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Babylon 5 is consistently ranked as one of the three seminal works of American science fiction television, along with the original Star Trek series, and the original Outer Limits series. In my opinion, Babylon 5 is among some of the best stories ever created for television, regardless of genre. Set some two and a half centuries in the future, Babylon 5 tells the story of humanity after its first encounters with extra-terrestrial life. Unlike the Star Trek universe, everything is not perfect for humanity. Earth is still rife with intrigue, greed, poverty, addiction, stupidity, and arrogance. Click here for more on Babylon 5. The godfather of all science fiction television, Star Trek is still very much alive, even though the current Star Trek incarnation fails to live up to the standards set by its predecessors. The original series recounting the adventures of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Sulu, Chekov, and Uhura ran from 1966-71 on broadcast television. Since then, there have been ten feature movies and four more Star Trek television series. My favorite of all the Star Trek incarnations would have to be Deep Space Nine, especially in the last three to four years. Click here for more on Star Trek. Spawned as continuation of a plot developed for the big screen in the movie Stargate, released in 1994, Stargate SG-1 takes up where the movie left off. It has been airing for eight seasons, and will begin its ninth in July 2005. In 2004, the first spin-off, Stargate Atlantis, began airing with incredible ratings. The cable network, the Sci-Fi channel has been the home of Stargate for the past few years, since it moved out of syndication. Before that, it aired on another cable network, Showtime. SG-1 recounts the travels of a group of four interplanetary adventurers from Earth, who are either members of or employed by the United States Air Force. The team includes Colonel (now Brig. General) Jack O'Neil, Major (now Lt. Colonel) Samantha Carter, Dr. Daniel Jackson, and the Jaffa Teal'c, who hails from the planet Chulak. According to the story, they have saved Earth and all humanity from complete destruction many times, all unbeknownst to the people of our fair planet. Click here for more on Stargate SG-1. |