Anyone else tired of doom and gloom in science fiction?

[Siri137]

I HATED this movie! Too violent and depressing!

I certainly am! Where have all the optimistic visions of the future disappeared to? Now it's all about disasters, dystopias and asteroids wiping us out.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

Novels often reflect the perspectives of those alive at the time. Jules Verne’s sci fi novels for example were made to explore the exciting ideas of things people had no idea about. This was also during a time known as “The Long 19th Century” in France where a multitude of changes both positive and negative were being made following the French Revolution in 1789 (Verne was born in 1825) and ending in 1915, one year after Verne’s death. Jules would have started writing not too long after the beginning of the reign of Orleans, a french king who deposed the previous one and worked with revolutionaries as well as being a pretty big figure for the bourgeoisie keeping both their interests and the interests of the french people in mind. Compared to generations before, this was a very positive thing for a lot of common people and I have no doubt Verne was among them. Because there was peace, there was hope and excitement in his portrayal of things like the center of the earth and his work was fueled by things like the Hollow Earth theory. He trusted the ruling authority, and those who didn’t enjoyed the escapism his work provided.




There isn’t peace now, and there’s a massive distrust of the current authority. Of course the sci-fi novels depicting the future are going to be upsetting. No one is happy now, why shouldn’t they expect those patterns to continue in the future? Why wouldn’t the current powers of authority promise us a utopia that’s truthfully worse than when we lived without one, twisting it into a dystopia where free will is a rarity and security either personally or economically is a farce?


It always helps to put the creations of fiction into the historical context at the time they were written, or any art piece really, to better understand why someone might have been inspired to make what they made.

[Siri137]

The long 19th century in France; I didn't know about that. I still believe we can make the world a much , much better place though. We may not be able to achieve utopia, but things can certainly be a lot better than they are now, and so many people are nostalgic for decades past because they know this too.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

By all means, find the hopeful science fiction you crave if you can’t make it yourself. But most popular works of sci-fi now will reflect people’s desire for change from oppressive systems that we currently experience through the metaphor of dystopias. Just something to keep in mind as your browse popular books of that genre.

[WhitneySnow]

People no longer believe in a bright utopian future

[DJB72]

Society has the feeling it's heading more towards a dystopia than the utopia and hopeful destiny of Star Trek.

Right now Americans have to choose between Trump and Biden, with Biden too chicken-shit to include RFK Jr or an actual audience in the debates - presumably because they'd be able to see whose hand is up Biden's ass making him talk. Anything other than the office of President of the USA and both front-geriatrics would be disqualified for applying because of the likelihood of them dying in under 5 years of old age.

In the next 24 months a bizarre number of democratic nations are having elections, and South Africa as well. With public opinion rapidly moving away from the loony fringe on the left that think we're already in utopia - in which case please tread quietly so we don't wake them - and back towards the relative sanity of the political centre that the left want everyone to believe is the far right.

The only question is if movies reflect the world or if the world is reflecting the movies.

[DryGermanGuy]

„Did you know that the first Matrix was designed to be a perfect human world? Where none suffered, where everyone would be happy. It was a disaster. No one would accept the program. Entire crops were lost. Some believed we lacked the programming language to describe your perfect world. But I believe that, as a species, human beings define their reality through suffering and misery.“
- Agent Smith, The Matrix

[Siri137]

No, I disagree. I'd "accept the programming", and I'm sure others would too. In any case, we're not living in an artificial world as some believe, and that movie was very dark and gloomy too, and a perfect example of what I mean.

[exitseven]

yes, there has not been too many good sci fi movies. I thought Passengers was good.

[Siri137]

That was that film with Jennifer Lawrence, wasn't it? Yes, I liked that movie. I hate what he did to her though, but of course it was necessary for that to happen, otherwise there wouldn't have been a story to tell.

[Anonymous]

at least there's no feminism or liberalism in dystopian movies

[Siri137]

Actually... I think you're right.

[handsomelad70]

How 'bout more buxom blondes and Golden Boy handsome older black men in science fiction?

[Siri137]

That might help. :)

[Anonymous]

Don't forget about Viki, skynet, cylons, and the machine city. But that's just fanciful. Surely no AI could be that ambitious, relentless and scalable.

[Siri137]

I don't know about Viki and the machine city, but Skynet and Cylons certainly are fanciful, and thankfully so.

[DryGermanGuy]

Viki was the evil artificial intelligence in I, Robot. An excellent film, while mostly dystopian, but with a more utopian ending.

[AviatorTom]

I'm a Trekkie. In the Star Trek universe, it's not all doom and gloom. Sure, there are both good and evil but good always wins in the end.

[Siri137]

What do you think of STD? I watched the first four episodes of the first season, but gave up on it because I thought it was absolutely dreadful.

[AviatorTom]

Discovery is the worst of all the Star Trek series. It's all about inclusive characters and how Michael Butnham can be a legit female captain and saves the universe, including several completely unrealistic situations.

[AngryCarl]

I haven't been into SF much in the past 30 years, but no. I don't think you can ever have too much doom and gloom in that genre. If you want happy happy joy joy just read Tolkien or whatever.

[_piotr]

Yes! I liked positivity in Star Trek TNG and in original Star Wars.

[DrPepper12]

Yeah. You're right. But I suppose dystopian fiction for dystopian times...

[LiamS95]

I rarely watch SciFi movies.

[Siri137]

You're not missing much.

[LiamS95]

Thanks for the confirmation.

[jahaims]

Doom and gloom is statistically more likely

[Siri137]

It is? Why? I would have thought it would be roughly 50/50.

[jahaims]

Open a history book.

[Siri137]

History never tells the full story though. It's all about kings, and empires, and who did what and became well-known because of it.

[Sonorous]

nope

[BLP11520]

Yes X 10000

[eagle1951]

lol.

[Siri137]

LOL? Okay :)