# Sci-Fi becomes SyFy **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 16, 2009, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628 "2009-03-16T15:46:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/121 "2009-03-17T16:56:44Z")
The stench! (I did like the future private eye series, though.) ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/122 "2009-03-17T17:17:22Z")
> [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > Soon to be renamed “Spyk”. Pursuing, no doubt, the Latyn demographyk. ---
**Author:** ![Prox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/da6949/32.png) [@Prox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prox)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/123 "2009-03-17T17:38:49Z")
In my experience, SciFi always included the Saturn logo on it’s different ventures. With that in mind, I don’t really see how the identically pronounce SyFy is any more secure than the SciFi logo. AFterall, the History Channel and Comedy Central aren’t spelling their name weirdly. That said, I don’t doubt this is more a marketing move than a signal of a real switch in content. Otherwise, I think they’d go the TNN route and switch the name to something like SFC with a mind to change it to something wholly different down the line. ---
**Author:** ![schnuckiputzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecb155/32.png) [@schnuckiputzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schnuckiputzi)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/124 "2009-03-17T17:52:54Z")
Now, speaking as a female and the mother of a couple of females, we love watching the mindless glurge on Saturdays. It’s like watching the B movies from the '50’s – we have a regular system of betting on who gets eaten next by the mutated-possessed-mythological beast. Odds are always stacked against the blonde tramp, of course. And the black guy. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/125 "2009-03-17T20:02:10Z")
[QUOTE=Lynn Bodoni] Or those who are picky about what they read and watch. I prefer not to watch and read crap. I value my time enough not to waste it on “Cops” and “Revenge of the Ant-Men”. I do sneer at things that I think are crap. Saying that something is sci-fi rather than SF or science fiction or specfic is one way of sneering. [/QUOTE] I am picky about what I read and watch, I prefer not to watch and read crap, I value my time. I might even sneer at crap. But I still use sci-fi as a generic abbreviation for Science Fiction, and have no problem using it in a positive manner. I would not get annoyed at all if someone called me a sci-fi fan, unless they are making that a pejorative to anyone who likes the genre. Frankly, it’s a silly arbitrary distinction in my mind that is useless, because the term is meaningless in itself. If you’re against bad science fiction, then call it “bad science fiction”, or “dreck”, or “Beast of the Week”, or some **descriptive** term that explains why it is bad. “Sci fi” to me is just another way to say “SF”, “Science Fiction”, or that stuff I read. Just don’t pronounce it “skiffy”. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/126 "2009-03-17T21:19:05Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > It’s positioning itself to become “The Furry Channel”. So the tagline will be “yiFF”… > [@PerditaX](#): > > That is disturbing on **so** many levels!:eek: Who are we kidding, Truth be told, we would probably all watch that channel too, if we are pegged Sci-fi Watchers. ((What? You didn’t know?:eek: Look at my name and google it.)) ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/127 "2009-03-17T22:43:19Z")
> [@Prox](#): > > In my experience, SciFi always included the Saturn logo on it’s different ventures. With that in mind, I don’t really see how the identically pronounce SyFy is any more secure than the SciFi logo. AFterall, the History Channel and Comedy Central aren’t spelling their name weirdly. Or, you know, “SciFi Channel” would be trademarkable. Either the full name of the network or the distinctive logo would be very preferable to psyphy. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2009, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/128 "2009-03-17T22:56:20Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Just don’t pronounce it “skiffy”. My friend calls it “Sky fi”. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2009, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/129 "2009-03-18T00:42:17Z")
The good news about this to me is, after this Friday, quite frankly, the entire network could simply fall to pieces as far as I care. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/130 "2009-03-18T01:23:11Z")
I kind of miss that show they had called Sci-Fi Buzz. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/131 "2009-03-18T01:40:50Z")
> [@schnuckiputzi](#): > > Now, speaking as a female and the mother of a couple of females, we love watching the mindless glurge on Saturdays. It’s like watching the B movies from the '50’s – we have a regular system of betting on who gets eaten next by the mutated-possessed-mythological beast. Odds are always stacked against the blonde tramp, of course. And the black guy. As a male, I feel exactly the same way. I love those flicks because they’re plain, unpretentious fun, even when they’re badly done. And when they’re mediocre-ly done, they’re a riot: King Snake, Curse of the Komodo, Raptor Island, Anacondas … easygoing fun for taking a break on Saturday. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2009, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/132 "2009-03-18T05:45:55Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > One is sci-fi, the other is SF. Sci-fi was an abbreviation of science fiction originally, but it has come to mean (to some of us) that part of SF/fantasy that is total crap. In other words, 90% of science fiction is sci-fi. Sounds about right, especially today. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/133 "2009-03-18T11:50:57Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > In other words, 90% of science fiction is sci-fi. Sounds about right, especially today. There oughtta be a law… ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/134 "2009-03-18T14:12:47Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > There oughtta be a law… That’s a fishy kind of remark. Though I’ll bet you could parlay it into caviar! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2009, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/135 "2009-03-18T14:17:52Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > In other words, 90% of science fiction is sci-fi. Sounds about right, especially today. Actually, if I’ve got this right, only about 36% of science fiction is sci fi. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/136 "2009-03-19T00:51:42Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > [syf - Wiktionary, the free dictionary](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/syf) > > Apparently, Sci-Fi has bit the wax tadpole, and chosen a word that means ‘a couple cases of syphilis’ in Polish. So, does **E-Sabbath** want to take credit for today’s Penny Arcade? > **[In Which Much Is Revealed - Penny Arcade](https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/03/18/in-which-much-is-revealed)** > > Videogaming-related online strip by Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins. Includes news and commentary. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2009, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/137 "2009-03-19T02:13:24Z")
… uhm. It’s not _likely_, but it’s not impossible. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/138 "2009-03-25T03:33:46Z")
Stephen Colbert takes on " Syfy ": > **[The Colbert Report | Comedy Central](https://www.cc.com/shows/the-colbert-report)** > > Stephen Colbert takes on cable news pundits (and everyone else) in this political satire. ---
**Author:** ![Jules\_Andre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jules_andre/32/9334_2.png) [@Jules\_Andre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jules_Andre)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/139 "2009-03-25T14:15:25Z")
Perhaps now we can end this debate between **Lynn** (by any chance, was it once Linn? :D) and **Justin\_Bailey** (whom we all know rebranded away from “Nintendo”). I offer this compromise: SF, Sci-fi, Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, etc., now refers to all the stories in that genre, regardless of quality. The stories of the low quality that Lynn referred to as Sci-Fi will now be referred to as SyFy. We should work to rebrand Syfy for them. Let’s see if they like their new name, now! Agreed? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2009, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628/140 "2009-03-25T14:18:52Z")
I once mentioned the Sci-Fi Channel in a panel discussion at an SF convention. Ben Bova remarked (from memory), “You could fit all the creativity and intelligence at the Sci-Fi Channel into a gnat’s navel and still have room for an agent’s heart.” And this was **before** they put on their own pro wrestling. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-becomes-syfy/489628.md?page=8)