markb (05/09/83)
Relay-Version:version B 3/9/83; site harpo.UUCP Posting-Version:version B 2.10 beta 3/9/83; site sdcrdcf.UUCP Message-ID:<239@sdcrdcf.UUCP> Date:Mon, 9-May-83 09:57:26 EDT Organization:System Development Corporation--a Burroughs Company Speaking of stealing water from the earth, would it not be much more practical to just steal the rings of saturn. 1) No need to drag it up from a gravity well. 2) No need for tanks, just haul away the ice. 3) There is a lot more water there then on earth. 4) No hostile natives to object. We might, but would be at a great disadvantage in trying to stop them. Mark Biggar ...decvax!trw-unix!sdcrdcf!markb
mike (05/11/83)
Being one who tries to see all sides of an issue, I thought about "V" trying to come up with a way to like it. I finally came across an idea which I think allows me to have some respect for it. If you view the show strictly as a suspension of reality and science, rather than an extension thereof, it begins to make some sense. For example, when you watch Superman you don't groan when he spins the Earth the other way to give Lois a second chance. You've suspended your requirements for the Man of Steel to obey currently understood laws of Nature. (If you're is a real die hard, I suppose you do groan, or try to rationalize the phenomena in some way). The writers of "V" made it quite clear in the credits and their advertizing that the whole concept was decidedly allegorical. Perhaps their constant violations of "common sense" seemed just plausible enough to be interpreted as attempts at reality, rather than fantasy. Or maybe the manner in which bogus things occured was not quite "fantastic" enough to convince us that we should let go of physics and biology, and concentrate on psychology and morality. It seemed to me that the director took care during the scenes where humanane values were being degraded, and glossed over the action and adventure aspects. The filming (jolting cuts to various profile shots) during the scene where the son who joined the Visitors youth gang phones headquarters to find that he has been betrayed (lied to) was particularly effective. Well, sorry for the diatribe. Just thought that viewed from certain angles, the show had merit. Mike Williams UUCP: randvax!sdcrdcf!mike burdvax!sdcrdcf!mike ucla-vax!sdcrdcf!mike cbosgd!sdcrdcf!mike ihnss!sdcrdcf!mike
seth (05/12/83)
#R:ccvaxa:22100001:hp-cvd:10300008:000:458 hp-cvd!seth May 9 11:01:00 1983 I'd like to put my 2 cents in on this one. I gave up on V in the middle of the second part and logged into my system and read news. News was more entertaining. I'm told that the aliens came here to eat us. Wasn't this plot better done, or at least more compactly done, on a Twilight Zone 20 years ago? I vaguely recall the episode, but I think that it was based on Damon Knight's "To Serve Man". --Seth Alford, [hplabs!hp-pcd!]hp-cvd!seth, Corvallis OR
hoyme@umn-cs.UUCP (06/06/83)
#R:ccvaxa:22100001:umn-cs:2200001:000:792
umn-cs!hoyme May 4 14:27:00 1983
I thought that the V pilot was one of the more promising SF pilots
in recent years. I, too, thought that the reference to a meteor in our
distant past was weak, however, that kind of innacuracy must be expected
from a 'mainstream' source. For once we have a post 'Star Wars' SF show
without some character that is cute and short. It is an undisguised parallel
of Nazi Germany, but that story is worth repeating (as long as they don't get
preachy al la Quincy). The effects were very acceptable (I liked the
effect when Diana ate the rat....ummmm good).
Now let's wait and see if the pressures of a normal budget and
weekly shooting schedule will ruin the writing and the effects. Good SF
is more expensive than "Three's Company".
Ken Hoyme
University of Minnesota