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fandomhigh_ooc2007-05-27 10:35 pm
imissmydolphin.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh_ooc2007-05-27 10:35 pm
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Fandom Spotlight: SeaQuest DSV
The Premise Season by Season
Don't listen to me. Listen to Roy Scheider (yeah, the guy from Jaws plays the Captain of a submarine).
"The 21st century: mankind has colonized the last unexplored region on Earth; the ocean. As captain of the seaQuest and its crew, we are its guardians. For beneath the surface lies the future."
Cue changes in global alliances, a huge-ass submarine, undersea political warfare, psychos, girls of the week for Lucas, old friends turned bad guys for Bridger and the sub blowing up at the end and you have Season 1.
Season 2 was a very different entity. They decided to make the show 'sexy' so they got rid of a bunch of the older characters, brought in new, younger, better looking characters, added a psychic doctor who had instant chemistry (except totally not) with the Captain, moral discussions about genetic manipulation, the DeLuise brothers, lots less science and lots more sci-fi. Not even good sci-fi. Season 2 was decent, but there were some questionable moments in there.
The first rule of Season 3 is that you do not talk about Season 3. No, really. Sigh. If we must. SeaQuest DSV changed Captains, decades, names (to SeaQuest 2032) and quality. Captain Bridger (see below) was replaced by Michael Ironside's Captain Hudson, Lucas was forced to join the Navy, the ship got taken away to another planet by aliens to save said planet and then returned to Earth 20 years later and...well, the first rule of Season 3 is that you do not talk about Season 3.
The Characters
There are way too many characters. I'll try to be short. Let's start with the most important three.
Captain Nathan Bridger (Roy Scheider) - former Navy Captain who quit and became a hermit who hung out with dolphins after his son died. He is also a scientist and engineer. He designed SeaQuest the submarine himself. He was recalled and coaxed into taking command of SeaQuest and was pretty much a calm, cool, collected leader who would rather talk or think his way out of a situation, but could kick ass when necessary. To compare to Star Trek TNG, the other big sci-fi show at the time, Picard would've got along swell with Bridger.
Lucas Wolenczak (Jonathan Brandis) - boy genius, computer wiz, teenager. Lucas' dad is extremely rich and influential (since apparently scientists are cool in this future world). He pulled some strings to get Lucas assigned to the ship as the chief computer tech guy. Lucas was 16 in Season 1, but had already graduated college at the top of his class and had invented a system that translated dolphin sounds into English. He's also one of the best hackers on the planet. Naturally. Credentials aside, he's a kid who is smart, knows he's smart and is arrogant about it. However, he also has major daddy issues, is pretty much clueless about girls, craves the approval of the crew and tries to be a good guy as much as he can. He's also a big dork and the source of many, many, many teenage crushes back in the early 90s.
Darwin - Darwin is a dolphin! No, really. He's not just any dolphin, he's a really smart, really awesome dolphin that can talk through Lucas' translator. He used to hang out with Bridger, but became part of the crew and helped them out in bad situations. Even if you hate the rest of the show, watch for Darwin. He's badass.
Now everyone else...
Commander Jonathan Ford (Don Franklin) - the XO (second in command), straight-laced, by the book, one of the best in the biz. He's strict, but fair and could have his own command but doesn't want to go elsewhere. Could also go by the name 'Riker' except that's the wrong show and he doesn't do the beard thing or say 'red alert' a whole lot. Also, he has a mermaid fetish. No really.
Doctor Kristin Westphalen (Stephanie Beacham) - snarky, kickass lead civilian and doctor type. She's British, in her 50s and seems to get way more action than anyone else on the crew. She can talk pretty much anyone down, is smart as all get out and offers the voice of reason to Bridger and to the rest of the crew when Bridger isn't around. Bridger is the ship's Dad. Westphalen is the ship's Mom, only she'll tell you to bake your own damned cookies and bring her some too.
Chief Manilow Crocker (Royce D. Applegate) - Manilow? Really? The old seadog and chief security officer. He talks with a twang, is a good shot and keeps morale up. Plus he started my favorite rendition of "What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor" ever.
Lieutenant Benjamin Krieg (John D'Aquino) - *coughs*Tom Paris*coughs* Smart ass, black market go to guy, kind of a slacker, but he pulls through when it's crunch time. He used to be married to...
Lt Commander Katherine Hitchcock (Stacy Haiduk) - Dax without the awesomeness. I swear I'll stop with the Trek references now. Hitchcock had an awesomeness of her own. She was able to be both strong officer and woman without the standard gung-ho or ball-busting (excuse the term) attitude you see in a lot of strong female characters. I haven't seen a character like her played believably since.
Sensor Chief Miguel Ortiz (Marco Sanchez) - did not get nearly enough air time. He was cool. He was good at what he did. He kept his head down and got the job done. When they had to go undercover, he knew damned well what he was doing. Then the actor got fired because they only wanted 9 principle cast members, not 10 in Season 2. Jerks.
Lieutenant (JG) Tim O'Neill (Ted Raimi) - look, it's Joxer! Without the armor or theme song. He was the translator and communications guy. Typical Raimi character. Dork. Sweet. Well-meaning.
And that's just Season 1.
Season 2 brought in Doctor Wendy Smith (Rosalind Allen), the chief medical officer and Bridger's love interest. Who was psychic. And oh so pretty. And don't you just love our new, young Mary Sue? She could BEND SPOONS WITH HER MIND. I was not fond of Smith, but she was okay. They just tried to force the issue with her a little too quickly. And WTF psychic spoons.
Lieutenant Lonnie Henderson (Kathy Evison) - I don't remember a good deal about her except that she was a pilot and engineer, sweet and smart. Sadly there are no DVDs out for Season 2 yet so I can't refresh my memory, but she was meant to be Hitchcock's replacement and didn't quite get there, but was okay in her own right.
Lt Commander James Brody (Edward Kerr) - the younger, better-looking security officer. My memories on him are vague too, but he was hot. Sorry?
Seaman Tony Piccolo (Michael DeLuise) - Tony is a former criminal who was experimented on to give him gills. Yes, he can breathe underwater. He was assigned to SeaQuest for some reason or other rather than jail and his first task was to try to escape. He's a mouthy smart ass who doesn't really get along well with people at first, but as time went on he became a valued member of the crew. He does have a conscience and came through for everyone on many occasions.
Dagwood (Peter DeLuise) - Dagwood is a genetic experiment, a Dagger. Daggers were designed to be the ultimate soldier, but Dagwood is a little slow. Not really soldier material despite being huuuge compared to the rest of the crew. Despite Peter being Michael's brother, the characters of Tony and Dagwood were not related. Dagwood became the softly spoken, gentle giant janitor on SeaQuest.
The only really important change of cast in Season 3 was bringing in the new captain.
Captain Oliver Hudson (Michael Ironside) - fair, but incredibly strict, Hudson is a by-the-book military guy, didn't like civilians on his boat and...well, he's a freaking Michael Ironside character. Pick one, slap on a uniform and you have Hudson.
Guest Stars
No, don't worry, I'm not going to list them all. There were way too many anyway. But in case you were living under a rock in the early 90s, SeaQuest DSV was a really big thing. It was the biggest sci-fi show out there that wasn't part of the Star Trek franchise and that was a really big deal. The guest stars included Kent McCord (Daddy Crichton from Farscape), Seth Green (Oz from BtVS), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) and William Shatner (Captain Kirk from Star Trek...with an exceptionally bad Croatian accent and moustache).
Why Should I Watch?
Watch Season 1 because, despite the cheese factor, it was a good, fun season of science fiction. The special effects were awesome for the time, especially since they were done on a Commodore Amiga. The characters are engaging, the stories are fun and it's a very easy show to watch. Plus? Dolphin.
Watch Season 2 for the DeLuise brothers. There are some good episodes and some not so good episodes, but the characters in this season are a lot of fun to watch. I say this having not seen that season since it first aired in 1994 (the show ran 1993-1996), so for its reputation to remain in such good standing for so long in my mind, it has to be pretty good!
The first rule of Season 3 is that we do not talk about Season 3.
Where Can I Get It?
Season 1 can be bought from pretty much anywhere you get DVD boxsets. It has a shiny cover. Season 2 isn't due for release until 2008, but don't hold your breath. SciFi Channel Australia often airs episodes but that doesn't apply to any but 3 of you. Space in Canada airs it from time to time, but usually at ridiculous hours. It's not currently airing in the US or UK as far as I'm aware and I have no idea about anywhere else.
A lot of episodes are still available on YouTube in sections. Season 2 and 3 are available elsewhere as well and feel free to contact me for the name of the place.
It's fun, it's dorky, it went down the drain, but Season 1 was great and Season 2 was good. And hey, DOLPHIN NINJA.
Don't listen to me. Listen to Roy Scheider (yeah, the guy from Jaws plays the Captain of a submarine).
"The 21st century: mankind has colonized the last unexplored region on Earth; the ocean. As captain of the seaQuest and its crew, we are its guardians. For beneath the surface lies the future."
Cue changes in global alliances, a huge-ass submarine, undersea political warfare, psychos, girls of the week for Lucas, old friends turned bad guys for Bridger and the sub blowing up at the end and you have Season 1.
Season 2 was a very different entity. They decided to make the show 'sexy' so they got rid of a bunch of the older characters, brought in new, younger, better looking characters, added a psychic doctor who had instant chemistry (except totally not) with the Captain, moral discussions about genetic manipulation, the DeLuise brothers, lots less science and lots more sci-fi. Not even good sci-fi. Season 2 was decent, but there were some questionable moments in there.
The first rule of Season 3 is that you do not talk about Season 3. No, really. Sigh. If we must. SeaQuest DSV changed Captains, decades, names (to SeaQuest 2032) and quality. Captain Bridger (see below) was replaced by Michael Ironside's Captain Hudson, Lucas was forced to join the Navy, the ship got taken away to another planet by aliens to save said planet and then returned to Earth 20 years later and...well, the first rule of Season 3 is that you do not talk about Season 3.
The Characters
There are way too many characters. I'll try to be short. Let's start with the most important three.
Captain Nathan Bridger (Roy Scheider) - former Navy Captain who quit and became a hermit who hung out with dolphins after his son died. He is also a scientist and engineer. He designed SeaQuest the submarine himself. He was recalled and coaxed into taking command of SeaQuest and was pretty much a calm, cool, collected leader who would rather talk or think his way out of a situation, but could kick ass when necessary. To compare to Star Trek TNG, the other big sci-fi show at the time, Picard would've got along swell with Bridger.
Lucas Wolenczak (Jonathan Brandis) - boy genius, computer wiz, teenager. Lucas' dad is extremely rich and influential (since apparently scientists are cool in this future world). He pulled some strings to get Lucas assigned to the ship as the chief computer tech guy. Lucas was 16 in Season 1, but had already graduated college at the top of his class and had invented a system that translated dolphin sounds into English. He's also one of the best hackers on the planet. Naturally. Credentials aside, he's a kid who is smart, knows he's smart and is arrogant about it. However, he also has major daddy issues, is pretty much clueless about girls, craves the approval of the crew and tries to be a good guy as much as he can. He's also a big dork and the source of many, many, many teenage crushes back in the early 90s.
Darwin - Darwin is a dolphin! No, really. He's not just any dolphin, he's a really smart, really awesome dolphin that can talk through Lucas' translator. He used to hang out with Bridger, but became part of the crew and helped them out in bad situations. Even if you hate the rest of the show, watch for Darwin. He's badass.
Now everyone else...
Commander Jonathan Ford (Don Franklin) - the XO (second in command), straight-laced, by the book, one of the best in the biz. He's strict, but fair and could have his own command but doesn't want to go elsewhere. Could also go by the name 'Riker' except that's the wrong show and he doesn't do the beard thing or say 'red alert' a whole lot. Also, he has a mermaid fetish. No really.
Doctor Kristin Westphalen (Stephanie Beacham) - snarky, kickass lead civilian and doctor type. She's British, in her 50s and seems to get way more action than anyone else on the crew. She can talk pretty much anyone down, is smart as all get out and offers the voice of reason to Bridger and to the rest of the crew when Bridger isn't around. Bridger is the ship's Dad. Westphalen is the ship's Mom, only she'll tell you to bake your own damned cookies and bring her some too.
Chief Manilow Crocker (Royce D. Applegate) - Manilow? Really? The old seadog and chief security officer. He talks with a twang, is a good shot and keeps morale up. Plus he started my favorite rendition of "What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor" ever.
Lieutenant Benjamin Krieg (John D'Aquino) - *coughs*Tom Paris*coughs* Smart ass, black market go to guy, kind of a slacker, but he pulls through when it's crunch time. He used to be married to...
Lt Commander Katherine Hitchcock (Stacy Haiduk) - Dax without the awesomeness. I swear I'll stop with the Trek references now. Hitchcock had an awesomeness of her own. She was able to be both strong officer and woman without the standard gung-ho or ball-busting (excuse the term) attitude you see in a lot of strong female characters. I haven't seen a character like her played believably since.
Sensor Chief Miguel Ortiz (Marco Sanchez) - did not get nearly enough air time. He was cool. He was good at what he did. He kept his head down and got the job done. When they had to go undercover, he knew damned well what he was doing. Then the actor got fired because they only wanted 9 principle cast members, not 10 in Season 2. Jerks.
Lieutenant (JG) Tim O'Neill (Ted Raimi) - look, it's Joxer! Without the armor or theme song. He was the translator and communications guy. Typical Raimi character. Dork. Sweet. Well-meaning.
And that's just Season 1.
Season 2 brought in Doctor Wendy Smith (Rosalind Allen), the chief medical officer and Bridger's love interest. Who was psychic. And oh so pretty. And don't you just love our new, young Mary Sue? She could BEND SPOONS WITH HER MIND. I was not fond of Smith, but she was okay. They just tried to force the issue with her a little too quickly. And WTF psychic spoons.
Lieutenant Lonnie Henderson (Kathy Evison) - I don't remember a good deal about her except that she was a pilot and engineer, sweet and smart. Sadly there are no DVDs out for Season 2 yet so I can't refresh my memory, but she was meant to be Hitchcock's replacement and didn't quite get there, but was okay in her own right.
Lt Commander James Brody (Edward Kerr) - the younger, better-looking security officer. My memories on him are vague too, but he was hot. Sorry?
Seaman Tony Piccolo (Michael DeLuise) - Tony is a former criminal who was experimented on to give him gills. Yes, he can breathe underwater. He was assigned to SeaQuest for some reason or other rather than jail and his first task was to try to escape. He's a mouthy smart ass who doesn't really get along well with people at first, but as time went on he became a valued member of the crew. He does have a conscience and came through for everyone on many occasions.
Dagwood (Peter DeLuise) - Dagwood is a genetic experiment, a Dagger. Daggers were designed to be the ultimate soldier, but Dagwood is a little slow. Not really soldier material despite being huuuge compared to the rest of the crew. Despite Peter being Michael's brother, the characters of Tony and Dagwood were not related. Dagwood became the softly spoken, gentle giant janitor on SeaQuest.
The only really important change of cast in Season 3 was bringing in the new captain.
Captain Oliver Hudson (Michael Ironside) - fair, but incredibly strict, Hudson is a by-the-book military guy, didn't like civilians on his boat and...well, he's a freaking Michael Ironside character. Pick one, slap on a uniform and you have Hudson.
Guest Stars
No, don't worry, I'm not going to list them all. There were way too many anyway. But in case you were living under a rock in the early 90s, SeaQuest DSV was a really big thing. It was the biggest sci-fi show out there that wasn't part of the Star Trek franchise and that was a really big deal. The guest stars included Kent McCord (Daddy Crichton from Farscape), Seth Green (Oz from BtVS), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) and William Shatner (Captain Kirk from Star Trek...with an exceptionally bad Croatian accent and moustache).
Why Should I Watch?
Watch Season 1 because, despite the cheese factor, it was a good, fun season of science fiction. The special effects were awesome for the time, especially since they were done on a Commodore Amiga. The characters are engaging, the stories are fun and it's a very easy show to watch. Plus? Dolphin.
Watch Season 2 for the DeLuise brothers. There are some good episodes and some not so good episodes, but the characters in this season are a lot of fun to watch. I say this having not seen that season since it first aired in 1994 (the show ran 1993-1996), so for its reputation to remain in such good standing for so long in my mind, it has to be pretty good!
The first rule of Season 3 is that we do not talk about Season 3.
Where Can I Get It?
Season 1 can be bought from pretty much anywhere you get DVD boxsets. It has a shiny cover. Season 2 isn't due for release until 2008, but don't hold your breath. SciFi Channel Australia often airs episodes but that doesn't apply to any but 3 of you. Space in Canada airs it from time to time, but usually at ridiculous hours. It's not currently airing in the US or UK as far as I'm aware and I have no idea about anywhere else.
A lot of episodes are still available on YouTube in sections. Season 2 and 3 are available elsewhere as well and feel free to contact me for the name of the place.
It's fun, it's dorky, it went down the drain, but Season 1 was great and Season 2 was good. And hey, DOLPHIN NINJA.
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DARRRWIN GOOOOD.no subject
And I feel weird for loving s2 as much as I do, but DeLuise! And random fights with aliens! And okay, the real reason is that I was a total Brody fangirl and that season gave me Brody AND Lucas.
We shan't discuss s3.