be their eyes, their ears, their voice

[lyssie]

So, anyway. I was watching one of the Trucco interviews from comic con, and he says something about BSG revitalizing the SF TV genre, and I'm... dude, what? I had no idea SF TV needed revitalizing.

Unless by revitalizing, he means they made it bankable to write awful soap opera drama with little grounding in characterization?

I guess he needs to toe the party line, seeing as he's getting paid for it and stuff. But. Man. So much wrong with that statement.

The rest of the interview was cute. And there was also one where he asked what 'spanks' were, which. Now they've invaded his forum.

Comments

[redstarrobot.livejournal.com]

"Revitalizing" = "make profitable". Which usually = "import soap opera stylings".

I prefer Muppet-vomit and crazy violent space psychedelia, personally.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

Yes. Saying BSG revitalized anything is basically ignoring the last ten years of SF TV, which happen to include, say, Farscape and Babylon Five....

It also means removing vitally important components, like actual science and shiny things.

[redstarrobot.livejournal.com]

It also strikes me as a tad more right-wing than the average sci-fi show.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

Well, up until the heroes were suicide bombers and terrorists, but, yes. ;)

[shadowserenity.livejournal.com]

Honestly, that type of bullshit makes me want to strangle the speaker.

Like you said, how can someone ignore the last ten years of scifi? Can I have a moment to gush over Babylon 5 and how it was so epic and awesome? (up until the last season of course, but natch).

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

Hell, even SG-1 and Atlantis are decent in their SF-ness. And Eureka, half a dozen other shows aren't bad, either. Sigh.

And season five had its moments, as I'm rediscovering. It's still also better at politics and betrayals than BSG is, too.

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

I think he means 'critically respectable.' I don't think I've ever seen such massive praise for a SF programme. (Whether or not it's justified is another question; I think it means that the show's weaknesses are never discussed but I'm not a critic.) And the academic fawning it gets is unparalleled in my experience - it even goes beyond the Buffy stuff and that was pretty undiluted fannish worship with long words and theory.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

I just have NEVER gotten the critical response that BSG gets. Just. NEVER. There's dozens of shows that do the same thing and do it better, but they're ignored while BSG is constantly touted as... as some awesome thing.

Is it because there's no aliens? No vibrant uses of the imagination to pull you into a completely new world?

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I think it's because the show has no sense of humour at all (and I say this as someone who didn't ever really like Farscape's humour that much - but at least it had some). I liked the first few seasons well enough but the unremitting sameness added to the mystical element and the feeling that I was going to be asked to understand the Cylon* side of things meant that I gave up. That and it's not massively popular draw academics (and I say this as one): it's got a dark text, some political material, and the feeling that you're unlike everyone else because this isn't a hugely popular show. And they cater to that: this is not a show that looks for new fans so it gives you a closed community.


*I like complex villains as much as the next person but these guys did wipe over 95% of the colonies. I'm not sure I'm that comfortable with justifications for such behaviour being explored without any seeming sense of the deepness of the dark pit that you are looking into.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

I don't mind the Cylon thing. But BSG is constantly looking for new fans, that's why they keep putting year-long breaks between seasons and putting out the dvds.

[viciouswishes.livejournal.com]

He means it's not Stargate or a very special Sci-Fi Original Picture?

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

Which is not, sadly, saying much.

[chev-y.livejournal.com]

I never hear a word he says after I see his face. My brain stops and the hormones take over.
I'm sure most of what he utters is scripted anyway. Ya see I figure it's like "The Kings New Clothes"...you tell people they aren't smart or cool if they don't watch it or it's like no other SciFi they've ever seen and you'll reel in more viewers.
If they'd hand me a paycheck, I'll be more than happy to say "It's better than any SciFi show that's ever been made or will ever be made. Created and written by cutting edge geniuses for the incredibly cool sector of the academically gifted. If you don’t think so then you’re obviously not trendy, sophisticated or intelligent.” *heehee* How was that? Or did I miss your point? :-)

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

*snicker*

[amazingly-shiny.livejournal.com]

They have invaded his forum, and they posted the koala picture you created. Then they said they want to climb him like a tree.

[chev-y.livejournal.com]

THEY have invaded his forum. Honey, you're one of us. Check the roster at the treehouse. :p

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

I know. I was over there, going, "....yes, he does come here, sometimes." while thinking, "please don't let this scare him away."

IT IS HIS OWN FAULT, however.

[amazingly-shiny.livejournal.com]

I was thinking the same thing. He posted this in the Spank thread;



Smiles, everyone, smiles! Welcome!

Damn glad to have you. A little 'invasion' to stir things up...I think it's fan-spankin-tastic!.....errr, something....I don't know. Not sure I got the whole 'spank' concept, but I'm trying.
Anyhow, I think it's cool y'all dropped in. Any friends of BSG are friends of mine and welcome here on my forum. I'll try to check in from time to time....until then,

Love life...live love.

Michael



So far it doesn't seem that they've scared him away.


It is his own fault.