Science Fiction — More Than A Nerd’s Delight

I am definitely a nerd and Science Fiction is definitely a delight of mine…across all mediums of storytelling. However, I want to express that Science Fiction, as a genre, operates as far more than an escape from reality or an arsenal of universes to gawk over; it provides a medium in which criticism of our reality can operate without being heavy-handed.

Modern Science Fiction intrinsically interacts with the current political, cultural, and social landscapes of the world and has done so, as many would argue, for two centuries now…almost to the date. We see the first example of a foundational presence of modern science in a narrative with Mary Shelley’s classic piece of literature, Frankenstein (1818). Operating seemingly as a prophetic insight in to the presence of technology in the future, Mary Shelley opened the floodgates to one of the most inconspicuously politically-motivated genres of art.

The most incredible part, and what I believe to be the key to the genre’s success, is that it can remove itself from our sphere of comprehension on Earth, or present reality, and supply us with a seemingly natural new world in which everything is, in actuality, artificially dictated by the writer/director; an entirely new sphere of comprehension in which the laws of “nature” are deliberately constructed in order to tell a story, teach a lesson, and/or stimulate discourse on a real world topic.

Science Fiction genre creates a dissociative lens between reality and screen in which the audience can watch, at their core, rather ordinary stories unfold in a foreign context, removing all or most real world ties. Therefore, it allows the storyteller (director, writer, etc.) to be pedagogical about conflict that they feel is worth sharing, without threatening the political, social, or economic views of the audience. In a more succinct way, the audience can objectively view the narrative before them while simultaneously absorbing social criticisms subconsciously.

These criticisms can vary from humanity’s relationship with itself, with technology, or with Nature.

If you take a look at history, you can see just what I mean:

1950’s: Fallout of WW2 & the Red Scare

We see the emergence en masse of Science Fiction in film begin around the 1950’s as a clear response to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as well as in the emergence of the Cold War. The pure power of science and its accompanying potential for destruction was witnessed on world-wide level and struck fear in billions of people. The unpredictability of totalitarian regimes threatened the safety of the Western World and is reflected in films like: Invaders From Mars, War of the Worlds, It Came From Outer Space, all from 1953.

We see the paranoia of McCarthyism and the “Red Scare” emerge in this decade. The McCarthy Hearings, the subsequent propaganda and witch hunts, and the terror of nuclear deterrent, directed anxiety to a palpable location: the East. Although these “Reds Under the Bed” could look just like ‘us’, there was still a geographical origin in which the West could direct its hate paving the way for Alien invasion movies, the East’s equivalent (keep this in mind for later in the post)

1960’s: Mid-Point of the Cold War — Race for Technology

The fear of the bomb spilled over in to the ’60s as well, mirrored in movies like Dr. Strangelove: or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964); a portrayal of weapons of mass destruction in the hands of unpredictable regimes.

But at about the midpoint of the decade, we see a turn of morality, man’s responsibility as creator of this destructive technology, and the use of it as a tool of oppression; will it get out of our control? Will it surpass the human race? This anxiety becomes prevalent in films such as Planet of the Apes (1968), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) in which Hal (a machine) is destroyed because of his life-threatening, technological malfunction.

I think it’s worth pointing out that in Planet of the Apes, a reversal of power structure (animals vs. humans) subjects humans to oppression by their animal superiors. When put in this context, it seems to come hand in hand with the Civil Rights Movement.

1970’s: Man Lands on the Moon

Science Fiction in the ’70s is marked by alien-prominent films such as Solaris (1972), Star Wars (1977), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Star Trek (1979), Alien (1979). Anxiety surrounding aliens and the exploration of “the final frontier” became a reality for the human race as man stepped on the moon (1969), ushering in a new wave of paranoia that becomes evident in 1970’s Science Fiction.

2000’s: A Generation Scarred by 9/11

While there are plenty of incredible Science Fiction films in the 1980’s and ’90s, I want to skip ahead a few decades to point out that there is a mirroring or repetition of how the Science Fiction genre responds to its current political landscape.

You will see very similar trends emerge between the 2000’s and the 1950’s. There was about a 33% increase in the production of Science Fiction films following 9/11; this mirrors what we have already seen following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Like the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, an attack of mass scale was executed and thousands of lives were lost stimulating mass paranoia. The difference, in this case, is that the paranoia hit at the homeland of dominant cinema culture.

This enters a new wave of paranoia. George W. Bush, who pushed for witch hunts of ‘terrorists’ and weapons of mass destruction, created a unique form of anxiety. Unlike the enemy of the 1950’s, this new enemy is invisible, hiding in the depths of mountains or the virtual world; they operate without borders; the Unconventional War. We see the enemy in video recordings but have no idea where they are or how many followers they have. This is all reflected in movies like The Matrix (1999) and its sequels, Minority Report (2002), I, Robot (2004), and Inception (2010).

This new wave of anxiety in regards to science is reflected even further with the reemergence of classic movies and series such as Planet of the Apes, Alien, Solaris, Blade Runner and Terminator.

2010’s: The Threat of Climate Change

The newest paranoia of anxiety results from the discourse on Climate Change and controlling Nature. Before you click away, I won’t be sharing any opinions on the subject… Movies about terraforming and the loss of death of Earth begin to emerge such as Serenity (2005), Avatar (2009), Man of Steel (2013). Post-apocalyptic (brought about by Nature) television shows and films emerge in excess: It Comes At Night, The Walking Dead, The 100.

Lastly, but certainly not least (I could write a whole 3,000 blog posts on this) we see the surge of discourse on race emerge as it, yet again, becomes a topic of our modern culture (why couldn’t we have gotten it right the first time?). Science Fiction movies like Get Out, Black Panther, Attack the Block come to mind.

As you can see, Science Fiction is much more than a Nerd’s Delight! It is an intrinsically interactive genre that reflects the current cultural landscape and responding anxiety of the era. I think I could talk for about 50,000 more words on the subject and I certainly left out some keystone Science Fiction films! Feel free to comment more SF films and/or trends — I only covered the surface of what is undoubtedly an immense ocean of concepts to explore.

Next time you go to the movies and see a Science Fiction film, try to peel back the layers and discover how it may be responding to the current political and social landscape of your world!