Date: Wed, 5 Jun 1996 07:36:30 -0700
From: Ermes Ventisetti (monachus@xtreme4tag.it)
Subject: The death of Simmonds
Hello Alphans,
the Commisioner Simmonds is me unpleasant, I don't hide it.He is a
politician (in Italy,politicante is disparaging),and we could see
that his worry is not the life of the Alphans,but the political
tangles.In "The Breakway",he tells:"We could not abdicate to planet
Meta:no news on the real situation of Alpha must arrive to the
International Commission that decides the financings for the
spatial mission".The problem of the death of the Alphans for Simmonds is
insignificant!The Doctor Helene Russell for Simmonds
doesn't understand nothing.In conclusion:a detestable person!
(incidentally:the his hair and the his clothes are ridiculous.He
seems a man of the past century!). And yet,notwithstanding all this,the
death of Simmonds is cruel,terrible. In "Earthbound"
the last minutes of life of the Commissioner are an incubus.The bed
where the Aliens stay like dead,for Simmonds is a real tomb.
I have thought that maybe,in the reality,some persons have died like
Simmonds:my grandmother spoke me about these things
and I had a terrible fear:THE DEATH OF THE BURIED ALIVE!
The episode has done me to reflect: Gerry and Sylvia Anderson detests the
politicians? We must remember that behind to the
stories and to the characters are the real authors.The unconscious
becomes conscious.Also the science fiction could be an
occasion for wreak the secret frustrations and hatreds.
Take care
Ermes Ventisetti
Astronomer of the Moonbase Alpha
Livorno -Toscana- ITALY
Date: Wed, 5 Jun 1996 08:32:26 -0700
From: Michael Jerry Decker (mdecker@mail.orion4tag.org)
Subject: Death of Simmonds
You know, Ermes is right about the way Simmonds dies. I, of course,
thought being locked up in a glass case only to eventually die because of
the lack of air (I assume it was air-tight) was a rather horrible way to
go. I never made the connection about being buried alive. This makes the
guy's death even more horrific. I know you weren't supposed to like
Simmonds, but what a way to go. I suppose that if this episode were to be
made today we would have to drop the sequence of the Alphans listening to
Simmonds screaming for help. Either that, or you would have to air it
later in the evening when all the kiddies were in bed. This just goes to
prove that Space: 1999 did have some really well written episodes. Yeah,
I'd like to see Earthbound done up a la the overly P.C. ST:TNG. Then
again....no. Why ruin it?
Michael
Date: Wed, 5 Jun 1996 09:47:29 -0700
From: jsullivan@internet.kronos4tag.com
Subject: Re: Death of Simmonds
I always thought that Simmonds' death, though terrible, was offset by
the ironic quality of the storyline.
A quick synopsis of events: Aliens heading towards Earth find (with
the help of Helena) that they have room for one Alphan to go with
them. Simmonds is positive that he should be the one to go back to
Earth. He runs amok towards the end and forces his way onboard the
ship. The aliens offer to prep him for the hyperspace sleep, he
refuses and forces them to 'go under' first without preparing his
body. Then awakes screaming for help but Alpha is too far away to
reach him. At the very end, John asks the computer who it would have
chosen and it turns out to be Simmonds.
This story definitely made me think twice about Simmonds. He was a
flawed character. First, he lacked confidence/faith that he was the
best choice to be selected to go back to Earth. Second, he was
cowardly, for in his panic he fought his way onboard a one-way ticket
to a painful and terrifying death.
Had Simmonds only held tighter to the belief that he was the one to be
picked, the story wouldn't have ended the same or been ironic, at all.
Just my two cents. Opinions?
- Jim -
Date: Wed, 5 Jun 1996 10:30:49 -0700
From: Patricia Sokol (sokolp@war.wyeth4tag.com)
Subject: Re: Death of Simmonds -Reply
He was definately a coward. You could hear desperation in his voice
when telling Koenig that he should be the one going back to Earth.
Very smooth and low-key about it, but desperate nonetheless.
Though I'm not sure it could be classified as irony, I was amused by
the fact that the captain (Zantor? Can't recall for sure...) KNEW
what would happen if the chamber was not set to accomodate a
different occupant, yet he kept his mouth shut. It was his own brand
of justice and punishment for Simmonds' act of threatening the lives
of the Alphans.
-PTS
Date: Wed, 5 Jun 1996 10:58:01 -0700
From: atomicpossum@usa.pipe44line.com (Mr. Wonderful)
Subject: Re: Death of Simmonds -Reply
Actually, Zantor referred to Simmonds as 'diseased.' He probably
thought it was the safest way to rid themselves of the 'unclean' Simmonds,
in a way that no innocent would be hurt...
--
Jon "Mr. Wonderful" Stadter
----------
http://sf.www.lysator.liu.se/sf_archive/sf-texts/art/artists/Jon_Stadter.html
Date: Wed, 5 Jun 1996 22:36:05 -0700
From: Edward Lotter (lotter@loop4tag.com)
Subject: RE: The death of Simmonds
Yes, Simmonds was indeed a nasty piece of work. It is a credit
to Roy Dotrice's acting ability that he could portray someone
so annoying and horrible in 1999 and someone so wonderful in
Beauty and the Beast.
> And yet,notwithstanding all this,the
> death of Simmonds is cruel,terrible. In "Earthbound"
I agree. Death by suffocation must be terrible. I find myself
gasping for air when I watch his final scene. The phrase "wouldn't
wish it on my worst enemy" comes to mind.
Cheers
Eddie
Date: Wed, 5 Jun 1996 22:52:29 -0700
From: "Gina L. Prosch" (glprosch@cs1.presby4tag.edu)
Subject: RE: The death of Simmonds
And even if the chamber isn't air-tight, can you imagine living inside
that box until you died of thirst or starvation?
After reading a previous posting (Ronald's?) re: the stun gun being left
out I began thinking about what Simmons might have done had he kept his
gun and been able to escape the chamber. He'd still be inside an alien
ship without food or water...or air? Remember at the beginning of
Earthbound Alpha pumped air into the Caldorian's ship and controlled the
gravity too.
If he did have air, he'd probably try to wake the aliens up, fiddle with
the controls, and end up sending the ship into a star or something.
Richie
Date: Wed, 5 Jun 1996 23:29:14 -0700
From: Sfcafeguy@aol4tag.com
Subject: Re: The death of Simmonds
Are we talking about Commissioner Simmonds here or Dr. Smith from Lost in
Space? :)
Date: Wed, 5 Jun 1996 23:13:27 -0700 [4444]
From: Sfcafeguy@aol4tag.com
Subject: Re: The death of Simmonds
Isn't that funny. I never thought of Simmonds' death as being relatively
quick by suffocation. I always thought he was just trapped in the box
without end, wasting away, starving to death, SLOWLY, with a lot of time to
reflect on his wickedness over a long period of time before finally losing
consciousness and ultimately dying. A worse way to die, wouldn't you agree?
I love this episode for it's ironic, almost Twilight Zone-like ending.
Robert
PS:
What do you guys think of an episode or fan fiction piece in which Simmonds
surprises everyone by returning to the base with a score to settle after, we
learn later, being intercepted and rescued at death's door by a symbiant life
form who now shares his body? Any takers? What if the symbiant Simmonds
returns to the base because it knows Simmonds' body will burn out eventually
and it wants to buy time by inhabiting one Alphan after another (and burning
them each out in turn) until it can find a more permanent host (Maya perhaps
[made possible by her Psychon physiology]). It has possibilities I think.
Any thoughts?
Date: Thu, 6 Jun 1996 08:55:28 -0700
From: "Gina L. Prosch" (glprosch@cs1.presby4tag.edu)
Subject: Re: The death of Simmonds
> I love this episode for it's ironic, almost Twilight Zone-like ending.
Me too. I remembered only two things about Earthbound since seeing it as a
child --the bright alien costumes and Helena with a doughnut of light
around her face (hmmmm--a "doughnut" of light --guess you can tell I woke
late and am just now brewing the coffee), but was really plesantly
surprised by the ending, especially the Alpha crew listening in, and
Koenig letting us know that Simmonds was Computer's choice.
The irony of the ending reminded me of the TZ episode where Burgis
Merideth (I think?) was this cantankerous old man who only wanted to read
and be left alone, so when the atomic war comes, he's left by himself in a
library --which suits him except he breaks his glasses.
> What do you guys think of an episode or fan fiction piece in which Simmonds
> surprises everyone by returning to the base with a score to settle after, we
I'd love to give it a shot --but wouldn't be able to get to it right away
(say for a few weeks or so).
It befits Simmonds that his salvation would be worse than his established
fate, though perhaps he'd somehow get a chance at redemption (like
sacrificing himself for Alpha or something at the new tale's end). I
wouldn't want to see Zantor or his crew hurt by the symbiant "invader."
This is a problem in that I don't think they'd turn their ship around, and
I don't think there was any kind of shuttle available. Thoughts?
Richie
Date: Thu, 6 Jun 1996 08:58:08 -0700
From: Sfcafeguy@aol4tag.com
Subject: Re: The death of Simmonds
Hi Richie:
I've been toying with the idea, and I'm thinking the simbiant creature is
being pursued and currently has a host who is nearing the end of its capacity
to support life. The host also has it's own ship, so Zantor's crew doesn't
necessarily have to be affected (the thing doesn't want to leave evidence for
its pursuers so it lets the Caldorian ship continue on toward Earth after
rescuing/abducting Simmonds).
So the next big problem. Why Alpha, which must be halfway across the
universe by now? (Especially if Maya is in the story.) Why not something
closer. Answer: This thing is eventually hunted wherever it goes, and
Alpha, being a closed population with limited resources to defend itself, and
also calculated as drifing toward a destination the symbiant finds
desireable, is the perfect place for it to sustain itself until it reaches
the destination (it will take years, but the thing has the entire population
of Alpha to use as hosts, one after the other, until the time when it can
leave the moon for its final destination). And maybe it's like a salmon that
swims upstream to its place of origin to mate so the tension is intensified
because if it succeeds there will be even more of these beings in the
universe.
So why can't it just take it's original host's body and fly its ship to Alpha
or the final destination? When it detects Simmonds' faint life signs it's
desperate. The body is burning out and almost incapable of supporting life
any longer. The creature doesn't know about Alpha until it melds with
Simmonds, but it recognizes the opportunity right away. Simmonds, in his
current depleted, half-dead state isn't an ideal host but he'll do.
So how come it can't just take Simmonds' body and fly directly to the
destination? Again, it's being pursued. The plan is to fly to Alpha, be
accepted back into the fold (as Simmonds), and convince the Alphans that the
ship he/it was using presents a danger, thereby getting them to send it
hurtling into the nearest star, destroying the evidence trail for the
symbiant's pursuers, then waiting to strike. Simmonds' body will last
months, and the pattern of deaths as the simbiant leaves one body for another
wouldn't even necessarily become obvious that there was something out of the
ordinary going on for a year or more -- unless the simbiant being does
something to trip itself up, which of course it will to speed up the action.
And then the fun begins. Picture Alien but with a black, jelly-like,
ominously slow and deadly silent creature inhabiting its host's body.
I'm also envisioning a kind of interplay of character drives between the host
and symbiant -- a part of Simmonds still exists on some level imprisoned in
his own body.
Hey, if you hate it, it's just some ideas I'm kicking around and all of them
before morning coffee!
Robert
Date: Thu, 6 Jun 1996 08:52:15 -0700
From: HNoll@t-online4tag.de
> Actually, Zantor referred to Simmonds as 'diseased.' He probably
> thought it was the safest way to rid themselves of the 'unclean' Simmonds,
> in a way that no innocent would be hurt...
Hello !
Has anyone thought what would be happening if Zantor arrives at earth with
the body of a human politician on board ?
He would have a lot of trouble to explain why he's dead.
Horst
Date: Thu, 6 Jun 1996 11:13:25 -0700
From: Michael Jerry Decker (mdecker@mail.orion4tag.org)
I don't think that the aliens would be in trouble so much for bringing
back a dead Simmonds. They would be in trouble for bringing him back at all!
Just when you think you get rid of a guy......
Michael
Date: Thu, 6 Jun 1996 12:57:30 -0700
From: HNoll@t-online4tag.de (Horst Noll)
In this case they not only wouldn't be in trouble but would probably be honored.
But I think not all politicians are so bad ?!? :)
Horst
Date: Thu, 6 Jun 1996 14:57:49 -0700
From: NO KILL I (boomershine@ACAVAX.LYNCHBURG4tag.EDU)
Subject: Simmonds, "Alien Attack", and Yasko's disappearance
[EDITOR'S NOTE: Relevant part only]
My two cents... short and sweet.
Horst, I think the people of Earth would be in awe of the Caldorians when they
finally arrive with the mummified remains of a former Earth bureaucrat inside a
glass box. They could turn the Caldorian ship into "Simmonds' Tomb", and
entrepreneurs could make a fortune charging admission to see the remains "of
one of the corporate boneheads who caused the Moon to blast out of orbit."
Date: Thu, 6 Jun 1996 08:52:40 -0700
From: Ronald Dudley (dudleyrd@expert.cc.purdue4tag.edu)
Subjects: Simmonds' Death, and Zantor's Mate.
First, remember than when Koenig broke into the Caldorian sleeper ship,
the internal environment had zero atmosphere, and no artificial gravity
aside that of the Moon on which the ship had landed. (This would conserve
energy, and reduce stress on the ship's structure.)
When Simmonds woke up, shouldn't he have been floating around in 0 gravity?
And shouting at Zantor was doubly futile, because not only was
Zantor asleep, but there would have been no atmosphere in between
the sleeper chambers to transmit the noise!
The writers had Simmonds do a really stupid thing when he put his
stun gun down on something OUTSIDE the chamber, just before he got into it.
A fitting alternate ending would have been for the weakened, gasping
Simmonds, in a very fogged-up chamber, to reach for his stun gun, and
try to blast his way out, only to have the beam bounce off the walls and
vaporize him, just like the chamber's previous occupant.
And what was the Caldorians' strategy for the survival of their race?
6 specimens is hardly a diverse gene pool, and eventually the adverse
effects of inbreeding would have done them in. The Darians had a better
strategy, in that they were transporting a large population, but they
were done in by the flaw of putting all their eggs in one basket, albeit,
a very large basket. At least Zantor's people had the wisdom to send
numerous ships to different destinations. Since Helena said that Zantor
was "sufficiently human", I suppose that racial differences didn't matter,
and that the Caldorians' ultimate strategy was to preserve their culture,
not their racial purity. If this required partial assimilation of Earth-natives
into the little (immigrant) colony that they sought to create on Earth,
then they must have thought "so be it".
Second, just who did Helena kill in her botched attempt to open the chamber?
Zantor told Helena that her "beauty would be greatly enhanced by
suspended animation." Aside from this being the usual flattery/sucking-up-to
former model Barbara Bain, was Zantor comming on to her? (The most
extreme example of sucking up to BB being when the Darians declare
her to have a "perfect body").
Wacky Theory of the Month: Helena had killed Zantor's mate, and Zantor
was either: (1) courting Helena as a replacement, or (2) luring Helena
into a deathtrap as revenge. The latter is too uncharacteristic
of the otherwise peaceful Zantor, but the former could have been very
interesting. With 6 Caldorians, 3 of each gender,
(I have trouble telling them apart, and they didn't say
otherwise did they? that Zantor was polygamous and had 5 wives?! Or that
Zantor and another Caldorian male were travelling with 2 wives each?)
Helena had to have killed someone's mate. Why not Zantor's? It would
show that Zantor's invitation to Helena was either (1) very forgiving
or (2) very treacherous. However, Zantor's possible courting of
Helena was never explored.
Sadly, this was a missed opportunity to add some dimension to the characters.
Instead, Simmonds steals the show. Several female aliens desired Koenig
(Vana in "Missing Link", Eliza in "Devil's Planet", A in "AB Crysalis")
but who in the entire series desired Helena? The examples that come to
mind were either bizzare (Zarl the dancing android in "One Moment of Humanity")
or were under the influence of an outside force (Tony in "New Adam New Eve").
Even Maya was desired by Taybor, but Helena seems to have been
relatively unwanted, aside from Koenig. Did Barbara Bain request that
the writers make Helena a 1-man woman? (The 1-man being Koenig, not
her husband Lee, with whom she shared little affection). Was BB tired of
flirting like she always did on Mission:Impossible? It's a real imbalance
that Koenig seems to be an outer-space stud over whom alien women would
die and kill for, yet Helena attracts only the disingenuous/false desire of
Zarl, Tony, and a little flattery from the likes of Taybor.
At least she wasn't fought over by cavemen, like Sandra.
Ronald
Date: Thu, 6 Jun 1996 09:32:26 -0700
From: "Ellen Lindow (LIS)" (lindow@luna.cas.usf4tag.edu)
Subject: Re: The death of Simmonds
> What do you guys think of an episode or fan fiction piece in which Simmonds
> surprises everyone by returning to the base with a score to settle after, we
My idea, not written down yet, was to give the Alphans a ship that had the
capability to use those Space Warps to travel through Space and Time, then
have them try to decide whether they should go back and rescue Simmonds
after they were out of range of Alpha. Knowing they had a choice to
prevent his certain death, could they refuse to go back and get him just
because they really didn't like him? And Zantor's people were cool, the
Alphans could use them on a new world or an expanded Alpha, but they'd
have to put up with Simmonds return too. By condemning Simmonds they
could then be condemning Zantor and his entire race. Hard choices there.
And how would Simmonds feel about his rescuers?
Date: Thu, 6 Jun 1996 11:36:50 -0700
From: David Weis (dweis@indiana4tag.edu)
> And what was the Caldorians' strategy for the survival of their race?
> 6 specimens is hardly a diverse gene pool, and eventually the adverse
> effects of inbreeding would have done them in.
Even here on Earth, there are populations of animals that are naturally
inbreeding, one being coyotes if I remember correctly. In these species,
congenital diseases and such arise when the animals outbreed. Such could
be the case with Zantor's people as well. Although a lack of diversity
(shallow gene pool) could still be a problem.
Date: Thu, 6 Jun 1996 18:36:34 -0700
From: Petiepry@aol4tag.com
Subject: not a way to go
OK, Ok, everyone is saying what an awful death for Simmonds-to suffocate. I
think you would starve too death which is a much worse death in my opinion.
Yuck.
Speaking of death, someone mentioned the number of people who died (Alphans).
I think the number must be much larger as someone is always kicking the
bucket so to speak.
Date: Thu, 6 Jun 1996 19:38:15 -0700
From: Edward Lotter (lotter@loop4tag.com)
> When Simmonds woke up, shouldn't he have been floating around in 0 gravity?
I think the ship was still accelerating at that stage so he
would experience the same effect as gravity.
> And shouting at Zantor was doubly futile, because not only was
> Zantor asleep, but there would have been no atmosphere in between
> the sleeper chambers to transmit the noise!
Simmonds was more dazed and confused (than usual) at this
particular moment, so I would say it is in keeping with his
character. :)
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 1996 05:29:03 -0700
From: Patricia Sokol (sokolp@war.wyeth4tag.com)
Subject: More on Simmonds' Demise
Some thoughts...
If the bodies are held in stasis, would there be any need for oxygen
in the chambers? He might therefore suffocate before anything else.
Also, if there is air, he probably wouldn't starve to death, but
rather die from dehydration. I think four days or so is the limit
for going without water before things like kidney damage and cardiac
arrhythmias set in (Marcy?). Regardless, the psychological torture
that Simmonds experiences reminds me of the Edgar Allan Poe story, "A
Cask of Amontillado."
For the blooper du jour, the alien sitting up in the background when
Simmonds' is throwing his fit is obvious, but has anyone ever noticed
that the fellow in the cubicle to his immediate right also turns his
head to watch? Must have been an interesting scene to film if the
others are so eager to see what's going on.
With respect to the return of Simmonds following his rescue by a
marauding symbiont, it sounds like a great plot for a story. Alpha
couldn't have gone too far in the period of time that the Caldorian
ship was traveling before he was rescued. The images/sounds of his
pleas for help would be fresh in their minds. He could even show up
with some quasi-plausible story about "space pirates' and how he
single-handedly fought them off, seizing their ship and then
realizing that he had to return to Alpha. Although the sentient
slime mold had taken him over, he'd still be unstable due to his
brush with a horrible death. Enter Alpha's own psychopath. What're
they gonna do with him? Lock him up? Welcome him back? Great
potential for factional infighting as they try do decide.
TGIF, and hearty felicitations to Robert on this auspicious occasion.
Hope your new job does not interfere all your great contributions to
the list!!
-PTS.
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 1996 06:04:30 -0700
From: Ronald Dudley (dudleyrd@expert.cc.purdue4tag.edu)
> If the bodies are held in stasis, would there be any need for oxygen
> in the chambers?
Perhaps a chamber full of oxygen WAS part of the Stasis procedure?
Of course, the whole point of his death scene was to show that
Simmonds was NOT in statsis, so guessing what stasis was and was not
from Simmonds' actions is probably futile.
When I first read about the awakening aliens blooper, and looked for it,
I indeed first noticed that the Caldorian on the left turns its head, and only
on subsequent viewings, noticed that the Caldorian on the right sits up.
I would guess that they were getting up because the director had yelled
"cut", or they misheard Roy Dotrice's screaming, and thought that they
heard the word "cut". Either way, the film editor let the scene run
too long. Roy Dotrice's death frenzy does sort of divert your attention.
> With respect to the return of Simmonds following his rescue by a
> marauding symbiont, it sounds like a great plot for a story.
These fictions about bringing back Simmonds as some kind of simbiant
sound just too crazy! Let the poor dead guy rest. These schemes
sound as doomed as what's being tried in the upcommong "Alien 4",
in which Sigourney Weaver is brought back as a clone of the original
Ripley, possibly with super powers resulting from the mixing of
her DNA with that of the alien she gave birth to in "Alien 3".
Please respect the original story, and let its ending be just that,
the end. Lets not stoop to the level of lousy Soap Operas that "kill"
characters, only to bring them back later again, and again, and again.
If you need a fix of Simmonds, then how about instead making
up stories about what, if anything, he did between Breakaway
and Earthbound? Or before Breakaway?
Commissioner Simmonds, RIP
Ronald
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 1996 06:05:01 -0700
From: atomicpossum@usa.pipe44line.com (Mr. Wonderful) [Jon Stadter]
>Simmonds was more dazed and confused (than usual) at this
>particular moment, so I would say it is in keeping with his
>character. :)
Besides, wouldn't that have been REALLY boring? Simmonds realizes his
situation, realizes it is futile, and sits down to play rock/scissors/paper
with his reflection until the end comes. :)
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 1996 06:19:29 -0700
From: Ronald Dudley (dudleyrd@expert.cc.purdue4tag.edu)
Good one!
But not necessarily boring. Switching viewpoints would have added
a lot of artistry. In one viewpoint, the camera could have been
right inside the chamber with Roy Dotrice, as he is beating on the
(three) glass wall, and the viewer can hear his frenzied screams and the
thumps of his bloody fists on the glass. This could have alternated
with a camera view from within or just behind Zantor's chamber, in
dead silence. Something similar was used in "Aliens", when Ripley
and Newt are locked in the med lab isolation chamber with 2 face-huggers,
and the camera alternates between their shouts as heard from inside,
with their muffled thumping as heard from outside.
Date: Sun, 9 Jun 1996 10:27:00 -0700
From: agirton@accs4tag.net (Alan Girton)
Subject: RE: Simmonds demise
I have to agree with Ronald on that one. I think Simmonds' demise would have been a lot more interesting with the two-angle approach.
Just my .02
Alan
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 1996 06:45:36 -0700
From: Deborah Capuano (magneto@bcfreenet.seflin4tag.lib.fl.us)
Subject: Re: your mail
with all due respect Ronald I have to disagree with you on this one...I
always thought it was too bad that Simmonds didn't get more to do in the
series...now imageine if he'd been around for the events of Year Two? How
would he have reacted to Maya?
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 1996 12:01:24 -0700
From: Sfcafeguy@aol4tag.com
Subject: Simbiant Simmonds
>These fictions about bringing back Simmonds as some kind of simbiant
>sound just too crazy! Let the poor dead guy rest.
The beauty of this scheme, Ronald, is that I or somebody might write it and
NO ONE on the planet will EVER require you to read it or prevent you from
changing the channel, or force you to sit in a movie theater and watch it.
:)
I think it has distinct possibilities -- the basic premise itself, and the
ADDED value of injecting an established character into it AND someone the
Alphans actually know so that they (grudgingly) accept him back into the
fold. Beyond that I just find the whole theme of a simbiant life form to be
extremely interesting since it involves a duality and a coexistence of two
different entities or conflicting natures. Don't you find the idea of
someone trapped in their own body to be an interesting concept? Doesn't it
speak to you on a gut level in the age of AIDS?
I understand your resistance because I sometimes feel it myself and am
generally not into reading fan fiction because the characterizations are
often off or the story just isn't well written (list member-written fan
fiction excluded, of course!), and maybe just hearing the outline of this
story it sounds stupid, but one thing I've always been good at is
cinematically envisioning something in my mind, and there are moments in what
I'm envisioning for this story that even now strike me as EXTREMELY eerie.
So who knows. Maybe I'll just toy with it and maybe I'll actually write it
and it will be available in the Cyber Museum one day, but the one thing that
will NEVER happen is that anyone will force you to read it or accept it as
canon.
Cheerfully submitted,
Robert
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 1996 12:01:41 -0700
From: Sfcafeguy@aol4tag.com
Subject: Re: More on Simmonds' Demise
>For the blooper du jour, the alien sitting up in the background when
Aw damn! I noticed the one turning his head and have NEVER noticed the
"obvious" one! Probably because I can't take my eyes off Roy Dotrice -- he's
excellent and elevates the performances of everyone around him.
>With respect to the return of Simmonds following his rescue by a
>marauding symbiont, it sounds like a great plot for a story.
[....]
>Enter Alpha's own psychopath. What're
>they gonna do with him? Lock him up? Welcome him back? Great
>potential for factional infighting as they try do decide.
Thank you, Patricia! Niener, niener, niener, Ronald! :P Where is it
jotted down "If you write it they will bitch"?
I seem to remember some people jumped all over Marcy when she made her
intentions to post the technical notebook clear, and look at it now, it's the
whole Cyber Museum. Just bear with us here and reserve final judgment -- then
bitch.
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 1996 12:01:29 -0700
From: Sfcafeguy@aol4tag.com
Subject: OFF TOPIC: Alien 4
>in which Sigourney Weaver is brought back as a clone of the original
>Ripley, possibly with super powers resulting from the mixing of
>her DNA with that of the alien she gave birth to in "Alien 3".
How is this possible? That thing burst out of her chest and lived for only a
few seconds on its way into crashing into molten metal with Ripley.
Mother and child are doing fine? SSSSSSSSsssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.
And you hate my Simmonds idea?
Robert
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 1996 12:49:11 -0700
From: Amardeep_Chana@xn.xerox4tag.com (Chana,Amardeep)
Subject: Fan Fiction (was: Simbiant Simmonds)
>The beauty of this scheme, Ronald, is that I or somebody might write it and
>NO ONE on the planet will EVER require you to read it or prevent you from
>changing the channel, or force you to sit in a movie theater and watch it. :)
Yes, but the trouble is, being SPACE: 1999 I would probably read it and
enjoy it. Then the next time I watched "Earthbound" the agonizing
prelude to Simmon(d)s' death might not be the same. :)
Case in point, John Boomershine's recent SPACE: 1999 TNG (please don't
hit me!) story was wonderful. I enjoyed every minute of it, and was
laughing hysterically when reading about how many babies Maya was
having. great stuff!!! However, John converted my all time favorite
horrific entity, the Ultra Monster, into just a misbehaving member of
another species. I was dejected for days...
Have a great weekend everyone!
Amardeep
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 1996 13:50:02 -0700
From: Sfcafeguy@aol4tag.com
Subject: Re: Fan Fiction (was: Simbiant Simmonds)
>Yes, but the trouble is, being SPACE: 1999 I would probably read it and
> enjoy it. Then the next time I watched "Earthbound" the agonizing
> prelude to Simmon(d)s' death might not be the same. :)
Stuff like this never bothers me. Even within the series I consider "The
Rules of Luton" to be an "alternative universe" story from an alternative
Space: 1999 universe. Our Maya never had a time limitation before "The Rules
of Luton" and she never had one again after.
Simmonds perceived death wouldn't be affected for me in rewatching
"Earthbound" because even if he doesn't actually die he still suffers a
terrible episode, and the story I envision would pick him up again after
wasting away and being nearly at death's door -- just as bad as dying, to me
anyway.
I know what you mean, though. Scribe Boomershine can write and write about
the backstory of the "Iruhala," but that thing in "Dragon's Domain" is ALWAYS
going to be just a big, dumb, unthinking predatory animal to me. Doesn't
mean Boomer shouldn't write it the way he wants to though! I'll just
envision something else while I'm reading.
Robert
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 1996 20:13:22 -0700
From: "Gina L. Prosch" (glprosch@cs1.presby4tag.edu)
Subject: Re: Fan Fiction (was: Simbiant Simmonds)
I think there is a fine balance here that can be achieved. In a recent
mailing to Robert I mentioned NYPD Blue and the sub-plots therein. The
continuing elements never seem to affect an episode's main story, and
when in fact there in an out and out sequel to a previous episode, it
doesn't change the emotional punch of the original. It's an art that they
have usually mastered.
Not so IMO with Star Trek: TNG. Here is a perfect
example of what Amardeep is talking about. I've said it before--I just
can't watch reruns of those Klingon episodes, knowing how it all turns
out later with Kaylar (sp?) dead and Alexander pitter-pattering around
and Gowran, and etc. etc.
Richie
Date: Sat, 8 Jun 1996 09:39:00 -0700
From: Ronald Dudley (dudleyrd@expert.cc.purdue4tag.edu)
> How is this possible? That thing burst out of her chest and lived for only a
> few seconds on its way into crashing into molten metal with Ripley.
This is indeed what I read, at these internet sites:
http://www.islandnet.com/~corona/films/details/alien4.html.
http://found.cs.nyu.edu/michael/alien/resurrection.html
> And you hate my Simmonds idea?
Hate? That's a pretty strong term. More like: I dread how it sounds.
And I dread very much how Alien4 sounds, so your ideas are probably
worth a lot of money to the people in Hollywood who are going to spend
$20-100 Million making the dreadful-sounding Alien4. You probably have
a promi$ing future in making $equel$ in outer $pace.
I am not even sure that I hated Alien3. I only saw it once, and things
are better analyzed upon subsequent reviewings, after long times. That's
why I can concoct the stuff that I do about 1999. After seeing every
episode X times, and it sitting in my brain 20 years, I can come up
with odd associations between episodes, such as:
This thread triggered another called 'Bringing Back One-Shot Characters'