Which Spin-Off would you prefer?
First, I’ll answer the original question:
JumpingJedi wrote:
quote:
Seen as they left it pretty open at the end as to which direction they could take Lexx, which Lexx Spin-Off would you like to see?
1) The adventures of Stan and Xev (and probably 790) aboard the mini-Lexx.2) The adventures of Prince, Priest and Bunny.
3) An Insect Wars prequel.
4) Kai in the Dead Zone. The adventures of Kai beyond Death.
I would prefer a combination of 1, 2, and 3. I would put our characters in the next cycle of time, and stick them in the middle of the Insect Wars.
Lexx has always been about putting our crew of misfits into a tense situation, and then seeing how they screw it up. [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
Season 1: Commanding the most powerful weapon in the two universes… look out!
Season 2: Destroying a universe.
Season 3: Destroying (perhaps) Heaven and Hell.
Season 4: Destroying our very own planet, Earth.
For Season 5, I would make our crew the wrench thrown into the works of the cycle of time. In a cycle where “we each live our lives again exactly as before,” the crew of the Lexx would be a lesson to the Time Prophet on chaos theory. [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
I would also have the crews of the Noah and Little Lexx interact in some way, or perhaps even merge. Prince, of course, could not be a regular crew member though. He is too evil. Perhaps I’d have him join the Insects.
Kai beyond death? With some other dude playing Kai? I cannot envision the viewers accepting anyone other than Michael playing Kai. It was tricky for Zev to turn into Xev after 4 movies and 2 episodes, but for another actor to play Kai after 4 seasons? I just can’t fathom it. Better to keep the character dead. btw, if Kai is truly dead, then he is in the Dream Zone. It’s Christopher Walken who’s in The Dead Zone. [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
quote[quote] Would you think the Spin-Off would be more suited to a series on TV or as a self contained 90 minutes film? And which style of Season would you like it to resemble the most (The Sci-Fi of Season 2, The more serious Season 3 or the Comedy Sci-Fi of Season 4)? [/quote]
I would do TV movies. It’s easier to get the ball rolling on a TV movie than on a series. It’s how Lexx got its start in the first place, it’s how Babylon 5 has managed to continue, and having the series begin and end with TV movies seems oddly symetrical.
As to tone, I love the epic style, laced with dark and shining bits of humor, that you find in what are commonly regarded as our most favorite Lexx episodes. Yo Way Yo is itself a fine example. I felt that episode struck the perfect balance of seriousness and off-kilter humor.
And, btw, among many other hats, Lexx definitely does wear the “epic” hat. Dictionary definition:
“A poetic, literary, or dramatic composition celebrating the feats of a legendary hero.”
I think Kai, Stan, Xev, and the Lexx itself all qualify as legendary heroes, to one degree or another.
An Insect Wars prequel was first dreamed up not by the fans, but by the Beans. They had planned to do a book all about the Insect Wars, but then later changed their minds.
Flamegrape wrote:
quote[quote] Look, if they did an Insect Wars prequel, that’s great! I’ll be glued to the tube every week. But it wouldn’t be the same show. [/quote]
It would be, if you stuck Stan, Xev, Prince, Priest, Bunny, and Little Lexx in the middle of it all, screwing up the normal course of the cycle of time, and occasionally turning the serious into the absurd. [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
Reveal7 wrote:
quote[quote] Xenia could show up for a couple of episodes which, in the last, she would be reduced to goo again and then a new actress could take her place. Just imagine all of the posts to this site comparing Zev, Xev, and ZXev. [/quote]
lol. Yeah, then later you could do a special episode called “The Three ZXevs,” where the XZev Lords allow the ZXevs to break the first law of XZev, so they can travel through time to help each other take on Omega, the renegade XZev Lord. [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
Now we’ll see if anyone knows what the hell I’m talking about.
Flamegrape wrote:
quote[quote] I’ll tell you exactly how so. If a writer has a good idea but ditches it because he thinks the fans wouldn’t like it, that’s bad. He’s not being true to himself. [/quote]
I don’t think it’s as simple as that. What is a “good” idea? Sometimes creators can be too close to their own material to know what is a good or bad idea. Like the cliche says, they can’t see the forest for the trees. And if those creators are powerful enough, there might not be anybody around with the balls to warn them otherwise. Or if there is, the creators might not listen, because they’re The Creators. Who does such-and-such think he is, to tell them their idea sucks?
Case 1: George Lucas
Exhibit A: Jar-Jar.
Exhibit B: N’Sync.Case 2: Sigourney Weaver
Exhibit A: Alien Cubed
Exhibit B: Alien ResurrectionTwo examples of powerful creative forces that have made their series great, but have also made mistakes that diminished their series to a degree, simply by being “true to themselves.”
Sometimes the fans are right. [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
quote[quote] To create a specific story on-demand is awful for a writer! It’s extremely difficult to pull off in a pleasing manner. [/quote]
Oh, I absolutely agree with you there!
quote[quote] Writers “discover” stories and are not dictated by legions of fans. [/quote]
I think there are at least a few more good stories in the Lexx universe still waiting to be discovered. However, I do think the Beans stopped at the right time. I think they were getting sillier and doing more parodies because they were running out of new ideas themselves. At the very least, they needed a break. They did the right thing.
Oh, almost forgot. That article (I think it’s from the June issue of Sci Fi Magazine) that JumpingJedi posted under “Flamegrape’s Ending Ideas.” When I saw that the first page of that article labeled our show as, “the outrageous comedy that is Lexx,” I have to admit I was miffed. To me, Lexx is so much more than a comedy. And after the 4th season, to see the whole series refered to as a comedy… well, it bothered me. [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] “Comedy” may be the best definition for Season 4, but I don’t think it’s even close to being the best true definition for the entire series. Especially after Yo Way Yo!
quote[quote] You don’t see people lobbying Stephen King for a specific book. [/quote]
People have been lobbying King for “The Dark Tower V” for, what, something like five years now. We’re finally going to get it in 2003. Incidentally, Michael McManus would be a wonderful choice to play Roland, the last Gunslinger, in the series. It’d be perfect for a TV miniseries too. [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
[ 06-05-2002: Message edited by: sgtdraino ]