by Steven Koch

Created on: December 02, 2009

I have always enjoyed science fiction. From the giant bug of the year "monster" movies in the 1950's to today's special effects extravaganzas, science fiction has always had one major point in its favor, which no other genre can claim; endless possibilities. As long as you stay logical within your created universe, anything is possible. This opens the story for twists and surprises that bring a smile to a sci-fi fan's face.

Back in the dark ages of the 1980s, when cable TV was in its infancy, sci-fi was not high on the list of respected offerings by network television. Even Star Trek never realized its original "five year mission" and was cancelled after only three seasons. Its many spin-offs as well as original sci-fi/fantasy shows, found a home on syndicated stations while the original series thrived in rerun land.

Then came the science fiction mini-series "V" - a major network television event. I could not wait. Finally, here was a science fiction show on a "large" (for TV) scale. When it was over you cannot imagine my disappointment. At times it reminded me of campy sci-fi classics like "Lost in Space" or the original "Battlestar Galactica". The major revelation that a reptile race was hidden underneath that human skin and wanted humans for lunch was an old trick. I had been hoping for better. I wanted a fresh look at what might really happen if such an event were to occur. (To see this type of story well done watch "Aliennation.")

While you did see both sides - the collaborators and the opposition, the characterization was two dimensional. I got the feeling that the writers were saying "this is for those sci-fi geeks. We don't need to put a lot of effort into this. We'll blow them away with special effects and make them happy."

Now they are going to try it again and I have hope they will get it right. There are a few reasons for my optimism. First, sci-fi has grown up. It has taken itself seriously and is more character driven than ever before. Original series on the SYFY channel display them all the time. Second is the SYFY channel itself. That a genre demands its own successful channel had told the powers that be that there is an audience out there. The SYFY channel doesn't always get it right, but their original series come closer to the mark than most network offerings.

The greatest reason for my optimism can be summed up in two words - BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. When news first hit that the "beloved" series was going to be remade there were cries of outrage.

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