The Sci-Fi Fanatic BIG 5: Science Fiction Franchises

In this short life of ours, no matter what science fiction has to offer and throw my way, this writer tends to have his go to series that he enjoys returning to time and again.



Some science fiction concepts, stories, ideas come and go never to register in the synapses again, but there are those that are faithfully returned to as some of the best science fiction comfort food a man or woman could wish for.

The concept of exploration is key and never grows old. Many of these franchise properties have that variable in common.



This is my personal Sci-Fi Fanatic BIG 5: Science Fiction Franchises or properties that seem to have a life of their own and continue to provide enjoyment to me years after they completed their runs as evidenced here at Musings Of A Sci-Fi Fanatic.




1. Star Trek. The most obvious choice for a science fiction fan. The franchise for Star Trek is like Star Wars in terms of abundance. There is just no shortage of material. ST: TOS (1966-1969). ST: TAS (1973-1974). ST:TNG (1987-1994). ST:DS9 (1993-1999). ST: Voyager (1995-2001). ST: Enterprise (2001-2005). ST: Discovery (2017-present). ST: Picard (2020-present).



Like Star Wars, it's fairly relentless and yet in terms of story quality, particularly at this point, Star Trek is head and shoulders above Star Wars for this writer.



Take your pick in terms of television runs and there is plenty for the franchise fan. Star Trek is currently clocking in at eight (8) official TV series. Gene Roddenberry's vision seems infinitely interesting. Sadly, the world of George Lucas has become a rather messy spectacle.



2. Battlestar Galactica. I can't be alone in this camp, but the two TV versions of Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979; 2003-2009) remain treasures. I love them both for very different reasons. One is filled with inspiration and hope, while the other is more often pessimistic, brutal and internally grim when it comes to the human heart. Yet the Glen A Larson original and the Ronald D. Moore reimagining both have their moments of despair and hope.

Without the original we wouldn't have had Moore's work which is important, but without Moore we might not have had this wonderful franchise that makes this list.



Meanwhile, Caprica (2010) and Battlestar Galactica: Blood And Chrome (2012) are good, while not as memorable, but it's time for a return. The books and comic books are excellent as well. Still, I'm ready for a new series or that much fabled, heralded would be film that always seems to be shelved.



Did I mention Galactica 1980 (1980)? OK, maybe that was intentional.

3. Stargate. Ten seasons of the original series, Stargate SG-1 (1997-2007), based on the Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich film coupled with a solid adventure spin-off in Stargate Atlantis (2004-2009) and capped off by the darker, more atmospheric and even cerebral Stargate Universe (2009-2011), this is a property that just got better and better.



There are no shortage of books and comic books to worm your way through either.



4. Space:1999. Just two seasons (1975-1977) of stimulating mind-fucking sci-fi greatness and then nothing. What a shame. But the series has endured and lived on in the form of some wonderfully creative book stories (Powys Media) that any fan of the original series would want to pick up and have on their book shelf resting next to their run of The Expanse. There are some great comic books to seek out there as well.



Alongside Battlestar Galactica the franchise continues to deliver some of the greatest toy collectibles on the market to boot. The Gerry Anderson classic has also been in the mix for a TV remake, but that Eagle has yet to lift off. Nevertheless, when it comes to those Gerry Anderson/ Brian Johnson designs and the series production work it's tough to mess with perfection.



5. Gatchaman/ Battle Of The Planets. The original Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (1972-1974) was one of the best in anime. Simple in its focus, but executed with seeminly uncompromising artistic perfection. The Japanese super hero team adapted from American superhero concepts was then adapted in the USA for Battle Of The Planets (1978-1980).



Gatchaman II (1978-1979)and Gatchaman Fighter (aka Gatchaman F) (1979-1980) followed. A Japanese live action film (2013) was made. Others have been announced and dropped. A reimagined anime OVA (1994) was created from the property. Gold Key comic books (1979-1980) happened. Still, I'm waiting for something as good as the Top Cow comic books (2002-2003) in live action or animation form again. This one remains my dream. Keep dreaming right? Thus it fills my number five spot.



Common variables within these series that draw me back to them beyond the characters is their ship and production designs. Each and every one of these is a feast for the eyes. Space:1999 and Battlestar Galactica may be at the top in this area for me. Science Ninja Team Gatchaman is a close second along with SGU.



This writer wishes he could have included Thunderbirds for its design work and Irwin Allen's Lost In Space. Sadly, the original series of the latter property is the only one that matters and counts for this fan of science fiction. All other iterations including the Netflix series simply pale in comparison. Yet all of the other franchises continue to create varied series or books that remain relevant and stimulating in terms of science fiction adventure.



If I had to choose a franchise ready for reintroduction Space:1999 would be at the top. But I'm just as ready for some more Battlestar Galactica or even another animated Battle Of The Planets. In the meantime, these remain the five best for this writer thus far. G-Force!

The Sci-Fi Fanatic BIG 3: Current Sci-Fi TV Series

It's been two years almost to the day since our last BIG 10 list. It was time. Instead, I've focused on the three essentials. A recent viewing of Season Five and Six of The 100 inspired me to record here at Musings Of A Sci-Fi Fanatic the three (3) very best, most compelling science fiction series currently on television as of this writing.




The Sci-Fi Fanatic BIG 3 Science Fiction TV Series right now (superhero, superhero comedy and zombie garbage excluded) are:





3. The 100. 6 Seasons+. Renewed for a 7th and final season.

The 100 is endlessly engaging and overly dramatic to be sure.

What one simply has to accept is how willing the writers are to have characters switch loyalties or betray friends on a dime even within a single episode maybe twice or even thrice. There are more twists than a game of Twister.



Still, the series is all about alliances, agendas and choices made and the consequences that result from those choices. It's a miracle anyone gets along but they don't really. Shots are constantly fired to stir more conflict and drama than you can shake a stick at.

One of the great aspects of any science fiction is less the monsters around us than the monsters within us and this show is all about the inner demons of its characters. External pressures merely bring out the best and worst in all of them. There is no shortage of violence or weapons and there is no rest for the wicked.



It may be post-apocalyptic survival insanity as men and women devolve into sickness even madness, but it's relentless and a hell of a lot of fun to watch despite the occasional eye rolls in logic. It mostly works as crazy as The 100 tends to be.

The young adult cast is generally sensational and fully committed to and invested in telling this story based on the books by Kass Morgan.

Apart from what this writer thought was a dip in quality for Season Three, the series quickly righted the ship (I'm so glad after a few years off I returned to this show) and the series continues to go from strength to strength with a heavy accent on some great science fiction tropes along the way.

Sticking with it to see the Murphy character sing to The Waterboys' This Is The Sea was a cherry on top.




2. Star Trek: Discovery. 2 Seasons+. Renewed for a 3rd season.

Star Trek: Discovery weaves the mythology of the classic series into a more compelling, even exciting dramatic weave seamlessly moving between interesting characters and a long form season story arc.

It builds and builds and keeps things surprising throughout. The sometimes unnecessary overt politics of today's writers have yet to creep into the series so I'm still optimistic as any Star Trek fan should be (American Gods was going to make this list but like Homeland that Season Two just had to go there) that this aspect will not corrupt the series.

This was truly a surprise for the long-running franchise. A sensational cast with adventurous writing has yielded quite a discovery indeed.




1. The Expanse. 4 Seasons+ (3 seasons with SyFy; picked up by Amazon for the 4th). Renewed for a 5th season.

Based on a long-running book series by James S.A. Corey (Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) this is literary science fiction at its finest. The long form storytelling is reminiscent of the kind of ongoing story intelligence penned by J. Michael Straczynski for Babylon 5 (1993-1998) but a whole lot more exciting.



The effects work here is far superior of course. The story is rich and filled with depth thanks to the source material and is also filled with an unexpected freshness and originality. Its nearly impossible to predict the direction of the show unless you've actually read those wonderful books, which the series generally adheres quite firmly to.

The Expanse takes us into outer space and is a compelling yarn about the evolution of humankind into the void despite its seeming inability to escape its own dark side and its devastating mistakes.

It is an epic sci-fi adventure with a limitless cast of fascinating characters.



And that's it folks. I've checked out others. Superheroes and zombies generally bore me though The Boys (Amazon Prime) was intriguing. Dark (Netflix) was atmospheric time travel and held some promise, but was ultimately unsatisfying.

A BIG 10 minus 7= a BIG 3. I knew that school math would come in handy.

These are undeniably The Sci-Fi Fanatic's current favorites. 

The Sci-Fi Fanatic BIG 10: Science Fiction TV Shows

"Because you demanded it!" -Marvel's Stan Lee-

OK. You actually didn't demand it, but I bring you The Sci-Fi Fanatic's BIG 10 Sci-Fi TV Shows anyway.





These favorites are based solely on my love for the genre and personal taste. These lists are always debatable and many of the shows that did not make my list are arguably classic or influential or considered far superior to those placed in my Top 10.



But, these are the ten shows I love. They are the ten series this writer watches repeatedly for a host of reasons. In my book, the creators behind these shows got their vision right. They nailed their world-building. And the shows are infinitely re-watchable as a result of capturing all of the right elements at once including cast, chemistry and writing.

Without further adieu the ten best science fiction TV shows according to The Sci-Fi Fanatic are:

10. Stargate SG-1/Stargate Atlantis.


9. Battlestar Galactica (Classic).


8. The X-Files.


7. Farscape.


6. Firefly.


5. The Expanse.


4. Stargate Universe.


3. Space:1999.


2. Battlestar Galactica (Reimagined).


1. Star Trek: The Original Series.


So, those are the big ones for me. Interesting that I eschew the comedic in favor of the more seriously toned series. And while I have them listed by number I'm not entirely sure any of them fall necessarily in that order. In other words, they are easily interchangeable. Sadly of those series only Stargate SG-1 is unavailable on Blu-Ray. Space:1999 is also partially unavailable as Year Two never saw a Blu-Ray release stateside.



Here are a good number of series enjoyed for various reasons some of which could make the Top 10 if I had more room. There are aspects to these series that knocked them out of the running for me. That's not to say that my ten picks are perfect or without their flaws either. Notable mentions go to the following:



11. Star Trek: The Next Generation.
12. Colony.
13. Lost In Space.
14. Land Of The Lost.
15. Battle Of The Planets.



16. The Incredible Hulk.
17. Buck Rogers In The 25th Century.
18. Star Trek: Enterprise.
19. Doctor Who.
20. Bionic Woman/The Six Million Dollar Man.

The Sci-Fi Fanatic BIG 10: Cancelled Sci-Fi TV Series

"Good shows are cancelled every year, smart shows, worthy shows."

-Josh Friedman, SciFiNow #46, p.101-

Oh cancelled series, where for art thou? Friedman's line is sobering when it comes to the plethora of cancelled series. His point warranted a wistful look back at the best.



What qualifies for a cancelled show that was worthy and smart? I suppose the variables in play make it relative to a degree. But there are obvious important factors like writing, performance and direction. We aim to highlight the best of cancelled science fiction television.



Obviously a single season can be tragic.

Two seasons feels downright cold and not much better.

Three seasons, while certainly respectable, will cause some eyebrows to wince that it may have received the short-shrift.



Four seasons seems a mighty success, but there have been plenty out there whereby fans thought they had the potential to endure a bit more. Farscape or Enterprise anyone? As it stands those recipients of four seasons will not be considered here. Oh, put your crying towels away.

And five seasons plus, well, that's likely for the spoiled fans of The X-Files, Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. That's kind of a special category. Do they really have any right to bemoan the loss at all? Well, sure, but who's really listening at that point.



But for the sake of common sense it would seem to me that a series that reaches four seasons or more, relatively speaking, would be considered an unmitigated success story given how difficult it is to bring a pilot to order at all.

Enterprise, The 4400, Farscape, Stargate Atlantis, Falling Skies, Fringe, Battlestar Galactica, Lexx, Sanctuary, Continuum. I mean, you've done good kid. It was nice knowing you.



And without further adieu here are some of TVs cancelled science fiction series and their respective cancellation dates and episode numbers. This is clearly not a complete list. Series highlighted in blue note The Sci-Fi Fanatic BIG 10 Cancelled Sci-Fi TV Series for those series we wish endured longer TV histories.

ONE SEASON

Firefly (2002; 14 episodes).


Strange World (1999-2002; 13 episodes).


Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979; 24 episodes).


Defying Gravity (2009; 13 episodes).


Flashforward (2009-1010; 22 episodes).


Life On Mars (2008-2009; 17 episodes).


Invasion (2005-2006; 22 episodes).


Threshold (2005-2006; 13 episodes).


Surface (2005-2006; 15 episodes).


Alien Nation (1989-1990; 22 episodes).


Caprica (2010; 19 episodes).


Eleventh Hour (2008-2009; 18 episodes).


Dark Skies (1996-1997; 20 episodes).


Earth 2 (1994-1995; 22 episodes).


The Event (2010-2011; 22 episodes).



Harsh Realm (2009-2010; 9 episodes).


Odyssey 5 (2002; 19 episodes).


Starman (1986-1987; 22 episodes).


Planet Of The Apes (1974; 14 episodes).


UFO (1970-1971; 26 episodes).


Space: Above And Beyond (1995-1996; 23 episodes).


Terra Nova (2011; 13 episodes).


The Lone Gunmen (2001; 13 episodes).


Almost Human (2013-2014; 13 episodes).


Minority Report (2015; 10 episodes).


Charlie Jade (2005; 20 episodes).


TWO SEASONS

Space:1999 (1975-1977; 48 episodes).


Stargate Universe (2009-2011; 40 episodes).


Helix (2014-2015; 26 episodes).



Jericho (2006-2008; 29 episodes).


Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008-2009; 31 episodes).


Dollhouse (2009-2010; 26 episodes).


Thunderbirds (1965-1966; 32 episodes).


V (2009-2011; 22 episodes).


THREE SEASONS

Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1968; 79 episodes).


Defiance (2013-2015; 38 episodes).


Land Of The Lost (1974-1976; 43 episodes).


The Bionic Woman (1976-1978; 58 episodes).


Lost In Space (1965-1968; 83 episodes).


Seaquest DSV (1993-1996; 59 episodes).


Wonder Woman (1975-1979; 60 episodes).


Millennium (1996-1999; 67 episodes).

 

You might be wondering why this writer chose not to select ST:TOS. But, as it exists, that classic series attained perfection for me. It was also created at a time when broadcasting provided a very generous episode count. And hasn't Star Trek endured just fine as it exists? Lost In Space kind of had its chance too and it made more than enough mistakes. One could even argue it was fortunate to go three years.



Equally, one could argue a few others did just fine for their era. Lost In Space, Wonder Woman and The Bionic Woman did fine. But I could never get enough of Land Of The Lost. Maybe one more would have been nice.

Though I've provided ten highlighted in blue, there are a few others that might have proved interesting like Threshold, Surface, Defiance (though the third season gave me mixed emotions) and Life On Mars. Oh well.

The series selected in blue are in keeping with this science fiction fan's desire to see the universe in play explored to a greater degree. This writer would have enjoyed seeing where the story, characters or mythology would have taken us. Those are essentially the variables in play for me regarding my choices.



And boy, is this writer ever so pleased that The 100 (2014-present), with its fourth season renewal does not make this hit list. The Superhero-dominant CW continues to have faith in The 100, its one, true, solid, shining, science fiction property and entertainment. Good, smart, worthy series can get picked up. It does happen.

My hope is that the same holds true for Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan's The Strain (2014-present) now in its third season, but planned for five, and The Expanse (2015-present) set to arrive with Season Two. Only time, and viewership, will tell.

 

Whoa Nelly!

Not exactly the most lethal or accurate of weapons now that I think about it. I'm not sure that's going to cut the mustard. We're going to have to do better. But hey, as a kid, you had my attention and the stories are still good!

Me want more Chaka too!