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Douglas Adams and the exterminated Doctor Who adventure

83 points · 108 comments · 6LLvveMx2koXfwn

  1. thinkingemote · · focus · HN ↗
    One thing with some modern sci-fi shows is that it's more of a message with a disguise of a story rather than a story with a disguised message.

    The writers justify the change by saying (correctly) that the message is important and that right now is the most important time to say the message. The message became more important than the vehicle that it travelled in so poor story writing is acceptable.

    It's like Christian rock music, it's okay and if you are Christian you might enjoy it both for the message and the music but if you just want good music you are likely not going to enjoy it as much as regular "secular" rock.

    But there's also rock music that everyone can enjoys which contains (not sure the word to describe it) non obvious but religious-adjacent themes.

    1. moate · · focus · HN ↗
      As someone with "Don't Panic" tattoo'd on my left forearm, and as I pointed out in another comment: Adams' Magnum Opus is in no avoiding its messaging, the politics/author's opinion is extremely clear.

      Can you give an example of the old, subtle (that's the word you were looking for, it's a subtle reference/theme) sci-fi show that was a "story with a disguised message" instead of the current "message with a disguised story"? I'm just trying to level set here.

      1. thinkingemote · · focus · HN ↗
        Adams is a good example of a story with a message. A message with a story is more like today's TV sci-fi.

        The way the message is being told has changed because the message is incredibly important.

        1. moate · · focus · HN ↗
          If you didn’t actually want to give examples you can just say “no”.

          As someone else pointed out: you’re complaining that some media is poorly written and other media is well written.

          There are past and current examples of overtly opinionated shows that people love and message-less media that nobody cared about.

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