No Right Answer: Best Space Series Ever

[DanHibiki]

HBO needs to do a space opera. A B5 re-imagining would be fun, but I guess that's basically Mass Effect in a nut shell.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

B5 will always be the best for me, especially when I first watch all series in order. Just blown away how well its written and how little things thrown into Series 1 have major implications in Series 3.

Still enjoy watching Star Trek, buts its not a series i bother buying but like watching it on tv when its on.

 

[Kneel]

What? No 'Babylon 5' vs 'Deep Space Nine'? For shame.

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

For my money TNG is the right choice to represent Star Trek in this regard and other shows that might give it a run for its money? Frankly it's hard to think of any really possibly Babylon 5 or Stargate SG-1/Atlantis though B5 comes back to that whole 'It's not really about Space for the most part' issue I mentioned before and Stargate despite having some very cool space related episodes is mostly set on planets surfaces and has more to do with modern military/politcs and ancient mythology.

You raise an interesting point, but you forget that no "Space Show" is ever "about space"... it's always about ourselves, about humanity, understood through the lens focused on our collective future, or our perception of our future. That's why "sci-fi" is such a good classification: because if one thing is certain about our future, it's technology. We WILL continue to "explore new worlds" and seek out the unknown. How we will deal with the challenges that technology presents (starships, interstellar exploration, alien encounters, xenobiology and xenopolitics, etc) or how we see ourselves dealing with those things tells us as much about the present than it does about the future, in the form of a glimpse into what the essence of humanity actually is.

 

[Proverbial Jon]

I was thinking Farscape all through this episode...

Such an amazing series (That I must've watched hundreds of times by now), it has characters you grow to love - Both the Protaganists and the Antagonist (Scorpius is a really interesting bad guy) - They all have original motivations, which end up changing throughout the series (For people aboard Moya, they start out just wanting to get home, and end up becoming like family to each other and end up trying to bring peace to the universe), all the aliens are unique with stereotypical traits seen between them with exceptions to those stereotypes (Such as PK Tech girl)

The only other space show that's kept up with the amount of viewings as Farscape from me is Red Dwarf but series 7, 8 and 9 kind of let it down somewhat (The rest of it is really awesome... Though as it's also more about the comedy rather than space drama, it probably wouldn't win this particular topic)

This. So much of this! Farscape always felt much more darker and threatening than Star Trek and I loved it for that. I found the concept of Pilot and Moya just fascinating and also a little bit creepy too. As for Red Dwarf, well you just can't beat a bit of British humour in space!

I also prefer Star Trek Voyager marginally more than TNG. Just sayin'

 

[Signa]

Claudia Christian is awesome, as an actress and as Ivanova. When she left in season 5, the show almost fell apart. It took me about 3 or 4 runs through the entire series to figure out what was wrong with S5 until it finally occurred to me it was Ivanova's absence.

That's not correct. The problem with Season 5 is that it wasn't supposed to exist. The last episode of Season 4 as well. The final episode of season 5 was actually the final episode of season 4, but they got renewed, and had to cut the series finale so that they could write more. Basically, if you watch it as it was meant, and then continue watching season 5, you'll find that half of the episodes are just 40 minute explanations of lines they had in the original finale. THAT'S why season 5 sucks so bad. You can't make full episodes based on comments in an epilogue.

About Farscape... guys, it wasn't that great. Aside from the aliens and puppets, which I will admit were the possibly the best we've seen in sci-fi, everything about Farscape was distinctly average to above-average. Apart from that, it was barely sci-fi. It was an space action show.

Wrong again, but that's OK if it doesn't suit your tastes. It is a bit insane at a few times, and I think it would be a worse thing if literally everyone actually understood and enjoyed it for that. IF that was the case, then I'd wager most shows would be equally insane, and then Farscape wouldn't be special at all.

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

Claudia Christian is awesome, as an actress and as Ivanova. When she left in season 5, the show almost fell apart. It took me about 3 or 4 runs through the entire series to figure out what was wrong with S5 until it finally occurred to me it was Ivanova's absence.

That's not correct. The problem with Season 5 is that it wasn't supposed to exist. The last episode of Season 4 as well. The final episode of season 5 was actually the final episode of season 4, but they got renewed, and had to cut the series finale so that they could write more. Basically, if you watch it as it was meant, and then continue watching season 5, you'll find that half of the episodes are just 40 minute explanations of lines they had in the original finale. THAT'S why season 5 sucks so bad. You can't make full episodes based on comments in an epilogue.

It didn't suck. It just wasn't as good as the rest of the show. I'll still take any episode of season 5 over an episode of Farscape, except maybe that one with Rebo and Zooty. There were even a few moments of greatness, although it was all very slow and soap-opera like.

The final few episodes were great, proving you CAN make full episodes from epilogues. And I'm not convinced that they would have been very different had "The Plan" been carried through by JMS.

 

[Matey]

Legend of the Galactic Heroes is the best space show.

 

[LordLundar]

Claudia Christian is awesome, as an actress and as Ivanova. When she left in season 5, the show almost fell apart. It took me about 3 or 4 runs through the entire series to figure out what was wrong with S5 until it finally occurred to me it was Ivanova's absence.

That's not correct. The problem with Season 5 is that it wasn't supposed to exist. The last episode of Season 4 as well. The final episode of season 5 was actually the final episode of season 4, but they got renewed, and had to cut the series finale so that they could write more. Basically, if you watch it as it was meant, and then continue watching season 5, you'll find that half of the episodes are just 40 minute explanations of lines they had in the original finale. THAT'S why season 5 sucks so bad. You can't make full episodes based on comments in an epilogue.

It didn't suck. It just wasn't as good as the rest of the show. I'll still take any episode of season 5 over an episode of Farscape, except maybe that one with Rebo and Zooty. There were even a few moments of greatness, although it was all very slow and soap-opera like.

The final few episodes were great, proving you CAN make full episodes from epilogues. And I'm not convinced that they would have been very different had "The Plan" been carried through by JMS.

Ehh sort of. JMS had planned for Season 5 and had scripts set up and such. The only real change cast wise was offsetting Claudia, which his original plans had her in for the final season. The real issue was the actors. Because the Season 5 go ahead came so late, most of the cast already had other jobs lined up. When they found out about it they either had to postpone or cancel those offers and it put a dent in the enthusiasm of the show. The replaced cast coming in to what amounts to be the epilogue of a novel didn't help matters either.

Short version: The show was wrapping up anyways but the bouncing timetable caused a lack of effort in the cast.

 

[Jandau]

Farscape > DS9 > Good Next Generation (roughly 15-20% of it) > Babylon 5 > Stargate SG1 (except the last 2 seasons) > BSG > Everything else

That's my stance and I'm sticking to it

 

[BarbaricGoose]

Okay...excuse me while I dive into my everything-proof bunker before all the people come in talking about Firefly. *DIVES*

You're half right, it's a two-way contest. It's just that the contest is between Firefly and Doctor Who.

Hah. Literally one post down. Just in the nick of time there, Anthony.

I didn't watch much TNG, honestly. I should probably go back & check it out.

 

[Alar]

I love your EXPO commercials, guys... seriously, they're the best. Mazeltov!

 

[Locutus9956]

Babylon 5 bored the shit out of me, I watched like 5 or so episodes and gave up.

IMO:

Firefly>SG1>TNG>Farscape>DS9>SGA>BSG>VOY>TOS>SGU>Enterprise>Babylon 5

To be fair to TOS I didn't watch it until after TNG so it was a bit dated which probably effected my view of it a bit.

I implore you to give it another go. I was exactly the same as you first time I saw a few then a friend of mine got me to sit down and watch it from the start. I still wasnt impressed but by the end of the first series I was at least slightly curious to see where it was going, by the end of the second series I was ready to nominate Straczynski for every award in TV writting and sci-ever. B5 is all one big story arc, and arguably does that better than any show to date, you have to watch it from the start and you have to watch it all the way through at least the first 2 seasons before you will truly appreciate just how awesome it is.

Try it again like that and I defy you not to change your mind about it

(for me by the way the above series would rank:

DS9>B5>TNG>SG1>Firefly>SGA>Farscape>BSG>TOS>Enterprise>SGU>Voyager

For the record I like ALL of the above shows, even Voyager despite it being by FAR the worst Trek series imo (Enterprise got a seriously bum rap imo and it's final series in particular was superb)

Firefly as well despite being superb is hugely overated by alot of folks imo and is not 'the best sci fi show of all time', it might well have BECOME so had it been given time to mature but as it stands it's an incomplete work sadly, calling firefly the greatest sci fi show ever would be like calling the first chapter act of Macbeth the greatest play ever written.... (that's just a random example off the top of my head, I would't presume to debate the merits of shakespere or play's in general, I not even remotely qualified!)

 

[Locutus9956]

For my money TNG is the right choice to represent Star Trek in this regard and other shows that might give it a run for its money? Frankly it's hard to think of any really possibly Babylon 5 or Stargate SG-1/Atlantis though B5 comes back to that whole 'It's not really about Space for the most part' issue I mentioned before and Stargate despite having some very cool space related episodes is mostly set on planets surfaces and has more to do with modern military/politcs and ancient mythology.

You raise an interesting point, but you forget that no "Space Show" is ever "about space"... it's always about ourselves, about humanity, understood through the lens focused on our collective future, or our perception of our future. That's why "sci-fi" is such a good classification: because if one thing is certain about our future, it's technology. We WILL continue to "explore new worlds" and seek out the unknown. How we will deal with the challenges that technology presents (starships, interstellar exploration, alien encounters, xenobiology and xenopolitics, etc) or how we see ourselves dealing with those things tells us as much about the present than it does about the future, in the form of a glimpse into what the essence of humanity actually is.

Actually I don't forget that at all, hence why I suggest that the question is flawed in the first place I agree with you wholeheartedly but for the qeustion of 'the greatest 'space show' I still believe they're debating which show is the most iconic in it's depiction of space travel and phenomena. TNG I still believe is a forerunner here whilst it's only about half way up my personal opinion of best sci fi show's ever but on looking through alot of posts here I actually forgot one to my eternal shame, that would be BY far the best competitor for TNG here:

Farscape

 

[Locutus9956]

If you're going to select star trek, then at least go with the best version of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Superior storytelling to TNG.

DS9 is unquestionably the best Stat Trek series.

Highly subjective. Ask ten Trekkies which is better and you'll get any ratio of answers without any kind of "unquestionable" result.

This is true. But only the ones who answer Deep Space Nine are correct I'm not going to get into it here, as this is dragging matters off topic but DS9 just IS better for reasons that would turn into an enourmous wall of text were I to expound them here!

 

[Locutus9956]

How could ANYTHING Star Trek lose to that GARBAGE REBOOT of a classic series?

I'm a huge fan of all things Trerk but the rebooted BSG is nonetheless a masterpiece of character drama and storytelling, I actually somewhat dislike the influence it's had on Sci Fi in general in that every show tries to be dark and edgy like it now and we dont really have any good old fashioned 'fun' shows like Star Trek or Stargate these days, but... I'm sorry if you think the original BSG is a classic you're watching with alot of nostalgia and rose tinted specs imo....

 

[asako23]

How about for next one you make best spin off series/character?

I'd recommend, Daria vs. Frasier

 

[blackrave]

Shouldn't Stargate: SG1 be in the running. IMHO its very underrated.

While SG1 is a great show, it isn't exactly space series
It's sci-fi sure, but not space sci-fi

On the side note, I wanted to watch these "classics" for some time now, so question:
What should I watch first? Star Trek TNG, Star Trek DS9 or Babylon5?
Form what I've heard Babylon5 and DS9 seems more like my cup of tea, but I'm not sure.

 

[SnowWookie]

I loved BSG. For 3 and a half seasons it was the best thing on tv.
But then it just became increasingly stupid, up until the end, which wasn't just bad, it actually ruined the "good" episodes.

They started out with a great naturalistic vibe. No sound in space, semi-realistic newtonian physics, real people with genuine issues that weren't miraculously fixed by the end of each episode. In some ways, it was The Wire (or maybe Homeland) in space.

Let that sink in. Now imagine that on the last episode of The Wire that god gives McNulty superpowers and he wipes out all the drugs in Baltimore. Because that's what BSG felt like to me.

So yeah, TNG wins.