Television Teleportation: A Review of Sci Fi TV

A few weeks ago, my dad asked me if I had heard of any new and decent sci fi shows to be had. New and decent being the key words. My family and I have watched lots of science fiction over the last few years and we are always on the look out for more. The problem is that there aren't always that many to be found, especially ones that are of good quality. There are new ones popping up all the time, but they never seem to last too long or are bad remakes and spin-offs. You would think with all the new technology to create special effects and the progression of science that writers would have plenty to work with. I have to wonder...did people have more imagination when everything was left to the imagination, or have we just run out of ideas?

However, even though I feel that there is a lack of originality these days in the science fiction film community, I still appreciate what has come before, and I am trying to have hope for the future. I would like to introduce you to a few of my sci favorites over the years. I often explore a new sci fi series based on my fellow sci fi lovers' reviews, and I would like to give you the same opportunity to discover a show that is just right for you.

I can't lie, Star Trek is timeless. People can't seem to get enough of it. Spin-off after spin-off has hit the screen after the original series along with almost a dozen movies. It would take awhile for me to discuss in detail each individual show, especially since each series tends to have its own unique qualities that often appeals different audiences. My personal favorites are the original, The Next Generation, and Deep Space Nine. Star Trek was one of the first shows that really explores the idea of human beings traveling across galaxies and what they might possibly find out there in unknown territory far from home. There are always enough interesting aliens to be had, spaceships, futuristic gadgets, mild off-world romances, phaser battles, holodecks, and idolized star fleet captains to keep one entertained.

This is one of my favorites. It's the longest running sci fi show in the world at 32 seasons. Although I get nostalgic when watching the older series, I've really become a fan of the new series that has been out the last few years, especially the seasons that has David Tennant playing the main character. This show is about a time lord who calls himself the doctor. He travels through time and to other worlds in his spaceship, the Tardis. It looks like a small police box on the outside, but it's large and spacious on the inside. Throughout the series, the doctor almost always has a female companion at his side to share his adventures as he saves the universe from disasters that just happen to occur right when he shows up.

Stargate SG-1 is a military science fiction series that lasted 10 seasons and has had two spin-off series . Although it started to get bad towards the end of its run, the show was more believable then most sci fi television series that I have seen. The four main characters are all different and can hold their own. What's not to love when you have a leader that's always cracking jokes in the middle of a crisis, a blonde female navy officer that fires guns just as well as she spouts off scientific theories, an archaeologist/linguist that is always thinking with his heart, and an alien with a snake in his gut that kicks butt and makes it look easy. The team travels to other worlds using a stargate. It's a device that creates a containable wormhole, linking Earth to other worlds. SG-1 gets the opportunity to explore these worlds each time they step through the stargate, and somehow, they are always good at getting themselves into trouble and then getting themselves out of it in the end.

Babylon 5 is a series that takes place on a space station with a diverse alien population that was created to foster peace among alien races through diplomacy. The show focuses mostly on the lives of the Babylon 5 officers that are trying to keep order on the colony and their alien ambassador friends that are at the center of everything it seems. The development of the characters are a major point in the series, and throughout the five seasons, you really notice how they grow and change as individuals, which in turn affects their relationships with each other. This fits very nicely with the well thought out plot that gets more and more intense as the story continues.

This show is a really great mixture of two of my favorite genres, western and science fiction, as well as a mixture of American and Chinese culture. The show was cancelled early on, but it still has attracted quite a large following. Each of the main characters has their own reasons for being on the ship Serenity, and if one were missing, the show would not be complete. The ship is captained by a retired military man, who is accompanied by an aggressive old war buddy of his and her humorous pilot husband. There is also an optimistic and gifted female engineer aboard, a hired thug looking out for #1, a courtesan to give the ship some status, and a pastor. A fugitive doctor and his crazy sister also find their a way on board after he rescues her from being experimented on by the Alliance. Living outside of the control of the Alliance as much as possible, the crew works together to survive, becoming a family in the process.

John Crichton is an astronaut that gets sent through a wormhole, ending up in a galaxy far away. He wakes up aboard the living spaceship Moya, who has been taken over by escaped alien criminals. Together, they go in search of a means to get themselves home, which proves to be harder a task then it looks. Simultaneously, the crew has to avoid getting caught by Peacekeepers, an organized military. This becomes especially difficult after a superior alien race downloads wormhole technology into John's subconscious mind. It's information that everybody wants and they are all willing to pay a pretty price for it, no matter what the cost. This show can get a little weird and gross at times, but the humor weaved throughout the show is one of its strong points.

I didn't watch this show the whole way through, but the idea was enough to hold my attention at times. Captain Dylan Hunt has to evacuate his ship's crew when the ship is attacked by Nietzscheans. While he is still on board, the ship gets frozen in time after getting pulled into the event horizon of a black hole. It unfreezes 303 years later. Hunt is shocked to find that the universe is not what he remembers it to be. In an attempt to recover the Systems Commonwealth that existed in his lifetime, Hunt asks the crew of the salvage ship that found him to join him in this endeavor. The story line and characters in this series was all right, but I think it could have been better.

This show is a little bit different from the other ones I have mentioned already. It's an anime, and it presents some very interesting ideas on quantum physics. Main characters from one possible present come into contact with themselves fifteen years later, only they are from different possible futures, so it gets kind of complicated along the way. Haruka is a 12 year old girl that can easily observe possible pasts, presents, and futures, which in turn affects the outcomes. Her abilities make her a target for individuals that want to use her to turn the tide of a war between dimensions. I really enjoyed the show and usually notice something I didn't notice before every time I watch it.

Growing up, my dad introduced me to a lot of sci fi shows that aired long before my time. Battlestar Galactica was definitely a favorite. It is a series about human beings that are on a journey to find Earth and make it their new home after their planet is destroyed by machines. I've seen bits and pieces of the more recent series, but it was rather dark, and I like the original better.

The Twilight Zone (the original) is very thought provoking. It presents tons of "what if" science fiction scenarios that I still like watching even after all these years. It's in black and white, but I can't imagine it any other way. Just don't let your young children watch the "talking tina" episode. They won't play dolls ever again.

Another classic is Lost in Space. The Robinson family are chosen to become the first family to colonize a habitable planet. They know it will take them awhile to get there, but unfortunately, they are thrown off course when the shady Dr. Smith tries to sabotage the mission. He ends up being trapped aboard the ship with the Robinsons and their pilot. The special effects and writing don't really keep you on the edge of your seat, but it's kinda fun to watch Dr. Smith scheme without getting any good results.

In Space 1999, an accident causes the moon to be hurled far into space. The inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha are forced to travel the galaxy and look for a new place to live. Along the way they meet all sorts of aliens and encounter strange worlds. The show has some mild romance, hokey looking aliens, and a few underdeveloped ideas, but I remember enjoying it when I was a kid.