I'd rather send some experinced oil drillers then trust the stars of MTVs The Hills to save our planet.

What ever happened to the escapist brand of science fiction? The planet saving mission, of the series description, reminded me of the first series, of Starblazers. I'd love to see something new done, in that style, of serious but fun.

The way this series is described, I can already predict the aimless filler episodes. They would involve VR sequences that go nowhere; as well as whole episodes where the ratings (and/or) running of the show, within the show are discussed. The debates would rage about how to make the show better while the "scumbag" network execs (read: dirty, no good republicans) ignore the crew's peril. All of this, of course would be set to a "totally hipper than thou" emo soundtrack... zzzzzzzzzz

I'd rather rewatch Alien or Bladerunner or the previously mentioned episodes of Starblazers. If I want to see more angst-y, overwrought melodrama-in-space, I'll put in the BSG discs. Sorry, Ron, I'll pass, on this show.

Sending those two wastes of DNA to a cold dark doom would pretty much save Earth on it's own.

We're DOUCHEBAGS. get us out of here!!

Anyone who attempts to pretend it wasn't now that it is over is a revisionist fucktard.

(I guess this also means that Moore's golden-boy status at NBC-U has reached it's expiration date... Oh, Bonnie...)

RIGHT.

I'm expecting "Virtuality" to be markedly different from "Battlestar Galactica" in terms of storytelling. More near-future, though still tripped out. I also expect heavy doses of reality show bitch-slapping (thank you!), anxious humor, and claustrophobia.

Despite the Friday night death slot, this show could be really good. I'll be watching with friends.

What if Moore's story pushes cyberpunk or Rudy Rucker-ish themes of post-singularity? What if the show examines virtual reality from a practical, thus infinitely more fucked-up perspective? Because Star Trek didn't do shit with the concept. There was never an episode that dealt with pathological addiction to fantasy, mind-wiping, lucidly brutal virtual sex or... anything, really. It was just "simulation this" and "simulation that." Fucking boring.

I choose to think Moore will veer as far away from Star Trek as possible, thank god. He's likely digging much deeper than that, pulling influence from luminaries such as Neil Stephenson and Bruce Sterling, to name a few.

It's a mistake to think this will be like Star Trek. It won't, so get over yourselves.

I think that the series finale was one of the worst I've ever seen even at the time that I saw it. Even Dean Stockwell couldn't save it.

So does that make me a revisionist then?

In my opinion, though, it kind of downplayed the more degenerate aspects of what could've happened, but that's just me. Dwight Schultz did a great job with the role, however. I think his tweaker neuroses made him one of the more compelling characters in that universe.

But back to (virtual) reality...

It's true my listed possibilities constitute a lot of what-ifs, but I just think there are hundreds of amazing science fiction novels, short stories, movies, shows, and other media to draw on for "Virtuality" influences. "Star Trek" is just one of the hundreds, if not thousands, of virtual reality progenitors.

What about the first "Matrix"? That's a much more disturbing and kickass portrayal of virtual reality. Richard K. Morgan's "Altered Carbon" is another popular novel dealing with the more brutal aspects of virtual reality, including non-stop torture that you can't wake up from. This is the kind of push "Star Trek" stayed as far away from as possible. Not that I disagree, of course, since it was made for PG audiences, but I'm saying there's A LOT of shit "Star Trek" avoided in its portrayal of VR.

I'm hoping "Virtuality" draws on vastly different influences than "Star Trek" did for ongoing drama, and like "Battlestar Galactica," goes for the jugular.

Let Virtuality crash and burn.