Science fiction started centuries ago, centuries ago writers got into writing fiction with strange ideas. Their setting and characters were either humans interacting with the technology of their day, or they came into contact with alien lifeforms. In both cases, there was a non-human entity in the story with the human characters using science to achieve their goals. Mary Shelly, George Orwell, HG Wells, Ursula K. Le Guin, Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert A. Heinlein, Philip K. Dick, and Ray Bradbury, among others, created science fiction worlds with human and alien characters. look alike.
Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction, however, it is a story that is affected or impacted by its characters using science and technology. Science fiction writers imagine a world where science and technology impact the social and political fabric of society. It is an alternative vision of the society in which we live that is ruled by technology or the very essence of science and its attributes are integrated into the way of life. For example, the universe in which Star Wars takes place has merged science with the society and time in which the story takes place. Back to the Future is another example. The first part took place in 1985 but the presence of the time machine which is the modified version of the DeLorean by doctor Emmett “Doc” Brown, made the characters Marty McFly and Doc Brown travel in 1955. of the time machine impacted the lives of McFly and Doc Brown and was considered a literary device.
Additionally, science fiction writers use technology to predict an alternate future or setting of their current state, also known as extrapolation. It is an assumption or prediction that writers make about the future based on events that have happened in the past or those that are happening in the present. Jules Verne’s novels are considered one of the earliest examples of writers using extrapolation. Journey to the Center of the Earth chronicles Professor Otto Lidenbrock’s journeys to the center of the Earth to find strange new places. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is another of Verne’s novels where the characters explore the sea in Captain Nemo’s Nautilus, a fictional submarine. The first submarine was built in 1620 and Verne used the same concept and deduced that such a marine vehicle can be used for exploration purposes under the sea.
Science fiction also gave humans a chance to fictionally explore new areas of the universe. Star Trek, for example, took the crew of the USS Enterprise to discover new civilizations. Star Wars, on the other hand, was a conflict between the Empire and the Rebellion. Science and technology were embedded in the story. Weapons such as directed energy weapons, projective weapons, and lightsabers, among others, are used throughout the Star Wars universe.
Science fiction stories are also characterized by the presence of space travel or travel to distant planets. Andy Weir’s The Martian, Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy, and Robert A Heinlein’s The Moon is a Harsh Mistress are a few examples of characters venturing into space or on civilizations across the universe. Colonizing other planets, notably the Moon and Mars, is also a theme of science fiction novels.
Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles, Arthur C Clarke’s Songs of Distant Earth, and Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars Series are some examples of stories of colonization of other planets. Science fiction literature will continue to surprise readers and send them into a fantasy world where an alternate reality reigns.
