Check this out and see what gems in addition to Deep Space Nine were missed:

http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/gallery/topscifishows


Carol

Hi Carol.

I noticed that Angel is missing as well.

I just do not get the omission of DS9

Also have to comment that many of these shows did not make it here to the UK, so cannot make a judgement

Jude

Yes, that's certainly wrong. Farscape should be on the list as well.


Actually, there's a clue in the way DS9 was mentioned on Babylon 5's page. J. Michael Straczynski has been saying for years that idea for DS9 was stolen from him. I'm sure the maker of this list believes that DS9 is a rip-off. J. Michael Straczynski appears to believe that the idea of a space station by a worm hole was his unique contribution to the genre. He must not read much science fiction.

This is one topic on which I take issue with Sid. Sid has spoken at conventions about how DS9 was ripped off from J. Michael Straczynski. I wish he wouldn't. I don't believe it's true, but even if it was at some front-office, executive level, it's not true of the writers who worked hard for seven years on the show. I know Sid liked the writers. They're not plagiarists. DS9 does not deserve to be dismissed as a rip-off after so many people worked so many years on it.

One of the things I could never understand was how some people could claim Babylon 5 had better women's roles than Deep Space Nine. I recall one episode in which a psychic had to literally sell her body (corpse, actually -- she was forced to put it in her will) to her worst enemy (played by Walter Koenig) just to get money to buy food. A future in which an intelligent, capable woman must sell her body to get food does not appeal to me. The loneliness at the top was a major theme. Claudia Christian's character was not supposed to socialize with those beneath her in the chain of command which was virtually everybody. (Kira never had this problem.) Women on DS9 were loved and admired. That's my idea of a good role for a woman.

Carol

No.6 Stargate - I watched a couple of episodes some years ago. I had the feeling always the same is happening. They find a new world, get kidnapped and escape. It's not bad actually and maybe I have just watched the wrong episodes.

Anyway I like the no. 1
I like most of the story plots. And although Shatner might be not the best actor he was the perfect Kirk.



I haven't seen much of Babylon 5. But I think the female characters in DS9 were very strong characters. That was because, I think, they had a lot to do. Think of Crusher and Troi of TNG. They had a lot of potential but which was used very seldom. Kira (especially) and Dax really belonged to the crew. They weren't just used as the "alibi women".

Ulli

Okay, I was and still am a huge Babylon 5 fan. I own the DVD's. I thought it was great! In fact, I am just now watching DS9 reruns because I never watched them while they were acrually on. By the time DS9 came out, I was of the opinion that they were doing anything Star trek to death. It seemd like overkill to me and I had had enough. Well, until Voyager, which I may also stand as a lone fan here as well.

It made me laugh as I read through the list to see how many of those I used to watch faithfully. I guess I'm more of a sci-fi ho than I thought I was!

Mystery Science Theater should have been nimber 1.

The web site asks us to be the judge and I'll take them up on their offer. I can't comment on the plot because I wasn't a regular watcher after the first year, but I saw enough to comment on the cast. Better than Deep Space Nine?

Michael O'Hare vs. Avery Brooks
Right. That's why he was replaced after the first year.

Claudia Christian vs. Nana Visitor
Now I'm a big fan of Claudia Christian. I still remember her guest spot as a college student on Riptide. She's great! Better than Nana Visitor? Let's just leave this one as a draw.

Jerry Doyle vs. Rene Auberjonois
Now we're just being silly. Jerry Doyle is nowhere near Rene Auberjonois's caliber as an actor and they're even further apart as human beings. (I attended a convention in Campaigne, Illinois with Doyle and he was unpleasant on the stage and at the airport afterwards. Of course he'd recently lost an election and maybe he was just in a foul mood, but I've met Rene many times and he's never said a word to disparage anyone.)

Richard Biggs vs. Alexander Siddig
I recall the "quack like a duck" line during his examination of Garibaldi. Both actors were embarrassed. I realize the line was supposed to be funny and wasn't, but I can't imagine Sid wouldn't have done something to infuse life into it. Sadly, Richard Biggs died much too young and it's impossible to say what kind of an actor he might have become, but when it came to humor, he wasn't in Sid's class back then.

Mira Fulan vs. Terry Farrell
OK, I'll concede this one.

I could go on, but there were fine actors on both shows. I know Peter Jurasik is a close friend of both Rene and Andy Robinson. I object to Deep Space Nine being dismissed because J. Michael Straczynski made a pitch to Paramount that was turned down. He did not invent and does not own the concept of a space station by a wormhole. I'm not saying Babylon 5 does not deserve to be number 5 on the list of the greatest science fiction shows, but the exclusion of Deep Space Nine is wrong.

Carol

Mira Fulan better than Terry Farrel? NO WAY! D:


Stargate: SG-1 is a pretty good show. I watched it not for the science (it was just plain SILLY sometimes) but for the relationships. Jack and Sam. There was a lot of emotion to it all, but they cut the feeling of family formed by killing off Danny, then replacing him, then bringing him back. BUT BETTER THAN VOYAGER?! No way.

If you ask most of the teenagers and young adults of Australia... we'd never have heard of half of those. And the ones we have heard of... are cheeseball. (3rd rock from the sun?!)

If younger people made that list... it would have been shorter. But then... I guess Australia only gets certain American shows. We don't have millions of cable channels. And I don't even have cable. So that's ABC, SBS, Nine Network, Ten Network and Seven Network. That's my TV ration.

I agree with everyone who says DS9 deserves to be on the list. I don't care what people say about Babylon 5. They're different. And DS9 is fantastic.

If you look at how many of those are Black And White. Doesn't that say something about the amount of Sci-Fi being produced today? I don't see any real true Sci-fi on TV. There's Lost. That's about it. It's all Medical Soap Operas and World's Blankiest Blanks (to quote from Futurama.)

Maybe it's just a personal thing, but if the Jetsons gets in there, I think the TV Show LEXX ought to have to.