Science Fiction and Science

Philip Coutts

Volunteer Moderator
Philip Coutts
Pretty much sums up a lot of the discussion on here. Yes there should be no sound in space but it would make for a frightfully boring film or game! Sometimes you just want to be entertained and not think about the reality of the situation.
 

Commander Thane

Commander Thane
I agree with the article's conclusion that science fiction is there to inspire.

I remember a BT tech expo at an old VE day anniversary event at Hyde park. The engineer pointed a fact about the amount of information a "matter-transporter" would require to transmit a person. Assuming the bundle of fibre-optic cables was big enough for a human to walk down the equivalent trunking, it would still be quicker to walk from the Earth to the Moon along it, than use it as a teleport.

But after all that, I still feel that sci-fi's place is to inspire the mind about the possibility of a teleport using some as-yet-unknown science, than refuse to depict it because we can't pin it down using current technology. The 'science' part of science fiction isn't supposed to limit the imagination or creativity. It's a springboard for postulating how our lives would change "if" new technology came about.
 

izzy

izzy
Thanks for the link :)
Interesting read, it is a good sumup of realism vs entertainement. The first goal of a movie or a game is to entertain.
 

Oss133

Oss133
holdmykidney said:
I agree with the article's conclusion that science fiction is there to inspire.

I remember a BT tech expo at an old VE day anniversary event at Hyde park. The engineer pointed a fact about the amount of information a "matter-transporter" would require to transmit a person. Assuming the bundle of fibre-optic cables was big enough for a human to walk down the equivalent trunking, it would still be quicker to walk from the Earth to the Moon along it, than use it as a teleport.

But after all that, I still feel that sci-fi's place is to inspire the mind about the possibility of a teleport using some as-yet-unknown science, than refuse to depict it because we can't pin it down using current technology. The 'science' part of science fiction isn't supposed to limit the imagination or creativity. It's a springboard for postulating how our lives would change "if" new technology came about.
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Well said. I rep you, Sir!
 

Susimetsa

Susimetsa
Good piece, but I'd like to have seen more discussion of the HARD SF literary genre. There are some interesting examples there of so-called fiction tales that are occasionally taken over by 3-5 pages of physics and mathematical formulas as they explain the existence of a particular kind of an environment or an alien race. :)
 

Jenner

I wish I was English like my hero Tj.
Jenner
At it's core good science fiction is about the human condition. That's something that gets lost all too often. Writers and directors tend to focus on the wiz-bang, techy aspects of the genre without realizing that sci-fi is supposed to be about humanity. I'm a big fan of 'pew pew lazors!' too, but my favorite sci fi is always about characters and philosophy first, and tricorders and photon torpedoes second.
 

Komemiute

Komemiute
I loved the "operative" part of Event Horizon.

I liked the horror too, but I prefer'd the space flight and the aspect of the spaceships.

Well maintained but still with some dirt and obvious signs of continuous use.
:D

Not in my top 10 of Sci-fi either...
Alien (the first)... MAN! That landing sequence... the problems with filters clogged with dust...

Awwww...
I want that too. :eek:
 

Darren Grey

Darren Grey
The problem with movies that do it wrong is when you're sitting there thinking "this is all just stupid". It breaks you out of immersion. Of course for some things, like Star Wars, that's fine - it's not a very serious movie. But movies that do present a serious plot really fall to pieces when they make huge errors in the science.

Sound isn't so bad in my book, but things like parasite life on Mars is just silly.
 

Magma

Magma
Susimetsa said:
The very reason Gattaca is one of the best sci-fi films ever made.
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Because a business suit is appropriate dress when boarding a spacecraft. :p


I think you have to go a long way to beat 2001: A Space Odyssey. Sure the year was off by a wide margin, but it all seemed at least plausible, and the things that were advanced alien technology (the monoliths) were so advanced as to be impermeable to our investigations and therefore no discoveries could contradict future science.

The Abyss was pretty good too, especially the director's cut which replaced the super-important subplot that was excised from the theatrical release. It literally changed the meaning behind the ending.

Also Gremloids. You will never find a more low-budget and poorly acted parody of Star Wars. But I still like it :)
 

Susimetsa

Susimetsa
In addition to Gattaca, 2001 is one of my favourites. Jodie Foster's Contact is also a great one. And I even like Equilibrium, although they destroyed a perfectly good idea by trying to copycat Matrix.

Blade Runner goes without saying. It has the unfair advantage of having Harrison Ford in it.
 
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