It would seem (to me) that the golden days of Science Fiction are long gone and have been replaced by absurd things like Botox Cheshire ads…

We may have oodles of CGIs in the movies and TV programmes of today, but the actual stories just don’t seem to be very good a lot of the time. Of course, there are always a few exceptions; ‘Solaris’, ‘Sunshine’ and ’28 Days Later’ were all brilliant stories, but most modern Sci-Fi is a bit lacklustre…

Think back to some of the Science Fiction TV of days gone by; ‘Star Trek’ (the original series), ‘The Invaders’, ‘Blake’s 7’ and ‘Sapphire and Steel’. These may not have had top-notch special effects, but it didn’t matter because the stories were so very clever. Good Sci-Fi should be thought-provoking and rich in imagination.

Going back even further, you would have programmes on television like ‘Quatermass’ (with Andre Morrell) and the early Dr Who. These may have looked decidedly creaky in the visual effects department, but boy, were they good stories! There was far more importance placed on science and writers would use facts alongside fiction. The possibilities of the unknown make riveting storylines in a Sci-Fi show, but writers have sadly moved further away from this.

The secret of good Science Fiction is held within its name; it must contain elements of Science and Fiction. The pioneers of Sci-Fi understood the importance of this formula and would always use it in their work. John Wyndham, Richard Matherson and H.G.Wells are all very good examples.

A Note to All Sci-Fi Writers-

Please don’t let the Science Fiction genre lose its sense of wonder. Forget the CGIs, the hipness of characters and the sex appeal of stories; if you start off on the right track, then all of these elements will naturally fall into place (remember the awesome ‘Blade Runner’?). Let’s go back to basics and deal with the fundamentals at the heart of the genre.