Most Wanted (survey)

[Chancellor Valium]

Actually, I do have a more viable idea: any interest in 5-Minute versions of Gerry Anderson programmes? I was thinking specifically about the original run of Captain Scarlet, but there's no reason not to do, say, Thunderbirds or Stingray too. I fear Space: 1999 may, however, be slightly beyond parody.

[Andy Taylor]

I like reading all of the subsites, especially the Treks, B5 and BSG.

Also, I think Lost would make good parodies.

[MmeBlueberry]

Originally Posted by evay

Warp speed is calculated in logarithms.

Tribbles should be good for exponents.

The late Star Trek: The Magazine actually used to do filler articles on the percentage of episodes where various stereotypical events happened, like Kirk getting his shirt ripped, Voyager losing a shuttlecraft, Kirk getting the girl, etc. That's charts/statistics.

Bajor used a 26-hour clock, IIRC; that's a basis for teaching "clock math," or introducing the concept of base-something-other-than-10.

Instead of the usual "A train leaves Chicago at 3pm..." try "Enterprise leaves Vulcan on stardate 47523.1 traveling at warp 3..."

Good ideas! I also think I can probably find a host of scenes discussing logic for use with my geometry students. And I made a presentation for the stats class today in which I defined data...that one was almost painfully obvious.

[/hijack]

[evay]

^^ I'm the daughter of two teachers. They'd be ashamed if I couldn't come up with something to use for a lesson plan off the top of my head.

Back on topic: how about 5M Fawlty Towers?

[MaverickZer0]

I don't have anything to add, really, since the consensus seems to be 'more Doctor Who, please,' which I am definitely cool with.

I'd recommend Stargate Atlantis, since frankly, I have no idea where the Stargate exosite went, but I'm not sure if there's some strange story about that involving radishes, so I won't ask.

[Wowbagger]

Originally Posted by evay

The late Star Trek: The Magazine actually used to do filler articles on the percentage of episodes where various stereotypical events happened, like Kirk getting his shirt ripped, Voyager losing a shuttlecraft, Kirk getting the girl, etc. That's charts/statistics.

I bought that magazine every month for that feature alone. Two pages. It cost, like, $8.00. And I was in middle school, and it was in 2002 dollars, so that was real money back then.

Anyhow, for the questions:

(1) I was drawn to this site by 5M Enterprise. I have always maintained that 5ME is the funniest feature here -- possibly because it has benefited from being written by only one person through all its iterations -- and I long to see it ended.

Also, I suddenly recall purchasing a hard copy of 5M "Zero Hour" years ago (it cost $5.00), but never receiving a copy. The details are sketchy, though. Did we for some reason run a "buy a fiver" promotion? Or was that a dream? I'm leaning toward dream, because that's a very weird memory.

Anyhow.

More Who is good, though Who is a harder series to parody than Trek, I think, because nuWho, at least, already takes itself so unseriously. I think I would prefer to see more nuBSG, which, while a very entertaining show, was so amazingly full of itself that you could make an entire nuBSG fiver based on booger jokes and it's still be hilarious satire.

(2) New shows? Oi... now I have to admit to how little stuff I'm watching these days.

Remember those VVS8 parodies? Those were a lot of fun, and they also got me reading VVS8, which I never would have done in a million years otherwise. I would like to see a rebirth of the "fanfic" parodies. Lord knows there's a lot of pretty decent fan Trek out there to mock -- Phase II has done some really good work, Intrepid is fun. The audio series produce a lot more material, which makes them eminently parodyable. I'm thinking mainly of Outpost (www.giantgnome.com) here, but I'd be greatly honored if someone fived my show, Excelsior (www.starshipexcelsior.com).

Fringe looked fiveable, but I didn't have the time to keep up with it.

I suspect that the most important thing, Zeke, is that you find something you really, really love watching, and then five that. This website's a hobby for you, after all, and we're not your customers and we're not paying you (except in my $5 "Zero Hour" dream). If fiving is something you do to unwind, not an onerous responsibility, that means you'll have more fun and we'll get more and better fivers as a result.

Of course, you've probably already thought about that, so I'll stop preaching now.

(3) I would love to see Stargate: Atlantis thoroughly fived, but by someone much funnier than I. My SG:A fivers suck. But it's a great show, very fun, but filled with ridiculous events, characters who struggle with dimension, and convoluted turns of plot. The perfect fiver storm.

Death Note could make great fiving. Azumanga Daioh, however, would not. Indeed, AD quite literally fives itself, doesn't it?

My other favorite show right now is Life on Mars (UK), which I'm watching on DVD. If you know it, you see the potential. If you dont know it, go do yourself a favor and watch it. It's time well-spent. (Disclaimer: people complain about the ending, but I'm at the end of season one and spoiler-free, so I don't know yet what they're all on about.)

(Conclusion) ...but, if all that comes of this survey is thirty or forty DW fivers in the next couple of years, I will be a very happy young man.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Wowbagger

Also, I suddenly recall purchasing a hard copy of 5M "Zero Hour" years ago (it cost $5.00), but never receiving a copy.

ACK ACK ACK SORRY I KNOW I'VE NEVER FORGOTTEN I HAVE STAMPS IN MY DRAWER SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS BUT THINGS KEEP COMING UP

SORRY SORRY SORRY THEY'RE STILL COMING AND THERE'LL BE A BONUS WITH THEM FOR THE WAIT PLEASE DON'T HATE ME GUYS

...Um. You can probably tell I've been dreading this question.

They really are coming. I swear. Sorry.

[PointyHairedJedi]

Originally Posted by Chancellor Valium

Actually, I do have a more viable idea: any interest in 5-Minute versions of Gerry Anderson programmes? I was thinking specifically about the original run of Captain Scarlet, but there's no reason not to do, say, Thunderbirds or Stingray too. I fear Space: 1999 may, however, be slightly beyond parody.

Not actually a bad idea. And the first series was okay, I thought! UFO has always been my favourite of the bunch though.

Five-Minute Thunderbirds could be amusing. Plenty of rich pickings there for the dedicated fivist.

Originally Posted by Zeke

ACK ACK ACK SORRY I KNOW I'VE NEVER FORGOTTEN I HAVE STAMPS IN MY DRAWER SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS BUT THINGS KEEP COMING UP

SORRY SORRY SORRY THEY'RE STILL COMING AND THERE'LL BE A BONUS WITH THEM FOR THE WAIT PLEASE DON'T HATE ME GUYS

...Um. You can probably tell I've been dreading this question.

They really are coming. I swear. Sorry.

I'd settle at this point for a pound of flesh as an alternative. Or maybe the right to call you "Zekey-buns" for the rest of eternity.

[Quinalla]

1. Which subsite(s) do you most look forward to new material from?
DS9, Farscape, BSG (new)

2. Which current show(s) would you most like to see covered at 5M.net? (Current means either running right now or renewed for next season.)
Futurama, Eureka, Chuck

3. What other show(s), etc., would you like to see us do? (Etc. meaning not just shows; this is where you can suggest other stuff like books and videogames.)
The 4400, any videogame (I always find these amusing)

[Wowbagger]

Originally Posted by Zeke

ACK ACK ACK SORRY I KNOW I'VE NEVER FORGOTTEN I HAVE STAMPS IN MY DRAWER SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS BUT THINGS KEEP COMING UP

SORRY SORRY SORRY THEY'RE STILL COMING AND THERE'LL BE A BONUS WITH THEM FOR THE WAIT PLEASE DON'T HATE ME GUYS

...Um. You can probably tell I've been dreading this question.

They really are coming. I swear. Sorry.

Oh my word... this really happened? I paid for a fiver?

Not that I regret the purchase! I just... I was pretty sure that I'd imagined the whole thing.

Cool. Something to look forward to in the mail sometime soon.

[evay]

Back on topic: What current show would you like to see covered?

hubby and I just started watching "Eureka." Surprisingly enjoyable (at least, up to the beginning of S2 so far) with relatively complex characters and relationships plus some decent laughs. And it's geek heaven. So add my vote for that.

[NAHTMMM]

Originally Posted by Katy Jane

2) Bones, Doctor Who and Futurama are the only current shows I follow and Bones and Futurama don't necessarily lend themselves to the format.

Yeah, a significant percentage of humor in the average Futurama episode is pretty much what you'd write in the fiver. I dunno how you'd work around that and still be funny.

Bones's only failing that I see is that it's not sci-fi/fantasy.

3) Wouldn't mind seeing some Quantum Leap.

The advantage there, from what I understand, would be that each episode would have an entirely new setting, which relieves the problem of having to make the same joke over and over again.

Originally Posted by evay

I learned more about Canada from watching Due South than I did in school.

Yay, another fan.

Originally Posted by Derek

What amazes me about Sesame Street is how much of a sketch show it is.

Heh, never thought about it like that before.

Originally Posted by Quinalla

1. Which subsite(s) do you most look forward to new material from?

2. Which current show(s) would you most like to see covered at 5M.net? (Current means either running right now or renewed for next season.)
Futurama, Eureka, Chuck

Chuck could work, although again I don't know that it's very sci-fi.

[Sa'ar Chasm]

The advantage there, from what I understand, would be that each episode would have an entirely new setting, which relieves the problem of having to make the same joke over and over again.

Oh boy.

[GuestAccount]

1. Which subsite(s) do you most look forward to new material from?
I'd say Enterprise and, after the "recent" "relaunch," Battlestar Galactica.

2. Which current show(s) would you most like to see covered at 5M.net? (Current means either running right now or renewed for next season.)
Caprica. But then, I'm not watching a lot of current shows.

3. What other show(s), etc., would you like to see us do? (Etc. meaning not just shows; this is where you can suggest other stuff like books and videogames.)
I think Dollhouse would be perfect for fiving; imagine all the possible fun and confusion with changing speaker credits! Plus, at this point it's not an open-ended project...

[FatMatDuhRat]

1. It would be great to see some more episodic 5ers in the 5-min-Farscape subsite or to see a 5er of "The Peacekeeper Wars" movie. I'm just saying that because I'm a Farscape junkie & I need my fix. Also, in the 5-min-Anime subsite, it would be incredible if you did a parody of "Akira," "Ghost in the Shell" or some episodic 5ers of "Cowboy Bebop."

2. Regarding a current sci-fi TV show that you could make a parody of, I'm very sorry but I have to leave this one "blank" since I don't watch TV anymore.

3. In the 5-min-Video Games section you could do some 5ers on the "Halo" video game series or maybe "God of War" and I wouldn't complain if you made fun of the two "Kane & Lynch" video games.

[evay]

New shows: Besides Merlin (three seasons, renewed for a fourth) and Eureka (season 4.5 is due to start, uh, I don't know, this summer?), I also volunteer Warehouse 13 (two seasons, renewed for a third) and Leverage (three seasons, renewed for a fourth).

Warehouse 13 is on Skiffy, with four engaging leads providing various levels of intelligence, amusement, geekery, and downright snark. Plus they chase historical and sci-fi artifacts, so the opportunities for in-jokes are legion. Leverage, while not sci-fi/fantasy, has an ensemble cast, recurring guest characters, plenty of tech geek stuff and fisticuffs, and can be quite funny.

And Mark Sheppard has guested on BSG, Leverage, Warehouse 13, Dollhouse, the Bionic Woman remake, firefly, Voyager, and the X-Files, so he's part of the Jossverse, the Trekiverse, and the Ron Moore Players. You could do a series of fivers just following that guy around TV.