Foundations of Science Fiction (Part I)
In the category we call science fiction, one of the things that needs to be known is the foundations and themes. The topics being worked on in written and visual works are generally written on a theme and these themes are based on certain foundations. Let me tell you about them a little;
Future Time / Past Time Theme
As you know or have observed, some or even most science fiction works either take place in the future or present a journey that extends from the past to the future. This can sometimes be the opposite.
In these works, our main character can travel to the future. They can also live in the future. While living in the future, they can also be sent to the past. Regardless of the subject of the work, our character/characters act within this theme.
For example, let's take the Back to the Future film series. Our main character Marty McFly Junior is sent to the past, future, and even a different variation of the present thanks to Dr. Emmett Brown. Whatever happens to our character, the main theme is always time and its impact on him. Even the effects of his actions on time are constantly shown to the audience.
Throughout the film, Marty McFly Junior constantly tries to interfere with things he wants to change or unintentionally changes in the past or future. This causes other side issues or different effects. However, no matter what happens throughout the film, Dr. Emmett Brown repeatedly tells Marty a lesson to the audience, saying "You've caused a change in the past, Marty! I told you not to touch anything!" or "You shouldn't interfere with time, Marty!"
Let's give some other examples as well:
* Twelve Monkeys - 1995
* Groundhog Day - 1993
Paralel Universe Theme
Let's talk about one of the most fascinating themes of the sci-fi universe: Parallel Universes!
Every work written or visualized in this theme is used to surprise the audience or reader, commonly known as a plot twist.
The Parallel Universe theme has a very intriguing structure, but it is difficult to establish and organize. This is because a different variation of the world we live in now will be created, and in this variation, the events, creatures, and even nature will be different.
For example, let's say you create a character named Haydar, who is a 30-year-old single kebab chef with a religion of worshiping green sliced olives. Naturally, you will also create an event for this character.
But this event must fit into the Parallel Universe Theme. Let's say a small meteor falls into the storage room of Haydar's shop one day. It's so small that it's not visible. The meteor is stuck in the minced meat. Haydar makes himself a kebab for breakfast and eats it. Then his stomach starts to ache and he quickly goes to the toilet. As soon as he comes out of the toilet, he finds himself in a French restaurant. What happened now? Boom, Haydar has crossed over to a parallel universe. But it can't just stop there. Haydar's life in the parallel universe should be different! After all, if he has opened a French restaurant, he needs a certain infrastructure. He himself may not be Turkish. His surroundings may be different too. His girlfriend, mother, father will also naturally be different. Even though he may have been allergic to white cheese in his previous universe, he may now be allergic to chili peppers.
As you can see, everything will change as soon as a parallel universe is created. Or nothing will change. Because Haydar, who turned right in his previous life, has now created a parallel universe where he turned left. It's quite difficult to imagine and construct such things. Although there are hundreds of items that include examples of parallel universes, very few of them are actually of high quality.
Of course, as always, let's give some examples:
* Mr. Nobody – 2009
* Donnie Darko – 2001
* It’s A Wonderful Life – 1946
Robot Theme
I can almost hear people saying "This isn't a theme, it's an object." Well, I want to give a little credit to that idea, but for the most part, I want to say "No, this is a theme!"
In the early days of science fiction, robots or mechanical designs were used either as a side factor or to keep the main character's story alive. But in later periods, the robot theme expanded to a wider audience and, with the development of technology, the concept of Artificial Intelligence also emerged as the main character in works.
One of the biggest factors in the emergence of this theme is the principle of imagining what will happen when we give life to machines we create with our own hands. At first, the robots or mechanical designs created were quite rigid in appearance. In fact, some robots only used lights as their eyes. However, over the years, designs have become quite advanced. The rigid robot figure gradually took on the form of a human skeleton and human-like movement capabilities, and finally was created like a human.
One of the most obvious examples of this, of course, is the Terminator series. Our main character is a robot sent from the future to the past and must save the world from a great disaster. While in the beginning and other series, our main character is seen as the person who created our robot, the film is really about the T-800, or the Terminator.
Another great example is the Transformers cartoon and live-action film series. Our main characters are almost all Autobots from the planet Cybertron. There are also their enemies, the Decepticons. Both of these groups are robots with their own consciousness. The entire story in the cartoon, comics, and films is built around these two groups. While only a few of the main characters are shown as human, they are really just supporting elements that enrich the main topic.
If we move on to other examples;
* Chappie - 2015
* A.I. Artificial Intelligence - 2001
* Wall-e - 2008
That's it from the themes and me for now.
As it was ending, it was playing; Niña Pastori and Falete - Valgame Dios.
Author: Ahmet T. Mengeş
Science fiction and fantasy enthusiast. Game addict. Guardian of vampire mythology. Weird and equally arrogant. Amateur game developer. Very amateur.