Post originally by Blue Seven at 2003-12-22 20:19:00
Converted from Phorums BB System

It seems that the Sci-Fi Channel doesn't really create science fiction anymore, for the most part. Most of what they have done in the last five years, if not longer, could comfortably fit into other genres without great effort, and may only qualify as science fiction by being aired on a channel caled The Sci-Fi Channel (which ain't much of a qualification).

The biggest seller on the channel currently is Stargate SG-1, which was originally created by and for one of the cable movie channels (I think it was Showtime). It qualifies as science fiction, but very little else on the channel that isn't at least 10 years old seems to these days. The people in charge of the Sci-Fi Channel have been creating more and more mainstream programs when they put together their original series fare (probably to attract more mainstream viewers, and therefore more ratings and ad revenue. This has served to alienate a lot of sci-fi fans). The Battlestar Galactica Club website actually had a petition for the resignation of Bonnie Hammer, the current president (CEO?) of the Sci-Fi Channel, for not showing sci-fi on a channel supposedly dedicated to it. This wasn't the only petition on that site (most were Battlestar Galactic specific, such as preserving Starbuck's gender or discontinuing the re-imaging altogether, things I doubt the Sci-Fi Channel would have listened to). I originally dismissed these claims, but having taken a look at the channel's usual fare, I'm not so sure they weren't at least partly right.

They really seem to know haw to market a series, or at least generate interest in it, even if they do it by raising a hell of a lot of controversy rather than just advertising it. They did air a lot of ads for the new miniseries. I noticed a lot of these during the airing of a classic Battlestar Galactica marathon last summer, which seemed like rubbing it in the faces of fans of the original series.