Dim memory of a dark world

April 1, 2008 10:23 AM

Television show where half the planet is always dark?

For some reason I can't get this out of my head, even though I have a sneaking suspicion this was a stinker of a show. I seem to remember a sci-fi/fantasy movie or mini series on TV in the 80's or 90's that featured a world where half the planet was dark all the time. There may have been a physical barrier between the light and dark halves. I also recall (dimly) there were several subplots one of which involved a hospital or place-of-healing and another with a rural family. What was this show and was it dreadful?

posted by pointystick to media & arts (14 answers total)

Isn't half of Earth always dark?
posted by Bonzai at 10:27 AM on April 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

White Dwarf.
posted by 517 at 10:28 AM on April 1, 2008

Isn't half of Earth always dark

Too true. The same half, all the time :)
posted by pointystick at 10:30 AM on April 1, 2008

Thanks, 517. That's the one. I have no idea why it popped into my head again, but I thank you!
posted by pointystick at 10:33 AM on April 1, 2008

Every planet, all the time.
posted by dinger at 10:34 AM on April 1, 2008

dinger: Not necessarily (at least not in SF).
posted by brianogilvie at 10:58 AM on April 1, 2008

Wait -- isn't that the one with the prism on the front?
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 12:18 PM on April 1, 2008

Was that planet really, really windy? 'Cause it would be.
posted by drinkcoffee at 1:02 PM on April 1, 2008

thank you for asking this - this has bugged me off and on for years for some reason.
posted by korej at 1:36 PM on April 1, 2008

Is this the same movie where the doctors wear these red gloves that can operate on people without having to cut them open? That was a wierd movie.
posted by thewittyname at 2:06 PM on April 1, 2008

Is this the same movie where the doctors wear these red gloves that can operate on people without having to cut them open?

I think so, but I was afraid to put that in my question, because it sounded so damn weird.
posted by pointystick at 2:07 PM on April 1, 2008

Every planet, all the time.

Ha! What about a binary system? Two suns = more lighted area.

I'm giving myself 1 nerd point for that.
posted by Bonzai at 8:49 PM on April 1, 2008

Hah! I've been wondering this for ages too!
posted by GoingToShopping at 6:25 AM on April 2, 2008

That was the 1995 TV movie "White Dwarf"

Here's a link to the IMDB reference

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114926/

I remember this because I recorded it on VHS and watched it several times, it was a story of a doctor that has to spend some time in a "backwater" planet like a sci-fi version of Northern Exposure.
posted by xondir at 10:25 AM on August 14, 2008