I just realized that every streaming platform seems to have a couple heavy-hitter big-budget sci-fi series these days. Most of them turn out to be critically acclaimed as well.
Sure, we all know that there are Star Trek fans who dislike Discovery and Picard, or Foundation fans who dislike Apple’s adaptation. Even though much of what is on TV is still decades-old franchises, it seems that we’re getting more original sci-fi along with it.
- Scavengers Reign
- For All Mankind
- Invasion
- Cyberpunk: Edgeruners
- Tales from the Loop
I could go on…
No longer is it simply a single channel on cable tv that was also 50/50 with horror content, plus Star Trek and a handful of others that other networks syndicated.
Today there’s a rich tapestry of new ideas, concepts, and just plain art in media that was normally reserved for paperbacks published by Tor and others.
Don’t get me wrong, I still love me some SG1, TNG, DS9, B5, and others - all shows I grew up with; but I’m so happy that we get so much more now!
I agree, I really preferred S1 for a lot of the “softer” aspects of character building. We really got an impressive look into a character I grew up admiring and it just made me admire Picard more. S2 and 3, while fine, definitely reverted a bit towards the “Star Trek” formula.