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Wednesday, October 12, 2005 Dawn's Top 10 Science Fiction Shows of All Time After having so many issues with Boston.com's Top 50 Sci-Fi Shows of All Time, not the least of which is the fact that half the shows listed aren't even SF, I've decided to compile my own list. So without further ado, I present to you Dawn's Top 10 Science Fiction Shows of All Time. #10 Roswell This probably seems like an odd inclusion, and I will admit when I first heard about the show I thought it sounded like Dawson's Creek with alien teenagers (needless to say, not a promising premise for quality SF). But I was surprised to find that Roswell was intelligently written, rising above its potentially maudlin plot, and you had to appreciate the chemistry between Max, the once and future king, and Liz, the girl who falls for him after he saves her life. However, it had just a bit too much romance and melodrama to earn a higher spot on the list. #9 The Outer Limits (new) What made the Outer Limits unique was that every ending had a catch--and more often than not, it revealed humanity's darker side and propensity for miscalculation and arrogance. But the aliens were not benevolent either; they came to conquer, to destroy, to eat rather than to enhance our knowledge. #8 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine This series got off to an unimpressive start, but by the end the writers were juggling three simultaneous plots and dealing with an intergalactic war. It's not the best of Trek, but it was a worthy contribution. #7 Dark Skies TV shows created with a story arc in mind are rare. But as conceived, Dark Skies, which aired in 1996, placed its characters in the 1950's, right in the middle of a conspiracy surrounding the events at Roswell--and would have caught up to the present day by 1999, complete with aged characters. But like all good things, it was canceled after only 20 episodes. #6 Red Dwarf What's not to love about a British comedy that involves a chicken soup machine repairman (possibly the last man alive in the universe), a sequin-wearing quasi-human resulting from three million years of evolution originating in his cat, and a senile computer? #5 Star Trek: The Original Series It had to get props somewhere. TOS was revolutionary in its time and has influenced every science fiction show from its creation in 1966. #4 Space: Above and Beyond Here's another show that met its demise far too soon. SAAB was a well-written, gritty show about a group of marines struggling to defend Earth against invaders who struck without warning. This was one of the most hard-hitting military shows to air on TV, and the main characters were not immune from the possibility of death. #3 Star Trek: The Next Generation Hands down, this was the best of the Star Trek series. It had the best writing and the best captain--and the Best of Both Worlds, Parts I and II. #2 Battlestar Galactica (new) Battlestar= crack. (Thanks Bryan.) I wasn't expecting to be impressed, but the episodes fit together into a continuing storyline and the acting, writing, and directing are superb. And we have character development! If it keeps this up--the show's been running for just over a season--it may even challenge my beloved B5. #1 Babylon 5 JMS planned the show with a five-year arc so that events and comments that seem insignificant in the early seasons have large ramifications later. Although the thrust of the story revolves around a climatic battle that involves the entire galaxy, it's the characters that drive the plot and not the other way around. With its exploration of human nature and spirituality, this show had more depth and complexity than most of TV. And here we have it, the best SF series ever. ^ Top | 5:33 PM | | | 
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