Quote the Bard - The Gormogons

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet.”
Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene 2, lines 1-2

News has been leaking out over the last few days about the upcoming name change for the SciFi Network, a cable channel venture by NBC Universal. One might quickly dismiss it with a slight question as to why this is news and why now? Well, the SciFi channel has enjoyed more than a 10% increase in operating earnings in the parent company’s (General Electric) 4th quarter during this economic downturn. It is a top-10 network in adults 18-49 and adults 25-54 and comes in 13th in total viewers for ad-supported cable channels for 2008. Maybe a little harder to dismiss. Personally, I see the future of good TV on these networks with series like Leverage on TNT, My Boys on TBS, and Burn Notice on USA. I’ll come back to this later.

As I referenced above, the SciFi network is changing its name to “SyFy” in order to appear less geeky and appeal to a wider audience. Some might think that I’m going to rant away on the name change along the lines of this post. Dave Howe, president of SciFi Network, thinks that the new name makes them feel “cooler, [and] much more cutting-edge, much more hip…” Ok. Whatever. That’s fluffy marketing. He also indicates that name change will allow them to apply values and perception that they want it to have. Here, I’d have to disagree, the perception will come solely from the type and quality of the shows that air on the network. And, Mr. Howe, here’s a newsflash: the current programming got you double-digit earnings this past quarter and have put the SciFi Network in a top-15 cable channel slot. Towards the end of the TV Guide article cited above, you’ll note that there are plans for some really interesting programming on the network. This is what will make it succeed. I look forward to watching Warehouse 13 and the MMOG/TV Series project. I enjoyed the twist that Tin Man, which aired on the SciFi channel, took on The Wizard Of Oz. Again, innovation will drive this country (and television) to be better.

So, as Shakespeare points out in Romeo & Juliet, with my oversimplification, it matters not what the name is, it matters what the “it” is. Hopefully, as an amazing show like the new Battlestar Galactica ends, there will be some great shows behind it to keep the network ahead.

GorT

GorT is an eight-foot-tall robot from the 51ˢᵗ Century who routinely time-travels to steal expensive technology from the future and return it to the past for retroinvention. The profits from this pay all the Gormogons’ bills, including subsidizing this website. Some of the products he has introduced from the future include oven mitts, the Guinness widget, Oxy-Clean, and Dr. Pepper. Due to his immense cybernetic brain, GorT is able to produce a post in 0.023 seconds and research it in even less time. Only ’Puter spends less time on research. GorT speaks entirely in zeros and ones, but occasionally throws in a ڭ to annoy the Volgi. He is a massive proponent of science, technology, and energy development, and enjoys nothing more than taking the Czar’s more interesting scientific theories, going into the past, publishing them as his own, and then returning to take credit for them. He is the only Gormogon who is capable of doing math. Possessed of incredible strength, he understands the awesome responsibility that follows and only uses it to hurt people.