1999 versus 2011

Let's take a moment to discuss science fiction, folks. Specifically, the devastating events that took place in 1999 and in 2011.

In 1999, a severe nuclear explosion occurred on the moon. The moon was tore from it's orbit around earth and sent hurtling through space along with everyone on Moonbase Alpha. I'm talking, of course, about the sci-fi seventies classic TV show Space 1999. One of my favorite shows growing up. The show was a British-made TV show that aired in 1975.


In 2011, aliens attacked the planet. Giving no warning, devastating our government, and sending the human race scurrying into the shadows where it formed small pockets of organized resistance against the occupying alien force. This is the world of Falling Skies. A TNT original series which began airing in 2011 that has thoroughly captured the attention of my wife Lorie and I. The series is smartly written, really well acted, and a treat to watch. Plus, it has Noah Wylie. A man that Lorie would leave me for in a heartbeat. I kinda don't blame her.


The shows are completely dissimilar except for the fact that they're both science fiction shows and their catalyst is a disaster related theme. What interests me in comparing them is the differences in their decades.

Space 1999 is completely in the realm of fantasy. Not much in the show can be considered realistic. The moon is hurtling through the cosmos and the inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha have just enough time each week to have a little adventure before they have to get back to the base and continue on the moon's meteoric course. Getting ever-further away from Earth. Despite the despair of the situation and the frustration of the characters, Space 1999 holds a sense of optimism and notion that the human race is ultimately good. Falling Skies does the exact opposite.


First off, Falling Skies is very much rooted in reality. Showing us how hellacious living in this hunted stage would be, denied the amenities that we've grown used to. So much realism abounds, that when we do run into aliens or alien spacecraft, it's a little jarring. The characters are fleshed out well and serve to put on display for us all the faults of the human race. Noah Wylie's character, Tom Mason, is the optimistic center that gives everyone hope. Yet despite this aspect, there's an overall feeling of hopelessness that surounds the show. And the show takes every opportunity to question whether or not the human race is worth saving. Which if you suggested that idea to Commander Koenig, he would punch you in the face.


Another thing worth mentioning is the 'style' of science fiction on display here. Falling Skies is science fiction by virtue of the alien threat. Space 1999 used to hold itself to a high science fiction standard. Pitching itself as more science fiction than Star Trek because the plots were more cerebral and the threats more about alien differences against the human race. They just weren't doing a bad-guys versus good-guys show, and they were proud of that.


Lorie hates Space 1999. She doesn't really like watching the old shows with me. That goes back to the fact that you have to have a certain mindset to allow yourself to enjoy things from earlier eras. I've discussed that before. But the kids certainly enjoy Space 1999 with me. And Ashton has begun to watch Falling Skies, too. His perspective on the differences between the two would be interesting.


The shows are complete polar opposites. Yet this speaks more about us and our culture than it does the mindset of the creators.

Somewhere along the line, our tastes in entertainment have completely flipped. We don't want hope and optimism and truth and justice anymore. We want to see how far a character can fall, and then we want to see them kicked while they're down.

I don't like it. Sometimes I enjoy the execution of the story, such as with Falling Skies or Walking Dead. But ultimately I would like to see our tastes as a society go back to yearning for hope and optimism and the celebration of the human race. (And I just want the reality shows that celebrate our depravity to go away. The less said about that the better.)


Let me put it this way... I don't want realism in my science fiction. I don't want to see what life would be like without showers and electronics. I want to see a show where the showers are electronic! I want to wear a futuristic jumpsuit with a belt buckle I can use as a communicator. I don't want to wear clothes that have never been washed and I don't want to feel lucky because I found an extra blanket by the side of the road on my trek to get away from aliens who want me dead. As much as I love Falling Skies, I would much rather have Space 1999.


So the real question is this... is this trend in entertainment a phase? Will the need for realism circle back into the need for fantasy? And again and again and over again? I kinda hope so.

I want to see Commander Koenig shave Tom Mason.


Thanks,
DCD