Writers, Aliens, and the Future!

[TheeGoatPig]

What will writers do when the present is more like the future of science fiction novels, we have already met and coexist with aliens on other worlds, and they aren't a War of the Worlds type threat anymore? When things are more like Star Trek or Star Wars instead of Independence Day or Skyline. What will the movie makers do then?

 

[TxRad]

Holodecks will replace movies with historically accurate remakes of old movies and historical events.

 

[sr71plt]

The future is never what it was depicted to be in the past. I've kept a couple of "this is the future" articles from Scientific American from the fifties. According to that, a couple of decades ago our cars would be both airborne and configured to ride on the rails and the need for gasoline had evaporated. (Just to name one of their predictions). They missed the communication age of computers and the Internet altogether.

I've recently been hit with this issue head on. Nearly twenty years ago, I wrote a novel series that projected from that time period forward twenty-five years. I now have a publisher for that series, but I have to massively rewrite the later novels that projected into what is now the present--making assumptions that didn't work out. (Interestingly enough, it was mostly the technological assumptions that didn't work out--most of the political assumptions, including an assassination of a leader by an unusual source were spot on).

There will probably always be an unknown future to write about from any point--at least under the great creator makes herself known and tells us we are all part of a parlor game.

 

[Liar]

What will writers do when the present is more like the future of science fiction novels, we have already met and coexist with aliens on other worlds, and they aren't a War of the Worlds type threat anymore? When things are more like Star Trek or Star Wars instead of Independence Day or Skyline. What will the movie makers do then?

There's a whole subset of sci fi by authors that seemingly got bored with the aliens and the space travel stuff and looks far beyond that already. Some truly trippy stuff on technological singularity, living equations, multi dimensional engineering, human transcendence... and other things best enjoyed while high on shrooms.

I read stacks of them as a teen, can't remember any specific titles right now, but they all had that in common that they would make shitty movies. They are not meant to visualize, being as much conceptual philosophy as fringe tech porn. And only the latter would mean Will Smith gets to punch an alien.

I'll see if I can dig some titles and authors out of my memory for you...

 

[CharleyH]

There's a whole subset of sci fi by authors that seemingly got bored with the aliens and the space travel stuff and looks far beyond that already. Some truly trippy stuff on technological singularity, living equations, multi dimensional engineering, human transcendence... and other things best enjoyed while high on shrooms.

I read stacks of them as a teen, can't remember any specific titles right now, but they all had that in common that they would make shitty movies. They are not meant to visualize, being as much conceptual philosophy as fringe tech porn. And only the latter would mean Will Smith gets to punch an alien.

I'll see if I can dig some titles and authors out of my memory for you...

God, I love Sci-fi, even crappy sci-fi.

 

[talismania]

God, I love Sci-fi, even crappy sci-fi.

Sadly, I like the crappy stuff more than some of the good stuff! I grew up loving space opera, alas.

And for what it's worth, I don't want to meet aliens. Seriously. Much safer to invent my own and have fun with the possibilities than to actually meet them. There's no guarantee they would even like us. I don't like us much of the time.

 

[Liar]

God, I love Sci-fi, even crappy sci-fi.

Most of the sci-fi with the really trippy ideas in them that I read were quite crappy writing. As imaginative concepts, really cool. As novels... meh. Pulp writing as far as prose craft goes.

 

[Verdad]

I subscribed to Asimov’s for years (began lagging in the last year or two), and it was not just the ideas but also an astoundingly high quality of writing, on par with any prestigious literary magazine. It always surprises me people still think of sci-fi as pulpy space opera.

 

[Liar]

I'll see if I can dig some titles and authors out of my memory for you...

All right, here are some autors and books that have gone deep down the rabbit hole in their attempts to describe the future.

Charles Stross ('Singularity Sky' is one of the wierder things I've read), Peter Nilsson ('Nyaga' is kind of brilliant - although I don't think his books were ever translated into English), Jack McDevitt, Poul Andersson.... some books by Arthur C Clarke, Greg Bear and Clifford Simak also take on concepts way beyond your garden variety flying saucer.

The genre is sometimes called 'Hard Science Fiction' but that also include lots of less imaginative stuff.

 

[glynndah]

I once read a science fiction story written in the mid 1950's where the hero used a slide rule to plot his rocket's trajectory between planets.

 

[Tyro999]

You are mixing terms/concepts/media there, Thee. Sci-Fi (aka BEM for bug-eyed monster) movies/TV have, at their best only a distantly nodding acquaintance, and at their worst no acquaintance at all, with written SF however you define the initials - science fiction, science fantasy, speculative fiction.

Perhaps moreso than any other fiction form, SF relies to a great extent on two themes - What if? and If this goes on .... 200, 300, 400 years from now, no matter what the state of then contemporary science and extraterrestrial contact with aliens (unless the latter have destroyed the terrestrials and rendered their science moot), SF writers will still be writing stories based on What if? and If this goes on..., extrapolating and speculating merrily away as is their wont.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Clifford Simak is one of my icons. The Great Pastoralist of SF, he rarely bothered with the technology but concentrated on the story. A Choice of Gods and Project Pope are just wonderful. I read them again and again.

 

[amicus]

A wonderful discussion!

Not to throw a wet blanket over the embers of science fiction, but my personal perception of the field has changed as science has both expanded and limited the scope of 'hard' science fiction.

The enormous distances between entites in space if the physics of light speed as an absolute constant in the Universe remains as it is, basically ends the dreams of space travel to even the next Star system. There ain't no Warp Drive just around the corner.

Secondly is radiation, solar and cosmic, a lethal barrier to extended time in space, although I recently read some ideas about shielding humans with 'plasma bubbles', although the mechanics of that seem daunting.

Third is the effect on humans of the lack of gravity. Aside from spinning the entire vehicle or living quarters for space travellers, unless somewhat comes up with a technology to create artificial gravity, the human body simply cannot survive zero gravity and even on Mars or the Moon, the gravity is not sufficient to enable man to survive for long periods of time.

I dabbled with a story of telepathy and I thoroughly enjoyed Anne McCaffrey's explorations into telekinesis, but the 'real' science to support either simply doesn't exist.

Just yesterday I heard a press release from a supposedly respected source, floating the idea of a 'one way trip' to Mars using people over 60, as the radiation would sterilize younger individuals. In an interview aired just today, they are seriously considering the plan by first transporting supplies and living quarters before the first old man arrives....chuckles....I need to search for the source...I had intended to if I decided to do a Post on it...but perhaps someone else on this thread has already or will be tempted.

A final thought concerning other sentient life forms in the Universe...mankind has been listening for a half a century attempting to detect radio signals and has failed to turn up a single event. SETI enthusiasts will certainly debate the issue, but according to a formula supposedly forecasting the numerical probabilities of other life in the Universe, there should be, in Saganese, 'billions and billions' of extra-terrestrial life forms at all levels of development.

Amicus...

 

[TE999]

For sheer reading pleasure, you can't beat the Sci-Fi/ Fantasy that was written for the pulps up through the early 70's. It's space opera plain and simple. A lot of the SF today leaves me cold. It's too damn theoretical and angst ridden. Gimme a spaceship, a ray gun and some aliens and I'm happy. In fact, I write a lot of that stuff myself.

 

[TheeGoatPig]

You are mixing terms/concepts/media there, Thee.

I don't need to make sense when babbling my ponderings out loud.

 

[Liar]

Clifford Simak is one of my icons. The Great Pastoralist of SF, he rarely bothered with the technology but concentrated on the story. A Choice of Gods and Project Pope are just wonderful. I read them again and again.

City was the first thing I read of his, and it's still on my top list of best books read. It's good writing because he doesn't feel the need to explain the science, he dives in and by treating it with ease, makes the reader assume all the mind boggling things make sense.