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<blockquote data-quote="Man in the Funny Hat" data-source="post: 5001243" data-attributes="member: 32740">Free association:&nbsp;Star Trek was originally pitched by Roddenberry to Paramount as &quot;Wagon Train in space.&quot; He lied, of course having little intention of that, but they bought it. And that was at a time when westerns were at a peak of popularity.&nbsp;I have always thought that Firefly was a far better setting and in a sense a better utilization of the rules for the original Traveller rpg than Traveller's own setting. Of course, Firefly had nothing to do with Traveller (AFAIK) but it could have and should have.&nbsp;The only reason televised westerns no longer exist is just because times change. Broadcast networks are currently too busy jerking off on the profit margins of cheap, soul-sucking, excremental &quot;reality&quot; shows. They don't really want to entertain us, they want to PROFIT from us. Or more accurately what they profit from is getting us to watch ANYTHING. Whether what they get us to watch actually IS entertaining or has any redeeming value is irrelevant - the cheaper it is to produce the better they like it, which is why we get so much &quot;reality&quot; tv and so little high-production cost shows of any kind. The latter are more and more likely to be found on cable channels rather than the Big 3 networks because their profits come from subscriptions - not selling advertising.&nbsp;Was &quot;John Adams&quot; a miniseries on NBC? Was &quot;Band of Brothers&quot; a miniseries on CBS? Normal series: Sopranos? Battlestar Galactica?&nbsp; Deadwood?&nbsp; Etc. Broadcast networks do not have an interest in investing in quality content. They have an increasing interest in the CHEAPEST content possible. Quality for them is therefore a mere accidental benefit.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Man in the Funny Hat, post: 5001243, member: 32740"] Free association: Star Trek was originally pitched by Roddenberry to Paramount as "Wagon Train in space." He lied, of course having little intention of that, but they bought it. And that was at a time when westerns were at a peak of popularity. I have always thought that Firefly was a far better setting and in a sense a better utilization of the rules for the original Traveller rpg than Traveller's own setting. Of course, Firefly had nothing to do with Traveller (AFAIK) but it could have and should have. The only reason televised westerns no longer exist is just because times change. Broadcast networks are currently too busy jerking off on the profit margins of cheap, soul-sucking, excremental "reality" shows. They don't really want to entertain us, they want to PROFIT from us. Or more accurately what they profit from is getting us to watch ANYTHING. Whether what they get us to watch actually IS entertaining or has any redeeming value is irrelevant - the cheaper it is to produce the better they like it, which is why we get so much "reality" tv and so little high-production cost shows of any kind. The latter are more and more likely to be found on cable channels rather than the Big 3 networks because their profits come from subscriptions - not selling advertising. Was "John Adams" a miniseries on NBC? Was "Band of Brothers" a miniseries on CBS? Normal series: Sopranos? Battlestar Galactica? Deadwood? Etc. Broadcast networks do not have an interest in investing in quality content. They have an increasing interest in the CHEAPEST content possible. Quality for them is therefore a mere accidental benefit. [/QUOTE]

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