Originally posted by Red Dog
Well yeah - it was the only sci-fi around.

Originally posted by Chew
The series was a continuation of the storyline, but, as has been stated earlier in this thread, won't be canon for the new mini-series.

Originally posted by Wizdar
Yeah, it was a continuation. If you ignore major continuity issues.

Originally posted by BradJ
Faye Grant... mmmmmmmmm..........

***********

Holy Crap! So, I go searching to find a good Faye Grant pic to put in the message, and I find this site:

http://www.fayegrant.com/main.htm

It's a REALLY slow day at work so I started reading some of the stuff on there, and the girl that created that website is WACKO.
She wrote a bunch of poems, talks about her dreams about Julie Parrish (Grant's character on V)... uh, hope Faye knows the number to a good restraining order process server......

Originally posted by DVD Mike2
Anyone else have the V doll where you press the thing on his back to have the lizard tongue come out?

Originally posted by SergeantPinback
(I'm such a sci-fi geek - Just don't ask about my 800+ Star Wars & Star Trek figures...)

Originally posted by areacode212
This is great news. I haven't gotten around to picking up the V:TFB DVD yet, so I didn't realize that it was so unpopular. I vaguely remember enjoying it on TV the first time around (hey, I was 9), and it had a fairly catchy theme song. What was so bad about it?

Originally posted by Wizdar
Christmas ornaments?

What odd news this all is...I'd given up hope for a "V" update EVER happening, especially since KJ said at the "V" convention in 2000 that he'd NEVER go back to it. So surprised as I was by Monday's announcement, I got to thinking what a new series (or three-hour movie, or whatever), would be LIKE! So here's my reasoning:

Does the new series take place in the same continuity as the old series? Well, as Kenneth Johnson has always said, he never watched TFB or the weekly series. Therefore, he CAN'T write a follow-up to either of them. In his mind, they never happened. As for continuity, he doesn't even KNOW what happened in them. So...they don't exist! Forget them! That said, the new movie will have to be a direct sequel to the original mini, 20 years later, and hopefully with some of the same cast. By that supposition, please blank out all memory of those last two series: there would be no red dust, no Elizabeth, Ham Tyler, Lydia or Kyle, no open city, etc. (Also, perhaps some characters who died in those stories, like Martin, Christine or Elias, in fact, did not). Playing with these "facts," here's what may happen:

We'd have to assume that the Earth had been held under a fascist dictatorship for an entire generation. Scientists would have been effectively done away with, and the only science introduced into Earth society would be coming from the Visitors. They would have made good on their vow to cure cancer, the world would be grateful and cowed. The Visitors would control the media, would force-feed disinformation into the general populace, always in their favor. In time, dissidents would all be rounded up and taken away. Most would never be heard from again, except for a few "converts," who would help the Visitors in their cause, by telling us all how wonderful they are.

The Resistance would continue, always undermining the Visitors' plans, but never completely getting the better of them. Millions of people would be taken to Sirius as food, or used as military officers in the Visitors' war against the Leader's enemy (as Martin told Donovan). The remaining populace would move on, allowed to breed in great numbers and the cycle would repeat itself continually. Therefore, Earth would become very valuable to the Visitors as a great source of food, water and military might. (The idea of Martin's decimated Earth scenario doesn't work here in a dramatic context; there'd be nothing left for the Resistance to fight for, nothing to interest the Visitors and nothing to film).

Now we can suppose that the Visitors are still playing the manipulation game, rather than waging an all-out war like in the weekly series. Therefore, they would still be wearing the masks, and all but a few humans would truly know of their reptilian nature. Since they're supposed to be more or less human, the Visitors would have to periodically "age" their human masks. Therefore, a Jane Badler in her 40s could still play Diana, and we could have a 70 year old John.

As for the casting in general, some have said that the original stars are too old to carry a series in this day and age. That may be true, but I'd say if they got the four "biggies" back, (Donovan, Julie, Willie and Diana), and supplanted them with younger stars in newer roles, the show would be fine. We could definitely see a version of Elizabeth, who would now be twenty. We could introduce a lot of human characters who were born after the Visitors first landed,and who have lived with their presence all their lives, not knowing any better. Mike and Julie could be seen as sort of the gurus of the Resistance; perhaps not taking an active part in any espionage-type missions, (or perhaps they do!) As for Diana...what do we really know about her, based on the first mini? Not much, except that she's driven and not very nice. Her relationship with the Leader may have taken a better turn. Her scientific mind may have kept him in power all these years, therefore, he lets her keep her position on Earth, so she can carry out all those nasty experiments.

As for the storyline...who knows? I can't tell what direction KJ will take it, but judging by the several news articles I saw on Monday, I'd say he'd be getting farther away from Nazi allegory and into a more current fascist allegory. He may comment on the fact that in America, corporate consolidations make for less competition, less choice and less bargaining power i.e., you HAVE to buy your pantyhose at Wal-Mart, because Wal-Mart put K-Mart out of business! A frivolous example, but a scary one, if you take it to a speculative fiction-type extreme. What if there was only one internet provider? Or television network? You'd be forced to buy, see, and do what the powers-that-be offer you. What if there were only one political party? You'd have one candidate to vote for. If you didn't like it, you'd hardly be able to get the media to help express your views because you'd in essence, be speaking against them. There'd be a great gulf between rich and poor. No middle class at all, and therefore, no balance in society. Some of this stuff is actually happening in the U.S. today--it's not fantasy. Some of the things that your grandparents did would be impossible for you. For instance, could you open a little store somewhere? Not if there's a Wal-Mart in town. Could you start your own magazine? Not unless you work for Time-Warner. It seems silly, but as the big guys get bigger, they take human initiative and drive away from the little guys, who feel disenfranchised and more obedient, bowing to the boss and scrubbing toilets for a living. Getting back to "V," this sort of financial psychology could lead to stories about how the Visitors keep in control.

Or, KJ could take allegory from current world events, the exposure of Saddam Hussein's regime, how he took power, how he killed his dissidents and clamped down on his own society, stole supplies from foreign aid workers and generally behaved like a very bad boy. KJ could do stories of the Resistance being viewed as terrorists, (they DO go around blowing things up, after all). And of course, in this instance, the Visitors could always portray themselves as the innocent victims of these "terrorist" attacks, thereby gaining more sympathy for themselves, as the Resistance continually shoots itself in the foot. That's why all this sort of storyline can go on for 20 years...although I dare not take sides, look at the Gaza Strip conflict...endless. Who's right? Who's wrong. The public doesn't know. But in the world of "V" such confusion wouldn't exist on a wide scale because, again, they control the media and tell you what to think.

Originally posted by Wizdar
I don’t know. It would be an interesting concept, ignoring the 2nd mini and the entire series. I would be interested to see how that would be explained.

I wonder if anybody would have the cohones (or trust?) to tell fans, “Hey, work with me here. I’m gonna give you something you’ve always wanted, but you’re just going to have to understand how things will work…” As a fan (of, maybe anything), I would highly respect that type of novel approach.

Originally posted by Wizdar
Hey, if you don’t have the talking shuttlecraft ornament, you’re simply not a collector.

Originally posted by dstrauss
I don't wanna forget the second miniseries, though, since as a 13 year old I was *profoundly* affected by the scenes of Faye Grant in a tight bodysuit in the "conversion chamber."

Originally posted by djbrown
Oh yeah, forgot the books. STill have the complete run, which is about 20 books if memory serves.

Originally posted by dstrauss
... since as a 13 year old I was *profoundly* affected by the scenes of Faye Grant in a tight bodysuit in the "conversion chamber."...

Originally posted by Spooky
I'm also guessing that we'll see plenty of new characters, including perhaps a 30-something Sean Donavan (hey Kenny...I'M in my 30's!).

Originally posted by djbrown
Oh yeah, forgot the books. STill have the complete run, which is about 20 books if memory serves.