Earth Sea and Sci-Fi

The Sci-Fi channel has been pushing their upcoming mini-series for the better part of six months now and it's finally all building to a head, ready to explode into a pile of steaming poo this coming week. Whenever Sci-Fi spends weeks showing little behind the scenes "specials" that are supposed to peak our interest, you know that it's bad. Just think to Crapstar Galactica, the debacle that was last Christmas' "winner" and that we're all about to be burdened with again this January.



Of course, then there's the endless parade of SG-1 episodes. I've actually come to like Stargate over the last couple of years. I enjoy both SG-1 and Atlantis but come on people! Do we really need 15 episodes of Stargate every week? I don't know, maybe someone thinks we do. Andromeda on Tuesday nights was cool, but that's gone already. Now who knows when they'll be airing that. Anyone remember what Sci-Fi did to Sliders? Talk about brutal. Of course, that show did slide way way way downhill after Jerry left. But still, Sci-Fi made a disgrace out of that show and it's ending. But all of this is secondary compared to my main beef with Sci-Fi which is the fate of Farscape. Easily the best show Sci-Fi ever created, and they cut it. I know, they have many excuses. The fact is, it was a solid show and they axed it. At least they bowed to fan pressure and made a mini-series for it. This brings me to the point of this rant. I have an idea for Sci-Fi for a sure-fire way to help them out. It goes like this...



So take Earth Sea and you start by changing a couple of actors/characters. You replace the two leads with Ben Browder and Claudia Black. Then you add Anthony Simcoe as the gruff and tough friend. You add in Virginia Hey, Gigi Edgley, and Lani Tupu and Wayne Pygram as the evil and obsessed bad guy that's actually kinda likeable in all the right ways. Then you change the setting from a crumby wet planet to a living ship in space. You lose this stupid and over-used "magician has to journey to X spot to save the day but ends up making it worse before saving everyone and getting the girl" plot and make it about an astronaut who is lost in a distant part of the universe and has all sorts of interesting encounters with many aliens. The show uses lots of solid effects, good writing, and lots of talented actors as mentioned above. You call it something catchy and different like "farScape or Far-Scape or something like that...Hmmmm I'm sure something like that will sound good.



Now, maybe it's just me that sounds like a hit waiting to happen. I can see the potential. Come on Sci-Fi! Don't let your status quo attitude force us to bear through another crapfest! Do the universe a favor for once!