MovieChat Forums > Lexx (1997) Discussion > For a show that started as a parody, Lex...

For a show that started as a parody, Lexx has been hugely influential

posted 12 years ago by Munstrum_Ridcully
15 replies | jump to latest

I think it is true to say that Lexx started out as a parody or at least a pastiche of several other Sci-Fi shows that had come before it, or at least were contemporary with it, but became such a phenomenon among the fans and writers of science fiction/fantasy that almost everything that has come after it draws influence from it, directly or indirectly.

for example Lexx has elements of

Starship troopers (the insect wars)
Phoenix Five; A crew made up of two men a young woman and a robot.
Blakes Seven (Prisoners escape and steal the most powerful ship in the universe which can talk, one of whom is an abject coward also undead vampire assassins who feed on protoblood are sent after the fugitives.)
Dune (Freemen Tech based on living creatures)
Babylon 5 (The Shadow religion/empire)
The Fly (Person genetically spiced with a lower life form)
Star wars (the dark emporer, huge ship that destorys planets)
Donovan's Brain (obviously in both the divine predecessors and the love obsessed disembodied head)
Space 1999: More than once Moonbase Alpha becomes pivotal for strategic advantage in an interplanetary war, after drifting in to range
Alien Nation/ Blade Runner : Genetically engineered love slaves.

Many others too of course.

However after Lexx came

(New) Doctor Who (The Tardis becomes a living ship more than it ever was, The Doctor home world has been utterly destroyed and he is the last of his kind, the Daleks and the Time Lords trapped in perpetual war with both having the utter obliteration of the universe as their ultimate aim. Compare 'End of the world' and 'end of Time' season finales to Lexx's 'End of the Universe' season finally.

Torchwood: features a family of cannibalistic humans in a season one episode. Owen Becomes a living dead man and Jack can heal almost instantly from any injury. In episode two a sexually predatory alien plant uses the body of a woman to eat men.

The Phantom Menace: Norb flying off in his ship looks and screams in joy EXACTLY like Annakin,Both even have red flashes on their helmets.

Firefly obviously meant as a successor

Hyper drive: Uses the same sort of frustrated sexual tensions between the crew, petty jealousies, bad judgement, ineptitude, Jealous enhanced cyborgs and modified women. The ship is huge and like the Lexx is cylindrical for the most part.

I'm sure you can think of other examples.

Money cannot buy happiness, but it can buy chocolate

[–] lexyladyjax 12 years ago

and there were some unintentional episodes in the 4th season that reflected the true political situation in the US. Spooky.

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] lexyladyjax 11 years ago

No, that was coincidence. LEXX did come first but both shows pay tribute to BLAKE'S 7.

[–] !!!deleted!!! (28686785) 11 years ago

Blakes 7....that's another favorite show of mine.

When the end of the world came everyone swore they had seen it coming

[–] c-fu 11 years ago

I would say Prometheus probably took a note from the premise of the show.

Severed Android head, Ambitious woman, and a Alien ship. Set out for an adventure. When I saw the film's ending, that's all I could think about. "Did they just pull a Lexx?"

R RATED at it's best-----> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGqw8gxunsI

[–] sticksstoneswwiv 11 years ago

I would say Prometheus probably took a note from the premise of the show.

Severed Android head, Ambitious woman, and a Alien ship. Set out for an adventure. When I saw the film's ending, that's all I could think about. "Did they just pull a Lexx?"

hmmmmmm

heard of a film called Alien

[–] c-fu 11 years ago

The ending to Prometheus as well as its overall story was written well after Lexx. The themes and environment were taken from the previous Alien script written by OBannon and Shusett and fashioned for Prometheus. I have been a fan of Alien since I saw it in the 80s.

So what does the mentioning of Alien have to do with the ending of Prometheus having a similar Scenerio to Lexx's Setup? Not sure what point you are trying to make here.

Severed Android head, Ambitious woman, and a Alien ship. Set out for an adventure.

R RATED at it's best-----> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGqw8gxunsI

[–] sticksstoneswwiv 11 years ago

Severed Android head - Ash's head ---> David's head
Ambitious woman - Ripley ---> Shaw
Alien ship - of course same ship model different moon

My point is the removed head is a direct reference to Alien, not Lexx, the film Prometheus is linked to. Arguing that isn't a link to Alien is really silly.

I'm not saying Lexx might not have influenced Prometheus, and more important the design ideas who knows that designers have watched. But the reality is the sets on Prometheus are all Giger inspired, as ultimately is the Lexx.

[–] c-fu 11 years ago

My point is the removed head is a direct reference to Alien, not Lexx, the film Prometheus is linked to. Arguing that isn't a link to Alien is really silly.

I know the removed head was an echo of Ash's head. Anyone that knows Alien would have seen that parallel. The Ship is a "no duh." The female heroine is the Alien franchise tradition.

That wasn't really the point I was making at all. I was pointing out the combination of the elements. In "I Worship His Shadow" a similar ending/Scenario occurs which later becomes the premise for LEXX's setup. A Powerful Alien ship, a severed android head that has an obsession for the woman that carries it on a adventure through unknown space. The additional elements (not similar to Prometheus) are the Dead Assassin and the Cowardly Security Guard.

But the reality is the sets on Prometheus are all Giger inspired, as ultimately is the Lexx.

Again this is not the point I was making. In any case The LEXX and the Derelict are two completely different ship designs from shape, tone and aesthetic. Lexx probably took a nod from the phallic and sexual nature of the Derelict's interior.

It seems you missed my point.
Let me restate it. The ENDING to PROMETHEUS is really close to how LEXX's story is setup. Or maybe I should say "I WORSHIP HIS SHADOW" and Prometheus ended on an almost identical note. Do you understand my point now?

R RATED at it's best-----> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGqw8gxunsI

[–] sticksstoneswwiv 11 years ago

I didn't miss your point, I think it was wrong and still do.

I could have addressed that more directly, but it is still your opinion against mine no matter how it is written.

Probably best we agree to differ.

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] poem 11 years ago

You basically take random elements from shows and claim this is a successor.

- Firefly for example has obviously absolutely nothing to do with Lexx. Firefly is conceptionally a mixture of extremely realistic SF, and Western. Lexx is anything but realistic SF and certainly contains no Western elements.

If at all, one could make the "starship is an insect" connection, but it doesnt work at all - the design of the Firefly spaceship is actualy simply highly functional - its areodynamic, offering high maneuvability even in atmosphere, offers a raised cockpit for better overview, offers a huge core section for transport of goods, and has the ability to start and land on a single spot.

The ship is however neither alife nor does it need any living form of food. Not that Lexx would have invented the idea of living spaceships, anyway. Even Star Trek had this idea decades before Lexx, already.

The Reavers of Firefly are also no link. In this modern day, Zombies are simply not original enough to make any link at all.

- Doctor Who simply continues were it left off. Torchwood spawned from Doctor Who. Its true though that Doctor Who and its spawns take a lot of inspiration from horror movies, but that is not specific enough to be linked to Lexx.

I dont know Hyper Drive, but that claim sounds legitimate.

---
A gentleman will not insult me, and no man not a gentleman can insult me.

[–] Strazdamonas 10 years ago

Wait a minute..... Did you just call Reavers Zombies? i dont even.....

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Applied Science? All science is applied. Eventually.

[–] IrinaOma 10 years ago

You're right but Lexx inspired many other shows too - Farscape, Firefly, Starhunter, partially Battlestar Galactica

[–] lexyladyjax 8 years ago

I beg to differ with you again, Munstrum, but Firefly was inspired by a book about the Civil War. It had nothing to do with Lexx. Ask Joss Whedon, he will tell you all about it. It's called AVENGING ANGELS and Lexx doesn't enter into it. Serenity isn't a living ship and there have been many series and films about fugitives and convicts and stolen ships.

Bored now.