FarscapeWeekly Farscape Download Episodes Debate Round 1 opinion essay

You Say You Want to Download the New Episodes?
Joan Hedman ¤ January 2002
This essay first appeard on the SciFi Channel's bulletin board, in response to a post made PKSkipper.

Round 2: Yeah, I do want to download those episodes
Round 3: She Said, He Said: The Final Round of the Download Debate

A Victimless Crime?

You people who are defending the downloads should take a step back and listen to yourselves. What you are doing is illegal, and you know it, but you're doing it anyway, justifying it with "no one is hurt by it." Not to mention the fact that chances are excellent that even if you're caught, you'll never be prosecuted. Why should you be? It's a victimless crime, right?

Are you sure of that? Really, truly sure?

Can you promise that everyone who sees the episodes this way will watch when they air come April? Can you promise that everyone will dutifully buy it on DVD when it's finally released?

Sure, maybe everyone who posts on the SCI FI Channel's Farscape bulletin board will, but you know that it simply is not the case that everyone will watch, and everyone will buy. Yeah, yeah, Seasons 4 and 5 are green-lighted, you say, so what's the big whoop? The show isn't going to be cancelled, for pete's sake!

Hopefully, you've heard some grown-up say this to you at some point in your life, so you'll recognize it: It's the principal of the thing.

Maybe I'm more sensitive to this issue because, as a writer, I've seen my own material ripped off and posted otherwheres without my prior (or post, for that matter) permission. Are you saying that I should be honored that someone liked my stuff enough to steal it? Believe me, I'm not in the business of writing to provide free content for whoever wants to rip me off. Was I happy? No, I was pissed off. I felt exactly as if someone had stolen something tangible, not just "words on a screen."

But, you say, this is different... Farscape is a TV show, Henson is a big company, SCI FI schedulers are big stupid fathead jerks, blah blah blah...

You know what? There is no difference. You're at the top of the slippery slope here, people. Some folks further downhill are saying you should never have to pay for artistic works of any kind because they can be freely distributed via the web, and you know what? If that ever comes about, the only artists left will be those who'll work for free...and anything that's free is worth what you pay for it. (Thank you, Robert A. Heinlein)

What we're witnessing is a mass exercise in moral relativism here. "I'm only breaking this law because it's stupid and shouldn't apply to me in this case." That's crap, and you know it, and I can't believe you all are sacrificing your honor for something as stupid as a television show.

I can hear the chorus of "lighten up"s already, but I'm not going to lighten up. Yes, I used the word "honor" up there, I think it belongs there. I've had folks say to me, "Go ahead and download 'em! Who's to know?" I would know. Remember, your character is defined by your actions when nobody is watching. It's sad to see these new facets of so many people's characters revealed this way.

All this, over a television show! I love the show, honestly I do -- I've devoted huge chunks of my life to it, and plan on continuing to do so -- but it's just a television show, and it's not worth dragging myself through the gutter for some instant gratification. If you're going to break the law, at least do it with integrity and purpose. There are no Rosa Parks out there posting episodes on Morpheus, folks. There's no integrity at work here that I can see, no fighting injustice, no striving to change an unfair system so that everyone can benefit. (SCI FI's schedule isn't an injustice, no matter how much you whine about it.)

Maybe the three pregnancies I've been through have taught me something about patience. Maybe my kidlets keep me so busy that I don't have time to obsess over Farscape and fret that somewhere, folks have seen an episode I haven't. Maybe the fact that I'm a mom is what makes me see this in simple black-and-white terms: I know what I'll be saying to my teenagers if I ever catch them smoking pot. (No, I won't cut them any slack, and for good reason, but that's a whole 'nother topic.)

You folks just keep telling yourself that it's not really illegal, that it's SCI FI's fault(!), that you're good fans of the show and will buy everything when it's released... that's cognitive dissonance talking, ya know. You're working hard at convincing yourself that it's OK to do something that you know is wrong. That "river in Egypt" is awfully long, but at least you have plenty of company as you're paddling down it.

I do have a suggestion: SCI FI should offer a subscription download service for those who want to see aired-somewhere-else episodes, or for folks who simply don't have cable access. How hard could it be? It probably would be pretty inexpensive, too -- a few bucks an episode, nothing to break the bank. Then everyone could get the episodes on the up-and-up, and everyone would be happy. I'd sign up in a heartbeat.

I know I sound like a Goody Two Shoes, but believe me, I've had a long and colorful(ahem) life and speak from brutal experience. You think you can break the rules and have everything work out, but someone always gets hurt... even if it's only you.