“Live long and prosper” may be the words which bring back good memories for the average geek in America but this may not be the case for a typical British geek. This is despite the fact that science fiction series in television have been hugely popular in both the U.S. and the U.K. all throughout history. After the 1960s, ‘New Wave’ science fiction began to take over television screens. ‘New Wave’ refers to science fiction which was characterized by a high degree of experimentation (Wolfe). It was during this time when the U.S and the U.K started to telecast science fiction series which had a huge impact on society. Star Trek became the forefront of American science fiction series in television while British science fiction series could be best represented by Doctor Who, a hugely successful production which started in 1963 and still runs today. Both nations revolutionized the way science fiction was shared and interpreted, being the leaders behind this ‘New Wave’. Yet, the unique socio-cultural differences between both societies lead to slightly differing tracks of science fiction television series.
The influence which both sets of series had on the media and society is unremarkable. One of the most prominent series in the U.K., Doctor Who, is the longest running science fiction show in the world. The show was so successful that many science fiction spin-off series emerged throughout the show’s history. Examples include other hugely successful science fiction series such as The Sarah Janes Aventures and Torchwood. Star Trek’s success has made it a cult phenomenon, spawning many references in pop-culture and the construction of the Klingon language (used by a certain species called Klingons in the series) (Day). The series was t...
... middle of paper ...
...to improve this situation and a good example would be the inclusion of Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager, the first woman to take the role of the Captain in the series.
Unique cultural differences between Britain and America may have influenced the way science fiction was shown on television; in terms of plot, casting and the audience appeal. Yet, they are essentially science fiction series, fiction based on science and technology in the future which has paved the way for millions to set sights on the unknown and to imagine the impossible.
Works Cited
Wolfe, Gary G (2005) “Coming to Terms” in Speculations on Speculation. Theories of Science Fiction, James Gunn and Matthew Candelaria (Ed.), Scarecrow Press Inc, Maryland
Day, Dwayne. "Star Trek as a Cultural Phenomenon." US Centennial of Flight Commission. n. d. Web. 15 Sep. 2011.
Not only educational shows accomplish these goals, but fictional television programs can often incorporate information that requires viewers to grapple with a topic using logical reasoning and a global consciousness. In addition, not to diminish the importance of reading, television reaches those who may never pick up a book or who might struggle with reading problems, enabling a broader spectrum of people to interact with cognitive topics. Veith has committed the error of making generalizations about two forms of media when, in truth, the situation varies depending on quality and content. However, what follows these statements is not just fallacious, but
Wood, Karen and Charles. “The Vonnegut Effect: Science Fiction and Beyond.” The Vonnegut Statement. Vol. 5. 1937. 133-57. The GaleGroup. Web. 10 March. 2014.
Darko Suvin defines science fiction as "a literary genre whose necessary and sufficient conditions are the presence and interaction of estrangement and cognition, and whose main formal device" (Suvin 7-8) is a fictional "novum . . . a totalizing phenomenon or relationship" (Suvin 64), "locus and/or dramatis personae . . . radically or at least significantly" alternative to the author's empirical environment "simultaneously perceived as not impossible within the cognitive (cosmological and anthropological) norms of the author's epoch" (Suvin viii). Unlike fantasy, science fiction is set in a realistic world, but one strange, alien. Only there are limits to how alien another world, another culture, can be, and it is the interface between those two realms that can give science fiction its power, by making us look back at ourselves from its skewed perspective.
Lind, Michael. "Why We Should Embrace the End of Human Spaceflight."Salon.com. N.p.: n.p., 2011. N. pag. Rpt. in NASA. Ed. Margaret Haerens. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 21 Mar. 2014.
Literature and film have always held a strange relationship with the idea of technological progress. On one hand, with the advent of the printing press and the refinements of motion picture technology that are continuing to this day, both literature and film owe a great deal of their success to the technological advancements that bring them to widespread audiences. Yet certain films and works of literature have also never shied away from portraying the dangers that a lust for such progress can bring with it. The modern output of science-fiction novels and films found its genesis in speculative ponderings on the effect such progress could hold for the every day population, and just as often as not those speculations were damning. Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein and Fritz Lang's silent film Metropolis are two such works that hold great importance in the overall canon of science-fiction in that they are both seen as the first of their kind. It is often said that Mary Shelley, with her authorship of Frankenstein, gave birth to the science-fiction novel, breathing it into life as Frankenstein does his monster, and Lang's Metropolis is certainly a candidate for the first genuine science-fiction film (though a case can be made for Georges Méliès' 1902 film Le Voyage Dans la Lune, his film was barely fifteen minutes long whereas Lang's film, with its near three-hour original length and its blending of both ideas and stunning visuals, is much closer to what we now consider a modern science-fiction film). Yet though both works are separated by the medium with which they're presented, not to mention a period of over two-hundred years between their respective releases, they present a shared warning about the dangers that man's need fo...
With the arrival of the TV repair man we get more sense of the sci-fi
Booker, M. K. Alternate Americas: Science Fiction Film and American Culture. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2006. Print.
America got its first look of a program that would later become legendary on September 8, 1966 at 8:30 PM on NBC. America was never the same after Star Trek made its debut that night. The series did not receive the recognition it deserved until it was canceled after only three years and later returning in syndication. However, Star Trek was never an ordinary science fiction program to begin with. Comparison to other programs in this genre is difficult because Star Trek is certainly not an unconventional science fiction program- it is a science fiction program that displays America during 1960's. In fact, Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, during an interview said, "I have no belief that Star Trek depicts the actual future, it depicts us, now, things we need to understand about that". Even David Gerrold, a writer for the series, writes in his book that "[t]he stories are about twentieth century man's attitudes in a future universe. The stories are about us". Naturally each episode does not make a social commentary, but all through the program, characters, themes, and it goes without saying, individual episodes make powerful reflections on sexism, feminism, as well as racism and improving race relations, all crucial social affairs during the late 1960's, and to a certain extent, social affairs of today.
1. Sterling, Bruce. "Major Science Fiction Themes:utopias and Dystopias." Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. .
As long as sci-fi continues to re-invent itself, the genre will remain relevant, challenging, and entertaining, which is why it will survive as long as cinema itself.
“A Cultural Approach to Television Genre Theory” argues that the application of film and literary genre theory do not fully translate when analyzing television, because of “the specific industry and audience practices unique to television, or for the mixture of fictional and nonfictional programming that constitutes the lineup on nearly every TV channel. 2” The goal of media genre studies, Mittell asserts, is to understand how media is arranged within the contexts of production and reception, and how media work to create our vision of the world.
Science fiction is a genre, which depicts what life would be like in a world with major scientific and technological developments. When it comes to science fiction, the exploration of future technology is a major element. Many stories and films focus on space, robots, aliens, a mad scientist, and/or artificial intelligence. “The universal themes found in science fiction—themes of freedom and responsibility, power, love, individuality and community, good versus evil, technology run amok, and more—present ample opportunity to explore complex issues and compelling controversies at length and in depth in ways that not only engage the intellect, but involve the emotions and expand the imagination.” The story “Flowers for Algernon,” by Daniel Keyes, is an example of science fiction that examines the impact of artificial intelligence. “The End of the Whole Mess,” by Steven King, is an example of science fiction that focuses on the fall of a mad scientist. The film “Gravity” is an example of a science fiction movie that explores the use of major technological advancement within space. In this paper I will assess the major themes portrayed in “Flowers for Algernon,“ “The End of the Whole Mess,” and the film, “Gravity.” Additionally, I will examine how these models of science fiction teach a major lesson about the imperfections of future scientific and technological advancements on society.
The genre of what is called science fiction has been around since The Epic of Gilgamesh (earliest Sumerian text versions BCE ca. 2150-2000). The last 4000 years has evolved science fiction and combined it with all categories of genres comprising action, comedy, horror, drama, and adventure in many different ways. From chest bursting aliens, to robot assassins sent back in time science fiction has successfully captured the imagination of nearly everyone that has been introduced to it. The movies Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Independence Day are both examples of films created with the idea of advanced life existing outside the boarders of our own world. The foundation for each film in view of how extraterrestrial life will affect human affairs, however are very different.
Science fiction as a genre has often had its stories steeped in allegory and metaphor. From the 1960s Star Trek to James Cameron’s Avatar, sci-fi narratives seeking to impart some greater meaning to their audience have been met with wild success, despite varying degrees of subtlety. In his novel Embassytown, author China Miéville takes this tradition and puts it to the side in lieu of running with it. A self-proclaimed “geek," Miéville has held a lifelong interest in the genres of science fiction and fantasy; an interest reflected in his works, with many of them bearing the genres of “weird fiction” or “New Weird”. While many of his highly acclaimed novels do have the marks of his politics, the award-winning Embassytown among them, in this
In a blog about science education, John Romano, a science teacher, said that he would show Gattaca to his students as a part of genetics lecture (sci-ed). Gattaca is a Science fiction movie which explores the issue of DNA being superior and inferior which is related to high chance of survival of the human being. He also said that students having seen a possible future through a fictitious movie became motivated to learn the details (Sci-ed). Science fiction movies have been helpful to understand some topics. For instance, dissociative identity disorder, a very complicated topic, became an easy subject for me after watching a science fiction movie Split, which explored the causes of the disorder and its effects to an individual and his society. In addition, implementing science fiction narratives in classes would not only cover a specific subject like physics, but also other spectrum of science such as anthropology, sociology,