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

"Sounds like you are well rid of him."

Was a long time ago now - 1999 we split up. Irritating how long things fester though!

Seconded!

oh, been there, been with one of them...


As for Xena, I find it amusing, a simple-minded brain rotting waste of time. Which is why I have a sort of fondness for it though I rarely find myself gripped... If Buffy were on another channel, I'd turn over with no regrets. Sometimes brain-dead tv is just what you need!

When a new planet was discovered in the solar system, about the size of Pluto, it was initially named Xena. I rather hoped the name would stick but it has since been renamed Eris. Apparently planets have to be named after a real god and not just a fictional one.


If they can name a planet (now actually demoted to planetessimal) after Mickey Mouse's dog, why not Xena?



F

Ee by gum, part of that last post really tickled me.

When I hear of Xena fans I think fine if you're a teenager without acess to real porn but grown-ups should admit to themselves why they watch it and get over whichever social taboo is holding them back from reading/watching/making the real thing.

If you actually to watch it for the plot then you really do need help

'a teenager without access to real porn'

Nope, doesn't compute.

Nor with me Br. Roymondo.

I'm a 41 year old heterosexual female. I have been re-watching Xena in it's entirety for the past few months (been introducing it to my kids). It's silly, runs rampant through mythology and history. It just good fun for the love of BoB. It's entertainment and rather well acted, especially Autolocus, Joxer and Ares (it is a pity he's no longer with us )

We have now reached season 5 - no one has compalined yet! (my boy btw are 5, 11 and 13)

It's harmless fun and, if makes the kids interested in the real myths, no problem there

back in and rejigs the 'ali' in her last post

I previewed that last one as well

When comes to girls with an (apt) 'X' in the name I'd much rather switch off my brain for Xenia Seeberg as Xev.

I'm with you there, brother. Lexx was rather superior, IMHO.

I remember seeing trailers for Lexx and thinking 'Good god, does the costume department know that it's not 1983 anymore?'

Apparently I should have tried it anyway, but the trailer made me laugh far too much.

'I worship His Shadow'

'Twas worth watching for Michael McManus 'the last of the Brunnen Gee'

And Mantrid was just

"It's harmless fun and, if makes the kids interested in the real myths, no problem there

Love it!

Unfortunately it's not harmless, because it's taught a whole generation of kids gross inaccuracies about history and mythology. Unless children are also taught "everything* you learned on Xena is wrong and you will have to learn the truth somewhere else", then the damage is done.

I'm not sure to what extent children can filter out info they 'learn' from a program like Xena and learn what is true separately.


*or at least most things.

But is the Xena mythology any less valid than the legacy mythology?

(I think it probably is but I'm not sure why: it is after all mythology.)

>Unfortunately it's not harmless, because it's taught a whole generation of kids gross inaccuracies about history and mythology<

Has it? Really? If they are at *all* interested in the subject, they will research it further (and be able to point out the inaccuracies), if they're not, has it really *harmed* them, or anyone else? It's mind-numbing entertainment for frells sake! Who hasn't taken taken liberties when telling stories their children? Allan Ahlberg certainly has

Mythology is a very important part of a culture. It evolves and changes over time in response to changes happening within the culture. Mythology serves different purposes eg it tells about the evolution of a culture, but it also reflects deep psychological themes within that culture and as such is a way of maintaining the mental and spiritual health of those people within that culture.

When you change mythology articificially, suddenly and arbitrarily you are messing with quite complex things.

It could be argued of course that modern US culture (which spawned Xena) is fairly accurately reflected in the meaningless, fast food mythological changes shown in the TV series. Doesn't make it harmless though.

It could also be argued that the predominant mythologies in US culture are quite different than the ones being inaccurately shown in Xena, therefore those inaccuracies are less important. But I do think that the flow of culture out of the middle east/meditteranean/north africa and through europe IS the basis of what is modern US dominant culture, so it's not to be tossed aside lightly.

Of course modern western cultures don't place a particularly high value on mythology (hence the idea that a myth is something false). But again that doesn't mean we aren't doing ourselves a disservice.


Yes, children who are especially interested in mythology will learn about the mistakes in Xena if they want to and apply themselves and get the opportunity. But the general population will take on historical and mythological idiocies from the program simply because information is taken in. Or are you suggesting that all/most children understand that the mythologies and histories on Xena are crap inventions made to suit entertainment purposes only and that the real stories have important significance and will have to be learnt separately?

>> because it's taught a whole generation of kids gross inaccuracies about history and mythology.<<

As someone reminded me, the Romans rewrote the Greek Gods into their own mythology when they beat them, so as to coerce the people to believe that they were derivatives of the same gods (I think?) Hercules - Heracles etc...

Also there was Kevin Sorbo as Hercules...

Harmless fun, and no worse than Star Trek or Quantum Leap.

I enjoyed them all, and (spoiler) Lucy Lawless is blond!!!



MMF

>>
As someone reminded me, the Romans rewrote the Greek Gods into their own mythology when they beat them, so as to coerce the people to believe that they were derivatives of the same gods (I think?)
<<

Yes, and that is part of the evolution of those mythologies. You can trace things like colonisation and the rise of the patriarchy by looking at how and when those mythologies changed over time, who's political agenda was being served etc.

That doesn't mean that the culture isn't ill served by such changes. Can't see the value in the changes that Xena makes, because they are so arbitray. At least the Romans had a cultural context of their own to make the changes within.

I think the issue here is that mythologies are seen as simply made up stories that have no inherent value, so we can do what we like with them. Not all cultures view mythology that poorly.

It's interesting that you bring up sci fi Maz, as I think SF often has some of the core mythological themes of our time (and I don't just mean derivitaive of older stories eg the Matrix).