[X] My Assistant

[catman]

A few years ago I saw a great great show that theorized an unmanned interstellar trip to the nearest star.

A probe was sent there with images sent back of the local ecosystems. The show creators detailed a systems of predators and prey that might/could evolve. It was absolutely amazing the animals, flora/fauna if they could be called such, that was depicted.

Has anyone seen this show and if so could they give me a name so I can search for a DVD. I don't even know what cable channel produced the show.

alan

[dvandorn]

Exactly -- there is a difference between making documentaries (fictional or otherwise) and making dramatic presentations.

Drama requires, well -- drama. There must be a hero and an antagonist, at least in structure. There must be danger, and resolution.

Telling the story of a mission where the probes stay well away from danger and learn less would be, well... boring. From the point of view of a dramatist, anyway.

Why do you think the writers of Apollo 13 introduced all sorts of antagonism amongst the crew that never, ever occurred? Because they wanted to heighten the drama. Now, as far as I'm concerned, some stories, like those of Mercury, Gemini and Apollo, really don't need to have their tension and drama heightened artificially, as is demonstrated by the incredibly well-done writing on the HBO mini-series "From the Earth to the Moon." However, it takes a real tour-de-force to bring out the subtle drama in real-life events. You can't expect your run-of-the-mill Discovery Channel knock-off to put that much effort into the script -- they rely solely on flashy special effects to satisfy their niche audience.

Sigh.

-the other Doug