h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

There's been a trend recently to make the heroes conflicted, but the heroines confident and feisty. This is a change, of course, from the Dickensian heroine given to fainting every few pages, but it's just as unrealistic and boring, of course, because such characters are predictable.

This is so true.

We were just watching an episode of a new series...and every move was predictable. Nice that the 'women were strong, and the men good-looking', as Garrison Keillor says, but...boring.

The other day, though, we were watching a 25-year=old episode of 'Quantum Leap'. The main character has to be a chimpanzee in the space program for a few days. His leading lady is a juvenile female chimp...now, this was NOT boring...

Both series featured the same actor in the leading role. I'll bet he'd rather be back playing to a chimp than saying one more boring line in a predictable detective show...

So we want more parts for chimps?

Well, there were five movies in the original 'Planet of the Apes' series, I believe...