Gubu.ie

Way back in the b+w, single channel era one of the best shows on TV was 'The Invaders' an American - Quinn Martin Production from 1968/70 - and I would have seen it on RTE(?) in the early 1970's. Aliens invade the earth by stealth, gradually replacing the human population and only one man has witnessed what is happening but nobody believes him...43 episodes and you can get the whole series as a box set. I loved it back then but for some reason have never managed to finish the series since - too many other distractions.

It was the haunting music that used to freak me out - still does - and despite the cheap special effects it was great stuff.

Never heard of that one Del must give it a watch.

Two of my favourite Scifi series would be Taken, by Steven Spielberg and Sliders ( the original 1995 series ) Season 1 & 2, have not watched the rest of the seasons.

Has to be Star Trek, in particular the original 1960s series! Saw it first on BBC in the early 70s (think it was on on Saturday evenings) and for a young guy of only 11 or 12 it was a helluva roller-coaster of out of this world fun every week. Up until recently the Horror/Sci-Fi channel showed all 90+ shows on a loop for several years. Though very simplistic in many ways, Roddenberry's universe influenced a whole series of imitators and updated re-imaginings up to this very day.

I believe they were called The In-VADERS. Remember how they used to burn up when they were shot? So if you wanted to know if someone was an Invader, simply shoot them and if they burn..... INVADER ! Although I can see some drawbacks to that approach. It was on one of the satellite channels recently, and I have to say I enjoyed it as much 50 years later as I did when I first saw it.

Dr Who for me, if it includes Daleks. It came out when I was 8, and I missed the first couple of episodes, including the first appearance of the Daleks, but even so I was enthralled and watched it right up to my mid-teens. I lived in England at the time and the boffin working down the garden in the shed was a staple of many stories - which is not a million miles away from the introduction to "The Doctor". One of our neighbours was Norris and he had been in 'Signals' in world War 2 and was now a Radio and TV repair man. I used to imagine he had something tardis like in his shed, but his was one garden you NEVER ventured into. He was an ould crank but we figured he was damaged by the war.

Of the newer ones I really liked The Orville



Going back quite a few years I like Farscape



Another oldie that deserves a mention is V from 1984-1985.

In between before and since I've watched and enjoyed nearly ever Sci-Fi series, currently watching Foundation each week (torrented ) and loving it. Not long before that watched and would recommend The Mandalorian. Watched Picard and not particularly impressed. Liked the two (so far) series of Star Trek: Discovery and really like the cartoon Star Trek Lower Decks.

All time long running favourite has to be Babylon 5



But hard to say if I like it better than the Battlestar Galactica remake - although the original is still worth watching.



... might watch it again sometime soon.

As a kid of the 70's Doctor Who was a staple, I started with Tom Baker and when he left which was after most of my childhood I lost interest. A burgeoning interest in girls was a distraction. Another was Space 1999. Star Trek was in the mix too. When the next generation came out in the 80's I did watch it from time to time, but really only dipped into the rest on occasion. I remember a brief period in the early 80's of watching Battlestar Galactica and Buck Rodgers in the 25th century.

More latterly the rejigged Dr Who that came along in 05(?) was a guilty pleasure, though it started to go so far up its own arse it required a transparent navel to see out of. Then they did the sex change for an ecky thump actress with about as much charisma as a soggy fishfinger and truly horrendous dialogue writing so I gave up. I do like The Expanse. The Mandalorian was good too I thought. I also liked the rejigged Battlestar Galactica. Farscape was pretty good too.

The Continental Op wrote: ↑Mon Nov 15, 2021 5:38 pm Liked the two (so far) series of Star Trek: Discovery

I found that hard going myself. Too much chick lit bawling at every turn stuff going on for me. I do like the Orville. It's more original Trek than the actual new Trek stuff.

Wibbs wrote: ↑Mon Nov 15, 2021 5:54 pm I found that hard going myself. Too much chick lit bawling at every turn stuff going on for me. I do like the Orville. It's more original Trek than the actual new Trek stuff.

Now that's exactly what I thought when I watched the first series. Hidden behind all the Sef Macfarlane (very funny) toilet humour I thought the series was far truer to the Gene Roddenberry ethics of Star Trek than anything since Gene Roddenberry died.

You also mentioned the Expanse which I liked a lot to start with but I've given up on the current series.

An honorable mention needs to go to the series that should have been a long running classic - Firefly. Should have and an oscar just for the theme music

The Daleks, and the old style Cybermen, were the Doctor Who characters (?) that I loved/was terrified of as a child. When I returned to the new series with my own children the cybermen had been mutated/mutilated into generic robot figures had none of the sinister appearance/appeal of the earlier incarnations. I have several boxed sets of the new Doctor Who that I will probably never watch...

Del.Monte wrote: ↑Mon Nov 15, 2021 6:35 pm

The Daleks, and the old style Cybermen, were the Doctor Who characters (?) that I loved/was terrified of as a child. When I returned to the new series with my own children the cybermen had been mutated/mutilated into generic robot figures had none of the sinister appearance/appeal of the earlier incarnations. I have several boxed sets of the new Doctor Who that I will probably never watch...

There must be a big following in the US for this series. I was asked a few years ago to make a master prop set for the key to time. It was then going to be used to make master molds in order to cast the blocks in quantity for prop collectors.

It was before 3d printers were a household item. And the fact that they could not get them made in the US, the challenge and the money made me go for it.

"Blake's Seven" was an excellent British made series that ran for four seasons (1978/81). I haven't seen it since but I see a number of episodes available on YouTube. Anybody else remember the series?

Speaking of TV skits involving Daleks...



Only Spike Milligan could get away with Pakistani Daleks.

Del.Monte wrote: ↑Mon Nov 15, 2021 7:59 pm "Blake's Seven" was an excellent British made series that ran for four seasons (1978/81). I haven't seen it since but I see a number of episodes available on YouTube. Anybody else remember the series?

I do indeed Sir. I had forgotten about that. I tuned into that every week. The first series or so anyway. I remember their ship the Liberator. Thought it was dead cool.

Speaking of Blake's Seven, I remember back in my distant youth having certain 'notions' for the lead female character in it - Servalan (Jacqueline Pierce). Worth waiting for!!

Star Trek Enterprise.

"The Prisoner"(1967-68) was another of my favourites. A different kind of Sci-Fi but within the genre it starred Patrick McGoohan (Edward Longshanks in Braveheart) as a British Secret Agent who is mysteriously abducted by his former employers after he resigns from the service. He ends up held prisoner under house arrest in 'the village' (Portmeirion in North Wales) and all escape attempts are thwarted by large bubbles.

It is a strange yet engrossing series which I watched in the early 1970's but missed a lot of it as I was away at school and never got to see the end. Some years ago I bought the boxed set but as with The Invaders I have never managed to watch it through to the end. I think my problem is that I settle down to binge these sets late at night, with the lights off, and inevitably nod off. Strangely enough when I binge something on Netflix, Amazon etc. it never seems to happen.

Patrick McGoohan was great in his day for sure.

After Twin Peaks, The Prisoner is my second favourite series ever. It's intricate and each episode reveals more after each re-watch.
I'll never get tired out it.

After that - in terms of sci-fi - Star Cops is my pick. Short-lived; ran for 9 episodes in the summer of 1987. BBC2. Tremendously entertaining and really well-written.

Here's the first episode

Babylon 5 is my alltime favourite by some distance, I still have some of the books and magazines.
I see there is a reboot in the works with Straczynski involved which could be amazing - https://screenrant.com/babylon-5-reboot ... w-details/

My favourite was TNG. They used to act like adults and not emotional adolescents like in the current star streks of today! The expanse was showing so much promise.

Supercell wrote: ↑Tue Nov 16, 2021 3:08 pm Babylon 5 is my alltime favourite by some distance, I still have some of the books and magazines.
I see there is a reboot in the works with Straczynski involved which could be amazing - https://screenrant.com/babylon-5-reboot ... w-details/

Have the DVD boxset which also has the one and only series of Crusade which I wish went they hadn't cancelled.

I didn't like the idea of a Battlestar Galactica reboot but they did a great job of it. I like the idea of a Babylon 5 reboot even less.

For those that like it and know how to access it, the first episode of season 4 of Star Trek Discovery is out there