Category: Sci-Fi Views

A collection of posts about a variety of topics within the world of science, science fiction, and fantasy.

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Sci-Fi Views

Poll for Stargate Fans Has Little Chance of Success

Not for the reasons you might think, either. 

I’m all for a vote to help save the Stargate franchise, but in this instance, I found myself turned off the vote by the wording of the request for votes.

http://stargate.taosu.net/

They are canceling Stargate! Not only SGU, but the whole Stargate franchise!

But we are already seeing SGU getting better every episode. We want to see more episodes and movies out of the franchise! Also, it’s not only SGU’s own fault for its cancellation. SyFy’s poor slot arrangement of the show largely contributes to its poor performance.

Cast here to show your support for Stargate!

I know why SGU was cancelled. It wasn’t very good in the beginning. In fact, it was part way into season 2 before the show became exciting and interesting enough to bring me back into the fold of SGU fans.

As for this poll, I don’t think it’s smart to put so much emphasis on Syfy as being part of the reason for the show’s failure. Syfy has been a huge supporter of Stargate over the years.

I think SGU had already lost far too many viewers before a time slot move was even contemplated. Denial of the facts isn’t helping anyone. Some people love the show. Many more do not.

Me, I have found a new appreciation for the episodes of Stargate Universe as the series nears its end. But blaming Syfy for the failure of the previous episodes is not a smart move. I won’t vote in this poll, even though I do think Stargate deserves to be saved.

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Sci-Fi Views

Heads up about changes coming to SciFi Fantasies in 2011

This is just a little note to mention that changes are coming to this site and blog. I’ve been neglecting SciFi Fantasies for a while now and I feel compelled to find a way to bring back the love I once had for the site. I’ve been giving that some thought as the end of the year has approached and I’ve had a few ideas that I think might work out.

1. I have a heavy interest in some shows and could care less about others. I’d like SciFi Fantasies to reflect my interests more.

2. I created a database back when I started this site, but I’ve found that I don’t enjoy keeping it updated. If I’m not going to keep it relevant, there’s really no point in having it here. I’m not planning on losing all of the content, but I won’t be keeping some of the minutia such as the individual pages for episode details–unless I change my mind between now and implementation.

3. I would like to chat more on the blog. News is all well and good, but I truly enjoy episode and show discussion and I would like to do more of that. To that end, this site is not going to be spoilerphobe friendly. I have a love for spoilers and the site is probably going to reflect that.

4. I run several other sites I created for shows I’m especially fond of (stargateatlantisfan.com, eurekafan.com, stargateuniversefan.com). I would like to integrate them more fully with this site. Not sure how that will work, but I’m going to give it some additional thought.

5. I love books! I want to talk about science fiction and fantasy books more often here. Especially tie-ins for television I love.

6. I want to showcase fun stuff that fans love. I get a little caught up in the worlds created by the tv shows I love and find myself sometimes wanting to read more about them outside the sanctioned channels. I would like to talk about and link to fanfiction I find particularly fun and entertaining, or at the very least to the archives where it can be found. I’ve found that good fanfiction can be integral to keeping me excited about a show when a few bad episodes try to spoil my fun.

7. There is no 7 yet. :)

So there you go, a short summary of things I’d like to do with the site in 2011 and that I hope to get started on ASAP.

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Sci-Fi Views

Have your TV viewing habits been forever changed by DVR technology?

Last year in an article about Chuck (the TV series), I wrote that my TV viewing habits had been forever changed by my DVR. I think now more than ever, TV networks need to take note of this change, because I know I’m not the only person who has adopted a new way of watching TV.

Years ago, if a show was important to me, I watched live. These days this is exactly opposite of how I treat the TV shows I love and adore.

Here’s what I wrote:

One thing I will say as a last side note, Networks and TV people need to take note of how the DVR has changed tv for so many people. I watch stuff live when it catches my interest but isn’t on my have-to-see list. If I absolutely don’t want to miss a show, it gets recorded.

I don’t watch any of my favorite programs live anymore. I want to be able to see Chuck and my other favorites from start to finish without interruptions–and that includes the commercial content. It’s only the stuff that doesn’t really matter that I watch live these days. I feel it’s important that networks understand this. I’m not the only one with this attitude. The DVR has forever changed my TV viewing habits. (Link: Chuck TV show news article where I made these comments)

Do you depend on your DVR the way I do for favorite shows, but leave live viewing for less-than-beloved series? How do you watch TV these days?

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Sci-Fi Views

Sci-fi Fantasies gets something of a makeover

You might have noticed me messing around with the Sci-fi Fantasies website over the last couple of days. I’ve been tweaking and playing and I kind of like what’s come of it. I have a particular family member who thinks I’ve ruined the site by changing the header, but since it’s my site, I told her to leave me alone about it. I happen to like the simplicity of the new header and the way it leaves more room for the important stuff—like my opinion. :)

The makeover isn’t huge, but on a few pages, the changes are more substantial than on others. Take the show detail pages. I’ve moved the episode list menus to the top right to make it easier to find.

Comments are welcome, and I’m always interested to know if there’s a bug that needs working out. Thanks!

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Sci-Fi Views Television

What!? TV on DVD

What compelling reasons keep me shelling out good money for something that was available for (mostly) free at one time?

Farscape, Stargate SG-1 and Firefly all have season sets available on DVD Farscape, Stargate SG-1 and Firefly all have season sets available on DVD

Why TV on DVD makes sense

Unless you share the obsession, you might thing it’s crazy to spend anywhere from $35 to $125 for a single season of a television series—especially if that TV series is still showing episodes on easily accessible channels. I even used to be one of those people…until I found Stargate SG-1…Smallville…Star Trek Voyager…Stargate Atlantis…Star Trek Enterprise…The Dead Zone…and too many other series to count. My growing collection of series DVD sets attests to the fact that I have officially stepped over the line and become a television-crazed fanatic. What compelling reasons keep me shelling out good money for something that was available for (mostly) free at one time?

Commercial Free TV
Seriously. No commercials. The ability to watch television commercial free is enough reason all by itself. However, there are others…
Portability
TV on DVD means I get to watch what I want when I want. I’ll never be subject to a television station’s programming whims again.
Unaired episodes
I get to watch television series that might never play in syndication. The powers that be oftentimes kill a good show well before it deserves to be canceled. Look at Firefly. Flash Forward. Jake 2.0. Threshold. The Dresden Files. Invasion. Surface. Jericho. More, more, more…. DVD gives me a chance to watch episodes that often don’t even make it on the air.
Extras & Bonus Materials
DVDs usually come with extras, such as audio commentary on the episodes, interviews with cast and crew, featurettes and more. I actually kind of like these things sometimes and they certainly don’t usually show up on television—unless it’s a Scifi Channel series.
Premium TV Shows
I get to watch television shows that aired on premium channels without having to subscribe.

Although I love the digital age, and watch downloaded television programming quite often, I still prefer to own the DVDs when they’re available. Otherwise, I have to burn my digital files to DVD for posterity because my hard-drive just isn’t big enough to keep them all, nor is my DVR. So, yeah, call me crazy, but TV on DVD is perfect for me.

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Sci-Fi Views

Introductory post

Introducing myself here. Hi, I’m Lynn. I run/own/developed Sci-fi Fantasies. Although there are a limited number of shows listed at this time, I have a plan for site growth that includes the addition of many more great science fiction television and documentary programs.

Continue reading “Introductory post”
Sci-fi fantasies