ENT: Protest! .U.S. “Killing� Science Fiction

[rdoughnut]

I have been an avid Science Fiction reader and fan for 30 years, I love it all.

 

But I have reached my limit, of utterly rubbish American TV Science Fiction. I don’t want to pick on America in particular, but is hard not to.

 

I have seen the original Series of Star Trek which was truly original and ground breaking, being ‘Sodomise’ by the money hungry studios. Churning out Low IQ, Dull, unimaginative scripts to basically grab cash from Trek fans.

 

The latest Episode of Enterprise “Bound†left me speechless!

 

Again, sorry America, don’t want to pick on you, but stop making Crap shows!!

 

So this post is a protest. I recon a few of us could write a far better science fiction script, compared to the crap we have been feed by the studios.

[vyper]

Alright what was wrong with Bound?

[bbbb]

Bound was unimaginative. Star Trek fans can and already have written better stories than a bunch of sex-crazed maniacs coming aboard the ship and bring NO story. There are some interesting Star Trek stories written by fans and novel writers.

 

Even TOS is better than Bound, with T'Pol doing what she does best-smootching with fellow officers. Who knows, she may have been smootching with everybody! Definitely not a good Vulcan. She was crazy after she came back from the insane Vulcan ship and started doing drugs, and what does Archer and poor Phlox do? They let her become a Commander in Starfleet, who dosen't even have to wear the uniform!!! Poor Phlox, always having to console her all the time-clearly not command material. Not to mention poor Trip, who himself was suffering because of T'Pol's doing. He lost his post as First Officer in the absence of Archer because of her. Clearly she is a careerist. She's always messing around with people!

[NiteShdw]

I agree with the idea about US media in general. It is becoming more and more obvious each day that the media is out only to make money, as much as they can. No one really cares about making GOOD shows, or thought provoking shows. They sell whatever brings in the biggest audience (or whatever they THINK will bring in the biggest audience).

 

Even as an American I totally understand why people outside the U.S. don't like us. Our media caters to the lowest-common-demoninator, so the world thinks that is how we are.

[coolcat13]

It is amazing here I am an american and I think the best by far Sci Fi is Dr Who which is British .The best comedy shows are British like Faulty Towers .

US television has very little appeal left for me but they are still good in the arena of Motion Pictures where they are way better than the rest of the world

but dont blame America alone there really isnt alot of imagination out there period and when I get like this I usually just read a book .

[carcynsdad]

A call to all P2P users

 

As of late the MPAA's and RIAA's of the world are claiming that we are denying them their justly earned money and are trying to find ways to put an end to this supposed loss through litigation. It would seem that their scare tactics have been fruitful as they keep getting settlements out of court and probably generate even more profit from these activities.

 

The aim of their campaign, of course, is not to target and eradicate file sharing as much as it is an attempt to control the market and dictate where and on what our hard earned money is spent. The wealthiest, nowadays, decide what we listen to and watch using staggering public relations campaigns; most releases are "format" productions where talent, passion and creativity come after profits and greed. Most of us feel that they should look into wider availability and more affordable pricing instead of claiming higher moral ground as an excuse to prop up an outdated and failing business model.

 

Ironically, dramatic theaters, opera houses and so forth are desperately trying to find an audience among the "common" people, as their traditionally highbrow image is not allowing them to be competitive. However, the production companies are working towards a dangerous inaccessibility for regular people. It is natural that we want to be able to watch the movies and listen to the music; it has always been and always will be. Hence, we turn to file sharing, and/or borrow CD's from our friends and so forth.

 

Availability and affordable prices

 

How many have bought a CD or watched a movie that turned out to be less than satisfactory? How many have felt cheated after a night out at the movies, having gone there after seeing trailers, commercials, and posters for another big box office release that turned out to be one of those "let's save the movie company a few bucks by fooling people into watching this dud during the first weekend" flicks? How many get sick to their stomachs while hearing about revenue losses after viewing an episode of "Cribs" on MTV? The production companies have the audacity to say that we are using people's creativity and talent, without paying for it. Well, guess what? Most P2P users actually do buy the products they like!

 

We continue to see fantasy figures about the kind of revenues the production companies would have had, if only their products were not obtainable online. Of course, it is complete and utter nonsense. They seem to be oblivious to the highly human trait they themselves possess: The Experience of Ownership. Everybody wants to own things. A pirated copy can never live up to the experience of a movie theatre or replace the sense of pride that comes from having a collector’s edition sitting on your bookshelf. Even those who the entertainment industry would paint as criminals are consumers too.

 

To prove this, we call out to all that have shared a file, downloaded something online or think that prices are outrageous; Let us send a message to the entertainment industry leadership.

 

The last week in April 2005 - 24th up until and including 30th - show them how much money we are spending on their products by denying them our hard earned income. Do not go to the movies; do not buy any entertainment products during that week.

 

This is not to be confused as saying, "go pirate everything you can find as the production companies are common robbers." Instead, this is a way to show that we are indeed supporting them already, so stop fighting your customers!

 

Show them we mean business!

Spread the word everywhere you can think of.

 

 

[elderbear]

I agree with the idea about US media in general. It is becoming more and more obvious each day that the media is out only to make money, as much as they can. No one really cares about making GOOD shows, or thought provoking shows. They sell whatever brings in the biggest audience (or whatever they THINK will bring in the biggest audience).

 

Even as an American I totally understand why people outside the U.S. don't like us. Our media caters to the lowest-common-demoninator, so the world thinks that is how we are.

 

Plenty care about making the shows - few media channels are among them. I'm on my second pass through Firefly. It was an incredible show that Fox cancelled before they'd even aired the episodes that had been produced.

 

In September, the movie will open in theaters. ;|;; Fox & UPN & all the other lowest-common-denominator outlets. Ditto to the congress and FCC who GIVE AWAY the bandwidth to these bandits for their cr/\p. The common property of spectral bandwidth has been given away to private corporations, who are only held slightly accountable for public welfare. Our property, our airwaves are simply used to make a profit for media shareholders.

 

Imagine a new media model in which a "channel" releases torrents on a schedule ... bypassing the corporate monopoly of the airwaves and giving voice to The People!

[mic]

seen 417, bit of a letdown, acting is perhaps best described as mimicking, lol...

 

but this is one of few episodes you might say was not up to many coto standards..

 

:cyclops:

[bbbb]

Bound certainly wasn't up to the Manny Coto standard. The remaining five episodes better be good or ST will never come back. People won't come back to something that ended really badly.

 

As for the MPAA, don't buy any of their music, movies or other. Get it all off the net, that will encourage them to make QUALITY TV, music and movies.

[vystral]

If you feel compelled to contribute to the music industry, buy Nine Inch Nails' new CD "With Teeth" on May 03 (Trent Reznor is almost broke)

[vystral]

Whoa whoa whoa whoa...hold on there. First of all, Reznor has 19 CD's, and each album has outsold the previous one.

 

Second of all, its his old manager's fault. He dipped into Reznor's personal funds and screwed the man over on royalties. Reznor is starting fresh with no manager, that's why he's broke.

 

And With Teeth is one of my favorite NIN albums. Short, but its right up there with the Downward Spiral.

[vystral]

Not that I'm trying to dodge this argument, but I think this discussion is off-topic.

[Antilles]

So this post is a protest. I recon a few of us could write a far better science fiction script' date=' compared to the crap we have been [u']feed[/u] by the studios.

 

I'd get your spelling and grammar sorted out first though before attempting writing for Trek...or anything!

[evilrick]

i JUST HAD TO REPLY.

It really is amazing how bad american scifi has become. Look at british scifi, Dr who, Blakes 7, Red dwarf, etc. poor special effects, interesting, well written, intelligent(mostly) stories. It seems that if the american industry isn't catering to the lowest common denominator it is more concerned with special effects(i.e. The Phantom menace).

It really isn't just scifi though, look at American entertainment as a whole, find me one movie that isn't a remake or taken from a novel or graphic novel. Hollywood has lost alot of creativity and all we have left a tired hackneyed plots for tired movies. Even the idepentdent scene has become boring, weird for the sake of weird gets old too. I haven't been impressed by anything coming out of hollywood for a long time.

One more rant while i am at it: if a commercial tells me that a movie has a twist not to be believed, it is no longer a twist because you know it is coming.

One last rant, really, I promise: Hitchhikers guide( big fan here, i reread the books about once a year) comes out in 2 weeks, i get the feeling that since they waited until after douglas adams was dead to make it that they are going to butcher that movie. I hope not, but then again we are talking about hollywood.

Thank you,

EvilRick

[VonHelton]

It seems that if the american industry isn't catering to the lowest common denominator it is more concerned with special effects(i.e. The Phantom menace).

 

And to make matters worse, your avitar isn't working!

 

:p

 

Yes, the industry in America hates sci-fi......Especially space-faring sci-fi. They whine it's too expensive, they whine about the locations, they whine about the actors, etc.

 

......I think they just whine period.

 

:stare:

 

 

[vystral]

I live in a place that hates what I love... :(

[rdoughnut]

I think all of the replies to my original post have been fair.

 

It is only fair to say that although I am learning to dislike most American Sci-Fi it has to be stated that at least America is making the stuff.

 

The UK is great but its sporadic, I don’t know what the solution is but I just wish we had a few more series where we are the bad guys and no more of this wishy washy character development, I couldn’t care less who is humping who, or what the captains dog likes to eat or who had a bad childhood, etc. etc.

 

I am far more interested in what’s going on outside the ship!

 

I guess we will be stuck with just more “wild west†rehashes with green men.

 

[WreckGar]

Reznor has 19 CD's

 

Most of which are really bad remixes of songs on his other albums sold for ridiculous prices. I do not need two CDs full of variant versions of CLOSER that don't stand up to the one on DOWNWARD SPIRAL. FIXED costs as much as a full album and has ONE good tune, that being a long remix of WISH. If the remixers need to make a living, let them go make their own music and quit tinkering with his. Cut the cord, Trent.

 

I like some NIN, and some I dislike, but it's hard to really credit him with 19 CDs of real material, particularly when much of it is just the same recycled stuff with a slightly different beat.

 

 

[lamp]

i have to say i hate the way british tv is going, it's full a reality tv crap like big brother and stuff. the bbc went downhill with loads of programs like changing room, but fortunatly it looks like the bbc getting better now.

 

i tend to watch more american shows than british because there is more, and the ones that get through my crap tv filter tend to be easy to watch and quite amusing.

 

as for comedy i find british shows funnier. i think this is because there are less episodes in a season, so the quality tends to be greater whereas american shows have loads of episodes in a season which thins out the quality.

 

as for sifi i dont really see much that isn't american. lexx and dr. who are the only non american tv sifi i'm familier with so i dont have much to compare with.

 

it is natural that companies would cater to the lowest common denominater as the prols are in the majority.

[Ulysses]

I Dunno yeah we british have had some good sci-fi in the past but at the moment we only make Dr Who and co-finance BSG with sky TV and the canadians.

 

Yeah we have had some gr8 series in the past but they have long gone now i.e Blake 7 (1980's) Space 1999 (late 70's), Red Dwarf (christ knows lol).

 

The Americans have added alot over the last 20 years of sci-fi so we cant knock them to much. I think we miss creators like Jerry anderson and gene roddenberry who where renowned for making intresting sci-fi. saying that I do like Ronald D Moore for what he did with Star Trek and helping re-invent BSG.