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Space Above and Beyond
#1
Posted 08 December 2009 - 09:33 PM
Inspired by myself re-watching this childhood favourite of mine and the Le Nerd Classique topic in the games forum, I came to the decision of posting about it.
It might be that most of you never heard or watched it. It's a space opera-ish series that describes a first contact war between humanity and aliens. Sounds simple, but it goes well beyond that.
The show handles such topics as artificial life, racism, loyalty, fear, sacrifice, hope, and more elaborate concepts like giving your life a meaning, or how politics can be deadlier than the battlefield. It shows the characters as human beings, far from perfection, just doing what they think is right and what the situation demanded of them.
Funny thing, now that I finally sat down to write this, I've got a lot less to say than I thought. The series just... feels great. Sadly canceled after 1 season (I do collect these don't I?). It doesn't escape some cliches and tropes of the s-f genre, but hey, who does, ever? It's good enough for me to recommend it for watching.
It might be that most of you never heard or watched it. It's a space opera-ish series that describes a first contact war between humanity and aliens. Sounds simple, but it goes well beyond that.
The show handles such topics as artificial life, racism, loyalty, fear, sacrifice, hope, and more elaborate concepts like giving your life a meaning, or how politics can be deadlier than the battlefield. It shows the characters as human beings, far from perfection, just doing what they think is right and what the situation demanded of them.
Funny thing, now that I finally sat down to write this, I've got a lot less to say than I thought. The series just... feels great. Sadly canceled after 1 season (I do collect these don't I?). It doesn't escape some cliches and tropes of the s-f genre, but hey, who does, ever? It's good enough for me to recommend it for watching.
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
#2
Posted 08 December 2009 - 09:44 PM
Seconded.
I loved this show when it first came out.
Was gutted when it was cancelled, even though the overall plotline was basically copying the US experience of the Pacific war in world war 2 and so there wasn't much left to go with.
also, one of the finest 'downer' endings ever in my opinion.
I loved this show when it first came out.
Was gutted when it was cancelled, even though the overall plotline was basically copying the US experience of the Pacific war in world war 2 and so there wasn't much left to go with.
also, one of the finest 'downer' endings ever in my opinion.
meh. Link was dead :(
#3
Posted 08 December 2009 - 09:56 PM
+rep as this is a great series, and I was even able to watch the whole thing on television when it first came out.
Monster Hunter World Iceborne: It's like hunting monsters, but on crack, but the monsters are also on crack.
#4
Posted 08 December 2009 - 10:32 PM
Great show. There were a few weak eps but overall just a neat genre tv work from beginning to end. Notable for David Duchovny appearing uncreditted as a pool shark/sexbot, and possibly the greatest television spaceship dogfight scene ever (yes, better than BSG's 'Starbuck vs Scar Cylon') in the ep 'The Angriest Angel pt 2" which also had this pure win piece of dialogue...
Priest: Colonel! Colonel McQueen! Do you need to make peace with your maker?
Lt. Col. "T. C." McQueen: My maker was some geek in a lab coat with an eyedropper and a petri dish. What do I need to make peace with him for?
Priest: In times of war we must all make peace with our maker.
Lt. Col. "T. C." McQueen: Well, I don't think our maker wants to hear from me right now, because He know I'm going to go out in this plane, and I'm going to remove one of His creations from His universe. And when I get back, I'm going to drink a bottle of scotch as if it was Chiggy Von Richtofen's blood and celebrate his death.
Priest: (visibly shaken) Amen.
Col. McQueen is a scifi legend.
- Abyss, fan.
Priest: Colonel! Colonel McQueen! Do you need to make peace with your maker?
Lt. Col. "T. C." McQueen: My maker was some geek in a lab coat with an eyedropper and a petri dish. What do I need to make peace with him for?
Priest: In times of war we must all make peace with our maker.
Lt. Col. "T. C." McQueen: Well, I don't think our maker wants to hear from me right now, because He know I'm going to go out in this plane, and I'm going to remove one of His creations from His universe. And when I get back, I'm going to drink a bottle of scotch as if it was Chiggy Von Richtofen's blood and celebrate his death.
Priest: (visibly shaken) Amen.
Col. McQueen is a scifi legend.
- Abyss, fan.
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#5
Posted 09 December 2009 - 01:40 AM
Oh damn. I forgot how awesome this was, now I've gotta go and 'requisition' this right now.
#6
Posted 09 December 2009 - 02:08 AM
I remember this, it was great!
It was the first gritty bleak scifi drama (that i saw anyway)and it took years for BSG and SGU to come around with a similar feel.
Incidentally this show was what i was imagining when reading about the Dark, all those years ago.
... whatever happened to the Dark anyway, never even got my dogtags
It was the first gritty bleak scifi drama (that i saw anyway)and it took years for BSG and SGU to come around with a similar feel.
Incidentally this show was what i was imagining when reading about the Dark, all those years ago.
... whatever happened to the Dark anyway, never even got my dogtags

This post has been edited by Wry: 09 December 2009 - 02:08 AM
“Arm yourself, Watson, there is an evil hand afoot ahead"
#7
Posted 09 December 2009 - 08:20 AM
Wry, on 09 December 2009 - 02:08 AM, said:
I remember this, it was great!
It was the first gritty bleak scifi drama (that i saw anyway)and it took years for BSG and SGU to come around with a similar feel.
It was the first gritty bleak scifi drama (that i saw anyway)and it took years for BSG and SGU to come around with a similar feel.
Agreed. I was gutted when I watched the last episode and realised it wasn't coming back ...

Quote
Incidentally this show was what i was imagining when reading about the Dark, all those years ago.
... whatever happened to the Dark anyway, never even got my dogtags
... whatever happened to the Dark anyway, never even got my dogtags

Me neither, nor my t-shirt. I just chalked it up to "shit happens".
EDIT: I did a quick google search and found out Pallor has something to do with this, which is some kind of online communal movie-making site thing. "Iron Sky" sounds kinda cool though, check out the trailer.
http://www.wreckamovie.com/iron-sky
http://www.ironsky.net/
This post has been edited by Sombra: 09 December 2009 - 08:53 AM
"Fortune favors the bold, though statistics favor the cautious." - Indomitable Courteous (Icy) Fist, The Palace Job - Patrick Weekes
"Well well well ... if it ain't The Invisible C**t." - Billy Butcher, The Boys
"I have strong views about not tempting providence and, as a wise man once said, the difference between luck and a wheelbarrow is, luck doesn’t work if you push it." - Colonel Orhan, Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City - KJ Parker
"Well well well ... if it ain't The Invisible C**t." - Billy Butcher, The Boys
"I have strong views about not tempting providence and, as a wise man once said, the difference between luck and a wheelbarrow is, luck doesn’t work if you push it." - Colonel Orhan, Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City - KJ Parker
#8
Posted 01 August 2011 - 08:43 AM
I remember it from from over ten year back or so! Agreed, great show. Unfortunate that it got cancelled, it had a great ending to season 1 but its hard to just leave it there. I recently actually went looking for and found the show, quite a coincidence. Unfortunately not had the time to watch it yet.
#9
Posted 01 August 2011 - 09:13 AM
I re-watched it last year. It's a good show and I'm still bummed that it got canceled. Oh well ...
The meaning of life is BOOM!!!
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