Science Fiction Cinema

The next Star Trek film has a title! "Director Justin Lin just blew the lid off of the under-wraps-till-now title of the upcoming third film in the J.J. Abrams-produced Star Trek franchise."  We can look forward to....Star Trek Beyond. 

Meanwhile, I just wrote a new introduction for the book Star Wars on Trial, our hilarious-yet-intellectual dissection of the Jedi Universe (with many side riffs about Trek!)  Ben Bella Books is re-issuing this classic, with new introductory material and a humorously re-tweaked cover, to coincide with J.J. Abrams's release of "The Force Awakens," this fall. If you've never pondered the Philosophical Implications (and crimes!) of George Lucas's epic series, you have another chance.

For two competing science fictional visions of the future: see The Economics of Mad Max and Star Trek, by Tom Streithorst.  Very few sci fi tales portray a future worth living in or being proud of.  I talk elsewhere about why it is so rare.

How accurately are science and technology portrayed in movies and TV shows? Get your hands on a brand new book written by planetary scientist and fellow Hollywood science consultant Kevin Grazier (Battlestar Galactica, Defiance, Falling Skies) and journalist Stephen Cass: Hollyweird Science: From Quantum Quirks to the Multiverse, which takes a compelling look at how advances in cutting edge science have influenced Hollywood -- and how the imaginative visions of fiction have often inspired scientists. (See, for instance the article: Science Inspired Interstellar, and the film returns the favor.)

== Sci Fi Media ==

Two new TV spinoffs from great Sci fi films are in the works:

1) Minority Report (Fox) will be based on the 2002 film by Steven Spielberg. "It follows the unlikely partnership between a man haunted by the future and a cop haunted by her past, as they race to stop the worst crimes of the year 2065 before they happen."  

Perhaps riffing off the success of Jonathan Nolan's show Person of Interest -- which we are enjoying.

2) Limitless, a TV series sequel to the brilliant 2011 movie - (scripted by the even more brilliant Leslie Dixon) - picks up after the events of the film. Edward Mora (Bradley Cooper in a recurring role), now a powerful senator and presidential hopeful, reveals the power of the mysterious drug NZT to Brian Finch (Jake McDorman) — who is then coerced by the FBI into using his newfound cognitive abilities to solve complex cases.

A roundup of TV shows to catch:

Did you watch the series premiere of Humans -- a near future where artificial humans, Synths, serve as household servants and caretakers -- and humans begin to feel increasingly obsolete? Though we preferred some earlier explorations of the topic... for example the human cop and android partner show, Almost Human, as well as Halle Berry's Extant (where she portrays an astronaut raising an android son).

All of which explore vastly better on TV the same themes that were very poorly handled in dreary-pretentious Frankenstein remake films like Ex Machina. I mean, can we at least have some villagers with torches and pitchforks. What a waste of pixels and bits.

And more TV shows: Falling Skies and Under the Dome are also returning for a new season, along with Defiance and The Last Ship. There's the new Mr. Robot, which we haven't yet watched.

An adaptation of James Corey's The Expanse will premiere at the end of the year....as well as Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End. 

Yipe... are we entering some kinda sci fi golden age?

Nope. Not quite yet. Because I got tons of fresher ideas than these! When the phone rings, and people with green lights say "show us some concepts that aren't rehashes, David!"... that is when we'll really get rolling!   

== Darker Visions ==

Aw heck, while we're on the subject... George Martin has been slagged – and the directors of the Game of Thrones series – for depicting sexual violence against women.  George answers well in this interview.  But he does not drive home the point.  Which is: if you don’t like that kind of stuff, don’t romanticize the creepy-awful-horrid feudal way of life that trapped our ancestors – and especially women – for most of the last 10,000 years! (See my essay: Pining for Feudalism as an Antidote for Modernity.)

While the story and dramatization of The Game of Thrones are vividly captivating, they should also cure anyone of actually wanting anything like feudalism to even begin to rear its head outside of fantasy flicks, ever again.  And yet, I run into romantics who claim they would like to live in such a world… or that of Tolkien, or Frank Herbert’s Dune… oy!  

Dig it fools. Herbert and Martin wrote these nasty worlds so that millions will be girded to oppose any sign (and there are signs today) of a return to such monstrously unfair societies!

You activists who decry vividly cringeworthy depictions of behaviors that were common in the past … you are not true paladins of progress.  You should be praising this art form. 

“Look at what used to be normal in other civilizations!” you should cry. “This is the kind of thing we must make, and we are now making, extinct. Now fight to make this never reappear outside of fiction.”

No, the kind of "fantasy" tales that you should be opposing, denouncing and disdaining are those that gild and bowdlerize and burnish the image of feudalism, romanticizing it and suckering readers/viewers into yearning for that beastly way of life.  Now that is evil.

See?

Here’s a short interview with Frank Herbert about David Lynch's movie version of Dune. He knew Lynch was not going to deliver Star Wars. Great stuff… but remember this was way back in 1982. Note also, a complete lack of hostility by Frank toward Lynch, whose film version I think has been “lynched” by a mob mentality. In fact, I agree with Frank that it was pretty good at capturing as much of the book’s essence as can be crammed into a couple of hours. 

Worthy of support

Trenchant and observant and bitingly on-target cartoonist Tom Tomorrow currently has a kickstarter campaign going for his book 25 Years of Tomorrow.

Back to the Future trilogy is headed back to the big screen on Oct. 21 for a one-night event -- the exact date that Marty McFly, Fox’s time-hopping teenager, landed in Back to the Future Part II. The world isn’t exactly like the film predicted — Jaws 19 won’t be playing and the theater won’t be called a Holomax — but the future is always like that. Let’s all just work harder to make a cool one!

And finally... 

Okay, more remakes. Did anyone see the new Terminator movie: Genisys?  Was it any good? Maybe Arnold should stick to politics (I'd love to see him on stage in the Republican debates, kicking the hypocrites' butts.) Anyway, here's a guide to every Terminator, from T-1 to T-3000. Read io9 on Why Genisys had to destroy the Terminator in order to save it, which leads to a list of Terminator features "that no longer happened."

We are so gonna have to remake English with several new tenses.

A sequel to Blade Runner? Wired asked 7 Sci Fi authors what they'd like to see in Blade Runner 2.

Plus there's a new Alien movie in the works... I want Ripley to "wake up" and that horrid wretched Aliens 3 was just the nightmare she had on the trip home. She gets home safe with Newt. Only then word arrives....

Oh and now... the Independence Day sequel will be officially named “Independence Day Resurgence”. 

Hey. go for it. Only amid all the rehashes (some good, some awful) just remember this. 

People will eventually want something new.