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

They usually do - I watched the first episode of the new Star Trek last night. I liked it a lot, but I know that as the seasons progress it'll get even better. I didn't like Voyager at all when it started, but I git into it eventually.

I wanted to watch the Star Trek program, but the baby was fussing and I missed too much before she was asleep. I'll just catch it in re-runs just like all the other Trek shows.

They'll prolly repeat it sometime elwood - the channel I saw it on is doing so on Saturday afternoon at 4.00

That's appropriate. It was Saturday afternoons, as I was growing up, that I saw the whole first series in rerun.

Me too

Missed it on Saturday too. I was out of town.

Now I'll never catch-up or know what's going on.

I still haven't watched it. I'll have to set the VCR for tonight just to catch this week's episode, then watch all 3 hours this weekend. Life is rough!

Hey GD!

By the way where is the wayward GreyDesk? and how does he weigh in on the Star Trek comments?

Has he been beamed up?

I'm rather neutral on Star Trek stuff. I saw the (repeats) of the original shows as a kid. I never saw the films as I lived in a town without a cinema. And the new stuff was shown either when I wasn't at home (ie 5pm), or when I wanted to watch another show.

I do have one general query though. How come all of the various species of space aliens in the new Star Trek have evolved to have exactly the same body shape as a human, with their only distinguishing feature being funny shaped ears/noses/foreheads/hair etc?

Oh, and I don't like Star Wars at all. Saw the first film on a day trip to London and was bored rigid. Never seen any of the others. Actually how many others are there out there for me to avoid seeing?

Come to think of it I don't really like SciFi stuff at all.

There are some obvious exceptions of course. The h2g2 the radio series; the first two Alien films - preferably on 70mm print; 2001 A Space Odyssey - but only because Kubrick was a genius and I watch it to admire his craft.

Does this confession mean that you're all going to stop talking to me?

Oh, dear...
It seems everyone *has* stopped talking to you...

Not to worry, I've been away talking to other people. I'm far to random, I don't think I'm particularly cut out for maintaining my own fan club. What am I supposed to do? Put out nice flower baskets, pick up the litter, what? Please advise...

On the other subject, now I think of it, I used to be quite partial to Doctor Who. Mainly the stuff in the early and mid 70's with John Pertwee and Tom Baker. And before you ask, yes of course I watched it from behind the sofa

Free drinks usually draw a crowd around here!

Personally, I lusted for Peter Davison ...

Hiya Deskie! Glad to see ya!

Hey Shea how did you get to see Dr. Who? I've never seen an episode.

I'll still talk at you GD.

I never watched any of the new Star Treks just an episode here and there.
I saw the first couple movies. (Got bored after)

I loved Star Wars. I was exactly the right age when those came out and starved for some SciFi to break out!

I really was drawn into SciFi by 2001, the book, then the movie.

GD how did you grow up without a cinema? It must have warped you.

Hi elwood,
Actually the British stopped going to the cinema from the beginning of the 1960's with the growth of television ownership. You must remember that British films tended to be terrible because they suffered from under investment and massive competition from Hollywood - shared language and all that jazz. Also British television has always been very good so cinema never really stood a chance.
I think that it was only in the late 1980's that attitudes changed and and the number of cinemas started to rise. The spur being multiscreen cinemas, so one could just turn up and pick a film to see. This being a major change to the tradition of having only one screen at a cinema.
I don't think I missed out. We do have VCRs over here you know

I didn't get a VCR until I was over 30 years old...and when I did I purchased a BETA.

Better product, but completely outsmarted by the VHS marketing, so disappearred quickly. Which left us few choices in rentals. We caved in and bought a VHS and I worked for the next few years collecting every Disney animated film on tape getting the last one at Christmas as everyone in the family recieved DVDs.

But growing up we went to the cinema every weekend when we were young and, when I learned to drive, a couple times a week. Great fun!

I have considered buying a DVD player, but the regular players available in Europe will not take US DVDs. This is because the cinema release of a film in England is several months behind the US (so the studios can recycle the prints for the UK release). This then means that the US DVD is regularly available before the film has shown in the UK. Therefore they need to stop people being able to watch these US DVDs to protect their cinema profits.

It also gives the Hollywood studios a chance to release the UK DVD with less add ons than the US one as we are never going to know what you lot actually got on your DVDs.

You can buy DVD players that will take a US DVD, but they seem to cost about three times the price. Which quite frankly I'm not prepared to shell out for