Space Above and Beyond... Any Takers?

[Albertese]

So, I really liked this show back when it was on the air in 15-odd years ago. I found the DVD's and have been watching them lately. I lent some to a friend of mine and he could. not. stand. it.

His objections were mainly with the special effects not being so special. But I reminded him that he just finished new BSG with it's fairly epic VFX. Bargain basement stuff from the mid-'90's really shouldn't compare.

Also, I really have to say the acting can be pretty hit and miss. I think the woman who plays Vansen (while kinda hot) is the worst offender. I'm pretty sure she got the job only due to the fact she was married to the series creator. The woman who played Damphouse (pronounced "dam-FOOS") was a veteran conn officer from several episodes of TNG (season 5 I wanna say...?)

However, effects and variable level acting aside, I still really like this show. granted, it shoehorns in about every military cliche there is, but still.

Am I the only one who enjoyed this show?

--Alex

 

[Lindley]

Fun show. A bit cheesy at times though.

 

[Alpha_Geek]

In space, no one can hear you scream unless it is the Battle Cry of the United States Marine!

Hey ho, let's go!

Wildcards! hoooah!


ooops.. forgot one...

Abandon all hope, my ass!

 

[Hyperspace05]

Nah. I'm not a fan.

 

[DWF]

I really liked the show and for the time period I thought the visual effects were pretty well done. But the look of the show was designed that way on purpose.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space:_Above_and_Beyond#Cinematography_and_visual_effects

It also has one of my all time favorite quotes.

"I don't give a damn for destiny. Anyone worth a Chig's ass will take responsibility for asking themselves, then answering: 'Who am I and what's the point?' My name is Col. Tyrus Cassius McQueen, but I know nothing of who I am. The answer, I feel, is near. The defining, perhaps final moment is close. Everyone . . . everyone in this life knows when the moment is before them. To turn away is simple. To ignore it assures survival. But it is an insult to life, because there can be no redemption, no second chance. Beyond death there's nothing, just darkness and cold.

The instant his existence was confirmed, every action, every breath of my life became horrifyingly clear. He's out there tonight, sending our women, our men to that cold, dark place and nothing, nothing will stop him . . . until I face . . . the moment."

 

[bigdaddy]

I have it on DVD.

It's nothing special, frankly it's typical Syfy Saturday Night movie in TV form. It's cheesy and at times it's unwatchabley bad and dark (as in the lighting).

 

[Mallory]

I too really liked this when it first aired and I was disappointed when it was canceled. I still want some closure on that cliffhanger last episode.

 

[Mr Light]

When it first aired I thought it was absolutely amazing. When I saw the DVD a year or two ago it definitely didn't hold up as well (like most 90s sci-fi I put up on a pedestal). It's funny how having a storyarc in some episodes seemed so revolutionary back in the 90s and now it's par for the course. McQueen is still one of my all time favorite characters and performances, though!

 

[USS Avenger]

I remember when this show aired, I would watch it every now and then. It was decent enough that when I saw it on DVD on sale a few months ago I went ahead and got it. It holds up ok, granted the special effects are not up to todays standards, but I wouldn't expect them to. Yeah the acting was a bit corny alot of the time, but so was B5 and Star Trek. That being said I only got through about half of the episodes before I got the TOS-R DVDs and started watching them instead. I will go back to SAAB, like I said it was decent. Though not as good as Star Trek or B5 or nuBSG, it certainly deserved more than the one season it got.

 

[DevilEyes]

I saw it a few years ago and really liked it. It feels like a bit of a predecessor to BSG (even if not as good), as a dark military drama in space rather than a typical SF show.

 

[Lindley]

Fun fact: The episode "Who Monitors the Birds?" was one of Joss Whedon's inspirations for Buffy's "Hush".

 

[The Comedian]

How much more badass can you get than this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfBndSv8qaE

Good stuff...good stuff...

 

[Mysterion]

How much more badass can you get than this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfBndSv8qaE

Good stuff...good stuff...

Not very.

SAAB had a bit of a rough start, but from around Who Monitors The Birds forward, it really hit its stride, IMO. Was a potentially great show that didn't get the chance it deserved from Fox [and that just never happens... ].

 

[The Comedian]

How much more badass can you get than this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfBndSv8qaE

Good stuff...good stuff...

Not very.

SAAB had a bit of a rough start, but from around Who Monitors The Birds forward, it really hit its stride, IMO. Was a potentially great show that didn't get the chance it deserved from Fox [and that just never happens... ].

I don't know why anyone bothers selling any show to Fox.

 

[Mistral]

How much more badass can you get than this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfBndSv8qaE

Good stuff...good stuff...

Not very.

SAAB had a bit of a rough start, but from around Who Monitors The Birds forward, it really hit its stride, IMO. Was a potentially great show that didn't get the chance it deserved from Fox [and that just never happens... ].

I thought it was great when it came out-despite plot holes it had bits of arc that could have made it special. Sugardirt, Bring Back the Dead and Raymond Butts(The Man In Black?) were great. Also, it had one of(no, two of, in the same episode) the most amazing moments in series TV scifi. The first: Johnny Cash and the Black Hole. The second-(and most haunting image I'd seen pre nuBSG) - pancakes in space.

Show deserved a fair shake. Never got it.

 

[Forbin]

Agreed with the rough start - in fact, I stopped watching after a few eps when it was first run. Then I checked in later, and discovered it had become the best military sci fi show EVAH!

Here's me in my hammerhead from Alfred Wong's kit at Starship Modeler:
http://www.inpayne.com/models/hammerhead1.html

 

[John Clark]

I enjoyed it though it was on late at night on the Beeb.

Since bought it on dvd and still enjoyed it, though I felt the disks could have been better.

 

[Corran Horn]

Liked it a lot. Hammerheads were awesome.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I checked it out. Seemed very dated. It would be a good candidate for a reboot.

 

[Hyperspace05]

If they rebooted it, perhaps they could finally decide if they wanted to make a show about fighter pilots or infantry grunts. Not as characters 'temping as both.

S:AAB is what you get when you have writers who REALLY want to write military drama but know nothing about the subject (nor do they care to find out about it).