we got so very little to see from the excellent background work the Andromeda creators built up for the series.

3. Human supremacy (let's face it, some aliens are way cooler or simply stronger, which is why I found Season 1 of Andromeda more realistic) and the dashing captain seducing the aline princess/high priestess/whatever. Also, when people can break rules without consequences.

4. For me, definitely the geeky kind. It comes with the preference for world-building.

Comments

[motodraconis.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on so many of your points! Interesting aliens, world-building, a good measure of humour, humans not the dominant or rescuing species but actually a source of baddies too. Babylon 5 is possibly the best at this, followed by Farscape, which has incredible alien designs and worldbuilding.

(https://www.flickr.com/photos/motodraconis/50360107606/in/dateposted/)

Deep Space 9 makes an effort, but is a bit of a poor cousin. (Garak is great though.)

(https://www.flickr.com/photos/motodraconis/50359423988/in/dateposted/)

Pet peeves are sci-fi that is basically a tiresome soap opera with no aliens or humour at all. The New Battlestar Galactica is one of the worst culprits in this regard. (Especially for the utter lack of any humour or levity.)
I confess I found Firefly (which many people hold as sacred) a bit tiresome too.

Oh and holodeck episodes, or "suddenly we're in 20th century US or the wild west." For fucks sake.

When I was younger, I loved Blakes 7 and Space 1999. The special effects were more limited so the stories tended to be weirder. Series 1 of Space 1999 had a great female lead chosen to display intelligence, dignity and leadership (not tits) and some of the stories were psychedelic and hatstand.

(https://www.flickr.com/photos/motodraconis/50360086611/in/photostream/)

Blakes 7 series 2 and 3 will forever be my all time most loved sci-fi series. The play off between the characters, the snarking and humour is just unbeatable.

(https://www.flickr.com/photos/motodraconis/50359385728/in/photostream/)

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Hey, great photos, thanks! I could never really get into Farscape for some reason, but you're absolutely right about Babylon 5, Blakes's 7 and Space 1999. I admit loving DS9, even though I was very disappointed when they've brought back the Klingons as adversaries. Klingons were done to the death in TNG already.

And I'm delighted to find someone who doesn't like the new Battlestar Galactica, either. I loved the original one to pieces, despite the sometimes poor writing - it was one of the first sci-fi series I ever saw (seconded only by Space 1999), and there were characters you could like! Also ones I whole-heartedly despised, but that's another matter entirely. *g*

[motodraconis.livejournal.com]

The beginning of Farscape is tiresome, with the main character a boring white male with a hint of white saviour. Thankfully the alien characters establish and we get to hear about their backgrounds and motivations and then it got interesting for me. But yeah, the heroic all american lead was a turn off!

I still like DS9! It is possibly my favourite of the Star Trek francise. Next Gen is the one I find the most annoying for it's weird preachiness and suspect sexist moments.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

DS9 is definitely the best of the 24th century Trek shows. TNG, well - I sort of liked Picard (and Data, of course), but the best thing in it was the ship itself - the design was beautiful, so bright, and all the colours! I never understood why some sci-fi shows set on starships or space stations had always such a gloomy dark environment. Okay, DS9 is one thing, it is a run-down relict from the Cardassians, but anything else? They can build a FTL starship, but it was so expensive they didn't have enough money left to pay the electricity bills?

I had high hopes for Voyager, but it was a bitter disappointment all along - clichéd and boring. I needed four tries to watch "Enterprise" to the end, and it's sort of grown on me (like fungus), but that was the last of Trek I've seen. I positively hated the movies.

[motodraconis.livejournal.com]

Enterprise was a bit meh for me, until the Andorians arrived!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, the Andorians are cool. Actually, any character played by Jeffrey Combs is made of the awesome.
Speaking of Andorians, have you ever read the DS9 relaunch novels? One of the authors worked out an amazing Andorian culture, biology, history and whatnot. Like Diane Duane did with Vulcans and Romulans. I consider it way more canon than what was shown in "Enterprise" - and by magnitudes more interesting.

[chocolate-frapp.livejournal.com]

why does every science fiction show have at least one wild west episode?? Both original Star Trek and Next Gen had one, Dr. Who had one, the Twilight Zone had a few of them, even Red Dwarf had one!
SF cliche I hate: all alien women apparently being really horny for the earth guy. That's gotta be some dude's fantasy.

[motodraconis.livejournal.com]

I think it's because there's probably a ready made wild west set with all the costumes readily available for hire, so it's a cheap episode to make. Same goes for most of the holodeck episodes.

Ah yes, the irresistible white male, gets on my nerves too, and there are those episodes that really do come across as some blokes little sexist fantasy. UGH.

On a non-sci-fi but related rant, Radio 4 used to always have plays about the trials and turmoil of an ageing middle-aged bloke having to dump his long term wife for a new model half his age. Oh the agony! But it always "worked out" he got the new young girlfriend and lived a happy life while the old wife was never heard of again. I dunno if Radio 4 plays are still chosen entirely by men of "a certain age" since I stopped listening to them years ago.

[chocolate-frapp.livejournal.com]

oh, ugh. I never heard one of those plays and I hope I never do. (makes up story in my head about the first wife getting some studly boyfriend who appreciates her)

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, the irresistible white male, gets on my nerves too, and there are those episodes that really do come across as some blokes little sexist fantasy. UGH.

Especially if you consider that they most likely would be biologically incompatible...

[meathiel]

Seeing your answer to no. 3 you probably don't like the original Star Trek too much, eh?

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I love the original Star Trek! It has Uhura! And Spock! And Dr. McCoy! And Sulu and Chekov and Sarek!
I can't stand Kirk, though. See my answer to no.3. But just about everyone else was awesome. Especially Uhura.

I wish the original pilot would have got the okay from TPTB. It would have become a much more intellectual series - and a very different ship, commanded by Christopher Pike. I'd have loved to see Majel Barrett as the cool, detached first officer. *sigh*

[chocolate-frapp.livejournal.com]

hahaha Spock was way cooler than Kirk

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Everybody was way cooler than Kirk. Including Nameless Redshirt #129.

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

:)

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Care to elaborate? *g*

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

Great answers.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Oh, I see. Thanks. :)

[mirasaui.livejournal.com]

1. What are your favourite sci-fi settings?
It's been awhile since I read any sci-fi, and I rarely watch TV series. Thinking back on some of my favorite books/stories, there was a short story about an experimental underwater colony. Told from the point of view of one of the 4th generation colonists, it told of his longing to see the surface. Eventually, technology allowed it to happen, and he found they were basically living in a mud puddle. Another favorite, was a quite humorous story about a robot species living on Jupiter who are visited by a crew of earthlings who try to civilize them. I would guess, my favourite setting would be space or another planet. Then there is my favorite short story of all time, The subliminal man, the population controlled by subliminal messages.

2. What do you like most - look forward to primarily - when reading/watching sci-fi? Something innovative, out of the box.

3. What are your pet peeves/most hated clichés in sci-fi? My biggest peeve and one reason I quit reading sci-fi for a while, was the sudden demand for strong, female protagonists which caused the market to be flooded with nothing but. My second, is alien growth emerging from someone's body.


4. Which one do you like better: geeky sci-fi with lots of (imaginary) technology or the one with monsters. Geeky, with lots of technology and when it comes to visual, no scary monsters.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm not into scary monsters, either. Actually, I'm usually only scared until I've seen the monster for the first time. After that, I cannot help but giggle when the monster shows up again. They're rarely convincing and often rather ridiculous. Both main categories: the ones in American films, that are always drooling, and the ones in Japanese films that are always howling - or even creaking, in the older ones with poorly made models. CGI has changed that part a bit.