Need more Sci-Fi Help (part 2)

I hope I put this in the right forum. It's a mixed bag. So, my project is coming along for why science fiction isn't taken seriously in "elitist" literary circles. This is kind of a spin-off from this thread:

http://www.b5tv.com/showthread.php?t=10950

I'm putting together a montage of science-fiction clips from movies and television--clips that focus on important human issues, or issues relevant to our times.

For example: I will likely include a clip from the Dune miniseries where Muad'dib talks about the "spice not flowing" then merge that in with a commentary on oil and how Herbert likened the spice/melange to a dependency on oil--the Jihad that takes place over a substance, etc.

Another idea is showing a scene from Gattaca that makes a comment on creating the perfect genetic specimen and the topic of cloning.

I'm looking for big ideas that science fiction has made a comment on. It can include books (I can use text with music and pictures as well.) "Ender's Game," for example is required reading at the Marine Corps University at Quantico (to show the psychological portion of warfare, leadership,) yet it also touches on the concept of genocide.

Star Wars could be a comment on the horrors of the cold war--the Hitler-like armies that marched on behalf of the Empire.

Even venturing into Fantasy, The Lord of the Rings was absolutely influenced by WW1 and by Tolkien's fear of the industrial revolution.

I hope I'm making sense here.

I'm looking for material that's easy to access (i.e. that I can rent via Netflix/Blockbuster,) so something that is not found online or that is extremely obscure won't be terribly helpful.

And finally, for obvious reasons, I want to include something from Babylon 5, but there's so much good stuff, I'm just having a hard time narrowing it down.

Anyway, thanks for reading. If I need to clarify, let me know.

Allu

You can tie Gattaca into WWII as well because of the whole eugenics thing. Citizens who are inferior due to physical defects being granted second class status. (I love the Van Gogh references).

Bicentennial Man, A.I., The Matrix and I Robot, all have ethical questions on the role of artificial intelligence in society.

Robocop/Universal Soldier both look at how much technology takes away from the man and what remains.

The Abyss, The Day the Earth Stood Still look at nuclear proliferation and how these highly dangerous weapons and our attitudes towards them might be viewed by a neutral observer, particularly when you consider our chequered history.

You mentioned Star Wars and I can't help thinking that the prequel trilogy (particularly Episode 2), were in part, a response to the age of militarism ushered in by Bush. Battlestar Galactica of course is a complete examination of the issues at the core of that subject.



Babylon 5 is a banquet of issues and material.

Actually, the Clone Wars is basically a lite parody of the means the Bush government used to take power and hold onto it.

Alluveal said:

I hope I put this in the right forum. It's a mixed bag. So, my project is coming along for why science fiction isn't taken seriously in "elitist" literary circles. This is kind of a spin-off from this thread:
{snip}

Click to expand...

The literary elite likes long words, this allows them to show their brains off. The probably hate long words that they do not know the meaning off, such as scientific terms.

For B5, the scene of greatest importance to me is the Emperor's speech to Sheridan in "The Coming of Shadows." The message here: we are responsible for the horrors of the world, even by simply acquiescing to them, and the way we begin to fix them is to simply say, no matter how late in life, "No, I'm going to do something different now." Because all these things we're talking about, they are the result of people's actions.

You could also slip in something from Serenity: "They think they can make people better."

Nice thought, Koshfan. I'll look at it again. It also might make a good voiceover for other footage as well. I just have to figure out how to separate the audio from the video.

You should use the dialog between Roy Batty and Deckard, near the end of Blade Runner, about what it is to be human. It's one of the best scenes in all of scifi.

The star which burns half as long shines twice as bright? good choice.

Surprisingly, of the many quotes from Blade Runner on the IMDb, this was not among them. I wanted top post a link for you. But, I see you are familiar with it. I can't quote from memory, but my favorite part of it was what would be lost - his memories and experiences - when he died. As true of humans as of replicants.

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe..."