In Reply to: Lost in Space was the best SF ever made for TV. posted by john dem on November 27, 2001 at 22:51:19:
I'll agree that Lost in Space was a lot more entertaining than Star Trek. Lost in Space was dumb but at least it was fun to watch (better theme song, too). I always thought the original Star Trek was almost unwatchably awful. To start with it was relentlessly preachy and pompous. How many tired Vietnam alegories can one sit through? What about the episode with Frank Gorshin about a planet with 2 races who are black on one side and white on the other - has there ever been a more heavy - handed and pretentious treatment of race on TV? Star Trek was supposed to be a science fiction show; what possible explanation could there be for the evolution of a species into two mirror - imaged races? That show made Lost In Space's carrot man episode look like Shakespeare. The show's main plot device - whenever anything happened on a planet Kirk jumped into a transporter and left the space ship - was just plain stupid. The captain of the aircraft carrier Nimitz isn't on the ground fighting in Afghanistan, he's too valuable. That's what the lower ranks are for. And then there's the acting, some of the worst ever seen in prime time. Leonard Nimoy played a character without emotions because he couldn't portray any emotions. William Shatner's out of control scenery chewing would have been embarassing in a high school play. "Subtlety" wasn't in his vocabulary. You need only watch an episode of Next Generation back to back with an episode of original Star Trek to appreciate how terrible the first cast was.
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Follow Ups
- Re: Lost in Space was the best SF ever made for TV. - Rob Doorack 06:35:25 11/28/01 (48)
- Sure, the original ST is badly dated, but LIS was sucko in it's own time, period. - Audiophilander 13:31:03 11/28/01 (29)
- Harlan Ellison and Star Trek - Senator Blutarsky 12:08:18 12/11/01 (0)
- Jonathan Harris could out- act ANY Star Trek actor, even today. - john dem 19:29:49 11/28/01 (27)
- No offense John, but I do take my humor seriously. ;^) - Audiophilander 23:58:36 11/28/01 (26)
- Holy Afficianado ! - john dem 04:27:34 11/29/01 (25)
- nope - late 06:20:13 11/29/01 (24)
- Re: nope - john dem 12:20:40 11/29/01 (23)
- John, you have a right to an educated opinion ... - Audiophilander 21:26:22 11/29/01 (16)
- Super Auph to the rescue ! - john dem 22:07:17 11/29/01 (15)
- Up, up and away! - Audiophilander 06:58:32 11/30/01 (14)
- Defying logic is not a super power, Super Auph. - john dem 11:24:18 11/30/01 (12)
- The poster's logic lacks Vulcanization! ;^) - Audiophilander 01:31:05 12/01/01 (11)
- You're the one burning rubber to get away from your absurd assertions. - john dem 13:56:17 12/01/01 (10)
- To the contrary, my prophylactic response is quite logical: - Audiophilander 15:07:22 12/03/01 (0)
- the remains of the day - late 18:49:17 12/01/01 (8)
- Re: the remains of the day - Bruce from DC 06:40:19 12/03/01 (1)
- good post, minor quibble(s) - late 07:27:57 12/07/01 (0)
- Enter late, defender of the punyverse. - john dem 19:42:47 12/01/01 (5)
- intuitively obvious to the casual observer - late 21:51:33 12/01/01 (4)
- Yes, it is obvious. - john dem 23:09:50 12/01/01 (3)
- naught, plus naught, equals... - late 07:35:17 12/02/01 (2)
- Yawn...it must be late. - john dem 13:58:05 12/02/01 (1)
- Don't like losing, do you? --nt-- - late 16:16:35 12/02/01 (0)
- a tinker's damn - late 08:09:55 11/30/01 (0)
- semi-curmudgeonly - Bruce from DC 16:13:57 11/29/01 (2)
- ya done good - late 17:03:47 11/29/01 (0)
- No curmudgeonly argument here. - john dem 16:44:20 11/29/01 (0)
- the critic speaks - late 12:31:21 11/29/01 (2)
- What "tech" in the 50's are you talking about ? - john dem 12:47:12 11/29/01 (1)
- yes, and no - late 13:44:41 11/29/01 (0)
- Re: Lost in Space was the best SF ever made for TV. - john dem 08:15:21 11/28/01 (1)
- i have a cat named Miss Kitty --nt-- - late 08:18:09 11/28/01 (0)
- to boldly go where no series went before.... - late 07:00:57 11/28/01 (15)
- "Boldly go"? Even Rodenberry admitted that Star Trek was no more than "Wagon Train in Space" (nt) - Rob Doorack 07:33:00 11/28/01 (14)
- obvious, and beside the point, first is first.... - late 07:57:11 11/28/01 (13)
- First IS first - and Lost in Space was on the air a year before Star Trek - Rob Doorack 08:30:27 11/28/01 (12)
- You are TECHNICALLY correct, buckaroo, but only technically. - Audiophilander 14:18:16 11/28/01 (8)
- No, I'm right - period. - Rob Doorack 06:57:45 11/29/01 (7)
- Pardon me, no offense, but you're partially incorrect! (exclamation point!) - Audiophilander 11:06:44 11/29/01 (0)
- tsk,tsk,tsk - late 07:58:36 11/29/01 (5)
- Re: tsk,tsk,tsk - Rob Doorack 09:05:37 11/29/01 (4)
- Re: tsk,tsk,tsk - Bruce from DC 13:18:28 12/01/01 (2)
- Re: tsk,tsk,tsk - Rob Doorack 13:30:03 12/03/01 (1)
- Re:advancing senility takes its toll - Bruce from DC 16:32:15 12/03/01 (0)
- a conclusion few would share - late 09:20:14 11/29/01 (0)
- ok, my goof, but have you seen one lately? --nt-- - late 09:16:01 11/28/01 (2)
- Yes, as recently as a couple of years ago - Rob Doorack 13:59:00 11/28/01 (1)
- then perhaps we should agree to disagree --nt-- - late 14:02:33 11/28/01 (0)