I was thinking about the science fiction that is curre
ntly on TV last night, and I have been unable to come up with one show that is set in the future. There is some good stuff on, but it seems that it is all set in modern day. Fringe, Lost, Chuck, Eureka, and the new Star gate for example. Dr. Who is of course occasionally set in the future, but it's also set in the past, and the present and it's hardly on the air this year.
So why is this? I like these shows and I'm not complaining about any of them, but why? One simple explanation is that TV networks are all basically copying themselves. If there was a futuristic science fiction show on that worked they would copy it. This alone helps you understand why the science fiction genre has so much trouble on TV since the heart of science fiction is uniqueness but I don't think that's all of it.
I suspect a second reason is the same reason that Star Trek always time travels to our time period or close to it. The sets are already built. It is cheaper to have a show that is set in our modern world because it already exists.
Third, they aren't science fiction, most of these are police dramas with science fiction elements. Fringe, Chuck and Eureka are all examples of this and while some have more science fiction than others they are still following the police drama trend.
I don't suspect that there is a lot that can be done about this. There has to be someone in Hollywood who is making the pitches for epic science fiction and they are being turned down. Perhaps the new Star Trek movie will trigger some ideas at least though I suspect that they will simply dismiss that.
Here is my pitch for a futuristic science fiction drama. Set in 2112 humans have continued to develop technology, but the most major breakthrough in human history has just occurred. A brilliant scientist has discovered a way to bypass the speed of light.
In a rush to begin to explore NASA retrofits one of its shuttles with the technology. This shuttle is roughly 3 times the size of the modern shuttle with far better air recycling and artificial gravity(just because of the cost). This means that there is only room for 7 crew members comfortably. The scientist who developed the technology is the first, the rest are made up of the best on earth.
With every member of the crew important and the ship with little in the way of defenses they begin to explore.
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ntly on TV last night, and I have been unable to come up with one show that is set in the future. There is some good stuff on, but it seems that it is all set in modern day. Fringe, Lost, Chuck, Eureka, and the new Star gate for example. Dr. Who is of course occasionally set in the future, but it's also set in the past, and the present and it's hardly on the air this year.
So why is this? I like these shows and I'm not complaining about any of them, but why? One simple explanation is that TV networks are all basically copying themselves. If there was a futuristic science fiction show on that worked they would copy it. This alone helps you understand why the science fiction genre has so much trouble on TV since the heart of science fiction is uniqueness but I don't think that's all of it.
I suspect a second reason is the same reason that Star Trek always time travels to our time period or close to it. The sets are already built. It is cheaper to have a show that is set in our modern world because it already exists.
Third, they aren't science fiction, most of these are police dramas with science fiction elements. Fringe, Chuck and Eureka are all examples of this and while some have more science fiction than others they are still following the police drama trend.
I don't suspect that there is a lot that can be done about this. There has to be someone in Hollywood who is making the pitches for epic science fiction and they are being turned down. Perhaps the new Star Trek movie will trigger some ideas at least though I suspect that they will simply dismiss that.
Here is my pitch for a futuristic science fiction drama. Set in 2112 humans have continued to develop technology, but the most major breakthrough in human history has just occurred. A brilliant scientist has discovered a way to bypass the speed of light.
In a rush to begin to explore NASA retrofits one of its shuttles with the technology. This shuttle is roughly 3 times the size of the modern shuttle with far better air recycling and artificial gravity(just because of the cost). This means that there is only room for 7 crew members comfortably. The scientist who developed the technology is the first, the rest are made up of the best on earth.
With every member of the crew important and the ship with little in the way of defenses they begin to explore.
It seems inevitable, sitting around a campfire at night looking up at the stars that some deep philosophical discussion will begin. Someone will say something mildly interesting and within moments the question of our place in the universe, our hopes and dreams, even the reasons that we exist.
So what is it that makes us philosophical when we look at the stars? I suspect it is three things: the vastness of the universe, the timelessness of the situation and the simple fact that we have slowed down enough to think about either of those.
Looking at the stars can't help but give a human perspective. We are so small and unimportant in the universe. Consider this, there are approximately 6000 stars visible to the human eye. That is six thousand suns, with their own solar systems, yet we know this is only the tip of a massive iceberg. There are about 100 billion stars in our galaxy, and there are about 100 billion galaxies according to our best guesses. If only one out of every billion of those stars had people like us that would mean that there were 100 other worlds like ours in our galaxy and 100,000,000,000 civilizations in the universe. How can that thought alone not spark a philosophical conversation? How can it not make you wonder about a God big enough to not only create all of that but to care about a single person on one of those 100 billion worlds?
Beyond that I can't help but think of the deep connection that this moment has to s many others in human history. I wonder if the first humans to ever sit around a fire on a starry night had the same discussion as the animal that would feed them for the night slowly cooked. I think about David, a young Sheppard alone with his flock thousands of years ago looking up at those same stars trying to understand God. I think about all those soldiers who waited around fires like this for morning so that they could fight and die and I wonder what conversations they had. I think of Newton and Galileo who must have looked at those stars when we were just beginning to understand what those lights in the sky were and I think about the possibilities of someone else up there looking at the opposite side of those same stars.
The last of the reasons is perhaps the most important. In our modern world we rarely slow down enough to allow ourselves to think about anything. Yet sitting out looking at those stars there is little to do but thi
nk. The human mind in these situations is finally given a moment to ask the questions it has been screaming at us for months while we were in that crowded room ignoring it.
No matter what it is about a starry night that sparks conversation about the deeper issues of life the real importance is that it does and we should find a way to take more of those nights, to stop and see the beauty and majesty of the entire universe once in a while.
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nk. The human mind in these situations is finally given a moment to ask the questions it has been screaming at us for months while we were in that crowded room ignoring it.
No matter what it is about a starry night that sparks conversation about the deeper issues of life the real importance is that it does and we should find a way to take more of those nights, to stop and see the beauty and majesty of the entire universe once in a while.One of the things I love about science fiction is that it helps us prepare for the future. Not all science fiction does this but often the best stories look at how things are going to be in ten years and warns us. It seems to me that the spam we get isn't that far off from the books written in 1984 and neither are the cameras everywhere. So looking at the modern technology from the point of view of science fiction what technologies are going to change us and how? What parts of human nature are so basic that they will remain the same and what parts can we change with technology?
First we need to identify the technology that are changing us. There are hundreds of them. There are the older technologies like the car and the phone and the TV that have already made a generation of people who aren't quite the same as before, but the differance between those and the new technologies is that people got away from the old technologies.
One of the biggest technologies that is going to change our society in ways we're just beginning to understand is instant and constant communication. Text messages, facebook, myspace and twitter may not seem like much and in the end they may be a fad, but there are some serious implications. The issue that we are running into is that teenagers can now remain in their peer group all the time. I'm not that much older then them, but I used to come home at the end of the day and have to deal with adults. Now kids come home, and get on the internet and talk to their friends more. The fear is that it will lead to a generation of children who never acclimated to adult society.
Next is the easy access to information. There is a major debate going on in academia currently as to whether children are getting smarter or stupider. This results largely in the access to information. Its almost hard to remember when if you wanted to know something you had to go to the library and research and even then it wasn't easy to find. The library where I grew up had a card catolog when I was younger.
And as much as we have now we are in the infancy of true universal connection to knowledge. Twenty years ago the internet was small and you had to go to a university to see it, 15 years ago you could get an expensive desktop to get 56k at home, ten years ago you could get laptop, 5 years ago broadband became accessible to everyone and now we have smart phones that can access the internet from nearly anywher
e anytime. What about 5 more years? Perhaps small devices that slip around the neck that can scan everything we see in real life and show us a heads up display about it? (It's in development).
These technologies still leave humans in the equation and because of that they seem relatively mundane, but what about the technologies that have the potential to truly change us. Computers in general are improving at such a rate that its hard to imagine that at some point they won't be able to do anything people can. At that point we will either have a mindless army of servants or a new species on the earth that will compete with us for the leadership of the planet. Either would change us.
And of course the mother of altering technology is genetic engineering. With this technology we can even throw out all the natural instincts and ways of thinking if we want. Make people who are smarter, faster, smarter and healthier than those who live now, but at what cost?
It all seems like science fiction if you project it too far into the future, but when you look at the effect that technology is having on the world today and understand just how quickly it is improving it's hard not to see the exponential growth of technology and understand that it is going to change us.
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e anytime. What about 5 more years? Perhaps small devices that slip around the neck that can scan everything we see in real life and show us a heads up display about it? (It's in development).
These technologies still leave humans in the equation and because of that they seem relatively mundane, but what about the technologies that have the potential to truly change us. Computers in general are improving at such a rate that its hard to imagine that at some point they won't be able to do anything people can. At that point we will either have a mindless army of servants or a new species on the earth that will compete with us for the leadership of the planet. Either would change us.
And of course the mother of altering technology is genetic engineering. With this technology we can even throw out all the natural instincts and ways of thinking if we want. Make people who are smarter, faster, smarter and healthier than those who live now, but at what cost?
It all seems like science fiction if you project it too far into the future, but when you look at the effect that technology is having on the world today and understand just how quickly it is improving it's hard not to see the exponential growth of technology and understand that it is going to change us.Greetings again from 2034. I had a visit from my personal doctor last week and It got me thinking about how much medicine has changed in the last twenty five years.
The basics are roughly the same. We've cured a few diseases but there are still more and even the ones we have cured are still problematic in poorer parts of the world. We are still constantly struggling to keep antibiotics ahead of the diseases, but on the other hand there are some major changes.
About 10 years ago we officially turned the corner and rise in life expectancy went above 1 year per year. We are at about a 1.1 year increase in life expectancy per year now. There is no way to know how long they will able to keep this up but the upshot is that so long as they can continue to increase life expectancy at that rate most of us aren't going to die from sickness at least not for a couple hundred years.
There are numerous reasons for the increase in life expectancy. We understand the human genome well enough now to actual
y fix things as opposed to just treating them. In addition we can use the same knowledge to clone nearly any organ you might need. This means that there is no longer a finite supply of organs so long as you can live long enough for it to be grown. And once you have it there is no need for medicine.
It's certainly not Utopian though. As advancements have been made there have been considerable problems. Designer drugs have flooded the market and though they can remove all the side effects the same machines that make them can make mind altering drugs that also have no side effects and steroids that are completely invisible and safe. This has given the government no choice but to change a great many laws.
The other major advancement is in bio-computers and implants. About 4 years ago the first bio-computers that really worked came on the market. They are able to interact directly with the human brain and body. You can now store memories on a hard drive or have artificial legs that are far superior to natural human legs. The issue with this is that because they are better there is a section of society that is mutilating themselves in order to get artificial arms, legs, eyes and ears that are better. No one has yet built a entire body for the brain but there is a discussion of it.
This may all seem a little overwhelming but few people ever question technology that will keep them alive longer and it came slowly to us over twenty five years.
Elton
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y fix things as opposed to just treating them. In addition we can use the same knowledge to clone nearly any organ you might need. This means that there is no longer a finite supply of organs so long as you can live long enough for it to be grown. And once you have it there is no need for medicine.
It's certainly not Utopian though. As advancements have been made there have been considerable problems. Designer drugs have flooded the market and though they can remove all the side effects the same machines that make them can make mind altering drugs that also have no side effects and steroids that are completely invisible and safe. This has given the government no choice but to change a great many laws.
The other major advancement is in bio-computers and implants. About 4 years ago the first bio-computers that really worked came on the market. They are able to interact directly with the human brain and body. You can now store memories on a hard drive or have artificial legs that are far superior to natural human legs. The issue with this is that because they are better there is a section of society that is mutilating themselves in order to get artificial arms, legs, eyes and ears that are better. No one has yet built a entire body for the brain but there is a discussion of it.
This may all seem a little overwhelming but few people ever question technology that will keep them alive longer and it came slowly to us over twenty five years.
Elton
Some friends and me are going camping this weekend and as we were preparing it struck me just how much technology has invaded our lives. We are going to a camp, not a camping ground so some of that is because of the location, but not all of it. There are certain technologies no one would even consider leaving behind.
The cell phone is the most obvious. There was once a point where going camping meant that you were isolated from the world. (There was once a time when going to the bank, or a restaurant or the movies also meant you were isolated from the world but that is a different point).There is something good and healthy about being unreachable occasionally, but the very idea makes most people uncomfortable.
The MP3 player is the next on the list. The truth is that I probably won't have time to listen to it much during the weekend, there is simply too much going on, but I still have it charging so that its battery will last through as much of the weekend as possible.
The Internet in the final step. There is some type of draft happening this weekend and they want to be able to see what happens but they pay for it all the time. Now, I love the Internet, use it all the time, but I think I can safely go a weekend without being tethered to it.
None of this is bad. I like all the technologies that I am taking with me, but I can imagine the same trip in a few decades when the option to leave behind the technology has become even less of an option. It seems like it will only be a matter of time before computers that interact directly with the human brain emerge, that cell phones get put directly into the ears and we begin to replace body parts with ones that work better and all these things will be good, but they are also going to make escape even for a few hours impossible and humans need to occasionally escape.
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The Internet in the final step. There is some type of draft happening this weekend and they want to be able to see what happens but they pay for it all the time. Now, I love the Internet, use it all the time, but I think I can safely go a weekend without being tethered to it.
None of this is bad. I like all the technologies that I am taking with me, but I can imagine the same trip in a few decades when the option to leave behind the technology has become even less of an option. It seems like it will only be a matter of time before computers that interact directly with the human brain emerge, that cell phones get put directly into the ears and we begin to replace body parts with ones that work better and all these things will be good, but they are also going to make escape even for a few hours impossible and humans need to occasionally escape.
The question of race and racism is a perfect venue for science fiction. Science fiction allows us a way to look at this question far more carefully and in different ways. In shows like Star Trek we can try to imagine what a world might be like where we had moved beyond racism, in shows like Battlestar Galactica we can examine what it means to be human. In many others we can examine the idea of how we might interact with other species.
Yet the truth is that science fiction has made some good steps in large part it ignors some of the most natural implications of the things it studies. The most obvious example of this is the assumption in movies and TV that racism between species is wrong. The problem with this is that unlike racism between humans who are all genetically similar, racism between two races that have no biological connection makes far more sense.
Take for example a species that while mentally similar to us required a different atmosphere? Would it then be acceptable to say that they should have different schools, restaurants, etc... Would we be able to integrate a culture that did so? Would it begin to look like the south with racism spring up or would the different reason for these attitudes lead to a different result? I don't know the answer which is why the question is so important to as, so why doesn't more science fiction examine this part of the question?
One answer is that it's not a reasonable comparison so not useful, but I say that by making the arguments better we can have a discussion that allows us to examine the ramifications more carefully. We can also give ourselves that necessary distance that allows people to discuss things more closely.
The second reason is that it makes people uncomfortable to talk about
race. This is to bad because it shouldn't. As someone who doesn't care what race you are I shouldn't be uncomfortable to admit that there are people who do any more than I should be uncomfortable talking about the Nazi's. I'm not a Nazi, I don't agree with them.
There are of course a few shows that deal with race, but perhaps the most direct confrontation of the subject was in alien nation. From 1988 it dealt with a race of aliens who came to earth and upon being allowed out of quarantine faced racism, but this show is 20 years old.
So, can a science fiction show today have a reasonable look at the parts of race and racism that make us uncomfortable or has modern social sensitivity made it to difficult to have an honest discussion?
(Even writing this idea down made me uncomfortable and I have certainly tried to avoid anything that could be insensitive, but that's part of the problem now isn't it. I mean no offense, only want to open a discussion yet fear the conversation.)
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race. This is to bad because it shouldn't. As someone who doesn't care what race you are I shouldn't be uncomfortable to admit that there are people who do any more than I should be uncomfortable talking about the Nazi's. I'm not a Nazi, I don't agree with them.
There are of course a few shows that deal with race, but perhaps the most direct confrontation of the subject was in alien nation. From 1988 it dealt with a race of aliens who came to earth and upon being allowed out of quarantine faced racism, but this show is 20 years old.
So, can a science fiction show today have a reasonable look at the parts of race and racism that make us uncomfortable or has modern social sensitivity made it to difficult to have an honest discussion?
(Even writing this idea down made me uncomfortable and I have certainly tried to avoid anything that could be insensitive, but that's part of the problem now isn't it. I mean no offense, only want to open a discussion yet fear the conversation.)One of the factors that I hope will begin to get us out of the era of movies that have nothing going for them but special effects is the rise in computer power. At some point special effects have to become so cheap and easy that they stop impressing people.
The problem is that I can see the next step in movie special effects is on its way and it will lead to another decade of movies that try to impress us with technology rather than story. What I think this next era of movie special effects will be is movies that are nearly or completely indistinguishable from other live action movies movies made by scanning in old movies and making digital puppets out of the characters.
It is easy to give an example than explain. Imagine Citizen Kane, now imagine that you can scan it into a computer and remove Orson Welles from the rest of the moving creating a three dimensional picture of him from the film and create a digital puppet that can be manipulated just like a animated character. Now imagine that you can take the dialog he spoke and using the base sounds create any dialog you want. It's all pretty much possible now, it's just difficult to do.
Now imagine a Hollywood executive that realizes that with this ability he can take Orson Welles and put him into a completely new movie doing and saying anything he wants and instead of paying one actor he can hire 10 computer techs.
The good thing is that new episodes of older TV shows could be made this way. Imagine creating digital images of everyone from the 
original Star Trek TV series and being able to make new episodes that are completely different than anything they did before.
It this point it would be little more than animation with photos instead of drawing but in 5 or 10 years they will have computer programs that could do a vast majority if not all of the acting as well. This would allow a programming language that would control every aspect of what appeared to be live action show.
This could open up huge options for Hollywood if there were some creativity. Imagine being able to make a good movie and being able to cast any actor who has ever been on film for any part. The problem is that isn't what will happen.
What we will get is Citizen Kane 2, this time it's personal.
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original Star Trek TV series and being able to make new episodes that are completely different than anything they did before.
It this point it would be little more than animation with photos instead of drawing but in 5 or 10 years they will have computer programs that could do a vast majority if not all of the acting as well. This would allow a programming language that would control every aspect of what appeared to be live action show.
This could open up huge options for Hollywood if there were some creativity. Imagine being able to make a good movie and being able to cast any actor who has ever been on film for any part. The problem is that isn't what will happen.
What we will get is Citizen Kane 2, this time it's personal.So I just got one of the quantum temporal computer they have been advertising. Of course you wouldn't have seen those adds would you. I'll have to remember I have this set for 25 years in the past.
It's 2034 here. I'm sure there are lots of questions about the future popping up. I probably won't answer many of them today. Instead I'm going to focus on the temporal paradox issues that people seemed to assume would exist in this sort of thing as i recall.
What you have to understands is that we're using quantum physics to create micro wormholes. The upshot of that is that I am connecting to the past of a quantum reality that is identical to mine, but not mine. This means that nothing I do will effect me because it happened in a different reality.
The big news here recently is that NASA finally put another man on the moon. Of course they did it by buying a ticket on one of the commercial flights. Cost them 87,000 and some extra for the luggage but they wanted to do some experiments. The Spaceliner even turned off the spin for part of the trip so they could test microgravity.
My House in 2034
Other than that it's just the world. Most of the things that everyone expected happened, but you know what they say, the future is never as good as you had hoped and never as bad as you expected. Global warming buried a few cities but mostly people just moved. Computers haven't taken over the government, but they have taken over most of the media. They do a better job anyway. The only really bad effect was that a lot of the former executives from Hollywood ran for political office. They mostly lost.
Now that the date on the quantum temporal computer is set the dates should remain linked. Time will pass roughly the same speed for each of us. I'll try to put up a note most Saturdays if possible.
If you have any questions leave a comment i'll try to address it.
Elton Gahr, 2034
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My House in 2034
Other than that it's just the world. Most of the things that everyone expected happened, but you know what they say, the future is never as good as you had hoped and never as bad as you expected. Global warming buried a few cities but mostly people just moved. Computers haven't taken over the government, but they have taken over most of the media. They do a better job anyway. The only really bad effect was that a lot of the former executives from Hollywood ran for political office. They mostly lost.
Now that the date on the quantum temporal computer is set the dates should remain linked. Time will pass roughly the same speed for each of us. I'll try to put up a note most Saturdays if possible.
If you have any questions leave a comment i'll try to address it.
Elton Gahr, 2034
Early experiments with Plottonium had unusual results
Great news. I have discovered a vein of Plottonium. For those of you who don't know Plottonium is one of the most dangerous and powerful elements in existence. It is able to alter reality in numerous ways. Before explaining my plan to use refined plottonium to take over the world you must understand it's unrefined properties.
Plottonium is able to alter the mental capabilities of others. It often makes those around it so stupid as to miss obvious solutions to simple problems. As with many of the effects of plottonium this is most easily seen in TV and movies. In this case in those situations where villains choose to reveal their entire plot to the hero before killing him. It can also be seen in many situations where months of trouble could be ended by a simple conversation that any sane person would have had in five minutes.
Another powerful use of plottonium is in the near invulnerability it gives. Unlike traditional vulnerability which allows bullets to bounce off your chest plottonium simply makes them miss you. It is even clear that those with large amounts of plottonium in their system can jump out of airplanes with the full knowledge that someone with a parachute will jump out of the plane after them, catch them in mid air and deploy their parachute without dropping them.
The third major effect of unrefined plottonium is the creation of tools. This ability shows the time bending capabilities of plottonium assuring that you will have the exact tools you need for any job. This ability
One of the most important aspects of Science Fiction is its ability to present us with ideas that are typically difficult for people to discuss or to help break us away from our preconceived ideas and think about things in a new way. The most difficult and important of these ideas are religion and the different ways that the science fiction franchises deal with religion are an excellent way of examining some of the different ways that people look at religion.
The Agnostic/Atheist
Humans in Star Trek almost never have a religion yet that general ignoring of religion among the humans of the show never stopped them from exploring religious ideas. The Agnostic humans are almost always meeting with "gods" from the original series with Greek gods and a god trapped in the center of the galaxy through the next generation where they met the devil, aliens from alternate dimensions who claimed to be god, and Q.
But most of the discussion of God was in Deep Space 9. It was here that the agnostic had to deal directly with something that he couldn't fully understand, and at the same time deal with being a religious leader. The final battle even came down to a battle between gods.
In the end the agnostic is still an agnostic, or possibly even an atheist but he has learned to accept and even embrace the beliefs of others and more than anything that is the message of Star Trek.
The Unknowable God
The god of Battlestar Galactica is not an agnostic god. He interferes directly with the characters but the idea of worshiping him is difficult. Even the name of god evidently bothers it. Yet the ideas of destiny and belief are examined well in Battlestar Galactica.
And the question of destiny is one that is unavoidable when talking about God. If God is all knowing then how can we have free will? Battlestar Galactica falls on the side of free will, implying that God has been working to bring about solutions but allowing humans to fail.
Sadly the more important point that the God in Battlestar Galactica brought out is the danger of having an active God in any plot. Deus Ex Machinca(god from the machine) is one of the worst ways to end a story. Having the solution to everything be God did it, isn't satisfying or good writing.
The Mystic
There is no real hint that anyone in the Star Wars movies really believes in 
god, yet these six movies are about a religious order and this disconnect from God allows us to look at the ideas without the debate.
The chief religious idea of Star Wars is that there is a force outside of us. Something that connects all living things and allows for a priesthood who can perform miracles. One of the important aspects of this mysticism is that it is unexplained. This is something that just is.
This idea that there is something greater than us is the universal center of all religion. We may disagree on what that force is or what it wants of us but the core of religion is its existance and Star Wars has that core.
The Enlightenment
Star Gate, though it is almost exclusively about religion, deals with it very little. The Egyptian gods are safe because very few people on earth belive in Ra and they don't watch science fiction TV series. but it does examine one aspect of religion very carefully in later episodes through the character Daniel Jackson.
That idea is that of enlightenment. The idea of ascendancy through some type of moral or physical purity is as idea of great importance to religion and yet even through this enlightenment we soon find that they are imperfect. Even those with true godlike power can make mistakes and be corrupted like the Ori.
Another important concept in the idea of ascendancy in Star Gate is the idea that people are unable to archive it on their own. Humans, at least in their current form, are not ready to become truly enlightened beings.
The Inclusion
There is an episode of Babylon 5 where every alien race is showing off their religion. This puts the commander of Babylon 5 in a tight spot because the idea of choosing a single religion from Earth is basically offensive.
In the end the solution of bringing representatives from all of earths religions could be considered avoiding the problem but on
ly if you don't understand the point he was making.
The religion of the humans in Babylon 5 had at least for that moment moved beyond a petty argument over who was right(not to be confused with enlightened debate which is good and healthy) to the uplifting of the ideas of diversity and love as the true religion of humanity and that idea wasn't lost throughout the series in which humans, who were far from the most advanced or powerful of the races became important more because of their ability to unite people than anything else.
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god, yet these six movies are about a religious order and this disconnect from God allows us to look at the ideas without the debate.
The chief religious idea of Star Wars is that there is a force outside of us. Something that connects all living things and allows for a priesthood who can perform miracles. One of the important aspects of this mysticism is that it is unexplained. This is something that just is.
This idea that there is something greater than us is the universal center of all religion. We may disagree on what that force is or what it wants of us but the core of religion is its existance and Star Wars has that core.
The Enlightenment
Star Gate, though it is almost exclusively about religion, deals with it very little. The Egyptian gods are safe because very few people on earth belive in Ra and they don't watch science fiction TV series. but it does examine one aspect of religion very carefully in later episodes through the character Daniel Jackson.
That idea is that of enlightenment. The idea of ascendancy through some type of moral or physical purity is as idea of great importance to religion and yet even through this enlightenment we soon find that they are imperfect. Even those with true godlike power can make mistakes and be corrupted like the Ori.
Another important concept in the idea of ascendancy in Star Gate is the idea that people are unable to archive it on their own. Humans, at least in their current form, are not ready to become truly enlightened beings.
The Inclusion
There is an episode of Babylon 5 where every alien race is showing off their religion. This puts the commander of Babylon 5 in a tight spot because the idea of choosing a single religion from Earth is basically offensive.
In the end the solution of bringing representatives from all of earths religions could be considered avoiding the problem but only if you don't understand the point he was making.
The religion of the humans in Babylon 5 had at least for that moment moved beyond a petty argument over who was right(not to be confused with enlightened debate which is good and healthy) to the uplifting of the ideas of diversity and love as the true religion of humanity and that idea wasn't lost throughout the series in which humans, who were far from the most advanced or powerful of the races became important more because of their ability to unite people than anything else.
I have decided for today to cast a science fiction movie. The plot is that the new captain has stepped into the position of taking over the most important star ship humanity has. The older crew has remained on the ship in order to help train him and the new crew but unexpected problems arise.
Harrison Ford
A clear choice for this movie, he will probably take role of the rogue officer who doesn't follow orders and would have been fired long ago if not for the skill with which he performs his job.
Patric Stewart
My first thought for captain I suspect that it would be predictable and in a movie the captain is likely to be more of an action role so I see Patric Stewart as the science officer.
Anthony Hopkins
With this cast there are few people who could pull off a truly believable threat and this would be my first choice for the job. There is no doubt that he can pull of an intense and scary villain.
Arnold Schwarzeneger
Security officer of the ship, he wouldn't have a lot
of lines but those he did say would be important, and not puns or jokes.
Nathan Fillion
The young new captain, he is brash but brilliant. He spends much of the movie attempting to convince the older members of the crew that he is the correct person to be in charge of this ship.
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of lines but those he did say would be important, and not puns or jokes.
Nathan Fillion
The young new captain, he is brash but brilliant. He spends much of the movie attempting to convince the older members of the crew that he is the correct person to be in charge of this ship.
Science Fiction is a genre of ideas. One of the reasons that traditionally in the past it has been seen as low on characterization and often a little difficult to get into is because these ideas are so important and typically as science fiction readers or watchers we look for new ideas, but there are a few ideas out there which for a variety of reasons I would like to see done again.
Idea: Traveling through dimensions
Space travel and time travel have both had multiple shows based around their ideas, but while there have been any number of comic books and novels written around the idea of multiple dimension and even a few episodes of TV series I'd love to see another show about the idea of exploring these dimensions.
Who did it first?
Sliders is the only show I know of which was based around this idea and I liked the idea well enough to watch 5 years of the show as it slowly gained speed in its decent past bad into an unwatchable, pointless show which could be compared unfavorably to spending a vacation in Dante's circles of hell and the fifth season was even worse than that.
Why try it again?
Very few if any of the failings of this show had anything to do with the idea. This show started out watchable but it was simply mishandled. Replacing interesting characters with increasingly boring characters would have been bad enough but since the point of the show was getting home once there was no one left trying to get home it didn't ma
tter much.
What would I change?
The biggest problem with the idea of Sliders was that it relied on them getting in trouble on every world they went to with no real reason. This meant that they either had to have worlds which were truly chaotic, which stretches credibility, or simply push them into stupid situations every week. This show needed a quantum leap style device which forced them to interact with the world before they could leave.
Idea: Humans exploring a single new world for an entire series
In Star Trek it is common for them to visit a world, destroy its entire culture and then leave to never mention the place again. The same is similarly true of other shows in the spaceship sub genre, but the truth is that things get more interesting when you look closely and begin to slowly unravel the mystery.
Who did it first?
Earth 2 and Deep Space 9
While both good shows Earth 2 was canceled before it's time and Deep Space 9 never spent all that much time on Bajor.
Why Try it again?
Science Fiction is best when it is examining the unexplained and unknown in detail. Skimming over the surface of a great idea dropping a few big words and moving on. Truly landing on a planet and spending 8 years there learning about something that is completely different than our world could be fascinating.
How would I do it?
A planet with a humanoid species just above the level of technology we are now but still without spaceships is met by a human ship with 10 crew who lands on their version of the white house.
These aliens would be a diverse people with multiple cultures and religions many of whom are excited to see the humans and many of them are not. Early in the first episode we would find out that Earth has changed as well, but it would take at least a season for us to discover that Earth is in its own civil war. What we would find out is that not only are there a great deal of secrets and oddities to the aliens but the humans are not all on the same side and as they begin to fracture it becomes increasingly more likely that their presence on this world will destroy it.
Idea: The Singularity and New Humans
Starting twenty years in our future human technology has evolved to the point where it is growing without us. Genetic Engineering has made our children a new species an computers are running many aspects of life, and it is getting exponentially more difficult for people to survive who were born naturally.
Who did it first?
There are enough short stories and novels about this idea for it to be considered a cliche in written science fiction, but I can't come with any non-dystopian examples of this on TV or movies.
Why Try it?
Change is one of the most important aspects of modern life. The world will continue to change and while there may never be a true singularity there has always been a struggle between old and new, between the young and the old, between technology and freedom. These ideas are going to become increasingly important in the future and examining them now might give us a head start as well as making for a fun and interesting show, not to mention that every young person on the show can be a supermodel and there will be a good reason.
How would I do it?
The first episode opens with a news program explaining that the first computer built and designed completely by other computers has just been completed. This computer is a leap forward in technology that triggers this new age, but it is only the beginning this computer even before completely finished is finding solutions to mathematical questions which have been unanswered for centuries.
Our hero, a man born in the year 2010 is now thirty years old today. He is shorter and less attractive than those who walk by him his clothing hopelessly old fashioned and as he watches the program and just as the camera begins to pull back a man about fifty grabs a young girl's purse and attempts to run.
Cameras turn to record the man as the young woman chases him down and pulls the purse out of his hand showing no fear of this elderly man. Our hero helps the dirty man to his feet and they have a short conversation where we learn that the man is simply desperate. He was once successful but there's nothing left for him to do. The world has moved past him. Our hero gives him his last few dollars then looks back at the TV realizing that he has been left behind as well. This show will not be about the best or the smartest it will be about a good man who would be smart in our age simply trying to navigate this new age, and during the course of the show he might even save the world.
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tter much.
What would I change?
The biggest problem with the idea of Sliders was that it relied on them getting in trouble on every world they went to with no real reason. This meant that they either had to have worlds which were truly chaotic, which stretches credibility, or simply push them into stupid situations every week. This show needed a quantum leap style device which forced them to interact with the world before they could leave.
Idea: Humans exploring a single new world for an entire series
In Star Trek it is common for them to visit a world, destroy its entire culture and then leave to never mention the place again. The same is similarly true of other shows in the spaceship sub genre, but the truth is that things get more interesting when you look closely and begin to slowly unravel the mystery.
Who did it first?
Earth 2 and Deep Space 9
While both good shows Earth 2 was canceled before it's time and Deep Space 9 never spent all that much time on Bajor.
Why Try it again?
Science Fiction is best when it is examining the unexplained and unknown in detail. Skimming over the surface of a great idea dropping a few big words and moving on. Truly landing on a planet and spending 8 years there learning about something that is completely different than our world could be fascinating.
How would I do it?
A planet with a humanoid species just above the level of technology we are now but still without spaceships is met by a human ship with 10 crew who lands on their version of the white house.
These aliens would be a diverse people with multiple cultures and religions many of whom are excited to see the humans and many of them are not. Early in the first episode we would find out that Earth has changed as well, but it would take at least a season for us to discover that Earth is in its own civil war. What we would find out is that not only are there a great deal of secrets and oddities to the aliens but the humans are not all on the same side and as they begin to fracture it becomes increasingly more likely that their presence on this world will destroy it.
Idea: The Singularity and New Humans
Starting twenty years in our future human technology has evolved to the point where it is growing without us. Genetic Engineering has made our children a new species an computers are running many aspects of life, and it is getting exponentially more difficult for people to survive who were born naturally.
Who did it first?
There are enough short stories and novels about this idea for it to be considered a cliche in written science fiction, but I can't come with any non-dystopian examples of this on TV or movies.
Why Try it?
Change is one of the most important aspects of modern life. The world will continue to change and while there may never be a true singularity there has always been a struggle between old and new, between the young and the old, between technology and freedom. These ideas are going to become increasingly important in the future and examining them now might give us a head start as well as making for a fun and interesting show, not to mention that every young person on the show can be a supermodel and there will be a good reason.
How would I do it?
The first episode opens with a news program explaining that the first computer built and designed completely by other computers has just been completed. This computer is a leap forward in technology that triggers this new age, but it is only the beginning this computer even before completely finished is finding solutions to mathematical questions which have been unanswered for centuries.
Our hero, a man born in the year 2010 is now thirty years old today. He is shorter and less attractive than those who walk by him his clothing hopelessly old fashioned and as he watches the program and just as the camera begins to pull back a man about fifty grabs a young girl's purse and attempts to run.
Cameras turn to record the man as the young woman chases him down and pulls the purse out of his hand showing no fear of this elderly man. Our hero helps the dirty man to his feet and they have a short conversation where we learn that the man is simply desperate. He was once successful but there's nothing left for him to do. The world has moved past him. Our hero gives him his last few dollars then looks back at the TV realizing that he has been left behind as well. This show will not be about the best or the smartest it will be about a good man who would be smart in our age simply trying to navigate this new age, and during the course of the show he might even save the world.