TV Genres

 Science-fiction and fantasy programs have been prominent on television since the beginning, yet it is not easy to define either the genre itself or the particular ends that it accomplishes that might differentiate it from other programming

 There is a general consensus that a few shows are definitely science fiction--"Star Trek" and "Battlestar Galactica," for in- stance--but many that might be considered in the genre, such as "Mork and Mindy" and "The Invaders," are often listed as sitcoms or adventure-dramas.

 This is probably because science fiction and fantasy borrow from other sources, especially action-adventure, sitcom, mystery ( "Dr. Who"), police ( "Future Cop," "Holmes and Yoyo"), gothic ( "Night Gallery"), and Western ( "Space: 1999") genres

Some Features of Sci- Fi/Fantasy Science fiction often involves the supernatural, time travel or alien people or places. Fantasy usually involves non-realistic settings and events, magic or enchanted people or places. Drama involves adventure where the narrative may feature the unknown, or the unexpected with elements of danger, risk-taking or highs and lows in excitement.

Codes and conventions  Science Fiction Often involves speculations based on current or future science or technology. Differs from fantasy in that its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically established or scientifically postulated laws of nature (though some elements in a story might still be pure imaginative speculation).

 Largely based on trying to be entertaining but rational about alternate possibilities in settings that are contrary to known reality, including:  (i) A setting in the future, in alternative time lines, or in a historical past that contradicts known facts of history or the archaeological record

 (ii) A setting in outer space, on other worlds, or involving aliens.  (iii) Stories that involve technology or scientific principles that contradict known laws of nature.

 (iv) Stories that involve discovery or application of new scientific principles, such as time travel or psionics (eg. telepathy, telekinesis, etc), or new technology, such as nanotechnology, faster-than-light travel or robots, or of new and different political or social systems (e.g. a dystopia, or a situation where organized society has collapsed).

 Fantasy is the impossible made probable. Science Fiction is the improbable made possible, according to Rod Serling, an American screenwriter, best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone.

Some Common Themes The future Parallel universes Alternate history Scientific predictions of the future Space warfare and Alien invasion (eg Independence Day) Cloning Telepathy and Telekinesis Alien languages (e.g. Klingon from Star Trek) Dystopias and utopia Galactic empires Hyperspace Warp drives and Wormholes Space stations Time travel

Some Popular characters The Alien Life forms (often especially intelligent life forms), that are of extraterrestrial origin. Can be good (like ET) or evil and want to invade Earth.

The Cyborg An organism that has both artificial and natural systems Often portrayed with physical or mental abilities far exceeding a human counterpart (military forms may have inbuilt weapons). Can be good or evil. Terminator 2 has both

The Mutant An individual, organism, or new genetic character arising or resulting from an instance of a sequence change within the DNA of a gene or chromosome of an organism resulting in the creation of a new character or trait not found in the typical form of an organism. Can be good or bad. X-men has both

 The Esper An individual capable of telepathy and other similar paranormal abilities Can be good or evil Has featured in Blade Runner and Star Trek

Hive-mind A group mind/ego (a single consciousness occupying many bodies) Can be good or evil Has also featured in Star Trek and the Jedis in Star Wars could be considered similar.

space opera  The classic mode of science fiction on television is space opera, in which a protagonist or a group of brave men and women venture into the black unknown.  Starships are a conventional setting in this category, with Star Trek being the definitive example.

 Because the spacecraft environment is by definition limited, a very small number of sets can be heavily used, lowering production costs and allowing producers to focus on character development, setting detail, or sometimes simply to keep a production in the black so it can stay on the air.

space station  Variations on this are space station series, notably Babylon 5 and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, based on an open-port paradigm in which trouble comes in through the airlocks. Rarer are shows based on space travel without vehicles; Stargate SG-1 is the prime example.

Near-future settings  work well for science fiction on television; shows such as The Six Million Dollar Man, TekWar, Quatermass, Star Cops, Mutant X, and Fringe allow producers to use street clothes and contemporary locations, using only minimal props and effects to foster viewers' suspension of disbelief.

Fantasy Television  Fantasy is less common on television due to higher production costs. Stories with animalistic or otherwise non-human characters, scientifically impossible talents, and settings that evoke awe and wonder are more expensive to film on a regular basis, making true high fantasy shows like Robin of Sherwood or Legend of Earthsea rare examples

 Fantasy seems to lend itself to comedy with shows like Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, and Wizards and Warriors As noted, to control costs, fantasy on television is often presented as finite mini-series such as Merlin or The Odyssey

 Encounters with ghosts or the paranormal are a popular category, with shows like Medium, Ghost Whisperer, or Dead Like Me.

Science fiction television production process and methods  The need to portray imaginary settings or characters with properties and abilities beyond the reach of current reality obliges producers to make extensive use of specialized techniques of television production.

 Through most of the 20th century, many of these techniques were expensive and involved a small number of dedicated craft practitioners, while the reusability of props, models, effects, or animation techniques made it easier to keep using them.

 The combination of high initial cost and lower maintenance cost pushed producers into building these techniques into the basic concept of a series, influencing all the artistic choices

 By the late 1990’s, improved technology and more training and cross-training within the industry made all of these techniques easier to use, so that directors of individual episodes could make decisions to use one or more methods, so such artistic choices no longer needed to be baked into the series concept.

SFX  Special effects (or "SPFX") have been an essential tool throughout the history of science fiction on television: small explosives to simulate the effects of various ray guns, squibs of blood and gruesome prosthetics to simulate the monsters and victims in horror shows, and the wire-flying entrances and exits of George Reeves as Superman.

 The broad term "special effects" includes all the techniques here, but more commonly there are two categories of effects. Visual effects ("VFX") involve photographic or digital manipulation of the onscreen image, usually done in post-production. Mechanical or physical effects involve props, pyrotechnics, and other physical methods used during principal photography itself.

 Some effects involved a combination of techniques; a ray gun might require a pyrotechnic during filming, and then an optical glowing line added to the film image in post-production. Stunts are another important category of physical effects. In general, all kinds of special effects must be carefully planned during pre-production.

Computer-generated imagery  Babylon 5 was the first series to use computer- generated imagery, or "CGI", for all exterior space scenes, even those with characters in space suits. The technology has made this more practical, so that today models are rarely used. In the 1990s, CGI required expensive processors and customized applications, but by the 2000s, computing power has pushed capabilities down to personal laptops running a wide array of software.

Models and Puppets  Models have been an essential tool in science fiction television since the beginning, when Buck Rogers took flight in spark-scattering spaceships wheeling across a matte backdrop sky. The original Star Trek required a staggering array of models; the USS Enterprise had to be built in several different scales for different needs. Models fell out of use in filming in the 1990s as CGI became more affordable and practical, but even today, designers sometimes construct scale models which are then digitized for use in animation software.

 Models of characters are puppets. Gerry Anderson created a series of shows using puppets living in a universe of models and miniature sets, notably Thunderbirds.  ALF depicted an alien living in a family, while Farscape included two puppets as regular characters. In Stargate SG-1, the Asgard characters are puppets in scenes where they are sitting, standing, or lying down.