As Hibberd (p. 29) argues of Next Generation, ôThe impact of the Next Generation cannot be underplayed. It was a breakthrough-the dominant program for many years in syndication: It was the beginning of what became an important industry.ö Though tailored to a different era and its values and beliefs, the original Star Trek series was also a groundbreaking science fiction television series. This is true not only in terms of special effects but its willingness to tackle social issues like interracial relationships and racism. As Lileks (p. 52) notes of the showÆs impact on the era, it was ôthe TV equivalent of a lunch counter sit-in.ö
There are a number of textual and contextual aspects of these four science fiction television series that are responsible for helping push such shows from cult status to mainstream top hits in American culture. Chief among these is one overriding similarity among all four û a purpose that seems to drive each of the series to portray experiences, themes, and beliefs that are aimed at redeeming humankind and society. There is ample evidence in the literature for this thesis that a common theme of redeeming culture runs through all four of these series. As to The Twilight Zone, Mary Grayson (p. 9) maintains that Rod Serling, creator and writer of the series, represented a ômoralistic writer who used unusual plots laced with megadoses of irony to make pointed comments about humankind. He seemed interested in, sometimes amused by, and frequently disgusted by human nature.ö
In The National Catholic Reporter, John Allen, Jr. is more direct in his assessment of the purpose behind the creation of The X-Files and the reason for its popularity. As Allen, Jr. (p. 21) maintains of the appeal of the show featuring government conspiracies, explorations of the paranormal, and a heavy dose of religious themes, ôThe X-Files-FoxÆs drama about two FBI agents tracking down reports of UFOs and paranormal ...