Agree, SeaQuest season 2 was the problem.
Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea...can't go home again?
- Thread starter Warped9
- Start date
Agree, SeaQuest season 2 was the problem.
S1 also had the best characters, and as much as I like the replacements from S2 on, I'd say the S1 versions were each superior.
I've gotten interested in collecting shows, some older, on DVD. Many of them are shows I missed episodes or didn't get to see regularly. When I watched the 1st season of Bewitched on DVD I fell in love all over agian. I'm in the process of collecting JAG. I want to try revisiting Mission: Impossible, original The Twilight Zone, original The Outer Limits, Magnum, P.I., Frasier and some others. It certainly a treat to watch a show uncut and without commercial interruptions.
What I already have:
The Adventures Of Superman: Seasons 1-4
Babylon 5: Seasons 1-5
Batman (animated): Vol. 1
Bewitched: Season 1
Futurama: Vol. 1-3
JAG: Seasons 1-3
Mad Men: Season 1-3
Space Ghost
Stargate: SG-1: Seasons 1-10
Stargate: The Ark Of Truth
Stargate: Continuum
Stargate: Atlantis: Seasons 1-5
Star Trek: Seasons 1-3
Star Trek (animated)
Superman (animated): Vol. 1-3
The X-Files: Seasons 1-9
What I already have:
The Adventures Of Superman: Seasons 1-4
Babylon 5: Seasons 1-5
Batman (animated): Vol. 1
Bewitched: Season 1
Futurama: Vol. 1-3
JAG: Seasons 1-3
Mad Men: Season 1-3
Space Ghost
Stargate: SG-1: Seasons 1-10
Stargate: The Ark Of Truth
Stargate: Continuum
Stargate: Atlantis: Seasons 1-5
Star Trek: Seasons 1-3
Star Trek (animated)
Superman (animated): Vol. 1-3
The X-Files: Seasons 1-9
Just watched episodes "The Price Of Doom" and "The Sky Is Falling." I have to say that these generally were a step or two up from the preceding episodes. In both cases we have a story at the core that could easily have been done today with only minor tweaks.
"The Price Of Doom" involves research into utilizing plankton as a food source, but something goes awry and a strange form of plankton begins to mutate and grow exponentially. The "monster" (if you can call it that since it isn't sentient) is somewhat comically portrayed due to limited f/x resources, but the core idea is really something out of an X-Files episode. It really wasn't bad.
"The Sky Is Falling" involves an alien spacecraft (looking very much like a modified reuse of Klaatu's saucer) falling into the sea and the Seaview is sent to investigate. This was generally well done and with a little tweaking this could easily have been a Star Trek TOS like episode. Indeed, sometimes Admiral Nelson comes across a bit like an older Kirk from a '60s era perspective.
Even with limited '60s f/x the Seaview looks pretty damned cool.
Ah, but then after two decent outings we get "Turn Back The Clock" where VTTBOTS meets The Lost World. Hollywood-esque cavemen and dinosaur sized monsters. They tell it with a straight face but...Yeesh!
"The Price Of Doom" involves research into utilizing plankton as a food source, but something goes awry and a strange form of plankton begins to mutate and grow exponentially. The "monster" (if you can call it that since it isn't sentient) is somewhat comically portrayed due to limited f/x resources, but the core idea is really something out of an X-Files episode. It really wasn't bad.
"The Sky Is Falling" involves an alien spacecraft (looking very much like a modified reuse of Klaatu's saucer) falling into the sea and the Seaview is sent to investigate. This was generally well done and with a little tweaking this could easily have been a Star Trek TOS like episode. Indeed, sometimes Admiral Nelson comes across a bit like an older Kirk from a '60s era perspective.
Even with limited '60s f/x the Seaview looks pretty damned cool.
Ah, but then after two decent outings we get "Turn Back The Clock" where VTTBOTS meets The Lost World. Hollywood-esque cavemen and dinosaur sized monsters. They tell it with a straight face but...Yeesh!
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Voyage the the Bottom of the Sea was my favorite show when I was a kid. I was drawing the Seaview every chance I got.
"Price of Doom" was originally a Harlan Ellison script, but he was so annoyed with how his story was changed for filming that he had it credited under his pen name Cordwainer Bird.
It is my understanding that the ratings for this episode were so high compared to previous episodes that it lead to a greater emphasis in successive stories on science fiction themes over the earlier spy/espionage tales. This trend eventually lead to the Lobster Man and silver foil clad aliens from the future!.....
"Price of Doom" was originally a Harlan Ellison script, but he was so annoyed with how his story was changed for filming that he had it credited under his pen name Cordwainer Bird.
It is my understanding that the ratings for this episode were so high compared to previous episodes that it lead to a greater emphasis in successive stories on science fiction themes over the earlier spy/espionage tales. This trend eventually lead to the Lobster Man and silver foil clad aliens from the future!.....
Season 1 of SeaQuest was THE BEST. Unfortunately, TV Execs did what they do and screwed it all up by trying to turn it into Voyage. I, too, see great reboot potential with SeaQuest someday, but only if it sticks with the original Year 1 concept.
I DID like the movie version of Voyage. The director did a great job of keeping up the sense of urgency and I have a soft spot for a "road movie" like that. Super cast, too. I wouldn't mind a remake (with a more practical threat, of course)
Definitely! The Flying Sub was VERY cool. It was interesting to see these vehicles turn up again in 1971 in the "City Beneath the Sea" movie as "Aquafoils"!
If they ever did do a remake, perhaps Seaview could be based out of a facility such as Pacifica (the "City Beneath the Sea"), rather than out of Santa Barbara.
Irwin Allen produced both, so the Flying Sub was reused and renamed the Hydrofoil.
I know folks like to laugh at TOS' Gorn or the Balok puppet or Yarnek ("The Savage Curtain") or the Horta or Sylvia and Korob in their real form ("Catspaw"), but they were awesome in comparison to what you often got on Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea or Lost in Space.
And looking at the Seaview in action there is still lots to be said for good model work. The Seaview sequences still look fantastic.
And looking at the Seaview in action there is still lots to be said for good model work. The Seaview sequences still look fantastic.
Sure! In typical Irwin Allen fashion, we got to see familiar objects and faces in new places. Doug, Tony, and General Kirk left the Time Tunnel got new names and jobs here, and even Admiral Nelson got promoted to President.....
Robert D. Robot;4436114Sure! In typical Irwin Allen fashion said:
What? They NEVER left the Time Tunnel - they got transported to 2053. And who says Richard Basehart's great grandson COULDN'T be President of the U.S. in a scant 43 years?
Just watched the episode "Hot Line" involving a Russian satellite with an atomic payload falling into the Pacific off San Francisco. Not bad, and interesting that the Russians in general aren't treated as villains. A little rewriting and this could have been written today as a JAG episode.
One little treat was seeing James Doohan in a minor pre Star Trek role as the U.S. President's assistant. The only other time I recall seeing Doohan in something pre Star Trek is in a 1st season Bewitched episode.
One little treat was seeing James Doohan in a minor pre Star Trek role as the U.S. President's assistant. The only other time I recall seeing Doohan in something pre Star Trek is in a 1st season Bewitched episode.
Good timing this thread, as just this week this has FINALLY appeared on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Voyage-Bottom...ef=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1286225323&sr=8-1
No release date yet but it's coming and we'll finally have the complete series of DVD
http://www.amazon.com/Voyage-Bottom...ef=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1286225323&sr=8-1
No release date yet but it's coming and we'll finally have the complete series of DVD
I work at Future Shop (Canada) and the first three seasons were rereleased last week. That's how I got started with this.
Other shows of the era I'm curious to revisit: 1st season Lost In Space, The Time Tunnel, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and The Six-Million Dollar Man. A friend had picked up U.F.O. about a year or so ago and revisiting that was also rather hit-and-miss. Too bad The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and The Six-Million Dollar Man are only available as whole series sets---I find that pricey.
Other shows of the era I'm curious to revisit: 1st season Lost In Space, The Time Tunnel, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and The Six-Million Dollar Man. A friend had picked up U.F.O. about a year or so ago and revisiting that was also rather hit-and-miss. Too bad The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and The Six-Million Dollar Man are only available as whole series sets---I find that pricey.
The problem with season 1 of seaQuest was that Steven Spielberg apparently wanted it to be 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea in the future, which is an unsustainable premise for a submarine show set on Earth. One of the writers or producers actually quit after that, because he wanted to do a more serialized post WWIII show, which was probably the better way to go in the long term.
A 20,000 Leagues approach for a remake or reimagining of Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea can only work for so long as a series. It would work better as a film or a series of films because you have to have a fantastic deep sea story idea only once in awhile as opposed to every week. I think it can be done because there is still a lot about the deep ocean we haven't seen and don't know, but you still have to work really hard to reach a decent suspension of disbelief.
I suppose that's why I give a nod to the original film over the series because the approach worked there, but was unsustainable for the series.
I suppose that's why I give a nod to the original film over the series because the approach worked there, but was unsustainable for the series.
He also had a small part as a father in a Twilight Zone episode. I think it was a fourth season show.
Yeah... in the original film, didn't they fight both a giant octopus and a giant squid? That would get old fast.
No. In the original film, they encountered a minefield; then a U.N. sub out to stop them, and when they dove deeper then any subvmarine had ever gone (done to escape the U.N. Sub, which imploded); they encountered a giant octopus; and electrified the hull to drive it off.
The problem is - they encountered the same octopus (ie reused the footage) MULTIPLE times during the run of the TV series.
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