Being a Sci-Fi nut, I thought I'd write a post about what I think are the big steps forward in Sci Fi. Totally my own opinion all this so feel free to argue!
1. Jules Verne
was a French fellow who wrote about all sorts of fantastical things. Submarines, space flight, journeying to the centre of the earth and terraforming. I think he really kicked things off.
2. HG Wells
was another Science fiction writer who came after Verne. He wrote about time travel, space flight, atomic war and the evolution of the human race. All pretty standard stuff.
3. Fritz Lang's Metropolis
is about a mad scientist who makes a robot woman who then leads the working classes to revolution in a near future setting. I think the impact of this film is difficult to understand now but then it was a shocking thought - that machines could be just like people.
4. Amazing Stories
For years between Lang's Metropolis and the next epoch, it was the turn of the magazines to keep the stories coming. was one such magazine. Featuring well known writers (Verne, Wells, Poe), they were packed with what we would call Science Fiction.
5. Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke
I'd like to pick out Asimov and Clarke as examples of a swathe of writers who tried to attach Science Fiction back into its Science roots. They gave reasonable explanations for things and I think that was an important thing to do.
6. Star Wars
Love it or hate it, Star Wars brought Sci Fi to the masses. I won't say much about it here because you know what I'm talking about.
7. Star Trek
A good example of an Evolving galaxy that moved with the times to suit the social outlook of the day. Kirk would fight with the villains because strength was important. Later, Picard would be more about negotiation. It's important to show that Sci Fi has the ability to have great continuity over the years - something that other genres rarely manage.
8. Modern Film
Sci fi is rooted deeply in film now. Although series do get reasonable ratings, it is film that is shown to be long lasting. Modern films worth mentioning for their hard Sci Fi content are Blade Runner (showing off Gibson-infused Cyberpunk), A.I., The Matrix and Serenity.
As for Roleplaying, there are a few landmark games out there to be mentioned.
was the original Space RPG. Blithering about between the stars, alien races and all good Sci Fi elements.
was the Gibson inspired game of megacorporations, bionics and street cool.
does exactly what it says on the tin. It's Star Wars. It's d20.
covers most Sci Fi topics quite well.
is a brave-new-world/1984 game set in a humourous future with robots, cloning and lots of deaths.
a mix of Cyberpunk and Fantasy. Magic, guns and the like.
you might argue is a multigenre RPG but it is set in post-apocalyptic world and certainly has some elements of Sci Fi.
a cyberpunk/1984 type game where the players are operatives for a massive corporation.
roleplaying in the aftermath of WW3. A semi-realistic game of survival.
Any more that really belong on a list of landmark games or Sci Fi media? Please do post and I'll update this one. If you have a suggestion, please give an argument why it should be included here.