Science fiction proposes a big universe with many small worlds … or a huge planet teaming with life trying to survive. It can be found in graphic novels, novels, and films. These are the paramount ways to explore the worlds of science fiction. This guide walks you through some of the prominent reasons to discover science fiction, the art of saying “What could be?”
Science FictionTV Shows
Foremost on the list of science fictions shows is perhaps the best Television show of the 21 Century. “Battlestar Galactica” has received plenty of high praise in the online world, but even print papers like “The New Yorker” and “TV Guide” called it exceptional.
An older series, but one with a supreme vision much like “Battlestar Galactica,” is “Babylon 5.” Created by J. Michael Straczynski, this classic showed that space had plenty to offer us, proving that space adventures could succeed beyond “Star Trek.” There are other shows that should be noted, but let’s end it with “X-Files.” Telling the story of two FBI agents out to make sense of the world, “X-Files” led the revolution in the early 1990s of people’s fascination with aliens. There were aliens, yes, as well as werewolves, killers, and time travelers.
Science Fiction Movies
Where can you go with the science fiction film? Anywhere. There are so many to see. On a yearly basis more classics come out, or perhaps older films are finally recognized. “Star Wars” further told the story of space as the classic “Star Trek” films did. Perhaps the finest of all science fiction films is director Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner.” Starring Harrison Ford, “Blade Runner” failed initially to get much praise. All that happened next was the making of a classic, which is now considered by many to be one of the top 100 films of all time. There are other notable titles, like the modern masterpiece of science fiction noir, “Donnie Darko,” created by Richard Kelly. What matters is the films push the limit a bit further than the TV shows can. Sometimes, however, super heroes even go further.
The Super Hero Genre:
Science fiction came before the comic revolution in the 1940s, but it did influence the works of many comic writers and artists. Super heroes flying in space isn’t that far of a concept. Super heroes fighting insane villains isn’t either. Science fiction, by definition, could happen, where fantasy cannot. “Iron Man,” for instance, proposes a man in a suit, who can fly, battle villains, and keep his heart going with a special device. It could happen. On the other side, the classic, non super hero classic “Akira” offers a dreamscape of neo Tokyo on its last legs, as civilization has to face what it has created in an apocalyptic world.
The Science Fiction Novels:
You go for the top science fiction novels and you won’t be disappointed. It seems fantasy novels have gained ground in recent years, overtaking sales for science fiction novels. However, novels by the likes of Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, and Dan Simmons offer some of the best futuristic stories around. The novel allows the idea to be said between two people. That’s the power of a book. Explaining science fiction ideas-and worlds-is somewhat tougher, and takes a special kind of writer. If you really want high quality science fiction, begin with the “Foundation” trilogy by Isaac Asimov, work your way up the list of top science fiction novels via the Hugo awards (the biggest award of science fiction), and then go to Dan Simmons, one of the finest writers of science fiction in the past 20 years. What started with pulp tales sold for a nickel turned into a medium as powerful as any other.
As we Foresee It:
The last point on science fiction is rather simple. The field can do more than many other mediums, because it could happen. A man could fly in a suit. Mankind can reach the stars. There might be aliens. Whatever you can foresee as fact can be turned into a science fiction story. Maybe that’s the best part: it’s scary to wonder exactly what we will do in the next century, flying to other planets, or meeting our maker.
