Guilty pleasure

Lately, I have found myself semi-addicted to the sci-fi drama Andromeda, which is being shown on one of the Greek public television stations. Sure, I'm about 5 years late on this one, but when it was actually on the Sci-Fi channel (and I actually had access to the Sci-Fi channel) I was not a fan of such shows. I hadn't even broken my Star Trek: The Next Generation cherry until a couple of years ago, after tireless begging from my husband to get the first season on DVD and check it out. I finally gave in, and despite the sometimes cheesy dialogue and acting, I became addicted quickly. We eventually acquired all seven seasons and we've watched them all twice.

Watching sci-fi shows and movies (and reading sci-fi books) on a regular basis is a pretty big deal for me. Even though I had always had some sympathy for the fantasy genre (mostly because of my predilection for medieval literature) I was a sci-fi snob. I thought sci-fi was lower class writing, meant for common folk who didn't appreciate literature the same way I appreciated literature. Oops. Big mistake. But then again, I am really good at judging things before I give them a chance.

I watched a trickle of sci-fi movies here and there - Demolition Man (which I liked because it reminded me of a Nietzschean premise), The Fifth Element, Judge Dredd, Virtuosity, etc., etc.(ie. the average crop of sci-fi releases in the mid to late 90's). I even watched some of the first Star Trek movies and the Star Trek:TNG movies when they came out. None of them really stood out to me, although I enjoyed them and was properly entertained for the most part. I resisted like wildfire watching sci-fi shows, though, because I really didn't see myself wanting to participate in such a ruse on a weekly basis. I had friends who loved Star Trek:TNG, who tried to talk me into it, but no avail. Attempts to get me to read a sci-fi novel of any kind were met with condescending scoffs. I had no intention of delving deeper into the world of sci-fi.

And then came Star Trek: TNG. The first couple of episodes were awkwardly acted, but held my interest. The more I watched the more I started to see that these shows weren't fluff, they dealt constantly with philosophical, ethical and moral issues. Wow, who would have thought? Then we rented I, Robot, which I know was a critical failure, but it opened up new avenues of thought. So I just had to read all the Asimov short stories. How complex and interesting the stories were! What a fascinating world to have kept at arm's length all this time!

So here I am, a fan of a show that apparently is based on an idea Gene Roddenberry had once. A show that even my husband, a huge Star Trek: TNG fan, makes fun of. Sure, it has its cheesiness. There is no Patrick Stewart, just a Kevin Sorbo (and I really hated his Hercules show). But I've been jonesing for a new sci-fi drama ever since we finished watching the entire ST:TNG over again. But Andromeda posits some interesting philosophical and ethical questions now and then. It has some interesting characters, including a race of Nietzscheans, genetically created "perfect" beings. It can be stupid, sure, but I'm left with nothing else for now, and a huge sci-fi appetite that must be fed. Not to mention Kevin Sorbo and Keith Hamilton Cobb are nice to look at.

It is, after all, all my husband's fault. He created this sci-fi monster.