Pixel Scroll 10/30 The Stainless Steel Hedgehog Has A Harsh Mistress, Not That There’s Anything Wrong With That

(1) Larry Smith is out of the hospital reports Marcia Kelly Illingworth on Facebook.

Please forgive the lack of recent updates. As they say, no news is good news. Larry is back out of the hospital, and appears to be doing well. He was finally able to attend a convention last weekend, and held up remarkably well. At this point, he is hoping to make all of his November commitments. Clearly, he is not exactly on top of his game, and has had to make some adjustments to his activity level and routine, but he is improving.

Larry and Sally asked me to try to convey the enormous gratitude they feel to everyone who has come to their aid through this very trying time. I say *try* to convey, because there just are not enough words to adequately express how thankful and humbled they feel. And let me just add my thanks as well. These are some very special people, and my heart swells when I see this wonderful family that we call fandom come together to help them like you have.

They are currently still trying to find a replacement van. The one they had was a 15 passenger model, with a long wheelbase and extra suspension to handle the weight of the books. They have found a couple of possibilities (of course, none local), so they hope to find one soon. Give yourselves a much – deserved pat on the back for making this possible for them. Please share this update on any list or social media that you have available to you

(2) David Langford proudly displayed his “Sausage Maker To Fandom” badge ribbon in the new issue of Ansible.  It was given to him at LonCon 3.

(3) Thursday night’s Late Show with Stephen Colbert had Seth MacFarlane and Neil DeGrasse Tyson as guests. Stephen is convinced that star KIC 8462852 is evidence of the alien life predicted in one of his favorite books. In the final interview segment, Colbert goes off on a seriously detailed Ringworld rant, including crediting Larry Niven.

“Just because you don’t understand what you’re lookin’ at doesn’t mean it’s alien,” countered Tyson…

In this YouTube clip, the Ringworld bit starts just after the 1:50 mark.

(4) CNN reports “Orbiting bacteria: Space Station may need some tidying up”.

The next time NASA picks an astronaut to live in the International Space Station, it might want to send Mr. Clean. That’s because scientists using a kind of high-tech white glove test found something in the space dust there.

The astronauts are not alone, it turns out. They share tight quarters with some previously undetected, opportunistic bacterial pathogens.

Nothing unusual here. The Sasquan guest of honor left his hotel room in the same condition as every other fan at this year’s Worldcon. A generous tip ordinarily covers these things. In this case, two or three million dollars should do it…

(5) Grantland, ESPN’s pop culture site founded by Bill Simmons, is shutting down. I’ll miss genre-themed coverage like Brian Phillips’ ”50 Scenes That Do Not Appear in the Fox ‘X-Files’ Revival”.

  1. It does not, at any point, transpire that Assistant FBI Director Walter Skinner joins Kickstarter to seek funding for his “elegantly bound novelization” of Infocom’s Leather Goddesses of Phobos.
  2. The word “copyleft” — that doesn’t get thrown around a lot.
  3. Jonathan, who is not making churros, does not tell Scully that “it’s about the cinnamon” and then gasp, “I’ve said too much,” and then get shot in the head by a sniper from Venus.

(6) Charle Jane Anders acknowledges “The Difference Between a Great Story and a Shitty Story Is Often Really Tiny” at io9.

To some extent this is a “Devil in the details” thing: It’s the little details that will trip you up. Small inconsistencies can make your world feel flimsy. But, too, tiny character moments and little bits of emotional resonance, in between the big incidents, can do a ton to make people buy stock in your world and its people.

The difference between a shitty story and a great story is often just one of clarity, also. A great story sets up its premises early on, then builds on them and deepens them, until finally you reach some kind of crisis. Going back to the topic of movies, I’ve been amazed by how many movies I’ve seen lately where the first 20 or 30 minutes are compelling and fascinating (the “first act”) and then what follows is a dull morass. It’s like the “building and deepening” part of the recipe just got thrown out.

(7) That lunar rover that went to the junkyard?

“Although Mr. Clueless opted to dispose of the moonlander for scrap, not so the junkyard owner!” reports David Doering.

Motherboard has an interview with the anonymous buyer.

Tuesday, we told the sad story of a prototype NASA lunar rover that was sold by an Alabaman to a scrap yard. That is true, but there’s a twist: A heroic scrap dealer has saved the buggy, which appears to be in good condition.

The scrap dealer spoke to Motherboard on the condition of anonymity because he says he wants to speak to his lawyer about his next steps, but he did send me the recent photo of the buggy above to confirm it’s in his possession. The rover matches a historical NASA image we believed to be the rover in question. It also matches the description given by NASA in its investigatory documents.

“The man who originally bought it, from my understanding, he bought it at an auction. He was a road conditioner [in Alabama],” the junkyard owner told me. “I can’t confirm this is true, but he bought it at a NASA auction many years ago. NASA just discarded a lot of that stuff back then. When it was brought to my scrap facility, I set it aside because I knew what it was. The unit does exist today. It is not scrapped. I have that unit in storage.”

“I’ve done quite a lot of research on the unit and it’s an artifact that needs to be saved,” he added.

David Doering says, “Sure looks like an easy cut-and-dried Kickstarter campaign to buy the rover!”

(8) Speaking of space exploring antiques, NASA needs a programmer fluent in 60-year-old computer programming languages to keep the Voyager 1 and 2 crafts going. The new hire has to know FORTRAN and assembly languages.

(9) Although written before the revised WFC 2015 harassment policy came out, Alasdsair Stuart’s post on the issue remains revelant for making points like these:

In the last two years I’ve been part of a team asked to deal with a single incident. I saw my colleagues treat the individual who had been harassed with compassion, patience and respect. I saw them be given the space they needed to collect themselves and make decisions rather than be pressured into a choice they might later regret. I have rarely been prouder of the teams of volunteers I’ve worked with over the last few years than I was on that day.

And that’s why the mealy mouthed legal tapdance WFC’15 was throwing up wasn’t just bullshit, it was and still is actively harmful. This event, that proudly lays claim to being the definitive convention for industry professionals, was not bothering to do something that events with a tenth its status and a hundredth its reach have baked into their procedures. The obvious defense here is of course the tiny size of the community and ‘we’ choosing to deal with it ‘in house’.

That’s not even in the same time zone as ‘good enough’.

No one on Earth WANTS to have a harassment policy. Even in building one you’re forced to imagine the absolute worst of the people around you, and in doing so, work out how to minimize the damage they may cause. These people have to, by definition, include your friends and colleagues. It’s an inherently cautious, inherently cynical piece of work that codifies the worst potential human behaviour and how to deal with it. No one wants that, least of all members of a community that likes to pay lip service to inclusion and diversity. But we all need it precisely because of that inclusion and diversity.

(10) John Holyoke reviews Stephen King’s new short story collection Bazaar of Bad Dreams in the Bangor Daily News.

bazaar of bad dreams cover COMP

For loyal King fans who devour anything the author produces, these collections are tiny desserts: sweet morsels that can be consumed rapidly, without guilt. Like some? Fine. Love ’em all? Better. Hate a few? Oh, well — move on. Take a bite out of another.

For those who are new to King and unsure whether they’ll like what they find, “The Bazaar of Bad Dreams” provides a tasty sampler that, like his other short story collections, showcases the master’s array of talents.

King said a year ago that he was confident he could still “write stories that are sleep-with-the-lights-on scary.” And he can. (Try his novel “Revival” on for size, if you’re in doubt.)

But “The Bazaar of Bad Dreams” is a collection of a different flavor and seems to reflect the maturing — and aging — of a writer who likely has left far more tales in his rear view mirror then he has remaining in front of his headlights. Recurring themes this time around include aging, dealing with aging and death itself.

And while that isn’t surprising in itself — there’s often a hefty helping of dying going on in a King book or story — the tone is different, almost melancholy at times, as characters face their mortality and battle with questions like the age-old unanswerable: What’s next?

(11) Lisa Morton, Horror Writers Association president, tells the true, highly commercial origins of today’s Halloween holiday.

The next time somebody tries to tell you that Halloween is a ghoulish tradition that goes back to Druid priests practicing pagan rituals, tell them that companies like Hershey, Coors and Dennison had a lot more to do with the modern Halloween we revere than the Celts from 2,000 years ago.

And that’s a good thing, because these companies have largely created the holiday we now love.

While it is likely that Halloween owes much of its macabre character to the Irish Celtic harvest celebration, Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”), there’s no proof whatsoever to suggest that the Celts dressed in costumes, begged candy from neighbors or staged elaborate haunted scares (although they probably did hold major feasts complete with alcohol).

(12) The Horror Writers Association website has a fine array of posts about the holiday by its members. Today’s entry is “Halloween Haunts: Souled” by Tonya Hurley.

We almost drove past it until I noticed the line snaking around the side of the nondescript-looking Dutch Colonial house on the canal. It hardly looked like the scene of any crime let alone that crime — The Amityville Horror. “112 Ocean Avenue.  That’s it!” I shouted with half excitement and equal parts guilt. The latest family to own the house was moving out and this was hyped as a yard sale guaranteed to top them all.  Shoppers and rubberneckers from miles around gathered to land a piece of horror history, joking with each other, retelling tall tales, mixing myths with fact about the house and the crime like a demonic game of telephone as they waited. A quick walk through the home yielded little contents owned by the DeFeo family, the original owners, who were famously murdered there…

(13) Amy Wallace has updated her Wired article “Sci-Fi’s Hugo Awards and the Battle for Pop Culture’s Soul”.

It is August 2015, and things are looking up for Team Humanity. Or are they? A record 11,700-plus people have bought memberships to the 73rd World Science Fiction Convention in Spokane, Washington, where the Hugo winners are soon to be announced. A record number have also forked over dues of at least $40 in time to be allowed to vote, and almost 6,000 cast ballots, 65 percent more than ever before.

But are the new voters Puppies? Or are they, in the words of Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin, “gathering to defend the integrity of the Hugos”? Just before 8 pm on August 22, in a vast auditorium packed with “trufans” dressed in wizard garb, corsets, chain mail, and the like, one question is on most attendee’s minds: Will the Puppies prevail?

The evening begins with an appearance by a fan cosplaying as the Grim Reaper, and that turns out to be an omen for the Puppies. By evening’s end, not a single Puppy-endorsed candidate takes home a rocket. In the five categories that had only Puppy-provided nominees on the ballot—Best Novella, Best Short Story, Best Related Work, and Best Editors for Short and Long Form—voters choose “No Award.”

Earlier, Beale explained to me that his plan was a “Xanatos gambit”—“that’s where you set it up so that no matter what your enemy does, he loses and you win.” No surprise then, that in an email he sends after the awards ceremony, Beale is crowing. “The scorched-earth strategy being pursued by the SJWs in science fiction is evidence that we hold the initiative and we are winning,” he writes. The number of major categories in which no awards are given “demon­strates the extent to which science fiction has been politi­cized and degraded by their far left politics.”

Quotes from pro writers only – Kloos, Bellet, Correia, Torgersen, Vox Day, George R.R. Martin, N.K. Jemisin.

Zero quotes from fans, who merely run and vote for the awards. Yet Brad R. Torgersen is outraged that still another pro, Sarah A. Hoyt, wasn’t interviewed.

[Thanks to Michael J. Walsh,Tom Galloway, David K.M. Klaus, Martin Morse Wooster, David Doering, and John King Tarpinian for some of these stories. Title credit goes to File 770 contributing editor of the day Daniel Dern.]


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239 thoughts on “Pixel Scroll 10/30 The Stainless Steel Hedgehog Has A Harsh Mistress, Not That There’s Anything Wrong With That

  1. Brackets:

    1. DS9
    2. Twilight Zone

    1. Ouch. If I went for TNG, and I concentrated hard enough, maybe I could see five headcloths… but I have to give this one to The Prisoner. It was a very narrow thing.
    2. Ouch again. I think I need to see a Doctor.

    1. Buffy
    2. Doctor Who

    1. TOS.
    2. Avengers.

  2. Sweet Sixteen – Coreward Region

    1. Star Trek: Deep Space 9

    2. Twilight Zone

    (Oh, the inhumanity! TZ vs Outer Limits! Forehead cloths!)

    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region

    1. The Prisoner

    2. Doctor Who [Classic]

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region

    1. Abstain

    2. Doctor Who [New]

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region

    1. Star Trek: The Original Series

    2. The Avengers

  3. Sweet Sixteen – Coreward Region

    1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS
    Babylon 5 (1)
    Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (4)

    Slings and Arrowst

    2. ONE DAMN’D THING AFTER ANOTHER
    Twilight Zone (2)
    The Outer Limits (6)

    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region

    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE
    The Prisoner (1)
    Star Trek: The Next Generation (4)

    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
    Firefly (2)
    Doctor Who [Classic] (3)

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region

    1. BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN’S TOWN
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
    Twin Peaks (5)

    2. I HAVE COME UNSTUCK IN TIME
    Doctor Who [New] (2)
    Red Dwarf (3)

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region

    1. PERIPATETIC
    Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
    Xena: Warrior Princess (5)

    2. ALL MOD CONS
    Farscape (2)
    The Avengers (6)

  4. Sweet Sixteen – Coreward Region
    1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS
    Babylon 5 (1)
    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region
    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE
    The Prisoner (1)
    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
    Doctor Who [Classic] (3)
    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region
    1. BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN’S TOWN
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
    2. I HAVE COME UNSTUCK IN TIME
    Doctor Who [New] (2)

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region
    1. PERIPATETIC
    Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
    2. ALL MOD CONS
    Farscape (2)

  5. I’ve never worked retail, and only admin for a couple of months (temp job acquired via nepotism), but I’ve never felt the urge to be especially rude to anyone in those positions. The people at KFC (never ate the chicken but the chips were the best in Lewisham) used to treat us like gold and give us extras because we never shouted at them. Bizarre clientele there.

    I have been what I’m sure is audibly annoyed over the phone, but I try and make it clear that it isn’t [call centre person] I’m annoyed with but the governments bullshit hoop jumping because being disabled shouldn’t have to come with bureaucratic circus skills.

    @Daniel Dern

    Good work! 🙂

    FILE 770 LIVE-ACTION TV TOURNAMENT AND BRACKETS

    Sweet Sixteen – Coreward Region

    Abstaining for reasons of wanting to leave it up to people who care about those shows more than I do.

    But! I protest vote for Due South and Blake’s 7. 😉

    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region

    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE
    The Prisoner (1)
    Star Trek: The Next Generation (4)

    Um… I think I’ll take the cowardly way out. TIE!

    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
    Doctor Who [Classic] (3)

    Firefly was okay, but it didn’t blow me away. Doctor Who gave me more to be excited about.

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region

    1. BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN’S TOWN
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)

    I’m still bitter about who Twin Peaks beat. Definitely Buffy.

    2. I HAVE COME UNSTUCK IN TIME
    Red Dwarf (3)

    Well, I don’t like New Who and I really do like about half of Red Dwarf. Easy.

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region

    1. PERIPATETIC
    Xena: Warrior Princess (5)

    Ow. But while both have their, um, abjectly terrible moments, TOS never made me care or laugh as much.

    2. ALL MOD CONS
    Farscape (2)

    Always easy. Farscape is the show of my heart.

  6. Sweet Sixteen – Coreward Region

    1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS
    Babylon 5

    DS9 realised that multi-series story-telling is a good idea too late. In B5, it was always integral.

    2. ONE DAMN’D THING AFTER ANOTHER
    Twilight Zone

    The same but different. TZ was different first.

    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region

    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE
    Star Trek: The Next Generation

    Not even Rover is enough to stop the reinvigoration of the Trek franchise. Although an ep with him bouncing around the Enterprise decks might have been fun.

    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
    Doctor Who [Classic]

    Like anything else had a chance.

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region

    1. BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN’S TOWN
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer

    The Scooby Squad should have been sent to sort things out pronto.

    2. I HAVE COME UNSTUCK IN TIME
    Red Dwarf

    This was hard, but going for an original series over a re-boot is the better choice.

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region

    1. PERIPATETIC
    Star Trek: The Original Series

    ST has on a number of occasions mixed it up with Gods, so a Warrior Princess is no challenge

    2. ALL MOD CONS
    Farscape

    The oddities of Farscape have been called muppets by some, but on a dollar for dollar basis Rygel was more valuable to the production than the star Ben Browder.

  7. Whoops forgot –

    @Lis Carey

    Thanks for the review! It sounds great, which is lucky for me because I picked up the first one in an Amazon sale awhile back. *nudges it up Mount File770*

  8. I’ve never worked retail but I’ve worked enough admin to know that you never piss off support staff, or really anyone who’s in any position to help you, either as a customer or co-worker. Isn’t that basically common sense anyway?

    Sometimes the only response to a situation is anger, though. Especially if you spend an inordinate amount of time jumping through government hoops so they don’t try and charge you tax from back when you were 14 (and obviously in school without a job) due to a fuckup in their system.

  9. These results late in from 5373 via runcible.

    Cored and Thralled Region

    1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS
    Babylon 5 (1)

    Brought multi-series story arcs into fashion, and as much as I think DS9 is the best Trek it falls against this.

    2. ONE DAMN’D THING AFTER ANOTHER
    Twilight Zone (2)

    Spinning like a puppy on a stick Region

    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE
    Star Trek: The Next Generation (4)

    Slim, but TNG had more of an impact on me.

    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
    Firefly (2)
    Doctor Who [Classic] (3)

    Urgh, Classic Who but only because without the Big Damn Movie Firefly by itself didn’t have time to do enough and this is supposed to be a TV bracket.

    Rimmer is a smeghead Region

    1. BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN’S TOWN
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)

    Buffy shows the log lady what you should do with a bit of wood.

    2. I HAVE COME UNSTUCK IN TIME
    Red Dwarf (3)

    Boys from the Dwarf! Plus have I mentioned I really don’t like New Who…?

    Trailing behind the band carrying the gear Region

    1. PERIPATETIC
    Star Trek: The Original Series (1)

    2. ALL MOD CONS
    Farscape (2)

    Hey Pip, whatcha doin?
    I’m having sex with three Hynerian donkeys, what’s it look like I’m doin’?

  10. Sweet Sixteen – Coreward Region

    1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS
    Whichever one is losing right now.

    Because I don’t much care for either show but am always fond of a nice tight race.

    2. ONE DAMN’D THING AFTER ANOTHER
    Twilight Zone (2)

    Original flavor, accept no substitutes.

    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region

    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE
    The Prisoner (1)

    It was a better show.

    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
    Doctor Who [Classic] (3)

    As much as I think both Old and New Who are over-rated, there was still some truly great stuff in the vast span of Old Who.

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region

    1. BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN’S TOWN
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)

    Haven’t yet seen the work which will apparently convince me David Lynch is a genius.

    2. I HAVE COME UNSTUCK IN TIME
    Doctor Who [New] (2)

    I really would not have predicted that I’d be voting for both Doctors Who is a single round.

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region

    1. PERIPATETIC
    Star Trek: The Original Series (1)

    Actually by far the toughest match for me, but I will vote for my childhood.

    2. ALL MOD CONS
    Farscape (2)

    Because crackers don’t matter.

  11. Sweet Sixteen – Coreward Region

    1. Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (4)

    2. The Outer Limits (6)

    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region

    1. The Prisoner (1)

    2. Doctor Who [Classic] (3)

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region

    1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)

    2. Doctor Who [New] (2)

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region

    1. Star Trek: The Original Series (1)

    2. The Avengers (6)

  12. FILE 770 LIVE-ACTION TV TOURNAMENT AND BRACKETS

    Sweet Sixteen – Coreward Region

    1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS
    Babylon 5 (1)

    Will take Babylon 5 over the Star Trek spinoff that abruptly reinvented itself along B5 lines, thanks.

    2. ONE DAMN’D THING AFTER ANOTHER
    The Outer Limits (6)

    Well, this is flip-a-coin time, isn’t it? Twilight Zone is probably more influential, but I liked The Outer Limits more, so nyah to influence.

    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region

    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE
    The Prisoner (1)

    TNG disappointed me, on average, more often than The Prisoner did.

    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
    Doctor Who [Classic] (3)

    Sorry. Still thing Firefly (though good) is overrated; original-flavour Who isn’t.

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region

    1. BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN’S TOWN
    Twin Peaks (5)

    Tough one. Will go with Lynch’s high weirdness over Whedon’s sparky dialogue and taut plotting, here.

    2. I HAVE COME UNSTUCK IN TIME
    Red Dwarf (3)

    Another tough one. Go with the original series and not the retread of a classic, is my decision.

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region

    1. PERIPATETIC
    Star Trek: The Original Series (1)

    TOS shaped my childhood; never much cared for Xena.

    2. ALL MOD CONS
    The Avengers (6)

    Very tough one. Nostalgia for The Avengers wins through in the end.

  13. 1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS
    Babylon 5 (1)

    2. ONE DAMN’D THING AFTER ANOTHER
    The Outer Limits (6)

    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE
    Star Trek: The Next Generation (4)

    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
    Doctor Who [Classic] (3)

    1. BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN’S TOWN
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)

    2. I HAVE COME UNSTUCK IN TIME
    Doctor Who [New] (2)

    1. PERIPATETIC
    Abstain

    2. ALL MOD CONS
    Abstain

  14. FILE 770 LIVE-ACTION TV TOURNAMENT AND BRACKETS

    Sweet Sixteen – Coreward Region

    1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS
    Babylon 5 (1)
    Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (4)

    Abstain

    2. ONE DAMN’D THING AFTER ANOTHER
    Twilight Zone (2)
    The Outer Limits (6)

    PAIN! AGONY! DESPAIR!

    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region

    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE
    The Prisoner (1)
    Star Trek: The Next Generation (4)

    A lost cause, but I’ll stick with Picard to the end.

    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
    Firefly (2)
    Doctor Who [Classic] (3)

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region

    1. BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN’S TOWN
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
    Twin Peaks (5)

    2. I HAVE COME UNSTUCK IN TIME
    Doctor Who [New] (2)
    Red Dwarf (3)

    Mostly because I’m not a Dwarf fan.

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region

    1. PERIPATETIC
    Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
    Xena: Warrior Princess (5)

    Sorry, no contest.

    2. ALL MOD CONS
    Farscape (2)
    The Avengers (6)

    Imma gonna lose, but I’m stickin’ with Steed and Peel, whether it’s considered sfnsl enuff or not!

  15. Speaking of Twilight Zone, we were speaking of TW, right?

    I haven’t watched it in probably 25 years and wondered how well it’s stood up. I’m really impressed and glad to say that many of the stories are still good, some are great classics and some of the best actors of the era worked in it. There are almost no special effects. Like Hitchcock, a lot is done with innuendo, shadow, inference and exceptional writing/acting.

    I got a kick out of the 50s-60s dress, decor and technology. I remember that stuff irl.

    But many of the themes are alive and well in SFF today, albeit handled with a bit more sophistication, usually. Not bad for 45 yo black and white TV (well, closer to 1,615 yo TV when posting from 3631).

  16. Bracketwise:

    Coreward Region

    1. Star Trek: Deep Space 9

    Because it’s Monday.

    2. Twilight Zone

    Spinward Region

    1. Star Trek: The Next Generation

    Is it too early for a shot of stiff drink and a lie-down?

    2. Firefly

    Rimward Region

    1. Twin Peaks

    2. Red Dwarf

    A pity vote for the first good while.

    Trailing Region

    1. Star Trek: The Original Series

    Camp, unintentional, beats Camp, intentional (or I sure hope it was).

    2. Farscape

  17. 1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS
    Babylon 5 (1)

    2. ONE DAMN’D THING AFTER ANOTHER
    Twilight Zone (2)
    The classic confrontation!

    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region

    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE
    The Prisoner (1)

    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
    Doctor Who [Classic] (3)

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region

    1. BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN’S TOWN
    Twin Peaks (5)

    2. I HAVE COME UNSTUCK IN TIME
    Doctor Who [New] (2)

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region

    1. PERIPATETIC
    Star Trek: The Original Series (1)

    2. ALL MOD CONS
    Farscape (2)

  18. 1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS
    Star Trek: Deep Space 9

    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
    Firefly

    1. PERIPATETIC
    Xena: Warrior Princess

  19. Sweet Sixteen – Coreward Region

    1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS
    Babylon 5 (1)
    Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (4)
    Even though DS9 was probably stronger overall, pretty much nothing else on tv has had the same single unifying vision. A true visual novel.

    2. ONE DAMN’D THING AFTER ANOTHER
    Twilight Zone (2)
    The Outer Limits (6)
    Abstain because I don’t know either of them well enough to pick one.

    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region

    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE
    The Prisoner (1)
    Star Trek: The Next Generation (4)
    The Prisoner wasn’t the reason my parents bought their first VHS machine in 1984. But it stopped me from pestering them. Those tapes got worn out.

    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
    Firefly (2)
    Doctor Who [Classic] (3)
    Firefly simply didn’t last long enough for me to know if it was a classic or not.

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region

    1. BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN’S TOWN
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
    Twin Peaks (5)
    Once More, With Feeling.

    2. I HAVE COME UNSTUCK IN TIME
    Doctor Who [New] (2)
    Red Dwarf (3)
    There is no other show on television like Doctor Who. Even Doctor Who isn’t like Doctor Who.

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region

    1. PERIPATETIC
    Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
    Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
    (Did you know there were more episodes of Lost in Space than there were of original Star Trek? And they made a big budget movie out of that too…)

    2. ALL MOD CONS
    Farscape (2)
    The Avengers (6)
    Abstain because I know these shows too well and can’t pick one.

  20. FILE 770 LIVE-ACTION TV TOURNAMENT AND BRACKETS

    Sweet Sixteen – Coreward Region

    1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS

    (Argh! I should’ve known it would come to this.)

    Star Trek: DS9, on the strength of the supporting characters, Garak and Gul Dukat especially. Also, Kira Nerys out-badasses Susan Ivanova.

    2. ONE DAMN’D THING AFTER ANOTHER
    Twilight Zone (2)

    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region

    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE
    Star Trek: The Next Generation (4)

    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
    Firefly (2)

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region

    1. BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN’S TOWN
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)

    2. Abstain

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region

    1. PERIPATETIC

    Ow, ow, ow.

    Xena, mainly because of Lucy Lawless. (Who I loved in BSG.)

    2. ALL MOD CONS
    Farscape

  21. Well, I still have twelve of my Sweet Sixteen teams. I suppose that’s not terrible….

    1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS
    Babylon 5 (1)
    Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (4)

    2. ONE DAMN’D THING AFTER ANOTHER
    Twilight Zone (2)
    The Outer Limits (6)

    I’ve got neither one of these in my predictions. Gonna go with Twilight Zone. Which gave me nightmares as a child…

    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region

    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE
    The Prisoner (1)
    Star Trek: The Next Generation (4)

    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
    Firefly (2)
    Doctor Who [Classic] (3)

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region

    1. BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN’S TOWN
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
    Twin Peaks (5)

    2. I HAVE COME UNSTUCK IN TIME
    Doctor Who [New] (2)
    Red Dwarf (3)

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region

    1. PERIPATETIC
    Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
    Xena: Warrior Princess (5)

    2. ALL MOD CONS
    Farscape (2)
    The Avengers (6)

    Screw it. I’m voting against my own bracket. I have these two paired up and Farscape winning. But I’m voting for Steed and Peel anyway.

  22. Sweet Sixteen – Coreward Region

    2. ONE DAMN’D THING AFTER ANOTHER
    Twilight Zone (2)

    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region

    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE
    The Prisoner (1)

    Against TOS this would be an actual contest. Against, TNG, no.

    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
    Firefly (2)

    A perfect little accidental visual novel.

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region

    1. BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN’S TOWN
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)

    I suspect I’m riding BTVS the rest of the way.

    2. I HAVE COME UNSTUCK IN TIME
    Doctor Who [New] (2)

    My forehead cloth is dry and clean here.

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region

    1. PERIPATETIC
    Star Trek: The Original Series (1)

    2. ALL MOD CONS
    Farscape (2)

    Not a Farscape fan but at least it’s really science fiction.

  23. Sweet Sixteen – Coreward Region

    1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS
    Babylon 5

    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region

    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE
    The Prisoner

    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
    Doctor Who [Classic]

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region

    1. BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN’S TOWN
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer

    2. I HAVE COME UNSTUCK IN TIME
    Doctor Who [New]

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region

    1. PERIPATETIC
    Star Trek: The Original Series

    2. ALL MOD CONS
    Farscape

  24. Sweet Sixteen – Coreward Region

    1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS
    Babylon 5 (1)

    2. ONE DAMN’D THING AFTER ANOTHER
    Twilight Zone (2)

    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region

    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE
    Star Trek: The Next Generation (4)

    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
    Doctor Who [Classic] (3)

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region

    1. BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN’S TOWN
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)

    2. I HAVE COME UNSTUCK IN TIME
    Red Dwarf (3)

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region

    1. PERIPATETIC
    Star Trek: The Original Series (1)

    2. ALL MOD CONS
    Farscape (2)

  25. 1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS
    Babylon 5 (1)

    2. ONE DAMN’D THING AFTER ANOTHER
    abstain

    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region

    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE
    Star Trek: The Next Generation (4)

    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
    Doctor Who [Classic] (3)

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region

    1. BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN’S TOWN
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)

    2. I HAVE COME UNSTUCK IN TIME
    Doctor Who [New] (2)

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region

    1. PERIPATETIC
    Star Trek: The Original Series (1)

    2. ALL MOD CONS
    abstain

  26. Forehead Cloths! Getcher nice cool forehead cloths here! Guaranteed to soothe that fevered brow! Organic! Gluten Free! Paleo friendly! Not manufactured by a facility which handles nuts! (The converse of that statement is not guaranteed.)

    And I can actually vote in more than one contest this time!

    1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS
    Babylon 5 (1)

    2. ONE DAMN’D THING AFTER ANOTHER
    Twilight Zone (2)

    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region

    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE
    The Prisoner (1)

    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
    Doctor Who [Classic] (3)

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region

    1. PERIPATETIC
    Star Trek: The Original Series (1)

  27. @Cally

    And I can actually vote in more than one contest this time!

    I feel oddly thrilled for you!

  28. Brackets

    Sweet Sixteen – Coreward Region

    1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS

    Babylon 5

    2. ONE DAMN’D THING AFTER ANOTHER

    Twilight Zone

    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region

    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE

    The Prisoner

    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT

    Doctor Who [Classic]

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region

    1. BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN’S TOWN

    Buffy the Vampire Slayer

    2. I HAVE COME UNSTUCK IN TIME

    Doctor Who [New]

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region

    1. PERIPATETIC

    Star Trek: The Original Series

    2. ALL MOD CONS

    The Avengers

  29. Hoping I haven’t missed the voting window…

    Sweet Sixteen – Coreward Region

    1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS
    Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (4)

    It pains me to vote against Babylon 5, but I find that DS9 has aged better for me. The characters and themes continue to resonate with me as I get older in a way that the ones from B5 don’t always.

    2. ONE DAMN’D THING AFTER ANOTHER
    Twilight Zone (2)
    The Outer Limits (6)

    Abstain, as I haven’t seen much if any of The Outer Limits

    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region

    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE
    The Prisoner (1)

    Best bracket title, btw.

    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
    Doctor Who [Classic] (3)

    I just think Firefly’s overrated, OK?

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region

    1. BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN’S TOWN
    Twin Peaks (5)

    Oh God. Oh God. I … hmm. Both great, but I think I have to go with Twin Peaks for trying something so completely different.

    2. I HAVE COME UNSTUCK IN TIME
    Doctor Who [New] (2)

    This was actually tougher than I expected, but my deep and abiding love for the Ninth Doctor and for Ten & Donna’s friendship carries the day.

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region

    1. PERIPATETIC
    Star Trek: The Original Series (1)

    Also tougher than I expected, but must go with The Trek That Started it All.

    2. ALL MOD CONS
    Farscape (2)

    I loved the Avengers too, but Farscape was wild and weird and wonderful (and more SFnal, which doesn’t hurt).

  30. I have a late vote because I forgot something.

    Coreward Region
    1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS

    I mentioned not being a big Babylon 5 fan for various reasons. But one time, randomly, it was on TV, and one of the characters was a rabbi. In a business suit. This made so much sense to me I was delighted and grateful. Of course a mere couple hundred years in the future there will still be rabbis, and there will still be people who care that there are rabbis. And why wouldn’t the rabbi’s garb come to resemble 21st-Century business-wear? It seemed like the show had realized that too much near to medium-term SF was missing exactly this sort of thing. So I vote:

    Babylon 5 (1)

  31. Of course a mere couple hundred years in the future there will still be rabbis, and there will still be people who care that there are rabbis.

    That reminds me of a scene from the episode Parliament of Dreams. As part of a cultural interchange, the various ambassadors have been presenting examples of the dominant belief system of their home planet. The Minbari do a rebirth ceremony, the Centauri throw a party, G’Kar leads a ceremony dedicated to G’Quan, but Sinclair can’t think of a way to present the dominant belief system of Earth to the aliens, or even decide what the dominant belief system is.

    At the end of the episode all of the central characters are gathered in a hallway, having been told by Sinclair to wait there and he would demonstrate the dominant belief system to them. As they are just about to leave he shows up and leads them around the corner. He introduces them to an atheist. And a Roman Catholic, and a a Zen Buddhist, and a Muslim, and an Orthodox Jew, and a member of the Sioux faith, and a Greek Orthodox priest, and a Taoist, and a Hindu, and and Aborigine, on and on. As the episode fades to black, the camera pulls back to show an enormous line of people of different faiths waiting to be introduced to the ambassadors.

    This is the sort of scene that makes Babylon 5 great.

  32. To begin with, I’m just going to settle into the fainting couch, with a good handful of cloths.
    Smelling salts?
    Yes, ready to go.

    FILE 770 LIVE-ACTION TV TOURNAMENT AND BRACKETS

    Sweet Sixteen – Coreward Region

    1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS
    Babylon 5 (1)
    Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (4)
    You can make a perfectly credible Trill with eyebrow pencil, you know.

    2. ONE DAMN’D THING AFTER ANOTHER
    Twilight Zone (2)
    The Outer Limits (6)
    OL never entered my dreams.

    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region

    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE
    The Prisoner (1)
    Star Trek: The Next Generation (4)
    Oh dear me.
    I am not happy about this one.
    I mean, I don’t think I could vote the other way, but I don’t like it.
    Evil, evil dice.

    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
    Firefly (2)
    Doctor Who [Classic] (3)

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region

    1. BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN’S TOWN
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
    Twin Peaks (5)

    2. I HAVE COME UNSTUCK IN TIME
    Doctor Who [New] (2)
    Red Dwarf (3)
    GAH
    If they’d stopped after the Tenth Doctor this would be a lot easier
    But, even so, for Donna….

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region

    1. PERIPATETIC
    Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
    <strong?Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
    And more GAH
    Clutches smelling salts, closes eyes, and points
    I love Xena more though
    And TOS will win without me

    2. ALL MOD CONS
    Farscape (2)
    The Avengers (6)
    sniffles…
    Can’t they all just be friends?
    I’ll write the fanfic, with Steed and Peel traveling the universe with the crew?
    Maybe Morticia and the family as well.

  33. eep
    Sorry about marking glitches, but I think things are at least countable.
    It’s just I only had my coffee right now, and the clocks are all weird.
    And it rained, water from the sky.
    I knew the rain was coming, so I locked in the wandering cat last night when the nice people carried him home because he was following them.
    (Usually they call from a couple blocks away, and I have to go fetch him, but these guys read his tag and delivered him to me at the door.)
    But then he vanished into the house, won’t come when called, and hasn’t been seen for twelve hours.
    (I’m beginning to consider the possibility of portals under the bed.)
    And I foolishly updated the OS on my 2008 macbook, and now the new software can’t locate the wireless hardware – it was Right There last night.
    So now I’m plugged in the the router via ethernet and the cord keeps working loose.
    So I do things like edit an entire post, hit the button, and lose the changes.

    Which is to say, the editing got away from me.

  34. I’m caught up on my bracket scoring. 56 points so far, but I have a feeling it’s about to run into a wall. I had Firefly taking the whole thing, but I’m pleasantly surprised to see that classic Who may be too much for it to handle.

  35. Sweet Sixteen – Coreward Region
    1. Babylon 5 (1)
    2. Twilight Zone (2)

    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region
    1. The Prisoner (1)
    2. Doctor Who [Classic] (3)

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region
    1.Twin Peaks (5)
    2. Doctor Who [New]

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region
    1. Star Trek: The Original Series
    2. Farscape

  36. Usually I manage to catch the brackets before going to bed. Had to double-check to make sure I hadn’t already voted and forgotten about it!

    Sweet Sixteen – Coreward Region

    1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS
    Babylon 5 (1)
    Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (4)

    This one was tough, not because I’m strongly attached to either show, but because I consider the shows equally strong.

    2. ONE DAMN’D THING AFTER ANOTHER
    Twilight Zone (2)
    The Outer Limits (6)

    On this one, I’m voting based on which one lingers more strongly in memory.

    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region

    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE
    The Prisoner (1)
    Star Trek: The Next Generation (4)

    No strong feelings either way.

    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
    Firefly (2)
    Doctor Who [Classic] (3)

    Odd that we’re coming toward the end and so often I’m voting “the lesser meh”.

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region

    1. BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN’S TOWN
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
    Twin Peaks (5)

    No meh here. BtVS was pure delight.

    2. I HAVE COME UNSTUCK IN TIME
    Doctor Who [New] (2)
    Red Dwarf (3)

    More of a vote against Red Dwarf, I confess.

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region

    1. PERIPATETIC
    Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
    Xena: Warrior Princess (5)

    As much as I respect the bold-goingness of TOS, I’m voting my heart and my soul here, not my head. There are very few tv shows that say to me, “You matter as a viewer; this one’s for you.” Xena would come out on top even if only on the strength of “A Day in the Life”. (Because of the Classical Greek scene titles, of course. Why did you think?)

    2. ALL MOD CONS
    Farscape (2)
    The Avengers (6)

    No strong feelings, but going for classic.

  37. 1. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
    2. The Outer Limits

    1. Star Trek: The Next Generation
    2. Firefly

    1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
    2. Red Dwarf

    1. Star Trek: The Original Series
    2. Farscape

  38. FILE 770 LIVE-ACTION TV TOURNAMENT AND BRACKETS

    Sweet Sixteen – Coreward Region

    1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS
    Babylon 5 (1)
    Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (4)

    2. ONE DAMN’D THING AFTER ANOTHER
    Twilight Zone (2)
    The Outer Limits (6)

    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region

    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE
    The Prisoner (1)
    Star Trek: The Next Generation (4)

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region

    1. BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN’S TOWN
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
    Twin Peaks (5)

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region

    1. PERIPATETIC
    Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
    Xena: Warrior Princess (5)

  39. E 770 LIVE-ACTION TV TOURNAMENT AND BRACKETS

    Sweet Sixteen – Coreward Region

    1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS
    Babylon 5 (1)
    Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (4)

    Babylon 5 did so much more with so much less.

    2. ONE DAMN’D THING AFTER ANOTHER
    Twilight Zone (2)
    The Outer Limits (6)

    Because Rod Serling is s goddamn cultural icon, that’s why.

    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region

    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE
    The Prisoner (1)
    Star Trek: The Next Generation (4)

    I’ll choose self-righteous over smug, thank you.

    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
    Firefly (2)
    Doctor Who [Classic] (3)

    Because honestly, Firefly didn’t have enough time to go anywhere.

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region

    1. BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN’S TOWN
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
    Twin Peaks (5)

    Better combination of humor and suspense in TP.

    2. I HAVE COME UNSTUCK IN TIME
    Doctor Who [New] (2)
    Red Dwarf (3)

    I know there’s those who claim Red Dwarf is funny. I even concede that it’s intended to be funny, evidenced by the intrusive laugh track. I however saw only one funny scene in the episodes I watched.

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region

    1. PERIPATETIC
    Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
    Xena: Warrior Princess (5)

    Never could get into Xena.

    2. ALL MOD CONS
    Farscape (2)
    The Avengers (6)

    Steed and Peel FTW

  40. Sweet Sixteen – Coreward Region

    1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS
    Babylon 5 (1)

    2. ONE DAMN’D THING AFTER ANOTHER
    Twilight Zone (2)

    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region

    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE
    Star Trek: The Next Generation (4)

    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
    Abstain

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region

    1. BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN’S TOWN
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)

    2. I HAVE COME UNSTUCK IN TIME
    Doctor Who [New] (2)

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region

    1. PERIPATETIC
    Xena: Warrior Princess (5)

    2. ALL MOD CONS
    Farscape (2)

  41. The oddities of Farscape have been called muppets by some, but on a dollar for dollar basis Rygel was more valuable to the production than the star Ben Browder.

    Perhaps so, but you might want to factor in the cost element; Rygel was a lot more expensive than Ben…

  42. @Rose Embolism: Looks like there was a formatting problem with your Spinward choices. Both entries are bold for each match there, and the comments are ambiguous enough I don’t know what to count.

  43. @Jim Henley, I see the same as Meredith for Rose Embolism’s Spinward vote. The Prisoner and Dr. Who Classic.

  44. Jim Henley on November 1, 2015 at 7:25 pm said:
    FILE 770 LIVE-ACTION TV TOURNAMENT AND BRACKETS

    Sweet Sixteen – Coreward Region

    1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS
    Babylon 5 (1)
    Star Trek: Deep Space 9 (4)
    Abstain: I’ve never pushed through either series’ strong seasons (s2 and on) and both have good enough reps that I don’t feel right voting one down.

    2. ONE DAMN’D THING AFTER ANOTHER
    Twilight Zone (2)
    The Outer Limits (6)
    Straightforward. Twilight Zone is more influential.

    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE
    The Prisoner (1)
    Star Trek: The Next Generation (4)
    Tough call, but not horrifically tough. tHE best 17 episodes of ST:TNG trump The Prisoner’s 17 eps (which strikes me as the most fair way to compare): The Inner Light, Yesterday’s Enterprise, All Good Things, Q Who (the first Borg ep) and “There…are…FOUR…lights!”
    The Inner Light is an astounding work.

    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
    Firefly (2)
    Doctor Who [Classic] (3)
    Big Firefly fan. Never got into Classic Who. Stack “Our Mrs. Reynolds” up against any individual Who ep and it comes out on top.

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region

    1. BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN’S TOWN
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
    Twin Peaks (5)
    Yeeeowch. But. Buffy had more episodes, better episodes, and more coherence, and, though it stumbled in s6, it never got as dire as those 5 Twin Peaks eps after they solved Laura Palmer’s murder.

    2. I HAVE COME UNSTUCK IN TIME
    Doctor Who [New] (2)
    Red Dwarf (3)
    This one’s an easy one. “Vincent and the Doctor” or “Asylum of the Daleks” or “Inside Dalek” up against any Red Dwarf ep.

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region

    1. PERIPATETIC
    Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
    Xena: Warrior Princess (5)
    Abstain (seen very little of either one.) Protest vote for The Middleman!

    2. ALL MOD CONS
    Farscape (2)
    The Avengers (6)
    Abstain. Protest vote for Lost!

  45. Sweet Sixteen – Coreward Region
    1. Abstain
    2. The Outer Limits (6)
    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region
    1. The Prisoner (1)
    2. Doctor Who [Classic] (3)
    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region
    1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)
    2. Red Dwarf (3)
    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region
    1. Star Trek: The Original Series (1)
    2. The Avengers (6)

  46. 1. WENT DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS
    Babylon 5 (1)

    2. ONE DAMN’D THING AFTER ANOTHER
    Twilight Zone (2)

    Sweet Sixteen – Spinward Region

    1. MAKE IT SO, NUMBER ONE
    The Prisoner (1)

    2. THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT
    Doctor Who [Classic] (3)

    Sweet Sixteen – Rimward Region

    1. BORN DOWN IN A DEAD MAN’S TOWN
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1)

    2. I HAVE COME UNSTUCK IN TIME
    Doctor Who [New] (2)

    Sweet Sixteen – Trailing Region

    1. PERIPATETIC
    Star Trek: The Original Series (1)

    2. ALL MOD CONS
    The Avengers (6)

  47. I agree with Meredith and Cassy: when I look at Rose Embolism’s ballot, I see Prisoner and Doctor Who bolded; I see TNG and and Firefly not bolded, and struck through. Seems unambiguous to me.

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