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Erting's Replies
Star Trek: The Next Generation had the best series finale I've ever seen, delivering an epic two-hour telefilm that delivered everything I love about Star Trek.
Perhaps not coincidentally, Battlestar Galactica delivered one of the best series finales ever as well, seeing as both TNG's and BSG's finales were written by Ronald D. Moore. BSG's finale was probably the most moving and tear-jerking I've seen.
I was not a big fan of Babylon 5, but a reboot would likely be disastrous. I had a lot of issues with the acting, dialogue, and f/x, and while a reboot could improve on some of those (at least the f/x and probably some of the performances), the charm and acclaim behind the series was its pre-planned, long-term story arc.
A reboot would have the near impossible task of replicating that story arc's success, because if it hews too closely to the original story, then it's not going to have much if anything in the way of surprises. If it just takes the basic premise of the story and does completely new things with it, then it's ignoring the aspect that made the original so beloved. It's not like Battlestar Galactica, where the original was so bad and cheesy that it was a lot easier for the reimagining to just take the basic concept and take it completely in its own direction.
I would say a continuation set in the same universe is the way to go for Babylon 5, but J. Michael Straczynski had three shots at it with Crusade, The Legend of the Rangers, and The Lost Tales, and all three failed pretty miserably. Babylon 5 works best when it aims for big, epic storytelling, so attempts at smaller scale tales have just flopped badly. At any rate, I think it's best to just let this franchise rest as it is and let studios focus on creating new shows.
I really liked the Dune miniseries, but Children of Dune was a considerable step up in quality. James McAvoy delivers a fantastic lead performance as Leto II, Brian Tyler's musical score is an all-time great, and the miniseries is packed with sweeping storytelling and many moments of genuine emotional power.
1. How I Met Your Mother
2. Futurama
3. The Expanse
4. Star Trek: The Next Generation
5. The X-Files
6. Firefly
7. Fringe
8. Battlestar Galactica (2003)
9. Yellowstone
10. Superman: The Animated Series
11. Rick and Morty
12. Game of Thrones
I always welcome an X-Files rip-off and this show is actually quite good, so no complaints here.
Absolutely agree, but I blame the writing and direction rather than Claudia Christian. More than just that, humor was just something this show did a poor job of all around every time it attempted it.
I watched the first 5 seasons for the first time this past month. Speaking as someone who was frequently bored throughout the first season and found myself questioning all the acclaim this series got, I eventually got hooked within the first few episodes of season 2 and found the series to deliver an unprecedented streak of near perfection and greatness for 4 seasons in a row. I now seriously consider The Expanse to be one of my all-time favorite shows and in contention for the greatest televisions series I've ever seen.
While not without its flaws, I still thought this was an excellent miniseries. It did a fine job with storytelling, pacing, costuming, sets, and special effects.
And the sequel, Children of Dune, was even better, delivering one of the best sci-fi musical scores and a magnificent, star-making performance from James McAvoy as Leto II. You could tell the guy was just destined to be a movie star from his work in the film.
I watched the first 5 seasons for the first time this past month. Speaking as someone who was frequently bored throughout the first season and found myself questioning all the acclaim this series got, I eventually got hooked within the first few episodes of season 2 and found the series to deliver an unprecedented streak of near perfection and greatness for 4 seasons in a row. I now seriously consider The Expanse to be one of my all-time favorite shows and in contention for the greatest televisions series I've ever seen.
I find Kat too pale and just not that pretty.
Jessica is far hotter than Kat Dennings.
I think Jessica Rothe is the hottest woman since Sasha Peralto, but you don't get to see anything in the nude scene. The shot of her in a bikini in the sequel was way better.
Totally agree! The last time I thought an actress was this pretty was Sasha Peralto (who's actually even prettier than Jessica!).
I'm surprised this is even a question. Jessica Rothe is a scorching hot mega-babe with an amazingly pretty face and fantastic body. The last time I thought someone was this attractive was softcore actress Sasha Peralto.
I liked DeLuca, but I think Sasha Peralto would have been better in the part. She has an even prettier face and better body (which says a lot because DeLuca is a hot babe!) and gives off a stronger "innocent girl" vibe than DeLuca that would have made the film even more effective.
The Survivors - This was a great mystery episode with a powerful, thought-provoking conclusion.
Where Silence Has Lease - TNG did horror better than any other space-based television series, and this one delivered a strong sense of mystery and dread. For about a full half-hour, the episode gives off seriously creepy vibes with the sense that literally anything could happen at any moment.
First Contact - One of the most intelligent depictions of first contact I've seen, with the twist of course being that humans are the visiting aliens.
Night Terrors - I love it when TNG goes for all-out horror, and this was one of the best of its kind. The shot of Dr. Crusher in the morgue with dozens of bodies sitting straight up all around her is an iconic moment of horror in Star Trek history.
Genesis - I love this episode for its creepy, haunted house-style horror. This episode really freaked me out as a kid and I still get the creeps from its dark atmosphere and fantastic creature make-up.
I seriously doubt the show can be revived. V as a brand name now has associated with it two shows that got the premature ax and each barely lasted over 20 episodes. Maybe even worse than that, this is just a forgotten franchise as a whole. You ask the average person and they likely won't remember either version of the show.
I'm not sure if I would call it underrated. This was a heavily flawed show and is about deserving of its 6.8 IMDB rating, but I thought it was still better than the overrated 1983 and 1984 miniseries and a damn sight better than the 1984 TV series. About the only thing V (1983) and V: The Final Battle did better was that it had a more cinematic look and feel and delivered much bigger action sequences.
Otherwise, I preferred the depiction of the Visitors in the remake, with Morena Baccarin making for a much more chilling villain than Jane Badler, who was just too campy to be intimidating. Elizabeth Mitchell is far superior to Faye Grant when it comes to the human protagonists. I like the more ethereal look and feel of the interior of the Visitor ships, and I thought the whole cloned skin concept was a lot more interesting than the fake plastic skin they wore in the original.
It's kind of interesting to see the remake go for a more paranoid conspiracy thriller approach than the action-packed, laser guns vs. machine guns shootout action of the original.
I'm not saying the 2009 V was a great or even a particularly good show, but it did more right than wrong.
I agree with just about all your criticisms (though I didn't have a problem with Machlachlan's age, I know it's not in keeping with the book but I'm not sure any actual teenage actor could have pulled the role off).
I'll also add that if Lynch was only allowed to work with a 136-minute running time, he did a really poor job of choosing what to keep and what to excise. Paul and his mother literally don't join the Fremen until 90 minutes into the film, and there's only 45 minutes left after that! The entire final battle of Return of the Jedi took nearly that much screen time on its own!
One of the things that annoy me most in defense of this movie are those who claim this film had good f/x for its time. The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Star Trek II, and Star Trek III all came out before this film and all had far superior special effects, and they were all made on lower budgets.