Question Whats the best Sci-fi movie/tv series?

[Izack]

There's a major focus on realism[...]

That's what I thought, until I saw the main character kick an old fuel tank about 20m towards nadir and then it started burning in a brilliant plasma ball. Reentry must be the worst-portrayed aspect of spaceflight. Other than that and a few other minor pings, I really liked that series (well, the comic, anyway. I never finished the TV show.) I believe the author made a point of not reading too much about spaceflight lest it detract from the plot (which IMO was a good move.)

It's already been mentioned, but the new Battlestar Galactica is a very good series. The plot is slow sometimes but it's worth giving a watch. Also the soundtrack is brilliant.

Add me to the list of horrible evil people who haven't seen Firefly or Serenity. :facepalm:

 

[Sar]

Not in any order, I just like to make lists...

Series

1, Star trek the original series and TNG and DS9
2, Babylon 5 + movies
3, Firefly
4, Farscape
5, Battlestar galactica

And movies (Some or most of these are on my current to watch list, so I can't quarantee they're good, but they look like they could be)

1, Apollo 13
2, Mission to Mars
3, Red Planet
4, Cargo (some swiss movie or something I think)
5, Pandorum (alien stuff I think)
6, Aliens quadrilogy
7, star wars movies.... duh...


And you should definitely look for the ten or so part mini series about the apollo program, it was pretty good in my opinion.

 

[Ghostrider]

Am I the only one here who watched Life On Mars?

Brit or US version? I've seen them both.

 

[n122vu]

+1 for Stargate SG-1. Also liked the movie it was based on, Stargate. Another one I like, more for the fun of it than for scientific accuracy, is Independence Day. Looking back it's not the best, but it was good the first time I saw it in the theater. Another classic (oldie) with a good story is Outland starring Sean Connery. Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation are awesome. Most of the Star Trek movies are good, although like any series of movies there are some real groaners (*glares at Star Trek: Insurrection*). Never really got into ST: Deep Space Nine but there are many that love it, same with ST: Voyager. The Star Trek series "Enterprise" was just ok, nothing to write home about.

That's all I can think of right now (oh, and another vote for Blade Runner, although once you watch it once, once is enough).

 

[deltawing777]

Tron -inspired me for computers
Matrix -for reality check
Star Blazers -anime as a 11 year old kid
Armagedon -untill I realIzed the physics were flawed
Independence day -what if?

 

[Sar]

+1 for Stargate SG-1. Also liked the movie it was based on.

I had the feeling I forgot something from the series list and here it is, it's not like we're watching it at the moment... Not much to do with space, but it's really good watch anyway. I think this is the third watchthrough were doing now, but this'll include SG-atlantis and SG-universe aswell.

As for good sci-fi I could always mention the remake of V which is a nice enough series to watch.

 

[gattispilot]

How about Forbidden Planet?
Great effects before CGI

 

[jedidia]

I'd go with Firefly, may it rest in peace. It was amazing how the show threw pretty much all references to realism out of the window and didn't need to waste a single word about it, enchanting you merely with the shere coolness and charm of its environment. If there ever was a stagecoach in space, this is it, and it's off none the worse for it. You can shout "Bat Durston" at it for all you want, it'll just give you a glance over the shoulder and say "so what??"

I'm not quite sure why it works that well, but I thouroughly enjoyed it.

B5 was probably my favourite show in younger years, and still ranks pretty high, ST:TNG during child years, an TOS unfortunately never really made it big on german tv, that would have bettered my early childhood by quite a bit, I guess.

I can watch the new BSG, but it's somehow... very american, might be the right description? Even more so than B5. I don't know why the hell the 13 colonies have a gouvernemental and military system that TOTALLY matches the american . It kind of puts me off. The bladerunnerish subplot going on is a nice twist, though. All in all, the show was probably a bit too dark for my tastes.

 

[Urwumpe]

Space Cowboys is at least the only Space Shuttle reentry, that was filmed inside the Space Shuttle simulator at JSC. I quite enjoy it, especially because it is what Orbiter is about: Go play in space. You don't need a congress committee to decide what to do for fun.

Otherwise: Space Above and Beyond is IMHO one of the more underrated series, I quite enjoyed it. Firefly is better than Serenity, and Serenity is a great fun of a movie, especially because of its great soundtrack. Babylon 5 is great, and I really hate Warner for killing it. The German "Ijon Tichy" adaption is something you should watch if you can and have no problems with broken German... its hilarious and was one good reason for short nights for me (Since the German ZDF aired it at the midnight slot reserved for experimental or "underground" productions, they also aired the Sopranos at that time).

"Star Trek - The next Generation" is IMHO a must-watch, the episodes became better over time and you never had better characters in a Sci-fi series ever...

Star Gate is great, as long as you watch the early episodes in which it was only about Star Gates and all the spaceship garbage was magic. It had a strong start and lost a lot of appeal then.

"Andromeda" is some sort of hard to categorize. It has some episodes that really made me glued to the TV, others really bored me to death. Space:1999 is similar in a different way: When I was a child, it really tied me to the TV, now I find it too slow paced and sterile.

But the strongest Sci-Fi movie ever, at all times is simply "Blade Runner". Nothing ever reached it yet. Especially not Avatar, which is good brainless entertainment, but you feel it is mostly Pocahontas story on steroids for putting the 3D stuff in scene. "Sunshine" is way better, but still no match for "Blade Runner".

 

[gattispilot]

I grew up on Lost in Space, Land of the Giants,....
Stingray, UFO nad Space:1999

 

[Notebook]

N.

 

[jedidia]

"Ijon Tichy"

Oh the horrors, I happened on that once when I was in a hotel. I really didn't know what to make of it, I was torn between shutting of the TV and declaring it the most hilarious thing I've ever seen, for the mere fact that something like this actually IS on TV and not on YouTube :lol:

I wholeheartedly agree on your Bladerunner assasement though. Directors Cut, that is.

 

[Cornflake]

Jaffa, KREE!

'Nuff said.

 

[Urwumpe]

Oh the horrors, I happened on that once when I was in a hotel. I really didn't know what to make of it, I was torn between shutting of the TV and declaring it the most hilarious thing I've ever seen, for the mere fact that something like this actually IS on TV and not on YouTube :lol:

I had the same feeling on the first episode. :rofl:

 

[dutchpirate]

Big Fan of Babylon 5, just scored the entire series on eBay for $80! Story lines are excellent! CGI dated, of course, but at least they generally observe Newtonian physics, so it lends more plausibility to the space scenes. The Whitestar cruiser is also one of the most beautiful starships in Sci-Fi IMHO.

 

[n72.75]

I'd say: hands down, Firefly.

But that's just my opinion.

 

[n122vu]

@Urwumpe: Thank you. I had forgotten Space: Above and Beyond. That was a great series IMO. Definitely underrated.

I like Blade Runner. LOVED it in my teenage-hey-that's-cool-this-movie-rocks years. I even have the Director's Cut DVD. But since I've seen it so many times through, now I find it so long and slow-moving at times I want to shut it off and go do something...like play Orbiter.

 

[fireballs619]

Brit or US version? I've seen them both.

US version is the one I like better, but it was canceled prematurely. I've only seen a few episodes of the UK version, but I wasn't really able to connect with it. Shame, too, since it looks like a good series. Both have an amazing soundtrack though.

 

[guitarist473]

Thank you all for your posts!

I have started to watch the items on my list, starting with moon which i watched last night.

I have to say im very much enjoying these Sci-Fi movies/Tv shows and i think i will carry on to watch them long into the future.

thank you guys for all your help!

Guitarist473

 

[Polaris]

Guitarist473, you are welcome!