Science Fiction Trivia

[NigelJK]

Gizmo in Gremlins.

[Disembodied]

Gizmo in Gremlins.

Oh, there's a poser … are mogwai "alien"? Is Gizmo "non-sapient"? What the hell, we'll stretch the point: mogwai undoubtedly do not conform to Earthly biology, and it took scientific intervention to produce a really smart gremlin in the second movie. That makes five.

NigelJK wins this round, and gets to set the next question!

[Commander_X]

<taps the microphone>
Is this thing still on?

[RockDoctor]

<taps the microphone>
Is this thing still on?

No?
Does NigelJK understand the poisonous nature of the chalice he has so eagerly brought upon himself?
Will there be a wailing and a gnashing of teeth?
Find out in this week's episode of SOAP!

[RockDoctor]

OK, since we have a resounding silence, I'll start the Anaconda rolling again by looking for five soap operas (fairly long term repeating situation comedy or drama) which have had a SF plot line, but isn't set wholly in an SF universe.
For example, "Soap" (mentioned in my previous posting) which ran for about 5 seasons in the late 70s/ early 80s, had a "Burt kidnapped by aliens" thread running for a couple of seasons. Hitchhiker's Guide, on the other hand, though definitely soapy in parts, is really just straight SF.

There's your marker. Usual rules of one entry per universe (soap series in this case) and ... whatever the other usual rules were.

[Disembodied]

OK … would Mork and Mindy count?

[RockDoctor]

OK … would Mork and Mindy count?

I was thinking about that as I made up the question.
From what I remember, it's mostly about Mork learning about Life on Earth(tm) with a light dusting of SF to provide a weird PoV, so I decided to accept it.

Personally, I could never get "into" M&M, due to a recurring desire to beat Mork to death with the soggy end of his ripped-off leg, so my knowledge of it is pretty scant.

Strike ONE to Dieembodied. Four to go.

[spud42]

My Favorite Martian..... https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056775/

[RockDoctor]

My Favorite Martian..... https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056775/

Well, that one is complete news to me. But it appears to fit the bill.
And an MBP, for one I hadn't ever heard of before. I've got to increase the award rate of MBPs, lest they become MMBPs (Meaningful MBPs).

The synopsis reminds me of "I Dream of Jeannie", but Martians instead of Islamic demons. And probably worse costuming.

Strike TWO to Spud, and three to go.

[ffutures]

Third Rock From The Sun - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3rd_Rock_from_the_Sun

While the characters are aliens studying Earth, the plots are often more mundane

[RockDoctor]

Third Rock From The Sun - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3rd_Rock_from_the_Sun

While the characters are aliens studying Earth, the plots are often more mundane

Sounds good for strike THREE, two to go, and a meaningless bonus point for a programme I turned away from three minutes into my first serving of and have never returned too. Definitely got a lot of soap in there.

[spud42]

how does V stack up in your question???

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1307824/

[ffutures]

OK, there's a juvenile series that might qualify - the Secret World of Alex Mack (1994-1998) is set in a small California town where a chemical factory is developing a diet drug that later turns out to cause superpowers. The heroine is accidentally drenched in the stuff, acquiring telekinesis, morphing (into a sort of silvery blob) and other powers. While that's the main plot of the show, it's also a family life soap opera of sorts, with the heroine trying to live a normal life and hide her powers from family and the authorities, especially the owner of the chemical factory.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secre ... _Alex_Mack

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o4WznlHbuE

[RockDoctor]

how does V stack up in your question???

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1307824/

From what I remember of it, (not a lot - it didn't appeal to me) it's pretty much straight SF, not a soap with a thin veneer of SF, so no, I don't think so.

[RockDoctor]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secre ... _Alex_Mack

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o4WznlHbuE

Again, that sounds as if the SF aspects are central to the plot, not a minor add-on, so I'd say no.