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Alien Nation

Posted:
Thu Nov 11, 2010 1:13 pm
by crystalswolf
I was/am/will always be a big fan of the show. It's on my personal top 5 of all time list, definitely.
So during this great rush to remake every movie/show that ever existed, it seems Alien Nation is on the list. It made me a little nervous that its by SyFy. Now I can't help but feel disappointed because, apparently, their inspiration will be the movie "District 9"
I didn't like "District 9" I hope they don't turn my beloved show into crap.
Anyone else loved the show? Heard any current news about the remake?

Posted:
Thu Nov 11, 2010 2:46 pm
by Misplaced
Linky??
I vaguely remember watching the show when it aired. I watched the entire series again a few years ago, solely so I could oggle Gary Graham.

I've never seen "District 9"... so I have no idea what kind of influences that are going to be there.

Posted:
Thu Nov 11, 2010 3:09 pm
by Honeybee
It's funny that you mention District 9, as I thought it was heavily influenced by the original Alien Nation Film. But District 9, which I actually liked, stripped out all the playfulness and sense of adventure in Alien Nation.
I vaguely remember the series - especially Gary Graham - and I think it was definitely one of those "should have been a bigger hit" shows.

Posted:
Thu Nov 11, 2010 3:47 pm
by crystalswolf
http://blastr.com/2009/07/a-new-alien-nation-series.phpHoneybee, District 9 definitely had a far more serious approach to the mistreatment of immigrants than Alien Nation. But personally, I just felt they were a little too focused on the message. My experience was that half-way through the movie, I realized that I didn't care what happened to those aliens. It was unfortunate, too, because I was excited from the buzz it was getting.
Although I do have to say that Alien Nation did an amazing job for its time. And I really do miss the interactions between Gary Graham and Eric Pierpoint (Harris on Ent). And I do think there was so much more they could have done with the show if they 1. had a little foresight and 2. had the opportunity of more than 1 season. I think the miniseries were okay but they had to tell very complex stories in 2 hours, each.

Posted:
Thu Nov 11, 2010 4:15 pm
by Misplaced
The article is from July 2009. I wonder if it got dropped?

Posted:
Thu Nov 11, 2010 4:25 pm
by crystalswolf
Earlier I did find one from Feb(?) of this year. Can't seem to find it again, though. But this is SyFy so it could go either way.

Posted:
Thu Nov 11, 2010 4:56 pm
by Aquarius
OMG I LOVED Alien Nation! It's been so many years since I've seen it...I used to buy the novels and everything.

Posted:
Thu Nov 11, 2010 5:16 pm
by crystalswolf
Aquarius wrote:OMG I LOVED Alien Nation! It's been so many years since I've seen it...I used to buy the novels and everything.
Oh yeah! I was so excited when I found and an old English-Tenctonese translation program (seems to have all of the known words) and the font. I know, it's sad that that makes me so excited... especially considering the backstory of the language.

Posted:
Thu Nov 11, 2010 7:11 pm
by Kathy Rose
I watched Alien Nation when it aired, but I really don't remember too much about it, except for Gary Graham and Eric Pierpont.
Didn't all the aliens adopt Earth names, usually famous ones? And I do remember Eric Pierpoint's character saying something about the men of his species preferring "heavier" women, because that was a sign of wealth and prosperity on the women's part. (As a "heavier" woman myself, that cracked me up.)
I wasn't up on all the hype when District 9 came out, but I did have the same thought -- Gee, did they get that idea from Alien Nation?

Posted:
Thu Nov 11, 2010 7:30 pm
by crystalswolf
The aliens were given "Earth" names and the joke was that some of them got a little "punchy" having to give out so many. So a lot of them were given funny and/or famous names such as Sam Fransisco and Albert Einstein.
Yup, George mentions that heavy women represent prosperity and even wished his wife would gain a few pounds.
Side thought. I think the way they handled the 3-gender issue was amazing and ground-breaking, but I wasn't fond of the pregnancy sharing.