For Sci-fi fans; What if Star Trek hadn't been created at all?

[ljofa]

Actually, I think that Shatner could end up playing Batman instead of Adam West in 1966.

 

[Torqumada]

The absence of Star Trek wouldn't cause much of a dent in the sci-fi world. There's a 900+ year old alien from a planet called Gallifrey travelling in a police box to fill that gap...

Yes, but he didn't make his American debut until 1979 or so and that was primarily on PBS, not commercial TV. PBS has a much smaller audience than commercial TV, overall. It might take even longer for it to be accepted if there has been no reputable Sci-Fi on American TV, which is one of the things that ST did give us.

Torqumada

 

[pacifichistorian]

Here's 3 possibilities to consider: "Space 1999" is less ridiculous, not having an "alien of the week" (& consequently looking more like DS9 or B5). And Gene makes a variant of "Police Story" resembling "HSB" in the mid-'60s. (Recall, he's ex-LAPD.) Or Gene's idea for "The Tribune" is more successful, & gets picked up by NBC, instead.

 

[eschaton]

Aliens in other sci-fi series will be more alien...or at least, less humanoid. Star Trek was the big promoter of humans with funny ears and/or foreheads. Compare to the aliens in Dr. Who or Star Wars, which, while generally not extremely alien, aren't as ridiculously convergent.

 

[Geekhis Khan]

Aliens in other sci-fi series will be more alien...or at least, less humanoid. Star Trek was the big promoter of humans with funny ears and/or foreheads. Compare to the aliens in Dr. Who or Star Wars, which, while generally not extremely alien, aren't as ridiculously convergent.

Would we also see an end to interspecies lovin' subplots, or was that already well-enough established by Boroughs-style "space princesses"?

 

[vultan]

Guys, whoever is saying that Doctor Who would fill the gap needs to put whatever they're smoking. While I'm a Doctor Who fan, I've come to the realization that there isn't a chance in hell of Doctor Who, without becoming an extremely different show, to become mainstream in America. Too much technobabble and rubbery aliens, not enough fistfights and half-naked women.

 

[Neroon]

Would we also see an end to interspecies lovin' subplots, or was that already well-enough established by Boroughs-style "space princesses"?

Given, that the female Aliens on TOS hardly ever looked the slightest bit alien i don't see how it would have made much of a difference. Sheridan & Delenn are the Pioneers there.

 

[Dan1988]

Slightly off-topic, but it's a question i've been meaning to raise and this thread is as good as any place: Could the German Raumpatrouille series ever have managed to take off?

Hmm, looks interesting. Say if, for example, some Radio-Canada people are in Germany at the time that "Raumpatrouille" series is on TV. Now, Radio-Canada generally makes its own TV programming in-house (there are exceptions), especially its dramas/comedies/soap operas (in French, les téléromans), and up until very recently Radio-Canada was more or less an autonomous unit of the CBC that was aimed at a French-Canadian audience (even if much of the programming was Québec-centric). If a French-Canadian analogue appeared on Radio-Canada and is successful, that could easily boost ratings for Radio-Canada to the point where the CBC might consider doing a version for English-Canadian audiences (and which could potentially be exported to the US).