3 ms·

When I look at science fiction of the 60's, 80's/90's and 00's, I can usually identify three loose categories. First you have the "techo-utopianism", as mentio

When I look at science fiction of the 60's, 80's/90's and 00's, I can usually identify three loose categories. First you have the "techo-utopianism", as mentioned by the author. The structure of society is fundamentally different, a utopia that removes all traces of internal politics and war. The technology is dreams at best compared to anything they had in the day. Humans, and possibly earth, are the only real links back to the present day. Or you might have the alien race, often paralleling the future humans of other stories. In the 80's and 90's you get a lot more cyberpunk. The utopia themes have disappeared, leaving more of a more realistic world of corporate greed and capitalism; often a dystopia instead of a utopia. Technology is usually more 'personal', effecting the everyday life of people. The story itself is often more personal, related to a person, and their experience of the world. People are much more 'human' then before. In other forms of science fiction, the aliens might be more human in their actions and technology. The science fiction of late is more personal again. Technology is no longer the driving point of the story, but it is the interactions between people themselves that makes the story. In fact, the technology itself often has no form of scientific theory behind it. It's also much closer to reality, technology of the current day stretched to its limits by designers. If aliens are involved, they are usually used as the token bad guy, or simply another background plot piece like the technology; the stories are rarely about the aliens themselves. So, I guess the answer to "How do we see future people" is "ourselves", for the most part. I must admit I'm not that versed in science fiction though, but this is what I have seen though my experiences.

lbotos 14y ago
I think it can be summed up as: In the past we didn't know technology, but we knew people. In the Present we don't know people, we know technology. I leave you with this example from shit_hn_says: https://twitter.com/shit_hn_says/status/236755578901393408 https://twitter.com/shit_hn_says/status/236755578901393408
ericcholis 14y ago
I'd agree with the "How do we see future people" is "ourselves" statement. Look at the popular SciFi shows of the last few years. Namely Firefly and Battlestar Galactica. Both presented a future that was lived in, almost dirty. The content was about the characters and how they lived, not the shiny buttons they got to push. This, I think, mirrors our own expectations of the future. We have more immediate access to amazing technology every day. We also realistically manage our expectations of future technology, making it harder to present the "future" with insanely advanced tech. The creative content that does show "future" tech usually uses it as a MacGuffin. Namely, Terra Nova, Stargate, even Quantum Leap.
- keeperofdakeys 14y ago
  There are early examples, of course, like Philip K Dick. His books had a very strong focus on the experiences of the protagonist, and society itself. It's probably part of the reason over ten of his stories have been turned into films (even if some were just short stories).
- bane 14y ago
  "Look at the popular SciFi shows of the last few years. Namely Firefly and Battlestar Galactica. Both presented a future that was lived in, almost dirty." Good point. One reason the first three Star Wars movies were so popular is that the places they showed looked "real". They looked reasonably lived in, solid places with actual inhabitants. The Falcon looked like my parents used station wagon. It can go wrong, the Aliens movies always end up in a future that's positively filthy. Blade Runner, I think, sits just on the fithy side of the line. But future LA feels like a real "place". My personal favorite vision of the future is the one presented in the Fifth Element loosely based on Valérian and Laureline. It's lived in, bustling, stylish (at various levels of fashion), shiny and bright where it counts, unfashionable where it should be and just dirty enough in the places that should be dirty. Small details, like the dirt Leeloo picks up when escaping the lab, add to this feeling of solidity. Popular culture is magnified to stand out amongst the crushing masses, and it seems like a place with endless nooks and crannies to explore. It's not utopian, but it's not dystopian. It feels like what the future would be like if it were the present...and somebody made a modern day adventure movie. It has an amazing tone. It's amazing to me that more works haven't been created in that universe.
bane 14y ago
This is a great observation and something I haven't really seen put this way. It immediate reminded me of this graph http://broadstuff.com/uploads/HypeCurve2008.JPG http://broadstuff.com/uploads/HypeCurve2008.JPG I suspect it has something to do with the tremendous technological advances made post WWII. With "techology" being the curve. Or perhaps some more abstract thing on the curve.

lbotos 14y ago

I think it can be summed up as: In the past we didn't know technology, but we knew people. In the Present we don't know people, we know technology. I leave you with this example from shit_hn_says: https://twitter.com/shit_hn_says/status/236755578901393408 https://twitter.com/shit_hn_says/status/236755578901393408

ericcholis 14y ago

I'd agree with the "How do we see future people" is "ourselves" statement. Look at the popular SciFi shows of the last few years. Namely Firefly and Battlestar Galactica. Both presented a future that was lived in, almost dirty. The content was about the characters and how they lived, not the shiny buttons they got to push. This, I think, mirrors our own expectations of the future. We have more immediate access to amazing technology every day. We also realistically manage our expectations of future technology, making it harder to present the "future" with insanely advanced tech. The creative content that does show "future" tech usually uses it as a MacGuffin. Namely, Terra Nova, Stargate, even Quantum Leap.

keeperofdakeys 14y ago
There are early examples, of course, like Philip K Dick. His books had a very strong focus on the experiences of the protagonist, and society itself. It's probably part of the reason over ten of his stories have been turned into films (even if some were just short stories).
bane 14y ago
"Look at the popular SciFi shows of the last few years. Namely Firefly and Battlestar Galactica. Both presented a future that was lived in, almost dirty." Good point. One reason the first three Star Wars movies were so popular is that the places they showed looked "real". They looked reasonably lived in, solid places with actual inhabitants. The Falcon looked like my parents used station wagon. It can go wrong, the Aliens movies always end up in a future that's positively filthy. Blade Runner, I think, sits just on the fithy side of the line. But future LA feels like a real "place". My personal favorite vision of the future is the one presented in the Fifth Element loosely based on Valérian and Laureline. It's lived in, bustling, stylish (at various levels of fashion), shiny and bright where it counts, unfashionable where it should be and just dirty enough in the places that should be dirty. Small details, like the dirt Leeloo picks up when escaping the lab, add to this feeling of solidity. Popular culture is magnified to stand out amongst the crushing masses, and it seems like a place with endless nooks and crannies to explore. It's not utopian, but it's not dystopian. It feels like what the future would be like if it were the present...and somebody made a modern day adventure movie. It has an amazing tone. It's amazing to me that more works haven't been created in that universe.

bane 14y ago

This is a great observation and something I haven't really seen put this way. It immediate reminded me of this graph http://broadstuff.com/uploads/HypeCurve2008.JPG http://broadstuff.com/uploads/HypeCurve2008.JPG I suspect it has something to do with the tremendous technological advances made post WWII. With "techology" being the curve. Or perhaps some more abstract thing on the curve.