Bucky's Favorite Sci-Fi Series

Hi there,
it's been a while since I've had the creative urge to write in this space. Been thinking about doing another best of list - this time it's my favorite science fiction series. Here ya go!

1. Star Wars (original trilogy) - I became a huge Star Wars geek in 1980 - I probably had about 50 of the classic Kenner action figures and have seen the original trilogy more times than I can remember. The story is what first got me into reading and enjoying a good narrative in the first place. While there are some interesting parts of the prequel trilogy and even the digitally animated Clone Wars cartoon series, but to me they pale in comparison to the original series that first captivated me when I was 8 years old.

2. Star Trek (original cast) - I first started watching this show in re-runs when I was a kid. I remember movie parties at elementary school for the first couple of films, and seeing Star Trek III and IV with a cousin in the Twin Cities. The series made me think that space travel might be a lot like the Federation starships when I grew up.
Fun fact: when I worked for a Central Minnesota arts magazine, my coworkers and I were once invited to attend a play at St. Cloud State University - the professor who contacted us and supervised the production was Bruce Hyde, who played Lt. Kevin Reilly in two episodes of the first season of the original Star Trek series. It's pretty cool that I got to meet someone who was in my favorite sci-fi television series!

3. The Twilight Zone (original series) - one of the first real science fiction/fantasy series on network television, and still one of the best. My favorite episodes are "Time Enough At Last," where a bookworm (Burgess Meredith) survives an atomic bomb burst and has all the time to read to his heart's desire (until his glasses break, at least) and "Terror at 20,000 Feet" where a man recovering from a nervous breakdown (played by a pre-Star Trek William Shatner) sees a monster on the wing of an airplane on a flight he is on. Great storytelling that has inspired generations of artists!

4. ROM Spaceknight - a Marvel comic book series inspired by a Parker Brothers toy. The writing of Bill Mantlo and vivid artwork of Sal Buscema captivated me, as the silver spaceknight from the distant planet of Galador fought a crusade on Earth to rid it from his mortal enemies, the dreaded Dire Wraiths. The first 25-30 issues of this series that spanned 75 issues and 4 annuals are some of the best comics I've ever read.

5. Battlestar Galactica (1978) - just watched this entire series for the first time recently. It was an interesting concept about a group of humans fleeing the tyranny of the dreaded Cylon robots trying to find the lost colony of Earth. Campy but fun, this show inspired a successful reimagining a decade ago.
Fun fact: in the original series, the robot dog "Muffey" was played by a chimpanzee!

6. V (1980's) - this show was a little creepy for me growing up, about alien visitors who supposedly came to Earth in peace, but were really looking to rob the planet of its resources and capture its people as food. The mini-series were great, and I enjoyed the one season of the series that followed. The recent reboot was fun, if for nothing else than to revisit those vivid memories of the early 80's.
Fun fact: the peaceful alien Willie was played by Robert Englund, who came to fame playing the vicious Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street films.

7. Buck Rogers in the 25th Century - another sci-fi show I enjoyed from my youth. The first season was great fun, although the 2nd season's retooling made me wonder why the changes that were made were deemed necessary.
Fun fact: The robot Twiki was voiced by legendary cartoon voice talent Mel Blanc. The actor inside the suit (Felix Silla) also played Cousin It on the classic Addams Family sitcom.

8. Logan's Run - another interesting concept, about a futuristic world where life was supposed to end at age 30. The movie is interesting to watch, and I have seen the spinoff television series that had a short season run.

Well that's all for now - I'll be back blogging again after next Friday's Sevendust concert in the Twin Cities. Until then, have a great weekend, everyone!