We Want to Know: How Do YOU Feel About Sci-Fi on SCIENCE

Our InSCIder blog is all about giving you, the reader, a behind-the-scenes look at SCIENCE. But while you get to know us better, we also want to get to know YOU.

My name is Brian Lavin and my job is, in part, to help decide what shows end up on your television screen when you tune into SCIENCE.

That said, I want to know what you like and what you dislike — and today I want to know your thoughts on science fiction. Ultimately, we're here to serve you and you can help us by answering the following questions (watch the video below):

To sum things up:

1) Do you think science fiction shows belong on SCIENCE?

2) What are some of your favorite sci-fi television shows?

3) What are some of you favorite sci-fi movies?

Feel free to leave your answers in the comments below. Thanks for your input!

Comments

[Dustin Bell]

Yes, science fiction is not out of place on a science channel. Scifi makes people wonder about the future. It inspires people to create those futures. Look at what Star Trek did for technology and science. Make it so!

[Art Fonseca]

Sci-fi sometimes because because science fact so why not put sci-f on science.
Dr Who is my favorite sci-fi show
as for movies the list is endless star wars, matrix, blade runner, AI, etc etc

[Stian Dahl]

Those are some really good questions Brian. Personally i tend to watch disc science for learning and information. I really do enjoy scify shows, but i would preffer to watch it on a entertainment channel. Please keep showing dokumentaries on subjects like space & time. Maby host science debates. and educate the people. Thnx

[Raymond Kemp]

1. I do believe that Sci-Fi belongs on SCIENCE, you have to have that balance.

2.Fringe, Twilight Zone,Outer Limits, Star Trek,Eureka, Warehouse 13, Farscape,Battle Star Galactica.

3. Terminator, 2001 Space Odyssey, Star Trek, Star Wars, Blade Runner, I also love old science fiction movies from the 50's.

[Tom Sayers]

Since SCIHD is one of my favorite DTV channels, I like shows like Wormhole, Prophets of SciFi and much of how it's made - Punkin Chunkin should have it's own channel IMO, and if you are thinking of playing old scifi films it might be okay but please be selective..it's 2012 so e need shows from bril;iant minds about how life will be better by science - so more visionaries from tech, eco-living and global lifestyle improvement for me

[Brandon]

1. No. If I want sci-fi, then I'll go to the syfy channel. Please don't turn this channel into what the "History" Channel has become. More real science please!!

[Ryan]

Please do not show science fiction on the Science Channel. It's too difficult to draw the line on good and bad sci-fi, so please stick to real science. If you must air something related sci-fi, please make it a documentary about how actual science works in comparison, or the real science behind the idea, or how the sci-fi program influenced actual scientists.

[Troy Hewitt]

Science Fiction and Science Fact definitely go hand in hand. However, there would need to be a proper balance in the programming. We already have one science fiction channel that degraded into showing wrestling.

Favorite shows and movies include the classics (e.g. The Day the Earth Stood Still) as well as the mid-modern (Star Trek, Star Wars, Alien(s)) and modern (Avatar, Dr. Who) scifi.

[David]

1. Yes, Firefly is already played so why not?
2. Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Stargate, Lost, Fringe, Firefly, First Wave and Sliders
3. Stargate, Star Trek, Star Wars, Independence Day and most any end of the world or doomsday type sci fi flick

[Ursula]

Please! No, no NO Sci-Fi in a fact-based, Science-for-education venue! Reality and fiction are confused easily enough as it is.

[G.W.]

I like channels that provide solid answers to hard science questions. Your channel has been very good at that. But I also like intelligent, thinking Science Fiction on the lines of a Larry Niven, Harlan Ellison,Jerry Pournelle, or Frederick Poul. If you find a way to incorporate a reasonabl mix of shows on the order of a "One Step Beyond" or "Quantum Leap" or more recently "Touch", with shows exploring the sciences of these then I think you have a great mix. More movies like 'Forbidden Planet' or 'War of the Worlds' and 'Contact' would be a welcome break from class.

[Larry]

I think that sci-fi can fit in very well on SCIENCE as long as it stays within the realm of the believable. I would hate to see Syfy quality programming showing up. AS for my favorite sci-fi shows, SCIENCE already has my all time favorite Firefly. I would love to see more like that. And for my favorite sci-fi movies, the Alien series is way up there along with Blade Runner.

[Benjamin]

1) NO! please keep only science on here! i love the shows like "through the wormwhole with___" and other shows like it. it would be even more interesting if you put some debates on once in awhile. leave the sci-fi stuff for the sci-fi channel, this is the science channel! 2)na 3)na =P

[Beth]

Sci-Fi only as it pertains to science. Like the show " Sci-Fi Science" or Mythbusters. More Science, more space science, more microbiology, more archaeology, more marine archaeology, more SCIENCE.

[Jim Piper]

No. I don't want to see scifi on the science channel. If I want scify I will go to the scifi channel, but I like the real science much better.

[Emerald May]

People flocked to the SCIENCE channel for just that... science. Documentaries help people learn about what our universe is. It got to really into science and I hope it continues to do the same for years to come for others.

[Vivian]

Not much, I like science, not psuado science. There is already a channel for Scifi. I would like a news show about science. With all the latest updates of what is going on in the world of science.

[Richard Greene]

Keep Science channel strictly science. If i want Sci Fi ill go elsewhere

[Robin]

I would love to see Sci-fi shows and movies. But, please don't go in the direction of the SyFy channel and show wrestling!

[Mindy Smotherman]

I have no interest in fictional sci fi. That stuff is everywhere. If you're talking factual and scientific topics on UFO'ss type thing, that's okay. But for me, I love the science on the science channel. Through the wormhole is superb. More shows that teach (NOT how it's Made...hate that...boring) More science! More Scientest! More Einstein, Bohr, Currie.
More quantum physics. More theoretical physics. More info on space, stars, galaxies, black holes, solar systems, MORE SCIENCE! Please don't let this channel go to the trash. TEACH ME SOMETHING WONDERFUL!!

[GregF]

Hi Brian, I want to say thanks first for gathering audience input on this. In my opinion SciFi does not belong on Science because the distinguishing feature on Science which sets it apart from SciFi channel (ie SyFy) is that it is not fiction-based programming. It takes courage not to follow and copy some other channel especially when peers may be suggesting that. Instead I really feel your best strategy is to a) know what kind of viewers are your prime target, b) cater exceptionally to those viewers to build extreme devotion, and c) acquire the very best targeting advertisers who are hungry to reach that SPECIFIC audience. This is not a short term/get rich quick strategy necessarily but can be very successful with perserverance and commitment. I think the impulse to compare against other media outlets is a destructive homogenizing force that is dumbing down all television. Finally -and perhaps most important - is the potential RISK to your channels brand AS a science channel. Once you cross into science fiction your brand is no longer a credible SCIENCE brand, because real science is always very serious about the pursuit of objective Truth. The introduction of fiction will always call to question any programming on the channel and the channels reputation as a whole. My apologies if comes off too strong but i am very passionate about the belief that SCIENCE should remain about true science. Now that said, moving on to the types of program ideas that could be a big hit on SCIENCE: something like mythbusters, which uses valid scientific methods in each episode, could be great. Maybe call it "test it!" or something like that, or "my theory is..," and then the show will construct scientific experiment to see. Related to scientific experiments, but in a different format, would be a science news show. This would not be a newscaster/teleprompter show but more a news magazine pulling stories from scientific journals and making them accessible to your audience, to publicize new findings made in legitimate credible studies. Think of a tv version of ScienceDaily.com, with sexy wrappings. Obviously top editorial priority should be given to the most accessible, relatable findings. Next i really think you can make a show about the art of diagnosis. In all fields, this shares similar processes and rules of thumb. Your show could give dramatic examples of urgent crises and the process of isolating and diagnosing the true problem. This can apply to computer problems, medical problems, national security, public safety, all kinds of areas. It can be a type of dramatized real -life CSI for all of those potential scenarios and more. Finally i think you could get a lot of mileage and viewership by partnering up with popular Internet science blogs and sites with some joint ventures such as: slashdot, LifeHacker, Engadget, Gizmodo, etc. Lifehacker alone is kind of an endless set of McGuyver-esque solutions begging for a wide broadcasting audience. Oh and one final thought about science fiction: two ways you MIGHT be able to look at covering Sci Fi: 1) a show critquing movie science by showing the movie clips followed by real scientist opinions, or 2) a special "Science At The Movies" show, that features movies with very good, accurate science (or close to it). This could open the door to films like Contagion or Rise Of The Planet of The Apes along with inclusion of discussion bumpers before/after commercial to debate the merits nd quality of the science being shown.

[Joel]

Here is what you need:

Sci-Fi Movie of the week.. Then you need a geeky guy during commercial breaks talking about the science that's in said show or even talking about the "What we didn't know back then versus what we know now"
With occasional techno-bable word of the movie.. Like Ray-Gun versus real laser? It's gotta be a geeky guy not so geeky he's annoying but a real guy... Not a wanna-be Brian Seacrest dressed down as a geek... An honest pudgy gut glasses kind of guy... (OK So what if I resemble this) but it might be fun to during commercials make mini-profits of sci-fi like conjectures/interludes...
You could even get sponsors for those interludes... with cut scenes of and from like movies...
It might be interesting to do the same thing for like some of the Sci-fi movies... Like Star Trek and Space 1999... As much as I love Doctor Who not sure the "Science" would transfer well but then again? Hmmm
Oh and maybe an occasional guest appearnce form a Star of the movie, producer, director, Visual FX guy?
The possibilities are endless...

[Matthew Cavener]

I would only like to see Sci-Fi on SCIENCE because I think they would do a fantastic job at airing quality programming. None of this wrestling or ghost hunting shenanigans SyFy now has. Personally I love SCIENCE (save How it's Made, but to each his own,) and would like to see more programs like Through the Wormhole. It may be a stretch, but I would like to see a SCI-FI channel run by the folks at SCIENCE. Not likely, but a neat idea anyway.

2. Twilight Zone, Stargate, Firefly, BattleStar, Dr. Who, Star Trek...

3.Movies based on any of the above, Contact, Minority Report, Matrix, and of course, Star Wars.

[Dewitt]

I wouldn't object to a bit of high quality sci-fi on the Science channel, but it sure is a slippery slope. Just look what has happened to Animal Planet. . .

[Michael Szul]

To put things into perspective, I bought the following Science Channel series' from Amazon Instant Video: Sci Fi Science (S1 & S2), Dark Matters, Prophets of Science Fiction and Through the Wormhole (S1 & S2). My wife and I also watch Oddities and Monster Bug Wars. I believe that Sci-Fi is a good fit for the Science Channel, but only if it doesn't overwhelm the actual science part of it. The channel is already better at Sci Fi than SyFy, so let's keep a 75/25 split between pure science and science fiction.