Roy Scheider's Prematurely Canceled '90s Sci-Fi Series Deserves A Reboot

The popularity of the "Star Trek" franchise — along with the unexpected success of "The X-Files" — spawned a science fiction boom that produced a few legitimate long-running properties and lots of quickly-forgotten series on TV in the 1990s. Shows like "Stargate SG-1" and "Babylon 5," for example, garnered enormous fanbases of their own and have since given rise to spin-offs and/or TV movies. Cults similarly gathered around titles like the (surprisingly good) '90s "RoboCop" TV series, "Nowhere Man," "Harsh Realm," "Time Trax," and "Space: Above and Beyond."

This era likewise marked the debut of "seaQuest DSV," a sci-fi show that takes place on a high-tech deep-submergence vehicle in the then near-future of 2018. Produced by Steven Spielberg and created by Rockne S. O'Bannon, "seaQuest" could be compared to the "Star Trek" franchise with respect to its scientific tone and bound-in setting. It focuses on an international enclave of deep-sea researchers who explore the unknown depths of the oceans, seeking to mine it for food and fuel. Earth has fallen on hard times, you see, but the oceans may sustain us. 

Beyond that, the "seaQuest DSV" universe is home to a Federation-like body in the form of the United Earth Oceans Organization (the UEO) and revolves mainly around aquatic sciences and biodiversity. It also stars Roy Scheider as Captain Nathan Bridger, the central ship's commanding officer. If you were a kid who loved aquariums in the '90s, then "seaQuest DSV" would've definitely been your jam.

The series aired for three seasons from 1993-1996, which is a respectable run for a '90s sci-fi TV show (and longer than some of the single-season wonders listed above). However, its premise could have sustained far more seasons beyond that, and it's kind of surprising "seaQuest" hasn't been revived in some fashion.

The first season of "seaQueast" was more scientifically bent, even while possessed of notable fantasy elements. Captain Bridger had to keep his crew functioning while mentoring Lucas, a grump teenager played by Jonathan Brandis. The characters could communicate with Darwin, a friendly dolphin who was outfitted with a specialized translator (voiced by the great Frank Welker). In the future of 2018, humans live in vast colonies on the ocean floors, and the titular ship served as their defensive force. That means there's a lot of animosity between the union of nations and the non-aligned colonies, so Captain Bridger's ship, the seaQuest (which he designed himself), stands on the frontlines.

As one might intuit from Steven Spielberg's creative involvement, "seaQuest" generally struck a tone of wonderment. Season 1 didn't do very well viewership-wise, though, so its cast and premise were changed dramatically for its second season. Even the seaQuest itself was redesigned and fitted with a mostly all-new crew. The show also began to skew more fantastical, with the seaQuest discovering a million-year-old alien spacecraft on the ocean floor. This led to episodes about psychic powers, alien technologies, time travel, and monsters. Clearly, Rockne S. O'Bannon had been told to make his series more like "The X-Files." 

Per a 1994 report from the Orlando Sentinel, Roy Scheider hated these changes, feeling that Season 1 was more human and stalwart. Apparently, the actor wasn't interested in being part of what he saw as "the fourth generation of 'Star Trek.'" It seems there was a lot of drama behind-the-scenes in general, as most of the alterations to the show were the result of its filming in Orlando, Florida, instead of Los Angeles after Season 1.

By the third season of "seaQuest," Roy Scheider was so ticked off that he wanted to leave. Even more new characters were brought in (including one played by Michael Ironside), and Captain Bridgers only turns up occasionally from then on. Moreover, most of the show's cast supposedly hated the scripts for Season 3, so it's kind of amazing the series lasted as long as it did. 

Of course, if "seaQuest" were to be rebooted, it would be a great chance to take it back to basics. Indeed, Rockne O'Bannon has neither rested on his laurels nor grown rusty over the last few decades. Quite the opposite, he's since developed "Farscape" (another sci-fi show that amassed a passionate cult fanbase), created the ambitious sci-fi Western series "Defiance," and served as a writer on the acclaimed supernatural horror show "Evil." 

And, just as Gene Roddenberry did with "Star Trek: The Next Generation," there's no reason why O'Bannon couldn't pitch a "seaQuest: The Next Generation" for a modern audience. This time, he could conceivably stick to his original, Season 1 vision of "seaQuest" as a formal, grounded series about marine biology and military captains tasked with quelling rebellions in the near future. (We'll just pretend that million-year-old alien spaceship doesn't exist.)

Besides, if you want to argue that "seaQuest" wasn't very popular during its initial run, know that "Star Trek: The Original Series" was also a victim of Season 3 tinkering, low ratings, and viewer indifference during its own initial run. Nevertheless, that show wound up spawning a franchise that's still going to this very day. We want "seaQuest: Strange New Worlds," dammit.