Battlestar Galactica commentary on Farscape

I'm just getting into Farscape now, the local WB is airing syndicated reruns of the show on late Sunday nights now. It's not too bad. I wasn't overly impressed by the first episode, everything was jumbled in there pretty chaotically (I think maybe it was meant to reflect John Crichton's confusion*), and it seemed like they tried to stuff way too much into a single hour of television. The episode that was on last night had some better pacing to it.

However afterwards, the same channel has syndicated episodes of Stargate Atlantis ( a season behind, like Stargate SG-1), and IMO, that show is far better at least at this point. I'm certainly enjoying it.


*The character, not the poster of course. :p
 
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*Sigh* I'm a total 'Scaper, 'Gater, Trekker, and everything else (well, except Babylon 5... never could sit through an episode of that without falling asleep). And I do have to say, Farscape's far-reaching continuity and intelligent plotting was the very reason I fell in love with the show. Oh, sure, at first it was the original settings, whacky aliens, and all the goofy humor, when I first started trying to watch it on TV some time around late season 2/early season 3... but it didn't really hook me until I was able to watch it all straight through at one time (first by downloading all the eps off the 'net, and then later buying the DVDs).

But I've loved Stargate too, ever since the movie first came out, and do you know why? Not because of anything about the writing or the acting in particular, but because of the nostalgia factor: "Ancient Egyptian aliens? Boy, this reminds me of that old series, Battlestar Galactica!" Yup, the 70s version. And naturally, I love the new BSG, too, since it's about 99% more intelligent than that older, campier series -- I agree with the sentiment that it's the best show on TV right now (though no way it's better than Farscape).

As for Farscape's 4th season, I do agree that taken as a whole it wasn't the best, but there are plenty of gems in there... the loony-tunes episode (Revenging Angel), the one where they go into a VR game (John Quixote), and man-oh-man, the arc that spanned those last four episodes (We're So Screwed & Bad Timing) made the whole season worth it.

Heh... I'm such a fanboy. I'm probably the only person to ever write a crossover fanfiction that combines Farscape, SG-1, BSG, and Alternity... :heh: How nerdy is that?
 

I would think the comment is a bit uncharitable but I came to Farscape late and kind of immersed myself in it and watched all 4 seasons in the space of 2 months. Left very little chance of forgetting previous episodes.

As far as BG is concerned (which I am also a fan of), if they think someone can just jump into the middle of that storyline they are sniffin' glue. There are enough different story lines going on that you really have to watch most of the episodes to know what is going on.
 

Another vote for Farscape. I mean, the whole reason it was cool was because it had strong continuity. The whole reason you cared about the characters was because you had seen them go through so much.

Strong continuity might have had some impact on its ratings, but I think Farscape suffered far more from lack of marketing, changing time slots and freaky seasons.

There should be more shows like Farscape.
 

ecliptic said:
The scifi shows that I like and dislike.

Like/Love
Battlestar Galactica
Firefly
Invasion
Threshold
Surface
Star Trek Next Generation
Star Trek Deep Space Nine
Earth 2

Dislike/Hate
Stargate SG1
Stargate Alantis
Farscape
Buffy
Angel
Babylon 5
Original Star Trek
Star Trek Voyager
SeaQuest

What was that intended to accomplish, other than to reveal that you have very questionable tastes in televised science fiction?
 


Drkfathr1 said:
As for BSG, I find it to be painfully boring. I've tried watching it several times, and I even watched one of the mini-marathons on Sci-Fi...and I found each episode to basically be the same thing. The camera work in that show is awful too. Blecch.

(puts on flame-retardant suit...)

What, you're not allowed to dislike a particular show others like? The new BSG isn't to the tastes of some folks...nothing wrong with that. I don't like pickles, but I do like brussel sprouts. BSG is not without its flaws, no show is. I can't really understand, for example, why so many folks hold Space:Above and Beyond in such high regard...but then I know many folks who think Dr. Who is the worst kind of drek, while I love it unreservedly.

Different strokes, man. Just remember, it's not a zero-sum equation. We can have both shows, and that's great. Ron Moore pointing out that the SciFi Channel executives viewed Farscape as a failure may be uncharitable on the execs part, but it's a factor that Moore had to deal with while making his show and it illuminates the design process for the series.
 

Yeah, I'm not sure what it is, but I just can't get into the new series. I loved the old series, despite it's camp!

I really liked Babylon 5, Star Trek TNG and DS9, Space: Above and Beyond, and Stargate. I haven't had the chance to watch Stargate: Atlantis so I can't really comment on it.
 

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