RTD snarks about Stargate

[Reiko]

I really don't understand the continual refrences to special effects?

People are making fun of DW's special effects, I think.

It's true: British TV has a much smaller budget that American television does. I'll admit that Doctor Who does not have superior special effects to Atlantis.

But IMO the quality has been much more higher than Atlantis in it's past two years.

[prion]

Darn. I just posted a long-ish rant about this in the Robert Carlyle thread. I'll just have to abbreviate here.

I don't understand the hate for Doctor Who. I think it's the best show on television. I find it hard to believe that anyone could love Stargate Atlantis while simultaneously calling Doctor Who "cheap" or "silly." Have you actually seen the show? They may not have a massive budget, but they do a hell of a lot more with it than Stargate Atlantis has been doing lately. Am I alone on this?

That said, I also don't like hearing RTD bash Atlantis. I do think Atlantis has shown a major drop in quality over the past couple of seasons, but that's no reason to bash the whole of Stargate. For most of its run, Stargate was one of the best sci-fi shows ever made. I like Doctor Who a lot, but Stargate used to be just as good.

[snip]The writing is what made Stargate so good originally. The writing is what makes Doctor Who so great. The writing is what made Star Trek so great. And the writing is what made the last couple of seasons of Atlantis so damn poor. And it will probably be what makes Universe poor.

Actually, RTD did not bash Atlantis. He said "stargate." That's all. So I suppose you could take as bashing an entire franchise, who knows, and frankly, who cares?

Special effects matter a LOT in science fiction shows, at least to the key demographic (young males, 18-25, etc. etc.). I'd rather have incredible dialogue, than seeing a spaceship blow up *again*. The thing is that most science fiction is mostly fiction (if you think all the science on Stargate flies, well, um, it doesn't). I watch a show for characters over fancy spx, but if it's on SciFi, they usually want/demand that kind of stuff, although Skiffy is scraping the bottom of the barrel now in showing just badly written horror flicks.

Agree with your last paragraph, definitely.

[Coaster]

Not that it's an excuse, but RTD is well-known for being blunt and sometimes saying tactless things. Large segments of Who fandom have repeatedly gotten riled up (and not in a good way) over things he's said over the past few years even about his own show, so this is nothing new to me.

[Madeleine]

Special effects matter a LOT in science fiction shows, at least to the key demographic (young males, 18-25, etc. etc.).

That's only the key demographic for SF in the US.

In the UK, it's really a question of what time it's on. If it's on during office hours, "Children". If it's on after teatime, "everyone not yet in bed".

[P-90_177]

http://www.gateworld.net/news/2008/1...snt_care.shtml



Argh, I can't believe how big headed this quote is. It's basically saying "my show is better than Stargate, therefore he should come to mine".

As one of the few people who thinks New Doctor Who is a pile of crap, I'm gonna be outnumbered here in my hatred of it.
Copied and pasted from a rant I had when I sat through an episode thinking they'd be a new Doctor;
It's the biggest loads of BS on TV. How can you take anything at all seriously? I know it's sci-fi but it's not remotely believable at all. A device that can destroy everything ever? All daleks can be controlled by one computer? How many times did they bring back the daleks after they "defeated them once and for all".

Some people say it's not meant to be taken seriously, but they're moments when you're clearly supposed to. Emotional scenes and the like. It's so OTT and ridiculous that when these scenes come up they just feel out of place.
This is one reason why Stargate is so much better than Doctor Who. It does what DW is trying to do successfully, strike a believable balance between humour and seriousness.
So far the only people I've meant in real life who like it are girls who like it because "David Tennant is so hot", my dad who's probably watching it for nostalgia purposes, and my little sister's 6 year old friend.
If anyones says "If you don't like Doctor Who, why do you watch it?" - I've watched less than 10 episodes, and NEARLY each time I've had nothing but bad things to say.

The only praise I have for the show is Blink, and Tennant's acting. Moffat wrote Blink, and I understand he's taking over the show in '10, so I may give it another go then.

Ah good ol' RTD. What a legend.

[Madeleine]

Not that it's an excuse, but RTD is well-known for being blunt and sometimes saying tactless things.

Yes. And saying outrageous, exaggerated-for-effect and quite frankly ridiculous things, on purpose.

If you listen to him a few times, you get a sense for when he's being serious and when he isn't

[Coaster]

Yes. And saying outrageous, exaggerated-for-effect and quite frankly ridiculous things, on purpose.

If you listen to him a few times, you get a sense for when he's being serious and when he isn't

He's a real treat to watch in things like the Confidentials. I think his often-teasing manner doesn't come across in print as well as it does in person.

[P-90_177]

Yes. And saying outrageous, exaggerated-for-effect and quite frankly ridiculous things, on purpose.

If you listen to him a few times, you get a sense for when he's being serious and when he isn't

Well he is the living embodiment of the doctor in one form or the other.

[Pitry]

Oh so this was the end of the comment! LoL. I listened to it twice on the listen again feature, but couldn't figure out what the ending was. Cheers for that.

As for the comment - Sigh. People, please do relax. RTD himself has said in one of his past interviews he likes Stargate. Can't be arsed to find the exact quote, but it wa something in the spirit of "it's a good show but too militaristic" or something like that. This is an off hand comment made in a radio interview about something else entirely out of surprise, and yes, I was surprised as well to hear Robert Carlyle has signed up with Stargate. Give the man a break.

And ya know what? Maybe he's seen Stargate lately and doesn't like it too much. There are plenty of fans here who feel the same, after all, and repeatedly make comments in that spirit - who knows? Maybe RTD is one of them?

(DISCLAIMER: Doctor Who has replaced Stargate as my favourite television show/ franchise a while back now. )

[P-90_177]

Oh so this was the end of the comment! LoL. I listened to it twice on the listen again feature, but couldn't figure out what the ending was. Cheers for that.

As for the comment - Sigh. People, please do relax. RTD himself has said in one of his past interviews he likes Stargate. Can't be arsed to find the exact quote, but it wa something in the spirit of "it's a good show but too militaristic" or something like that. This is an off hand comment made in a radio interview about something else entirely out of surprise, and yes, I was surprised as well to hear Robert Carlyle has signed up with Stargate. Give the man a break.

And ya know what? Maybe he's seen Stargate lately and doesn't like it too much. There are plenty of fans here who feel the same, after all, and repeatedly make comments in that spirit - who knows? Maybe RTD is one of them?

(DISCLAIMER: Doctor Who has replaced Stargate as my favourite television show/ franchise a while back now. )

(Regarding Disclaimer: I agree. Doctor Who is by far and away above stargate in my eyes now........actually Stragate is no longer in my top 3 favorite sci-fi shows.)

[s09119]

The difference is more than just special effects; but let's be honest, watching a show with horrid VFX is just impossible sometimes! But when the writing, acting, and overall plan pull it so far above the norm that you forget the terrible visuals (remember such shows as early Star Trek series, Babylon 5, etc.), then the bad stuff doesn't matter so much.

Unfortunately, Dr. Who has simply-awful acting by most of its cast (the Doctors and most companions aside), its plot is pure-silliness and rehashing of things its done before (Stargate has done this too, I'm aware, but not to this extent), and its writing is often atrocious. That said, it has its moments where you can forget all that and simply love what you're watching, but most of the time it's very hard for science-fiction lovers to latch onto Dr. Who; it's just too campy, and the effects are what drive many away because of it.

But of course, to each his/her own. Who has a lot of potential, and if you're not the type to obsess over the more "science" parts of "science-fiction," please enjoy it!

[Pitry]

T

But of course, to each his/her own. Who has a lot of potential, and if you're not the type to obsess over the more "science" parts of "science-fiction," please enjoy it!

I'm not the type, I guess. I enjoy good writing, good acting, good storytelling, good cinematography (yes, including VFX), witty humour, original ideas and imagination, and I find DW has all of these (yes, including VFX) in abundance. Different strokes for different people an' all that.

[Col.Foley]

I do happen to love both series, Stargate the favorite of the two. But yeah, this could seem a little bit irksome. Of course, Pitry could be right. It could have been meant as that bit of surprise there, and more or less harmless.

As far as the rest. I view Doctor Who as something that I do not take seriously. It is a show to have pure fun with. Sometimes with dark over tones, while Gate seems to be the other way around, a serious series that goes light hearted...granted...it does this often.

As in terms of the writing. Davies has had his successes and his failures, needless to say, I cannot wait until Moffet finall takes over.

[Col.Foley]

I'm not the type, I guess. I enjoy good writing, good acting, good storytelling, good cinematography (yes, including VFX), witty humour, original ideas and imagination, and I find DW has all of these (yes, including VFX) in abundance. Different strokes for different people an' all that.

You know, you do bring up another one of those points. In basic, and I have said this before. When someone disses a scene of either show, or an action, or plot. I usually do not see it, at all. Its just one of those things that a lot of what has happened in Gate the last few years, I really have not seen the problems with. Same with Who.

[spinny magee]

Who cares what RTD thinks? Honestly he's just one guy.