For those of you who remember the short-lived 1990 sci-fi series Space: Above and Beyond, it shared many similarities with the reimagined **Battlestar Galactica **series.
And yet it totally sucked.
Discuss amongst yourselves.
Was Space: Above and Beyond a well-written show with an excellent cast? If not, how was it similar to BSG?
I really liked S:AAB. But, it was trying to be a “sci-fi show”. BSG wants to be a drama – in space.
That is why all the S:AAB episodes were rather standard plots, with a sci-fi twist. Of course, sci-fi fans have seen all those before, many times. Nothing new to catch their interest… and the acting, while passable when compared to ST:NG, wasn’t so great. So the main draw was the sci-fi action, of which there wasn’t much.
BSG has all these drama plotlines, that sci-fi shows haven’t delved into before – or at least, not beyond a toe dipped in the waters, as B5 had. And the acting is superb. All that, plus the occasional orgy of sci-fi action of shooty ships and battlestars dropping on people’s heads.
I think only the most superficial things about these shows are similar.
Both are a lot darker than your average sci-fi fare. Both in plot and cinematography.
Both have a sort of “contemporary futuristic” look. Basically with the exception of FTL ships and space fighters, everything else looks like it could take place today (or in the 90s).
The soldier ‘bad guys’ are slow, lumbering, generic and don’t speak
AI/artifical humans feature prominently in both storylines as antagonists
But ultimately, the similarities are superficial and cosmetic. Each episode of S:AAB ran like a standard war movie plot device - soldier trapped on pressure sensitive mine, squad trapped behind enemy lines, lone sniper fighting his inner demons, standard torture sequence. I’m surprised there wasn’t an episode with a gunner trapped in the lower ball turret of a space bomber with damaged landing gear.
For some reaon, I do not see any “quick post” boxes at the bottom like I used to…
S:AAB did not have as much melodrama, or that many subplots. Simple, straight forward “war stories” was about the extent of it. “Baa-Baa-Blacksheep in space”.
One of the plot points I kinda had to force myself to ignore was that, in half the episodes, the script calls for the main cast (which are supposed to be US Marine space-fighter jocks) to act as special forces ground troops, in reconnaissance missions, Search and rescue missions, sabotage missions. Yeah. Right.
If you absolutely hunger for anything sci-fi you haven’t seen already, it’s ok. Got some action, and ok FX.
Well, in the last episode:
Wang is trapped in the cargo container of the transport, which West needs to jettison so he can pick up the container with all of the released prisoners during a Chig attack. West jettisons container, and Wang dies using a defensive gun in the container to distract the Chig fighters while West escapes to safety with the colonists. Combo “trapped in the ball turret” and “You go, I’ll hold them off as long as I can!”
I’m not sure if anyone wanted their wives to know that they loved them or not though.
I rather liked S:AAB, particularly “Never No More” and “Angriest Angel” (back-to-back episodes dealing with a Chig fighter ace, compare to “Scar” on BSG). And Elroy L was just awesome as far as robot spy characters went, but then I haven’t seen very much of BSG.
There was last scene with Wang and the less used cliche of the British officer being a top soldier and all that old boy, but dash it all if he wasn’t a little bit mad too!
Well played, sir.
Elroy L is to S:A&B as Leoben (AKA #2) is to BSG
I liked S:AAB because it seemed to be based on the Pacific Theater of WWII. There was a Guadalcanal based episode, a Philippines episode and a Midway episode.
And it was an action SciFi. I think the only other Space Science Fiction shows back then were The Next Generation and Babylon 5, both of which were very much about diplomacy, and alien cultures and not very focused on action, although Babylon 5 shifted to it somewhat later on.
I’ve always wondered why it was canceled. Did it not do well with critics and audiences or was it just FOXed?
It got FOX’d but on the Sunday night slot rather than the Friday night one.