Think science fiction and the cliches immediately spring to mind. Geeks boldly going to all-night Star Trek marathon quoting stellar lines such as ‘Beam me up Scotty’. Or perhaps the first thought is something a bit more cerebral – the director’s cut of Blade Runner – widely regarded as the best Sci Fi movie ever.
You may love or loathe the genre, and the stereotypes can be hard to shake, but there is no shortage of die-hard aficionados who will be lapping up every minute of Sci-Fi London4, the 4th London International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film. And it’s all happening right now, through to the weekend.
What is it about Sci Fi that generates such passion? That infallible 21st century research tool – (a Google search) – reveals countless numbers of forums devoted to the genre. And it’s not just general chit chat either. There are forums that specialise in film; in books; in conventions and events; in Sci-Fi gaming; in art and forums for aspiring writers. Not to mention forums devoted to particular writers, or books, or films. And online Sci Fi bookstores. As for websites, well, it seems that even Google has lost count.
Definitions of Sci Fi vary, and although current or projected scientific technological developments are important, a critical factor appears to be how human beings behave when put to the test. As in any good story telling, we should learn something about ourselves from the experience of reading or viewing.
The late John Brunner, immortalised for coining the term ‘worm’ for malicious software in his 1975 novel The Shockwave Rider, said: ‘At its best, Sci Fi is the medium in which our miserable certainty that tomorrow will be different from today in ways we can’t predict, can be transmuted to a sense of excitement and anticipation, occasionally evolving into awe. Poised between intransigent scepticism and uncritical credulity, it is par excellence the literature of the open mind.’ We could do worse for a working definition.
Nor, as you might think, is it a genre just for the boys. Feminist SF is a sub-genre all its own. The well-organised Feminist Science Fiction, Fantasy and Utopia site tells us that Margaret Cavendish’s utopian The Blazing World (1668) is where it all begins. And Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818), as we all know, has become a classic and is often cited as the first science fiction novel.
Women may still be outnumbered by the boys at the fandom end of Sci Fi but in academia there appear to be almost as many women as men who have made it their area of special interest.
Clearly, when Sci Fi finds itself the subject of serious debate in English and popular culture courses at many universities, it could be time to take off the blinkers and look at the phenomenon more closely. Michelle Reid is one of a growing number of women academics who use the ‘what ifs’ of Sci Fi to challenge norms and imagine changes to the status quo in the future.
‘Women writers, readers, and critics have all been drawn to science fiction’s potential for challenging ‘normal’ or ‘natural’ gender roles’, Michelle says.
‘The idea of the ‘Other’ has always been present in Sci Fi in the form of the iconic alien or monster. These monstrous bodies are now being recognised as valuable critical tools for exploring attitudes to gender and difference as opposed to simply exotic or fear-inducing aliens in Sci Fi adventure stories’.
Michelle’s doctoral thesis examines how writers are using science fiction’s potential for exploring otherness and difference to destabilise ideas of race and nationality.
As Michelle says, this might sound abstract and academic, but it’s not really. Science fiction has always been about strangeness, weirdness and alternative worlds. ‘It is about shaking up people’s view of normality and stretching perspectives out into the universe. It’s not about predicting ‘the future’ but it is about many different futures and the possibility of change,’ she adds.
Michelle attributes the rise in interest in the academic study of Sci Fi as coinciding with a general interest in feminist criticism, starting in the 1970s.
Sydney-based writer Justine Larbalestier’s PhD thesis has achieved publishing and critical success in a remarkably short time. The Battle of the Sexes in Science Fiction (2002) has been nominated for a number of awards and is already being widely cited as a landmark volume in feminist SF.
Immersed for more than four years in a bequest collection of magazines, fanzines and critical works – what she calls a ‘science fiction scholar’s dream’ – Larbalestier has written a witty and engaging examination of feminism in Sci Fi across almost 40 years, starting with the first issue of Amazing Stories in 1926.
Of her own admission an Sci Fi novice without a clear focus when she began her research, Larbalestier quickly found herself intrigued by the genre. Given open access to the uncatalogued works, it was not long before she became, in her own words, addicted to the letters pages and editorials rather than the stories themselves.
A realisation that Sci Fi is a literature of ideas led to the focus for her thesis. Joanna Russ, an earlier researcher, had analysed the kinds of stories where women battle men and take over the world; of male utopias of worlds without women; and stories of the last man and women standing whose mission it becomes to lead the world back to a ‘better place’. Larbalestier was suddenly off and racing.
The result is an examination of SF’s engagement with gender and gender roles, and sex and sexuality. And, again overturning stereotypes of academia, a highly readable text it is too.
Larbalestier reminds us that prolific author James Tiptree Jr. was in fact – a woman. Admired for ‘his’ ability to delineate women characters and explore women’s issues, ‘Tiptree’ managed to fool the likes of Robert Silverberg with her masculine approach to the genre. Born Alice Bradley Sheldon (1915-1987), her/his nom de plume lives on in the James Tiptree Jr Awards, an annual literary prize for science fiction or fantasy that expands or explores understandings of gender. In a male dominated genre, Tiptree/Sheldon broke down preconceptions of male and female writing.
For those wanting to pursue the subject, the academic courses are out there. Reading University, where Michelle Reid now teaches, has offered a specialised MA in the past through the Departments of English and History, but unfortunately staffing changes have seen it disappear. However, students can pursue their interest though other degrees under the guidance of specialists such as Michelle.
The University of Liverpool, however, offers an MA in Science Fiction Studies which aims to introduce students to the critical and theoretical issues raised by the genre, such as its limitations; its engagement with political ideology; its exploration of gender categories and its speculations on the nature of time. The SF courses at the University of Glamorgan are run by the School of Applied Sciences and encourage students to consider the potential of imaginative scientific thought.
Meanwhile for the fans lining up at London’s Curzon Soho and Odeon Panton Street cinemas over the next few days, it’s all about the film. From the cheesy to the spectacular, the programme that runs through to 6 February seems to be offering something for every known species of fan. Shorts, anime, world and UK premieres – it will be a packed few days. There are even free screenings at some sessions – the website has all the details.
Directors and producers have begun flying in to the capital to support their movies and preside at Q & A sessions. Big news is the world premiere of Slipstream – starring Lord of the Rings star Sam Astin and Ivana Milicevic (Paycheck). Tickets are selling fast for this romp that is based on the premise of a time machine that works for just 10 minutes. It took less than 48 hours for the first screening of Steamboy, Katsuhiro Otomo’s latest, to be a sellout – so organisers have obligingly arranged a second screening.
There are no-less than three all-nighters (Saturday into Sunday) happening at the Curzon. Take your pick. Arrive at midnight and stagger out sometime on Sunday morning. There is a Shaw Brothers tribute night where the Hong Kong studio famous for its martial arts movies is shown to be much more versatile. A DVD restoration project of the studio’s 800 or so productions is revealing the expected brilliance but also humour. Super Inframan (1975); Oily Maniac (1975); Mighty Peking Man (1977) and Monkey goes West (1966) are on the menu for that session.
For Anime fans, the Anime allnighter will be the go. Lady Death (USA,2004); Parasite Dolls (Japan, 2004); Sky Blue aka Wonderful Days (Korea, 2003) and Rahxephon the Movie (Japan, 2003) will pull in the animation fans who can also leave their mark on the manga wall.
Finally, there are always those for whom too much Matrix is never enough – they’ll be at the Matrix all-nighter and you don’t need me to run through the lineup. Four Matrix movies. ‘Nuff said.
It can’t be said that Sci Fi buffs can’t laugh at themselves. The premise of some of these movies is patently absurd, but up rock the fans, sometimes dressed for the part, all set to have a good time. The inner-geek rules.
For the first time in its four-year history, the festival is screening some (wait for it) Star Trek and Star Wars. Trekkies have been a sub-group all their own, so it will be interesting to see if the character of the festival changes with the organisers’ decision to nod to the big gun titles.
Mind you, it’s Trekkies and Wars with a twist. The UK premiere of Trekkies II offers an insightful and funny sequel to an earlier documentary about Trek fandom. And there is a world premiere of documentary Auto Destruct about a William Shatner-obsessed fan. Hmmm. Can’t see the real Trekkies warming to those two titles. But they might turn up to the free screening of Star Trek : First Contact (but it’s only free if accompanied by an under-16 year old. It is rated 12 after all).
As for Star Wars, well, once again, no, not really. Saving Star Wars will be introduced by Darth Vader himself (David Prowse) and director, Gary Wood. LSF4 organisers describe this low budget number as the funniest movie they have seen since Galaxy Quest.
If Brunner is right and Sci Fi is all about the opening of minds, this Festival is not a bad place to make a start. And if you really can’t make it to London, some of the movies will be touring to Edinburgh, Liverpool, York and Exeter when the dust settles.
As author Dick Allen once said (and this was before the women had been given their due, otherwise he would surely have said ‘humankind’ rather than ‘man’, but we’ll forgive him):
‘Is it any wonder that a new generation has rediscovered science fiction, rediscovered a form of literature that argues through its intuitive force that the individual can shape and change and influence and triumph; that man can eliminate both war and poverty; that miracles are possible; that love, if given a chance, can become the main driving force of human relationships?’.
Beam us to London, Scotty.
Sci-Fi London4 : 4th London International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film
2-6 February
On tour:
Edinburgh: 18-20 February
Liverpool: 25-27 February
York: 4-6 March
Exeter: 11-13 March
