STNG

I absolutely loved the Star Trek episode we watched in class. To me, it really epitomized what a good Science Fiction series can and should be. Instead of focusing on special effects or (to be frank) sex, the show brilliantly echoed the human rights debates we have on earth in the 21st century. I love symbolism, especially when it's creative, and the writers really hit a home run with this particular episode. In our culture, debates often arise when the line dividing right from wrong becomes increasingly blurry. In this episode of STNG, Data's natural rights are up for debate, as he's technically a robot. I think that this sort of argument really hits home, as we've had an all too similar debate in our own country during the past century. From different races to immigrants, all sorts of minorities have fought for their basic rights in our country. All in all, I think the reason I liked this episode was because it had a plot that made you think. There's no way anybody can watch that episode of STNG without forming their ow opinion regarding the fate of Data.

I can't really say that there's particular Sci-Fi series that I prefer over all the rest, but there definitely is a type of plot that I prefer. I love the episodes like the one we just watched in class, where the plot reflects our own world. In these types of episodes, I understand the real potential of Science Fiction. It's like a light bulb goes off when I make connections between our own world and these fictional places in the future; I feel like we learn a lot more about ourselves when we watch these types of episodes than we do about the characters of the show. I'm not a huge fan of BSG, but I can understand why others like it. It seems more modern to me, and not in a good way. It seems like a series that was written to draw a big audience on TV, and, to me at least, it doesn't have the same charm that Star Trek has.

Going into this course, I wasn't really belated to hear that our theme was Science Fiction. However, I have officially eaten my own words. I really did enjoy watching some of the shows, and I would have never watched any of them otherwise. So do I love any particular Sci-Fi show? Not really. But, I've enjoyed watching some the episodes, and I definitely have a newfound appreciation for the genre as a whole.