# Best and Worst Science Fiction Series **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 11, 2011, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-science-fiction-series/588608 "2011-07-11T10:47:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-science-fiction-series/588608/41 "2011-07-13T12:55:02Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > AND Princess Ardala ;). Even as a 7 year old boy, I realized that Ardala was something special, even if the rest of my attention was on the space fighters and fist fights and what-not. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-science-fiction-series/588608/42 "2011-07-13T21:40:35Z")
> [@kelly5078](#): > > Any love/hate for the long-forgotten “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea?” My recollection is that it was not memorably bad or good, but was a bit on the boring side. As I recall, the pilot of VttBotS had a shot of the Seaview bursting out of the ocean surface in one of those cool submarine whale-breaching maneuvers that I (as a 10 year old) thought was freakin’ awesome. I watched the whole series waiting expectantly for them to do it again … they never did. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-science-fiction-series/588608/43 "2011-07-13T21:55:51Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > As I recall, the pilot of VttBotS had a shot of the Seaview bursting out of the ocean surface in one of those cool submarine whale-breaching maneuvers that I (as a 10 year old) thought was freakin’ awesome. I watched the whole series waiting expectantly for them to do it again … they never did. I couldn’t help but think of _Caprica_ when I read this, and imagine the following post some years from now: [QUOTE=Hypothetical Future Doper] As I recall, the pilot of _Caprica_ had a lot of nudity that I (as a 10 year old) thought was freakin’ awesome. I watched the whole series waiting expectantly for them to do it again … they never did. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-science-fiction-series/588608/44 "2011-07-13T22:38:17Z")
I approach the topic from a “desert island discs” approach. I’ve watched many series I’d consider bad or almost awful, and might catch them again on TV. But if asked to stock up on a few DVD box sets for a stay somewhere, I’d choose the below off the top of my head; Best; Star Treks TOS and TNG The original Twilight Zone Doctor Who (in any incarnation) Gundam 0083 Star Dust Memories Lexx Dark Place Worst; The Time Tunnel Sea Quest DSV Highlander Eureka! (Anime with flying surfboards) ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-science-fiction-series/588608/45 "2011-07-13T23:03:03Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > Seems like every other week Kowalski went to the basement (yes, on a sub!) and got turned into a werewolf. Ah Kowalski, and wasn’t there a Chief as well, who had to crack the hatch on the diving bells a lot? O’Casey? Something like that. And there was a preponderance of episodes featuring a guy in a wetsuit, covered in seaweed, or fur, fighting the sub’s model. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-science-fiction-series/588608/46 "2011-07-13T23:13:52Z")
Desert Island Disks: Firefly Star Trek (original Kirk series) Dr Who (new incarnation) Farscape Max Headroom Full Metal Alchemist Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya There are too many horrible ones to list. Automan, Manimal, Otherworld… ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-science-fiction-series/588608/47 "2011-07-13T23:32:37Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > Ah Kowalski, and wasn’t there a Chief as well, who had to crack the hatch on the diving bells a lot? O’Casey? Something like that. And there was a preponderance of episodes featuring a guy in a wetsuit, covered in seaweed, or fur, fighting the sub’s model. There were sparks. Every episode something would rock the Seaview side to side, and sparks would fly out of the control panels on either side. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-science-fiction-series/588608/48 "2011-07-14T03:29:28Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Hmmm. Vampire spies? Could work, but how about counter terrorist, vampire spies?.. Oddly enough, this is a perfect opportunity for me to recommend the book _Blood Oath_ by Christopher Farnsworth, about a vampire, bound by, well, a blood oath, working as an assassin/counterterrorist agent for the President. Far better than it sounds - actually a pretty awesome book. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-science-fiction-series/588608/49 "2011-07-14T04:48:29Z")
Best: Star Trek original series Star Trek the Next Generation (beginning somewhere in season 3) The Sarah Connor Chronicles (surprised I’m the first to mention it) Battlestar Galactica (the recent one) Various episodes of the Twilight Zone Worst: Babylon 5 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-science-fiction-series/588608/50 "2011-07-14T05:49:45Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > Eureka! (Anime with flying surfboards) Fun characterization, preposterous science, exciting plots, bottomless dumbassery. I compare it to everything else on offer from the SyFy Channel and lap it up with a smile. ---
**Author:** ![mikews99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@mikews99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikews99)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-science-fiction-series/588608/51 "2011-07-14T06:58:21Z")
Absolute worst: [The Adventures of Superpup](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJnsZrVn0vc) – Superman, re-imagined using dog costumes. Hilariously bad. Only one episode ever made. The best of all time, sets the bar so high no other show can possibly reach it: [The Twilight Zone](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzlG28B-R8Y) Every other science fiction show falls in between these two. ---
**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-science-fiction-series/588608/52 "2011-07-14T07:24:27Z")
star trek is OK but my all-time favorite sci-fi is still UFO. the battle sequences, the bombshell british babes they sometimes feature, and the high-tech manual typewriters they used. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-science-fiction-series/588608/53 "2011-07-14T11:47:51Z")
> [@mac\_bolan00](#): > > star trek is OK but my all-time favorite sci-fi is still UFO. the battle sequences, the bombshell british babes they sometimes feature, and the high-tech manual typewriters they used. I bought the series box set, even started a thread recently about it, I heartily agree. Very good show. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-science-fiction-series/588608/54 "2011-07-14T15:09:57Z")
> [@BMalion](#): > > I bought the series box set, even started a thread recently about it, I heartily agree. Very good show. Had you heard about this?: [UFO (disambiguation) - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO_(TV_series)#Film) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2011, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-science-fiction-series/588608/55 "2011-07-14T21:39:24Z")
> [@mikews99](#): > > The best of all time, sets the bar so high no other show can possibly reach it: [The Twilight Zone](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzlG28B-R8Y) Meh. Too many morality-play plots. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-science-fiction-series/588608/56 "2011-07-15T00:45:53Z")
> [@mac\_bolan00](#): > > star trek is OK but my all-time favorite sci-fi is still UFO. the battle sequences, the bombshell british babes they sometimes feature, and the high-tech manual typewriters they used. I just thought I should have nominated a Gerry Anderson series. Either something live action like UFO or Space 1999 (yes, I said it) or some supermarionation like Captain Scarlet. I’d draw the line at his Space Precinct though. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-science-fiction-series/588608/57 "2011-07-15T11:43:10Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Had you heard about this?: [UFO (disambiguation) - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO_(TV_series)#Film) Yes, could be cool, or more likely languish in developement hell. ---
**Author:** ![Lobelia\_Overhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@Lobelia\_Overhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobelia_Overhill)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-science-fiction-series/588608/58 "2011-07-15T18:00:25Z")
Best: ST: DS9 X Files Dr Who Stargate SG-1 Stargate Atlantis Firefly Worst: BSG (the new one) Stargate Universe ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-science-fiction-series/588608/59 "2011-07-15T18:50:52Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > [_The Starlost._](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starlost) If you ever meet Harlan Ellison, shake his hand and congratulate him as the creative genius behind _The Starl-_ – then run. 😃 And do read Ben Bova’s take on this experience, _The Starcrossed._. The problem with this is that there are many crap series I avoided like the plague, so my bad list will not be as complete as someone who suffered through all of Enterprise. Best: Star Trek: TOS Star Trek: TNG Kolchak, the Night Stalker The Prisoner Outer Limits Twilight Zone Rocky Jones, Space Ranger. (well, it did get the MST3K treatment, but it had an immense impact on my 7 year old brain, and it went off the air because they spent too much on special effects. ) Worst: Space 1999. Even the first season, where the Andersons magically transformed Bain and Landau into puppets with less expression than their real puppets. Galaxy called it Space 1492 in a cartoon that ran with Spider Robinson’s hilarious review. Land of the Giants Lost in Space - for screwing up what could have been a reasonable premise. That abomination that was the sequel to Battlestar Galactica. Its name has been expunged from my memory. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-science-fiction-series/588608/60 "2011-07-15T20:39:41Z")
Best: Firefly Star Trek, the original series Battlestar Galactica (the new one)\* Worst: Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Lost in Space Battlestar Galactica (the original one) \*I have the same objections to how it ended as does everywhere, but there are enough great episodes along the way that I still think it belongs in the best category. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-science-fiction-series/588608.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-and-worst-science-fiction-series/588608.md?page=4)