Quote:
Originally Posted by ApK
I disagree in principal and in the particular. Just because people do a lot of derivitive stuff in a genre doesn't mean that a brilliant idea won't come along tomorrow that raises the genre to a new level.
(like firefly did for space westerns imho)
|
The oldest SF trope is the travelogue.
(Stanley Weinbaum's MARTIAN ODYSSEY, for example.)
Early on there were so many, Campbell practically refused them on principle during the Golden Age of ASTOUNDING. That didn't stop Farmer or Harrison (GREEN ODYSSEY, DEATHWORLD Series) from using that "hoary old" format in the 50s-60s to great effect. Or John Ringo in VORPAL BLADE much more recently. (Among others.)
For that matter, Roddenberry might have sold STAR TREK as "Wagon Train to the stars" but the format for the original series and the bulk of STNG was the travelogue ("To boldly go..."). Mix in some morality play and you have the core ST formula.
Fast forward another generation or so and you get the STARGATEs.
(Even the near-miss SLIDERS was a travelogue at heart.)
Everything old is new again...
...when somebody does something worthy with it.
Simply put, you never know where the next great story is coming from.
Might even be time for a new take on SF travelogues...
