In honor of the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo that I'll be attending this upcoming weekend, I have decided to do up a list of my top 10 Science Fiction shows. I am very excited that the con will have some amazing actors from some of these shows in attendance. So here it is:
10. Quantum Leap
Scientist Sam Beckett finds himself trapped in time--"leaping" into the body of a different person in a different time period each week. - IMDB
This show will always be associated with good memories for me. My whole family used to sit down together on the "popcorn blanket" every week to watch the adventures of Sam, Al and that wacky computer Ziggy. I always loved seeing where Sam would end up next and what crazy situation he would find himself in next. I loved how every episode ended with his next leap and that famous line "Oh Boy". I also love the morality of this show and the lessons Sam learned as he went on. I never wanted his next leap to be the leap home because I didn't want his adventures to end.
9. Earth 2
Colonists, crash-landed on an alien planet, begin the long trek to their originally designated landing place, facing both alien and human threats. - IMDB
I love this show and it still makes me sad that it only got one season. I love seeing the human spirit tested on foreign ground. It did an excellent job of representing all aspects of human reactions to extreme circumstances. Protective parents, swindlers, misunderstood aliens, intrigue, hope, fear and so much more can be found in this show. This was one that me and my brother watched faithfully each week and we were crushed when it was cancelled.
8. Space: Above and Beyond
The Earth is embroiled in a desperate war against alien invaders, and this series focuses on one squadron of Marine pilots involved in it. - IMDB
This is another one that me and my brother watched faithfully. I loved that they never showed you the Chiggers. It made them scarier and more interesting. The cast of this show had stupendous chemistry with each one being a star in their own right. I think Vansen will always be may favorite because she's one tough kick-ass chick. I enjoyed how this show blended the horrors of war with the realities of the human condition, especially through the eyes of Cooper Hawkes. Once again, I was mad when the network axed this one.
7. The X-Files
Two FBI agents, Fox Mulder the believer and Dana Scully the skeptic, investigate the strange and unexplained while hidden forces work to impede their efforts. - IMDB
I was obsessed with this show for years! I didn't miss and episode and loved the running intrigue woven throughout. I will admit it jumped the shark when they made the decision to move the show from Vancouver to the States as they seemed to loose the heart of the show in the move. I will never forget meeting "Cigarette Smoking Man" William B. Davies while I was in university. I was working in the costume shop sewing a snakeskin suit when I could tell there was someone standing behind me. I turned around and there was Cancer Man himself watching me sew. He was there for a speech he was doing later that night and was doing a little tour of the Theater wing. It freaked me out but it was also very cool. He wasn't the first cast member I had met though. A few years earlier my family was on a road trip for my brothers hockey game and we stopped at McDonald's for dinner and sitting at the table next to us was the actress that played Eve 6, 7 and 8. She was super cute when my brother recognized her. She said it was the first time someone had recognized her from The X-Files. I even skated to the theme song once. I don't know why this show grabbed me so much, but it did. I loved the mix of the skeptic with the believer, the scary with the humorous, the crazy with the true. It will always have a special place in my heart.
6. Sanctuary
Stem cells, gene therapy, transplants, cloning; The very meaning of the word "humanity" changes daily in the modern world. But there is a darker side to the evolution of mankind, a truth only a few brave souls are willing to face: There are monsters loose in the world. And they are the key to the future of our race. - IMDB
The premise for this show is what grabbed me right away. A safe place for things that go bump in the night? Sign me up. Although the effects are sometimes cheesy, the awesome stories and cast make up for it. Amanda Tapping is incredible as the tough Magnus. I love that Tesla has become more f an important character because he makes me smile. I'm glad that this one was given a shot and not cancelled too early.
5. Star Trek: The Next Generation
Set decades after Captain James T. Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers in a new Enterprise set off on their own mission to go where no one has gone before. - IMDB
Do I really need an explanation for this? Come on, it's Star Trek! Pichard is the man, Worf kicks ass and Data makes me laugh. I will even forgive some of the terrible Deanna Troy and Wesley Crusher moments. Every episode with Q is a classic and even a sequined blanket monster killing off Tasha Yar couldn't deter me. Star Trek is an escape from the doldrums of reality, a lesson in humanity, a trial of patience and a genuinely enjoyable ride. It's one of my favorite shows to have on in the background when I'm working. I love that almost every episode fits into a very well thought out formula: Sub-Space Anomoly, Encounter with Alien Life Form or problem with the Holodeck. Great Show!
4. Torchwood
Captain Jack Harkness, the former Time Agent and con man from the 51st century last seen traveling with the Doctor, ventures to early 21st century Cardiff. There, he becomes a member of Torchwood Institute, a renegade criminal investigation group founded by Queen Victoria to battle hostile extraterrestrial and supernatural threats. - IMDB
Two Words: Captian Jack! This is one of the best spin-offs ever and I'm glad that it landed on it's feet and took off running. It's much darker and a little more adult than it's parent show, but I like that. I think it's great that it can be enjoyed on it's own. Although I hate how many of the main characters get killed off, I like that it keeps you on your toes. The issues that this show deals with pushes the darkest recesses of humanity, enforces a loose code of morality and forces it's characters to make impossible decisions for the good of all humans. Captain Jack has made some of the worst sacrifices and I look forward to his redemption in the new series in July.
3. Firefly
Five hundred years in the future, a renegade crew aboard a small, spacecraft tries to survive as they travel the unknown parts of the galaxy and evade warring factions as well as authority agents out to get them. - IMDB
Fun,campy and filled with some of the greatest writing in television history. Every one of it's characters has such a depth and richness to them that you are left wanting more. With such a masterful delivery of lines but and incredible cast the rich and exciting space western comes to life. I enjoyed watching it when it first came out, but I hated having to search for it constantly and being confused but the episodes airing out of order. I was very excited when this one came out on DVD so I could enjoy the show properly. The fact that this show got a movie long after it's cancellation is a testament to it's greatness.
2. Battlestar Galactica
After losing the war against the Cylon robots, the Battlestar Galactica crew speed toward the fabled 13th colony, Earth. Galactica Commander Adama and President Laura Roslin face waning supplies, crushed morale, ... and the credible threat Cylons aboard the ship. -IMDB
I love this reboot. I think they did a fantastic job. I lost a lot of sleep watching this show when I got the DVD's. Jay and I would watch just "one more" repeatedly until then next thing we knew it was 3 in the morning. The characters grabbed me. I loved to see where they would go and how they would develop and try to figure out who the next Cylon was. Although the series finale left me a little cold with some of it's decisions (mitochondrial eve...really??? but the skeleton was that of a child so how does that work?) I will always love the journey this show took me on. I found the religious aspects of this show intriguing and the question of what it means to be human an important one. This is also the show that helped me convert my sister to geekdom.
1. Doctor Who
The further adventures of the time traveling alien adventurer and his companions. - IMDB
The longest running science fiction show of all time deserves the number one spot on this list. There's a reason this show has stood the test of time. It's fun, light and unique and allows for growth and change by regenerating it's lead character into a new actor before things get a chance to go stale. I love that the Doctor uses his wits as a weapon rather than a gun. I miss my Doctor (David Tennant) terribly but I am grateful that I have amassed such an awesome collection of Doctors since then. I hope this one continues forever so I can one days share it with my own children, but for now, I'll share it with my sister and nephew.
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