Tag Archives: science fiction

What Happened to the SciFi Channel?

I know the SciFi Channel has re-branded itself as “Syfy“.  The tagline says that we’re suppossed to “imagine greater.”  I’m having a difficult time imagining how the change could be worse.

For example, tonight I have quite a bit of free time; my wife is out of the house at a meeting for several hours.  I figured it would be a good time to turn on SciFi Syfy and watch some shows I don’t get to see that often, maybe catch something new.  Instead, I was greeted with Ghost Hunters: International.  The guide showed nothing but Ghost Hunters: International for the remainder of the evening.  So much for watching some good scifi (note the difference in spelling).  Instead, I’m spending it reminiscing about scifi and writing this posting.

But a whole day of Ghost Hunters:  International?  Is the amount of available science fiction material that limited that the network that has brought science fiction to cable television for so many years has to resort to a show about ghosts?  And a bad one at that?   (Yes, I have watched various incarnations of Ghost Hunters and they’re all bad and not believable or entertaining in the least.  In fact, I have serious doubts about whether or not the show is “real.”)

I find it difficult to believe that good science fiction is hard to come by.  The old SciFi Channel just finished out a phenomenal re-telling of Battlestar Galactica, for example.  Even if Syfy resorted to re-running Star Trek, they could fill at least 700 consecutive hours of programming (about 30 days) with good stories.  There are many other good scifi television series such as Dr. Who, Babylon 5, Farscape, Twilight Zone, Firefly, Eureka, The X-Files, and the Stargate franchise that could be shown.  There are also many, many movies including the major scifi (and fantasy) franchises such as Star Trek, Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, and Indiana Jones as well as their attendant documentaries plus all of the countless other scifi (and fantasy) films to numerous to mention that could be shown.

My wife and I did catch Syfy’s new series, Warehouse 13, last night.  It was mildly entertaining.  We’ll probably watch the next couple of episodes to see if it catches our interest.  Caprica is coming too, but it just doesn’t look like it has enough to catch my attention.  Besides, those series that go back and try to tell the ancient backstory of phenomenally successful series just aren’t that successful themselves.

If SciFi Syfy actually showed science fiction and fantasy programming, I would be watching it.  I’d be watching it right now.

Syfy says that with the change in branding they can do “much more” with television, the web, games, mobile media, and what not.  The only thing I want more of is scifi.

Greg Bear – City at the End of Time

I just finished reading a very strange book by Greg Bear, City at the End of TIme.  Greg Bear is, IMHO, one of the best working science fiction authors today.  Books like The Forge of God, Moving Mars, and Darwin’s Radio are classics.  This book is very hard for me to describe without giving away the plot.  So, if you want to have your mind bent wondering what sum-runners are, what are Eidolon, what noötic matter is, and just what cats and books have to do with the end of time.  Did I say too much?  I sure hope not …

 

City at the End of Time
City at the End of Time