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From: rwl@uvacs.UUCP (Ray Lubinsky)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers,net.tv
Subject: Re: Space 1999, UFO, et al
Message-ID: <2177@uvacs.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 15-Jun-85 23:18:13 EDT
Article-I.D.: uvacs.2177
Posted: Sat Jun 15 23:18:13 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 18-Jun-85 05:31:01 EDT
References: <234@dcl-cs.UUCP>
Organization: U.Va. CS in Charlottesville VA
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Xref: watmath net.sf-lovers:8031 net.tv:3005

> *PLEASE* can those who are guilty stop slagging Space 1999, UFO et al.
> There was nothing wrong with them when you were young.
> (weren't you guys *ever* kids?)
> Who gives a toss about the force required to blast the moon out of the
> Earths orbit? Most sci-fi is far fetched - it's meant to be. 
> Constructive criticism and personal opinions yes, but cut out the slagging.

Now seriously, if the premise for a story -- any story -- is  implausible  then
it's  a  bad  premise.   The  usual consequence of this is a bad story as well.
"Space: 1999" wasn't intended for children any more than was, say "Star  Trek",
but  it  tended  to stretch the willing suspension of disbelief a hell of a lot
further.  This wasn't due to exotic imagination, just a lack  of  understanding
of some fundamentals of SF craftsmanship.

You see, I don't read "sci-fi" books or watch "sci-fi" pictures.   My  interest
is SF.  I'm not necessarily talking about literature with a heavy message, just
well-constructed fiction.  I like quality merchandise, and "Space: 1999"  never
gave me that.
-- 

Ray Lubinsky		     University of Virginia, Dept. of Computer Science
			     uucp: decvax!mcnc!ncsu!uvacs!rwl