Best Television Sci Fi franchise / series

**Blueneck** · 4th May 2010 05:39 AM

[quote name='Devil505' date='03 May 2010 - 08:24 PM' timestamp='1272932658' post='147164']

Showing my age here but the best Sci Fi series ever was this one:

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzlG28B-R8Y[/media]

[/quote]

Someone once called Rod Sterling a modern day Aesop. I do believe I got a lot of my ideas about morality from watching that show as a kid.

I generally don't watch a lot of stuff on the sci-fi network because I tend to come away with the perception of most of them being cop shows that take place in outer space. I prefer drama where the line between the good guys and the bad guys isn't quite clear.

**Blueneck** · 4th May 2010 05:40 AM

[quote name='kmiller1610' date='04 May 2010 - 05:33 AM' timestamp='1272965603' post='147316']

All of Trek has this kind of broad, ultra simplistic structure to it. Roddenberry liked morality tales and symbolic commentary on humanity.

Spock - Logic

McCoy - Emotion

Kirk - Will

The Doctor (From Voyager) - Ego

The Ferengi - Those damn republicans

Each one of those are explored in real depth, both upside and downsides. The Ferengi, who are obviously buttheads, literally, had some wonderful upside episodes in DS9 that comment on the truth of the profit motive. In this one, the younger Ferengi demonstrates the optimism of the entrepreneurial spirit as he wheels and deals to get a part for the chief engineer.

Treachery, Faith and the Great River

[/quote]

Actually, I kind of like the Ferengi, but I see them more as Libertarians than Republicans.

**boontito** · 4th May 2010 06:03 AM

[quote name='kmiller1610' date='04 May 2010 - 02:33 AM' timestamp='1272965603' post='147316']Ferengi - Those damn republicans[/quote]

I've been sitting here waiting for the left to argue that the Borg are so obviously the right, and the right to make the same claim about the left.

**kmiller1610** · 4th May 2010 06:11 AM

[quote name='boontito' date='04 May 2010 - 08:03 AM' timestamp='1272974603' post='147353']

I've been sitting here waiting for the left to argue that the Borg are so obviously the right, and the right to make the same claim about the left.[/quote]

The Borg have no politics. Nobody votes for anything. All those episodes about how they lose it when disconnected from the hive mind could apply to any strong authority structure.

**boontito** · 4th May 2010 06:14 AM

[quote name='kmiller1610' date='04 May 2010 - 05:11 AM' timestamp='1272975116' post='147356']

The Borg have no politics. Nobody votes for anything. All those episodes about how they lose it when disconnected from the hive mind could apply to any strong authority structure.

[/quote]

True, plus I always thought they represented the Cub Scouts.

**kmiller1610** · 4th May 2010 06:17 AM

[quote name='Blueneck' date='04 May 2010 - 07:40 AM' timestamp='1272973248' post='147342']

Actually, I kind of like the Ferengi, but I see them more as Libertarians than Republicans.

[/quote]

There's an episode in DS9, the magnificent Ferengi ( a send up of the magnificent 7) where the main butthead's mother has been captured and they get all geared up for a military raid. And after they sort of hit the wall, the main character comes to his senses and says something like... "We're not fighters.. we're negotiators!" and they talk their way to a solution. Funny stuff. There are also some very pointed stories where, the buttheads find their way to peaceful solutions by finding a profit opportunity for the people they are fighting with. They get by on their wits, greed and negotiating skills.

http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/The_Mag..._%28episode%29

**Davocrat** · 4th May 2010 11:30 AM

[quote name='Devil505' date='03 May 2010 - 08:24 PM' timestamp='1272932658' post='147164']

Showing my age here but the best Sci Fi series ever was this one:

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzlG28B-R8Y[/media]

[/quote]

I AGREE!

I also liked "Star Trek." But JUST "Star Trek"...the ORIGINAL. Actually, I probably liked it better than its spin-offs because it was LESS scientific and more humanistic.

**Dr.Knuckles** · 4th May 2010 11:44 AM

The entire Star Trek Universe is pretty much liberal porn. I don't think there are any right wingers even invited to this particular future. Except as walk ons as obvious villans.

They don't use currency, their only personal property is the few small items they sqirrel away in their identical berths. They have laws preventing them from interfering in other cultures, as all cultures are equally moral, even when they disgust or offend us. But at the same time the heroes have few or no cultural beliefs themselves.. as they are understood to be silly and old fashioned. It's all different races working together in harmony, in uniform, and when you want health care you just walk into the government medical lab and the government doctor treats you, and out you go. The United Federation of Planets maintains centralised control over member planets, and makes sure racial minorities in positions of authority.

Star Wars is the right wing future. You go as far as your guns and your willingness to use them can take you. Period. The strong survive and the weak get enslaved. Deal with it. The government is nothing more than the biggest bully, to be ignored and cheated as a matter of course, and destroyed as soon as opportunity present itself.

**Disappointed not surprised** · 4th May 2010 11:53 AM

[quote name='Dr.Knuckles' date='04 May 2010 - 10:44 AM' timestamp='1272995084' post='147418']

Star Wars is the right wing future. You go as far as your guns and your willingness to use them can take you. Period. The strong survive and the weak get enslaved. Deal with it. The government is nothing more than the biggest bully, to be ignored and cheated as a matter of course, and destroyed as soon as opportunity present itself.

[/quote]

The Force is strong in your family.

**kmiller1610** · 5th May 2010 03:43 AM

[quote name='Dr.Knuckles' date='04 May 2010 - 01:44 PM' timestamp='1272995084' post='147418']

The entire Star Trek Universe is pretty much liberal porn. I don't think there are any right wingers even invited to this particular future. Except as walk ons as obvious villans.

[/quote]

Another reason I love Babylon 5. It poses moral struggles, but doesn't resolve them. It doesn't preach. People with profit motives are everywhere. It models that true secularism thing I keep complaining about in all the threads (now you know where I got it from). People from a race share some characteristics, but have many different attitudes and accents. There are Atheists, Earth Worshipers, Monotheists, Foundationists (a religion JMS invented) and dozens of others all existing side by side in a public institution, funded by taxpayer dollars.

One of the most poignant, anti-religion episodes was about this family whose religion tells them that if their son is operated on for his disease, he will lose his soul. The enlightened head of medical tricks the family into letting him operate, which makes the child well, but the family finds out and they kill their own son in a ritual sacrifice.

Plenty of blame for everyone.