Warning: Non-dino spamming (was Re: The (ugh!) "Voyager"...)

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <th81@umail.umd.edu>]

Note: the following is devoid of paleontological content.  Those looking for
some new dinosaur stuff, skip this message.

(But hey, even I'm entitled to a little spamming now and then...)

At 11:05 AM 5/1/97 -0500, Chuck Prime wrote:

>> This is true.  Television is stupid no matter how you slice it, being 
>> engineered for the lowest common denominator
>
>Ah, but that's the beauty of the Star Trek empire, even including it's
>nadir, Voyager: it is _not_ geared to the lowest common denominator. It's
>multi-generational success is due to the fact that it is one of the more
>thoughtful shows television has ever produced.

Ugh...

Well, relative to a lot of trash out there, true.

However, you might want to take a gander at the last, best hope for
thoughtful science fiction (or most any sort of) show on TV today, Babylon 5.

[Note: I am not an employee of Babylonian Productions, nor is this posting
an official endorsement on the part of the University of Maryland.  Not that
it shouldn't be, but it isn't...]

There hasn't been a paleontological episode of Bab5 yet, but archeology has
played an important role in the story line so far.

Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
Vertebrate Paleontologist     Webpage: http://www.geol.umd.edu
Dept. of Geology              Email:th81@umail.umd.edu
University of Maryland        Phone:301-405-4084
College Park, MD  20742       Fax:  301-314-9661

"To trace that life in its manifold changes through past ages to the present
is a ... difficult task, but one from which modern science does not shrink.
In this wide field, every earnest effort will meet with some degree of
success; every year will add new and important facts; and every generation
will bring to light some law, in accordance with which ancient life has been
changed into life as we see it around us to-day."
        --O.C. Marsh, Vice Presidential Address, AAAS, August 30, 1877