Stargate (the movie) was released in 1994, Deep Space 9 in 1993. So the Trill were first. If I remember correctly, the Trill first were introduced earlier in an episode TNG.
But, the whole concept of a parasite controlling or merging with a Human being is a pretty old plot device.
To go one step further, the Goa'uld, as a race, weren't really presented until the "Stargate SG-1" TV series premiered in 1997. The Trill definitely came first.
I remember "Space: Above and Beyond," too, and, though I wouldn't call it one of my favorites, I did find it to be a very compelling show. I don't know if it would be a stretch, but I almost consider it to be a precursor to the modern "Battlestar Galactica." Both shows portrayed a military group operating in space, and both portrayals did their best to not hold any punches when it comes to violence in war and its consequences.
IG's right, though. Cutting-edge, genre-defining programming has to pull in a big audience very early or it gets quashed. To wit, two science-fiction TV series that I've been avidly watching, "Stargate Universe" and "Caprica" have been nixed or are likely to be nixed in the near future. Another short lived series I like, "Journeyman," was cancelled after only one season.
Le sigh.
Cancelled Binder
lot of potentuial...probably doomed.
same thing happened to the dresden files.
very well done series about a wizard/private
detective in chicago. cancelled in one short
season.
NOOOOO!!! I am loyal viewer of both Caprica and Stargate Universe. I also loved the Dresdan Files. SyFy - just teases me. I love the British version of "Being Human" not completely sold on the America version yet but I'm willing to give it more time.
Last I read, SyFy channel decided not to order a third season for Stargate Universe. Which means we'll get to see the remainder of season two in Spring or Summer, but after that, there may not be any more. From what I've read, when a channel decides not to order new episodes, it effectively means the show is cancelled.
There's certainly a possibility that either show could be picked up by another channel, but what I've read about both shows says that ratings have fallen, so it's unlikely that another channel would want to pick them up. Babylon 5 was one of those shows that changed channels during its lifetime. It aired in syndication for the first four seasons until it got picked up by TNT.
I haven't watched "Being Human" but I've definitely been following "Doctor Who" and "Torchwood" on BBC America. I know Doctor Who is slated to return in the spring. I'm not sure when Torchwood returns, though.
SyFy Binder
Oh man! Oh I do know what's the deal with Torchwood - I think it is moving to Showtime - which sucks because I don't get Showtime. It will be interesting because only Gwen and Jack made it through the chaos of last season.
Showtime? That's an interesting move...doesn't it usually go the other way around?
Disappointing in any case, since I don't buy it either. More disappointed about Stargate Universe and Caprica, though. Sometimes I wonder if a show has to cater to a certain stupidity level in order to stay on the air.
If it's cutting edge, genre defining television we're talking about,
the real game changer was Mystery Science Theater 3000.
You're right. It was cutting edge, it defined a new genre of television and in its field was a game changer.
But it still sucked. :-)
science-fiction TV series that I've been avidly watching, "Stargate
Universe" and "Caprica" have been nixed or are likely to be nixed in
I kinda like stargate universe. All the other stargates sucked, but universe is trying to be battlestart galactica which WAS cool, ad nd caprica is trying to be a sucky show leeching off the coattails of galactica.
You're right. It was cutting edge, it defined a new genre of
television and in its field was a game changer.
But it still sucked. :-)
In 1995, my family was snorkeling in Hawaii when someone broke into the rental, stole wallets and Mom's purse, etc. We spent 2 days in the hotel watching MST3K (which we had never before seen) until Mom got the credit cards sorted out. We all loved it; Mom was in the 3rd circle of Hell. She still won't let us watch it at her house.
I was a big fan of Stargate SG-1 when it came out. I watched it from inception on Showtime, the transition to SyFy, up until the end. Stargate Atlantis was ok, but it just wasn't as compelling as SG-1. I really like Stargate Universe, though.
SGU has a completely different feel than either SG-1 or Atlantis. I've read articles claiming that SGU is simply borrowing from Galactica and "Lost."
Honestly, I only see very superficial similarities to Galactica. I haven't seen Lost, so I can't comment there. I definitely do like the story-lines and attention to character development. Though there are still moral themes explored in the show, it's not as preachy as SG-1 would get. The visual style is also quite different. I don't know if the show is being shot in a different format, or the lighting, or somethign else, but it lends a darker tone to things.
I'm definitely sorry to see Caprica go, too. Maybe the producers have been riding the coattails of Galactica's success, but I have to give them credit for doing something different and not just trying to do more Galactica. The producers have claimed that they had a long story-arc in mind for Caprica, but so far I've only seen hints of a few story threads that could be extended.
I would have liked to see where they were going, though.
Spell
Why not just read the books?
Okay I will if you insist! Are the books Aahz endorsed?
Spell - I totally agree with you about Caprica - I would have like to see what they came up with. I did like that the Cylon technology was born out a parent's desparation to get a form of their child back. Zoey probably had a ton more secrets to find out. I liked the girl that played Zoe in Oz - in the Syfy mini series about "The Wizard of Oz"
Lost? you know what I hate most about it? its those cliff -
<laughs> Boo-boo, that's a great description of them!
ok, next episode. we were just writing some stuff, and endet up with cliff-
we continue here.
the thing I hate about lost are the cliffhangers, and that no episode ever makes at least partial sense on its own.
wasn't there 'lost in a minute' on youtube somewhere?