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The 70s was an incredible decade for science fiction. Due to the success of shows like Star Trek, networks were willing to lay their fears to rest that a science fiction show could actually succeed. If you take a look at a lot of today's programs you'll see that many of them are re-makes of the classics. That alone should show you the staying power of some of these staples.

The Six Million Dollar Man (1974-1978)
"Steve Austin, a man barely alive. Gentlemen, we can rebuild him." And, rebuild him they did. After astronaut, Colonel Steve Austin is seriously crippled in a test flight of an experimental aircraft, he is reborn' using six million dollars (that was a lot of money back then!) worth of atomic limbs and implants. Now, he can run at over 60 mph (which was always filmed in slow motion), can jump really high (always with the cool "danananana" sound), can lift really heavy objects (again with the same cheesy sound effect), and could see really far away. It was like a superhero show with just an ordinary guy. Every week Col. Austin would do random jobs for the OSI (one of those cool secret government agencies) and keep the world safe from runaway probes, Bigfoot (seriously), fem-bots, and all kinds of other nastiness. It was the ultimate guy show.

The Bionic Woman (1976-1978)
But, who said that shows about cyborgs had to only feature men? In this spinoff of The Six Million Dollar Man, ordinary teacher, Jamie Somers is seriously injured in a skydiving accident and she happens to be dating a certain cyborg colonel at the time. OSI puts her back together again (except she gets a really sensitive ear instead of eye) and she gets to fight crime too! Most of the time she's trying to lead an ordinary life, but every now and then OSI taps her to do jobs for her. In the later seasons she's given a bionic dog, Max, as a pet. He's a lot cuter than one of those neo-pets. The show did a great job of showing a strong female character in a science fiction role. A pseudo-remake is currently being aired on NBC.

Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979)
Originally a movie, this series blew away fans with its state of the art special effects and controversial plot showing that life on Earth might have come from somewhere else. Each week you would follow the crew of the Galactica fleeing their recently destroyed home world while being chased by the mechanical Cylon race. Their goal: find their lost cousins on Earth and try to find a way to defeat the Cylons. The show was well received and considered

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