Science Fiction

“Space, the Final Frontier” a famous saying in the television show Star Trek. Science Fiction, when you first think of those words grands ideas of the future, space, large spaceships, aliens, and unbelievable technology come to mind. However, are those kinds of thoughts and ideas truly Science-Fiction? Jennifer A. Rea uses a definition by James Gunn saying, “Science fiction is the literature of change … [it] deals with the effects of change on people in the real world as it can be projected into the past, the future, or to distant places. It often concerns itself with scientific or techno-logical change, and it usually involves matters whose importance is greater than the individual or the community; often civilization or the race itself is in danger” [1]. In other words, Science Fiction isn’t as simple as those ideas and thought; it is much more than that. Technology keeps evolving along with the imaginations that go along with it. Someone by the name of Jean-Marc Lévy-Leblond had a heading in an article saying this, “Scientists deal with the facts. But they wouldn’t get anywhere without dreaming up stories first” [2]. Basically, in regards to science fiction and science itself, some imagination is required for progress. Jean later goes on saying that hypotheses themselves are fiction. Students learn in high school or possibly middle school that a hypothesis is an “educated guess.” Jean states, “Could it be that science paradoxically offers the best proof that fiction can lead to facts?” [2] In other words, is our very first “guess” which can be considered fiction what actually leads us to the facts? In most cases, like a science project it will either be proven right or wrong. A final point I’d like to make by Jean is, “The physicist, as does the novelist, invents worlds and tells stories. Any historical episode of some import illustrates this thesis” [2]. Without some sort of imagination/hypothesis/fictionist like ideas there would be no way for something to be confirmed as a fact. There always has to be an “educated guess” when coming up with things like facts. “The scientist is an unrepentant dreamer — far from sticking to factual observations, he must imagine fictitious situations, which may, from time to time, prove to be veracious” [2].

Now let’s look at some of the history with Science Fiction. Paul K. Alkon mentions the work Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. He states, “Science fiction can only exist when it is possible to distinguish in this way between natural and supernatural as realms that very differently create ‘the interest of the story’” [3]. That book dealt with not only science, but to Paul also gothic fiction. However, the book was never meant to be taken as a horror like novel but instead focus on the horror of science and what it entailed. He even references the famous Alien move trilogies saying, “Films like the Aliens trilogy (1979,1986,1992) retain a scientific framework of futuristic space travel that keeps them within the boundaries of science fiction while tipping the balance toward effects of Gothic terror: instead of evil spirits, malignant aliens must be exorcised” [3]. Basically, the Alien film trilogy in a way follows the Frankenstein work since they both have use gothic fiction but in different ways.

I admit I never really thought about Science fiction in that kind of light. Even with all that information I still thought of it as space and aliens. I think that’s how a majority of the world will always see it. I think Science Fiction is exactly like James Gun’s definition but it hides it very well. His definition reminds me of the television series Firefly along with its movie Serenity. It’s about where humanity has grown too large for the earth and they look for new planets to inhabit. However, the glowing beacon of civilization is not all that grand. A civil war breaks out and the losing side which is actually where the protagonist comes from is labeled as the bad ones but they actually are not. This movie has enough entertainment in it that while it is relevant to Gun’s definition no one would really connect the two unless they thought about it. The show does have the typical spaceships and exciting adventures but no aliens.

In my opinion, I really think that Science Fiction will always be known as the “Aliens and the Space” ideas. Although it is more than that, if the people who make Science Fiction like authors and Movie Directors make them right, then Gun’s definition will be applied but to the audience it will be more of an afterthought. The idea of Space Travel and Aliens will always be a popular. The day it does happen though is when all new kinds of imaginations will be thought of and even more progress will be made. Science Fiction, while mostly used for entertainment has more depth to it than originally thought of.

-Michael Garcia

[1] Rea, Jennifer, “From Plato to Philip K. Dick:  Teaching Classics Through Science Fiction”

[2] Lévy-Leblond, Jean-Marc, “Science’s Fiction”

[3] Alkon, Paul, “Science Fiction Before 1900”