A daily miasma of frivolity by two wanna-be cultural critics. Or: just, like, some good links, dude.

Tag Archives: science fiction

Sep 30 2011
Mark Twain, probably

“Space Precinct” (1994)

“Space Precinct” (1994)

‘Ili and I have been watching Gerry Anderson’s Space Precinct on Netflix Watch Instantly the past few days.1 We’re two episodes in and I’m not 100% sure how to describe it. Wikipedia:

American broadcasters were uncertain what to make of this series that looked on the surface to be aimed at children, yet actually featured adult-oriented storylines and was usually played straight despite the bizarre storylines and make-up.

Maybe comparing it to other shows will be instructive: The makeup and creature FX remind me a lot of Farscape. The photography and costumes are reminiscent of Babylon 5. It has the scifi sensibilities of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

That doesn’t quite capture it somehow, though. Perhaps I already nailed it on Twitter:

Watching “Space Precinct” with ¥CHz. I really don’t know how to describe this show but “every cop show trope, but in space” is a good start.

But I still don’t think that’s the whole story. Perhaps, in the end, the best summary is that I’m looking forward to episode 3.

  1. The first episode was directed by infamous James Bond director John Glen. (Seriously this dude directed some of the worst Bond movies, all in a row). When I saw his name come up on the titles, I quite literally said “Oh nooooo” out loud. Thankfully, my worst fears were not confirmed. ↩

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Jun 28 2011
Mark Twain, probably

“History of Science Fiction” is a graphic chronology that maps the literary genre from its nascent roots in mythology and fantastic stories to the somewhat calcified post-Star Wars space opera epics of today. The movement of years is from left to right, tracing the figure of a tentacled beast, derived from H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds Martians. Science Fiction is seen as the offspring of the collision of the Enlightenment (providing science) and Romanticism, which birthed gothic fiction, source of not only SciFi, but crime novels, horror, westerns, and fantasy (all of which can be seen exiting through wormholes to their own diagrams, elsewhere). Science fiction progressed through a number of distinct periods, which are charted, citing hundreds of the most important works and authors. Film and television are covered as well.

I’ve just uploaded a zoomed out version of this piece so you can view the fantastic form of the thing. I strongly recommend heading over to Ward Shelley’s site so you can view an enlarged version. He’s also selling prints for $33.95, or for just $26.95 until June 30.

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