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Sometimes I have to take a step back and take a view of the world as if I'm not in it. It's difficult to do, because of the obvious, but every once in a while I find it almost fate-like to see life -- and even death -- play out the way it does.

As I was planning this week's SciFriday column (and you just thought I came up with it on the fly), I wanted to talk about how much it irks me that death in science-fiction is never really death, almost to the point that it's a joke in mainstream media. "Don't worry, I know [insert your favorite character's name here] died, but wait until sweeps, and he/she will be back in no time. It is sci-fi after all."

And it's true. As if taking its cue from the afternoon soap operas, beloved characters in science-fiction -- if a show stays on long enough -- find a way to come back to life, one way or another. It's almost to the point where fans expect it. I mean, look at the people who want to resurrect Capt. Kirk from the dead. All you need is a katra, a Genesis planet, and a pissed off Klingon who bears a striking resemblance to Doc Brown.

I think that we, as fans and maybe even as a society, have become desensitized to what death really is. Even with the passing of the great sci-fi author Kurt Vonnegut this past week, it still really doesn't sink in.

When I was a kid, my dad would love to watch the kind of action movies that either had Bruce Lee or Charles Bronson in it. Watching these movies, the death toll of unnamed, faceless characters was high. Even at 8 years old, I was becoming desensitized to what I was seeing on the screen.

Then once, my dad and I were watching a movie where the main character didn't kill the army of anonymous fighters that were attacking him. I turned to my dad and asked what was wrong ... why not just kill them? And my dad just looked at me and asked me if I thought those guys had families, had friends who cared about them? These weren't people who just appeared out of thin air. They were people who had homes, who had jobs, who had a brother or a sister, who had a mom and a dad.

Ever since that day, I found it difficult to watch a movie with a lot of death without thinking of those very specific ramifications, almost to the point of, "What if that was me?"

This column was supposed to attack the overused sci-fi trick of resurrection, citing the examples by "Battlestar Galactica" and soon to be "Stargate: Atlantis" when a character that, at least in the United States, isn't even dead yet, but producers are already talking about how they will bring that character back to life. And that disturbs me. It disturbs me greatly.

When I saw BSG's "Maelstrom," I couldn't help but watch the ending over and over and over again. It was so moving to me, the death, the end. There would be no more minutes in that character's life, no more tears, no more smiles, no more sarcastic remarks. And while I knew that character was going to show up again (even "Battlestar Galactica" is sci-fi still), I was holding on to the moment of memorializing this character I have so enjoyed over the past three seasons.

"Atlantis" is going to kill of a major character themselves during the second half of the third season. It's a very moving episode, and the scene itself will literally bring tears to your eyes. It was a bold move by the writers and by the producers, and one that I applauded. But they are going to take it away. They are going to play the sci-fi reset button. It's a button that in reality, none of us -- whether we're putting together a Stargate series or we're writing counter-culture science-fiction -- will ever get to press.

It's not sci-fi, but there is a line from a movie I greatly enjoy called "The Hours." Author Virginia Woolf is asked why she is going to kill off a character in her book. The line deliver by Nicole Kidman is one that makes perfect sense:

"Someone has to die in order that the rest of us should value life more. It's contrast."

As you remember Kurt Vonnegut this weekend, remember that line. Vonnegut made the best out of his life, no matter how troubled it was. And we should, too, because in the end, when it's over, it's over.

SyBits

I didn't want to delve too much into Vonnegut because Airlock Alpha staff writer Robin Brownfield -- who had the opportunity to meet the author at least once -- did it far better than I ever could. If you haven't read her tribute to Vonnegut, you can read it here.

I completely disagree with your take on 'Mission: Impossible 4" being recast. With Tom Cruise's split with Paramount, they also stated he will still be involved in future Paramount projects, and I think he will and should be back for more Mission: Imposisble. He made that movie franchise what it is, and I think he will continue to. I don't care how many couches he jumps on, the guy's a little nuts, but who cares? He makes great movies and he is Ethan Hunt.

On a side note, I am curious just how you get involved with writing a column online? I myself write a blog whenever I can focusing on media and entertainment news and my opinions. Any advice you may be able to offer on getting into something like that as a job?
-- Mark Stearns

Great e-mail, Mark, even if you are disagreeing with me. I am still going to stand by my guns that if there is more Mission: Impossible films, it will be without Tom Cruise. But hey, I've been wrong (many times) before.

As far as writing like I do, I got this gig because the owner of the site asked me to do this. I like to pretend that the owner of the site is someone other than me, but I don't have a great imagination.

Getting paid to do something like this, now that's a different story. All I can say is keep trying to submit your stuff to media companies that like to pay their writers, and if you have what they are looking for, with a little luck, you can spew all the garbage I spew, and actually get paid for it.

I live in the Caribbean and I watch television via DirecTV Latina. Since last Wednesday, there is a new channel on DirecTV Latina, SciFi Channel. The Web address is www.scifila.com. It is Spanish of course.

I could not find anything about this on the regular SciFi Channel news board. SciFi goes international. Is that not something to mention/declare/announce? The "new" channel is a big and pleasant surprise for me.

There are sci-fi series (in English with Spanish subtitles) whown on other DirecTV channels, but they are scattered and it is hard to keep track which channels show what and when. That is why I visit your Web site, to keep track of anything sci-fi. A while ago, someone complained about the spoilers in your column. I visit Airlock Alpha for the spoilers!
-- Betty

Good news, Betty! A Spanish version of SciFi Channel is new for South America! World Screen reported last month that NBC Universal began offering SciFi Channel across Latin America through DirecTV Panamericana and Cablevision in Mexico beginning April 1. It has almost everything found on the American version of the channel including "The Dresden Files," "Stargate: SG-1," "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Sliders."

Apparently, this isn't NBCU's first foray into the Latin American market. Their first channel was the Universal Channel.

So next time you sit down to watch Teal'c be funny, think of me!

If you have a question about this column or anything going on in the world of SyFy, drop me an e-mail at mhinman@airlockalpha.com.

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Have a great week, and don't be a stranger!

Michael Hinman, named Time magazine's Person of the Year in 2006, is the founder and site coordinator for Airlock Alpha, writing out of Tampa, Fla. He can be reached at mhinman@airlockalpha.com.