(no subject)
A facebook friend asked which sci-fi TV shows/movies did NOT focus on the military. A few recent series were suggested but I'm way out of that loop. I suggested Lost In Space! The Jetsons! Planet of the Apes! (I'm way old-school, i.e. no cable.) Plus 2001! Blade Runner! Etc.
It occured to me that the military focus was both practical and symbolic, originating for three reasons:
1) the military confronts the things we're most afraid of,
2) the military leads the development and use of technology, and
3) sci-fi tends to assume that the future will be defined by science, which leads away from reflective drama and toward intense, violent conflicts of good vs. bad, where a right answer is promised and may, through great human effort, be achieved.
If you're telling the story of Howard's End, there's no need to make it sci-fi. But if you're exploring the meaning of human achievement as we charge into the unknown, we'll require some rayguns and monsters, thanks.
It occured to me that the military focus was both practical and symbolic, originating for three reasons:
1) the military confronts the things we're most afraid of,
2) the military leads the development and use of technology, and
3) sci-fi tends to assume that the future will be defined by science, which leads away from reflective drama and toward intense, violent conflicts of good vs. bad, where a right answer is promised and may, through great human effort, be achieved.
If you're telling the story of Howard's End, there's no need to make it sci-fi. But if you're exploring the meaning of human achievement as we charge into the unknown, we'll require some rayguns and monsters, thanks.