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Post by Zany on Apr 30, 2024 20:58:47 GMT
Just reading Salvation by Peter F Hamilton.
Not sure about the story but the descriptions of the future are very clever.
He describes how the invention of portals makes all the advances in spaceship propulsion useless overnight. Plasma drive, Ion, anti grav. All that research for nothing.
Why.
Simple. Stick one end of a portal in a star, the other end on the back of your ship and whoosh.
Why do you need ships when you have portals?
You need them to take the other end of your portal to wear you want to go.
Do you have a favourite bit in a sci fi?
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Steve
Hero Protagonist
Posts: 3,633
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Post by Steve on Apr 30, 2024 21:16:59 GMT
A few. From the (not bad) remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still
Regina Jackson: I speak for the President of the United States. Now, please; tell me why have you come to our planet.
Klaatu: *Your* planet.
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Post by Zany on Apr 30, 2024 21:33:00 GMT
A few. From the (not bad) remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still Regina Jackson: I speak for the President of the United States. Now, please; tell me why have you come to our planet. Klaatu: *Your* planet. Why are you destroying our planet? Us?   |
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Post by Saint on Apr 30, 2024 21:43:15 GMT
A few. From the (not bad) remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still Regina Jackson: I speak for the President of the United States. Now, please; tell me why have you come to our planet. Klaatu: *Your* planet. Why are you destroying our planet? Us? God help the alien mum who had to give birth to a baby with a head that size! I'm not that into sci-fi, but I really like the Alien movies. |
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Steve
Hero Protagonist
Posts: 3,633
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Post by Steve on Apr 30, 2024 22:17:57 GMT
Sci Fi has many branches. Alien is imho definitely science fiction as are Star Wars, Marvel etc
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Post by totheleft on May 1, 2024 2:34:12 GMT
I'm very fond of Scfi movies,comics ,Toys,
T v programmes,
Not Boooks haven't got the reading soan .
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Post by cartertonian on May 1, 2024 6:18:31 GMT
Science fiction is a great medium for exploring contemporary political issues in way that dissociates them from the current reality and thus makes them more palatable.
My wife and I are currently binge-watching old Dr Who episodes and it's (almost) all there - racism, sexism, war, dictatorships, political violence, wealth inequality, prejudice, classism, and so on.
The entire Star Wars franchise, including the many, many spin-offs (The Mandalorian is my favourite), is also laced with political references and observations of a similar nature. Interestingly, my youngest son (he's 21) is a big fan of the Empire, because in his eyes they are the ones seeking to bring order and stability to the galaxy, whereas the rebellion are essentially akin to subversive terrorists. I try not to engage with him about it!
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Post by walterpaisley on May 1, 2024 6:52:59 GMT
I like Sci fi just fine. Grew up on it, some of my favourite films are of the genre, and I keenly read everything from Wells to Siodmak as a teenager.
It's a section of the fan base who frighten me, though.
No other genre fosters a network who are so passionately invested.
The only writers I know who have actual "stalkers" (and a police panic line to go with it) are a Doctor Who regular and Star Wars (spinoff) writer. Their emails are scary. An actor I know has played characters from terrorists to murderers - but the only time he ever got hate mail was after appearing in a SW prequel.
I have absolutely no idea why this would be a thing for that particular genre and no other.
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Post by Zany on May 1, 2024 7:29:53 GMT
Science fiction is a great medium for exploring contemporary political issues in way that dissociates them from the current reality and thus makes them more palatable. My wife and I are currently binge-watching old Dr Who episodes and it's (almost) all there - racism, sexism, war, dictatorships, political violence, wealth inequality, prejudice, classism, and so on. The entire Star Wars franchise, including the many, many spin-offs (The Mandalorian is my favourite), is also laced with political references and observations of a similar nature. Interestingly, my youngest son (he's 21) is a big fan of the Empire, because in his eyes they are the ones seeking to bring order and stability to the galaxy, whereas the rebellion are essentially akin to subversive terrorists. I try not to engage with him about it! My favourite for exploring human emotions in a place where you can put them in unusual situations was the Babylon 5 series. Only box set I've ever bought. Star wars allowed us to look at what happens when you get too greedy and civilisation starts to disintegrate. The spiral of greed, rebellion and suppression. |
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Post by walterpaisley on May 1, 2024 8:14:57 GMT
Imo, Star Wars has spent the best part of fifty years overreaching.
It began as a very simple idea: A 1930s Saturday Morning space romp for kids (Flash Gordon/Phantom Empire), but with cutting edge visual FX.
It was brilliantly realised, but was a self-contained summer movie, with no thought of a sequel.
But since then, having become a sensation, it's been conflated into a self important "mythic saga" of endless spinoffs, sequels, prequels, companion pieces, and allied materials (many of which are simply a rehash of the 1977 film) that is still, at its root, built on the flimsiest of foundations - a huge skyscraper built on sand. It's like taking a Laurel and Hardy two reeler and trying to turn it into King Lear.
(And that effect has changed the storytelling industry: From Harry Potter to King Kong, no one is content to just produce a simple yarn, well told anymore - stories are assessed on their potential for becoming the basis of a "universe". I'm as guilty of this as anyone - a simple, standalone, horror/thriller film - that hardly anyone ever saw in the first place - is now in the process of becoming an epic "saga" covering a thousand years and spanning three continents.)
I still love Star Wars - although I think it's long become a victim of its own success, and the expectations its fan base have put upon it.
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Post by Orac on May 1, 2024 8:52:36 GMT
I like Sci fi just fine. Grew up on it, some of my favourite films are of the genre, and I keenly read everything from Wells to Siodmak as a teenager. It's a section of the fan base who frighten me, though. No other genre fosters a network who are so passionately invested. The only writers I know who have actual "stalkers" (and a police panic line to go with it) are a Doctor Who regular and Star Wars (spinoff) writer. Their emails are scary. An actor I know has played characters from terrorists to murderers - but the only time he ever got hate mail was after appearing in a SW prequel. I have absolutely no idea why this would be a thing for that particular genre and no other. There are tow things happening here. 1) Sci-fi was handed over to a particular community with a particular outlook sometime in the nineties. Instead of people interested in ideas, scifi became stuffed up with grown men who collect figurines and live in a fantasy world. 2) Sci-fi is still under further assault for broadly the same reasons it came under assault in the Soviet Union. A bit of a strong cocktail of competing interests. What is desperately needed is for the people not really interested.in the form to go and do something else and for the people collecting action figures to be given the care they need. |
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Post by totheleft on May 1, 2024 8:53:59 GMT
I belive Terry pracett a good Scfi
Novelist. Never read his books
One of my favourite stores in Manchester is forbidden planet
Just purchasing a 1950s Robbie the robot tank it's metallic blue cost nearly £400
Think it will retail around the £600 mark .
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Post by totheleft on May 1, 2024 8:57:21 GMT
I heard on Sunday there re making a film about the Six Millom dollar man .
Dose that come under Scfi .
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Steve
Hero Protagonist
Posts: 3,633
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Post by Steve on May 1, 2024 9:19:09 GMT
I heard on Sunday there re making a film about the Six Millom dollar man . Dose that come under Scfi . IMHO yes. Anything where fictional science/technology is key to the plot is surely Sci Fi |
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Post by Orac on May 1, 2024 9:27:20 GMT
The Matrix - YES
Six million Dollar man - No
Knight-rider - No
Buffy the vampire slayer No
Dune - Yes
Star Trek - Variable. Some of the story lines were sci-fi, some not.
Dr Who - Yes
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