OT - Good sci fi TV shows?

[Desdinova]

Originally posted by gregebowman:
Speaking of BG, have you heard the latest on the remake? There's supposed to be a female Starbuck. That's something I can't picture. A female Boomer maybe, but not Starbuck! Although she's probably a babe, but to play Starbuck she'd almost have to play it like a cigar-chomping butch type.

not necessarily, Geena Davis played a good pirate captain in CutThroat Island. a character like her would work out well.

edit: here is the description of the character.

Kara "Starbuck" Thrace, in her late 20s to early 30s, is a loner, which makes her an oddity among the Galactica�s tight-knit crew of pilots. She�s tough and ballsy with a certain worldliness. She�s as undisciplined and rebellious out of the cockpit as she is calculating and precise in it. Her mouth has definitely held back her career. Not fond of Colonel Paul Tigh, the ship�s Executive Officer, she enjoys both taunting him and beating him at cards. A take-charge woman who runs around the ship in a jogging bra and shorts, who might be attracted to Lee Adama, Kara is a warrior spoiling for a fight, and she gets her chance at battle when the Cylons attack. Forced to fly an antiquated fighter, Kara soon learns that the "modern" spacecraft have been infiltrated by a Cylon computer virus, and that only older fighters can survive in combat. Lucky, smart, and tough, Kara soon finds herself the point woman in Adama�s efforts to fight back against the Cylons. But when Adama and President Roslin agree to make a run for it, Kara must use her battle-honed skills not to fight the enemy, but to defend the fragile nucleus of humanity carried aboard the Galactica to an unknown future.

soo much for the geena davis character type.

[ February 18, 2003, 19:52: Message edited by: desdinova ]

[Sinapus]

Originally posted by gregebowman:
I read Starship Troopers probably about 25-30 years ago, so even I don't remember the plotline of the book. Just the opening chapter is the only thing I still remember. I would have reread the book when the movie came out, but I think it's at my mom's house in Oklahoma.

Essentially, the producer ignored all the politics and important stuff. Then filled in his own impression because he didn't like Heinlein's political beliefs.

Nit: vets didn't take over the government in a coup as Micheal Ironside's character implied. Governments had collapsed around the world and in Aberdeen (earliest known case) some vets got together and formed a provisional government that eventually became worldwide.

Nit2: Sergeant Zim was a harsh taskmaster in the book, not a brutal thug like in the movie. (The scene where a recruit asks about training with knives ended in a small lecture by Zim about "there are no dangerous weapons, only dangerous men" and not Zim throwing a dagger through the recruit's hand.

Trivia1: Reference to Sergeant Zim is leading me to replace him with Invader Zim. But then my mind is twisted.

I think I'll stop here.

[DavidG]

Originally posted by growltigger:
The one thing I think it is safe to say, without fear of criticism, is that "Starship Troopers - The Film" bore awfully little resemblance to "Starship Troopers - The Book".

.....

The list goes on.

And on and on. I think the only thing that was the same was that humans were fighting bugs. On a realated note can anyone think of any Sci-Fi movie (or any movie) based on a book that was actually good? The only thing close that I've seen were actualy Outer Limits episodes that were based on Sci-Fi short stories. Even then they were a bit disapointing.

[gregebowman]

Don't remember that one. Unless it happened from June 87 to June 88, when I was in Korea. I missed a lot of television during that year, and probably missed out on a lot of stuff I probably still don't know about.

[gregebowman]

Originally posted by DavidG:

quote:

---

And on and on. I think the only thing that was the same was that humans were fighting bugs. On a realated note can anyone think of any Sci-Fi movie (or any movie) based on a book that was actually good? The only thing close that I've seen were actualy Outer Limits episodes that were based on Sci-Fi short stories. Even then they were a bit disapointing.[/QB]

---

well, all too true. Most movies don't resemble the books they're based on. Just look at almost any Stephen King or Tom Clancy movie. I can't understand the Hollywood mentality to think that they got to rework a best-selling book into a bomb. There are exceptions, but so few I can't think of too many. I did like the most recent Version of The Time Machine. And I prefer The Running Man movie to the book. Those are the only ones I can think of.

[Cheeze]

desdinova - wasn't that like the story from Buck Rogers? There the most advanced Earth fighters were supposed to run by computers. Unfortunately, those computers were sold to Earth by the Draconians, who pretty much waxed the Earth forces left and right. It took Buck Rogers flying by his own skill to save the day and convince the humans they should depend on their own abilities. That and some disco dancing...egad!

(Homer voice: mmmmmmm...Wilma Deering)

[Desdinova]

cheese - i think your right. no one knew how to fly without the computer. i beleive he began teaching them how to fly by the seat of their pants. then of course he was useful as he was not in the computer records like he every one else was since birth.
of course this was nothing like the book either

edit: i wonder when its coming out on dvd.
edit 2: nope it was only 1 episode (EPISODE 4)that had that problem.
LINK TO BUCKROGERS

[ February 19, 2003, 07:37: Message edited by: desdinova ]

[Growltigger]

and the fact that for some bizarre reason, all the cute galactic babes like Princess Ardala and Wilma Deering (bidda bidda bidda to that) found Buck irrestibly attractive!!

[David E. Gervais]

Originally posted by DavidG:
On a realated note can anyone think of any Sci-Fi movie (or any movie) based on a book that was actually good?

hmmm,.. The Thing, Planet of the Apes (original!), The Omega Man, 2001: a Space Odyssey, Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Jurassic Park, Hunt for Red October, etc, etc, etc.

I could go on and on, for some reason the 'Good' ones seem to be 'memorable'. Dune comes to mind, but you'd have to clip the ending (prevent Paul from causing it to rain) over-all Dune is well done, but Dune had just a few 'major' bugs that basically raped the original book! The Mini-Series was/is a much better adaptation of the book!

Cheers!

[steveh11]

I'll add another to that list of movies: James Cameron's "The Abyss".

Interesting note on "The Abyss" and "2001". In both cases the book was written at the same time as the film, and in both cases changes in the film were made because of the book, and vice versa. Whether this helped I leave to the viewer/reader!

Steve.