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At Last, A Graph That Explains Scifi TV After Star Trek
Doctor Who: Revolutionary Or Tool Of The Man?
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robertwan
08/28/09

In reply to At Last, A Graph That Explains Scifi TV After Star Trek
Technically, you should (I'm pretty sure) have the independent variable (time) on the x-axis, not on the y-axis. Or, if you prefer, shouldn't the dependent variable (Number of shows featuring) be on the y-axis, not the x-axis?
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Raven
08/28/09

@robertwan:
You generally do have the independant on the x-axis.
Perhaps the grapher just wanted to show the downfall a bit easier.
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Stephanie A Fox
08/29/09

@Raven: I also wanted it to be as legible as possible in our website layout, and putting time on the y axis allowed for text to be larger at the inline graphic size.
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off-kilter
08/28/09

In reply to At Last, A Graph That Explains Scifi TV After Star Trek
Great chart! [applause, applause]

But now its got me thinking - since so much of sci-fi is allegorical, what sort of chart could one make to track THAT?

Themes of: 1. racial oppression, 2. fascist dictatorship, 3. Malthusian famines, 4. women who act beautiful and submissive but are actually up to no good...

And then we could track 1. subtle allegorical eps vs hit-you-over-the-head allegoricals, 2. eps with one story line (Lost in Space) vs eps with six (BSG, "Kobol's Last Gleaming)...
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SJ_Edwards
08/28/09

In reply to At Last, A Graph That Explains Scifi TV After Star Trek
That post-2000 decline (and the relative rates of decline) is fascinating (and horrifying). I'm assuming that it parallels the decline in the TV industry's gross revenue figures over this period (due to the rise of the internet, gaming, DVDs etc., 'eating their lunch') but even so, doesn't it look like the 'future' has been and gone?

Industry execs. must have spent the last decade looking at charts and forward projections, just like this.

How the hell, has anybody been able to get anything interesting commissioned this century?

No wonder, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was given a "bullet in the brainpan, squish!", the instant it's synergistic raison d'etre, to support, nourish and advertise, the (soon to implode, anyway) 'Terminator Movie Franchise' (sorry CJ Anders, I used the 'F' word) was done.

It's a miracle, it was commissioned in the first place.

The TV (and movie) revenue model is clearly borked (on an overall basis) and everybody in the industry is simply rearranging the deckchairs on a sinking ship, hoping to be on one, of an ever diminishing number of, temporary 'high/dry spots', long enough to jump to another.

Cancel my 'glow in the dark' chart order. I'm too depressed.
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phlavor
08/28/09

In reply to At Last, A Graph That Explains Scifi TV After Star Trek
Great chart! It makes me wonder what driving force pushed Science Fiction around the millennium. Hope for a better future? The geek inheriting the Earth?

Also, Super Friends was on for 11 years!?
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Micah
08/28/09

In reply to At Last, A Graph That Explains Scifi TV After Star Trek
As the show clearly points out on a number of occasions, Data was an android, not a robot.
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Annalee Newitz
08/28/09

@Micah: There are robots on Star Trek. Data is not the only artificial creature.
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Micah
08/29/09

@Annalee Newitz: I was referring to the article: "Shows that contain multiple themes were counted once in each category, so Star Trek: The Next Generation would add one point each to aliens, space travel, robots and time travel."

I can think of robots in other series' of Star Trek, but I'm having difficultly thinking of any in TNG.
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Roklimber
08/28/09

In reply to At Last, A Graph That Explains Scifi TV After Star Trek
Poor Annalee... I stopped counting how many times she wrote "We included it, but didn't show it in the chart because the chart only has a sample of the total", or something to that effect, after the 5th installment.
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Annalee Newitz
08/28/09

@Roklimber: Thank you for feeling my pain. :)
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Mellowtunes
08/28/09

In reply to At Last, A Graph That Explains Scifi TV After Star Trek
No Deep Space Nine? That would boost the 90's Space scale even more...though they really didn't travel much...
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Annalee Newitz promoted this comment Mellowtunes was starred Mellowtunes was unstarred

Annalee Newitz
08/28/09

@Mellowtunes: Deep Space 9 is in there. Here is a complete list of all shows surveyed: [io9.com]
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tetracycloide
08/28/09

In reply to At Last, A Graph That Explains Scifi TV After Star Trek
i'm a little thrown by the side chart. why are some of the dots at the beginning of the show and some of them at the end?
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Grey_Area
08/28/09

@tetracycloide: To fit all the names in, good solution actually.
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tetracycloide
08/28/09

@Grey_Area: the names have to be next to the dots? what's wrong with dots on both ends and names on whatever end fits?
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Grey_Area
08/28/09

@tetracycloide: Hmmm, yeah that might have been better. Less opt to confuse the dopes.
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Trystero
08/28/09

In reply to At Last, A Graph That Explains Scifi TV After Star Trek
I had no idea that the original Battlestar Galactica had such a short TV run. Nor did I ever think of Dark Shadows as a spy show (mostly as a function of never actually watching it.)

Kudos to everybody that worked on this! I don't think I can name 300 TV shows, let alone genre shows that aired since the end of Star Trek. And analyzing their component parts? Amazing! I join the chorus asking for a full poster version (left-to-right, preferably). /brown-nosing
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NotChoinski
08/28/09

@Trystero: I don't think they're including the even shorter (and awful) 'Battlestar 1980'
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Grey_Area
08/28/09

In reply to At Last, A Graph That Explains Scifi TV After Star Trek
But what about...? No love for...? But what about...? No love for...? But what about...? No love for...? But what about...? No love for...?

Read the damn post.
Then again, that's what you people like so much about lists, whining that everything in the entire Universe isn't included in it.

But what aboutVoyage to the Bottom of the Sea? No love for my Mogo/Galactus slashfic? Sheesh.
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SJ_Edwards
08/28/09

In reply to At Last, A Graph That Explains Scifi TV After Star Trek

We NEED this chart, in the worst way.

But.......

It needs to be rotated 90 degrees (time runs left to right in my universe and always will!), it needs all of the 300 shows (and more), it needs little 'bumps' on the show's timelines (to represent each episode) etc. etc.

Basically, it needs to look more like (in every possible way), that apotheosis of graph/chart porn, Harry Beck's ( [en.wikipedia.org] ) London Underground Map ( [en.wikipedia.org] ).

It needs to be "Freakin Big (and right out there)", say 3 feet by 6 feet.

Oh, and it needs to be laminated :)

Where do I send the check?
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Annalee Newitz promoted this comment SJ_Edwards was starred SJ_Edwards was unstarred

Grey_Area
08/28/09

@SJ_Edwards: And it should have links to play every single episode of each show.

Or how about a 1:1 graphic reprsentation of the internet. How tough could that be?
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SJ_Edwards
08/28/09

@Grey_Area: ...........and each episode link should vibrate when touched, in correlation with how good each episode was............oooooh, just make it in the form of a giant shag pile carpet, I can roll around on.............
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SJ_Edwards
08/28/09

@Grey_Area: ..........oh......and it needs to glow in the dark.......
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Gonza
08/28/09

In reply to At Last, A Graph That Explains Scifi TV After Star Trek
I find your lack of "Supernatural" disturbing...Unless I'm too blind to see anything
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Charlie Jane Anders promoted this comment Gonza was starred Gonza was unstarred

Charlie Jane Anders
08/28/09

@Gonza: They actually looked at hundreds and hundreds of shows, including any one you can think of. The list on the side of the chart is just Stephanie trying to be helpful by adding a few representative examples.
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Annalee Newitz
08/28/09

@Gonza: Here is a list of all the shows we surveyed to create the chart: [io9.com]
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Grey_Area
08/28/09

@Annalee Newitz: O good Grodd, that's a huge list. All of you have been doing oodles of work. I feel, bad. Howsabout I send in at least two lame book reviews for next week?

Yah, right.
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Alexis
08/28/09

@Annalee Newitz: When you put it all together in a list like that....wowsers.
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dans0n
08/28/09

In reply to At Last, A Graph That Explains Scifi TV After Star Trek

Where the heck is Red Dwarf?

I mean seriously, If you can call "Bewitched" and "3rd Rock from the Sun" (WTF?) Sci-Fi comedies, then......
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Edited by dans0n at 08/28/09 11:56 AM Annalee Newitz approved this comment dans0n was starred dans0n was unstarred

Annalee Newitz
08/28/09

@dans0n: That is included - we just didn't list it on the chart.
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Charlie Jane Anders
08/28/09

@dans0n: They included Red Dwarf in their sample, along with zillions of other shows. We're hoping to post a list soon.
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dans0n
08/28/09

@Annalee Newitz: swank, just threw me with the 3rd rock?
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bobjase
08/28/09

In reply to At Last, A Graph That Explains Scifi TV After Star Trek
Stargate Atlantis? Deep space nine? Voyager?

What is the point of a list like this if it excludes 80% of the shows?
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Annalee Newitz promoted this comment bobjase was starred bobjase was unstarred

Annalee Newitz
08/28/09

@bobjase: The shows listed in the chart are just a sample of over 300 that we surveyed.
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Grey_Area
08/28/09

@bobjase: Honestly, if the chart had 150 shows on it would you be able to even read it?
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AusJeb
08/28/09

In reply to At Last, A Graph That Explains Scifi TV After Star Trek
In addition to the development of CGI, the other thing that happened in the 90s was the growth of the syndication market for shows like Xena, Earth Final Conflict, Lexx, et al. which created the opportunity for many new shows, even though many of them only had short runs.
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