TV Meme: Day 1: A Show that should never have been canceled

[lizardbeth]

I have no idea which days I'll do (since let's be real, I'm not likely to do them all. I know me), but I thought I could start.

Other people have done shows which I miss a lot, too, but after thinking about it, I think I miss this one the most.






1995. 22-episodes (I forget sometimes that they got a full season)
Developed by Glen Morgan and James Wong, on a break from the X-Files

This show is less bleak than BSG (ok, what isn't?), but there are LOTS of parallels: 'naturalistic' SF near-future design, human-looking robots (including one who creeps out our tough heroine, if not in the same way thankfully), war and peace and the price we're willing to pay for both, artificial people who want to be real boys, government conspiracies, hotshot pilots, guns and explosions, people die for realz, and aircraft carriers in SPAAAAACE.

With bonus alien invasion!

The show focuses on the Wild Cards, a Marine Space Cavalry squadron (meaning they get to be pilots and ground forces), led by Captain Shane Vansen, who is quite possibly one of my fave women characters ever (and also makes me regret that Kristen Cloke has basically stopped acting, because she is awesome). Nathan West, Cooper Hawkes, Paul Wang (Joel de la Fuente, now on SVU), and Vanessa Damphousse are the other members. They all are tough and haunted in their own ways. Also features James Morrison and Tucker Smallwood as their COs.





I mean, look at this fierce crew!




Vansen. HBIC, y/y?




There are many good/great episodes, including one which was the first episode to be silent through most of the runtime. My favorite episode is "Stay with the Dead" where West goes crazy, is nearly lobotomized and still manages to save the rest of his squad. (why do I fall for the boys who have desperate last words right before someone's going to cut into their brains? WHYYYYYY?) And I ship him and Vansen so hard for season 2. If, y'know, such a thing existed. :(

This show also had one of the evilest cliffhanging finales ever, which I might do for the OMG Finale day. And I will always be sad that we never got a chance to see how it would've played out: with the Chigs and the silicates, losing at least one squad member, Nathan finding what he'd lost, etc *shakes fist at Fox*

Here's my one and only S:AAB fic that I wrote for Yuletide a few years back:
With the Dead, Nathan, after the finale.



So, if you're a fan of BSG or combat in your scifi in general, here's my plug for this show that died before its time.

Comments

[hypertwink.livejournal.com]

Well, one that I really cared about, if I remember correctly. Funny thing is, I remember the feeling but not who it was. LOL I remembered loving this because it was for me, so different from other shows, as well as scifi shows that I've seen. It was kinda like discovering Buffy, it wasn't the usual TV fare and I immediately became a fan, from the very first ep I saw.

And I agree with you that looking back, it was kinda like BSG.