When M.D. Neu invited me to come back to his site, we had a chat about what sort of post to do. In the end, we settled on my talking a little about some my favorite Sci-Fi properties. Now, I’m an author, but I’m not going to directly mention books too much here. The thing with the franchises includes is that most of them do have books attached. I want to talk about franchises as a whole though, with a focus on how I first discovered them, regardless of the medium. So, let’s dive in!
Live-Action TV
Star Trek: The Next Generation – My first sci-fi love. When I first started watching the show, it was already a few seasons in, so I missed the whole pre-growing-the-beard-in bits originally. Everything about it really stuck with me though. The characters were great, the stories were cool, and I loved the futuristic multi-cultural society within the Enterprise. Picard remains my favorite Captain – and I’m super excited for the upcoming series – but there wasn’t anyone that I disliked in this.
Farscape – In my opinion, one of the more underrated sci-fi shows. The big selling point of the show was that it was using puppet work rather than just doing CG for everything, and boy did that risk pay off! To this day, I still feel like you forget that some of the characters are puppets, and just view them as people. Alien people, but people, nonetheless. The show had some wonderful concepts too, like the idea of living ships that can give birth and the way they’re connected to their pilot.
Battlestar Galactica (2004) – I never saw much of the original series, only catching snippets of the occasional episode here and there before Buck Rogers. This remake though…wow! I was hooked from the get-go, loving the dark story tones, enjoying the battles, and falling in love with the characters. Honestly, if either Starbuck or Gaius Baltar were on screen, I was happy. They both had awesome story arcs. Okay, and they were both nice to look at too. The main thing though is that I really loved the way it all played out.
Anime
Ghost in the Shell – The 1995 film is one of those masterpieces that, even if the animation is a little dated, still holds up well today. From the sprawling cyberpunk cityscapes to the high octane action, it was – and still is – something special. The Tv series that follows Standalone Complex 1st Gig and 2nd Gig was also excellent, updating the animation for a more modern market. It also touched on Matoko Kusanagi’s bisexuality a little bit more too, though never making it the focus of the show.
Psycho Pass – Another cyberpunk masterpiece from Japan, this time focusing on a Utopian society that isn’t really. This was a show that I saw long after its release, and I’m really glad I finally got to see it. The Crime Coefficient concept is a really interesting one, and the longform story that the first season tells is a wonderful mix of philosophy and memorable characters.
Children’s Franchises
Sonic the Hedgehog – Now, how you classify this one may vary a little. The trick is to look at the complete universe rather than just the early games. That way, not only do you have Dr. Eggman/Dr. Robotnik and his advanced tech machines, but you also have a whole lot more. There’s aliens, genetic creations, massive mechs and alternate dimensions! Regardless, Sonic has been with me since my childhood and I’m still very kind to the Blue Blur. I still love the franchise and buy the new games the first chance I can get, I still collect the comics, and I even cosplay some of the characters. As to why I love it so much? As a kid, it was colorful fun that spanned games, comics and cartoons. As an adult, there’s a touch of nostalgia, sure, but I adore the extended universe. The bigger tales they’re telling, the massive cast, it’s all so much fun!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Another franchise that has been with me since childhood, and spanned multiple incarnations over games, comics and cartoons. This is a bit more cut and dry in terms of classification with the mutagenic ooze and Dr. Stockman’s machines, I think. This is still a favorite because I feel like it has grown with me. The simple stories that aired in my childhood fit my age bracket, and as I got older, I found that the comics touched on more complex themes. As an adult, I enjoyed the CG animated series from Nickelodeon; it balanced being child friendly with references for the adults well. My favorite though is the current comics. I wouldn’t recommend them for kids given the darker tone, but my word they are phenomenal!
Cross-Over
Alien vs. Predator – So, I love both franchises individually. Alien 1 and Alien 3: The Assembly Cut are among my favorite films. The same can be said for Predator 1 & 2. When it came to the cross-over films, things were a bit mixed for me. The first AvP film was, in my opinion, underrated. The second was mostly disappointing. No, for me, the best AvP release are SD Perry’s novels. Machiko Noguchi’s story in the novels AvP: Prey and AvP: War was absolutely fascinating as she dealt with xenomorphs and tried to integrate with the Yautja. Both are great reads. I’d recommend avoiding Hunter’s Planet though.
Honorable Mentions
RoboCop – My Nan’s favorite film was RoboCop. She even called her dog Murphy after the titular character. Looking at it, the original film is really quite a wonderful piece though. I once heard it described as a smart film pretending to be a dumb film (the remake was described as the opposite). It is also generally taken that some of the themes around large corporations have become reality to a degree too. In that respect, it’s an enjoyable film with a mildly prophetic nature. And an awesome earworm of a theme song. Honestly, I enjoyed the second film too.
Ancestor by Scott Sigler – This is the only item on the list that is a standalone rather than a full-blown franchise. I picked up this book because it was described as Jurassic Park meets Predator. It didn’t disappoint. It basically tells the story of a team that trying to recreate the ancestor of all humanity in order to harvest organs for life saving operations. As it happens though, the ancestors aren’t exactly friendly. It has a wonderfully likable cast of characters, the action is excellent, and the conclusion is plenty satisfying.
So, there’s my list. There are plenty that I missed, like Terminator and new Dominion Tank Police, but on a whole, I think that’s pretty solid. But what about yourselves? What do you think of the titles listed above? What would you include?
Thank you to Matt Doyle for stopping over to share his favorite Sci Fi stories. Remember to like and share this post below. Until next time have a great week.
About Shadows of the Past
PI Cassie Tam is not the only person who lives with regrets, and like most people, she just wants to get on with her life. But in New Hopeland, the past never remains buried. When she’s hired to track a stalker that’s been using some interesting tech to mask their identity on the city’s security cameras, Cassie ends up face-to-face with her darkest memory.
Can Cassie find out who’s responsible before her past mistakes tear her – and her friends – apart?
Pre-order Now: NineStar Press
AUTHOR BIO
Matt Doyle is a speculative fiction author from the UK and identifies as pansexual and genderfluid. Matt has spent a great deal of time chasing dreams, a habit which has led to success in a great number of fields. To date, this has included spending ten years as a professional wrestler, completing a range of cosplay projects, and publishing multiple works of fiction.
These days, Matt can be found working on multiple novels and stories, blogging about pop culture, and plotting and planning far too many projects.
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