Five Totally Awesome Things You Missed the First Time Around – The Sci-fi Edition

Five Totally Awesome Things You Missed the First Time Around — The Sci-fi Edition

We all need a little more sci-fi in our lives. Lesser known sci-fi shows are unfortunately easy ones to miss, especially up against juggernauts like Trek and Battlestar Galactica. First, sci-fi is notoriously known for getting cancelled (see first entry below). Second, sci-fi shows are usually serials and build off previous episodes so if you get behind one or two eps, it is hard to catch back up. Luckily (or unluckily depending), the shows below have all finished their original runs so you will have no problem sitting down with a DVD and burning through them.

On another note, I know there are tons of sci-fi shows out there that are not mentioned here! It’s hard to get it down to just five. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Don’t worry though! If you don’t see your favorite mentioned, drop me a line because there will totally be more of Five Totally Awesome Things and it might get included on another round.

1) Firefly

Stats: One Season of 14 episodes that aired on fox in the fall of 2002.

Starring: Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Jewel Staite, Adam Baldwin, Summer Glau, Sean Maher, Morena Baccarin, Ron Glass

Why you might have missed it: Did you blink during the Fall of 2002? Then you might have missed it.

Summary: A mixture of a science fiction show and a western, Firefly focuses on the crew of the ship Serenity, and all their adventures. The show takes place in a world where our Earth “got used up” and new Earths were made. There is an Alliance (which is kind of evil depending on who you talk to) of core planets and then backwater planets and moons that have minimal technology. Everyone speaks a mixture of English and Mandarin. Our main characters fly to the left of the law but live by their own code of right and wrong, some more than others. (looking at you, Jayne Cobb). Each episode is one kind of adventure or another that range from daring heists to… okay, a lot of it is about daring heists but there are some great moral stories and action adventure and each character is kind of a bad-ass in their own way. There are even a few tender moments, usually between brother and sister Simon and River Tam, but other characters get in on it too. In short, Firefly has everything that anyone would ever want in a sci-fi western and I would say that it is one of a kind but another show on this list is also a sci-fi western. Imagine that!

Why it is AWESOME: Okay, I know! It’s not like Firefly isn’t on everyone’s radar already, but you would be surprised how many people that I know that say they’ve heard of it but have never seen it! That, my friends, is a travesty! This is probably one of the greatest sci-fi shows ever produced. Ever! It is such an interesting look at what our future could be. It’s plausible. The characters are human, in every sense of the word. The backdrops are amazing. There are some really different camera angles and movements used and the story telling is compelling and consistent! (consistency is the bane of all sci-fi shows but this one has it in spades). It is probably the most quotable show ever. (Seriously, the dialogue is memorable and hilarious). And it is just plain good. The only problem is that it is so short but that fault can be squarely placed on Fox’s shoulders. (Damn them.) However, there is a movie that ties things up quite nicely. Serenity is the continuation of Firefly and it is as awesome as the series. Just have some tissues handy. Anyway, go watch it. Just go. You can thank me later.

How can you see it?: Buy the DVD so you can get the special features and the commentaries. They are worth it. You can also see it on Netflix streaming.