Talk:Threshold (TV series)

The Infection

I didn't realise that exposure to Threshold causes one's spelling ability to erode. The infection section is awful. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.175.98.23 (talk) 21:28, 29 June 2011 (UTC)

2nd Series on Sky One?

Was it just me, or did I see a trailer on Sky One the other day for the second series? It apparently starts at the end of January over here in the UK, but I haven't seen it again... There are other rumours at this site too, though it seems to be a battle between US fans saying no, and UK fans saying yes.Kolonuk 11:22, 7 January 2007 (UTC)

Actually, it was just me, along with a tiring day and a beer... oh well... Kolonuk 15:16, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

The Voyager episode

There have been a few edits that have gone off-topic by discussing how bad the Voyager episode of the same name was, etc. While it's an interesting piece of trivia that the series (which Braga did not create, only produced) shared its title with a Voyager episode, I don't really feel it's at all relevant here whether Threshold is considered the best Trek episode ever or the worst. Such comments and discussion should be referred to the episode's Wikipedia article. 23skidoo 13:08, 25 November 2005 (UTC)

"Backfired"

I use the term "backfired" in the intro by way of describing the results of CBS's decision to move the show to Tuesday in order to boost its ratings (which obviously didn't work). I don't think its POV but if anyone can think of a better word, please feel free. 23skidoo 04:40, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

It is NPOV, at least where Threshold itself is concerned. However, apparently Close to Home was greatly benefited by the trading of time slots, so I suppose CBS is not too sad by the end result. From what I understand that Tue 10 PM is a very difficult time slot, and CBS expectations were probably not all that wild to begin with. Luis Dantas 04:53, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

I know I might get spanked for this by someone, but Threshold seemed to fall victim to the same type of thing that really hurt Enterprise: a network that didn't give a damn about the show. IMO they'd already decided to cancel it when they pulled it off in the middle of sweeps and moved it into a suicide timeslot. I just hope we get to see the last few episodes (and maybe a DVD release later) because I found the show a lot more enjoyable than the other SF shows that premiered on the networks this fall. 23skidoo 04:56, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

Bullets mark paragraphs - I'm not familiar with wiki markup yet I concur that the network may not have given a damn, but then, NONE of the "big 3" sci-fi shows that year (Threshold, Invasion, and Surface) ever made it to second year, although Invasion was given a full season, and Surface I think got a half-season. But ALL three shows had (or had potential to) have long-running, (presumably) through-out plot arcs (or multiple arcs) that were designed (again, presumably) by the creative team before the shows even started. There is an interview with Carla Gugino and one of the producers of Threshold that stated what we already know (about the 3 year plan), that was published before the show aired - and also hinted at them vaguely having an idea of where they wanted to show to go for the next three years after that. • I think a big problem is that networks seem to not know how to deal with episodic television which none-the-less has continuing plot arcs - and thus they run the risk of pissing off fans who are interested in the development of those arcs. Episodic television is SO driven by ratings these days - not just seasonal or weekly, but daily ratings, that you really cannot have a whole episode in what is otherwise an action/sci-fi-driven show devoted to character development unless you already have a huge established base watching. I belive this has led to the outright downfall of a lot of series (Threshold), or of them becoming 'unfocused', when a network (presumably, I'm not in the industry) wants to stretch out a run when the arc structure may say otherwise. This means that when ratings do start to slip and the show will only get 1 or 2 more seasons, the creative team is then rushed to rereate the originally designed arcs, except in a compressed time-frame (in internal time in for story as well as external time for the series). • I believe this is what happened (is happening) to Smallville currently, what happened to X-Files (when they got BACK to the whole pan-spermia, alien-invasion, sixth-extinction, ship-in-the-water thing, the series I think was returning to it's original concept, instead of being a "freak-of-the-week' think - which is what kind of happened to Smallville) I think this happened to Roswell - although there I think the producers did not really know whether they wanted it to be a sci-fi show, or just another 'teen-soap-opera' (there are a lot already, we didn't need another one). One interesting thing is that Invasion (and maybe Surface as well) DID have a continuing arc, which they actualy pushed along rather well. It had a cliff-hanger, but it was STILL cancelled. Maybe not enough viwers were interested in the continuing story/mystery to keep watching, leading to a ratings implosion (I think ABC is a tad bit better than CBS and NBC at giving shows like this a chance) • IMO, Paramount (I assume Paramount did Threshold) should make the damn thing into a series of books, and start a book franchise. They might have make more money off the various Star Trek books than they did on the actual shows. They certainly do now, as there ARE no shows. - Jim Witte —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 216.9.143.221 (talk) 23:36, 13 January 2007 (UTC).

Cancelled or not cancelled

Apparenly Futon Critic and some other sites are saying that the show hasn't officially been cancelled yet, although production has been halted. Apparently the official announcement is expected Monday or Tuesday. It has been confirmed that the episode originally scheduled to air this coming Tuesday has been replaced by a rerun of another show. Therefore, today (Sunday) it might be a little premature to say it has been cancelled, but odds are pretty good that it will be tomorrow. 23skidoo 15:26, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

So, no news yet? Luis Dantas 10:19, 2 December 2005 (UTC)

According to startrek.com - which is an official Paramount website so should know - CBS has officially cancelled the series.[1] There's still a chance the remaining few episodes might be streamed online or aired as filler later. Considering it's unlikely the remaining epsiodes resolved the storyline, I would speculate a DVD release is unlikely. 23skidoo 12:49, 2 December 2005 (UTC)

Threshold was officially cancelled on December 21, 2005, although it was pulled off the air on November 24, 2005. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Avaleur (talk • contribs) .

Opening Monologue(s)?

With the last episode aired, didn't they change/redesign the opening monologue? — THOR ^=/\= 20:04, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

• Yeah, a few one was created that was in part aimed at people who had never seen the show on Friday nights. 23skidoo 20:38, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

14 episodes?

Our (UK) TV guide for the period 21st-27th January reckons next week's episode of Threshold is the 12th of 14 episodes, not 13.

Misprint?

I'm pretty sure. Threshold got cancelled at the 13-episode cutoff usually followeed by US networks. 23skidoo 01:31, 19 January 2006 (UTC)

Sky One co-production?

What's the source for the statement that it's a Sky One co-production. This is the first I've heard of it. I've never heard of CBS doing such a thing before. As far as I've heard Sky One has broadcast/distribution rights, but that's it. 23skidoo 06:14, 30 January 2006 (UTC)

The closing credits state that Sky co-produced the series. Firthy 23:12, 1 February 2006 (UTC)

Interesting. Is this a first? If so that's worth noting. The CBS broadcast didn't really have end credits per se so I'd never seen that. 23skidoo 23:21, 1 February 2006 (UTC)

Follwing on from that, shouldn't the infobox therefore list both CBS and Sky as producing channels/networks? No biggie but that's how it seems to be done for other co-productions. For instance the infobox for Rome (tv series) lists both HBO and the BBC. In case I'm misunderstood, my point is that they both produced the show; obviously the infobox shouldn't list channels in other countries that simply broadcast it (those can be dealt with in the main body of the article). - Matthew Humphreys 11:54, 19 February 2006 (UTC)

Bragi F. Schut?

Does anyone know if this is a real person, or is it a pseudonym? I thought Brannon Braga created the series and, well, the first name does look like Braga. 23skidoo 15:09, 13 February 2006 (UTC)

IMDB lists Bragi[2] as a different person from Braga[3] -- Bovineone 03:34, 29 May 2006 (UTC)

Fair enough, but that doesn't explain pre-broadcast publicity stating that Brannon Braga, not Bragi Schut, created the series. 23skidoo 05:06, 29 May 2006 (UTC)

Conclusion

The following comment was added to the article but I removed it as it is more appropriate for a talk page than article space. The request was posted by User:Liquidcable. 23skidoo 02:59, 29 May 2006 (UTC)

As this show is cancled, there are several unanswered questions about the main plot lines. Please update this section if you know (for a fact) the conclusion to the main plot lines. Please list sources.

New material

I spent an enjoyable few hours watching the remaining episodes on DVD, followed by the DVD featurette on the planned storylines. I have added a section on this (the DVD is the source) which I think covers all the major plot points that were left undeveloped by the show's cancellation. I also made a couple of corrections; for example in The Crossing, Manning says the collision of two stars (which generated the gamma burst) took place while humans were still living in caves. That's a bit longer ago than the 50 years in the original version. I also made a few tweaks elsewhere, such as the fact Catherine Bell ultimately appeared in only one episode before the show ended. 23skidoo 17:23, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

Excellent job; thanks! — pd_THOR ^{| =/\=} | 17:51, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

Thanks for the support. Just a note about semantics: in my additions I use the term "unaired" episodes. Although Sky One did eventually air the remaining episodes, I use this term to indicate episodes that were not shown during its original run on CBS. Threshold is a bit of an oddity as, being a co-production of Sky One, that makes it a UK-US co-production, but since it was primarily considered an American series, and was in fact cancelled by the American half of the partnership, I think using the term "unaired" is correct in this case. (Similarly using the term "unaired" to refer to episodes of Wonderfalls and Firefly not shown by Fox is also correct, even though these episodes were ultimately broadcast by others. 23skidoo 00:34, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

I've replaced the 'unaired' and 'unbroadcast' comments in relation to events in episodes 10-13 since they were broadcast, if not in the US. As well as co-producers Sky, the episodes were aired on other international broadcasters. I have left 2 references to unaired where it is clarified that they were not aired in the US/by CBS as it shows the context of the term, which is otherwise contradicted more than once with reference to first broadcast in the UK clearly stated in the article, info box and episode list. Bertcocaine (talk) 09:20, 30 June 2015 (UTC)

Broadcasters list necessary?

Is the list of broadcasters necessary anymore, given that the series is no longer in production and has moved into the home video portion of its lifecycle? Some articles have such lists while many others do not. I think there needs to be some consistency. 23skidoo 04:45, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

Inconsistencies in the Bighorn Listing

The article says that the Bighorn had 13 crew, but only lists what happened to 11 of the crew. ??? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 139.168.235.199 (talk • contribs) 06:47, 20 November 2006

Bashing Braga

Don't use Wikipedia as a forum for needlessly bashing Brannon Braga. I just deleted a statement that had been added to the start of the "similarities to UFO" section (a section which I had originated) claiming "many fans and critics" accuse Braga of ripping off UFO. I am aware of no such accusations being made, and no source is provided for this claim. 23skidoo 22:24, 12 February 2007 (UTC)

Fractal Triskelion - origins

• The crop circle logo used in this series was created by me in 1995 for a record company (Changing World Music) based on the crop circle formation found near Stonehenge, but altered to fit more comfortably in a circle. I have tried to contact CBS about this, but they don't reply and I'm too poor to afford a fancy lawyer. Just a note - CBS pinched it —Preceding unsigned comment added by Natcarish (talk • contribs) 14:29, 23 January 2009 (UTC)
• I am not in a position to judge, but IMDB states: The symbol used is an Escape-Time fractal, a version of the Julia Set, a recursively constructed shape related to the more famous Mandelbrot Set.

NASA letter

This article claims the letter can be read if paused. I just re-watched that episode on DVD and the episode cuts to the credits before the letter comes into view. Was this altered for the DVD, or this article in error? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 114.76.69.47 (talk) 11:22, 18 June 2010 (UTC)

It's unclear where this was supposedly shown - I watched the Australian channel 10 broadcast and the letter was not shown, and if it was not on the DVD, where exactly was this shown? Seems strange that the letter says 'the world is definitely going to end' and yet the characters did nothing with this information? Google also provides no answers, I suspect this information may be made up, and certainly shouldn't be in the article without a source. Bertcocaine (talk) 09:33, 30 June 2015 (UTC)

I've removed the letter from the article. Bertcocaine (talk) 07:46, 15 July 2015 (UTC)

The letter can clearly be read on the DVD near the end of the episode right as Dr. Molly Caffrey states "We also know Manning is out there and can expect him..." time stamp 39:54 (right as she says "and can expect him" but it is J.T. Baylock not Dr. Caffrey who is reading it). Since we now have an exact time reference I am reinstating the letter. It is a little difficult to pause the video right at the point where you can read it but it is possible. It is also on the version uploaded to youbube about 2 years ago but the time stamp there is 38:05. As with the DVD version you have to have quick reflexes to read the letter. I have have added a comment that will make it easier to find the reference there.

As for the characters doing nothing with this information that was likely because the show was canceled before show could pick up on the plot point. Besides exactly what was Threshold going to do with that information?--BruceGrubb (talk) 16:00, 10 August 2016 (UTC)

Apologies for not coming back sooner. Thanks for sorting out a suitable ref for the time, the confusion seems to have been caused by the implication that Caffrey was the one reading it. Although, regarding them not mentioning it? There were two further episodes, you'd have thought that the two main characters, having both read a letter pronouncing the end of the world, would have some sort of conversation about it? That's why I was skeptical, albeit mistaken. Bertcocaine (talk) 09:08, 22 January 2017 (UTC)

Letter got deleted again. For future reference it is as follows:

Dear Dr. Molly Anne Cafrey

In reply to your request for information at the following coordinates

Eight hours right ascension, thirty four degrees south declination

It has been confirmed that approximately 400,000 years ago two neutron stars collided at these coordinates, and the cosmic radiation that resulted from this collision is expected to affect the Earth in approximately six years.

Cosmic radiation is a collection of many types of radiation from many different types of sources. When people speak simply of "cosmic radiation" they are usually referring specifically to the cosmic microwave background radiation. This consists of very, very low energy photons [energy of about 2.75 Kelvin] whose spectrum is peaked in the microwave region and which are remnants from the time when the Universe was only about 200,000 years old. There are also very old remnant neutrinos in the cosmic radiations.

When these particles make it to earth, it will interact with our atmosphere. Our atmosphere is able to reflect small amounts of these particles and act as a "radiation shield". The amount of particles that will enter our atmosphere in six years as a result of this collision will most likely be more than our atmosphere will be able to protect us from. The Earth will be completely destroyed and all human life will be extinguished.

We thank you for your concern and interest and hope this information has been of help to you. ("Outbreak" time reference 39:54 as Dr. Molly Caffrey is saying "We also know Manning is out there and can expect him... Threshold DVD)

--174.99.238.22 (talk) 23:05, 16 February 2022 (UTC)

Article text copied

Large chunks of the info in this article, in particular the Cancellation and Planned Storyline sections, appears to have been entirely copied from a source that is not referenced:

http://www.cybermage.se/female-protagonists-on-sf-tv-molly-anne-caffrey-on-threshold/

Bertcocaine (talk) 09:34, 30 June 2015 (UTC)

cancellation dates and what the sources say

An article from [4] November 24, 2005 talked about it getting canceled. The article says they found out during the filming of the last episode, which aired February 1, 2006. Do they film things that far ahead? Dream Focus 03:09, 3 August 2015 (UTC)