Top 10 Sci Fi TV Shows

We'll do movies next month. But now, we're talking about the TV series that have not only glued us to our seats, but also withstood the test of time as pure classics or as cult classics. But, we're going to have a simple top 10, regardless of whether or not its a cult classic or a pure classic.

Personally, I have been a Star Wars/ Trek guy all my life. I had seen all of the original Star Trek series and the movies long before Star Trek: The Next Generation came out. I saw the original Star Wars films in the theater too, when they were first released. I had also seen many Sci Fi movies. But, I never got into sci fi TV other than Star Trek and the original V, and Battlestar Galactica until very recently. Yes, I did a lot of catching up.

A tornado was responsible for taking me to a new world.
Sound familiar?

In early 2011, I lived in Chattanooga, TN. During a very dangerous storm that spawned hundreds of tornadoes throughout the region, a tornado hit my place. My satellite dish was broken, and because of the damage to the entire area, they estimated a week before they would be able to fix it. Once the power was restored, I went to Blockbuster, and was there specifically to find TV shows. I decided upon the remake of Battlestar Galactica because I had heard great things about it. I watched the 3 disks that I rented in one day, and had returned them for 3 more later that evening. I was hooked. I didn't even care when the satellite TV company fixed my dish. I didn't watch anything other than Battlestar Galactica until I had finished the series. After that, I decided to watch as many sci fi shows as I could. All of the shows listed in this list with the exception of Star Trek and V, I have seen for the first time since 2011. I have seen every single episode of all these shows except for one of them. And no, these are not just the only ones I've seen. I've seen much more in addition to these. So, enough of my yacking..Lets get on with it!

Number 10: Lexx. A dumb security guard, an assassin, a love slave, and a robot head who is obsessed with the love slave wind up in charge of an enormous bug shaped doomsday weapon, and set off to escape tyranny. But, tyranny follows, especially when you are carrying the living brains of the various tyrants from the past. This is an adult show that doesn't take itself seriously. Its a sci fi comedy that hits on all cylinders. However, it definitely isn't for everyone. NOTE: The first season is 4 full length movies. Just watch the first and fourth movies. The second and third simply are not watchable. The rest of the series? Great! Plus, the show ran 4 seasons, and was not cancelled.



Number 9: The Original V. No, not the remake in 2009. That was getting very good, but it was cancelled on a brutal cliffhanger. No, the original with Marc Singer was a masterpiece. It was scary, and the special effects were excellent for their time. It looked real, and it made you question the mental capacity of those in the human race who would sell out their own kind for a few scraps from an invading dictator's table. It showed the choice that we all would have to make should something like that happen...Fight or be a slave. The Original V was amazing. I've seen it straight through many times, and I could watch it all over again right now without being bored.

Number 8: Babylon 5. The humans picked a fight with a superior enemy. A war breaks out. Humanity is about to be wiped out, but they...win? The enemy surrendered on the eve of victory? What the hell? The humans built an outpost in neutral territory for all races to converge and do business, work out treaties, etc. But, there are of course other dangers, both from within and from a distance. Its a show that explores relationships in various species, politics, and religion, all with the threat of war hanging over everyone. The CGI looks cheesy now, but when the series aired, they represented cutting edge CGI. This is a great show that will hook you.

Number 7: Stargate. I am talking about all 3 of the shows that were created as a result of the movie. The gate that transports you to other worlds, and even galaxies using devices that create wormholes. You also get to explore the origins of Earth mythology. 3 shows. SG1, which continued where the movie left off, Atlantis, where humans find the lost city of Atlantis..in another galaxy, and meet one of the scariest villains ever shown on screen, and Universe. Humans discover a ship that is programmed on a mission to the end of the universe. A franchise that had 3 shows, 17 20+ episode seasons, and spawned 2 movies? Yeah, this has to be on the list. It would have listed higher, but some of the very early seasons didn't age very well. But, don't let that stop you from watching! You will be addicted!


Number 6: Fringe. A story of parallel universes, one of which has a bronze Statue of Liberty and a World Trade Center, mad scientists, aliens, looming Dystopian future and a secret division of the FBI. You like sci fi suspense? This is your show. Great characters, and stories. Look...If Leonard Nimoy is in it, its gotta be good right? See this one. In fact, see all of the shows listed here.


Number 5: Firefly. It only ran for one season, and its airing was botched, but it was one of the best inaugural seasons of all time. This series hits the ground running, grabs you, and refuses to let go. Its a sci-fi western for lack of a better term. Takes place in the future, where humans have migrated into deep space to escape an oppressive government, and they do what they need to do to stay alive. It has great characters, with development that doesn't take place in most series until the third season or after. It was cancelled, but the fans kept it alive, and a full length feature film was made and released. Considering how great this one season is, if this show had been allowed to continue, it would undoubtedly be the greatest sci fi TV show of all time.

Number 4: Farscape. The story of a present day astronaut who gets sucked into a distant part of space with all sorts of aliens, danger, and humor as well. This series is very well done. The main plot line is that the lead character has wormhole knowledge in his head, put there by aliens. There is a powerful villain who is chasing him from one side of the galaxy to another. This one ran 4 seasons, and was cancelled (stupidly) by SyFy. Like Firefly, the fans rallied, and a mini series was made to tie up the loose ends. A feature Farscape film is in the works as I write this.



Number 3: Battlestar Galactica Remake. The show that got me into sci fi TV shows. Although This is a re imagining of the 1978 series, the main premise is the same. A robotic race annihilates most of humanity except for a rag tag fleet of survivors; the Cylons who hunt the humans relentlessly. It does have several differences though. The Cylons look like people, and the show actually has the mood that the whole universe has been torn apart by a superior enemy. Although there are several nods to the original series, and the general premise is the same, the story is completely new, and the characters are believable. They are flawed like everyone else. The series focuses on human relationships, duty in the face of annihilation, religion and politics. BSG is also super addicting. Since 2011, I've seen it from start to finish 4 times.

Number 2: Star Trek. What can you say? 5 series, 28 20+ episode seasons, 10 movies, and a current reboot that has 2 movies, and new series in the works. Although Star Trek: The Next Generation is hard to watch these days in my opinion. Star Trek has not only influenced future sci fi, it has also influenced lots of technology. This franchise will be along for many generations to come.



And finally, Number One. If Star Trek is Number Two, there can only be one possibility for number one. And, it is none other than Doctor Who. Its the story of a man from another planet. A time lord who travels time and space, experiencing history and the future, doing good, accompanied by human companions. 13 different people have played The Doctor, and the show has been borrowed from on many different sci fi shows and movies. For example, the Borg on Star Trek? Cybermen. There have been 35 seasons, countless movies, spinoff series, etc. It has even survived a 15 year hiatus, and came back and was immediately adopted by a brand new generation of fans. Doctor Who started it all. A madman in a box. Another show that will be around for many generations to come. (Doctor Who is the show I mentioned that I haven't seen every episode, but I am working on it. At the time I write this, I have seen all of the first and second Doctors, over half of the third, some of the fourth, and everything from the ninth, tenth, and eleventh, and am eagerly awaiting the 12th Doctor next month.)

So, there you have it. My top 10. Do you agree or disagree? Let me know! Some great shows that I am currently watching or that didn't make the list are Falling Skies, Continuum, and while it may not be sci fi, The Last Ship is a pretty damn good show so far.

The Sign of the Doctors

I've said before that I am a Doctor Who fan. Shortly after watching the final episode of the new episodes season 7, where Matt Smith's doctor regenerates into Peter Capaldi, I made a poster with all 13 Doctor characters...Except, I used an older picture of Capaldi because the BBC hadn't released a poster of what he would look like for the upcoming season. However a month or two later, they did, and I edited my poster.

Capaldi, Smith

It was the first one that anyone had done with all 13. In fact, if you search Google Images for 'Doctor Who All 13' you will find the first one I made with the older image of Capaldi.

I posted a small version of the poster on a forum, and offered that if anyone wanted the full sized version to email me, and I would send it to them. For free. So far, only one person; a guy from Germany has taken me up on it, and I emailed the poster to him. What he did with it was awesome! Below is the poster I made. Its the second one with the official picture of Capaldi as The Doctor. (click the images for a larger view)

 Next, this is the picture of what the guy did with it. He made a very cool looking banner out of it. Its about 15 feet long, and 3.5 feet tall.

Also, check out the banner he made in action at the Fedcon 2014 Sci Fi convention in Germany. He won first place for the construction of all these models. VERY impressive.

The banner makes a nice center piece for his display, don't you think?

Over 5000 people were at the convention. Among them were Alexander Siddig ('The' Doctor Bashir, in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) others. Siddig would have made a good Doctor too, I think, but, I also think Capaldi is going to be legendary with the role. I'm sure Siddig and the other celebs thought the banner was cool. ;)

This post is a thank you to my German friend. I'm honored that someone liked my work enough to do something like that with it! And the offer still stands. If you want a full sized copy of my poster, just shoot me a message, and I will email it to you.

 Now, if August would hurry up and get here...I'm growing very impatient waiting for season 8 with Peter Capaldi as The Doctor, just as all the rest of you probably are! Now, if I could just make sure my kidneys were the right color!

Doctor Who...50th Anniversary!

EVEN IF YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN THE SHOW, READ THIS POST!!!

I admit, I am a new fan of Doctor Who. I have always known OF the show, but I never watched it until earlier this year. Basically, let me give you a summary of my science fiction fandom. Its really simple. I am a Trekkie. Always have been since the time of the first and second Trek films. I had seen all of the original series episodes LONG before Star Trek: The Next Generation came out. I am also a fan of Star Wars. I saw every single movie in the theaters. I also saw the original Battlestar Galactica when it came out, although I didn't remember much about it before I rewatched it in 2011. So, the original BSG, and all of the Trek series. That's pretty much all I'd seen as far as sci fi. I had also seen lots of random sci fi movies, but we are talking about television...wait. I had seen all of the original V series as well.

But, lets rewind to the beginning of 2011. I was living in Chattanooga, TN at the time. The city got hit pretty badly by tornadoes, and our satellite dish was destroyed. It was going to take a while for it to get fixed, so I went to the local video store, looking for a TV series to rent. I came across the 2004 remake of Battlestar Galactica, and started watching it. I was instantly hooked, and wound up going back that same day to rent the next couple discs. I didn't even care that our TV was back on. I didn't watch anything until I was done with BSG. Then, I watched it a second time with my wife.

David Tennant as the 10th doctor

Since then, I have watched all 3 of the Stargate series, Firefly, Lexx, Farscape, Fringe, Babylon 5, Caprica, BSG for a third time, and am currently watching Falling Skies, Revolution, Red Dwarf, Under the Dome, and of course, Doctor Who. I have watched all 7 of the new seasons, and have also been watching the classic seasons. Its all good stuff. My favorite doctor is the 10th, played by David Tennant. Nothing against the others I've seen so far. Matt Smith and Christopher Eccleston were both excellent, and the classic Doctors were all good as well (As I am writing this, I am up to Tom Baker as the 4th Doctor.)So, I've got my full geek on, and I know this blog post is not going to be ANY help to those who have never seen the show. It isn't like Star Trek. I can explain that show in one short paragraph:

Its a show based in the future where Humans have formed a cooperative alliance with other races, and the stories that come from various ships and crews.

No, with Doctor Who, I could write a 20 page report on it, and you'd still be confused. This is a show that you just have to sit down and watch. If you like it, you won't be able to stop watching it. If not, no big deal. It isn't for everyone. But to the people who it is for, it is every bet as dear to them as Star Trek is to Star Wars is to their fans. 'Whovians' are every bit as dedicated, and maybe even more so to Doctor Who than Trekkies.

Matt Smith as the 11th
Doctor, and Amy 'Legs' Pond

But, even though I can't tell you what the show is about, I can attempt to peak your interest, in order to make you want to see it. And if you have seen it, you'll read this part, and think "Damn right!"

For example, I can no longer watch a movie that shows London, without expecting to see a large ship come crashing into a famous landmark. Also, I will never look at statues the same way again. When I see something move out of the corner of my eye, I KNOW that something is there. Dust in a Doctor Who has had on ALL of sci fi. Sure, you can watch the new seasons, but know that what may seem to be a ripoff of Star Trek was actually ripped off from Doctor Who. For example, the Cybermen were assimilating people into cyborgs LONG before the Borg came to the Alpha Quadrant of the galaxy.

sunbeam isn't as innocent as I used to think it was. Those things are just scratching the surface. There is so much more in the Whovian universe to explore. I mean, the show has been around for 50 years, and has over 600 episodes. But the biggest thing you'll do especially if you watch the classic shows is watch other sci fi, and realize how much of an impact is there.

Cyberman inspired the Borg.

A while back, I did a blog post asking which iconic sci fi transportation method you would most like to have out of the Tardis, USS Enterprise, and a Stargate. The Tardis won hands down. It wasn't even close. The Tardis, for those of my readers who are not Whovians, is the ship of the Doctor. It looks like a police box on the outside, but its enormous on the inside. It can go anywhere in the universe, at any time. So, wouldn't you rather have the Tardis?

Daleks. They do NOT come in peace

So, what is my point of all this? Basically, as a new fan, I am excited about where the show is going. And, there is a movie that comes out on BBC-1 on November 23. Its called 'The Day of the Doctor.' Matt Smith and David Tennant are in it AS their Doctor characters...once again, don't ask me to explain. The franchise has done multiple doctor movies several times. I am thinking that at the end of this movie, we will have yet another doctor. Although John Hurt plays a Doctor in this movie, (his place is in between number 8 and 9) he is not worthy of the 'Doctor' title because of what he did during the Time War. A war that haunts the Doctor, and has been touched on repeatedly in the 7 new seasons, but nothing concrete has been revealed, other than the Doctor slaughtered millions of Daleks. One might argue that it was a good thing since the Daleks are about the most evil bastards in the universe, but stop me if you've heard this...You can't explain Doctor who.

You've just gotta watch! So, go watch if you've never seen it before. Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime have the seven new seasons so you aren't losing anything to give it a shot. Just start with New series 1, starring Christopher Eccleston. He was only in one season, so its impossible to mess up the viewing order!

Happy watching! Don't blink!

Click to Enlarge.
The Doctors: 1, William Hartnell 2, Patrick Troughton 3, Jon Pertwee 4, Tom Baker 5, Peter Davidson 6, Colin Baker 7, Sylvester McCoy 8, Paul McGann 9,John Hurt, 10, Christopher Eccleston 11, David Tennant 12, Matt Smith
13, Peter Capaldi. (new doctor)

I made this pic, and I did not make a typo. Even though 10 and 11 are different than earlier in the post, it is still right. You'll just have to watch!

Which Iconic Sci-Fi Space Travel Device Would You Prefer?

 

Ok, I'm going to go geek on you all here, because there is a question that needs to be answered. Which Iconic Sci-Fi Space Travel Device Would You Prefer? Why does it need to be answered? Just because. But, there is a process we have to go through to determine which is the most desirable.

I can think of 3 drastically different types. Here they are: The Tardis from Doctor Who, The USS Enterprise from Star Trek, and the Stargate from Stargate. Now, before you go asking me why I didn't include Star Wars ships, let me tell you. Nothing about Star Wars ships compares to those in Star Trek. The Millenium Falcon made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs, and it is generally accepted that hyperspace is faster than warp drive, there is nothing else that the Star Wars ships has over the Star Trek ships.

So, lets compare them, shall we?



USS Enterprise: Pros: Travels at warp speed, heavily armed, and shielded. Has holodecks, a bar, all the comforts of home, the transporter to decide exactly where you want to go.  Cons: You're there with hundreds of other people, you aren't allowed to drink alcohol or eat real meat, and the shields rarely hold if fired upon, can only travel in the Milky Galaxy. Its HUGE, and has a gazillion things that could go wrong...and do go wrong.



NCC 1701 A. The BEST version



The Tardis: Pros: Small, although bigger inside than it looks outside, easy to hide, it appears wherever you want it to, time travel is possible, you can go anywhere you want, you can go alone if you want, but can also have other people if you choose to, fixes itself in some cases. Easy to fix in others, you can do whatever you want, whenever you want. Also much faster than the Stargate and Enterprise. Can go anywhere in the universe. Cons:  Not very cozy, no privacy if you were traveling with someone and wanted it, Would have to go to a planet for just about every meal. A really bumpy ride.

The Stargate: Pros: You aren't confined to a ship. Cons: You are limited to the one galaxy unless you get a whole bunch of gates and string them between galaxy to galaxy. You have no say in where you go or come out. You simply go where the gate is, or you don't go. That could be dangerous either coming or going.

Now, lets put out some scenarios here to see which device would have the advantage in each scenario:

You are on another planet, and suddenly, you are ambushed by hostiles who want to kill you..or worse, eat you. You would have to run to the Stargate, and the Tardis. With the Enterprise, you could just beam up. Advantage, Enterprise.

You need to make a stealth entrance to a planet, grab something, and get out unnoticed. Clearly, the advantage goes to the Enterprise once again with the transporter, but you could also go unnoticed with the Tardis as long as you could find a place to hide it.

You need to get somewhere fast, but your destination is on the other side of the galaxy...or farther. Advantage, Tardis or Stargate if your destination is in this galaxy. It would take the Enterprise 75 years to get from one side or the other with warp drive, as we found out in Voyager.

You don't play well in large crowds, and simply want to be left alone, but still want to get out and see everything. Advantage. Tardis. You could give an advantage to the Stargate, but its best to travel in teams with it.

You are traveling, but wake up hungry in the middle of the night, and can't stop. Advantage, Enterprise.

So, in my opinion the Tardis would work the best for me. The reasons are the fact that I can literally go anywhere, and I can get there as fast or slow as I want. I can choose whether or not I want to be alone or with someone, and I can easily out run anybody, and leave no type of trail that an enemy can follow.

So, vote in the poll, and explain your answer in the comments! (preferably the comments section here on the blog!)

What sci fi travel device would you most want to have?
	USS Enterprise
	The Stargate
	The Tardis
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