Syfy Rebrand: Fans React

So Sci Fi is rebranding itself as Syfy, and the fans–or at least the people willing to take the time to comment online–are not pleased.

If the 300 comments so far on SciFiWire.com are any indication, the collective response to this morning’s announcement that Sci Fi Channel will change its name to Syfy goes something like this: Worst. Idea. Ever.

Here’s a sampling of the fanboy/fangirl outrage, which included a number of riffs on the new “Imagine greater” tagline (e.g., “Imagine greater… amounts of crap”):

“For the rest of the world, which generally is not into random leetspeak, the new name will sound more as if it was the Syphilis channel.” - Facepalm

“Pointless, I agree. ‘Imagine Greater’ might be the dumbest cable tag-line I’ve ever seen, though. Maybe they should put less thought into rebranding and more thought into programming since one of their three decent programs goes off this week.” -psiwire

“DUMB DUMB DUMB.” Rick

“Just another step away from what the initial charter of the network was intended to be. Guess that’s the nature of things… Can’t wait for a reality TV show set in space.” - noneother

“When is someone at this network going to realize what we first loved about this channel was the science fiction! Not the schlock you guys have been churning out.” -anachronite

“This is a really stupid move and just goes to show you that the network has lost its way.” - ironwill 96

To be fair, re-brands are always a tough pill to get down. And core sci-fi fans are a tough crowd. No doubt Sci Fi executives have braced for the backlash.

Leave a comment below and tell us what you think of the Syfy rebrand.