When Is Someone Gonna Make A Sci-Fi Show Or Movie Without Any People In Them?

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I'm sick of people. And I'm sick of those half-ass aliens that are just humans except they have an extra eyebrow or something.

One of the reasons I never watch any of those newfangled Star Trek shows is because whenever I turn one on there is a guy with an extra eyebrow sitting in a room with a woman who has an extra earlobe or a weird neck gabbing for half an hour about how they should get a space divorce. BORING.

I don't want to identify with creatures in space. I just want to see a fight between a space turtle and a space lobster. And who sez I wouldn't indentify with the space lobster anyway?

scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 22:22 (nineteen years ago) link

Myself, I'd like to see just robots and machines. There are bits in the original Star Wars like that.

the music mole (colin s barrow), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 22:34 (nineteen years ago) link

speaking of "space divorce," did anyone even see that lawyers-in-the-fyoocha show?

this is a good idea scott. but wouldn't the space turtle lobster fracas just be, like, the akira version of benji or the journey home or something? how about a film in space with no characters at all! it'd be like nasa footage only made up

g--ff (gcannon), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 22:36 (nineteen years ago) link

How about seven extra brows?

http://www.geocities.com/redhalcyon/me2.txt

Leeefuse 73 (Leee), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 22:38 (nineteen years ago) link

I want to see films following the "vow of sci-fi awesomeness":
* hard science
* plausible technology
* realistic cultural development
* vast setting
* 10000+ year timeline
* no humanoid aliens

Sébastien Chikara (Sébastien Chikara), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 22:39 (nineteen years ago) link

Sébastien, have you read Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix?

Leeefuse 73 (Leee), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 22:40 (nineteen years ago) link

Ooh, robots, i do love robots. Hmmm, i don't know what the plot would be. Should there be subtitles too? I just love the idea of non-human worlds. There really are infinite possibilities. The Japanese have worked the robot angle pretty good. Are their any good anime movies that are just about creatures and no wide-eyed children and boring scientists.

scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 22:42 (nineteen years ago) link

Most sci-fi scenarios appear to involve a slew of animated refuse shambling around that some designate 'people,' but I question this approach.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 22:43 (nineteen years ago) link

there are apparently lots of anime about strange and wonderful non-humanoid lifeforms. most of them are way into rape, tho.

g--ff (gcannon), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 22:44 (nineteen years ago) link

I want to see universes that obey completely different physical laws, and the viewer has to work out the differences as we go along

de, Tuesday, 22 June 2004 22:45 (nineteen years ago) link

Ok I'm taking down that picture since no one's been commenting on it.

Leeefuse 73 (Leee), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 22:46 (nineteen years ago) link

I don't want to identify with creatures in space. I just want to see a fight between a space turtle and a space lobster. And who sez I wouldn't indentify with the space lobster anyway?

In this battle, we all win

Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 22:46 (nineteen years ago) link

Everyone picks a side when they read/see/hear a story. Said side can be a protagonist, an antagonist or the narrator.

VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 22:51 (nineteen years ago) link

All I know is if I see one more damn movie about people stuck in a spaceship who are being chased by invisible space ghosts who know those people's VERY WORST FEARS my head is gonna explode. Damn you Alien!! (I'm sorry, i didn't really mean that. I DO love you, dear Alien.)

scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 22:52 (nineteen years ago) link

I mean you can do ANYTHING within the realm of sci-fi. ANYTHING. The sky is the limit. You'd think it was still 1935 in the movie biz as far as plot goes. They only know space-opera.

scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 22:54 (nineteen years ago) link

There are people in Alien-vs-Predator, right? Too bad. They could have had something there.

scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 22:56 (nineteen years ago) link

They only know space-opera.
That's generally right. film makers should get down with da vow.

Leee, I haven't read phoenix. Quick check on reviews gave me the impression it's deeper than most other mangas, you would agree?

Sébastien Chikara (Sébastien Chikara), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 22:58 (nineteen years ago) link

Martin's a better authority to ask about Phoenix, but without getting into the manga/mainstream manga issue, yes, deep.

Leeefuse 73 (Leee), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 23:00 (nineteen years ago) link

I like your vow, Sebastien.

scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 23:00 (nineteen years ago) link

I'm totally with you, Scott, but I think that there's quite little that'll be commercially successful lacking that traditional movie elements of actors... even sci-fi that have moderate elements of weirdness beyond the accepted (cf. Brazil, Alphaville, Dark City) perform poorly. They're uniformly labled dark, broody, and discomforting. And while I would love to see a crazy CGI flick about balloon-creatures extracting tin from air at the expense of a hive-mind's sanity, it's doubtful that it'll happen anytime soon.

But, if it does, I bet it comes from some neat whacko with a tricked out home editing studio.

j e r e m y (x Jeremy), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 23:02 (nineteen years ago) link

At the least, Phoenix adheres to the third, fifth and sixth vows. Possibly two and four, outside chance of one.

Leeefuse 73 (Leee), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 23:02 (nineteen years ago) link

God, just imagine what Pixar could do with a good human-less sci-fi story! I mean, Finding Nemo was almost human-free.

scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 23:09 (nineteen years ago) link

I'd like to see a nasty CG cel-animated robot love story.

j e r e m y (x Jeremy), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 23:19 (nineteen years ago) link

But that's probably why I'm single.

j e r e m y (x Jeremy), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 23:19 (nineteen years ago) link

TENTACLE PORN

Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 23:21 (nineteen years ago) link

i mean,

<h2>TENTACLE PORN</h2>

Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 23:22 (nineteen years ago) link

AAARGH I HATE YOU ANDREW

Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 23:22 (nineteen years ago) link

imagine millions of throbbing systoles screaming as one

Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 23:23 (nineteen years ago) link

A Pixar version of Hal Clement's "Mission of Gravity" would rock the house. It has a human, but he can't get up off his comfy couch, and is not the main character.

My wife and I were just saying the other night that Pixar should do a serious, absolutely-no-cuteness version of Animal Farm.

Rock Hardy (Rock Hardy), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 23:37 (nineteen years ago) link

http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/Game/BigIdeas/introduction.html

"Alien aliens

Life on other planets develops on its own, it doesn't have to imitate Earth at all. The basic physical, chemical and ecological rules are the same, but they allow infinite variation. An intelligent alien species will not look like a human in a funny suit - it may not even be similar to a vertebrate at all. Genetically we have more in common with an amoeba than any alien. And if they are not humanoid, their psychology and culture will be vastly different. Just as humans are different from each other and divided into a myriad groups, aliens will also be individual, not races where everybody is a wise mystic, stoic warrior or thieving businessman. "

It could be fun to make tight the "vow of sci-fi awesomeness" by including future studies stuff like forecasting methodology, the aims of the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame etc

Sébastien Chikara (Sébastien Chikara), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 23:38 (nineteen years ago) link

haha you know what was funny, in the Matrix 3, Keanu finally visits the overloard of the robot culture that's enslaved the earth and it looks like, um, a pissed-off corey haim

Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 22 June 2004 23:41 (nineteen years ago) link

Do scientologists count as people?

rejoinder, Wednesday, 23 June 2004 03:34 (nineteen years ago) link

Ibn Qirtaiba: A standard question I ask interviewees concerns the stylistic and thematic gulf between the written and visual ("media") forms of science fiction. Do you perceive this gulf as resulting simply from the different marketing considerations applicable to each medium, or are there in your view certain sub-genres of SF that can only effectively be realised in one medium or the other?

Greg Egan: I think both effects apply. What disappoints me is that most SF filmmakers aren't even aiming for more sophisticated themes or a higher level of logical consistency, let alone real-world scientific plausibility. The science in, say, Lorenzo's Oil wasn't perfect - from what I've read, the oil prevented the formation of one marker for the disease, but has little or no clinical benefit - but by merely putting some simple biochemistry on screen and discussing it logically, that film beat 99% of Hollywood SF into the ground. So as well as all the mood-driven movies like Alien and Blade Runner, and the futuristic action movies like Terminator, I think there's room for a few SF analogues of Lorenzo's Oil.

Sébastien Chikara (Sébastien Chikara), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 03:54 (nineteen years ago) link

ps some say: "SF" is the preferred abbreviation for "science fiction" amongst most fans, largely because it encompasses a wider variety of sub-genres than "sci-fi" and possesses less of a derogatory ring to it.

Sébastien Chikara (Sébastien Chikara), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 03:56 (nineteen years ago) link

radcliffe was talking on the radio about some tv series (short lived) where aliens had invaded earth and decided that furniture was the intelligent lifeform and would spend all their time trying to get sense out of tables. no idea what this was called though. anyone?

koogs (koogs), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 07:20 (nineteen years ago) link

What is that Sci Fi movie from the 60s about the eco-hippie who murders his crew and goes AWOL because he doesn't want to blow up the last nature reserve in space? That's got next to no humans in it. Well, only one by the end of the film, and he's talking to robots. God, brain, why do you fail me now, what is the name of it? I want to say "Silent Spring" but that's a Primal Scream track.

Apostrophe Catastrophe (kate), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 07:23 (nineteen years ago) link

Didn't know that Silent Spring was a Primals track - they nicked the title from Rachel Carson's environmental book of the sixties anyway!

The film you're thinking of is the classic Silent Running.

Read about it here.

MarkH (MarkH), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 07:36 (nineteen years ago) link

Didn't know that Silent Spring was a Primals track - they nicked the title from Rachel Carson's environmental book from the sixties anyway!

The film you're thinking of is the classic Silent Running.

Read about it here.

MarkH (MarkH), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 07:36 (nineteen years ago) link

oops, didn't mean to post that twice - anyway, I'm surprised no-one's mentioned Solaris yet.

MarkH (MarkH), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 07:37 (nineteen years ago) link

Yup, that's exactly the one. Ah well, I was half right on the name.

Apostrophe Catastrophe (kate), Wednesday, 23 June 2004 07:38 (nineteen years ago) link

three years pass...

"And while I would love to see a crazy CGI flick about balloon-creatures extracting tin from air at the expense of a hive-mind's sanity, it's doubtful that it'll happen anytime soon."

this still sounds so good to me.

scott seward, Friday, 29 June 2007 18:31 (sixteen years ago) link

{puts on his Aristotle hat}

Where would the katharsis come from?

Aimless, Friday, 29 June 2007 18:41 (sixteen years ago) link

This thread sort of explains why I can't really stomach any sci-fi that's not set in the immediate future.

jaymc, Friday, 29 June 2007 18:44 (sixteen years ago) link

hey scott:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Future_is_Wild
http://www.amazon.com/Future-Wild-Phillip-Currie/dp/B0000YEDYU

show was made for you

Milton Parker, Friday, 29 June 2007 18:49 (sixteen years ago) link

Ever since this thread I imagine Scott sitting around at home watching third-generation VHS copies of Lancelot Link: Ape Detective.

nabisco, Friday, 29 June 2007 19:00 (sixteen years ago) link

I think there may have been one where he went to space, actually.

nabisco, Friday, 29 June 2007 19:01 (sixteen years ago) link

dude scott you need to play metroid

creme1, Friday, 29 June 2007 19:17 (sixteen years ago) link

speaking of "space divorce," did anyone even see that lawyers-in-the-fyoocha show?

wtf was i on about

gff, Friday, 29 June 2007 19:21 (sixteen years ago) link

"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Future_is_Wild";

this looks like a misanthrope's dream come true! i never even knew about it.

scott seward, Friday, 29 June 2007 21:16 (sixteen years ago) link

I totally remember a similiar thread to this one, but started by Tuomas! People just went "Star Wars lol".

Daniel_Rf, Friday, 29 June 2007 23:07 (sixteen years ago) link

Are the people in the Star Wars movies humans?

gr8080, Friday, 29 June 2007 23:17 (sixteen years ago) link

the discount CGI for 'future is wild' just adds to the fun, it's basically animal planet + sci-fi, you can not miss with nerd / stoner / sci-fi / animal geek sect convergence, 100% happy

Squibbons are air-breathing squid who can swing through trees. They swing better than modern day gibbons due to their lack of an internal skeleton. Because of their need to coordinate their many-muscled limbs and the complex visual perception needed to swing from branch to branch, their brains are highly developed. As a result, they are highly intelligent and can even outsmart a megasquid, which sometimes tries to eat them. It is implied that they have the capacity to evolve into sapient beings, thus allowing civilization to once again develop on Earth.

Milton Parker, Friday, 29 June 2007 23:22 (sixteen years ago) link

they can even outsmart a megasquid! squibbons are amazing

Milton Parker, Friday, 29 June 2007 23:23 (sixteen years ago) link

thanks for that, milton. i asked a similar question about fiction on this sci-fi thread if you have any examples:

School Me On Some Sci-Fi My Astral Brothers And Sisters!

scott seward, Friday, 29 June 2007 23:24 (sixteen years ago) link

I think we're property

Milton Parker, Friday, 29 June 2007 23:51 (sixteen years ago) link

speaking of "space divorce," did anyone even see that lawyers-in-the-fyoocha show?

wtf was i on about

Century City, probably?

The Yellow Kid, Saturday, 30 June 2007 03:21 (sixteen years ago) link

films featuring no humans = that pokemon short. 15 minutes of some cartoon thing going 'Pika, Pika...'. not good.

koogs, Saturday, 30 June 2007 20:49 (sixteen years ago) link

when they going to make a move about lichens and molds?

sanskrit, Sunday, 1 July 2007 02:26 (sixteen years ago) link

alien vs. predator was kinda close.

ian, Sunday, 1 July 2007 04:43 (sixteen years ago) link

not to lichens & molds, but to "no people." (there were PEOPLE, but they were only vehicles to tell us that PREDATORS ORIGINALLY BRED THE ALIENS TO TEST THEIR YOUNG AS A RITE OF PASSAGE.)

ian, Sunday, 1 July 2007 04:44 (sixteen years ago) link


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