Posted by Devin de Gruyl on Jun 25th, 2007
 (7/2/07 UPDATE: Due to a lackluster response so far, the voting deadline for Round 1 has been extended one week.  The new deadline for Round 1 voting is 12:01 AM EST/04:01 GMT on Tuesday, July 10.  PLEASE vote!  Fellow WotG’ers, make sure to spread the word about this, too — bring your friends by to have them cast their vote!  Go ahead and flood my e-mail with votes — I don’t mind, honest!
I know, I left off Firefly and I’m sorry, but I just didn’t want this to be a total knee-jerk walkover for any one series!  No slight intended, honestly; I actually wrestled with many different series before settling on the final field of 16, with one of my criteria being “Has it withstood the test of time?”)
Starting today, and continuing throughout the month of July, WotG will be playing host to the First Whenever-We-Feel-Like-It-ual Television Science Fiction Knockout Tournament.
The premise is simple. Sixteen top “names†of the last fifty years of TV sci-fi have been chosen, paired off randomly, and arranged in a single-elimination tournament. You e-mail me your votes as to which franchise in each pairing you think would win in a no-rules, UFC-style throwdown. The show with the most votes moves on to the next round. That’s all there is to it.
Since this is a popularity contest, I’ve decided not to go with the “seeding†of, say, the NCAA Final Four. Rather, the sixteen names were literally drawn out of a hat to produce the first-round pairings at random.  The resulting bracket immediately follows.
As you can see, it produced some interesting matchups. Let’s take a quick look at them:
1. The X-Files (1993-2002) vs. Stargate SG-1 (1997-2007): In a battle of the two longest-running American sci-fi series of all time, The X-Files and its conspiracy theories are matched up with the men and women of SG-1 and their Ancient technology. Should be interesting to see how this turns out.
2. Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979-1981) vs. Blake’s 7 (1978-1981): Blake’s 7 steps in for Lost in Space, unable to compete due to injury (a nasty run-in with a talking carrot, we understand). It takes on a critically-derided but fan-favorite incarnation of America’s first outer-space hero.
3. V (1983-1985) vs. Alien Nation (1988-1990): Once again, these drawings were random, so it’s just coincidence that these are both Kenneth Johnson creations. Both tackle the “aliens are among us†concept, but in V they’re reptillian invaders while in Alien Nation they’re the new minority class.
4. Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979) vs. Battlestar Galactica (2004-2008): Random draws, I swear! This one needs no hard sell, friends. This should easily be the marquee match of the first round… who handled this concept better, Glen A. Larson or Ronald D. Moore? We may be about to find out.
5. The Twilight Zone (1956-1961) vs. Star Trek (all series): This should be an interesting matchup as well, as two of the most iconic franchises in television history lock horns. And interestingly, both can bost William Shatner on their teams in crucial roles!
6. Babylon 5 (1994-1998) vs. The Outer Limits (1963-1965; 1995-2002): Babylon 5, still in many ways a darling of the “intelligent sci-fi†crowd, is faced here with a long-running anthology series that may well be the most influential since The Twilight Zone. Who wins? You decide.
7. Red Dwarf (1988-1999) vs. Doctor Who (1963-1990; 2005-present): In our version of the Battle of Britain, two of the longest-running and most beloved UK sci-fi icons battle for supremacy. Time Lords, Daleks, and sonic screwdrivers vs. Rimmer, Holly, and The Cat… should be fun!
8. Quantum Leap (1989-1993) vs. Space: 1999 (1974-1976): Disaster has struck both particpants here, whether it be a malfunctioning time machine or an explosion that turned the Moon into an interplanetary Ark of humanity. But who will our readers side with – Dr. Sam Beckett or Commander John Koenig?
Here’s the deal. You have until 12:01 AM Eastern (USA) time (04:01 GMT) on Tuesday, July 3 Tuesday, July 10 to send your votes in to ddegruyl -AT- wideopenwest -DOT- com. Include the bracketed phrase “[WotG Sci-Fi Tourney]†in your Subject line, and be sure you clearly indicate the show you’re voting for in each instance. (Any WotG writer is also eligible to vote in this, but spread the word – let’s see if we can get as many votes as possible here!) The results will be tallied and posted as soon as possible, at which time voting for the quarterfinal round will take place.
Remember, this is an exhibition, not a contest – please, please, no wagering.
It’s in your hands now, Internet. Let’s see which sci-fi franchise comes out on top!
Posted in entertainment
| email this article
If you liked that, try...
You can leave a response
Podcast RSS
The lack of Firefly saddens me. Oh well, I guess putting it in would’ve made things unfair. Interesting match-ups, though.
Like Shawn, I too am saddened by a lack of Firefly. Things would’ve been really lop-sided had Mal been part of the tourney though, I suppose.
I miss Farscape. *winks*