Bucking sci-fi trends

Bug-Eyed Earl · Post by **Bug-Eyed Earl** » 2002-12-27 12:35am

What is one scene in a movie you would like to see along the lines of the "Intelligent guard" scene from Titan A.E. that pokes fun at or reverses cliches from all areas of sci-fi?

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2002-12-27 12:41am

The scene where a mighty and powerful organic tech ship slightly splatters against the window of a heavy metal starship.

And I love the whole of the movie Galaxy Quest. It takes potshots at damn near every trek and trek-wannabe cliche.

Brother-Captain Gaius · Post by **Brother-Captain Gaius** » 2002-12-27 12:43am

A Star Trek movie in which the Enterprise is NOT hit in a such a fashion that all the extras on the bridge die and the main cast remains unscathed.

Or a Star Trek movie in which they "win" using a non-Treknobabble solution, i.e., "Sir, if we re-modulate the secondary phasor recyclers to accomodate an increased fusion flux-" "Lieutenant, shut up. How about we just shoot them?"

Or any sci-fi movie in which the good guys do not win. They'd be new, if a little depressing.

And, the biggest thing I'd like to see:

A sci-fi/horror movie (a la Aliens or Event Horizon) in which the Cool Black Guy (tm) does NOT die, the Gay White Boy (tm) DOES die, and they don't split up or drop their weapons upon encountering the scary, evil monster.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2002-12-27 12:44am

I'd like to see a mob of high-tech foot soldiers with their fancy energy weapons charging bravely toward an enemy installation ... only to get blown to bits by primitive artillery.

Connor MacLeod · Post by **Connor MacLeod** » 2002-12-27 12:56am

Darth Wong wrote:I'd like to see a mob of high-tech foot soldiers with their fancy energy weapons charging bravely toward an enemy installation ... only to get blown to bits by primitive artillery.

Maybe with soem sort of neat force field shielding that punches a hole through the soldier's chest due to momentum?

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2002-12-27 01:01am

That reminds me ... I'd like to see a futuristic soldier with a Dune-type personal force field brag that conservation of momentum doesn't apply to him ... and then get hit by a train.

Morning Star · Post by **Morning Star** » 2002-12-27 01:02am

Stormbringer wrote:And I love the whole of the movie Galaxy Quest. It takes potshots at damn near every trek and trek-wannabe cliche.

Yeah, too funny: http://www.atlyrics.com/quotes/g/galaxyquest.html

Plus I'd like everyone; even those who are to be killed, to at least have a first name. Makes it harder to realise who's cannon fodder.

Connor MacLeod · Post by **Connor MacLeod** » 2002-12-27 01:04am

Darth Wong wrote:That reminds me ... I'd like to see a futuristic soldier with a Dune-type personal force field brag that conservation of momentum doesn't apply to him ... and then get hit by a train.

Hmm. Good point. Although a slow moving boulder might do it just as well

Actually now that you think about it, i think the best way to deal with Dune is to drop a big Acme Anvil on it. Have Marvin the Martian drop it on Arrakis

Can you imagine mass-driver bombardment of those shielded worlds?

white_rabbit · Post by **white_rabbit** » 2002-12-27 01:26am

The down-trodden low-tech subject race/slaves rising up against their tormentors...

and getting crushed brutallly, and re-enslaved.

decent space combat.

LordChaos · Post by **LordChaos** » 2002-12-27 01:28am

The invincilbe super weapon that actualy is.

The villian just shooting the hero when captured.

The hero showing up a minute too late.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2002-12-27 01:43am

A boardroom meeting in Star Trek where they think up a brilliant new idea and give the engineer two hours to implement it, and he screams "WHAT KIND OF FUCKING MORON TRIES TO JURY-RIG A PERFECTLY FUNCTIONAL SHIP WITH SOME GODDAMNED UNTESTED IDEA IN A CRISIS, AND HOW FUCKING LONG DO YOU IDIOTS THINK IT TAKES TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT MODIFICATIONS TO A WORKING PIECE OF HIGH-TECH EQUIPMENT?"

That's when they override him, order him to do it anyway, and when he tries it, it promptly blows out half the ship's systems, leaving them dead in the water for the crisis. His last words: "I told you so ..." Their last words: "Why didn't you tell us this might happen?"

Yes, I read Dilbert.

Dennis Toy · Post by **Dennis Toy** » 2002-12-27 01:44am

In Event Horizon, the black guy didn't die.

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2002-12-27 01:46am

Dennis Toy wrote:In Event Horizon, the black guy didn't die.

Depends on which black guy you mean. One was sucked into hell itself and I believe the other black guy survived. So yeah, the black guy lived.

Dennis Toy · Post by **Dennis Toy** » 2002-12-27 01:46am

I like to see aliens not want to invade earth, i want to see earth invade an alien world.

XaLEv · Post by **XaLEv** » 2002-12-27 01:47am

I'd like to see an alien invasion film where the humans do not succeed in driving back the aliens at the last minute. I want to see the poorly concealed human enclave nuked from orbit just as they begin planning for their final assault. That would so own.

Darth Garden Gnome · Post by **Darth Garden Gnome** » 2002-12-27 01:50am

Well you can see Earth invade an alien world after being provoked. Witness the horror that is Starship Troopers. Wasting thousands of men in unsupported ground combat? 20 billion dollars. Watching a man get eaten by a giant spider on camera? 20 bucks a month. Not spending money on air support, or mechanized calvary, and then watching your boys get fried out in the field-priceless.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2002-12-27 01:52am

How about a sci-fi film where the humans are the bad guys and the aliens are the good guys? I find it difficult to look at human history and conclude that we would invariably be the good guys.

Durandal · Post by **Durandal** » 2002-12-27 01:53am

Darth Wong wrote:A boardroom meeting in Star Trek where they think up a brilliant new idea and give the engineer two hours to implement it, and he screams "WHAT KIND OF FUCKING MORON TRIES TO JURY-RIG A PERFECTLY FUNCTIONAL SHIP WITH SOME GODDAMNED UNTESTED IDEA IN A CRISIS, AND HOW FUCKING LONG DO YOU IDIOTS THINK IT TAKES TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT MODIFICATIONS TO A WORKING PIECE OF HIGH-TECH EQUIPMENT?"

That's when they override him, order him to do it anyway, and when he tries it, it promptly blows out half the ship's systems, leaving them dead in the water for the crisis. His last words: "I told you so ..." Their last words: "Why didn't you tell us this might happen?"

Yes, I read Dilbert.

Sounds an awful lot like what happens in corporate IT ... or an IBM commercial.

CEO: We've spent 2 million dollars. I'm psyched. The board's psyched. This is going to revolutionize the way we do business.
...

One question: Is this implementable?

VP1: No.
VP2: No.
VP3: No.
VP1: Still psyched?

Bug-Eyed Earl · Post by **Bug-Eyed Earl** » 2002-12-27 01:53am

Darth Wong wrote:How about a sci-fi film where the humans are the bad guys and the aliens are the good guys? I find it difficult to look at human history and conclude that we would invariably be the good guys.

I've been kicking around an idea like that in my head for awhile.

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2002-12-27 02:03am

I wanna see a popular science fiction with a gay main character that isn't a complete fruit. I want to see the bad guys act smart and kill their captives on sight not hold them prisoner. I'd like to see all hope crushed beneath the iron fist of the bad guys and have the "good guys" be toyed with like a fat man dressed in leather tied up in a dominatrix's medieval torture chamber. I want to see GUNS that use BULLETS or alteast make a fucking BANG when fired!!! I want to see the archetypal modernist hero whos not perfect! I want to be incapable of telling good from bad!

Damn, someone from SDN should just make a fucking show. I bet they'd get alot of support from here too if they asked.

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2002-12-27 02:04am

Oh btw, anyone whos ever watched StarGate SG1 knows that theres numerous cases where humans are "bad guys".

The entire first Stargate novel is also based around humans (or atleast earthers) being evil and needing to be overthrown.

Darth Garden Gnome · Post by **Darth Garden Gnome** » 2002-12-27 02:09am

There you have it folks. If your going to make a show, you can expect finacial support from the proud people of SD.NET.

Um...guess what? I'm making a new show um.....Buzzords.....send $20 to Happy Dude; 1135 Evergreen Terrace.

Alex Moon · Post by **Alex Moon** » 2002-12-27 02:43am

Darth Wong wrote:I'd like to see a mob of high-tech foot soldiers with their fancy energy weapons charging bravely toward an enemy installation ... only to get blown to bits by primitive artillery.

I remember when I first saw AOTC, and thought the same thing during the battle of Genosis. "All those fancy soldiers and badass Jedi, and a well positioned 20th century artillery battery would anal rape them"

Post by **Coyote** » 2002-12-27 03:02am

Well, face it, AotC is kinda mixed-- after all, in the battle, the Jedi basically help set up the Army of the Republic and enter into battle with Yoda leading "Stormtroopers".

But in my own series of stories and (hopefully, soon) novels, my own two primary galactic empires are both very shade-of-grey types. The individuals have heroic qualities (and flaws) but the societies are both engaged in very shady activity. I think this tends to reflect reality. Both Arawn Brand and Kette' Barona-- characters outlined in fanfics here at the StarDestroyer-- have serious unresolved personal issues but struggle to do the right thing...

I think a lot of time writers think that the setting and the aliens and the dramatic scope of conflict is enough-- there is not an adequate amount of time being spent developing characters, really. Making them intelligent, interesting, and able to grow/change.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2002-12-27 03:04am

The Jedi would fall before the clonetroopers, who have good survivability against shrapnel from artillery shells. But the clonetroopers would still have taken heavy casualties from accurate shelling of their front lines; I imagine they would have had to rely more on armour and air support in that case.

Mind you, even the heavy Geonosian sonic cannon was doing a number on the Jedi in the arena. I always wondered why none of the idiot Jedi thought to attack or capture that cannon, since it was right there on the arena floor. You have to try to take out the enemy's heaviest weapon, or so I would think ...