Science Fiction Class Notes
What is Science Fiction?
A. Definition: Science Fiction is an imaginary story that usually could not
occur in the present time. It deals with scientific and technological advances
might make possible in the future, without the use of magic.
B. Similarities with other types of fiction:
1. Plot
2. Setting
3. Characters
4. Conflict
5. Tone
6. Theme
C. Unique qualities of the Science Fiction genre:
1. It has some basis in scientific fact.
2. It must be believable.
3. It can be about the future but might also involve the past.
4. It adheres to natural laws as we know them.
5. It tries to interpret change and discuss what tomorrow may bring, in
essence, it asks, “What if…”
D. Early Sci Fi Pioneers
A. Leonardo Da Vinci – drew the first flying machines
B. Edmund Rostand – wrote the first science fiction novel about space
travel
E. Early Sci Fi Authors
A. Edgar Allan Poe – wrote about a balloon flight to the moon
B. Jules Verne (1870s) wrote 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to
the Center of the Earth
C. H.G.Wells (1890s) wrote War of the Worlds, The Time Machine
D. Edgar Rice Burroughs (1940s) wrote about Mars, lost cities (Atlantis)
E. Mary Shelley – wrote Frankenstein
F. Modern Sci Fi Authors
1. Isaac Asimov – scientist who was famous for his novels about
robots
2. Orson Scott Card – Ender series
3. Ray Bradbury – Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451, and many
short stories
4. Robert Heinlein – Tunnel in the Sky, Starship Troopers
5. Arthur C. Clarke – 2001: A Space Odyssey
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G. Common Themes/Plots of Science Fiction
1. Theme: Journey into Space
Examples: Star Trek, Farscape, Lost in Space, Armageddon,
Gattaca
2. Theme: Energy
a. Where has all the power gone
b. Nuclear Fission
c. Far-future energy
Examples: Highlander 2, The Saint
3.
Theme: Aliens
a. First Contact
b. Communication
c. Alien life-styles/societies
Examples: Star Trek: First Contact, E.T. Contact, Men In Black
4. Theme: Limits of Possibility
a. Faster than light and relativity
b. Hyperspace
c. Instantaneous communication
d. Anti-matter
e. Gravity and anti-gravity
f. Stars, nebulas, black holes
Examples: The Langoliers, Star Wars, Outland, The Black Hole
5. Theme: Time Travel
a. Past
b. Future
c. Alternate universe
Examples: Back to the Future, Planet of the Apes, The Time
Machine, Next, Frequency
6. Theme: Holocaust and Catastrophe
a. Warfare – future weaponry, chemical/biological warfare
b. Natural disasters – new ice age, drowned world, plague,
pollution, overpopulation, famine
Examples: Men In Black, The Stand, Children of Men, Logan’s
Run, Waterworld, The Day After Tomorrow
7. Theme: Intelligent Machines
a. Mechanical brains
b. Robots
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c. Cybernetics and information technology
Examples: The Matrix, I, Robot, War Games, Lost in Space
8. Theme: Men and Supermen
a. Better brains
b. How mutations work
c. Cyborgs
d. Aging and immortality
e. Cryonics
f. Clones
g. Androids
Examples: Blade Runner, X-Men, RoboCop, Universal Soldier
9. Theme: Dreams and Nightmares
a. Machines and leisure society
b. Conditioning and brainwashing
c. Psychotropic drugs
d. Crime and Punishment
Examples: Logan’s Run, The Manchurian Candidate, Batman
Begins, Judge Dredd
10. Theme: Powers of the Mind
a. Telepathy
b. Telekinesis
c. ESP
Examples: Scanners, X-Men, The Empire Strikes Back, Star Trek
11. Theme: Mysteries of the Past and Present
a. Flying saucers
b. Ancient astronauts
c. Vanished civilizations
Examples: The Day the Earth Stood Still
12. Theme: Miscellaneous
a. Invisibility
b. Force fields and force shield
Examples: Fantastic Four, The Incredibles, Highlander 2
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