SCI FI Channel's Apology to Ursula Le Guin

RE: ABUSE OF DISCRETION AND DISREGARD FOR URSULA K. LE GUIN.

WE, the viewing audience, have taken the position of writing to SCI FI Channel and NBC/Universal regarding the recently debuted Legend of Earthsea, and how SCI FI Channel allowed an incredible story and cornerstone of science fiction literature be twisted and misused for capital gain and precious ratings. SCI FI Channel clearly took advantage of Le Guin's reputation, her name, and the acclaim of her works, while failing to do what their own hired Executive Producer Robert Halmi advised, ". . .you have to be true to the book . . ."

SCI FI CHANNEL'S ABUSE OF DISCRETION:
SCI FI Channel hired a Director who had no clue what the books were about. Director Robert Liberman said, "We had not even read the books before taking on Earthsea." Liberman goes on to claim that he was so concerned about ethnicity; and makes inferences of meeting the ethnicity requirement dictated by the original works. There was one black character; the rest were Caucasian. Pathetic! Le Guin is right, her world was an ethnic world of many different peoples, customs and societies. Very few were white Caucasians. What is wrong with the media today? Can't we get out of the 1800's and live in modern times where diversity is reality. Please?

These directors and script writers took Le Guin's carefully crafted work, dropped it in a blender paying no attention to the original plot lines; mixing and matched bits and pieces from the first two books into one story. One eleven year old girl commented, "I could have done a better job with the script than they did." WE ask, "if an eleven year old gets it, then why can't SCI FI Channel, and the crew they employed to write and cast a monumental task of Le Guin's magnitude, get it?" The Lord of the Ring series was successful because they stayed true to the script and plot lines. It was a complete mistake to lose Philippa Boyens (who co-wrote the scripts for The Lord of the Rings) as principal script writer of this Earthsea series. And, it is likely SCI FI Channel could have stopped that from happening.

WE don't doubt these directors tried to create a balance between CGI and an enjoyable story, but this story is not some fable the directors get to create from scratch without regard for honest work. This is a series of stories written by an artist who carefully crafted and created them over thirty years ago whom audiences have been reading for all those years. Like Tolkein, audiences become protective of the work and desire purity. WE don't care about these director's agendas or what matters to them.

WE, the audience, ask SCI FI Channel and NBC/Universal to understand, that it's not all about their precious ratings and therefore the bottom line financially. If SCI FI Channel is not going to do the job right from the beginning then don't do it all. At least SCI FI Channel could have presented Legend of Earthsea as a sort of Pulp Fiction. At least SCI FI Channel would have been honest to their 13.2 million viewers. SCI FI Channel should also realize the overwhelming ratings success they enjoyed was NOT from their bad decision making, and ruined story lines, but from the Le Guin's hard work, adroit writing skills, reputation, and the fact SCI FI Channel usually does better than this.

When Director Liberman says, "A SCI FI Channel audience will just be in heaven when they watch this& I think there will be moments when the audience will get wet-eyed." He was wrong and right at the same time. Wrong because WE, the audience, believe the story was completely ruined, but right in that WE are disappointed to tears. When Executive Producer, Robert Halmi says things like, " . . .you have to be true to the book . . .," but then not follow through; when he said, "This project came to me already in the process of writing," it becomes obvious the plot lines were so destroyed, and the whole project was mismanaged.

DISREGARD FOR URSULA K. LE GUIN:
SCI FI Channel's public response to Le Guin is: "We respect Ms. Le Guin's right to voice her opinion and we understand her frustrations. However, adapting two major novels down to four hours of television is highly challenging and requires significant reworking." We the audience reject this response as empty rhetoric. For the same amount of money and time, SCI FI Channel could have done the job right, and consulted Le Guin on what parts to leave out and ways to bridge the gaps in story line. Instead SCI FI Channel chose to "step on the little guy" in this case Le Guin and go with producers who had no understanding of how to create the true essence of these books.

We, the audience, know Le Guin sold the rights to make a film of her work, but reject SCI FI Channel's reckless attitudes and decision making which resulted in the ruin of a great story merely so they can use Le Guin's name and reputation for fast cash. Even worse, SCI FI Channel valiantly and egregiously stands by their poor product and mismanaged project by saying, " . . . we stand by the creative decisions we took in the spirit of her wonderful books and which made our miniseries the top entertainment program on cable over two nights, with over 13 million viewers."

IN CLOSING:
WE, the audience, ask SCI FI Channel and NBC/Universal to take responsibility for abusing their discretion and disrespecting Ursula K. Le Guin. For investing in this project then allowing a great work of literature be terribly misrepresented. For minimizing Le Guin from the beginning. For not consulting Le Guin and demanding she have more vote over how the script was written.

WE, the audience, reject SCI FI Channel's bad faith behavior and affirm Le Guin's final sentiments. ". . . with all freedom comes responsibility. Which is something these filmmakers seem not to understand." WE feel betrayed by SCI FI Channel, the Producer, the Director, and Script writers who so casually side-stepped their responsibility. Clearly money and ratings was all that mattered to SCI FI Channel. This being reflected through the spirit of their response to Le Guin and through the lack of responsibility the Producer and Director had to the preservation of the original works. These people defaced Le Guin's work in order to make SCI FI Channel money.

OUR REQUEST:
WE, the audience, request SCI FI Channel to apologize to its loyal viewing audience. WE request the show be pulled off the air. WE request a formal and public apology by submitted to Ursula K. Le Guin.