If the head of a prestigious art museum decided that the only way to get more visitors was to appeal to the general masses, he might, in a truly sick/bizzaro world, take down the art of Picasso, Klee, El Greco, and da Vinci. In their place, he would put up a Velvet Elvis or two, and perhaps some sexy comic book drawings of super heroines in skimpy costumes. After all, these things are art, and ultimately numbers are all that matters in the world of business and public perception.

Of course, such a thing would never really happen to an art museum, but it’s all too common in the fickle, empty-headed universe of television and film. The latest casualty is the Sci-Fi Channel that, in its zeal to find better ratings and embrace top quality science fiction, lost touch with the second half of the equation. Yes, their numbers have drastically improved, but da Vinci, El Greco and the rest are turning in their graves.

When Bonnie Hammer became executive vice president and general manager of the Sci-Fi Channel in 1999, she appeared to be on the right track. She gave the masses the mindless glitter they craved (the incredibly puerile BLACK SCORPION is a prime example). She offered up several easy to watch shows (THE INVISIBLE MAN was fun for all audiences without straining the brain, while THE CHRONICLE gave us wonderful satire that was pure viewing pleasure). She ventured out into risky creative endeavors (THE SECRET ADVENTURES OF JULES VERNE was a great idea that, for various reasons, just didn’t work.). She put some heavy cash into a mini-series or two (DUNE stands out, though it too didn’t quite live up to its potential.). She mined humanities desire for sensationalism (CROSSING OVER WITH JOHN EDWARDS has a solid fan base). She threw a bone to those with quirkier tastes (The startlingly original LEXX mixed visionary science fiction with humor and over the top concepts that were clearly not for everyone.). Most importantly, she sought and found a show that would stand for excellence. A show that might not appeal to the lovers of Velvet Elvis artwork, but would proudly announce that the Sci-Fi Channel stands for something. That show was FARSCAPE.

It is generally accepted that the two greatest science fiction series of all time are STAR TREK (still going strong) and BABYLON 5 (Now defunct, though at times it surpassed the world of Kirk and Spock.). Then along came FARSCAPE, a “space opera” of such originality, vision, and scope that true fans of high quality science fiction writing (something lacking from the STAR WARS movies) loudly acknowledged it as having usurped the top position from the other two shows.

All this diversification boded well for the Sci-Fi Channel. But then an unfortunate thing occurred. Virtually ALL the shows that pulled Hammer’s Sci-Fi Channel up by its jockstrap have been abruptly cancelled, making legions of fans feel spat upon and completely disenfranchised. While I can understand tossing away some of the horrible, mass appeal entries for new low budget “flavors,” one is forced to step back in wonder when FARSCAPE (which averaged a 1.2 rating and 958,000 viewers) is cancelled simply because its numbers were not quite as high as the repetitive and clichéd STARGATE SG-1 (which garnered a 1.7 rating and 1.31 million viewers). This tells me that the pencil pushers and bean counters at the Sci-Fi Channel have prostrated themselves before the great god Ratings, tossing class and art into the gutter.

Who is responsible for this deconstruction of a once promising station? Ultimately, the magnifying glass must hover over Bonnie Hammer, a woman who has shown little real knowledge of science fiction. Instead, she appears to be a PR clone that holds an MA in media and new technology (Boston University). Is a person who did documentary films and worked in children’s programming (ZOOM) and morning talk (Boston’s GOOD DAY!) qualified to understand a genre such as science fiction and raise it to a higher level? No, I think not. In the past, she has shown a very useful understanding of media manipulation (though her latest berserk destruction of all their popular series seems like an odd form of fan-genocide), and she has finally shown her love of number crunching, but her science fiction pedigree is sorely lacking.

With this in mind, it’s easy to understand her pride in destroying the shows that made her appear successful, and in announcing the newest entries into the Sci-Fi Channel’s lineup:

* A TREMORS TV series is hitting your screen in January of 2003. The first movie was cute, and the series should be fun, brainless, and fluffy. Expect it to last for a year, and then to vanish just when a few fans finally decide they like it.

* “QUANTUM LEAP is absolutely a classic.” And with that comment from Mrs. Hammer, she announced a TV movie sequel/stand alone story based on that show. Again, we might be in for more fluff, or it could be played closer to the vest and turned into serious science fiction. We’ll have to wait and see (forgive me if I expect the worst!).

Allow me a digression: In 1977 I was living in London and watched as Margaret Thatcher was trying to get the soccer fan vote. To this end, she went to a soccer game and afterwards raved about her favorite player and how wonderfully he had performed. It was an unfortunate blunder on her part (though she still won the election) since that particular player was sick and never showed up for the game she attended! Thus, she had been coached to spout meaningless drivel to the press so that the masses would believe she actually knew what she was talking about. My point? Hammer’s “Quantum Leap is absolutely a classic.” seems very much in that vein. Yes, it was a nice, often cute, little show. But “classic science fiction?” Please!

*The Sci-Fi Channel has hinted that it might honor us with a weekly series based on Frank Herbert’s DUNE saga. Sigh. The books were great, the movies were not in the same league, and now we’re being treated to more pain.

*Starting December 1, a 20-hour mini-series called STEVEN SPIELBERG PRESENTS TAKEN will begin its 10-day journey on your TV screen. Chronicling the alien abduction tales of three families over a 50-year period, this show is supposed to pull the heartstrings and charge up our emotions. It might be good, but with Spielberg’s ability to make anything a maudlin mess, one sees clearly why Hammer (who calls it, “…a combination of epic drama and a little bit of soap opera…”) is so excited by the project. The female audience might enjoy this (and I think that presenting forms of science fiction that appeals to female sensibilities is a great idea), but the huge male fan base is being dragged through glass and tossed out with the rest of the garbage.

Bonnie Hammer said, “One of the mandates for me was to integrate the company, so all the creative juices and goals were the same.” This is a very fine goal if the individuals involved insist on quality, see beyond mere numbers, and understand the difference between fluff and depth. Hammer has shown a real desire to present fluff, but it takes depth to offer depth, and here she seems to fall flat on her face. My final question: Does Bonnie Hammer own a Velvet Elvis?

For those that would like to find out more about the demise of FARSCAPE, go to: http://farscape.wdsection.com

For those that would simply like to contact the Sci-Fi Channel and ask them why they have gone berserk, I attach the following information:

USA NETWORKS SCIFI CHANNEL AUDIENCE SERVICES 1230 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, F115 NEW YORK, NY 10020-1513 AND CALL 212-413-5000 OR 212-413-5821 OR 212-413-5577 AND EMAIL programming@scifi.com

DO let them know that you are mad as hell and you are simply NOT going to take it anymore!