70s Sci Fi Sleepers

[Ruin Explorer]

Is Wings of Honneamise SF? I could probably argue both yes and no...

(Which is a good thing! That's how you find out where the border is.)

It's set on a non-Earth or not-our-Earth planet and it's got a science-based story, with zero fantasy, and a focus on the wonder and importance of science (also technology is important and has developed a little differently to ours). It's certainly speculative fiction, people who "like science fiction" will pretty much universally like it, so trying to suggest it isn't sci-fi is just "being difficult" (or more precisely - contrarian), I would suggest.

I mean, what does Wikipedia call it, if we're going to appeal to authority like the OED:

Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Oh it says "science fiction". So pretty clear.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Since we're not completely excluding made-for-TV here, I'll point at "The People", to the best of my knowledge the only attempt to film any of the Zenna Henderson stories. It isn't perfect, but its surprisingly faithful to its sourcework for the time.

 

[Ryujin]

Since we're not completely excluding made-for-TV here, I'll point at "The People", to the best of my knowledge the only attempt to film any of the Zenna Henderson stories. It isn't perfect, but its surprisingly faithful to its sourcework for the time.

If we're going to toss in made-for-TV then I'll add "Genesis II" (starring Alex Cord, 1973) and "Planet Earth" (starring John Saxon, 1974), which were both pilots made by Gene Roddenberry. They were what eventually became "Andromeda", starring Kevin Sorbo.

 

[Cordwainer Fish]

If we're going to toss in made-for-TV then I'll add "Genesis II" (starring Alex Cord, 1973) and "Planet Earth" (starring John Saxon, 1974), which were both pilots made by Gene Roddenberry. They were what eventually became "Andromeda", starring Kevin Sorbo.

They weren't very good but they did not deserve Kevin Sorbo. Yikes.

 

[Ryujin]

They weren't very good but they did not deserve Kevin Sorbo. Yikes.

As post apocalyptic SciFi goes, I quite enjoyed them. Back then I was hoping that the series would be produced, with John Saxon as the lead.

 

[dragoner]

Saturday afternoon sci-fi was great.

 

[Thomas Shey]

If we're going to toss in made-for-TV then I'll add "Genesis II" (starring Alex Cord, 1973) and "Planet Earth" (starring John Saxon, 1974), which were both pilots made by Gene Roddenberry. They were what eventually became "Andromeda", starring Kevin Sorbo.

Hmmm. I'm familiar with both of those and though they show a relationship with each other, its hard to see much of one with Andromeda other than the latter being (very broadly) post-apocalypse. Its the difference between Gamma World and Fragged Empire.

 

[jian]

Hmmm. I'm familiar with both of those and though they show a relationship with each other, its hard to see much of one with Andromeda other than the latter being (very broadly) post-apocalypse. Its the difference between Gamma World and Fragged Empire.

Yes, there’s the name (Dylan Hunt) and the concept of a pre-apocalyptic protagonist being thawed out post-apocalypse and deciding to bring back civilisation as he sees it. It’s also got overlaps with the 70s Buck Rogers TV series and the Lost Fleet books, for instance. But otherwise there isn’t a lot.

Of course Andromeda is explicitly based on Roddenberry’s writings so the connection is definitely there, but if you didn’t know that you’d have to squint a bit to see the connection.

 

[Ryujin]

Yes, there’s the name (Dylan Hunt) and the concept of a pre-apocalyptic protagonist being thawed out post-apocalypse and deciding to bring back civilisation as he sees it. It’s also got overlaps with the 70s Buck Rogers TV series and the Lost Fleet books, for instance. But otherwise there isn’t a lot.

Of course Andromeda is explicitly based on Roddenberry’s writings so the connection is definitely there, but if you didn’t know that you’d have to squint a bit to see the connection.

It goes deeper than that. You've also got the hero who has access to the ultimate weapon; nuclear tech in "Genesis II" and Nova Bombs in "Andromeda." Then there's the superior humans; Nietzschians in Andromeda and two-navelled people in "Genesis II." Elements from both movies ultimately made it into the later TV show, however.

EDIT - I should note that the later messianic elements and how Andromeda went off the rails, in the later seasons, were the direct result of Sorbo's meddling. "Andromeda" suffered from the same disease that also killed "Buck Rogers" in it's second season; a lead actor who demanded too much creative control.

 

[GreyLord]

Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)
The Andromeda Strain (1971)
Silent Running (1972)
Slaughterhouse-Five (1972)
Dark Star (1974)
A Boy and His Dog (1975)
The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
Demon Seed (1977)
Capricorn One (1977)
Quintet (1979)

Funny Story, my father took our entire family to a Boy and his Dog including all my younger siblings. He thought it was a family film.

It was not.