I am finding that individual Firefly episodes stand up to rewatching much better than individual Farscape episodes; there are more layers.

I'm not sure what I'd pick as favourite TV sci-fi, but Farscape's choice of momentum over sense in a pinch removes it from consideration for me.

Plus, the whole skittles thing. I'm still mad.

I was very cranky at last night's episode, ...Different Destinations, in which Aeryn Sun, of all people was talking about "women and children."

I mean, HELLO? The women in question were armed, so it couldn't even be changed to "noncombatants and children." They had to be armed; one of them shooting a guy was critical to the plot.

It just... in the Farscape future, there is no reason to believe that women, as a mass, are less dangerous than men, or are more likely to be protected by men. There is even less reason to believe that Aeryn Sun, who as far as we can see never got privileged gender status as a Peacekeeper, would reflexively believe such a thing. I'd have been much, much happier if they'd stuck to "nurses and children" or something like that.

[Note: This was last night's episode in my house; your DVD-watching may vary.]

I think print sci-fi is generally less accessible to "the general public" than TV sci-fi. You (almost always) have to go to a whole different section of the bookstore to get it, which means you have to want to be reading a sci-fi book, and there are no pretty people in leather to rope your non-sci-fi-fan friends in with. (Plus, writers of science fiction generally know they're writing sci-fi, and aren't apologetic about it. As opposed to TV and film, which, as you said, are almost always watered down for mass marketability. Film more than TV, probably.)

I dunno, Jessica. With books, you get the (admittedly small) chance to become part of the literary teaching canon, which is about as crossover as these things get. Also, various SF authors escape the ghetto: some by denying it, some by ignoring the boundary, some just by persistence and quality.

There are 100s of cheap mass markets that nobody who doesn't go to cons or subscribe to Asimov's will ever hear of for every one escape artist, but it's not unheard-of.

As for Firefly/Farscape, I think the quality varies a lot for both shows; but that the basic premise is very different. In some ways, Firefly feels like the more adult show, having fewer "standard SF trope" escape clauses; but Farscape's canvas is avowedly bigger (and bigger, and bigger). They've got their merits -- I think the acting and writing is mostly better on Firefly, while Farscape wins universe-design and visuals hands down.

Farscape wins universe-design and visuals hands down.

Sometimes to the detriment of the plot. Note the beach planet on which everybody wears color-coordinated magenta-and-gold Thai silk.

(Plus, writers of science fiction generally know they're writing sci-fi, and aren't apologetic about it. As opposed to TV and film, which, as you said, are almost always watered down for mass marketability. Film more than TV, probably.)

Yeah, I had a feeling I could just be projecting....

By universe design, you don't mean internal logical consistency, do you?

Sometimes to the detriment of the plot.

True, true. Then again, what plot wouldn't you sacrifice for armies of tight-butted young things all dressed in black leather?

By universe design, you don't mean internal logical consistency, do you?

No. I mean cool ideas put on the screen, like aliens that really look alien (or like Skeksis) and not like people with bumpy foreheads. Moya is a very different spaceship from any I'd seen on TV or in movies to that point. Finding out Zhaan was a plant (and not till quite a ways along in the series). That planet where, to make everything alien-like, they just tinted the film stock so all the green leaves were blue.

So, yes, no internal consistency -- that is decidedly a Farscape weakness. Actually, my love of the show began in the premiere, when Crichton needed to do math and had no scratch paper: he flopped to the floor and did his math there. Probably something someone would really do in life, in a pinch; but you don't see it on TV much.