Science Fiction Tv Shows And Movies That have Not Aged well

[BAYLOR]

Which Science Fiction Films and Tv Shows have not aged a well?

 

[Rodders]

Babylon 5 is the best SF but we will never see a Blu Ray version.

 

[BAYLOR]

Babylon 5 is the best SF but we will never see a Blu Ray version.

Why can't they simply remaster the effects like they did wih the original star trek?

 

[Vince W]

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. So much spandex and disco hair.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Why can't they simply remaster the effects like they did wih the original star trek?

Very expensive. Even the DVD was a problem as they had dumped all the original files. CGI source files was several warehouses. Too expensive to keep. This also problem with scanning film at 4K and downsampling for DVD. When BluRay came along most of the raw 4K scans had been trashed. The live parts (film) of PAL Region DVD are thus higher quality than the CGI parts already! Not so noticeable on Region1 DVD (480 lines vs 576 lines in PAL Regions). I think they only had the TV station distribution tapes for the CGI parts.
Actual 4K or UHD needs even higher resolution scans. Basically you need always to sample at twice the vertical and horizontal resolutions of your destination to avoid jaggies and aliasing effects such as Moire fringing etc.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Buck Rodgers has aged maybe more poorly than original Lost in Space.
The original Cinema episodes 1930s Flash Gordon, I can't make up my mind!

 

[Vince W]

You could include many films/programmes where the future is now the past.

 

[Venusian Broon]

Buck Rodgers has aged maybe more poorly than original Lost in Space.
The original Cinema episodes 1930s Flash Gordon, I can't make up my mind!

Ah Flash Gordon! I like to think that somewhere in the multiverse there is a universe where spaceships can fly with what looks like sparklers rammed into their exhaust pipes. And make that loud droning sound.

It's hard to imagine but there was a time when there was so little content for the television that the BBC had to run 1930-40's cinema reels to fill up space. (God how I hated Champion the Wonder horse. That's a Black Beauty-type horsey thing and Western mashup for those who don't have a clue what I'm talking about - both genres I admit to not really liking much at all )

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Champion was recycled as Skippy the Kangaroo

 

[HareBrain]

God how I hated Champion the Wonder horse.

Oh, lord ...

This is without internet help, note:

Like a streak of lightning flashing cross the sky
Like the swiftest arrow whizzing from a bow
Like a mighty cannonball he seems to fly
You'll hear about him everywhere you go
The time will come when everyone will know the name of
Champion! The Wonder Horse!
Champiaaaaan! The Woooonderrrr Hoooorse!!!!!!!


And yet, when I try to remember where I put my keys ...

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Skippy Skippy a bush kangaroooo

We watched Champion and Skippy or else the TV might not get turned on again ...

 

[Venusian Broon]

Champion was recycled as Skippy the Kangaroo

Yes, I also completely avoided that too.

As well as Gentle Ben, Grizzly Adams, Lassie...

I think the whole human-animal drama thing really didn't click for me.

Harebrain - you definitely deserve a like for that, not for reminding me of the tune, but for your exceptional memory skills.

 

[HareBrain]

The hitherto secret, awful truth is that it sunk in so well because I actually liked it.

ETA: anyway, it was an interesting point you raised about the BBC not having enough content even to fill two channels in those days. Do you remember those short information films they showed? There was one about Australian lifeguards that seemed to be on every ten minutes.

(Sorry to OP for threadjack.)

 

[Venusian Broon]

Yep there was a load of weird stuff that did seem to be repeated on endless loops. That's probably why we can remember them so well now.

But I can't remember the Ozzie lifeguards at the mo' - I do remember loads of Canadian stuff - especially a series about a guy going about the countryside in a station wagon and a huge canoe. I remember it well because it was me reminiscing about this series, from the National Film Board of Canada, with a good friend in the later 1980s/early 90s that planted the seed for him to eventually find his band's name, I'm proud to say.

Bringing it back a bit to the original thread. I remembered that Buck Rodger's (the Studio 54 version - bidi bidi bidi) had the weirdest juxtaposition of theme tunes, the closing one was just not SF at all. So I found them on youtube...

Of course when they did Star trek: Enterprise they reversed this and put the ballard as the opening tune.

 

[HareBrain]

Surprised no one's yet mentioned the first version of Battlestar Galactica. I think I tended to get it a bit confused with Buck Rogers -- I remember thinking the robot said "By your command -- bidibidibidi".


And I can't help thinking that if someone from NASA had watched Buck Rogers and realised the space shuttle could also be used as a deep space probe, they might not have mothballed it.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

I rather like Buck Rogers. And Blake's seven which was dated when it was filmed, frankly. The datedness is part of their appeal. (Well, maybe not Buck Rogers. Bidi-bidi was the only appeal.)

 

[Ray McCarthy]

The repeated loops were 1962 (start of BBC2) to 1970s approximately to promote 625 lines. There was only schools TV (BBC1) during day and to start with BBC1 wasn't on 625, but 405 (1936 - 1939 and 1946-1985. ITV started in 1955 on 405. The 405 system ended in 1985. From about 1961 to 1970 there were dual standard sets with BBC1 & ITV on VHF 405 and BBC2 on UHF 625. By 1972 most areas had added BBC1 & ITV to UHF 625. The C4 started November 1982 I think. I left UK in 1983 so missed the disastrous Channel Five rollout which was also Free To Air on Analogue Satellite. The system was planned for only four channels. Five was intended for Digital TV which hadn't arrived.

So these loops were chosen for photogenic properties and visual attraction. Sound was irrelevant. They were Trade Test/Demo transmissions so the shop windows would not just have a test card!

 

[Ray McCarthy]

The Space Shuttle was pointless for manned expansion in Space. It couldn't even reach geo sync orbit. A major purpose was retrieval of Spy satellites using high definition flim.

 

[Venusian Broon]

Surprised no one's yet mentioned the first version of Battlestar Galactica.

I enjoyed the proper series. I think it was the final series when they found Earth and it seemed both the Galactica and the Cylons had ran out of fuel to have space dog fights or really do much else. Other than pop down to Earth for cheap away-day escapades.



Apparently one of the worst British SF and sitcom's of all time was Come back Mrs Noah. circa 1977 - Mollie Sugden wins a cookery contest. Prize: to travel up and win a British space station. They lose control of station and she is trapped there. How could that fail???

I think I was far too young to see this, not a scrap of memory about it. Perhaps my parents did the correct thing and shielded my sensitive young mind from it.

 

[BAYLOR]

Skippy Skippy a bush kangaroooo
...

They showed that steaming pile of on tv in the US back in the 1970's.