telling some big stories welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down the top 10 space opera TV series
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attention if they are they have before
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content for this cosmic list we’re
looking at the very best live-action TV
shows that set drama and action against
no not at this time thank you
do you have instructions a classic of TV
science-fiction this landmark series
takes the basic premise of Yohan David
Weiss’s novel the Swiss Family Robinson
and throws in a twist rather than the
East Indies a family of colonists that
make up the cast find themselves
stranded on alien planets please you’re
making the robot very unhappy the series
sees the Robinson family first stranded
on an alien planet when a saboteur named
dr. Smith causes their ship to crash
since first airing and subsequently
entering syndication the show has become
an icon of TV sci-fi even getting a
Netflix revival in 2018
begins now number nine Farscape like our
previous entry this recent entry begins
when astronaut John Crichton finds
himself stranded on the other side of
the universe after falling through a
wormhole targeted by an impressive
regime
Crichton joins up with a crew of alien
prisoners including political dissidents
and outcasts aboard a living spaceship
I’m from along the series is best
remembered for the dazzling puppets and
animatronics brought to life by the Jim
Henson Company but the show’s richly
developed characters and world have also
helped ensure its place as a fan
favorite since its untimely cancellation
and a TV landscape more and more
saturated by CGI this series reminds us
what practical effects can do rate red
dwarf anything the matter they’re dead
who says being stranded in a spaceship
has to be all doom and gloom this
British comedy begins when dave the
janitor aboard a deep-space mining
vessel awakes from cryo sleep to
discover that he’s the only human on
board left alive we say human because he
has some company a holographic
recreation of his uptight bunk mate the
ship’s computer and last but not least a
being evolved from Dave’s cat they gone
buddy in the 30 years since the show
began its added new cast members but
retained the character driven comedy
that made it a smash hit upon release if
you’re looking for high-concept sci-fi
that isn’t short on laughs look no
further I’m still here maybe you didn’t
qualify number seven the expanse relax
and enjoy the ride the newest entry on
our list is also one of our favorites a
remarkably polished and gripping sci-fi
channel original series the first season
stars Thomas Jane as a police detective
200 years in the future
when mankind has colonized the other
planets of the solar system but unlike
the idyllic futures of some other sci-fi
shows this vision of the future is
fraught with strife and intrigue as the
inhabitants of the asteroid belt between
Mars and Jupiter fight back against
oppression and marginalization sci-fi
television is a
well and this show proves it with its
sharp writing impressive production
values and a top-notch cast number six
Stargate sg-1 let me take a team through
that gate we’ll find out who those
aliens are who would have guessed that
the TV continuation of Roland Emmerich’s
1994 sci-fi adventure film would go on
to become one of the longest-running
shows in tv science fiction the series
stars a group of explorers and soldiers
who use an ancient portal device to
visit far-off planets and worlds
naturally this draws them into an
ongoing conflict with an ancient alien
race and possession of superior
technology because that’s usually how
these sort of things go the galaxy is
populated by the ancient peoples of
Earth there could be millions but now
you are their greatest hope praised for
its long-form storytelling and grossing
characters an epic adventure and
excitement the show spawned numerous
spin-offs and sequels including fan
favorite Stargate Atlantis and you don’t
even know about your static 8 what
[Music]
we sweat we didn’t put this one at
number five on purpose well space may be
a great backdrop for adventure and
excitement this series from creator J
michael Straczynski takes a different
approach by presenting deep complex
narratives full of political intrigue
and heavy themes like race religion and
diplomacy it isn’t alone in this
ambition but the series remains a
favorite for fans of sci-fi that isn’t
just about action and fun will strike
back and will strike back in addition to
his writing the show was also hailed
upon his release for its production
design and cutting-edge effects which
surpassed that of anything TV audiences
had seen before yes
number 4 Firefly time for some thrilling
heroics the first of several entries
that need no introduction this series
takes the term fan favorite to a new
level with as much influence from
westerns as traditional sci-fi Joss
Whedon series follows a band of space
outlaws scratching out a living on the
fringes of colonized space there’s
neither of us can pay attentive with
your crewmates on one of your jobs are
you referring to our perfectly
legitimate business enterprises famously
canceled after airing just a handful of
episodes the show has become a massive
sensation since finding its true
audience on DVD with many calling its
cancellation one of the greatest crimes
in TV history with whip-smart writing
and Whedon’s trademark wit to spare it’s
frankly hard to believe that this show
was cancelled so soon I obvious is
sentimental at a good day number 3
Doctor Who I’m a less I’m a doctor how
do you do you shouldn’t be having some
trouble here do we really need to tell
you about this one
a British sci-fi icon that spans decades
this beloved series follows the
continuing Adventures of the doctor by
being able to traverse time and space in
a continuing search for adventure
hustling
the series has been and remains one of
the titans of television in any genre a
show with more history behind it than
almost any show we can think of from
every historical period you can imagine
to countless alien worlds and alternate
timelines the series has taken viewers
to more places than any other series on
our list and picked up a hugely devoted
fan following along the way he was
supposed to be dying there are better
things to do today
number two Battlestar Galactica morning
Starbuck what are you here a grim and
gritty reboot of a 70 series of the same
name this epic series follows the last
survivors of a distant solar system as
they try to escape the Cylons a
mechanical race of their own creation
far from the clunky automatons of the
original series the new show focuses on
Cylons made in perfect human form and
dispatched to infiltrate human society
and occasionally human bedrooms taking
the core ideas of the original series
and infusing massive doses of politics
intrigue and philosophy the show was a
game changer for TV sci-fi when it
debuted and remains one of the most
influential shows on our list if the
ship poses a threat to us we have to
eliminate that threat before we reveal
our top pick here are a couple honorable
mentions
what the hell are you know it’s who the
hell are you and what are you doing on
my ship it’s none of my business how you
blow up your world my generation didn’t
know what they were doing either good
night colonel where are you going
captain number one Star Trek the
original series something wrong captain
what else could be a tower number one
spot without Gene Roddenberry’s lab mark
series
sci-fi and television as we know it
would probably be completely different
following the five-year mission on the
Starship Enterprise as it boldly goes
where no one has gone before the series
revolutionized the way science-fiction
is used to address social issues as well
as cementing the status of William
Shatner and Leonard Nimoy as towering
icons of the genre logical flawlessly
logical some may prefer the show’s
successor the next generation but we
have to give it up for the series that
started it all spawning a franchise that
continues to this day and changing the
face of pop culture forever you’re
bluffing Vulcans never Bluff
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