44 thoughts on “why i love science fiction”

1. Well, I think that the same thing can be said of most *good* sci-fi– It shows us things about ourselves that we can’t/won’t say.
   Gene Roddenberry said almost the same thing about the original Star Trek.
   While TOS/TNG/DS9/Voyager all had episodes which said little, there were some great ones that illustrate the things we need to see.
   That being said… Battlestar Galactica *ROCKS*.
   🙂
   thanks,
   Garrett

2. “allows us to look at our world, and the human condition, in a safe way that still challenges us”
   Ever read any Terry Pratchett? He’s really good at doing just that.
   (and there are Zombies! w00t!)

3. Reading in general is a welcome escape. I remember growing up, I would look out my bedroom window and not see the yard that needed mowed and the car that needed repairs, but my own fictional world where I lived in an enormous castle with a library full of fake books. Instead of words, they held gold. A hidden wealth that was secrectly coveted by my enemies. I was betrothed to a man that had been taken off to war at twelve and who mysteriously returned one evening during a thunderstorm, a dashing man of twenty three years.
   Where did I come up with all of this? No idea but for years and years, this was my secret life. Mound City wasn’t my home. It was just the place I was staying until I was rescued. Whenever my prision got to be too enclosed, hurtful and filled with hate, I would escape to the words written on several pieces of Big Chief tablet paper.
   Eleven years later, it finally has a name. The House Of Windsor.

4. “…both mirror and prism through which to view our world…”
   Amen to that. I think that can be true of all fiction, although science fiction usually is the least afraid of the refractions through the prism.
   Just finished rereading Cat’s Cradle for the umpteenth time. Not science ficture, per se, but definitely prismatic fiction. My god that book lulls you in and then just shakes the foundations of your assumptions.

5. It was interesting to read in “Just a Geek” that your interest in sci-fi fiction started with Ringworld, I just wanted to share with everyone how fascinating the actual Ringworld RPG is.
   Our weekly roll playing group resumed an old campaign this week. Its one thing to read about the world inside Larry Niven‘s mind, but something considerably different to be a part of it. I’ve found more inspiration to be “in character” than any other system we have tried.

6. Orson Scott Card talks about good Sci Fi in his Serenity Review, also about Charlie Kaufman’s writing, which I agree is some great Sci Fi…
   My Sci Fi fascination began with Isaac Asimov, and the Foundation Books. Then on to Philip K Dick, brief tour into all things fantasy, specifically Dennis L McKiernan, and now its just a mix of both…

7. I was a big Babylon 5 follower.
   BSG has blown me away in the same way that B5 did when it was new and there was nothing else like it. Only BSG has a much higher production value.
   I completely agree: Frakkin’ A.

8. Sci-fi explores possibilities that we don’t normally explore in this world. It isn’t afraid to approach ideas and theories from every angle and stretch it without trying to solve it. I like that it doesn’t (usually) solve the mystery of what is going on. By leaving it open to discussion, there is a kind of romance to it.
   Just my $0.02!

9. “examine contemporary culture and society, to challenge (and sometimes provoke) our audience, but not to provide easy answers to complex problems”…
   and always leaving one with lots to ponder, being able to arrive to our own answers and ideas, and to further exploration. “What if…?” Excellent, and I totally agree.
   I grew up on Sci-Fi -books and TV shows. They both did it for me. Star Trek was a daily must, and it’s among one of the first shows I remember watching, and enjoying in that thoughtful way.

10. Amen… great tv with the BSG.
    You’ll be happy (or not) to know that Alexis Cruz (of Stargate fame) is also a huge geek. We caught him buying gaming materials in the exhibitors room at Dragon*Con back in August. Apparently he’s a pretty good GM, from what I hear.

11. Your comment on nerdy T-shirts reminded me of my favorite nerdy T-shirt spot. I found this guy selling his shirts and cartoons in Harvard Square. I honestly think you’ll love his humor. Check out the one in the middle of this page: http://store.perspicuity.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=Products&page=6
    Here’s the direct link to his main page: http://www.perspicuity.com/
    Very punny, and also very smart. From one geek to another…

12. Another BSG lover here. What irritates me is that the things Ronald Moore, David Weddle, and other former Trek writers are now doing, the things that make the show so interesting, could’ve been done on any Sci-Fi show at any time, if only they’d been allowed to do it.
    I think the expectations of the loyal fans were part of the reason that the Star Trek franchise couldn’t break loose from its original concepts. The normal coming of age problems in the Crusher family was edgy for Trek. Meanwhile, BSG had the Vice President put a bullet through a lieutenant’s head (Crashdown) without even blinking.
    Anyway, given all the grief Ronald Moore got from the fans of the original BSG series, I wrote a spoof of his inner dialog.
    RDM’s Inner Voice.

13. and this is why i heart you, wil 😀
    man, the only tv show i’ve been able to watch lately has been lost… and that’s only been for these past two weeks! damn you, theatre!

14. This Geekette happens to be the same age as Wil (okay his about 7 weeks older!) and my first memory of Sci-Fi was seeing Star Wars in the cinema in 1976. I still have no idea why on earth my uncle took his four year old neice to see it, but it began I life time love.
    However if you listen to Mum, the love began in the womb as she was on original series Trek fan 8)
    I love all scifi but I prefer those that explore humanity from the simple shot-them-up action flick disguised as a sci-fi. So Trek, B5 and Firefly rock in my books.
    Has anyone read EE “Doc” Smiths novels?
    But if we are in a competition to express geekiness, Im in Trekkies2, am a roleplayer and a convention organiser. (I used to be a programmer to but flunking out of uni due to spending all day on the internet in the early ninties doesnt create good career prospects in that area 8) )
    Can anyone beat me in the geek catagory?

15. BSG is awesome, but actually I’m interested to hear your opinion on Joss Whedon’s Firefly/Serenity – it being the other big Sci-Fi craze going on right now.

16. Much agreed on the love for the new BSG. Although you might be interested in a book called The Philosopher at the End of the Universe by Mark Rowlands. He’s a philosophy prof who uses those sci-fi action movies you talk about to illustrate various deep philosophical problems. He even has a chapter on Arnold movies (Sixth Day and Total Recall, specifically). It’s a nice piece of work.

17. I’m a writer, and what I right is either Science, Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror – most a little twisted and spiced with humour.
    I think Science Fiction allows us (writers) to explore what can, could have, or maybe should, be . . .
    For better or for worse . . .
    My soul is married to Sci-Fi and I don’t think there is a better genre for exploring any topic, idea, triumph, horror or delving into the many facets of human nature.
    Geez, you got me pumped with this topic Wil. Think I’ll go write some more now.

18. You nerd! You geek! You’ve managed to get the BSG Jones flared up that I’ve had since watching the end of the first half of season two…Frak you, Wil Wheaton! And frak you Ron for not having a 365-episode season!

19. I vividly remember the year I first saw Star Wars. It was the same year I had chicken pox, and Elton John had the number one song. ’77? No, ’97!!! (I guess I was too busy in the seventies for pox OR Vader.) I always enjoyed Trek with my mom, both of us marveling at the superior writing. Didn’t know there was a word for that appreciation until much later.

20. Yes. That’s why it frustrates me when people get hung up on the technobabble aspects of Sci-Fi, and use that as a reason to dismiss it. For me, Sci-Fi is at its most interesting when it asks, “what does it mean to be human?” Which all the Treks and Blade Runner and all the other things I love always do.

21. I’ve only seen the new Battlestar Galactica until two days ago…the original series was on SciFi, I think. Hubby was watching it. Got a kick out of the glittery robots with awkward too-chipper personalities. Seem like they should be hanging out with Eddie on the Heart of Gold.
    The new series is some cool shit though.

22. Wil hits most of the main points why I got into SciFi myself at about the same time he did. I think I am about 1 year older than Wil… Anyway, I started with Isaac Asimov, but not just his science fiction! He wrote great mystery stories, as well as great essays on the field of science itself (“A View from a Height”). Lately, I find that I am a real scientist (Astronomy/Physics), so I have trouble digesting the crap that fills the screens these days. But great Sci-Fi isn’t really about the science– it is using a certain kind of backdrop against which we can frame our present-day issues. You’ll notice that Asimov never really explains *how* the devices work in his novels– that was never the important point. I’ve heard that some great TNG scripts were passed over because they had already built up such a technical history of ST, that the science would come out as inconsistent. That’s a pity, since it was always the great story that drew me into ST. I guess you could say, “I came for the science, but I stayed for the stories.” These days I find myself into Stephen Baxter and Orson Scott Card.

23. I consider myself a “scientist” too, chemistry/physics but my love of SciFi comes from human interactions I read about. My first foray into SciFi was in 8th grade when a friend of mine introduced me to Terry Pratchett. In college, my boyfriend had me read Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. I still go back and read that book at least once a year. But I really like Xenocide and Children of the Mind too, because they show how humans interact and what I see as universal truths, no matter where they happen to live, or in what time. I have never wanted to be a hero, or an award-winning scientist. I just want to find a job where I can enjoy myself at work and still have my home life in the evenings/weekends. But these stories are my way of putting myself into those situations for an hour or so (or 4-5 when I find I can’t put down the book, and just have to finish it that night, no matter how many times I have read it before)

24. Worf looked at his hole cards again, then looked keenly across the table.
    Riker mirrored his gaze, “Fifty”.
    Worf moved without hesitation to his chips,”and fifty more.”
    Riker’s eyes narrowed imperceptibly. “Call”, and he tossed in some more chips.
    “All right boys, let’s see what you’ve got,” Dr. Crusher chimed in. “We’ve got Ks Ad 7d 2h 4d on the table”.
    Riker laid down his cards: Kh Jc – he had a pair of Kings.
    Worf rose abruptly from his chair, lightly tossing his cards on to the table. As everyone eyed his cards to determine his hand, he made a fist and brought it down swiftly, stopping just short of the table. At that moment, to his partners suprise, he cried out, “The HAMMER!”
    And there on the table lay Worf’s two pair – 7h 2s
    Thanks for being a geek Wil!

25. I know this if off topic and I dont know who will see it (feel free to remove the post if you want) But I just wanted to say Nov 12 was the 2 year anniversary of the death of Jonathan Brandis, I blogged about it and even have a part of an article where Wil discussed it –
    Gone but not forgotten.
    The best thing we can do for someone is keep them alive in our hearts.
    http://unstablemindky.blogspot.com/

26. Speaking of loving SciFi, I’m sure you’ve most likely discovered this already but just in case, have you ever heard of the web page, “If Dr. Seuss wrote for Star Trek: The Next Generation…“? Got it from Boing-Boing.

27. I watched Star Trek when it was the newest show on TV. I never missed an episode. When finally STNG aired, I had misgivings, as I had loved the original so much. When I saw the first episode of STNG I was hooked from the start and ended up loving it even more than the original. I own the entire series on VHS. While I have loved all kinds of sci fi since I was 10, STNG has been my favorite of all time. Thus my sign on name.

28. Thought you’d a appreciate this quote, Wil, by the popular sci-fi writer, James Morrow:
    “What’s remarkable about science fiction is that it’s literature at it’s best. It doesn’t exist because high schools require students to read it, or because grants are given out for it to be created, or because colleges have embedded it in their curriculum. It exists because it speaks to people, but in a non-trivial way. It’s entertaining, but it can also be artistic.”
    Always liked that one…

29. Geekiness is next to godliness.

30. I was never allowed to watch movies or TV growing up. One day I went to a friends house for a study group and found the most awesome thing I’d ever seen. . . Star Trek TNG! Needless to say I had a “study group” quite often after that so I could watch the show without my parents knowing!
    Sci-Fi rules my life!

31. I was never allowed to watch movies or TV growing up. One day I went to a friends house for a study group and found the most awesome thing I’d ever seen. . . Star Trek TNG! Needless to say I had a “study group” quite often after that so I could watch the show without my parents knowing!
    Sci-Fi rules my life!

32. PS. Sorry about the double comment, but I hate the internet.
    It would be nice if you or some very cool person could fix your other page! I don’t get typenet or whatever this is called.
    Did I mention I suck at the internet?

33. I’m not sure about the best series in the history of the universe, but to be fair I’m only ten episodes in. I watched the pilot series a while back and was incredibly disappointed that it didn’t retain more of the original show (the mythology and Starbuck, if I’m being honest). So now I’m trying to watch it as ‘just a science fiction show’, and it seems the wait has helped. It’s a damn good show, even if it will never really feel like Galactica to me.

34. Wil,
    I know the feeling. I’m in my fifties and I’ve been a science fiction fan since the 60’s. I’ve always gotten great comfort and hope from it and as a 911 dispatcher I get even more from Sci-Fi now. In a world that seems to be hell bent on destruction I can find volumes and volumes of hope for mankind in science fiction. I guess in the 40+ years I’ve been reading and watching sci-fi I’ve covered the gammet of genre’s. A friend of mine is a writer of sci-fi, Jack McDevitt, may I suggest you try his books. He’s a writer that shows the hope of tommorrow but doesn’t white-wash man’s foibles. Thanks for the positive post and keep hoping.

35. You went to see Star Wars when it was release in 1977?!?
    You were only 4 then!!! (2 months shy of your 5th Birthday!)
    (Hmmmm….I guess that would explain A LOT of things! *wink*)

36. Not to make Wil feel old if he reads this.. but being born in ’83, TNG was hitting its prime as I was growing up. Frankly, Wesley was a hero to me; he was the youngest person on the bridge, knew his shit, and everybody liked him. (To this end I still don’t understand why people don’t like the character.) TNG was my guide when I was little. Yeah, I was the nerdy kid. But it taught me a lot of values. Values that Roddenberry held dear. If I went further I swear I’d be one of those people in the church of Trek or whatever it’s called.
    Fast-forward to 2005, where lately I’ve been watching a lot of Doctor Who. That seems to be my “it” series (To Wil’s Galactica).
    I think any great scifi makes us feel better for having watched it; not like we just wasted an hour or so of our lives in front of the TV.
    Long live plotlines!

37. I am a scifi geek too…aren’t we all who consider ourselves a proud member of the posse. But Wil who are your favorite scifi authors? Mine is Orson Scott Card…hey maybe you could be in the movie of Enders Game that they are working on….that would kick major ass…quick call your manager!
    Heather

38. We did see a lot of very VERY good episodes with Trek but it has always employed characters that could do no wrong. Very VERY seldomly did we see characters who were anything but moral gods/goddesses. That’s one of the reasons I really liked Ro Laren on the show. She was a bit of a screw up.
    Now…look at BSG…every single one of those characters is fundamentally flawed in a very real way. They have depth, they are far more -human- than we have seen in past sci-fi. For the same reason, I really like Firefly/Serenity.
    Sci-fi needs to grow up. Even as a child watching TNG growing up (3 years younger than Wil) I could not help but feel that the plot and dialogue was somewhat condescending.
    I think Trek popularity will explode if the next series/movie can pick up the gauntlet that has been thrown down by Mr.Moore and Mr.Whedon.
    \M/

39. BSG is about the only show I go out of my way to watch (other that South Park and Mythbustes). It’s amazing.

40. It’s weird. I don’t write science fiction, but for most of my childhood it was a staple of what I read. (And I read a lot.)
    I was six when Star Wars was released, but I remember seeing it with my best friend Ben, and both of us playing Star Wars in his room after.
    I married someone geekier than I am, though, and oh, BSG has forced us to declare Friday nights “Non-Net Nights” – the only night all the computers in the house are turned off.

41. WIL!!
    *breath* okay, first, Battlestar Galactica does rock. It’s been a while since i have been so impressed with a sci-fi show… truely enjoyable.
    Second, i finally noticed the update that lead me here!! i have really missed reading your blog, and i am so glad this temp account is filling the gap during repairs!!
    hope you and the family are well, ~~jo

42. Frakkin awesome.
    Glad to hear you have discovered the greatness that is BSG.
    I told you you’d like it.
    -Amanda
    comment #42!

43. Guess I’ll be the hornet in your pack of flowers guys!
    I personally HATE the “reimagination” that’s known as Ron Moore’s “Battlestar Galactica”, despite my adoration for the principle leads in the show. I despise shows that use sex to sell, and the pilot episode and subsequent shows that centered around the “Baltar” character to be just sad.
    The original premise is a GOOD one, that of the colonies and their links to “our” constellations, the “robot” remakes of the aliens as opposed to an evil that “We” created…
    Some things are classic, and shouldn’t be messed with. Wil’s own character of Wesley and the rest of “The NExt Generation” was an “Add-on” as opposed to a completely “forget about the way it was… THIS is the way it should be!”
    Sorry guys, I normally agree mostly with what Wil says, but in this, I’m your direct opposite!
    Matt

44. I appreciate that Sci-Fi appeals to many folk but am I crazy for thinking that if you are in an IT job or have a love of IT you are 99% likely to like Sci-Fi too? Would be interested to know
    I’ve been in the IT industry for a while and all my colleagues love the stuff (works out great for me as I don’t ever get beaten up for loving it!)

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