Sci-Fi Anyone?

[DaFlaminUnicorn]

I love sci-fi. Especially Doctor Who, Supernatural, and Sherlock (Superwholock). I also love Star Wars, Star Trek (enterprise, original, and next gen), Firefly, Grimm, and Heroes (although at the end I wasn't quite sure). oh and harry potter. I like all of these shows/movies and more. I don't like game of thrones mainly because of all of the sex in it and I don't really care for merlin because I watched merlin and merlin's apprentice with Sam Niel and loved them. anything else really just doesn't compare to those movies. Anyway, does anyone else like these shows? If so:

1. What are your favorite episodes?
2. Who are your fav characters?
3. Which characters do you ship?
4. Which show is your favorite (if you can decide)?
5. What do you like best about them?
6. Any thoughts, likes, dislikes about them?

As for me;
1. Supernatural: S4, Ep 1: Lazarus Rising, S5, Ep 8: Changing Channels. Dr. Who: S1,Ep 10: The Doctor Dances, S2, Ep 9: Love and Monsters, S3, Ep 9: Don't Blink, S5, Ep 8: Vincent and the Doctor, S7, Ep 6: The angels take manhatten, S7, Ep 9 or 10: Hide. Sherlock: S2 Ep 2: The Hounds of Baskerville. Firefly: Ep 7: Janestown.

2. Supernatural: Castiel (he's really cute and innocent. and funny.) Dr. Who: Rose, The Doctor, River, Amy, Rory. Sherlock: Sherlock, Molly, Greg, Anderson (season 3). Firefly: Jane, Mal, Wash, Kaylee, river, Simon, lol everyone. Grimm: Monroe. Star Wars: Luke. Star Trek: Spock (original) Archer, T'pol (enterprise) Data, Wesley, (next gen), Harry Potter: Luna, Lupin, Harry, Fred and George.

3. Supernatural: nope. Dr. Who: 10/rose. Sherlock: I had originally shipped Sherlolly (Sherlock/Molly) but then she got married to a guy exactly like him so yea. Firefly: Kaylee/Simon and Mal/Inara. Sar Wars: Han/Leia (of course) Star Trek: Archer/T'pol. Harry Potter: Ron/Hermione, Harry/Jenny, Luna/Neville.

4. Superwholock (all three of supernatural, dr. who, and Sherlock)

5.I love how each show teaches us different traits such as love, compassion, trust, courage, and bravery. I also love the storylines and suspense.

6. I didn't like how in Sherlock they made him have sort of a thing between Irene Adler and Sherlock. although I suppose that was A.C.D's original plan. I hate how like it obviously states that john is straight but people in the show and out think he is gay. (no offense but it kind of bothers me) I HATED it when they !!!SPOILERS!!! (duh!) Killed Rory and amy. and that's pretty much it. except for all the pain sam and dean have to go through. it's heart renching and I wish that the writers could give them a little slack.

 

[Mythopoet]

I don't really watch any tv anymore but I'm a fan a several sci-fi series.

Firefly will always be tantalizing in its short lived perfection. (Though I found the movie, Serenity, disappointing, I don't blame anyone for that. The series was clearly meant to be much more than that, and they did they best they could.)

I am a fan of Star Trek:TSO. Yes, I'm a Kirk girl all the way. He's so much better than Picard. (Something my husband and I argue about often.) Deep Space Nine was also pretty good, certainly better than Next Gen.

Farscape is a fantastic sci fi series that doesn't get nearly enough recognition. It begins with an astronaut accidentally transported across the universe in a wormhole and ends with that same astronauts and his various alien allies trying to stop an immense interstellar war. The characters are really unique and varied and awesome. I highly recommend it to anyone.

Cowboy Bebop, if you don't mind animation, is also an amazing sci fi series centering around a small group of "Cowboys" or bounty hunters who travel around the solar system in the ship Bebop. It's a show with very interesting, subtle worldbuilding and truly great characterization as well as the best soundtrack ever.

But perhaps the best sci fi series of all time was Babylon 5. Five amazing seasons of just the best storytelling in sci fi tv ever. It starts a little slow, but the story is truly epic involving huge cosmic forces in conflict, moral issues stemming from the rise of telepaths in the human population, political intrigue and conflict on Earth that almost becomes a true dystopian nightmare, interestingly developed alien races and moral issues of xenophobia, and so much more. I just couldn't describe how awesome it is. Everyone who loves sci fi should watch it all.

 

[Steerpike]

I like science fiction a lot. I don't think Supernatural or Grimm even come close to qualifying as science fiction, however. Nor does Dr. Who (though it is closer than the other two). Not to derail the thread, hopefully, but as an aside, how do you figure Supernatural as science fiction?

Firefly was a great show. I'm just wrapping up Star Gate: Atlantis, which I also liked. I've been a fan of Star Trek since I was a kid, and I like all of the televisions series to one degree or another.

 

[Smith]

Star Trek: Archer/T'pol.

I've got to say it's fantastic to feel the Enterprise love! This isn't my pairing, but it makes a hell of a lot more sense to me than the canon pairing. Enterprise is my main fandom, and the only one I read and write. My favourite character in the show (and indeed ever at this point) is Malcolm Reed, and my favourite episodes are Shuttlepod One, Silent Enemy, Singularity, Minefield, Dead Stop, Harbinger, Proving Ground and Affliction/Divergence, but I love most of them. I ship Archer/Reed. I also grew up watching the other Treks and they'll always be important to me.

Farscape is a fantastic sci fi series that doesn't get nearly enough recognition. It begins with an astronaut accidentally transported across the universe in a wormhole and ends with that same astronauts and his various alien allies trying to stop an immense interstellar war. The characters are really unique and varied and awesome. I highly recommend it to anyone.

Farscape is definitely one of my favourite television shows of all time, and certainly in the top two sci-fi shows. For pure entertainment value, it wins. The characters were interesting, varied and strong, and it was fantastical and amazing and a little bit nuts; I will always think of it fondly. Scorpius is probably my favourite villain from any story I've ever read, watched or played. He was the most brilliant and manipulative antagonist I've ever seen, and the moment of his downfall at the end of season three as he stands on the flooded steps in the command carrier is one of my favourite scenes in television history.

Stargate: Atlantis is my other great sci-fi TV love. I always struggled to get into SG-1 (though I found the last couple of seasons very entertaining), but I love everything about SGA. It died long before it should've. My favourite character was McKay, he was so flawed, but brilliant, and you could've help but love him. I'm really in need of a rewatch of this one.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

Looking over the OP's pretty extensive list, I think rather than "Sci-Fi," the more correct term you're shooting for is "speculative." It covers science fiction, fantasy, horror, and everything that falls in between.

Carry on.

 

[Steerpike]

Enterprise was a great show. I wish it had gone on longer. I liked T'Pol and Trip. I thought Archer was a horrible captain, for the most part. I don't mean Bakula's performance, or anything like that. I think he did a nice job. I just think Archer made a lot of boneheaded or downright stupid decisions, so that the character himself was a pretty poor captain. I also like Porthos

My favorite SG: Atlantis character was Dr. Weir, before they screwed that character up big time. I can't help but like Ronon, and I like Sheppard as well. I like McKay, but I felt like the writers were inconsistent with him. He was an arrogant jackass, and then things happen and he learns some humanity and humility, and then the next episode comes along and he's right back to just being an arrogant jackass again. That happened two or three times.

Farscape was great, I agree.

 

[Steerpike]

But perhaps the best sci fi series of all time was Babylon 5. Five amazing seasons of just the best storytelling in sci fi tv ever. It starts a little slow, but the story is truly epic involving huge cosmic forces in conflict, moral issues stemming from the rise of telepaths in the human population, political intrigue and conflict on Earth that almost becomes a true dystopian nightmare, interestingly developed alien races and moral issues of xenophobia, and so much more. I just couldn't describe how awesome it is. Everyone who loves sci fi should watch it all.

I haven't seen it. After I finish the last few episodes of Stargate: Atlantis, I'm either going to watch SG-1 or Babylon 5.

 

[Smith]

Enterprise was a great show. I wish it had gone on longer. I liked T'Pol and Trip. I thought Archer was a horrible captain, for the most part. I don't mean Bakula's performance, or anything like that. I think he did a nice job. I just think Archer made a lot of boneheaded or downright stupid decisions, so that the character himself was a pretty poor captain. I also like Porthos

This is true about Archer, but I think a big part of why I like him and the show is that it was believable, they were doing something for the first time and big mistakes were going to be made, and some of it was just in his nature, but he learned from it as he watched the impact his actions had on his crew (and on Earth). By season four, he was a completely different man. I love the growth of the characters in this show, I just wish they had even more of a chance to play with it, especially as Hoshi and Travis never really got their day to shine, and Malcolm could always use more. I got bored of the Big Three by the end, particularly Trip and T'Pol, but they were still good characters. Been meaning to rewatch this lately, too.

My favorite SG: Atlantis character was Dr. Weir, before they screwed that character up big time. I can't help but like Ronon, and I like Sheppard as well. I like McKay, but I felt like the writers were inconsistent with him. He was an arrogant jackass, and then things happen and he learns some humanity and humility, and then the next episode comes along and he's right back to just being an arrogant jackass again. That happened two or three times.

I'm right with you on Ronon and Sheppard. I felt the whole core cast was really solid, but I didn't much care for Weir. Don't really know why, I understand why other people like her. I liked Richard Woolsey a lot, though, he had some cool character growth.

 

[TWErvin2]

Of my favorite SF Series:

Firefly--favorite episode would be "The Message"
Favorite Character: Jayne

Stargate SG 1--favorite episode would be "The Lost City" Parts 1 and 2
Favorite Character: Col. Jack O'Neill

Babylon 5--favorite episode would be "Severed Dreams"
Favorite Character: Michael Garabaldi

Star Trek (TOS)--favorite episode would be "Balance of Terror"
Favorite Character: Scotty

I can't say that Star Trek (TNG) was really a favorite series of mine, but there were some good episodes. My favorite would is: "The Inner Light"
Favorite Character: I really didn't have one.

It's kind of late so I'll answer more of the questions in a subsequent post.

 

[CupofJoe]

Overlooked by many... I always liked S:AAB [Space: Above and Beyond]. It had breath and depth in the world it created and I think it could have gone a lot further with a bit more time. I also liked the fact that they had next to no budget so had to get creative...

 

[DaFlaminUnicorn]

I like science fiction a lot. I don't think Supernatural or Grimm even come close to qualifying as science fiction, however. Nor does Dr. Who (though it is closer than the other two). Not to derail the thread, hopefully, but as an aside, how do you figure Supernatural as science fiction?

Firefly was a great show. I'm just wrapping up Star Gate: Atlantis, which I also liked. I've been a fan of Star Trek since I was a kid, and I like all of the televisions series to one degree or another.

Dang it! i knew i left something out. I forgot StarGate! I love Stargate: SG-1 and I also love atlantis although sg-1 is better. I hate how !!!!SPOILERS!!!! (duh) they left Beckett with those machine things (its been forever since I've watched it) and they only found a clone of him and *growls* I just hate it.
As for Supernatural and Grimm, first of all they aren't horror specifically because the show isn't supposed to be scary nor (in my opinion) is it. it is rather creepy sometimes and violent. Also my definition of sci-fi consists of stories that couldn't happen in real life and could be explained by something scientific or if it could happen in real life they have a scientific explanation to why it hasn't yet or why we don't know about it. also they could have something to do with myths coming true which is what happens in Supernatural and Grimm. That is why I think they are Sci-fi. plus I didn't want to make another page just to talk about them and say that they are horror because they aren't. Also Dr. Who is obviously sci-fi. it has all of the classic Sci-fi qualifications: Aliens? Check. Spaceship? Check. Interesting story with a great main character that makes you cry? Check.

Also for Sg-1 fav episode: S4 Ep 6: Window of Oppurtunity. for atlantis: S3 Ep 4: Sateda.

 

[Gryphos]

I actually have never seen a full episode of Start Trek. It just completely passed me by.

Babylon 5, however, is my jam! That show had some amazing characters and arcs, my personal favourite being the relationship between Londo and G'kar.

Firefly is obviously also fantastic, with that same classic Joss Whedon humour that's made me watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer al the way through about a dozen times.

Doctor Who... used to be good. Seasons 1 through 4 were absolutely great. It had good plots and solid writing, with humour balanced well against plenty of wibbly emotional bits. Then they changed the main writer and everything went to absolute shit. Season 5 wasn't too terrible. It was still nowhere as good as any of the previous seasons, but the shitiness wasn't show-breaking for me. But from then on out the show just got worse and worse.

First off, the companions are bad. In this show, the relationship between the Doctor and his companion is vitally important. Rose in season 1 was great. The romantic relationship that developed was given time to grow and form. Martha in season 3 was also good. What was interesting about her was that, yes, she loved the Doctor, but she walked away, because she knew that was the best thing to do. That's a really great message and something you don't see often in stories. Dona in season 4 was my favourite, because most of all the companions she wasn't treated as an accessory to the Doctor. She wasn't remotely romantically interested in him, and that in itself gave her character room to act as a fully fleshed out person.

Now compare those with the more recent companions. Amy wanted to get into the Doctor's pants after like four episodes, with practically no build-up to her having any romantic desire for him whatsoever. And Clara, while not having that same problem, is just so annoying and 'quirky' (she makes soufflés, guys!).

The plots themselves also went way downhill. It's basically like...

"The Doctor's darkest hour."

"No, this is the Doctor's darkest hour."

"Wait, wait. We know we told you that was the Doctor's darkest hour, but THIS is really the Doctor's darkest hour."

"T H E D O C T O R ' S D A R K E S T H O U R."

They keep trying to build up to something (often to the expense of the individual episodes) and when they do try and make some kind of payoff it just falls flat, and doesn't answer the questions they set up in the first place!

And of course, that's not to mention the rampant plot holes and disregard for rules set up in previous seasons. A prime example is the desperately overused Weeping Angels. In their first episode in season 3, they were ****ing scary and deeply imaginative, and were defeated in a creative way, being made to look at each other so they can't ever move. Then later on, lol nope, we're going to have them constantly looking at each other, and have them in like every other episode. It's not like their novelty will wear off... right?

Sorry if this seemed a bit rangy, but it's something I'm passionate about. I used to love Doctor Who. I'd make time on Saturdays to watch it and make sure to catch the Christmas episodes, but now I honestly couldn't care less if I missed an episode. Which is a shame.

 

[Smith]

Gryphos, you said everything I feel about Moffat's control of the show. I really, really want Peter Capaldi's season to be epic and brilliant, but... I just know it'll be disappointing, again.

 

[DaFlaminUnicorn]

yea doctor who used to be really wonderful and happy as well as sorrowful and beautiful at the same time. Now its more sorrowful and angering. It used to be so happy.

 

[Nobby]

Babylon 5, I mean anyone who's seem the episode with g'Kar and Londo in the lift...brilliant story-telling, because the viewer liked both characters. Last series...not so much. Oh, and the Day of the dead one...class. Can't think who wrote that...

I have to disagree about the Doctor Who comments, I loved the original series, liked RTD's but prefered the Matt Smith Doctor over David Tennant, even thought they are both fantastic actors! Might be because I fell in love with Amy and Rory in their first episode, though

Just a pity they keep hiring Mark Gatiss...

 

[Jabrosky]

I did like the first Star Trek reboot movie...sorta. If you were to ask what I really liked about it, and for that matter why I even decided to see it in the first place, I could not answer with anything more substantive than these two words: Zoe Saldana.

One thing that I dislike about a lot of sci-fi universes, especially Star Trek, is how human-like most of the aliens look. These are creatures from planets that underwent evolutionary trajectories presumably nothing like our world's, and yet they end up looking like Europeans with pointy ears or weird skin colors. If these were really Terran humans who subjected themselves to futuristic plastic surgery, I could accept that. I just think that, in a sci-fi universe, aliens from other planets should look a lot more, well, alien.

 

[Gryphos]

One thing that I dislike about a lot of sci-fi universes, especially Star Trek, is how human-like most of the aliens look. These are creatures from planets that underwent evolutionary trajectories presumably nothing like our world's, and yet they end up looking like Europeans with pointy ears or weird skin colors. If these were really Terran humans who subjected themselves to futuristic plastic surgery, I could accept that. I just think that, in a sci-fi universe, aliens from other planets should look a lot more, well, alien.

I agree, but that's really a budget issue more than anything, isn't it? Especially in TV shows when the font have much money to work with, it's easier to slap some pointy ears and face paint on. Whereas games, which are fully animated, are much more able to make actual alien-looking aliens. Mass Effect comes to mind, with its Salarians, Turians and Krogan.

 

[Gryphos]

I have to disagree about the Doctor Who comments, I loved the original series, liked RTD's but prefered the Matt Smith Doctor over David Tennant, even thought they are both fantastic actors! Might be because I fell in love with Amy and Rory in their first episode, though.

Oh no, Matt Smith was never the problem. I mean, I preferred the previous two Doctors, but he was still alright. Certainly not what made the show terrible. What made the show terrible was Moffat's writing.

 

[Ophiucha]

Yeah, Smith was okay and I liked Amy and Rory, but Moffat's writing drove me away from the show entirely.

I love science fiction - usually more the books than the TV shows and films, but there are some great ones out there. For TV, most of my favourites are anime, but barring those I love X-Files, Stargate SG-1, Star Trek (TOS/DS9), Orphan Black, Firefly, and Twilight Zone. I've still not seen Battlestar Galactica, but it's on my to-watch list. As for movies... I couldn't list them all, but anything with some horror elements and/or a female protagonist is probably on my Top 100. I didn't like the reboot ST films at all, and I'm kind of neutral to Star Wars.

 

[DaFlaminUnicorn]

The new battlestar galactica is crap. It's all about killing and sex.