Star Wars rip-off with Bonanza's Lorne Greene in charge of a wagon train of spaceships fleeing the Cylon tyranny in search of the mythical thirteenth world - Earth. Production costs saw the show canned after one season, although it eventually resurfaced for another round. Critical flop, but thankfully sci-fi was back on TV.
Battlestar Galactica In production (2003-present) 60m
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The remake to top all remakes - this time around Starbuck is a woman and the FX are eerily realistic. Toss in a soundtrack that evokes the sparseness of space, highly original sets, genuine human drama and some purely paranoid plot twists and it's easy to see why this show has so many fans. Began life as a two-part miniseries.
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century 33 episodes (1979-81) 60m
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Original Battlestar producer Glen A Larson strikes again when a sexist late-20th century astronaut accidentally gets the big freeze and wakes up 500 years later. Earth is suffering the aftermath of the nuclear holocaust, while viewers suffer great looking FX with little or no scientific foundation. It was all in good fun and still has a following.
Babylon 5 115 episodes (1993-99) 60m & TV movies
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Despite stiff competition from the Star Trek franchise, B5 was able to build a surprisingly healthy and enduring fan base. In a UN-style setting, an Earth alliance is trying to prevent another war like the one recently fought with the Minbari. Terrific character development throughout set to a backdrop of action-packed space operatic fare.
Despite winning equal rights, after the AI wars the genetically engineered 'InVitroes' constantly face prejudice and discrimination. An outcast InVitro gets thrown in with a squadron of Marine space cadets. When an outlying colony is attacked by an unknown alien menace war breaks out and the adventure begins. Superb series with remarkably high production values.
Farscape 80 episodes (1999-2003) 60m
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Pilot of an experimental ship accidentally enters a wormhole and ends up light-years away where he is rescued by sentient-ship Moya. To find a way home he teams up with prison escapees fleeing from the 'Peacekeepers'. Produced in Australia - the sets, costumes, FX and co-star Claudia Black are all absolutely stunning.
Short-lived Babylon 5 spin-off regarded by many critics as the superior item. Following the end of the Shadow War, a deadly bio-tech virus is perpetrated on Earth by vengeful aliens. With only five years to find a cure (or we all die), experimental ship Excalibur and crew sets off on the quest. Knights of the Round Table in space.
Barbarella-style action sees misfit band swipe a sentient ship that turns out to be the ultimate weapon of mass destruction in both universes. They enter the Dark Zone and cause non-stop havoc while trying to deal with their sexual desires. The show revels in its Dwarf-ish tackiness - but the digital FX are often fantastic nonetheless.
