Bye-Bye SciFi, Hello Syfy?

Since we here at LG15 Today love the latest and greatest in crappy science fiction, the latest news regarding the cable giant The SciFi Channel is particularly interesting.

Sci Fi Channel Has a New Name: Now, It's Syfy

Soon, to paraphrase Rod Serling — whose vintage series, “The Twilight Zone,” is a mainstay of the Sci Fi Channel — executives will submit for public approval another name, not only of sight and sound but of mind, meant to signal a channel whose boundaries are that of imagination. That’s the signpost up ahead — your next stop, Syfy.

More interesting, though, is the kind of insight this announcement provides into the interests of the executives of the channel. It appears that the primary reason for the name change is due to the fact that the name "SciFi" is too generic to be Trademarked, while the new "Syfy" is not. The only thing keeping them from completely changing the name is the fact that the new name won't put off loyal fans of the network. (Unlikely, but let's go with it.)

The new slogan of the channel, which they're hoping will convey more than that stereotypical of the Science Fiction genre, is said to be "Imagine Greater." Personally, I'd like for the execs to "imagine greater" in their own right, by not simply rebranding the channel and wishing on the public to increase ratings, but by giving us more fantastic content like Battlestar Galactica, and less of things like WWE wrestling and Mansquito. That's probably too much to ask, though.

On a more hilarious side note, the word "Syfy" is the plural of "syf" in Polish, which was originally used as slang for syphilis, and now enjoys a broader slang usage meaning "dirty".

I give the new title a month before it dies. What say you?