V - mini series

I agree one hundred per cent on the "made up mind"-absolutely! How many times have we stubbornly clung to some mind set-only to find out we were hideously wrong?

Even to the point sometimes of alienating neighbors and friends with our "weird" ideas or unpopular view points.

Many areas of Science, History and Religion have been set back-even halted-and grossly distorted due to the closed minds-up in the ivory towers of academia that will not allow the "facts" to tamper with their pet theories-and so suppress those facts, hide them away in musty archives or worse-destroy them completely.

Think of how much knowledge was lost in the burning of the library at Alexandria Egypt!

Stay the course, I say-damn the torpedoes-FULL SPEED AHEAD!
 
tschai said:
Many areas of Science, History and Religion have been set back-even halted-and grossly distorted due to the closed minds-up in the ivory towers of academia that will not allow the "facts" to tamper with their pet theories-and so suppress those facts, hide them away in musty archives or worse-destroy them completely.
I often wonder how fast an STO 3rd density race can progress technologically, considering they make no assumptions and have a critical, objective, and totally open approach to reality. I can't even imagine how far ahead we'd be if we weren't constantly held up by religions, by psychopathic war-mongers, by the pathocracy and the 4th density control system in general, and most of all our own assumptions/preconceptions/other self-imposed blocks. Then again, most of our technology most likely wouldn't even exist had it not been for our entropic state. Our most advanced technology is developed by the military industrial complex for military purposes, so in another sense, it is because of those psychopathic war-mongers that we have the technology we do today - most of it was developed for war initially, and later adapted to civilian use.

The C's talked about ancient humanity and things that they did that aren't even reminiscent of our current technology, in fact we wouldn't even call it technology now due to our extremely narrow view of what constitutes "technology". They mentioned stuff like sound-wave focusing, and using stones to channel and do other things.

The race in the miniseries "V" had very similar technology to our own, similar military hierarchy, etc. In fact, they were basically us - only with lasers and spaceships. Of course considering the majority of humanity thing that humanity as a whole is a benevolent civilization governed by benevolent leaders who sometimes just make "errors in judgement" and make wars, and occasional "bad apples", it's little wonder that despite the fact that the aliens were fundementally STS just like us, they were seen as benevolent and loving too.

And it's kinda funny just how obvious this is - what makes this miniseries so good is its believability in terms of how humanity may react to similar circumstances. But I wonder if it creates a cognitive dissonance in the minds of those who see it? You see humanity in the movie reacting a certain way, and you think "yes, that is believable, people are a bunch of ignorant and naive creatures" - but when they walk out of the theatre, they go back to their ideas that in REALITY this isn't happening at all, even if in the movie the concept was believable, which is what made the movie so good in the first place. So it's like a part of you knows that humanity is ignorant and naive and recognizes this reality in the movie, but as soon as you walk out the other part takes over and says "ha it's just a movie". What happens when those 2 parts finally meet each other?

Same thing with history and Nazi Germany - people look at how Hitler and the Nazis fooled Germany and the whole world, they learn in highschool history class how this happened over and over and over and they accept it and shrug it off. But for some reason those same people go back to thinking that it could never happen in OUR lifetimes, that people now are somehow wiser/smarter and wouldn't let it happen. Do they realise that people during Nazi Germany, when reading about past tyrants in highschool history class, also thought that it could never happen in THEIR lifetimes? Do they realise that EVERY generation thought this about their own generation - and that assumption due to ignorance is why it happened again and again? Apparently not, otherwise they'd be forced to question WHY - but no thanks to the media's constant propaganda that our current civilization is so advanced and civilized and sophisticated, it creates the impression that the human race is somehow more "advanced" than it was in the past in areas OTHER than pure technology and certain scientific understandings. But the dynamic of pathocracy has nothing to do with technology and science, and everything to do with controlling our entropic/mechanical/STS natures - that which has never ever changed, since it is human nature.

Interestingly, those same people tend to think that disasters can still happen - but again in the far off future after they're long dead. So it's like disasters used to happen all the time in history for natural and human-nature reasons, then they STOPPED happening during the lifetime of the individual in question, and as soon as he dies, disaster resumes. That seems to be the thinking of most people about their life - but how absurd is that? They expect humanity to suddenly become wise and nature to stop all it is doing to make the duration of their life magically comfortable - and just wait till the person dies before resuming hell. Yup, makes sense!
 
In my opinion (and this is MY opinion) the reason the beasties in V are not portrayed in any other way- other than slightly more advanced than we are is because the creators probably felt (when this was a "series") about an hour long (maybe 30 minutes worth of actual show when all the commericals are edited out) that that is about what the "average" TV viewer could understand and about all they could deal with in the time they had to produce the series. Also they wanted the aliens to be "tough" but not indestructable so that in the end humanity could prevail (kicked their aliens asses but good!)

It would be "too hard" for the "average" viewer to deal with complex "aliens"with highly developed social structures-and the ability to pretty much conquer humanity would have been "too scary" to deal with (hell we grew up in the Cold War era-with the "bomb" threating us every second-any time now them bad ol' Russkies was gonna nuke us...what is scary?) Hide under the desks kids-yeah like that would really help when you get a 20 kiloton warhead detonated a few klicks away.

Babylon 5 was the first show imo - a series- that dealt in depth with what it would possibly be like to actually interact with some really alien species-but again these are all (I am not sure about the Voorlons-and the Spiders of Za H'doum- they may have been some kind of hyperdimensional beings) - were 3rd Density beings-like us.

I honestly do not think people would have sat and watched a show about hyperdimensional reptilians that control mans' very existence and could obliterate us at a whim. It just wouldn't sell-people DO NOT WANT TO BE SHOWN something that challenges their existence-and threatens their way of life. They want the show to end and the bad guys are beaten and life goes on happily ever after.
 
tschai said:
I honestly do not think people would have sat and watched a show about hyperdimensional reptilians that control mans' very existence and could obliterate us at a whim. It just wouldn't sell-people DO NOT WANT TO BE SHOWN something that challenges their existence-and threatens their way of life. They want the show to end and the bad guys are beaten and life goes on happily ever after.
A book, british TV show based on it, and later a recent movie in US called "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" is very refreshing in that regard.
***SPOILER***
It blows up the earth and everyone on it rather casually and very early on :D
Sadly, it puts it back at the end :(
**END OF SPOILER***

But the childish/shallow/nonsensical way it treats the rest of the galaxy and universe and the beings therein is, although very funny, also extremely unrealistic and primitive. Again, they reflect humans and human conceptualizations and way of mind and life. I mean come on, "restaurant at the end of the universe"? Hmph!

Ok so it was a restaurant literally at the "end" of time - when the universe was ending. So you could travel forward in time to the literal "end of existance" and have dinner while looking out the window and watching the universe begin to disintegrate and collapse upon itself. Quite a show, and quite a concept lol.
 
I rented the dvd for the movie V a few weeks ago - the special effects are SO bad - but the content seems to be so eerily 'true' - it's worth watching, imo.
 
anart said:
I rented the dvd for the movie V a few weeks ago - the special effects are SO bad - but the content seems to be so eerily 'true' - it's worth watching, imo.
:o If by 'bad' you mean 'horribly good', then I agree! ;)
 
As a parent, it's hard to say what is "good" and what is "bad" when kids are watching TV.

My rules are:
I know in advance what we are watching (we as a high priority, especially when watching TV or the first time for a movie).
I explain in what context the program/movie is made, e.g. documentary, sci-fi, novel, etc.
When watching a movie, I make comments about the actors, the set, the dialogs... just to make sure kids understand the fiction involved. Is important to keep an eye on the kid's reactions and explain the why and how of the interactions between the characters.
Do not force them to watch something you want, (if you have kids, is almost certain that they force you to watch). The fear to sleep and nightmares are signs of a "hard to digest" movie or too much TV (and it's time to read a book).

Hope this can help those "parents to be"...
 
I rented V: The Original Miniseries and V: The Final Battle. Almost through with them. Indeed, the production values, acting, and ridiculous "style" of 70s/80s TV is almost embarrassing to watch, but I recommend it heartily because whomever wrote it seems to know a lot about totalitarian ways. I mean, it goes pretty deep in that sense. The many deceptions. Very instructive. Scary that even when people sucking up to those in power find out "the truth" about their masters, and they just keep going along with them, so long as they benefit personally. Sad.

My favorite lines -- Donovan's mother reacting to his statement that the aliens are fascists. She says defiantly, "Those of us who respect law and order are free!" He replies, "Just don't tug on your leash too hard or they'll hang you with it."

Donovan asks an alien sympathizer how they got such a sick, twisted, bloodthirsty leader. The alien replies, "Charisma, circumstance, promises. By the time any of us spoke out, it was too late. Happens on your world, too, doesn't it?"

How do so many people know about this stuff, and yet don't realize when it's happening to them?
 
Looks like they'll be bringing this old sci-fi classic back from the dead....

Alien lizards set to invade ABC in 'V'

'4400's' Scott Peters to write sci-fi adaptation
By MICHAEL SCHNEIDER

"V," the 1980s miniseries about alien lizards visiting Earth, will invade primetime once again.

ABC is developing a new adaptation of the franchise — which spawned a second mini and TV spinoff — written by "The 4400" co-creator/exec producer Scott Peters.

Warner Bros. TV, which was behind the original longform, is once again producing the project, which was sold as a spec script to the Alphabet net.

Peters is set to exec produce, along with HDFilms principal Jace Hall.

Hall, the former head of Warner Bros.’ videogame division who has worked on titles including "F.E.A.R.," will help expand "V" into other platforms, including gaming.

Peters, who earned two Emmy noms for "The 4400," said he wasn’t looking to do another sci-fi piece. But when Warner Bros. TV approached him about reinventing "V," the producer said he couldn’t resist.

"Whenever I mention ‘V’ to anybody, they still have a lot of good memories about the original movie and series," Peters said. "Everybody has that imagery of their uniforms, or the visitor eating a hamster. It’s a science fiction icon and too good to pass up."

The original "V" served as an allegory for the Holocaust and Nazi Germany. Peters said he won’t duplicate that concept, except that the new "V" will still focus on what happens when the masses have blind faith in their leaders.

In this case, the new "V" will center on Erica Evans, a Homeland Security agent with an aimless son who’s got problems. When the aliens arrive, her son gloms on to them — causing tension within the family. As in the original "V," several storylines will unfold simultaneously.

But even without the same storyline, the original "V’s" bones will remain: As in the ’80s version, the show will open with an enormous army of spaceships hovering over the world’s major cities. The visitors say they’ve come to help Earth, but their motives are nefarious (in the original, they wanted to steal the world’s water supply).

Peters first pitched "V" to networks but failed to spark interest; Warner Bros. TV sent the scribe back to write "V" on spec — and ABC bought it.

The original "V" scored a tremendous 40 share for its closing episode in 1983. That success spawned a sequel and a weekly series, which aired in the 1984-85 season.

Original "V" writer-producer-director Kenneth Johnson recently attempted to revive "V" as "V: The Second Generation" but is not involved in the Peters version.

As for Peters, scribe has been spending more time behind the lens, helming multiple episodes of "The 4400," as well as "Jericho," "Burn Notice" and "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles." He’s also directing the new CBS pilot "Harper’s Island."

Peters also developed the pilot "Found" for ABC last year. He began his career as a writer-producer on "The Outer Limits."

Curious timing indeed. Priming people up for more alien visitation scenarios, or harmless latching on to anything previously popular in the sci-fi arena?
 
Back
Top Bottom