I started my exploration with dystopian science fiction. I looked at books and stories that had to do with post-current world societies and people’s opinions on what falls under that. Most of my discoveries led me to different books and movies that the internet felt exemplified science fiction. I searched for indigenous science fiction as well; however, it did not show up as frequently in my visualization. I thought this was interesting given our conversations about the lack of indigenous representation in science fiction. It put the discussion into perspective. I also looked heavily at cyberpunk. There is a videogame called “Cyberpunk 2077,” which I found through my visualization, which is a role-playing game in a dystopian city. This futuristic high-tech, yet dystopian space is the setting for many popular science fictions that I have seen and read. It was interesting to see how cyberpunk plays out from story to story because it is never 100% the same in any one story or movie. Space and earth were not as large as I thought they would be in the visualization even though a lot of science fiction that we have looked at is based in the cosmos. Technology, wetware, neuroscience, and brain are topics that I found super interesting. They appeared a lot in the visualization as the mind, and methods of manipulating it using neurotech, are a popular science fiction trope. I saw great examples on Netflix, such as Black Mirror and Altered Carbon. Lastly, I looked at fantasy vs. science fiction. There are many opinions on what qualifies as fantasy vs. science fiction. A considerable amount of debate revolved around the show The Witcher. The message boards brought up many points and tropes that we have also discussed in comparing and contrasting the two genres.

This is a link to 100 Top SciFi Themed songs. Some of them should be familiar because they played on the radio for some time.

https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-top-100-science-fiction-themed-songs-of-all-time-1650307105

If you google “science fiction” and click on images, the majority of the photos feature depictions of space drawn in vibrant color. Space is one of the driving motifs for science fiction. The cosmos are constantly mentioned in this course’s stories and films, and many of the most well-known science fiction media that we have not looked at. The question is: why? There seems to be a fascination with space both among lovers of this genre and people that know very little about science fiction. At first thought, one could believe that it is because humans do not know much about it. Yet, when you think about it, there are thousands and thousands of miles of unexplored or uncharted ocean, yet we do not see authors rushing to write about it. What about space makes it more compelling than the equally as mysterious bodies of water that are not a rocket ship ride away. Is it because we see it so prominently displayed in movie empires such as Star Wars, Star Trek, the hundreds of movies depicting astronauts, and more. Is it simply because we imagine space to be beautiful? What drives this space addiction?

Pandemic 2 is a strategy computer game created by Dark Realm Studios that many of us grew up with. It is actually a quite morbid game in theory, but in a way, educates children on the methods in which disease is spread. You begin the game by selecting to be either a virus, bacteria, or parasite and whether you would prefer “relaxed” or “realistic” gameplay. You get to name yourself and are given a country of origin. The goal of the game to infect/kill off the entire world. You are given access to global news blasts, ship and plane routes, as well as a window to see the evolution of your “creation”. The player must select the right combination of symptoms, resistances, and transmission methods to achieve the goal, and must do so before countries begin to quarantine and vaccinations are produced. There are a lot of cheats and methods that people say guarantee a win, but it is mainly just luck and strategy. As mentioned before it is a quite morbid game, but it has popped up quite a bit in the media and I wanted to share a quick overview of it. It is rumored that a new version of the game will allow you to combat disease in order to save the world which is a much happier form of gameplay.

Recently, it has been mentioned that the current progression of the COVID-19 pandemic reminds people of the movie Contagion (2011). This is due in part to the world-dominating effect that the virus in the movie has. Another film, World War Z (2013), similarly focuses on a plague and methods of protecting oneself from infection. A twist is that this movie uses zombies as catalysts. The zombies in this movie, when inactive, are quite slow-moving beings until they come across a potential host. They then become incredibly fast and robust. It takes 12 seconds after contact to become infected. The zombies, for the most part, are unstoppable unless their brains are destroyed, and are also unusually attracted to sound. There is another major twist to the way these zombies operate, but that would give away a significant plot twist in the movie, so I encourage you to see it on your own.

In the book (World War Z by Max Brooks, 2006), the virus starts in Chongqing, China; however, in the film, the origin point is in South Korea. Also seen in the movie, one country builds a wall around itself to quarantine its people after hearing that many places around the world were fighting zombies. The main character battles with where to take his family to keep them safe, lack of resources, and finding a cure when the research center at the WHO is overrun with zombies. Many of the troubles that the protagonist (Gerry) faced speak to very similar issues people are facing now, especially the ones highlighted above (shortage of resources, quarantine, and the struggles to find an effective cure). Many people in this COVID-19 era, unfortunately, have been looking towards media rather than scientists and doctors. That is why recently many actors and actresses have been trying to do their part by delivering messages from medical professionals. Below is a link to a video where the cast of Contagion issue a very important PSA on the COVID-19 virus.

This is the trailer to the movie TAU. It can be found on Netflix and is about a woman who is kidnapped and kept in a smart home that is controlled by TAU. I found this particularly interesting because it features sentient AI. Without spoiling the movie too much, the protagonist attempts to escape her attacker by building a relationship with TAU. Her goal is to get it to act against its programmer and grant her freedom. She ends up accomplishing this task, but there are a lot of significant twists and turns along the way.

This movie looks at technology in a unique way. We know that TAU is not a robot because it does not follow Asimov’s Laws.

(The laws are listed below from this link)

• Law One – “A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.”
• Law Two – “A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.”
• Law Three – “A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.”

There have been many works of science fiction that look at the future of A.I., and the impact of having technology that can “think” and act on its own. I believe that we will have sentient A.I. in the near future, and it will become an even more prevalent discussion around the laws needed to prevent programmers from creating technology that they cannot truly control. The programmer in TAU believed he had control over TAU; he was very wrong.

Here is a link to some dystopian book recommendations. Enjoy!

https://best-sci-fi-books.com/96-dystopian-science-fiction-books/

The term “dystopia” is used to describe a place full of disorder and chaos, typically ignited by political bodies in a particular story. It is the exact opposite of utopia, in which everything is desirable, and all citizens are happy. Then why do we find dystopia and post-apocalyptic stories so compelling?  Often, dystopia is an author’s way to comment on current political states in a different and unique lense. They also can act as a political warning. There are even stories that disguise themselves as utopias, but then reveal themselves to be dystopian. This shows intersectionality between utopia writing and dystopian writing.

One aspect of dystopian stories that I believe makes them compelling is the futuristic settings of some of them. The juxtaposition of technological advancement with some form of chaos that makes the story seem a little more realistic without pushing it too far. Plus, many of the ideas are so creative that it is surprising that many authors manage to reroute to very similar themes. Utopia often times can feel a little intangible because we have never lived in a world with no problems, but it is interesting to see various author’s ideas on what “perfection” is.

Dystopian worlds focus on civilizations in suboptimal conditions due to events such as war, oppression, or other natural and supernatural occurrences. I was first introduced to this in reading The Giver, a book that describes a city that is first thought to be utopian but is later revealed to be a dystopia. In my experience, dystopias often explore the idea of taking away one’s individualism. Another book that reminds me of this is the Hunger Games trilogy. Twelve (really 13) districts are under intense oppression from a dictator that have convinced citizens that throwing children into an arena and forcing them to fight to the death is the best way to prevent another major war. Any opposition is quelled and it is quite ruthless. Even in the dystopian world, it was stressed that image is everything. There are rules, even in rebellion that the main character, Katniss Everdeen, must follow. Below is a Voyant cloud of Hunger Game themes:

Divergent is of my favorite works of science fiction, and thus it is very fittingly the subject of my first post. The Divergent trilogy follows Beatrice Prior and her journey through the dystopian city of futuristic Chicago. The city is split into five factions: Dauntless, Abnegation, Erudite, Candor, and Amity, and the idea of “faction before blood” is heavily enforced. By the city’s design, each citizen should fit into one faction or category; however, there are people within the city (the Divergent) that do not fit into just one faction. They are seen as a threat because they cannot be controlled. Divergent features advanced usages of technology, such as simulations, futuristic cars, and advanced weaponry. It even looks into radiation decontamination methods as a result of a nuclear war that destroyed society as we understand it. Below are some of my favorite scenes from the movies.