Best recent space opera tv show?
3 minutes in and Firefly is in the lead, no surprise really. Lots of Browncoats left in the 'verse I see.
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Firefly, no doubt.....Andromeda was kinda cool too.
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I've never seen any of those shows except for Star Trek Voyager & Next generation, loved em both.
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Blah firefly is winning? it's not a space opera, it's a space western.
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One of the keystones of the space opera subgenre is having "romantic adventure set against the backdrop of space".Fairly sure Firefly has that in spades;).
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I don't see anything I like. So I will just randomly pick something.
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The biggest crime in modern TV era is that Firefly was discontinued!
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At least, unlike tons of others TV shows, they let them finish.
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Cowboy bebop? i dont know i am not into this genre :D
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BSG re-imaged. Because it didn't go and die on me after a season cough firefly cough. Two by two, hands of blue....
Though Caprica did. </3
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Caprica was one of the biggest disappointments of recent SF tv, although since it was just a massive circle-jerk/thank you to Ron Moore for giving them BSG I am not sure I should have expected differently.
Diggin' the avatar too.
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That and spin-offs from shows with substantial plot arcs are always a challenge, failing more often than not. I think they also compromised profitability by ending Caprica in such an abrupt manner. A strong finish to the first season would have not only significantly improved sales for the series, but likely avoided some negative consumer sentiment toward BSG.itself
And thanks! ~Grab your sword and fight the horde ;)
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I really, really wanted Blood and Chrome to happen. A series based on the actual Cylon War has been something I wanted to see since, well, not even halfway through the first series.
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Overall, I'd say Babylon 5, but the more recent one is Firefly. And the 'recent' part is telling, how long it's been since we got anything space opera on TV (and actually good).
Also Firefly is the closest thing we will ever get to a live-action Star Wars TV show.
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Live-action only limits the choices really. Well, if we're allowed to go back far enough in time, I'd throw in a vote for Blake's 7.
You're also missing Andromeda from the poll ;)
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I'm just confused by the word "recently". The original BSG was not recent. Recently I would consider the last 5, maybe 10 years.
As much as I like Firefly, it was not a Space Opera, it was a Space Western as mentioned, though I suppose you could argue it had a grander idea in mind, but just didn't get a chance to show it.. Red Dwarf is also not a Space Opera, its a Space Comedy.
The others on the list, I can agree to them being in a Space Opera style.
Stargate Universe is one that should have been on the list, it was more recent then all the others. There is also Blakes 7, Lexx and Andromeda.
But out of the choices I have up there. Firefly, Red Dwarf, Farscape and Babylon 5 are all tied for number 1 in my book. But if I have to select one... well I just have to select Firefly.
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I included the original BSG because I figured some people might quibble over having the (imo vastly superior) re-imagining and not the source material.
I have to disagree with you about Firefly and Red Dwarf. Both exhibit characteristics of a space opera, and I am using the term loosely, not as a hardline genre specification anyhow. All of the shows on this list could qualify as other types of SF (BSG and B5 are also Military SF, a distinct subgenre of its own, for instance) but I wanted to offer a wide range of possibilities. Ever since its inception Firefly has been identified as part of that genre, and RD is clearly a loving send-up and parody of space operas.
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Firefly beats EVERYTHING. Joss Whedon rules FOREVER. Saddens me to see, though, that the steaming pile of shit that is Battlestar Galatica is second place in the votes...
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"Steaming pile of shit"? Wow, why so much hatred for that series?
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Badly acted, badly directed, with boring and uninteresting characters for whom I didn't give a fuck about...take your pick! But its worst sin was that it tried to transcend the formula, to have a theme different than it's apparent one, different from its main subject. It tried to be a military drama about people and their lives, not actually a space opera with a war in it. The same thing that House M.D.(NOT a show about medicine). Breaking Bad(NOT a show about dealing crystal meth), Dexter(NOT a show about murder) or The Walking Dead(NOT a show about zombies) did soooooo much better.
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It's interesting because I found Dexter execrable cliche, and boring, stopped caring about TWD after it veered too much from the graphic novels, and have absolutely no interest in House or BB, yet thoroughly enjoyed BSG. I didn't find the acting all that terrible, but I didn't expect that much either, and I personally loved the characters, particularly Adama, Chief Tyrol, Tigh, and President Roslin. The rest of them had their moments but rarely carried it off as well. I will say that the best seasons were 1 and 2 and that halfway through 3 Moore and Co. really lost their way. I still like it overall, on the whole.
For the record, my favorite show of all time is The Wire, and imo nothing else can come close, so when judging other shows, particularly genre shows, I have different criteria.
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House M.D is the best live action series of any kind ever put on the small screen. And Breaking Bad is definitely there in the top 10 and is in no way undeserving of its hype. Try them. And yeah, both Dexter and TWD are a lot less awesome, but still miles ahead of BSG.
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DS9
LoGH would have been other choice only truly epic space opera...
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Star Trek TNG will always have a special place in my heart, probably because I grew up with it, also Picard > Kirk.
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Total agreement. For me it goes Sisko≥Picard>ST:TOS Movies Kirk>Janeway>Scott Bakula:P>Nu-Trek Kirk
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Farscape was great the first couple of seasons, but then it just seemed to drag on and on and on...Bondage-face barely made up for the later seasons.
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Haha,wonder what ole Scorpy would make of that nickname:) I am actually re-watching the show and am a quarter into season 1, it's great to revisit this group of disparate beings again. Sometimes, though, I get exasperated watching them struggle to just accept each other because a lot of their decisions seem illogical and unrealistic. That's just because I remember how things evolved. Second time through the series and I'm sure I'll watch it again years from now.
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I'm with you.
Haven't seen the new season yet (a few years ago i think)
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I know, right?Well you're aware, perhaps, that potentially Strazinski(sp) is working on a movie reboot. Frankly I'd rather see further stories in the setting rather than a revamp.
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Boy, I don't think I like the idea of a movie reboot. But its also been too long to try and make some kind of sequel, either for TV or movies.
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Unfortunately yes. I would have been very interested in seeing what becomes of the known galaxy a decade and more hence.
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I've never seen Firefly, is it really that great? Also, how many episodes does it have and is the end satisfying?
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There are sadly only 13 episodes. And while the TV series didn't have an actual ending, they did get a movie called Serenity which did leave things open, but also wrapped them up in a nice way. I love the movie cause its really good but I hate it in that there are a couple of things in it that happen that I don't want to mention because they are spoilers.
Favorite Quote from the movie:
Hoban 'Wash' Washburn: This landing is gonna get pretty interesting.
Capt. Malcolm Reynolds: Define "interesting".
Hoban 'Wash' Washburn: [deadpan] Oh God, oh God, we're all going to die?
Favorite Quote from the show:
When you see the hat, you will know why this quote is very funny. :)
Hoban 'Wash' Washburne: Man walks down the street in that hat, people know he's not afraid of anything.
There was also...
Book just shoots a man in the knee...
Zoë: Preacher, don't the Bible have some pretty specific things to say about killin'?
Book: Quite specific. It is, however, somewhat fuzzier on the subject of kneecaps.
And make sure you watch it in order, part of what killed the show was that Fox put the second episode first, then showed the first episode, so it confused a lot of people.
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Great answer, thank you! I am now intrigued, and it's also a short series and a movie so it won't be a huge investment of time. It's pretty stupid that Fox aired the second episode first though...
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Firefly was a lot more frustrating until they made the movie. Also, there were a couple of un-aired episodes that are available with the DVD (and probably via streaming services as well). So, the season, plus the un-aired episodes, plus the movie make for a great bit of entertainment. Reasonable time investment and lots of pleasure.
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Oh right, keep forgetting about those and I have the DVDs lol. Ya get the DVDs, watch them, enjoy them, make sure you see the movie. :)
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I was just thinking of another hilarious exchange:
Jayne: Six men came to kill me one time. And the best of 'em carried this. It's a Callahan full-bore auto-lock. Customized trigger, double cartridge thorough gauge. It is my very favorite gun.
[he holds the gun out to Mal]
Mal: [exclaims in Chinese] You offering me a trade?
Jayne: A trade? Hell, it's theft. This the best gun made by man. It has extreme sentimental value. It's miles more worthy 'n what you got!
Mal: What I got? She has a name.
Jayne: So does this. I call it Vera.
Mal: Well, my days of not takin' ya seriously are certainly comin' to a middle.
"
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Firefly gets a lot of love because it was short enough to leave everyone wanting more. The rest of them had time for full story arcs and conclusions. Including Firefly is almost unfair.
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I love the show, but it's hardly my favorite out of these choices. It's got a huge cult following but so do the rest, and BSG is a lot more recent and has a deeper resonance across cultures. I know of more non-Americans who prefer Farscape to most of these shows, so maybe that's just who I happen to communicate with more often.
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Oh, I love Firely, but that's mostly because its a great, short series. Its easy to rewatch the series. But I'm a huge fan of Babylon 5 and Farscape. Rewatching both of those series is a commitment, and its something I do pretty much every year (alternating years).
Watching the first season of B5 is pretty rough, though. That was in the very early days of CGI (especially for TV), so the effects are cringe-inducing. But the story-telling is still solid. It gets much, much better in season 2 with Bruce Boxleitner and better CGI.
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Firefly would have just gotten better with more episodes... the cast really clicked well and Joss kept too much sci-fi out of it. Its often described as a western in space. No Aliens... just mankind branching out into the 'verse. Some areas are very civilized and others not so much. due to the nature of how short it was I think Joss really abbreviated the storyline just to bridge some things up through comics etc. This could have been amazing had it all had a chance to really play out.
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I'm still hoping for a fucking reboot, although I'm fully aware it'll NEVER happen. Maybe with Billy Burke as Malcom Reynolds?And...Victoria Pratt as Zoe, Eliza Dushku as Inara, J. August Richards as Wash, Jesse Spencer as Simon, two younger and talented upcoming actresses as River and Kaylee(whom I can't really think of now) and..for ultimate star power, Tyler Perry as Shepherd Book and The motherfucking Rock as Jayne...That'd be...AWESOME!!!! Sigh....I can dream, can't I? Hell,get to it, Fox!!!! You've already caused us enough harm when you canceled this show...bunch of a-holes.
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Are you trolling? Tyler Perry as Book and the fucking Rock as Jayne?
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Well, you could consider it trolling on my part, since the said reboot will NEVER happen, but if it were to happen(but it won't) I was pretty serious about the casting choices. Gone Girl has proved, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that Tyler Perry can act, really well, I might add. When he's not in another fucking stupid Madea movie, that is. And how could The Rock not be a great choice for Jayne? He's big, funny and has buckets of charisma. Plus, he's a pretty good actor. Have you seen Snitch? He killed it in that movie. Sadly, it won't happen.
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I cannot take "the rock" seriously, at all, I find his acting laughable at best and cringe-inducing at worst.
I haven't seen Gone Girl so I can't speak to that, but Tyler Perry as Shepard Book just feels wrong to me Furthermore...
No one but Nathan Fillion can or should play Mal. Same goes for the rest of these people, much of the reason the show is so amazing has to do with the fantastic casting choices.
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I respect your opinion on Dwayne Johnson, even though I highly disagree with it, but all the rest you said is BULLSHIT. I love Nathan Fillion, I really do, guy's fucking awesome and I honestly don't go a week without seeing Castle, but NO ONE is irreplaceable.Sure the acting is top notch, but these are actors playing parts, they didn't actually become their characters, so it's pretty safe to assume other people could play them just as well.. Also, bad-ass space cow-boy/outlaw...didn't start with Malcom Reynolds. Harrison Ford was barely 4th in line to play Han Solo. Would Star Wars have been any less awesome if someone else would have played him? Highly doubt it. What made Firefly truly awesome was the IDEA, the main premise of the show and that can be taken and re-put on screen and, with good actors, it can most definitely shine again. Because it was created by Joss Whedon and the guy's a fucking genius when it comes to making new IPs.
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- Star Trek: The Next Generation
- Star Trek
- Star Trek: Voyager
- Babylon 5
- Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
- Enterprise
- Firefly
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Based on what little I know of you I find this list somewhat surprising. Care to elaborate on the reasons?:) If not, or if you'd prefer to do so privately via steam pm, it's all good.
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- Star Treks humanist message is best represented in TNG.
- Humanist message. But some flaws, for example discriminatory presentation of women. Acting is sometimes cheesy, production value low compared to modern tv series.
- Said message watered down.
- I have to admit I've just begun to watch Babylon 5, I'm about 2/3 into the first season. Very promising so far, good writing, fleshed out background setting.
- Strays too far away from previous Star Trek series, I'm missing the underlying utopian message of the original Trek. Otherwise it's quite good, I would probably like DS9 far more if it wasn't "Star Trek".
- They killed Star Trek by trying to "modernize" it. Not the worst Sci-Fi series but doesn't work for me as Trek.
- Western with spaceships? Sure, why not. Could have become a really good series if Fox hadn't cancelled it after only one season.
As for the other options in your poll:
Battlestar Galactica (new): Religious mumbo-jumbo, story makes no sense whatsoever. Sucks.
Battlestar Galactica (old): Never watched it and if it's anything like the remake I don't want to .
Farscape: Never watched it but I intend to.
Red Dwarf: Comedy sitcoms like this one have never been one of my favourite genres.
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'"Strays too far away from previous Star Trek series, I'm missing the underlying utopian message of the original Trek. Otherwise it's quite good, I would probably like DS9 far more if it wasn't "Star Trek". ' At one time I placed TNG higher on my list for the same reason. As I grew older I found myself relating to DS9 more and more. I also thought the writing and acting were a lot better and that does play into my decision.
I hope you continue to enjoy B5, it's an excellent show.
" Battlestar Galactica (new): Religious mumbo-jumbo, story makes no sense whatsoever. Sucks." I can sort of agree, although there have been numerous essays written on the theology, atheism, and humanism of BSG. It's also one of the most socially relevant shows of our age. Say what you might about the UN, I thought this proved the value of the show to naysayers:http://io9.com/5173862/the-night-battlestar-galactica-took-over-the-un.
Frankly speaking, shows like BSG made it possible for shows that are currently on the air and touted as being socially relevant to get traction. Just like DS9 was one of the first shows in history to use long plot arcs to tell its story. SF has often paved the way in all aspects of media.
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This is for live action shows only, intentionally.
My personal choices are always changing, but my top five fluctuate between DS9, B5, BSG, Firefly, and Farscape.
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