Most Scifi fans I have ran into can pretty quickly rank the four stars –BattleSTAR Galactica, STAR Trek, STARgate, and STAR wars, but what lesser-known or less-prestigious shows hold a special place in your heart?
No, Firefly doesn’t count as lesser-known.
It’s definitely not lesser known, but my favorite is The Expanse.
I would do unspeakable things for more stories set in the Expanse universe. The TV series should at least get another season or two in order to catch up to the last two books and I think it would be great if the authors/showrunners could explore some of the side plots more fully.
I really liked the last two books. I thought I wouldn’t care after the time jump but I was super wrong. I liked the show but I loved the books.
It’s happening! The story directly after the show and in between the 20+ year gap to the next book is now being told in the new comic book series. The Expanse: Dragon Tooth furthers the story of where we last left off. I’m planning to get the whole volume after all the issues release.
Also, if you haven’t checked into it yet, The Expanse video game from Telltale is a prequel with Cara Gee returning to once again be the voice of Camina Drummer!
Wait, didn’t Telltale go out of business?
They did, but they’re back. Probably not many of the same people, if any, so it remains to be seen if they’ve still got it, but the Expanse game looks awesome, and who can resist playing as Drummer? :)
A lot of the people who left started another company making a Star Trek telltale style game.
Agreed! I would absolutely love them to finish off the story. The show does such an incredible job of developing deep characters and a generally realistic world, I always try to recruit new fans when someone asks for a recommendation.
I would do unspeakable things for more stories
Salazar, is that you?
This would be mine too - it’s the one series that I’ve actually been back and re-watched multiple times, and I’ve gone back to the books too.
In contrast to others comments I’m not sure I want any more seasons of it. I loved the current set but it feels like it ran its course and I’m not sure I need anything more.
Farscape.
Look upward, and share the wonders I’ve seen.
Farscape definitely deserves a spot in the greatest sci-fi’s of all time.
Man I have rewatched that so many times. Ended to early
It really went off the deep end towards the end there though
I love this show so much! It seriously has is all and like no one knows about it. I’m about to make my boyfriend watch it actually.
Damn right. Pretty much my favourite show ever!
Space: Above & Beyond. I thought it had some interesting ideas that were never given a chance to be fully explored.
Babylon 5. It’s probably up there as #5 in your top 4, tbh.
Planet of the Apes. 1970s movies and TV series.Space: Above & Beyond was also a classic network bait and switch where they were X-Wing pilots until the budget ran out, then they were the A-Team in space.
Yes, yes, something about “every Marine a rifleman” but still, teenage me was underwhelmed.
Babylon 5. It’s probably up there as #5 in your top 4, tbh.
For anyone considering watching it for the first time, I strongly recommend the Episode Guide. B5 came out in a unique time, where techy people were on usenet, but the wide internet wasn’t a thing yet. The writer J. Michael Straczynski was on Usenet discussing the show and answering questions, and the episode guide integrates that, so you can read along after each episode for an idea of the questions that came up at the time and his answers, without spoilers.
Space: Above and Beyond was well ahead of its time, one of my favourite of the raft of mid-90s sci-fi that followed the success of TNG and early X-Files.
Planet of the Apes TV series is hilarious to me. It really feels like Coy & Vance Duke where sent to the Planet Of The Apes.
I remember really enjoying the Planet of the Apes TV series back when it was first broadcast and I was about 13. I haven’t seen it since then, and I think I’ll leave it that way. Why spoil a perfectly good memory?
Definitely Farscape. A very weird but very good show. Ben Browder did a great job playing the lead role and it’s a shame he hasn’t done anything like it since.
He did though, he was on Stargate until 2007! Also, he’s 60 now, so I doubt he’s taking on a lead role in a sci-fi as his same goofy self again.
Dagnabbit, never heard of it, but it’s free on Plex and highly rated on IMDB. Starting it right now
You’re in for a great time! I know people say this about every show, but the start of season 1 can be hit-or-miss. Things really pick up near the end of the season so it’s worth sticking until then.
Very glad I got to introduce someone to this show though, I hope you have fun with it.
I love Final Space :)
“Chookity pok” -Mooncake
I like how it developed into something mature, but that initial premise of “quirkiness in space” irked me to no end.
Galaxy Quest! I don’t know if it counts since it’s parody, but it’s hilarious and well-made.
I always thought of it as a love letter to Star Trek fans
As someone who grew up in the 70s and 80s and was a HUGE TOS fan, I think they really nailed what that was like as we got older and understood more about the actors and their relationships with each other and their roles.
One of my top 5 favourite movies.
By Grabthar’s Hammer… what a savings.
I will go for the oddball answer. The Outer Limits. The originals and the later ones. The episodic short story format works very well for me.
Anthology series are seriously underrated. Remember the Ray Bradbury Theater?
Spielberg had one I recall. Many of the episodes from that show turned into movies. Amazing Stories
We never got those on TV this side of the world, South Africa. I did read a lot of his short stories growing up though. Pulp paperbacks with cracked glue and cello tape where their backs used to be. Even the smell of those can feature directly in a Bradbury short.
I loved the outer limits. I always get the older ones mixed up with twilight zone, but they were fantastic. The newer ones were great as well.
Same here. There is an element of horror/fantasy in there as well. I recently enjoyed Netflix’s Black Mirror, which reminded me strongly of the Outer Limits style.
You could try Sliders, but the 90s corniness might turn you off.
As a kid, I was obsessed with the nickelodeon remake ofThe Tomorrow People but it doesn’t stand up very well
Then there’s Dark City and Gattaca for some more late 90s sci fi that I feel was bigger back then but no one really references anymore, but I think they are worth a view.
City of Lost Children is super weird but you can’t deny the aesthetic is unique.
Winner of best movie with stupidest climax goes to Sunshine
I cannot bring myself to watch sunshine, as the entire premise is dogshit. Exploding a nuke that small (compared to the sun) on the surface of the sun would do absolutely nothing.
This is true- the premise isn’t scientifically sound in any way. But the movie isn’t really about that. It’s about the journey through space under the stress of this being earths last chance and also kind of eldritch horror. Plus probably my fav roll for Chris Evans. He does a great job being an unlikeable guy who is technically right so you can’t really be against him. I liked it lol.
But the entire premise not making any sense whatsoever, in a sci-fi film, completely takes me out of it and renders me unable to enjoy any of it.
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“A team of international astronauts is sent on a dangerous mission to reignite the dying Sun with a nuclear fission bomb in 2057”
You telling me every description of the movie I can find is wrong?
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Even disregarding that, I didn’t like the movie at all. Very overrated IMO.
You don’t know what was in the nuke, whether it cascaded particles to origin by some unknown yech. Calling it a “nuke” saves the audience technical mumbo-jumbo whilst conveying accurate intent, in the same way that a “phone” probably refers to a mobile phone that can connect with several tech frameworks, instead of a landline dial toner.
I used to whisper “SLIDERS!” as loud as I can to my husband several times a month, so I made him watch it to know what I was talking about.
I realized that child-me made up that part of the intro, since they definitely don’t shout-whisper sliders.
I stopped whispering sliders at him.And the sad thing is that Sunshine started out with a lot of potential, but holy shit did it not stick the landing
Fringe is an excellent show. It begins really episodic, like old school Outer Limits and early X Files. But by third season you’re knee deep in a mind-bending larger story arc that absolutely rocks. The finale stands as one of my top 3 series closers. It expertly closes out the show with deep character resolution. And the show as a whole doesn’t fall prey to the Lost Mystery Deficit. Mysteries are resolved, and there’s great callbacks in final season to the mysteries of season one and two.
Furthermore, the cast is excellent. Joshua Jackson. John Noble pulling off Walter White levels of excellent acting and character change (you’ll recognize him as Denethor from Lord of the Rings), and heck, Leonard Nemoy is in it.
If you love sci-fi, you can’t go wrong with Fringe.
I love how it starts out as a “monster of the week” show but if you pay attention there are clues to the overall story arc in the background.
Maybe a bit of recency bias creeping in here but the first season of Severance was spectacularly good. Really hope they can keep that quality up.
Given the amount of people I recommend it to who have never heard of it I think this definitely counts as “lesser-known”.
If you count it as sci-fi, the HBO adaptation of “His Dark Materials” seems to have gotten basically zero attention in the US but was really quite excellent.
Also the original “The Prisoner.” (the remake with Ian McKellen was meh)
It is definitely much better than the movie. I still haven’t finished it, but it’s a fun break from other interests from time-to-time.
The hbo/bbc his dark materials was brilliant, so glad they finished all the book material. I think it was quite well received here in the uk
I’m gonna check this show out now! Thanks for the share
Is His Dark Materials really science fiction?
I mean it’s debatable - as with much SF - but if you go by Asimov’s definition, “that branch of literature which deals with the reaction of human beings to changes in science and technology,” I think it would have to qualify - heck, the opening chapter involves a researcher asking for money to find a scientific expedition, and discoveries concerning the nature of Dust drive an awful lot of the plot line.
And genre-marker-wise, it involves parallel universes and steampunk-y vehicles / machines / etc, and doesn’t really have any of the traditional fantasy ones like elves and goblins and dragons and wizards, or really much of any reliance on “magic” that’s not mediated through technology.
Westworld season 1 is still one of the best seasons of science fiction television ever, in my opinion of course.
I didn’t care for anything that came after personally, but season 1 was absolutely amazing.
As a star Trek fan, The Orville. It takes a bit to get its footing, but season 2 and 3 are great. I hope it gets renewed for a 4th.
As for movies, Primer (2004) is one of my favorite. The first movie of its director (Shane Carruth), filmed with a ridiculously low budget of $20 000. It’s hard science applied to time travel.
Be warned that this movie requires at least 2 or 3 viewings to really understand its story. Yes, it’s that complex.
I think it was 8 viewings for my tired brain.
Relevant xkcd: https://xkcd.com/657/
😂 that xkcd is perfect for Primer.
Yep! Had to watch it twice to understand, but absolutely brilliant movie!
Defiance was amazing, it’s clear SciFi was spending a bunch of money on it, which ended up getting it killed.
