It was as bad as I expected. No mention of his medical retirement from the Navy, his service as an aeronautical engineer in WWII, and his Juvinile books that had such an influence in the astronauts and engineers of our space programs.

I think your expectations were in the wrong direction. This series is not a biography of the authors, but a review of items they “invented” in their stories that have come to be. As such they made some interesting choices as they only had 46 minutes and there are inventions in every story that you could point at.
Let’s discuss it within the parameters of what they are trying to do.
Ed

I noticed one thing: they mentioned Between Planets as showing the use of wireless phones. True: "Don reached for the pommel, removed the phone and answered". My impression was that it was part of the saddle, but it could be that it was simply a place where the phone could be stored while riding.

However, Space Cadet mentioned portable phones even earlier than Between Planets
Tex:"Say, your telephone is sounding".
"Oh.!", Matt reached in his pouch and got out his phone.*

This sounds to me much more like our current phones.

*Seems to me that I recall there was a fashion for a while for some men, (and maybe women), to wear something like pouches. What were they called?

I rather like the numerous commercials. At each commercial break I now mute the TV and have time to get up and do something else. Then I return in time for the program. I just filled out a Nielsen TV rating form for one week, and I mentioned that in the comments section.

There's a vivid scene in a one of Heinlein's novels about terrible mind assaulting advertisements in a taxi. The driver can't turn them off, but for a large tip he can dim the sound and volume.

Did I make a nice on-topic switch or what?

Fair enough. I missed the starting episode of the entire series last year [it was Mary Shelly, IIRC] where they apparently stated the premise, never to be repeated again. Taking it in that light, I have to take back what I said about the IA segment, [although I still maintain that they missed a bet by not featuring Asimov's non-fiction body as the "great explainer" of science, technology, Shakespeare, and the Bible] since robotics was his main "hardware" concentration.

And I was pleasantly surprised that the RAH segment was so well done. It did repeat the "ST is a fascist society" canard beloved by Verhoaxer, et al; but overall, given Ed's reminder of the show's premise, the rest of the show was well done given the time allotted.

I suspect I'll pass on the season finale next week featuring George Lucas and Star Wars - although curiosity may eventually drive me into seeing it.

Curious about what? That series lost me LONG ago.

Google "Star Wars Prequel Reviews" and look at the multipart reviews on YouTube. Crudely offensive, wildly funny, deadly accurate.

I was surprised that they didn't mention:

"The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Distinguished
Public Service Medal. Through dozens of superbly written novels
and essays and his epoch-making movie “Destination Moon,” he helped
inspire the Nation to take its first step into space and onto the Moon"

Citation accompanying Distinguished Public Service medal awarded
posthumously by the NASA to Robert Anson Heinlein, 1988.

By which he helped make some of his prophecies come to pass.

Deb Houdek Rule has created a reviews page for the episode: http://www.heinleinsociety.org/category ... s-reviews/ .

If you want to submit a review you can create a WordPress account for the site via:
http://www.heinleinsociety.org/ths/wp-l ... n=register

BTW, if you haven't seen the show yet the cheapest way is via Amazon Video. Through their Unbox player you can have a downloaded copy. I think if you use the link on the Society's page they might get a cut. It's also on iTunes.

Quote: Lucas has been in the opening credit sequence since the first show - and the parallel credit is for "energy weapons." Gosh, I dunno how sf got along without energy weapons until 1977. Poor Doc Smith had to sit around waiting for over 40 years, I guess. End Quote.

Gosh, I'm just finishing the last novel in the old Lensman series for the umpteenth time. Still wonderful, though now I'm more aware that much of his technology (and social mores) are from, what, the 1950's? His own time. Wouldn't a lens be wonderful?

Wouldn't the lensmen emotionally castrate all other human males? I don't see how that could be avoided.

At some point, I read that Smith and Heinlein were friends, and Smith, planning one more novel, told Heinlein the plot. However he 'could never publish it'. I assume the siblings, ultimate in the human line, would end up in a group marriage. Does anyone know if Heinlein ever did write down or tell anyone about Smith's last proposed novel?