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by Jerry Whorebach 10/08/2006, 2:39pm PDT |
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Think about it. Both are about serious real-world problems like a looming gang war or a planet of chicks with no men to do them being solved not by some studly alpha male like Captain Kirk or Quincy MD, but by a fantastical collective of scientists and technicians mistakenly given guns and authority.
Both are a nerd's fantasy come to life: a unisex crew of consummate professionals working together for the common good. No one ever makes a mistake without owning up to it, and any interpersonal disputes are resolved by episode's end with one or preferably both parties learning a valuable lesson. The collective is like a second family - any member can turn to his or her co-workers for the love and support usually provided by one's friends and lovers. Which is convenient, because no one on the team actually has any friends or lovers.
The non-threatening environment climaxes with their leader, a soft-spoken man of thought and introspection. This benevolent father-figure fills his ready room with all the trappings of academia - dead bugs, tropical fish, and a dog-eared library of classical literature, which he quotes with abandon.
The purity of courtly romance is another common theme. Love between co-workers which goes unrequited, not for any believable reason, but because such a thing might taint their perfect working relationship. All bets are off come the seventh season, though, when the writers start to run out of ideas and the audience start to run out of patience.
Plenty of other programs contain some or all of these elements. But the hour-long format, the purely story-driven nature, and the strict dichotomy of A and B plots in each episode - each solved either by miraculous technical breakthrough or by sudden comprehension arising from determined study - lead me to believe the similarities may be more than skin deep. |
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