I wondered who watched that.
Jan 24th, 2007 by Carl
A few months back, I was with some folks that make up the local congregation I am a part of. (Yes, that is a convoluted way of saying it, but I have been thinking about the way we use the word church, and was particularly challenged by Mark Roberts posts on the church. But, that’s for another time.) I mentioned that I we had chosen DISH network over cable because cable did not have the SciFi Channel. One of the responses was “I always wondered who watched that.” Yes, I am one of those, whatever those are. I have always enjoyed science fiction, both written and on film. I was eleven when the Star Wars saga began which was what probably got me seriously hooked (strictly speaking, SW is more science fantasy or space opera, but hey …). There was also Heinlein’s classic Starship Troopers (the novel, not the lame movie of the same name) as well as older science fiction like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
I like SciFi for many reasons. It lets my mind escape for a little while, to picture a world that is different from our own and often full of interesting possibilities. Which is why I also like fantasy novels, like those of Stephen Donaldson and George RR Martin. Most good scifi also addresses interesting moral questions and cultural issues. It took a while for me to figure this out. It’s not heavy-handed but many scifi writers ask questions about issues like technology, racism, etc. but in a different way. (This would be one way that we see Star Wars is not scifi – it’s purely escapism.)
So, I like science fiction and there is not much on television. There have been some on network TV – Alias and Lost border on SciFi; and the X-Files might fit in the category.
But, when it all comes down to it, I want the SciFi Channel for three shows: Stargate: SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactica (BSG). Each has their own flavor, BSG is by far the darkest, and probably my favorite of the three. It’s a great drama, named several places as one of the best shows on television. BSG is as good a drama as most of the top shows on the networks, but most people will never see it because it has spaceships and robots. Yes, I know shows like “Deal or No Deal” are hard to beat, but Galactica may just do it.
I am planning on making Galactica a regular blog topic, commenting on episodes and looking for what they reveal about culture and the human condition (at least in the mind of Ronald D. Moore, the executive producer.)
