Western Wednesday: Grab Yer Phaser, Pardner...

I’ve talked a few times about blending other genres with the Western; namely, horror. Horror goes well with westerns for there is a long-standing tradition of ghost stories told ‘round the campfire.

But another genre blends especially well with the Western, and that is Science Fiction. It’s been said that Science Fiction is nothing more than cowboys and Indians in outer space and to a degree that’s spot on. One can draw many parallels with hard or fantasy driven Science Fiction. Star Trek might just as easily be placed in the Old West; simply substitute aliens with Indians and Captain Kirk with Kirk Custer. Science Fiction explores new frontiers, breaks new ground and chronicles the hardships of striking out into territories unknown. As does the Western. If anyone saw the Serenity movie a couple years back (based on the TV series Firefly), that was little more than a western set in space.

While there are many parallels between the two genres in terms of action and exploration, some shows blend them together exceptionally well. Two of my favorites are The Wild Wild West and The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.

The Wild Wild West ran for four seasons in the mid-sixties and starred Robert Conrad (dude, how did you get into those pants and without neutering yourself?) and Ross Martin as Secret Service Agents James West and Artemis Gordon. Though strongly grounded in the Western USA during the Grant administration, the show commonly melded science fiction elements into its storylines and did it well. One show even dealt with supposed flying saucers and aliens from space. The entire series is available on DVD. The first season was black and white and probably more Western oriented, so start with the second for a more Science Fiction flavor.

The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. starred cult horror actor Bruce Campbell and the exquisite Kelly Rutherford and ran for only a season and 27 episodes in the early 1990s. During his hunt for the John Bly Gang who killed his father, Brisco runs across such things as a mysterious orb and time travel. One episode even featured a sheriff patterned after a certain king of rock and roll, thank you very much. The show often blended tongue-in-cheek humor with drama as well as Adventure and Western themes. In one episode, the smarmy little bandit Pete (don’t touch Pete’s piece!) was killed by a Chinese throwing star only to appear fully healthy in a later episode. When asked how, he says something to the effect of “funny thing about Chinese stars, an hour later you’re alive again…” It’s a pity the show was not renewed but I highly recommend picking up the set on DVD.

Any other favorite blendings of science fiction and western? Let me know yours.