The Best of All Possible Fandoms
There are fandoms that are a threat, and fandoms that aren’t. When someone (namely, Seema) gets interested in X-Men or JAG fandom, I don’t worry. On the other hand, when someone (namely Jerie) gets into SG-1, I know I’ll never see that fan again.
Least threatening of all are the TV dramas and comedies like JAG or Friends. West Wing was the biggest thing there, and it seems to have come and gone. The appeal of real life is clearly dwarfed by the appeal of…dwarves. For me, a show needs the element of the surreal to hold my interest, and that seems to hold across fandom.
Fandoms based on a couple of movies combined with books or comic books (Harry Potter, LotR, X-Men), while huge, don’t scare me. I don’t see myself being tempted by that kind of fixed canon, and so I don’t worry that my favorite writers will be lured away. Maybe they will be anyway, but how long can it last? The difference between a fix every week and a fix every year is too great. Note that there is no second tier of fandoms here - other movie or book-based fandoms are either too to notice or short-lived fads.
What pushes a fandom over the edge into greatness? I think it takes a long-running TV series (or series of series) that’s about science fiction or the fantastic. So the big fandoms are Star Trek, X-Files and Buffy, with Stargate and Smallville the new contenders. They have both allure and staying power.
I’m even afraid I’ll end up in SG-1 fandom.
July 27th, 2003 at 2:09 pm
Interesting thoughts, Jemima. There is something to be said for the fantastic that causes the imagination to go into overdrive. Trek used to do this for me, but since “Endgame,” it just doesn’t do it for me anymore. Is it overkill? Is it a lack of trust of the Trek PTB? or is it the characters that just haven’t made me want to know them? Don’t know. Probably all of the above…and more.
What I do know is that “Stargate” has taken the fantastic and made it interesting to me again. SG-1’s PTB write with humor, snarkiness, and consistancy. They tell stories that make me laugh, cry, and think. They make me ask the “What if…?” questions that I don’t ask with other shows.
I like “JAG” alot. I like to watch it, but once the case is solved, there’s no more ‘what if’s’. I don’t go looking for fanfic to answer my questions, because I don’t have them.
Stargate just became SciFi’s highest rated show EVER. I wonder if it would have been more popular earlier if it had not spent the first 5 seasons on Showtime. I remember liking it when it came out, but syndication never gave it a definite time slot and I just didn’t get into it until I could get constant doses of it on Sci Fi. They just signed for an 8th Season and Season 7 isn’t half over. I think it may be on a while longer. I hope so.
And about you ending up in SG-1 fandom? Nothing would please me more. If that time comes and you need a fic or filk betaed, look me up. ;)
July 27th, 2003 at 9:50 pm
Lately I’ve been trying to get back into Voyager, but I think the thrill has finally gone. Part of the problem is not seeing the show regularly (or at all). I can’t get the characters and tone down without regular doses of show, and faded memories of Season Seven just aren’t cutting it anymore.
And I wrote a lot. I’d dare say no one has filked as much VOY filk as I have - eventually the well has to run dry. I let it go too long because I was busy, but I also never expected to recover from “Endgame” - not on the J/C level but simply because canon became closed.
I’m trying to write some TOS, but for me TOS is ficcable only in a restricted way - I’m really excited about Khan, but the other characters don’t move me. Though it’s great for filk, TOS was never strong on character. There is no Tom Paris, no convenient point of entry to the cast. Tom made Voyager ficcable for me, even though I built my personal fanon on Seven of Nine.
So yes, I think I need SG-1 in my fan life, but that means I need a DVD player and some DVDs, or to convince Veronica that she wants to replace Buffy night with Stargate night. (She’s the one with cable.)
I guess I could start by reading some of the fic. Recommendations, anyone?
July 28th, 2003 at 12:37 pm
Ah, Khaaaaaaaaaaaaan! There’s only so much you can do with him without setting up an AU on the planet and creating his world. This can get limiting.
Monday nights on SciFi are still showing 4 hours of old Stargate. Currently they are in Season 4 with 2 of my favorite eps being shown tonight at 7 and 8. Deanna Troi makes an appearance at 9. Hopefully they will continue to show Seasons 1-4 when this run is over.
Friday at 9 and 11 is the current new ep. Season 7 ep 8 will be shown this Friday on SciFi.
As far a fanfic, a good place to start is the Stargate Fanfic Awards found here: http://www.sg1-awards.com/ They just recently closed for this year, but the nominated stories are all linked, plus the winners from the last 2 years are also linked.
They break down into gen, ship, and slash, so it’s easy to pick your cup of tea.
Some of my favorite gen authors are: Alli Snow, Seldear, and Denise. I’ve heard Doc is also good, but haven’t yet read hir stuff.
Fav ship authors are the 3 above plus Sally Reeve, Sue Corkill, and SuzVoy. I think your tastes may be different than mine, so that’s just a start. There are some good stories out there.
Have Fun!