Poll: what is your favorite piece of science fiction

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Anarchemitis

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Star Wars: Revolutionary, now Stagnant.
Star Trek: Amazing and addicting, now somewhat as such, but a lil' annoying.
Hitchhikers: Imaginative, Random and other [positive/what the?] kind of compliments.
Issac Asimov: Father, Grandfather and basically inventor of modern Science Fiction. You forgot H.G. Wells and Ray Bradbury.

I think nowandays we're forgetting the essence of the genre, the words itself.

Science Fiction implies impossible, or fantastic implication of science that is unachiveable.
(generalization)---> We think that Sci-Fi means some new technology or the near or far future or all three at the same time.

Science Fiction should only be fiction regarding science, like what if the world didn't have viscosity (Read up on it, it'd pretty awesome) or how the world would've ended up if gasoline was discoevered in the 1600s.
 

PettingZOOPONY

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Dec 2, 2007
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I picked other but if I had to choose one from the list it would be Firefly, I love westerns but westerns in space just kicks ass. But my favorite SciFi usually comes in novel form, the Dune Series(not the crap his son wrote), John Scalzi novels I just discovered also and of course the Forever War by Joe W Haldeman.
 

MichaelAB

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Nov 21, 2007
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For written Sci-Fi, my list goes:

1) Asimov's Robot/Empire/Foundation series
2) Herbert's Dune series
3) Bradbury's Martian Chronicles
4) Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide series
5) Niven and Pournelle's The Mote in God's Eye

For screen (big or small):

1) Firefly/Serenity
2) Blade Runner
3) Babylon 5
4) Equilibrium
5) Spaceballs: The Movie

I can't believe that no one has put Spaceballs up there yet.
 
May 17, 2007
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Firefly wins for having great characters and realistic-but-surprising human drama, as well as all the sci-fi goodies.

I don't mean to be too judgemental, but the popularity of Stargate, Farscape, Star Trek et al really baffles me. All those shows suffer (to different extents) from wooden acting, cheesy dialogue, cliched plots, wooden acting, delusions of great philosophical insight, lack of character depth or development, and wooden acting. Yet they all last for years upon years, while Firefly didn't make it through a single season.

If you've seen those shows and you don't agree, think of it this way: Firefly was enhanced by the sci-fi aspects, but it didn't rely on them; if Firefly had been set on a sailing ship instead of a space ship, it would have been almost as good a show. Stargate, on the other hand, would be like Gilligan's Island without the jokes.
 

GyroCaptain

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Anarchemitis said:
Science Fiction should only be fiction regarding science, like what if the world didn't have viscosity (Read up on it, it'd pretty awesome) or how the world would've ended up if gasoline was discoevered in the 1600s.
You're forgetting that the people in on the ground floor wanted to call it "speculative fiction" but were defeated by the public liking things that rhyme. Thus proving for the umpteenth time that the human race in general is utterly retarded. :p

I liked Ringworld and Dune, but somehow I prefer Heinlein to anything else I've encountered from Herbert or Niven since. (And to those saying Halo = Ringworld, I humbly submit that the part-actualized Dyson sphere with filament supported day/night screens is something quite different from the 1/1000th size weapon with an atmosphere and life in orbit around a planet. Ring shape, built by ancients and life supporting is about as far as that goes.)
 

TobyMobias

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Jan 5, 2008
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O.O

No Doctor Who?!
That's my favourite live-action Sci-Fi programme.
My favourite animated Sci-Fi programme is Matt Groening's "Futurama".
 

Wildcard6

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Dec 14, 2007
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For Sci-Fi I had to go with Firefly. Love it. It really falls short of other series because it's so clearly unfinished, but that's not the fault of the show. There's a sci-fi book called Santiago by Michael Resnick which I love. I've read several of his other books and they don't hold up nearly as well. The first three Foundation books by Asimov are also amazing, and I would recommend them to anyone. If you like cyberpunk, the Diamond Age by Bruce Sterling (I think) is one of the most thought provoking works of fiction I've read.

TV: Firefly
Movie: Blade Runner
Book: Too many to choose.
 

GloatingSwine

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GyroCaptain said:
I liked Ringworld and Dune, but somehow I prefer Heinlein to anything else I've encountered from Herbert or Niven since. (And to those saying Halo = Ringworld, I humbly submit that the part-actualized Dyson sphere with filament supported day/night screens is something quite different from the 1/1000th size weapon with an atmosphere and life in orbit around a planet. Ring shape, built by ancients and life supporting is about as far as that goes.)
Halo owes more to the Culture's Orbitals, which themselves are scaled down ringworlds in orbit around a star. (Iain M. Banks' novels about the Culture are one of the strongest influences on the Halo series, from things like promo art resembling book covers to the personalities of the Monitors fitting in with Culture drones, and the names of ships being somewhat offbeat).

Iain M. Banks' sci-fi novels are my favourite SF, especially The Player of Games.
 

Vortigar

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Nov 8, 2007
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[Rant]
I absolutely loved Firefly, was convinced it was going to beat Farscape as my favorite sci-fi series for a while, but River got to me more and more as it went on, leaving me fearing for Buffy in Space more and more. But I got it on DVD all the same and I watched it two times through with great interest. Then Serenity happened. Serenity finally killed the series for me. Wash was my favorite character and he entirely failed to impress me in the movie (I'm almost tempted to use the words wooden acting here) and Ms. Slayer girl then left me utterly numb with disbelief... I haven't touched the Firefly DVD's since.
[/Rant]

I'm going back and forth between the Foundation and Bladerunner.
But in the interest of shameless promotion of one of the greatest shows a lot of people dismiss out of hand I'm voting Farscape. Despite its flaws it managed to have me watch the entire series at least five times now, something Firefly, Deep Space Nine, Babylon 5 and Stargate have yet to tempt me to. Its also the first series to have spawned an extra series based on the fans' determination, leaving one with a heartwarming feeling. I can't wait to see what the webisodes have in store for us.

Everybody should see Revenging Angel at least once, simply for the sheer insanity of it, just as one should have watched at least one episode of Monty Python, irrespective of whether its your taste or not. John Quichotte and Kansas are also bits of tv history, though if we're talking the single best episodes in sci-fi serials Red Dwarf beats all others with Gunmen of the Apocalypse and the Polymorph (among others). Every sci-fi fan should watch Red Dwarf btw, how many sci-fi sitcoms exist anyhow? One?

The Transmetropolitan comic is also great stuff and something I'd love to see transferred onto a screen, if not literally: then in spirit.

edit: awwww, the majority of Farscape votes are cast under other...
 

super_smash_jesus

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Dec 11, 2007
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As a man who never got into firefly due to the horrendous acting abilities by such great D list actors/actresses, i have to say reluctantly that i enjoy the Star wars movies, with the exception of episode 1 and 2, because the D list actors in those just seem to do a better job
 
May 17, 2007
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super_smash_jesus said:
As a man who never got into firefly due to the horrendous acting abilities by such great D list actors/actresses, i have to say reluctantly that i enjoy the Star wars movies, with the exception of episode 1 and 2, because the D list actors in those just seem to do a better job
Mark Hamill is a better actor than somebody? Alert the press! :p
 

ComradeJim270

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Nov 24, 2007
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I don't even consider Star Wars to be science fiction. The Fiction is there, but the science is nowhere to be found... that is, it's irrelevant to the story. You could set Star Wars in a medieval fantasy world and the story would be identical.

I have a huge hard-on for Mass Effect right now, and never got around to reading Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, so until that state of affairs changes, I don't feel I can comfortably answer the poll, here.
 

Sp00kD

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Jan 16, 2008
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I'd have to say Dune as well - that is before his son decided to err extend his works, okay so Frank Herbert died before finishing off the series but I find it hard to adjust to how Brian Herbert read his father's notes and left his little stamp on the world. Pre Brian Herbert Dune is a masterpiece of writing with well fleshed out characters, numerous story arcs and plot lines post Brian Herbert it is as if it's he has decided that it's science fiction so belief can easily be suspended. Bah I say! It could have ended at Chapter House: Dune and still been 'complete' in my view but ah well a dollar had to be made I suppose.

Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land is also one of the better books I've read in recent years I wouldn't classify it as the utter love fest I have for Dune but a nice warm crush on his writings has developed because of that book.

As for TV Firefly is good for a giggle as is the new Dr Who even though I grew up on the old Doctors I just find myself liking David Tennant's interpretation of him. I've never been big on the lore of the series (and realised a few things have been adjusted) but it's an enjoyable watch none the less.
 

mGoLos

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Nov 7, 2007
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I'm a big fan of Richard K. Morgan. I highly recommmend Altered Carbon, Broken Angels and Woken Furies. Very gritty and violent stories about a killer, his business and the people who hire him.

There is movie in production entitled Altered Carbon:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altered_Carbon
 

Anarchemitis

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Dec 23, 2007
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If Watchmen or V for Vendetta could be considered Sci-Fi [Who says sci-fi is in the future?] then I'd say they were excellent. I also can't wait for the Watchmen [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/watchmen_film] movie coming out next year.
 

Anton P. Nym

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Sep 18, 2007
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Too many to list in full, though a lot of my favourites have been mentioned.

I'll add the Vorkosigan novels by Lois McMaster Bujold to the pile though. I've never seen charimsa put on the page so well, and the science-y stuff really affects the cultures in the series too.

-- Steve