Hello everyone

I probably watch as much TV SF as the next SF fan. All right, maybe a little less as I don’t subscribe to the satellite channels.

When you combine it with what makes my critical analysis click on is when you start getting this month’s editorial. Technically speaking, this isn’t so much a follow-on from last month’s editorial but it does reflect on some dumbing down on TV SF values.

Whether it comes from the suits or the scriptwriters is really open to discussion. The problem is it is happening either to fulfil a statistic of making SF easier to understand, or there’s a serious lacking in the ideas department.

The general setting for the majority of TV SF shows is the future in some form or other. The trappings of starships, aliens and technology is so common throughout that it’s considered the norm as ‘Star Trek’ found the original winning formula.

Well, they were the first to add an alien for a non-human perspective on each of their starships after all. It’s something even the non-SF executives can recognise as its got dollar signs attached and why we’ve had so many space adventure shows on the box.

If anything, it’s an instant label. This is the future. We’re out there in space, seeking new life, etc. Sometimes, the new life is even seeking us out. There’s an exchange of value systems, usually with the human arrogance that ours is right above all others.

More than occasionally, I wonder who died and made us perfect? Wouldn’t you love to see humans shown to be really inadequate?

Then you’ve gotta think where the majority of these series comes from and how little of the world they really see. Sorry you folks on the other side of the pond but this is the truth as we see it. Maybe it’s the British attitude that makes us such a cynical lot and how we bring most cultures into perspective. We’ve tried enforcing our perspective but more prone to live and let live these days.

A lead on from this is that there’s a demographic statistic somewhere that viewers favour relationships more than plot in series these days. Nothing wrong with that as such. If there was no communication, no one would know what was going on.

Solitary character stories, outside of the famed Alan Bennett monologues, are rarely successful no matter the format. Maybe we’re less body-huggy-friendly over here?! If that’s British reserve, who knows? Maybe we don’t have to be so demonstrative before the knife goes in showing what we really feel?

To think that is all that is needed for a story, especially SF-orientated, does demonstrate a little lacking in the thinking department. TV Science Fiction needs a lot more substance than that if it really is to survive or improve in the marketplace. It is more than flashy gadgets and hardware and pretty faces.

With TV SF, there’s been a subtle move away from a specific star always at the top of a show. It’s now possible for actors to leave or be asked to leave a show without necessarily destroying the overall story structure. Granted it might hurt a bit but it does illustrate a particular need for certain formulaic group tendencies that is also common in mainstream TV shows as well amongst viewers.

An element that is making such formatted TV SF shows applying the soap format so they can survive in the future isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It takes away a lot of the surprises to know all the characters survive each week although it must worry some actors come contract renewal. Making TV SF stories a less safe medium is bound to shake up any complacent thoughts in the studio or viewers.

Do you honestly want safe TV in this day and age or do you see the future as a means to hide from today’s events? Can’t it be a bit of both? Are we setting the wrong targets to complain about?

No, the real problem lies with the plot resolution. The dumbing down is in making the answer so simple that the most basic viewer can understand it. The answer so simple that it’s telegraphed and even anticipated.

Worse, the answer would work in any genre and not what allows for that little or big difference in the SF genre that sets it apart from the other genres. Wouldn’t you call that dumbing down and insulting your intelligence?

Would you rather have an ending that makes you want to discuss the topic more rather than the state of attire of the beef or cheesecake stars. All right, so there’s a place for the latter topic but why should the plot be made to forget its source?

Is there a common belief amongst the executives who don’t understand SF - I’m not pointing at any TV SF series in particular - that their audience is working on a reduced intelligence level these days? It’s likely to get far worse before it gets better unless the right kind of protest is made.

Do we want the same kind of plots that get re-enforced in the mainstream TV these days? Would you prefer TV SF to be challenging than a no-brainer where it’s now entering the sticky slope.

By protest, this doesn’t necessarily mean not watching or they’ll be convinced there is no future in TV SF. What has been shown time and time again is that there is a reaction to protest mail. If an episode doesn’t live up to expectations, then tell them about it.

Contrariwise, if you think an episode is good then tell them. Remind them that you, the fans are watching and that you count...all the time! If they see intelligent scripts get positive response then they’ll suggest more of the same to the scriptwriters who hopefully will only be too happy to oblige.

If you don’t, the situation will get to the state where they’ll think we’ll accept any old rubbish just because it has the appearance of SF rather than truly being Science Fiction.

It’s a bit late to shove Science Fiction back into its ghetto as that door is truly jammed open but we can make our voices heard to ensure it isn’t disguised mainstream stories or even western plots. ‘Course, we all have to decide as to what we think constitutes ‘intelligent’ and what makes SF Science Fiction but I think and hope most of us can tell good from bad material.

Even that has to be said warily as with first seasons of many TV SF shows these days, even the scriptwriters haven’t figured out what works and what doesn’t. Don’t rubbish an entire series for one poor episode only if they don’t get their act together with them all. Point out the ones which work.

Statistics might actually work for us for a change. The future of TV SF series is in our hands.

If you’re already starting to feel offended here or after this editorial or think I’m wrong, don’t forget the website does have a letters page. I put no blame on any particular TV SF series. Comments are free. If you don’t want to put a few words together there might be a question in the monthly survey.

We aim to please. Reacting is one thing we SF fans appear to be getting down to a fine art. If we don’t get this mother alien sorted out, we’ll be lamenting forever more.

Thank you and good night

Geoff Willmetts

editor: SFCrowsnest.com

PS For those keeping up with my health. I stopped taking my pain killers a fortnight ago. Ribs are tolerable. Shoulder still a pain in the nether regions but it hurts more to use a mouse than a keyboard. Got a cough still and my ribs start reminding me they’re there still but all hail flu jabs in the meantime.

Food for thought: Enterprise poser. Does Archer take a doggy bag to pick up Porthos’ pooh when he takes the dog for walkies on alien planets? All right, so it’s a shit more than a food question but it’s something that needs to be verified to show how much this new Starfleet cares about alien contamination.

(Less Serious) Thought For The Month: Do you suppose that Patrick Stewart has a clause in his X-Men film contract that his hair will grow back each time?

PS: For those keeping track, I’m about 17 months (mid-April 2001 if you think I’m just repeating the same message every month) behind with going through the ebook samples. Thank you for your patience but let me know if you’ve sold elsewhere so I can reduce my pile or changed address.

This isn’t much of a repeat. I’ve been sorting out my short story pile and a little research of my own. This has either been a fast month with changing schedules or a sign I’ve been getting back to normal.