wildcarrde

I saw this in its first run back in 1998. I was completely engrossed then, so when the DVDs were released, I was one of the first people to purchase a set. In fact, I had purchased the VHS set before the DVDs were released! "From the Earth to the Moon" is a 12 part narrative of the history of the U.S. Space program from 1961 through 1972 inclusive. Tom Hanks and Imagine Enterainment deliver to us a spectacular rendition of what it took to get a man on the moon before the end of the 1960s.

Shot with the full cooperation of NASA and based in part on Andrew Chaikin's book, the series is as accurate as a series can be. Of course, not every detail of the 13 year history of the Mercury/ Gemini/ Apollo programs are told in detail. But the most pivotal moments in the program's history are explored in fine fashion.

The favorite episode for me was "1968". Juxtaposed against worldwide turmoil including the Tet offensive, the Chicago convention, the Prague spring and the assassinations of Dr. King and Bobby Kennedy, is the effort to put Americans into Lunar orbit for Christmas. Though all the episodes stand out on their own, this one would have to be any historian's favorite (which is probably why it's mine).

So if you lived through that era and want to relive one of the shining moments of American history, you should buy this set and enjoy it. I was 5 at the time of the first moon landing so most of the events were a blur, thus I loved watching this series.

If you didn't live through it, and you want to know why we should have made such a monumental effort, you should watch this series to understand what humanity can really do when it puts its differences to the side and focuses on a common purpose.

The only reason this set isn't totally perfect is that the superb original music was never released. The soundtrack that was released was just a rehash of old 60s tunes that anyone can get at the local record store or on Amazon.

Other than that, a very good series that anyone will enjoy, and other than some mild language sparsely scattered about, fully enjoyable for all ages.

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.

...and I'm sharing my house with my kid brother. I'm 34 at the time, and he is 23. It's a Sunday night. He comes home from band rehearsals (he plays bass) and asks if I'm going to check out this show about the 1970s. I shrug and say "okay" because I grew up back then.

Anyway, we turn it on and there is something all too familiar about the theme song and the kids cruising in the station wagon. By the end of the half hour, we are both hooked.

For the next 5 years, no matter what time or day it was on, we watched and long after he moved out in 2001, we still would reference the show at family get-togethers.

Simply put, T7S transcended all the conventional age boundaries and had something for everyone: for those of us who were teens in the mid and late 70s, it was a fun look back at some really good (and not so good) times in our lives.

For teens today, it was not all that different: A simple portrayal at the most mixed up, messed up, fun, not so fun, sad, and happy period in all of our lives--adolescence.

The last episode of the show Star Trek: The Next Generation was aptly titled "All Good Things..." and was a twist on the old saying "All Good Things Must End." T7S is no exception. It probably stayed around one or two seasons past its prime, and we ended up getting comfortable with it. Like family, you knew you could find them at some point during the week and find comfort in their presence. But on May 18, 2006, that family will be moving on.

We'll all be left with differing feelings, but I will always look back fondly and thank the cast and crew for letting me hang out in the basement each week, ride in the Vista Cruiser, hang with the kids at The Hub, check out Leo and Hyde at FotoHut, and drink beer at the water tower, and most of all, be part of the sacred circle.

I am listening to the song "Thank You" by Led Zeppelin as I type this with a big smile on my face...

"All Good Things..."