Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with scifi

Dr Who: I don't get it

northerner — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 03:45:02 -0800

Why is Dr Who so popular with adult American audiences? Dr Who is considered a children's TV programme here in the UK (although the beeb have tried to market it more toward family-viewing in recent years) so it seems quite strange to me just how popular it is amongst the 'geek community'. Particularly considering the current golden age of American sci fi TV.

I am not criticising the show itself, I'll leave that to the critics. But surely the scripts or the supplementary programming are clues to its intended audience.

Perhaps by asking this question I'm revealing an ugly snobbish side of myself when I should just be leaving people to enjoy what they want to watch. If I regularly watched Dr Who I'm sure I would feel the same intellectual juvenilisation guilt that my adult friends who read Harry Potter admit to. However, I'm genuinely interested in why the show is so popular. My original theory was that the number of anglophiles in that same geek community skewed the rest somehow.

Two Avatar queastions.

cowmix — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:37:34 -0800

Regarding Avatar: Is it appropriate for an 11 year old (who's REALLY into scifi) and which 3D system? I figured that some small percentage of the MeFi crowd has seen Avatar already so it would ask this now: How appropriate is the movie for an eleven year old boy who LOVES scifi movies and books?

Also, if / when my kid and I view the movie should we pick Real3D or IMAX 3D?

ID this short story

palindromic — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:45:35 -0800

Sci-fiShortStoryFilter: A generation ship on a long-term voyage slowly forgets the purpose of its mission and begins to interpret the mission control manual and previous captain's logs as religious works, and cease working toward their target. Basically all other details I've forgotten, and I'm pretty sure it's not "Thirteen to Centaurus" by JG Ballard that I'm thinking of.

I need some advice about publishing my story.

Salvor Hardin — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:04:57 -0800

Hive authors: help me publish a sci-fi story! I've written a science fiction short story (hard sci-fi). I've been told that it's pretty good, so I was thinking about trying to publish it in a periodical of some kind for the fun of it. It's a little over 5000 words. I've never done this before, and I don't read sci-fi magazines very often, so I'm looking for the following:

Suggestions on where to send in the story. How many places?

Warnings, things I should know beforehand or avoid. I'm clueless about copyright, etc.

Estimates of whether or not I can get any money from this. It'd be fine if I didn't, but I'd like to know going in.

Any other advice.

Thanks!

Which four-letter sci-fi novel drives Sol to safety?

CrystalDave — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:38:47 -0800

Bookhunt: What's the name of a sci-fi novel involving giant engines forming in a ring shape around the Earth? I seem to remember the title being a word with four letters in it. I also seem to remember it involving a plan which involved forming a cone-shaped jet firing miniature black holes outward from the Sun in order to move the Solar System somewhere else at relativistic speeds.

It also had a transhuman woman who derived her near-godlike powers from a super-computer made from a ball of self-sustaining plasma and super-cold zero-point energy. She died in the beginning of the novel from a space/skydiving accident.

Thanks in advance!

I readed a story, but I forgetted it.

jrishel — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:16:06 -0800

I'm trying to find a short sci-fi story I read over 10 years ago that I barely remember. It may have involved some or all of the following: bicycle repair, ripe banana smelling bacteria used as deodorant and anti-libido medication. I think it might have been from one of the "Year's Best Science Fiction" Anthologies, but I'm not sure, it could have been in a sci-fi pulp magazine I subscribed to for a few years who's name also alludes me. Here are the barely remembered things I can recall, in order of rememberedness, not actual relevance to the story's plot:

main character uses a bacteria application to prevent BO. He smells like ripe bananas.

main character is working a bicycle, perhaps a racing bicycle.

in order to concentrate on his work, he takes an anti-libido pill.

he meets a girl. she may or may not be some sort of spy. I think he nurses her back to health.

he lives in some sort of post crash world where his workshop is raised from the ground to prevent looters.

he receives nagging video phone calls from his mother.

So, Hivemind, can you give me a title and author?

What movie is this?

xenophile — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:35:55 -0800

Help me find the name of this fantasy or scifi movie I saw as a child. It was a color film made before 1975 (probably well before then), and involved a teenage boy wandering around in a meadow. I remember only one scene from it, in which the boy is desperately repeating "I won't eat the flowers!" and then succumbs to a dreamlike state. I was born in 1967 and I'm pretty sure I was no older than eight when I saw this film. At the time I lived in the Detroit area. The boy in the movie was probably about 12 or 13 and had an American (maybe Canadian) accent.

Remembering the name of a scifi book

Political Funny Man — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:34:25 -0800

I'm trying to remember the name of a sci-fi book. I read it like 10 years ago, so my memory of it's a bit fuzzy. One of the major topics was something about the religion of science. I remember a guy who was able to trick people, a traveling salesman of sorts, who sold someone a machine that turned lead into gold. The machine actually worked, but would stop working after he got away with his money. I don't *think* I'm imagining this book, but who knows...

Name this scifi story about highways of the future

chrisamiller — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:09:15 -0800

Looking for a short sci-fi story that I read on the internet. It was about a police force who worked in the very risky highways of the future, where rocket cars zoomed around at hundreds of miles an hour. Other half-remembered details:

- The protagonists drove in a huge vehicle with three or four personnel, including drivers and a medic

- Traffic was heavy at one point because people were returning to Ohio from a football game in California

- it started snowing at another point in the story

- The highway was several lanes wide and contained differential speeds: 400 mph in the left tube, 300 mph in the middle, etc.

I can't even remember if it was a particularly good story, but I stumbled across it several years back and would like to read through it again. Thanks.

Finding an old 80's sci-fi flick.

ninazer0 — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:46:57 -0800

Sci-Fi Movie Filter: Trying to locate the title of a movie I saw in the late 80's. It was set in the US in the near future. A private eye or cop was trying to track down someone smuggling a deadly drug or chemical that - when it came in contact with the human body - dissolved it in a fantastically gruesome fashion with smoke and screaming. The first person you see dying this way is a shuttle pilot. I remember very clearly a scene in a post-mortem where the ME says "We recovered his hand" and picks up the hand, only it is brown and mushy and comes to pieces on his glove.

And then later, one of the baddies injects what he thinks is his fix of some amazing drug but - you guessed it - he starts smoking and screaming.

There's one other scene I clearly remember when the PI/cop steals some sort of nifty shuttle that an old lady had illegally stashed in her garage.

Any ideas? It was definitely low budget and had a faintly Logan's Run style to it. Possibly it was released directly to video. I don't remember any of the actors.

What if the world was a glorious donut?

reverend cuttle — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:09:05 -0800

If I'm sitting on the terraformed surface of a Culture orbital, what does the horizon look like? For those unfamiliar with Iain Banks' Culture novels, imagine an artificial ring spinning on its axis and revolving around a star. People live on the inside (concave) surface of the ring.

Ostensibly, the curvature of the ring is gradual enough that the ground beneath them appears flat, as it does on the convex surface of the Earth. But what do they see when they look to the horizon? Can they see the far edge of the ring? Every time I try and picture this, my brain stops working.

Thanks for indulging a nerd.

Looking for the story "Bomb Run"

nightengine — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 18:46:44 -0800

In the early 1980s, Starlog magazine ran a column called Quest that featured readers' artistic submissions. To this day, I still recall a story called "Bomb Run," which dealt with an Enola Gay-style bombing of an alien planet. Did anyone else read this story, and if so, do you know where can I find it online or at least learn the author's name?

Name that book series I barely remember

nomisxid — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:41:18 -0800

Back in the 70's/80's, I remember seeing a series of scifi/fantasy books, where the cover art for all the books had a consistent theme of a red/orange sun that figured prominently. What was it? I remember there seemed like a lot of books in the series.
As I recall, most of the covers were pictures of a character, with the omnipresent red dot in the background sky. At the time, I shied away from them because I was more into hard sci-fi, and it looked likely to be very fantasy-y.

No silly putty, please

signal — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:25:40 -0800

What are the most alien aliens in Comics, TV or Movie SF? I am looking for the least human-like depictions of aliens, in terms of anatomy, culture, art, architecture, technology, etc., that you've seen in a movie or tv show —animated or live action— or comic book?
Looking for significant alien roles, not some random muppet in the background of the Mos Eisley Cantina.

Another world and they still can't spell my name right.

ilana — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:37:09 -0800

I'm trying to remember the title and author of a young adult sci-fi novel from the early '90s (or earlier) with a character named Alana (or Alanna) and a boy who gets taken to another world. Help! In one of those particularly nagging flashes of memory, I am trying to recall a young-adult, sci-fi / fantasy book that was read to me in installments back in Grade Three (1992-93).

The book starred two young people (I would guess early teens, but since I was eight my ideas of age might have been skewed), a boy from “our” world, and, from the world he visits, a girl named Alanna (or possibly an alternate spelling; this is my one concrete detail, because what made the book particularly memorable as a child was that the heroine had a name a lot like mine).

Story fragments (some more sketchy than others) include:

-The boy wakes up in middle of the night, to a (blue?) flash outside, when he goes to investigate he gets taken to another world.

-There is something important about a bubble; the boy winds up in one. Either it takes him somewhere or he can breathe underwater. Possibly another kind of bubble freezes people.

-The nemesis is some sort of evil queen, probably one who lived underwater.

-To get underwater, a sea snake or monster had to be bypassed.

-A final, chess-like duel that involved real, possibly frozen people, who were killed as the pieces were lost (and I’m sure this isn’t some kind of bastardized Harry Potter memory)

-There may also be a scene high up in a tree canopy.

-As far as I can remember, the cover is predominantly blue in hue.

- All I can say is that it is definitely not the “Alanna” book series by Tamora Pierce, which are the only novels I was able to find in my search.

Does anyone remember a book anything like this? I fear that over the years it has become far enough entwined in my library of dreams that I’ll never figure out what it is. Thanks!

Help me find this dystopian movie!

sunshinesky — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:01:43 -0800

NameThisMovieFilter: Dystopian society of people living in a domed city, who don't leave their homes and spend a great deal of their time in their dream machines. -Before you suggest it, this is not logan's run
-Made in the 80s/early 90s?

Synopsis:
Humanity is dying out because of lack of contact with one another and one girl decides to break the rules and escape the dome. There are people living outside the dome, and romance ensues.

At some point, she challenges a man inside the dome who is the controller of the dream machines- he may or may not be her father, and there is some question as to whether her entire escape was simply a dream.

---

A friend of mine would like desperately to see this, and my googlefu is really failing me. It sounds pretty interesting, so I'd like to try to see it myself, if the hivemind might oblige and provide a name. Details may or may not be entirely correct, but I have no way of knowing, since I haven't seen it myself!

Thanks, hive!

Know any good read-only time travel stories?

bjork24 — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:47:11 -0800

Can you recommend any good stories/books that deal with unobtrusive time travel tourism? Tourists from the future going back in time to view historical events, or catch a glimpse at a historical person, but not interacting or interfering in any way, shape, or form... read-only time travel, if you will.

Help me find my moon story!

mahke — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 01:18:50 -0800

Please help me find this SciFi story I remember reading as a kid. This is what I remember - unfortunately I can't remember if it was an extended short story or a novel (I read it in school, about 20-25 years ago!).

This is what I do remember:

* the setting is the moon, where a colony live in an air-tight dome
* two friends steal a moon buggy to go for a joy ride
* the end up crashing into/through a crater, and discover a hidden pocket of oxygen in which they can breathe, and in which vegetation/flowers etc have thrived

Not sure what else happens to be honest, but hopefully that's enough to go on!

The accumulation of team members in space movies

np312 — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:08:42 -0800

Please name some sci- fi space movies that have a team of (at least) four characters, a team of heroes that eventually forms organically over the course of the film (ex: Star Wars.) I'm -not- looking for any situation where there is a PRE-ESTABLISHED team/military force/family unit of space travelers already in place before the film begins, such as in Star Trek movies, that has Star Fleet already established to put groups together.

I AM interested in sci fi movies set in space where a team of characters that have never met before, band together as the story progresses. My definition of "team" is that they all share a common goal, even if it's just survival, and they work closely together to achieve that goal.

Only looking for space movies, thanks. Other than Star Wars and Spaceballs, I can't think of any.

Dr. Who Recursion Paradox

geekhorde — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:27:19 -0800

Dr. Who question. Can the Tardis ever appear inside itself? Has it ever?

This book, it vibrates

rokusan — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:21:39 -0800

Another forgotten book from childhood. Time travel/survival. Dinosaurs. And yes, it vibrates. Help? A "young adult" book I read when I was ten or eleven, I think. At least I think it was a YA title. Maybe it was just cheesy. It was handed down from someone else, too, so it could have been published anywhere from the sixties through the mid-eighties, I guess.

Science fiction, pretty cliche setup: A scientist invents a time machine and his children (a boy and a girl, I think) become trapped in the prehistoric past, fighting dinosaurs and learning to find food/shelter and so on.

The main detail I can remember is that the machine itself was large and took up an entire room in the scientist's lab. It was some kind of large ?metal ring that vibrated until it became invisible/intangible, and then the travelers would step through it. Stepping "into the ring(s)" was the moment of no return. It may have turned into a circular rainbow. Or maybe I am imagining that part.

The only parts of the actual plot I remember is that there are multiple "trips", as someone (the father?) makes a second journey back to rescue someone else. The machine also becomes broken (explodes?) at some point, "stranding" people in the past.

It's definitely not "A Wrinkle in Time", but the infuriating thing for me is that whenever I hear the title of L'Engle's book, I think of this story instead. It would help me tell them apart if I could remember the name of this one. No clue on the author.

Are these wisps of half-memory enough for anyone to recognize?

I might recognize a title, and I'd almost certainly recognize a synopsis.

There are no gay people in the future. (Or are there?)

mumble — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 15:55:41 -0800

Looking for book recs about sci-fi, specifically about gender issues and jetpack-related physics. Slowly easing my way into science fiction (classic Star Trek as of right now, with some Blade Runner/Electric Sheep-related thoughts and plans to branch out some more), interested in two aspects of discussion right now. I did some quick Amazon and Google searches (not very helpful) and poked around a bit at AskMe, and was hoping for specific recommendations about these things:

1) Sci-fi as a white, male space </allegation>: Essay collections prefered over single-topic tomes. I'm referring specifically to sci-fi movies and novels and the way women, sexuality and/or race are handled in the narrative and, to a lesser extent, the history and culture of the genre as a whole.

2) Why transwarp teleportation will never be possible </opinion>: Books on the science behind the fiction, preferably written for the layperson without being overly cutesy about it. This sounded pretty ideal, until I read the last paragraph of this review. See 1).

Not looking for actual novel recs, just the meta. Will also take specific essays that can be found online, if you feel like sharing a link. Thanks very much in advance!

My affair with scifi is going through a rough patch

Brandon Blatcher — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:00:01 -0800

My visceral dislike of the movie District 9 combined with years of other sub par science fiction movies has pretty much killed any desire to see more films of the genre. Help me rekindle the flame. (Minor District 9spoilers inside) I was interested in seeing the movie anyway, but the reviews are what really got me excited about seeing it because the film was lauded with variations of "smart"and "original". While the premise was interesting, I thought the plot was a series of ridiculous situations framed by groan worthy clichés and populated by silly and/or stock characters. This movie felt like another in a long series of disappointing scifi movies, where potentially interesting ideas are underdeveloped and the plot devolves into uninspired action sequences (Ok, I did geek out a bit on the title character being in the battle suit).

I know this sounds silly, but the movie left me fairly shaken as to viability of putting SF on the big screen. Seriously, I'm like "I'm DONE, this genre has wasted enough of time and money, there are plenty of other movies to watch that can speak not only to intelligence but maturity!" If I'm getting the most enjoyment out of films that aren't SF, then why waste time and money on SF? This is really bothering me, having grown up watching and enjoying the genre so I'm a bit lost as to where to go from here. Friends who are fans of SF haven't been able to offer much in the way of solutions, so hopefully Mefi can bring the goods.

Here's few specific questions:

1. If you enjoyed District 9, can you explain why in a few sentences (hey, I could be missing something)? It just struck me as silly that an advanced race couldn't handle being stuck on a planet and let themselves be bossed around by humans. Everything went down hill from there.

2. Are my perceptions off or are SF movies really that bad in general, to the point that anything that even tries to be intelligent becomes "great" just for trying as opposed to being actually good? Is there any data to back up this point of view, any official studies, not just web surveys?

3. What movies would you recommend for "good" science fiction, and please don't limit yourself to American made films (which I suspect may be part of the problem)? Some of my favorites are (in no particular order) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Road Warrior, Empire Strikes Back, Contact, and Signs. I'm not saying these movies are 100% perfect or the same type of movies, but they exemplify what I look for, strong characters and plot that force a re-examination of being human (both good and bad) by placing people in extraordinary settings.

Where's the sci-fi with actual characters?

colinmarshall — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:04:18 -0800

What are some or how can one best find science-fiction novels that are good by general literary standards? Bemoaning the disappointment I've repeatedly endured at the hands of science fiction is, to those who know me well enough, a well-worn leitmotif. You'd think I'd be at least as smart as children who refrain from touching red-hot burners twice, but no: I pick up a sci-fi novel, more often than not get burned by it, and no sooner have the blisters subsided than I'm back at the shelf. My problem perhaps reduces to desire for speculative stories featuring actual characters. It's not that the sci-fi novels I've read are literally missing invoked human (or alien, or robot) entities; it's that they present these entities as lists of traits rather than as nuanced, thinking (as distinct from simply speaking), changing beings whose lives extend beyond the page.

I've found this disease pervasive in and crippling to the genre, but the diehard fans I talk to don't seem to notice it. And if they do notice it, they don't mind. I once read a forum-dweller grumble about his wish that sci-fi's lack of character depth just stop being considered a weakness already. At a panel, I heard one veteran sci-fi novelist pronounce that, in the genre, character is necessarily subordinated to speculation. But can't character and speculation sit on the same tier? This may seem a matter of wanting to have my cake and eat it too, but I'd say I simply want to eat my cake in the context of an actual meal. Isn't complaining that weak characterization is regarded as a flaw like complaining that a computer's inability to accept input is regarded as flaw? You can junk speculation, plot, aesthetics, form, comedy and tragedy and your work will still come out a lot better than if you'd played loose with character.

Beyond science fiction, I suppose I'm generally long for novels of ideas whose ideas don't displace their people. Perhaps no genre is flexible enough to provide this combination, and I'd do better to camp out in the categorical borderlands.

I need some more scifi tunes!

donabean — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 11:50:58 -0800

What are the best examples of music that is unapologetically science fiction/fantasy ? I love hawkwind(especially 77-79 era), Gary numan, the legendary pink dots, devo, fad gadget and the like. Help me make the perfect sci-fi playlist. I also like deltron, cannibal ox, and the anticon collective , and am not opposed to some orb or lee scratch perry, or any genre(would probably love sci fi themed country if i ever heard it)-so it doesn't have to be prog/new wave to make me delighted.