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Science Fiction Final Essay

Genre refers to a category of texts which often share similar ideologies and follow a set of

conventions which shape reader expectations. While traditionally viewed as static, with texts

expected to conform unequivocally to a genre, generic forms have evolved and are now considered

to be dynamic and fluid, continually being reinvented, as they are influenced by earlier texts and

reshaped by context. The film 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), directed by Stanley Kubrick, the short

story The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas (1973) by Ursula LeGuin, the novel Neuromancer

(1984) by William Gibson and James Cameron’s film Avatar (2009) are exemplary of this concept as

they move away from B-grade science fiction texts, while still exploring technological, moral and

philosophical possibilities and the “impact of scientific advance upon human beings,” as articulated

by Asimov.

Reflecting the notion that genre is a “collective system of representations and beliefs” (Amossy), a

significant issue explored in 2001 is the role of technology in the world, which represents an

important preoccupation of science fiction. 2001 distinctly parallels the evolution of technology and

its potential to cause destruction and catalyse the evolution of humankind, seen in the famous jump-

cut scene when a bone, the first weapon, is transformed into a futuristic space satellite, a symbol of

technological sophistication, as is the computer HAL. He also represents the danger presented by

creating intelligent beings, and thereby usurping the role of God, although, ironically, he is initially

the only being who is portrayed as having any emotion on the Discovery space station, as humans

seem detached and uncommunicative, seen in the computer’s words, “I can feel it... I’m afraid,” that

contrasts the banal discussions of the crew and exemplifies the perception that technology causes a

loss in human communication.

Despite these resemblances, genre can also function as “a barometer of the social and cultural

concerns of audiences” (Lichter), reflected in Kubrick’s emphasis on space exploration against the

backdrop of the Russo-American space race. Also implicit in 2001, is the influence of Cold War

paranoia, which gripped much of the western world in the 1950s and 60s, evident in the scene

where HAL lip-reads the astronauts, paralleling fears of espionage and surveillance leading to a loss

of privacy. The significance of rapidly expanding scientific knowledge is also reflected in the

scientific accuracy of the film, with 2001 being the first film to correctly depict space as being silent,

breaking the traditional convention of verisimilitude, thereby establishing the value of the genre in

terms of intellect and directly influencing later texts, reflecting the notion of genre as a “mutable

intertext” (Britten).

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, by Ursula LeGuin, explores value systems which define

the human race but moves away from utilising technology and instead, as Ketterer says,

“extrapolating on what we know, comes up with a startling rationale that puts humanity in a radically

new perspective." This use of philosophically oriented ‘soft’ science fiction is evident in LeGuin’s

allegorical tale which utilises new wave tropes of examining inner spaces, as it employs extensive

imagery to convey the “boundless and generous contentment” of the citizens Omelas. This is

juxtaposed to the description of the child as “so thin there are no calves to its legs” to suggest that

utopian society is shaped by negative treatment of one individual, demonstrating the value of

science fiction as a means of exploring moral boundaries.

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The resulting ethical dilemma, the choice between idealism and pragmatism, faced by Omelas’

residents is presented in an ambiguous way by LeGuin, reflecting the nature of science fiction as a

discourse on “a spiritual state of balance and the resolution of tensions” (Malmgrem ), also seen in

2001, through the ‘Star Child’. This is seen in the use of a sympathetic narrator who describes the

child as the source of all compassion as its “existence and their knowledge of its existence” enable

them to “perceive the terrible justice of reality and to accept it” which reflects the rationalisation of

corporate exploitation of third world countries, a key concern of the 1970s. However, those who walk

away from Omelas “towards the mountains... into the darkness,” are also, in a sense, as morally

iniquitous as those who are reconciled to the child’s existence, as not only do they walk away

without endeavouring to change the system, the act of leaving itself constitutes an attempt to

assuage their guilt. Through portraying both alternatives as intrinsically flawed, LeGuin thus makes a

powerful statement about the influence of personal change as the key factor in the development of a

better world and reflecting the importance of science fiction as a critique of human values.

Reflecting the notion that genre is a system of categorisation, science fiction texts follow a set of

conventions, often utilising defamiliarisation to contemplate possibilities in human experience. This

is seen in Gibson’s creation of cyberspace, “a consensual hallucination” which unfolds a new social

and psychological dimension where one can function “beyond ego, beyond personality and beyond

awareness.” Gibson’s exploration of America in the 1980s, reflects concerns of the ramifications of

these advancements in artificial intelligence and the fragmentation of the American identity in the

context of rapid globalisation. The resulting “punk phenomenon” heralded the advent of the

cyberpunk sub-genre, reflecting the notion of genre as a “barometer of social and cultural concerns

of audiences” (Lichter). The concept of fluid identity is represented in Neuromancer through the

“simstim”, a device that enables Case to experience Molly’s senses, which leads to the devaluation

of the body as “meat” to be transcended, reaffirming Rucker’s notion that cyberpunk is valued for its

articulation of “new thought forms emerging from the computer revolution.”

The concern of cyber punk with the “way in which technology shapes consciousness and behaviour”

(Sponsler), rather than the traditional focus of technology itself, is represented in Neuromancer,

revealing the dynamic nature of genre. It embodies the transgression of boundaries between human

and machine, in a genre valued for its focus on evolution, also seen in 2001. Ironically, while the

human characters define themselves only within the framework of technology, seen when Molly

says “Anybody any good at what they do, that’s what they are right? You gotta jack, I gotta tussle,”

the artificial intelligences Wintermute and Neuromancer transcend their limitations, indicating

mechanical evolution and the subversion of human supremacy, a convention of science fiction.

Gibson’s description of Wintermute as having “the compulsion to free itself, to unite with

Neuromancer,” imbues artificial intelligence with a sense of autonomy and agency, which are lacking

in the humans who are, ironically, unable to truly overcome their “wiring”.

However, while these texts largely subvert the science fiction genre, Avatar indicates a return to

traditional narratives from early 1940s ‘pulp’ science fiction, demonstrating the value of science

fiction as a marketing category. Like Herbert’s Dune, a central concern of the film is the impact of

corporate greed on the natural environment, which is explored through the creation of an alternate

universe, demonstrating Suvin’s view that “an imaginative framework alternative to the author's

empirical environment" is a necessary pre-requisite of science fiction. Cameron’s portrayal of the

Pandoran biosphere as the lifeblood of Na’vi spirituality, seen in the nerve tassels which enable

them to engage with the environment, is comparable to Gibson’s image of cyberspace as Case’s

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addiction, demonstrating the shifting values of science fiction, despite “family resemblances” (Neale)

of texts from the same genre. It is the destruction of this spiritual connection which is the primary

objective of the military-backed corporate company that wishes to obtain rare minerals, seen when

Colonel Quaritch explains, “When we destroy their deity, we will blast a crater in their racial memory

so deep, that they won't come back,” the metaphor clearly indicating the emphasis of science fiction

on spirituality.

By positioning viewers to question the interests of the ‘authority’, Avatar also reflects countercultural

elements, extrapolating on public censure of the ongoing U.S occupation of Iraq which is seen when

Sully describes the military campaign tactics as “shock and awe”, a term used to describe the ‘War

on Terror.’ By using this as an allegory for the dispossession of indigenous cultures, Avatar

demonstrates the notion of genre as “historically relative, and therefore historically specific” (Neale).

Ironically, Cameron also demonstrates neo-colonial attitudes through his perpetration of the ‘White

Messiah’ fable and the romanticised ‘orientalism ‘, seen in the portrayal of the Na’vi as “noble

savages”, reflecting the melding of the science fiction and western genres. It is, however, the

technical virtuosity of Avatar, achieved through the use of three-dimensional technology, which

distinguishes it from texts such as Insert Text Here and offsets the typical science fiction fantasy

narrative, demonstrating the way in which the genre is valued in terms of visual scope.

As seen in the three texts, while the science fiction genre maintains its relevance through the use of

recognisable tropes, by exploring possibilities in human experience in new cultural and physical

settings, it also remains dynamic reflecting the changing nature of genre over time due to differing

contextual concerns.

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