In 1974, we lived in a much simpler time. The fact that I can remember it scares the hell out of me, and yet there is a certain fondness for the innocence of Sci-Fi movies and television of that era. It was a time of great expectations, good and bad with no grey areas, at time of Sesame Street and The Match Game and a time when Gene Roddenberry gave us a glimpse into machine intelligence in a failed pilot called The Questor Tapes., not the SkyNet evil but instead, that innocence that the country, at that time, embraced,……… a time long gone.
So it is with more than a small amount of trepidation knowing that Rod Roddenberry, his son, has moved forward to a redo of this project. The memory I have of the original was positive and my recollection is that it was ultimately pulled because NBC had its hand tightly gripped on the creative aspects and The Great Bird of the Universe, said no. There were, according to internet rumor, as many as 5 scripts for the never shot series before its demise, so I am left to wonder if/when/how they might work into a reboot. My fear is that the country has moved on, the genre has moved on, man has moved on. No one here wants innocence anymore. SkyNet, Splosions and Spattering Blood is the new watchword, and it pains me to think this may have finally met its day. It hurts to think that an honest attempt at AI without destruction and devastation is no longer possible, and yet, even Avatar proves my fears are somewhat justified. A part of me is anxious to see just what happens with this project, another part fears that this is a bygone era. If you wish to see a more realized version on this theme, check out the 1983 movie Prototype
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084546/
This is Dome, sayin: growing up is a bitch, but the toys are better
More information at:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070585/
Comments are closed.