Does anyone else find SQ to be the best Sci Fi ever?

[Mop Jockey]

Due to its nature as both a pastiche and parody, I think SQ takes the best elements of all Sci Fi movies, books etc and creates something totally new and original. I find SQ and it's universe fascinating and interesting, on par with the universes in the Star Trek and Star Wars universes. It's clever, cynical, funny and yet not TOO silly. I also think Roger is one of the most relatable Sci Fi protagonists and that the droids in SQ are among the best.

 

What do you guys think?

[Frede]

"Best sci-fi ever" is probably too much of a stretch for me. But all the games contain great examples of quality sci-fi comedy, which is something you rarely see. So I do appreciate the series a lot for that.

[Datadog]

Space Quest is more of a great homage to science-fiction. You could argue its where all great science-fiction finds its way, though. It's a series that respects its source material.

[Collector]

Don't take this as a personal attack, but to make such an argument indicates someone who has not read a lot of science fiction or paid much attention to certain shows and movies. SQ is a great comedy adventure game series with an SF motif, but is pretty shallow when stacked up against the likes of Phillip K. Dick or Fredrick Pohl. Even shows like TNG's The Measure of a Man carries some pretty heavy philosophical questions. Science Fiction is more than rocket ships and ray guns. It is venue to explore ideas that cannot be explored through conventional means.

[JimmyTwoBucks]

I agree that it's one of the best...

and probably THE best as far as sci-fi comedy/satire goes.

 

One thing I always loved from Star Wars was the idea of a "bar full of different types of aliens",

which I felt other sci-fi never really developed further or included that often.

I think SQ really nailed that area and took it to another level with the Monolith Burger and the Galaxy Galleria

and Polysorbate.

 

I also really liked how they merged the best of lots of different ideas, like having a Terminator character hunting down

the hero, and also time travel elements, combined with a Star Wars type of world with many different alien cultures

and also aliens that are monstrous in some way, AND stuff like Blade Runner as well.

 

I think it's hugely under-appreciated as a sci-fi world... I find it more interesting than the Star Trek universe

(which is why I think SQ5 is not quite as good as the others, as it kind of undermines the SQ universe to make it

more like Star Trek), and I think it's as interesting as the Star Wars universe in a different way.

[MusicallyInspired]

Star Trek is full of mostly humanoids because of Gene Roddenberry's theory of an alien race seeding the galaxy because they found nobody like themselves in their exploration of the universe. This was touched on in the TNG episode The Chase. The idea being that all humanoid life forms in the galaxy originated from a single advanced humanoid species. However, there ARE non-humanoid type aliens in Star Trek as well, such as the Tholians as well as certain species of the Xindi, and a slew of energy-based beings like the Calamarain.

[Collector]

The Chase is one of the episodes that stands out in my memory. Star Trek was certainly a lot more thought provoking than most SF shows. Many of the episodes, especially TNG, were almost philosophical in nature. Even Voyager explored what the nature of the human condition is via Seven of Nine's rediscovery of her humanity.

[Caldric]

When I watch SF television, I usually expect lighter entertainment. If I'm looking for heavy subject matter, I read SF books. Though some television does do a good job of being meaty - the new Battlestar Galactica, for example.

[MusicallyInspired]

See I don't even like drama in sci-fi that's why I never liked DS9. I liked fun sci-fi like Star Trek TOS, TNG, Stargate SG1, and Stargate Atlantis. Hated SGU.

[Collector]

Good SF can be both fun and "meaty" at the same time.

[Troels Pleimert]

Well, it's not called Sci-Fi Quest ... ;)

 

*pokes Collector's bottom with a stick*

[Datadog]

I like shows that can handle a variety of sci-fi. "Doctor Who", "Red Dwarf", "Star Trek: TNG" and "Futurama", for example, are all well set for exploring several aspects of science-fiction. With shows like these, you can get robots, time travel, cloning, A.I., aliens, shrink rays and psychic powers all in one show without it being out-of-place (I especially like how "Futurama" manages to keep track of the continuity through all its time travel stories.) "Space Quest" would fall in with this crowd, although most comedy sci-fi probably would. It's usually the dramas like BSG that like to stick with a few ideas so they can expand on them.

[drdrslashvohaul]

My favourite sci-fi is the Star Trek universe.

 

My favourite comedy sci-fi is Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy (the original radio series). I'd even probably put Red Dwarf ahead of Space Quest, though they're obviously different media.

 

"Drama" is not really the same as "deep", and this is why I also prefer TNG to DS9, though both are brilliant. I enjoyed the character development and interaction in DS9 (just recently completed a complete re-watch of that), but I think the individual sci-fi stories in TNG were much better. In an almost completely unrelated note, it's why I love South Park too - they use a weird version of reality to tell the truth about how screwed up the world is. Sci-fi, like good satire, does that, and makes you think.

So... where do we stand on Big Bang Theory? :P

[MusicallyInspired]

I watched the first four seasons and at first enjoyed it, but then it became apparent that it wasn't about smart humour, it was about science and geek culture related jokes. I think it's dumbed down and shallow. Most sitcoms are, really, but then there's shows like Seinfeld which are just special. Big Bang is not special. The supposed intelligence of the show isn't utilized to any great degree. It's just the same stories with science wizards rather than average Joe's and it's suprisingly not that different at all. It's a superficial difference. Doesn't add anything.

[Troels Pleimert]

I'm behind Brandon 100% on BBT. Don't like it one bit.

 

As for sci-fi comedy, the twin threat of Red Dwarf and Futurama is enough to send me into paroxysms of ecstacy.

[drdrslashvohaul]

Meh, I find it quite funny (though I like to switch my brain off from time to time in front of mush). But I've never got Seinfeld. It seems uniquely "New York" sort of humour, or at the very least North American. It never did well over here in England, and I can see why. 

 

Moving the topic on a bit further, to the borders betwixt fact and fiction, have any of "y'alls" played Kerbal Space Program? It's bloody genius, and NASA wants to use it to teach kids basic orbital mechanics. You basically build rockets in a sandbox and explore a fictional solar system based loosely on our own. But it uses "real" Newtonian physics, so it's a bit of a challenge when you start out.

 

[Paladinlover]

I don't think SQ is the greatest ever Sci-fi, that is a pretty big stretch to make. I'm actually not that much of a sci-fi reader, even if I should be. In terms of drama, Mass Effect is way ahead of Space Quest.

 

But as a comedy, SQ is pure gold. It's really sad that there isn't more dedicated Sci-fi comedies out there. Other than Red Dwarf (which I adore) and Futurama (which I don't watch enough even though I haven't seen an episode I didn't like yet), there doesn't seem to be that much in terms of sci-fi comedy.

 

Till next time stay cool :cool: 

[SteveHNo96]

No. I'm sorry, heck no.

Space Quest is a great series, it's a great comedy series when usually sci-fi doesn't delve into comedy. However, it doesn't qualify really as the "greatest sci-fi" of all time. To say that ignores the impact of Star Trek on our culture, Star Wars on our ability to be a freakin' nerd, 2001/2010 on our ability to dream beyond the universe, or for that matter, Twilight Zone for the ability to simply think of imagination.

What Space Quest is is comical, amusing, funny, irreverent and a bit foppish, but in no way can you objectively say it's the best sci-fi of all time. It's a lot of fun, but not THE BEST SCI-FI EVAR!!