Which Saga is Better?

Arla · Post by **Arla** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 10:06 am

I will be listening to the entire Novacom saga for the first time soon, so I won't vote yet. I do like the Dr. Blackgaard saga, but the Novacom saga should be great! Vote and please explain why.

rickyderocher · Post by **rickyderocher** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 10:51 am

I vote for the Blackgaard saga. The Novacom saga is good but is drawn out too long. The climax of the Blackgaard saga (The Final Conflict) is so much better than Novacom (Exit). The Final Confilict meeting of Jack and Doctor Blackgaard in the tunnel below Whit's End, where Jack trys to plead with Blackgaard about his soul is probaly one of the most powerful scenes ever in AIO. Where in Exit, Tom and Whit just stroll in a shed (why wasn't thtat thing guarded with some gun totting bad guys?

) punch a few buttons and save the world! (Sounds like the ending of the anicient but great DOS game Mean Streets or the more recent Tex Murphy: Overseerer, for you old game fanatics out there....)

J-man · Post by **J-man** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 10:54 am

I finally decided on the Blackgaard one, although I like both.

Jonathan · Post by **Jonathan** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 10:56 am

Ah, what memories this topic brings back ^_^

I like the Blackgaard saga better.

*spoilers ahead KK, just to let you know*

First off, biological terrorism is much more plausible then mind control.

Second off, the whole Connie and Mitch thing bugged me. Horrible characterization of Connie. She didn't act completely brainless in First Love, so why did she here? Not to mention that whole 'love at first sight' thing.

And I'd be amiss not to mention Mitch's 'death'. But I'd really be beating a dead horse here so we won't get into that.

Also, Blackgaard was a much more complex and intruiging bad guy then Charles (who was one-dimensional in comparison) and the Chairman (who we heard only in Exit).

Lastly, the power of Darkness Before Dawn greatly overshadows any part of the Novacom saga. I've listened to both multiple times, and DBD never fails to leave me in awe. I always seem to have mixed feelings at the end of Exit. Blackgaard also tied into a ton of episodes from 1988 til 1996 really (we're going to forget about Blackgaard's Revenge

). Novacom was really confined to itself.

Don't get me wrong, I did like the Novacom saga--the first half of Exit was very exciting, not to mention Plan B. And the plot was amazing, it really was. I also think it played an important part in Odyssey's history, in that it helped get some of the fan base back after the 99-00 season, and got a lot of new people interested.

I just find the Blackgaard Saga more impressive.

edit-And kudos go to whoever actually remembers what my first sentence refers to.

Agent3xq · Post by **Agent3xq** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 11:08 am

I have also decided to vote for the Blackgaard series over the Novacom series.

Dr. Blackgaard was such a complex and intriguing villain with many surprises, while Charles and the Chairman weren't nearly as well characterized.

Both Daring Deeds and Sinister Schemes and Darkness Before Dawn have been the highest rated albums out there and have/are always been great to go back and listen to.

On the other hand, Novacom had its good and bad moments. Mitch was already mentioned so I won't get into that. Novacom brought back some much needed excitement from the "dark ages" before and had some great episodes including the Plan B series.

Another interesting detail that Blackgaard series had over Novacom is the ending where Jack tried to save Blackgaard's soul which you didn't see throughout Novacom...

...and those are my two cents

Agentpaw · Post by **Agentpaw** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 11:10 am

I would say Novacom. I liked it more probably because I listened to all of them, and I haven't listened to all the Blackgaard ones. (I think)

One thing that I liked about the Novacom saga was my brother Eric, who is in Chicago ad IBLP Headquarters taking the video course at the moment, doesn't really like AIO, but he liked the Novacom saga so much that he wanted to make a movie based on that story!

So yes, I would say Novacom.

Waluigi Freak 99 · Post by **Waluigi Freak 99** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 3:55 pm

The Blackgaard saga would make a much better movie than Novacom, in my honest opinion. Although I haven't heard the Novacom saga, I've read summaries of its episodes and would have to say that, although it has a great plot and was able to hold many fans (including myself, as I read through the summaries), Blackgaard was much better.

The ending of "The Final Conflict" is one of the most powerful scenes in Adventures in Odyssey I've ever heard. Blackgaard was given three-dimensions. He wasn't an "all evil" kind of guy; he sincerely believed that it was too late for him to come to God, and that corruption was the only option for him. It ended up killing him. This was extremely impacting. And that's the point of Adventures in Odyssey. Not to entertain with suspenseful mysteries. To teach people spiritual lessons.

Mr.Whit · Post by **Mr.Whit** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 2:38 pm

Blackaard.
I was trying to decide when I was reading the topic IO decided Blackaard for reasons formentioned by Walugi, JOnathan and ricky.
THanks guys.

Mrs. Maxwell · Post by **Mrs. Maxwell** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 2:38 pm

Blackgard hands down.

The Novacom saga seemed very science fictiony, and I love science fiction, but it just didn't seem plausible. Jonathan is right that Bioterrorism seems much more likely than mind control boxes.

Also, the novacom villians seemed stupid, or nonexistant. Not really remotely threatening. The "Chairman"? I'm sorry, his voice made me think of a kind of tubby old guy running things from his squeaky desk chair. Not exactly the really threatening bad guy I was expecting.

I think it would have been better to be able to connect it more to the other episodes. With "Darkness before Dawn", they connected back as far as "Daring deeds, sinister schemes", and probably before and it all came together well. With the Novacom thing, it seemed somewhat disjointed, as if the writers didn't really know where they were headed.

Also, the big conversion in Novacom was Aubrey Shepherd. In "Darkness", the big conversion was Eugene. We cared a lot more about Eugene than we did about Aubrey (Not that I don't want everyone to get saved, but I'm saying we had a LOT more character development and heart invested in Eugene than in Aubrey, who always seemed to come off as vaguely whiny to me...).

Maybe the reason I'm so set against the Novacom thing is that my family and I were really into it.... and came up with about five different endings that would have been more interesting. (Granted, some of them involved major characters dying, and Richard Maxwell coming back, but even the ones where things did not change drastically were more interesting than what actually happened). I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy some of the Novacom saga. I like Jack's car chase, and Mr. Shank's reapperance. And there were other good parts. And I know the writers can't be perfect all the time. So I still love AIO, but I'm rather glad Novacom is over, and I look forward to thier next big saga, knowing that it will be better than the last. (It will have Eugene in it too! Having him just on the outskirts of the Novacom saga was so annoying...)

GlennAdams · Post by **GlennAdams** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 7:03 pm

The Blackgaard saga is hands down better. I can listen to the Darkness Before Dawn album so many times and still be fascinated with it. Rather, I rarely listen to Novacom episodes because they are SOOOOOOO long and they are not as interesting... Also, I love Sam Johnson and the Isrealites.....

Rachel Maxwell · Post by **Rachel Maxwell** » Fri May 18, 2007 6:04 pm

You know, I think the reason alot of people like Blackgaard better is because it seems more realistic-but I saw in the paper awhile ago that scientists really are getting it so that quadriplegics can move things with their minds-except they are using computer chips or something. Course...Maxwell was in Blackgaard, which is why I like it better.

cubsmith08 · Post by **cubsmith08** » Fri May 18, 2007 8:52 pm

i liked the novacom saga A LOT better than all the blackgaard stuff! i dunno...i thought novacom was more exciting. i'm also a girl, so i LIKED the mitch and connie stuff! haha!

$\:D/$

Rachel Maxwell · Post by **Rachel Maxwell** » Fri May 18, 2007 11:13 pm

Sure, but I didn't like Mitch, cause he replaced Richard.

Waluigi Freak 99 · Post by **Waluigi Freak 99** » Sat May 19, 2007 12:44 pm

I, for one, hated Connie and Mitch's relationship. Don't get me wrong, Adventures in Odyssey wouldn't be complete without Kathy Wierenga, but I sincerely dislike the way some of her episodes make Connie seem like a teenage ditz (sort of like her teenage friends in "With a Little Help from My Friends"). Her "love at first sight" was anything but romantic. In comparison, Eugene and Katrina's relationship was a major part of the Blackgaard saga, and I think that this relationship was handled much better.

Jacob Isom · Post by **Jacob Isom** » Sat May 19, 2007 2:50 pm

I would say that the Novacom Saga is better for its involved and meticulous plot which took a while to develop, but I would also say that the Dr. Blackgaard Saga took place in a time of Odyssey's history when it was still the classic era of the show/the golden days. Both have their good points (and bad points), but I definitely like Novacom better.

H Tide · Post by **H Tide** » Sat May 19, 2007 3:52 pm

Although I liked Eugene and Katrina's relationship way more than Connie and Mitch's relationship, I still enjoyed the Novacom saga better.

actinglove299 · Post by **actinglove299** » Sat May 19, 2007 7:21 pm

I think my favorite would be the Blaggard series. It seems more real to me, and it had the very classic characters in it, but Novacom was good too.

Rachel Maxwell · Post by **Rachel Maxwell** » Sat May 19, 2007 9:28 pm

I think we were scareder of Blackgaard too-cause he was around so long before the finale.

amyinodyssey · Post by **amyinodyssey** » Thu May 24, 2007 4:03 pm

I think that the Novacom series is better because it extends over several albums and even has some episodes that hint about what is going to be coming in the future. An example of this would be "Wrapped Around Your Finger" where Eugene and Katrina are talking about when they are going to get marriage and they threaten that they might elope. I also like the Novacom series because it threatens to take over the entire world whereas in the blackgaard series he only wants to take over the town of Odyssey.

I guess in looking in the contrasts I like things on a bigger scale.

Post by **Catspaw** » Thu May 24, 2007 7:48 pm

But Blackgaard had bigger ambitions than merely taking over Odyssey. He wanted to control TA-418 and the ruku virus so he could sell it to the highest bidder. He wanted power and lots of money. His efforts involved Odyssey, yes, but that wasn't the furthest extent of his goals. Somebody like Bart Rathbone, for example, just wants money and some power, like being mayor of Odyssey. Dr. Blackgaard only ran for mayor to cover his larger and more diabolical plans.

Welcome to the ToO, by the way! $\:D/$

The Town of Odyssey