Visions of the Future: The 2010s- Here's to the Future

The closer we get to our present time in the study of history, the harder it is to see the meaning of the events we are studying. Hindsight is a wonderful gift, in that it enables us to put the pieces together, and figure out what really mattered- what really made an impact. This blog post is unique, in that I don’t know what people will still be talking about in twenty, ten, or even five years. The stories and ideas mentioned here are what I think have been impactful so far. What will be the defining characteristics of the 2010s? We still have half a decade to discover that.

Science Fiction:

Literature-

In 2010, Ian McDonald published The Dervish House, winner of the 2011 BSFA Award, as well as the 2011 John W. Campbell Award. It describes from various perspectives the aftermath of a bus bombing in Istanbul, Turkey.

The 2011 winner of the Hugo and Locus awards for best novella was Ted Chiang’s 2010 story, “The Lifecycle of Software Objects”, about a woman who raises an intelligence from simple AI to human-like consciousness.

The 2012 spoof Redshirts, by John Scalzi, won the 2013 Hugo and Locus Awards. It parodies Star Trek, (and similar science fiction shows), from the perspective of the “red shirts”- those expendable extras who never seem to make it back from away missions.

In 2011, Andy Weir published The Martian, which details the struggles of a stranded astronaut attempting to survive on Mars. The novel was adapted into a film in 2015.

Chinese author Liu Ci Xin wrote The Three Body Problem into 2008. It is an alternate history, in which aliens invade earth during China’s Cultural Revolution. It was translated into English in 2014, and won the Nebula Award for 2014, and the Hugo Award for 2015.

Television-

Continuum, a Canadian sci-fi show released in 2012, was about a group of future terrorists who travel to the present, and the police officer who was accidentally dragged along with them. It was created by Simon Barry, and starred Rachel Nichols as the displaced officer, Kiera Cameron.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe branched out into television in 2013 with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., starring  as a resurrected Agent Coulson. He and his team deal with the issues raised by superhumans and aliens, and must fight forces from outside the universe, and inside their own organization.

Film-

Christopher Nolan, known for his gritty, realistic style and mind-boggling plot twists, put out fan-favorite, Inception in 2010. It explores ideas of dreams and reality, and the thin line between them.

The culmination of the first phase of Marvel Cinematic Universe films took place in 2012 with The Avengers. The film saw an epic team-up between Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye, as they learned to work together, and fought evil aliens led by Thor’s powerful and jealous younger brother, Loki.

The next year, J. J. Abrams released a sequel to his 2009 Star Trek reboot called Star Trek Into Darkness. It reintroduced feared villain Khan Noonien Singh, and had some parallels to the classic Star Trek film The Wrath of Khan.

A trend I have noticed over the past few years in film is what I would call “NASA sci-fi”- films portraying humans in the near future exploring space in ways that stay true to what we know can currently be done.

2013’s Gravity was the story of an American astronaut struggling to survive after being disconnected from the space station she worked on.

In 2014, Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar showed a group of astronauts attempting to find a solution to an ecological crisis in the not-too-distant future using ideas that are presently being studied by quantum physicists.

The Martian, by Andy Weir, was adapted in 2015, and seems to have a similar modern realism to that of Gravity and Interstellar.

Also, the rights to the Star Wars movies were sold to Disney studios, who hired J.J. Abrams to direct the first film in a new trilogy, The Force Awakens, released in 2015. You probably already knew that.

Thank you so much for sticking with me through this trek through history. I hope you’ve enjoyed it, and been enlightened or inspired in some way. I have personally learned so much through writing this series, and am looking forward to posting about some of my more specific insights in the future. The next post will be some of my recommendations for experiencing the highlights of sci-fi history. After that, I’ll briefly cover the first six Star Wars movies, and give my spoiler-free review of The Force Awakens. Then, I will finally get to work on blogging through all the episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series for the 50th anniversary of the show.

Thanks again!

Keep on glowing in the dark,

Elora

Visions of The Future- Top 5 70s and 80s Franchises Resurrected Recently

We seem to be living in an era of great nostalgia when it comes to science fiction and pop culture. Why come up with something new when you can redo something you loved when you were younger? Here are five franchises that were popular in the 1970s and 1980s that have been updated recently, whether by a remake, reboot, prequel, sequel, or Kickstarter campaign. I have included on this list both things I am excited about, and things I believe should have been left to rest in peace.

5. Indiana Jones (1981-2008)-

Why would I include Indiana Jones on this list? You may ask yourself. It’s not science fiction. Or is it? George Lucas and Steven Spielberg teamed up once again with their stars Harrison Ford and Karen Allen to create a new Indiana Jones adventure starring Indy and his son, played by Shia LeBouf. Unfortunately, the film’s plot revolved around aliens, which had not previously played any role in the franchise. Fans were disappointed.

4. Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988-2015)-

After MST3K met its demise in 1999, the creators started working on their own seperate projects, (most of which still revolved around picking on movies). Joel Hodgson started Cinematic Titanic to continue riffing on old B-movies. Mike Nelson worked on creating Rifftrax, audio commentaries that can be synched to many movies, both good and not-so-good. Just this year, however, Joel started a Kickstarter campaign to bring back MST3K in all its glory. On December 11, it was fully funded, and 14 new episodes are slated to be released.

3. The Terminator (1984-2015)-

The original Terminator film was followed by four other films in 1991, 2003, 2009, and 2015. The most recent, Terminator Genisys, came out this summer, and is intended to serve as the first film in a new trilogy. Evidently, like its titular machine, this franchise is nearly impossible to kill.

2. Star Trek (1966-2016)-

Star Trek continued after cancellation in 1969 with five spin off series, ten films, and scores of novels, comic books, and video games. However, after the cancellation of the widely-panned prequel series Enterprise in 2005, it seemed as if Star Trek’s dilithium crystals were finally depleted.J.J. Abram’s reboot film Star Trek in 2009 breathed new life into the series, and brought in many new fans. It was followed by Star Trek Into Darkness in 2013, which mirrors Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, (in much the same way the mirror universe mirrors the prime universe, in my opinion). The trailer to the next film, Star Trek Beyond, was released yesterday. While the new series may not hold true to the philosophical heart of the original series, it is an entertaining way to reintroduce the characters into popular culture. Also, CBS recently announced that a new Star Trek television series will begin in January of 2017.

1. Star Wars (1977-2015)-

But what can I tell you that you don’t already know from every advertisement you see on television and online? I am seeing the new movie on Thursday, and am planning to write a (spoiler-free!!!) analysis on whether or not I think it fits into the Star Wars universe.

Keep on glowing in the dark,

Elora

Visions of the Future- Top 5 Things that Wouldn't Have Happened Without Star Wars

As we approach the release of a new Star Wars movie, it’s hard to miss all the ways  George Lucas’ space fantasy has saturated our culture. Here are five of the many iconic movies, television shows, and franchises that owe their success, popularity, and sometimes their entire existence to Star Wars.

5. Battlestar Galactica (1978)-

For many young Star Wars fans in the 1970s, Battlestar Galactica was Star Wars on tv- the thing that tided them over until the next movie came out. It’s easy to see why. Do a Google search on Battlestar Galactica, and compare it aesthetically to A New Hope. The resemblance is uncanny. The legends even tell that Gene Coon of Star Trek fame recommended to Glen Larson that he put the word “star” in the title, in order to cash in on the popularity of Star Wars, (and Star Trek, to some degree).

4. E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982)-

This feel-good sci-fi came out while the original Star Wars trilogy was still being released. Spaceships and aliens were all the rage. As an interesting side note, there is a theory that E.T. comes from the Star Wars galaxy, as Star Wars figures and a Yoda cameo appear in E.T., and E.T.’s race appears in the senate chamber  in The Phantom Menace.

3. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)-

This movie breaks the mold, as it is not sci-fi or pure fantasy. However, this iconic adventure flick, and its sequels, may never have sold were it not for the popularity George Lucas and Harrison Ford had attained after the first two Star Wars movies.

2. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)-

When the actors who played the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise saw that Imperial Star Destroyer cruise through space in the first few moments of Star Wars, they started looking forward to the phone call from the studio. This is one of the reasons I believe the perceived feud between Star Trek and Star Wars is silly. George Lucas admits to being heavily inspired by Star Trek in creating Star Wars; and, without Star Wars, the cultural phenomena that is Star Trek would have ended at the cancellation of The Animated Series.

1. Pixar (All of it)-

Before the legendary animation company was making everyone cry with their incredible stories and beautiful CG, they were the Graphics Group, which was part of Lucasfilm back in 1979.

Keep on glowing in the dark,

Elora