Visions of the Future: Sci-fi History Starter Pack

Over the past year or so, I’ve learned quite a bit about science fiction that I never knew before. Now, I can’t by any means claim to be an expert on the subject, but I have discovered a few fun things that I want to share. If you’ll remember, back in April, I made a “starter pack” of Star Trek episodes I thought would best introduce someone to the series. I’m going to do the same thing here, this time with some books, television episodes, and movies I’ve enjoyed watching, and think are a good introduction to science fiction history.

Novels of the 1800s-

1. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818)-

Sometimes the classics are the hardest to get into. You hear about them all the time, but where do you start? Well, when it comes to science fiction, I suggest you start at the beginning, with Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. While the melodramatic ‘protagonist’, Dr. Victor Frankenstein, can be a bit long winded, his depth of insight, as well as the testimony of his creation, lay the groundwork for how sci-fi would explore the human condition.

2. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne (1870)-

Yes, there are a lot of descriptions of fish, but if you can accept that, you will be able to enjoy an entertaining precursor to space exploration stories such as Star Trek. The three main protagonists, as well as Captain Nemo are all very compelling. The interactions between Professor Aronnax, Ned Land, and Conseil even remind me of Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Dr. McCoy a bit. If you are a sci-fi connoisseur or a hardcore Trekkie, this is a must-read.

3. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886)-

Robert Louis Stevenson takes Shelley’s mad scientist and destructive creature and synthesizes them into the same person. This is one of those classics of literature where the title gets referenced and the plot gets recycled just about everywhere. It’s a quick read, too. I finished it in about one afternoon when I was reading it for a class.

4. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (1895)-

Wells gets two spots on this list because he introduced so many of the classic sci-fi subgenres to the mainstream reading audience. While time travel had been played with before by the likes of Mark Twain, H.G. Wells was the first one to truly theorize about the methods of time travel- not just the results. Have you ever heard of time referred to as the fourth dimension? That’s because of The Time Machine. It’s also a pretty quick book to finish.

5. War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells (1897)-

When I started reading H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, I expected them to be a bit tedious, and was therefore amazed at how they kept me turning the pages. War of the Worlds is exciting. It’s terrifying. It’s compelling, and it is the quintessential alien invasion story.

Television Episodes-

Since the 1960s, one of the main ways sci-fi has reached the general public is through television. Shows like Star Trek and The Twilight Zone have made a lasting impact on our society. Here are ten sci-fi TV episodes that I think give a good overview of some of the best features of the genre.

1.  “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” The Twilight Zone (1963)-

A fan-favorite, and a classic example of The Twilight Zone twist, this episode combines all the drama of William Shatner’s acting with all the eerie suspense of the show’s brilliant writing.

2. “The Production and Decay of Strange Particles” The Outer Limits (1964)-

If you haven’t watched The Outer Limits, you should definitely start. It’s like The Twilight Zone, but with hard sci-fi plots and happy endings. This episode is a great example of the fusion of a highly scientific concept with characters you grow to care about.

3. “The Aztecs” Doctor Who (1964)-

One of the very earliest adventures of William Hartnell’s first Doctor, this episode contains all the best elements of time travel sci-fi: intercultural confusion, the struggle over whether or not to interfere, and historical drama.

4. “Mirror, Mirror” Star Trek (1967)-

This is probably the best example of an alternate universe television episode there is. Or, at least it is the most iconic. Sure, it’s melodramatic, but that’s the fun of Star Trek. This episode takes everything you know about the Star Trek universe, and twists it just enough to make it creepy, but not so much as to make it overly dark. Plus, Mirror Spock has a goatee.

5. “The Schizoid Man” The Prisoner (1967)-

If you’re ready for a wacky, mod, surrealist adventure through the eyes of a man fighting to keep his individuality in a colorful, shiny, dystopia, you’re ready for The Prisoner. This gem of British television deserves to be watched in its entirety, (it’s only 17 episodes), but if you only have time for one, consider “The Schizoid Man”.  In it, protagonist Number Six, must fight for his sanity as his captors in The Village try to convince him by all methods at their disposal that he is someone else.

6. “Darmok” Star Trek: The Next Generation (1991)-

This episode boldly goes where no Star Trek episode has gone before, by exploring the intricacies of inter-cultural communication. Captain Picard spends time with an alien whose language is beyond the scope of the universal translator, and must learn to communicate with him.

7. “Never Fear” The New Batman Adventures (1997)-

Batman seems like a pretty fearless character, but it takes a dose of the Scarecrow’s anti-fear gas to show what his boundaries really are, and what will happen when he crosses them. This is also a great sidekick episode, as Robin (Tim Drake) has to be the one to reign Batman in.

8.  “Window of Opportunity” Stargate: SG-1 (2000)-

This episode demonstrates beautifully the way that Stargate: SG-1 was able to blend science fiction with humor, and emotional depth. There are a lot of hilarious beats as the SGC is trapped inside a ten-hour time loop, and Colonel O’Neill and Teal’C are the only ones who remember. However, it’s not simply a goofy episode, as the writers also explore some deep and emotional themes of grief and letting go.

9. “A Better World” Justice League (2003)-

This episode borrows from the ideas of Mirror, Mirror, and other alternate universe stories, and adds superheroes. The result is a study in the corrupting nature of absolute power, and the significance of every life.

10. “Dinosaurs on a Spaceship” Doctor Who (2012)-

When you take The Doctor and his companions, Cleopatra, a big game hunter from the turn of the century, dinosaurs and a villainous trader and put them on a space ship together, what do you get? You get exactly the type of quirky, adventurous, sci-fi romp we’ve all come to expect from Doctor Who. That’s what you get.

Films-

1. Metropolis (1927)-

This visually stunning dystopian story from the silent film era is a classic for a reason. It pairs impressive special effects with ahead-of-its-time social commentary for a truly memorable

masterpiece of science fiction.

2. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)-

The aliens in this movie are horrifying in their invisibility. The paranoia and stress build throughout the movie to a cliff-hanger climax that has led to much speculation over the years as to the inspiration for the film.

3. Forbidden Planet (1956)-

This is the film that inspired Star Trek, Star Wars, and all the science fiction that came after them. If you’re a Trekkie or a Star Wars fan, you’re bound to recognize some element of the story or set that was pilfered for your favorite series. If you’re a sci-fi junkie, you’ll enjoy the Technicolor goodness, and the frightening revelations about the human condition.

4. Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)-

If you’ve never seen Star Wars before, I’m impressed. It’s best to start with the first one released. You’ll probably recognize the plot and characters from pop culture, but it’s exciting enough that you can still enjoy the ride after multiple viewings.

5. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)-

People who say that this is the best Star Trek movie ever are absolutely correct. It may seem dramatic to some, but it’s not supposed to be realistic. It’s supposed to be cinematic literature. Nicholas Meyer and Harve Bennett used all of the characters and actors from Gene Roddenberry’s groundbreaking 1960s show to their full potential in this one. Also, it’s my favorite movie ever, and I’m totally biased.

I’m still watching, reading, and listening, so I’m sure there are more things I’ll be able to add to this list in the future. Is there anything you would recommend to me? I’d love to hear about them. Let me know in the comments. I’m always game for good sci-fi!

Keep on glowing in the dark,

Elora

Visions of the Future: Top 5 Moon Landing Predictions

That the United States successfully landed the first human beings on the moon in 1969 is common knowledge. However, it is less commonly known that many details of this momentous accomplishment were predicted by science fiction decades prior to the actual event.

Here are, in chronological order, five correct predictions science fiction made,(sometimes even inadvertently), about the first moon landing.

1. From the Earth To The Moon by Jules Verne (1887)-

You may be tired of hearing about Jules Verne by now. If so, too bad. This is a series on science fiction history. He is going to come up a lot. While the Apollo 11 mission didn’t see its crew members launched out of a giant cannon towards the moon, many of Verne’s calculations were close to feasible. Perhaps one of the most fascinating coincidences surrounding the story is that Verne’s characters blasted off from Florida. The first moon landing began at Kennedy Space Center, near Orlando, Florida.

2. Woman in the Moon directed by Fritz Lang (1929)-

Two years after his classic silent film Metropolis made cinematic history, director Fritz Lang released this tragic space romance, based off the novel written by his wife, Thea von Harbou. Though the man crux of the film is the drama, it did introduce viewers to new ideas about rocket travel, including the introduction of a multi-stage rocket.

3. Tintin- “Explorers on the Moon” by Hege (1954)-

Tintin was a serialized adventure comic by Herge, a Belgian cartoonist, starring a young reporter named Tintin. In 1954, Herge became interested in space travel, and decided to send his character along on the first manned mission to the moon. Inspired by Jules Verne’s From The Earth to The Moon, the 1950 film Destination Moon, and the real life German V-2 rocket, he crafted a technical and realistic tale of men on the moon.

4. The Outward Urge by John Wyndham and Lucas Parkes (1959)-

Though it appears to be co-authored by two people, the author-names listed for this novel are really just two pen names for the same person. John Wyndham created an intricate future history in which he painted a fairly accurate, if belated, picture of the early struggle to reach the stars, first moon landings, and first space stations.

5. Star Trek “Tomorrow is Yesterday” (1967)-

The plot of “Tomorrow is Yesterday” has become a staple trope of the Star Trek universe throughout its nearly fifty year history. The crew of the Enterprise must go back in time to study a specific period of history (in this case, the 1960s), and end up interfering more than they intended to. What makes this episode remarkable is a radio report announcing that the first manned mission to the moon was to take place that Wednesday. Two years later, on Wednesday, July 16th, 1969, Apollo 11 left earth’s atmosphere for the moon.

Keep on glowing in the dark,

Elora

Visions of the Future: The 1920s- An Unexpected Future

The Roaring Twenties. The Jazz Age. The Golden Age. The Crazy Years.

The 1920s was a decade of many names and great transformation. Much of the western world experienced an economic and cultural boom after the Great War that changed daily life and worldview forever- whether for better or for worse.

History:

Much of the technology and thought developed in the previous decades was realized in the mainstream during the 1920s.

Automobiles, motion pictures, telephones, and electricity were accepted by the general public. Media began to be a focal point of popular culture, and celebrities such as actors, musicians, and sports stars became public icons.

In the western world,there was a general migration from rural areas into urban areas. Also, women were given the right to vote in many nations.

The ideas of the past decades were also tested in the real world during the 1920s. The Communist state, The Soviet Union, was created in 1922. In 1925, a schoolteacher was declared guilty of teaching evolutionism in a public school, fueling controversy over the debate between creationism and evolutionism.

The prosperous times of the 1920s could not last, however. In 1929, the economic boom ended, and the stock market crashed, leading to the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Science:

In 1922, the BBC started broadcasting on the radio.

The first mechanical television was created by John Logie Baird in 1925. He also worked on the first color television in 1926.

Film technology developed rapidly in the 1920s. Warner Brothers released the first movie with a soundtrack, Don Juan in 1926,and the first all-talking, all-color movie, The Lights of New York, in 1929

The first liquid-fuelled rocket was launched by Robert Goddard in 1926.

Stories:

In 1920, Czech playwright Karel Capek wrote the play R.U.R.: A Fantastic Melodrama. R.U.R. stands for Rossum’s Universal Robots, and this play was the first work ever to use the word “Robot”.

The same year, David Lindsay published A Voyage to Arcturus, a philosophical science-fantasy that inspired both C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien.

In 1923, Hugo Gernsback released an entire issue of Science and Invention based around science fiction. This led to the creation of the magazine Astounding Stories, which changed its name to Analog Science Fiction and Fact, and continues as the longest running science fiction magazine to this day.

A very early science fiction film was released in Russia in 1924. Yakov Protazanov directed the silent space adventure, Aelita: Queen of Mars, based on a novel by Alexei Tolstoy.

In 1926, the first solely science fiction magazine, Amazing Stories, began publication.

One of the most cinematic and iconic science fiction science films ever, Metropolis, directed by Fritz Lang, was released. The German film portrayed a dystopian society where workers were oppressed by the upper class. It also had a really cool robot.

Pulp writer Edgar Rice Burroughs published another science fiction novel, The Moon Maid in 1926. It was originally intended as a commentary on Soviet Russia, but had to be changed from its original version, because editors viewed it as too controversial.

Influential comic strip, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century- the story of a Great War veteran put in suspended animation until the 25th century- began publication in 1929.

Strangely enough, the name “science fiction” was not used to define the genre for the first hundred years of its existence. Short story author, and magazine founder Hugo Gernsback  coined the term in 1929.

Keep on glowing in the dark,

Elora