Space: Above and Beyond

I saw this in its first run in 1995-96 and was a huge fan. I used to look for it every week (because Fox moved constantly instead of letting it find an audience).

The premise of the show was fairly straightforward: Humanity begins reaching for the stars as technology has evolved, and we believe we are alone in the universe. Shortly after the first two human colonies are established, unknown beings from another planet attack and Earth is forced to muster defenses to fight an alien force.

But from there the plot diverges. Executive Producers Morgan and Wong take us on a season long journey that allows us to examine the military industrial complex, racism, drug addiction, political conspiracies, and attempt to answer the question "why we fight." The back drop is the war which is not a depicted as a "rah rah" atmosphere, but as one that is harsh and somewhat graphic in its depictions of the consequences of battle (see the episode "Stay With the Dead").

In sum, the show was innovative and tried to answer old questions in a new way. The good guys were not always good, and from the outset, the bad guys are not necessarily bad, nor are they all that different from us.

While the portrayal of the military required one to suspend disbelief, the overall product was done quite well...

One of my top ten.

This is without doubt one of the truly great sci-fi series of all time. Why it was ever cancelled is, equally, one of the great mysteries of all time. The characters were all highly charismatic and all very different; yet they blended together perfectly to make one hell of a team. Nowhere was there a weak link: the weakest was the tendency to photograph the entire series in near blackness - a fault shared by so many TV and cinema films these days e.g. The X-Files. This is not a series with a single 'star' with everyone else playing satellite roles: in S:AAB, there are either no stars or everyone is a star. You cannot choose individuals as the entire series emphasises time and again that the group of youngsters and their commanding officers are all part of the team, and that they are all functioning as one unit. To anyone who is not impressed by S:AAB, then I really would like to know what they fancy, as I probably would not.

It seems that any show I feel is truly worth watching gets cancelled. So you better hope I don't start watching the shows you like! S: AAB was outstanding. Excellents writing, acting, special effects. A space-war-soap opera-type feel that just seemed to drag you in. The way I understand it, it is getting exceptional ratings on Sci-Fi Channel and if we bother them enough, they may do more shows or TV movies for S:AAB.

HOO RAH!

This was a fantastic little sci-fi series. It pioneered the use of CGI on TV shows. It had some great acting from all the leads and relied heavily on parallels with WW2. Created by James Wong and Glen Morgan (of X-Files fame) it draws parallels with the X-Files in terms of lighting and story. The idea of the entire war between Humans and Chigs being an entire corporate plot is classic X-Files. The story-lines are compelling and the graphics are great. It's great for WW2 enthusiasts as a lot of military history is used in the story. It's great for Sci-fi enthusiasts as the sets and story are great. It's just great period! I only wish another season had been commissioned because this is great viewing. Here's hoping a DVD release will soon be forthcoming.

I've seen a lot of comments from people who hate this show, which is surprising. I can understand that it's not for everyone but I can't imagine thinking that someone would dislike it this much. To each his own.

In my opinion, this series was one of the best ever. It explored deeper themes than most shows would dare. It gave a more realistic view of war and the future of Earth than any other scifi or war show I have ever seen. Also, Glen Morgan and James Wong's appreciation of poetry really shows in this series.

If I had to describe "Space: Above and Beyond" in one word: Deep.

You may not believe me, or you may just think that I only say this because I am such a big fan. That's fine. But I truly believe that this show was good while it was on, and had the potential to be something great. Check it out if you can.