Stargate, British Style!

[razzel_daxxel]

After a beautifully detailed discussion last night on just about everything!
It became quite obvious that British and American SCI FI are considered two completely diffrent genres!!

For example you have Dr Who which is a classic British Sci Fi and has stood the test of time and is still going strong even when my parents have been watching it!!!

A well know'n American Sci Fi included the Stargate and Star Trek Franchies, again with Star Trek having been around since my parents early years

So how do you think things would be diffrent if Stargate was made for British TV??
Would it change???
What do you think the main diffrences are between British and American Sci Fi's?

[Flyboy]

After a beautifully detailed discussion last night on just about everything!
It became quite obvious that British and American SCI FI are considered two completely diffrent genres!!

For example you have Dr Who which is a classic British Sci Fi and has stood the test of time and is still going strong even when my parents have been watching it!!!

A well know'n American Sci Fi included the Stargate and Star Trek Franchies, again with Star Trek having been around since my parents early years

So how do you think things would be diffrent if Stargate was made for British TV??
Would it change???
What do you think the main diffrences are between British and American Sci Fi's?

I think it would be considerably different.

If only due to the politics, regardless of whether or not the SGC was under British or US control in a British version. Things would be a lot darker, and I think there'd be considerably more deaths. I imagine it would be by the makers of Spooks and so probably a post water shed sci fi show. And the military would not always be shown in the good light it is in Stargate. There'd probably be a lot more power struggles with more resonating consequences. There'd also probably be a lot more focus on the tatical side with less humour and more actual combat in line with a show such as Ultimate Force.

I imagine transatlantic politics would be a bigger theme as well, with our main competitor not being the Russians, but actually being the US.

[amconway]

I think the differences would vary depending on the era the shows were produced in. I've only seen one episode of the most recent season of Dr. Who-it was off our TV for a while, and I was surprised at the level of angst. It reminded me of Torchwood (which is a complete emo-fest) more than the Dr. Who of old...

post water shed sci fi show

What does this mean?

[razzel_daxxel]

Post Water shed means it will be shown after 9/10pm, after children have gone to bed, more.......um....grown up veiwing, if that makes sense.

[Flyboy]

Which doesn't necessarily mean Torchwood levels of sex and the like. There are a good many shows, such as Spooks and Apparitions which whilst are distinctly adult in theme, are not adult in content - ie it's not constant swearing or sex. I think in Britain a sci fi show such as Stargate, would be post-water shed to allow for much richer story telling. As unfortunatly, family viewing (which I have nothing against, I love Doctor Who and Merlin) can sometimes limit what you can do - a prime example is that UNIT is unable to truely shine in Doctor Who at the moment.

But if we take Spooks as an example - Stargate would be a very mature show with much more complex issues and themes.

[amconway]

We don't get any of those shows, as far as I know... I guess I have no real basis for comparison, so I shall bow out and leave this one to those who have more British television available to them.

[Flyboy]

We don't get any of those shows, as far as I know... I guess I have no real basis for comparison, so I shall bow out and leave this one to those who have more British television available to them.

Really?

Surely you must have shows which are not exactly suitable for children? The television equivilent of a 15 rated movie or something? Surely CSI and Law and Order are such examples?

[razzel_daxxel]

That does still seem to a funny rule about British sci fi, most of them are post water shed. By adult veiwing i did not mean sex etc..... sorry lol, making it sound like a pron film or somthing I meant there is more blood, violence, seriouse issues etc.....

I agree that had Stargate been British it would definatly havea darker side to it, also i agree that the USA would most likley be the Stargate main competetion lol.



ummmm.... yea i heard that a lot of Britsh shows are not played in America, I think that is most likly due to some of the content. All my American friends have to watch British shows online!

[Caldwell's 2IC]

Apart from Dr. Who, what I remember of British sci-fi is "UFO" and "Space: 1999". In both shows, the commanders were the main players and the stories centered more about them and their leadership. Teams, if any, were formed with one or two of the main cast actors and the rest would be red shirts; main cast actors never ever died, although they were shot at, beaten up, stranded on a deserted planet and so on.

So, I imagine Stargate SG-1 this way, and Hammond of Texas would be the main character, with Jack or Mitchell as supporting cast. And the show would be darker, I think.

[amconway]

Really?

Surely you must have shows which are not exactly suitable for children? The television equivilent of a 15 rated movie or something? Surely CSI and Law and Order are such examples?

Sorry-major language skill slipage, there... ; )
We have plenty of adult shows, but you guys were using examples of Scifi shows that I have never seen. All we get are Torchwood and Dr. Who (of the British scifi available)...

[Flyboy]

Apart from Dr. Who, what I remember of British sci-fi is "UFO" and "Space: 1999". In both shows, the commanders were the main players and the stories centered more about them and their leadership. Teams, if any, were formed with one or two of the main cast actors and the rest would be red shirts; main cast actors never ever died, although they were shot at, beaten up, stranded on a deserted planet and so on.

So, I imagine Stargate SG-1 this way, and Hammond of Texas would be the main character, with Jack or Mitchell as supporting cast. And the show would be darker, I think.

Thing is, both those shows are very old now, and just as new Who is very different to old Who, I don't think it would be a good comparison.

There's not a massive amount of British sci fi or fantasy around at the moment. Off the top of my head, there's just Doctor Who, Torchwood, Primeval, Clone, Apparitions, Medium (or whatever it's called, the British version, could be After life), there was a Quatermass Remake, Sea of Souls, Survivors....

Half of those are family shows, and half adult shows. As I already mentioned, I think the military nature of Stargate would lend itself better to an adult show. I do agree however though, that Hammond would be more of a main character, but more in line with Harry Pearce from Spooks, the section D commander. And I imagine that SG1 would probably as you said, have a high turn over of cast, but they'd still be main characters that can viewers can be attatched to.

Sorry-major language skill slipage, there... ; )
We have plenty of adult shows, but you guys were using examples of Scifi shows that I have never seen. All we get are Torchwood and Dr. Who (of the British scifi available)...

Ah - that is a shame. Unfortunatly I know that when Spooks (not sci fi, spy drama) aired in the US, they edited down from its original 1 hour length to 45 minutes so as to allow for 15 minutes of commercials. Consequently, the show was not popular. If you ever get the chance though, do try and watch Spooks or Apparitions, both are fantastic shows.

[razzel_daxxel]

I dont presonally belive Hammond would be a the main character, but i agree British Sci fi does seem to stay focused on one Main character, server background ones and lot and lots and "crewmen No 6"....

I think it would mainly focus aroung Col O'neil, I think the confilct of intrest between Sam and Jack would be played on more as well!

[Flyboy]

I dont presonally belive Hammond would be a the main character, but i agree British Sci fi does seem to stay focused on one Main character, server background ones and lot and lots and "crewmen No 6"....

I think it would mainly focus aroung Col O'neil, I think the confilct of intrest between Sam and Jack would be played on more as well!

But we also need to view it as British military drama as well as sci fi, such as Ultimate Force in which there is very much a team dynamic.

[ykickamoocow]

But we also need to view it as British military drama as well as sci fi, such as Ultimate Force in which there is very much a team dynamic.

Ive seen that show afew times and if Colonal O'Neill is anything like that bald guy (the main character) then it would certainly change Stargate. That bald guy was a complete psycho.

[Caldwell's 2IC]

Thing is, both those shows are very old now, and just as new Who is very different to old Who, I don't think it would be a good comparison.

Oh, I now those are old shows; and at 47 I'm almost an Ancient by now.

But since I'm old enough to remember the evolution of Dr. Who, maybe the secret of its success is that the show was always intriguing and it made you think and scratch your head and go running to find a book right after the show to check on this or that. And it was pretty good since back then.

Many of the new shows - American TV mostly - are not half as good, even with special effects. Maybe the exception to that would be the new version of Battlestar Galactica, even when I admit I'm not a fan of the show.

Regarding the old shows I mentioned, they were more centered on the star of the show than on an ensamble cast. In the Stargate shows, the commanders are not the stars, so we don't know much about them. Star Trek shows managed to bring us great stories about the commanders AND the crew.

I would like to see new british sci-fi, but that is not easy living in Mexico