Of course not. Cyberpunk and tech noir usually isn’t just about the future, it’s arguably about now. More generally, science fiction is often used as a ‘safe’ way to criticise existing society or say what can’t otherwise be said.
Prime example: Tarkovski’s science fiction films (Stalker, Solaris, …), which smuggled very religious themes past the soviet censor, because ‘it’s only science fiction’.
Make a movie glorifying terrorism? Likely jail sentence and on a list. Make a movie glorifying a terrorist that blows up parliament in a dystopian future? Cult classic.
Make a movie which compares American nationalism to the nazis? You’ll never work in Hollywood again. Make it about humans fighting space aliens? Would you like to know more?
Make a movie about how capitalists indoctrinate us all via advertising? You filthy communist! Make a movie about how aliens indoctrinate us all via advertising? They Live, John Carpenter, cult classic.
Make a movie about transitioning? No thanks. Make a movie about freeing yourself from the Matrix with the help of a red pill which looks a lot like the hormone pills the directors used to transition? Become a millionaire.
Make a tv episode where one of the main cast has a sexual relationship with a trans character, who is later forced to undergo gender reaffirming therapy in 1992? Impossible. Make it about Riker having a relationship with an alien who’s not androgynous because her race finds gender weird? Prime time tv.
Make a tv programme about the guilt of a Nazi who worked in a camp while the Jews were being exterminated? No way that’s happening. Make a tv programme about the guilt of a space alien who worked in a camp while other space aliens were being exterminated? That particular Star Trek episode was broadcast in prime time, to wide acclaim.
For this reason, and on a related note, anyone who complains about a science fiction show or movie being ‘too political’ is more often than not a moron and/or disingenious.
Of course not. Cyberpunk and tech noir usually isn’t just about the future, it’s arguably about now. More generally, science fiction is often used as a ‘safe’ way to criticise existing society or say what can’t otherwise be said.
Prime example: Tarkovski’s science fiction films (Stalker, Solaris, …), which smuggled very religious themes past the soviet censor, because ‘it’s only science fiction’.
Make a movie glorifying terrorism? Likely jail sentence and on a list. Make a movie glorifying a terrorist that blows up parliament in a dystopian future? Cult classic.
Make a movie which compares American nationalism to the nazis? You’ll never work in Hollywood again. Make it about humans fighting space aliens? Would you like to know more?
Make a movie about how capitalists indoctrinate us all via advertising? You filthy communist! Make a movie about how aliens indoctrinate us all via advertising? They Live, John Carpenter, cult classic.
Make a movie about transitioning? No thanks. Make a movie about freeing yourself from the Matrix with the help of a red pill which looks a lot like the hormone pills the directors used to transition? Become a millionaire.
Make a tv episode where one of the main cast has a sexual relationship with a trans character, who is later forced to undergo gender reaffirming therapy in 1992? Impossible. Make it about Riker having a relationship with an alien who’s not androgynous because her race finds gender weird? Prime time tv.
Make a tv programme about the guilt of a Nazi who worked in a camp while the Jews were being exterminated? No way that’s happening. Make a tv programme about the guilt of a space alien who worked in a camp while other space aliens were being exterminated? That particular Star Trek episode was broadcast in prime time, to wide acclaim.
For this reason, and on a related note, anyone who complains about a science fiction show or movie being ‘too political’ is more often than not a moron and/or disingenious.
Scifi has always been about sociological commentary.
This is a very well written take. Have my upvote.
The Matrix comment there gave me a moment of sudden clarity. Literally never considered that interpretation until now.