Stargate, The 4400, The Dead Zone, Battlestar Galactica et al
By John Crawford

With the season premiere of the Stargate series you'd think I'd have something to write about. While I like Stargate, and to a lesser extent Stargate Atlantis, it often has alot of techno-babble. The first 5-6 seasons of Stargate SG-1 were the best I think. It was all about the adventure, exploring the galaxy. Little by little they added more Goa'uld villains, one threat to Earth after another. Now it's the Ori. Why does there always have to be so much conflict? The upcoming 200th episode should be alot of fun. Richard Dean Anderson will be returning, and that's always worth watching.

I liked the episode "Pegasus Project" where they combined cast members of SG-1 and Atlantis, it was very nicely done. Now if they could pit the Ori against the Wraith, may it would keep them both occupied for the foreseeable future.

The last two episodes of The 4400 have not been alot to write about. Isabelle is still intent of marrying Shawn, even after he tried to kill her. Nikki is still a wildcard in that relationship. There were two shameless plugs, one for Google and the other for Ben & Jerry's. We're left hanging about the status of Diana's and Marco's relationship. We haven't seen much of Maia. And any episode with Dennis Ryland is not among my favorites. Tomorrow's episode promises to give us some answers, but I'm not holding my breathe.

I've never written a review about The Dead Zone. I watch every episode, but I found little I want to write about. We got to see Sarah (Nicole DeBoer) for the first time this season. I think there one weak storyline is with Greg Stillson (Sean Patrick Flanery). I have nothing against Sean Patrick Flanery, he was great in Stargate, but I don't like his Deadzone character, and I think the doomsday flashes we keep seing are not good for the series. What people like about the show is this person that has a special ability, an ability that could be used for alot of good, and they portray that very well. They need to stick to that.

A scenerio I'd like to see is for John Smith to make some guest appearances on The 4400. Imagine the scenerios if John came in contact with one of the 4400's, what he could see. You may say would take the mystery out of why they were taken, but I'm quite sure they can come up with more mysteries and twists. If the producers are listening, John Smith needs to make a trip to Seattle.

I've read some of the Battlestar Galactica blogs, and tried to keep up with the press releases on the upcoming season. I can't say I liked the season 2 finale, so the premiere will probably not be that great. I hear the first four episodes will take place on the planet, then they will return to space. The producers have the twisted idea they have to keep the fans guessing. Well maybe just a little.

I also don't understand why the producers seem to think because Battlestar Galactica is an action/war show that one of the regulars should be killed off. SO WHAT? In every series there is the 7 (or so) main characters, the Vancouver day regulars as there were called by Executive Producers David Eick and Ronald D. Moore. The fans depend on those main characters to live through the episode, you can't mess with that without some consequences. If you're listening  Mr. Moore/Mr. Eick, don't do it! You're not the only game in town, and your fans may decide to watch Monk, Psych, Law & Order, 20/20, or any of the other 500 channels thay have instead of the Scifi Channel

So Mr. Moore/Mr. Eick, listen to your fans, get Battlestar Galactica off that planet and back into space where they belong. And don't mess with the regulars.

I've also watched an episode of Eureka and Dead Like Me featured on the Scifi Channel. I like them, but the storylines tend to be complicated. Viewers need to be able to follow the story and understand when and why something happens. This is a common pitfall for many science fiction shows. Maybe if the shows were 30 minute episodes vice an hour they stick to the main story and not add alot of filler. Dead Like Me ran for 2 seasons (2003-2004),  but Eureka is an original Scifi Channel series. Let's hope they've done their homework and learned from others mistakes.

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