CmdrShep2183 Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Space opera used to be popular on TV. We had stuff like like Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Firefly and Babylon 5. No current show on TV takes place aboard a spaceship. So what killed the genre? Bad acting? Considered too nerdy by the general population? Stupid looking aliens? Low quality special effects? Horrible or unrelatable stories? Maybe we were spoiled by the high quality of shows like Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead which makes developing a space opera that would appeal to this generation take a immense amount of resources. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Space opera used to be popular on TV. We had stuff like like Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Firefly and Babylon 5. No current show on TV takes place aboard a spaceship. So what killed the genre? Bad acting? Considered too nerdy by the general population? Stupid looking aliens? Low quality special effects? Horrible or unrelatable stories? Maybe we were spoiled by the high quality of shows like Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead which makes developing a space opera that would appeal to this generation take a immense amount of resources. Ultimate crosspost! Didn't you like the answers from this thread: http://www.scienceforums.com/topic/28034-what-killed-this-genre/'>http://www.scienceforums.com/topic/28034-what-killed-this-genre/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trekker 42 Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Expectations. Budget. A shift in focus maybe. Frankly there's no TV show that could have the budget to really give a space opera that wouldn't have people wishing it looked better. But on top of that, and this may be the bigger thing, fantasy took over. Ever since the Lord of the Rings films (and Harry Potter's popularity in film and books) people have hungered for fantasy. And television is looking for chances to give it. Game of Thrones, MTV's upcoming Shannara, the finishing of the Middle Earth saga, Fantastic Beasts is coming up in theaters and big damn awesome fantasy books keep coming out (Read Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind if you haven't already) whereas science fiction seems to be relegated to the big screen and even then more sparingly than it used to be. Things like Guardians of the Galaxy and the Trek reboots have kept Sci-Fi firmly planted in the realm of crazy fun stories without a lot of depth. And Marvel's other sci-fi story, Thor, is really more fantasy due to the mythological connection. Basically we asked for fantasy, and good fantasy not Narnia-Sequels-Which-Never-Manage-to-Capture-the-Goodness-of-the-First-Movie fantasy, and people like HBO have begun to really deliver. If Star Wars Episode VII manages to reignite the hunger for great Sci-Fi, we'll see more of it. But for now, I'm LOVING this fantasy obsession. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Seems like that stuff has always had a relatively niche geek base, with ST:TNG probably being the closest to breaking that mold and into the mass public consciousness over the last 30 years or so. Even in the examples you cite, Firefly didn't even last a full season and Babylon 5 only played on tertiary channels where you didn't need great ratings to be considered a success. I honestly don't know much about the current state of things, but if they aren't even where they were 15 years ago or so, then my guess is the main difference is that geek fans have more and better options. Walking Dead and Game of Thrones being two great examples, but there are others. The overall quality of TV has increased significantly over the last decade or so. And I haven't seen traditional sci-fi shows popping up that reach that same level of excellence that we're seeing from other genres. But if something on the quality level of a Breaking Bad came out but was a sci-fi show, I'm sure people would eat it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttheadsmate Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Space opera ? Get to a certain age & you pretty much feel that you've seen it all before............ then along comes something like BSG & the whole game changes . The game changed again with 'Guardians of the Galaxy ' . Without going off-topic too far ,the bigger question is how the hell do 'they' keep coming up with even more lame crime shows ? 'Columbo' seems so dated now but at least that show didn't treat you like a moron ,you knew 'Whodunnit ?' from the very beginning ...........the difference with 90% of modern crime shows is that you know after 5 minutes & treated like a moron for the remainder of the show . Thankfully 'True Detective' might blow everything else away . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterPL Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Space Opera has been replaced by two things; much cheaper reality TV and the comic book genre, specifically super heroes and at last one zombie series. Even action-themed animated series have given way to sillier, comedy fare with Young Justice and Legends of Korra being usurped by the like of Teen Titans Go! and Adventure Time. Part of it also might have to do with society's need for escapism in the face of a reality that seems increasingly dire. Fox's Almost Human was looking good for a while but reportedly the ratings didn't justify the production cost. I'm hoping CBS will announce a new Star Trek TV show in time for the 50th anniversary in 2016. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Without going off-topic too far ,the bigger question is how the hell do 'they' keep coming up with even more lame crime shows ? 'Columbo' seems so dated now but at least that show didn't treat you like a moron ,you knew 'Whodunnit ?' from the very beginning ...........the difference with 90% of modern crime shows is that you know after 5 minutes & treated like a moron for the remainder of the show . Thankfully 'True Detective' might blow everything else away .Hear hear. I love Columbo, and totally agree with you there. True Detective is certainly a few notches above just about any procedural crime show I've seen on television, apart from the Wire. But I think a key there is that the audiences for your CSI's and NCIS's aren't necessarily looking for an intellectual challenge. The studios could give us smarter shows, and sometimes do (Hannibal is a recent one, though it's obviously pretty far removed from your typical cop/detective show). But if you want to rake in the money, do an NCIS: South Dakota or whatever instead of trying something really thoughtful and complex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterPL Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 I've always wanted to see a CSI: Gotham. Oh, wait... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zexion_Armando Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 The closest we got recently was Almost Human, which flopped horribly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turtle Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Syfy has the six hour Ascension airing later this month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trekker 42 Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 And for Indiana Jones fans "The Librarians" looks to be a ton of fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterPL Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Speaking of SyFy, it looks like they're actually getting back to their roots. Behold, KRYPTON! Is that space opera enough for you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 So it's developed by Goyer, and it focuses on Superman's grandpa? No thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterPL Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 David Goyer is responsible for the comic book movie renaissance. Krypton – with its advanced technology, early space colonization, and inner social struggles – is about as space opera as you can get. I'm giving it a chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 (edited) Lucas was also responsible for Star Wars, but if he were writing/directing another film I probably wouldn't watch it. Edited December 9, 2014 by karamazov80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turtle Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I'm hesitantly optimistic about Krypton. I will say that with Nolan's trilogy, the new DC movieverse, Smallville, Arrow/Flash, Gotham, and Constantine, I wonder how thinly DC can spread itself before it breaks. The brand confusion is already there with all of these unconnected media outlets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterPL Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Lucas was also responsible for Star Wars, but if he were writing/directing another film I probably wouldn't watch it. I highly recommend American Graffiti. Great soundtrack, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trekker 42 Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I'm hesitantly optimistic about Krypton. I will say that with Nolan's trilogy, the new DC movieverse, Smallville, Arrow/Flash, Gotham, and Constantine, I wonder how thinly DC can spread itself before it breaks. The brand confusion is already there with all of these unconnected media outlets. Yeah, bit off topic but seriously DC made a mistake not just integrating TV's Flash into Justice League. Dude's a great Flash. Plus if the rumors about BVS are true and Jim Gordon is dead by the time the movie happens, Gotham could be integrated and not conflict with the movieverse in that regard too. Still pissed at myself that I haven't caught Constantine as it aired. I wanted to see it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CmdrShep2183 Posted April 26, 2015 Author Share Posted April 26, 2015 (edited) Who is excited for this? Edited April 26, 2015 by CmdrShep2183 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterPL Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 I'm just happy to see SyFy doing sci-fi again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.