Characteristics of Good Science Fiction

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From catastrophic cyberpunk to futuristic space opera, science fiction texts remain perennial favourites with readers. Science fiction extends scientific principles in a fictional sense to form the plot while catering to society’s ever changing scientific interests. Early sci-fi employed slow-paced storylines and wishfully extrapolated every technological breakthrough. However, more recent texts have a stronger foundation in scientific theory, and serve as a critical mirror to the advances of humanity. Despite the constant revolution of the sci-fi genre, good science fiction is and always will be characterised by scientific principles, creative fiction and analytical social commentary.

Most quality sci-fi texts incorporate a degree of imaginative yet realistic scientific principles. These principles - figments of the authors' imaginations - are the novels' underlying-scientific theories that are realistic in terms of extrapolation. Science is important to sci-fi because it provides explanations behind the concepts that drive the story. Robert Forward’s “Saturn Rukh” is strengthened by biological concepts which explain the anatomy of a gigantic bird-like creature – the Rukh. While sci-fi writing must be innovative, future predictions must also be believable so that readers will relate to characters. A fine illustration of plausibility is Michael Crichton’s novel ‘Timeline’ which thoroughly and realistically explains the physics behind time travel. However, in Robert Zemeckis’s film ‘Back to the Future’ realism is forfeited when Dr Brown announces, ‘We require one point twenty jiggowatts of power.’ While both stories involve time travel, one is more credible than the other. The scientific basis of sci-fi texts is important for ...

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...larming level and environmental groups cause chaos within the community. Here, the author projects a dystopian outlook regarding climate change which incites readers to consider the fate of the natural environment. Good sci-fi provokes us to consider social implications of futuristic allegories. Therefore, social commentary is an essential component of good science fiction.

Inventive yet believable scientific phenomena, imaginative fictional extensions of reality and questioning of technological developments breathe new life into science fiction. Despite the relentless change of society’s contemporary scientific interests, good science fiction is forever characterised by scientific principles, creative fiction and analytical social commentary. A popular, modern genre, science fiction has intrigued many through its insightful imagination and analytical allegories.

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