A Minute's Glimpse of an Infinite Future (Rough Draft)

What used to be an idea jotted down on paper one day, may be reality the next. Technology is rapidly developing nowadays and so are the means of individual thinking. Humans have a tendency to visualize what may happen in the future. In that case, people are progressively adapting to a life where living seems impossible without technology, since majority of us are dependent on it. Science fiction lives to provide countless possibilities; its purpose – to educate.

In the world of science fiction, authors and writers alike, tend to base their conflicts on Man vs. Technology. Out of curiosity, mankind is likely to tamper with the forces of nature, thus bringing light to technological advances and possible consequences. Directed by Sam Raimi, Spider-Man 2, relates to this particular type of conflict, where man must face the result of a failed experiment. Aside from genetics and the chemical reaction in the DNA which gave Peter Parker his superhuman abilities, he encounters Octavius, who longs to complete his research of a reactor. With the neural inhibitor chip which prevented the advanced AI of the tentacle arms to take over the doctor’s mind was destroyed, he went berserk. The only way to end the dreadful reactor was to drown it and in place of Spider Man, Octavius risked his life, leading to the downfall of a brilliant mind.

A decent sci-fi normally has a storyline that makes sense and isn’t as misleading. That way the audience won’t get distracted and confused, leaving them to question themselves if it was worth their time. The main focus of a storyline/plot is to keep audiences on task and sci-fi simple and clean. Take the hit television series Heroes, versus its counterpart, The 4400. Both differ in storyline, even though they may seem similar because of the “gifts” obtained or possessed by the characters, making each series unique in their own way. Heroes has an optimistic feel to it, while The 4400 tends to be missing that certain characteristic. Based solely on opinion, people debate about which series is the most dominant, as far as their storyline. It’s up to the viewer to decide which is best in his or her point of view.

Characterization is also a key in good sci-fi. Portraying the character’s appearance, telling what the character says, displaying the character’s actions, revealing the character’s thoughts, and revealing what other characters think about that character are ways a writer brings a character to life. “Dark They Were, and Golden-Eyed”, by Ray Bradbury, is an excellent example of illustrating what characterization means. Mr. Bittering and his family had fled to Mars because of an atomic war taking place on Earth. Now stranded on Mars, Mr. Bittering plans to repair a rocket ship with a crew to get back home after the war has ended. Try as he might, Mr. Bittering was only ridiculed by his friends. As the story progresses, Mr. Bittering sought that the only way to get back to Earth was futile and the longer the Bitterings were there, the more they evolved into Martians living in the villas, without giving it a second thought. Being able to grasp the background of a protagonist or antagonist, or any character of that matter, audiences are more likely to be drawn and influenced.

Science fiction teaches us to keep an open mind of what to expect in the years to come. It enables us to apply the knowledge of what we have now to mold a better future with the help of advanced technology. That is the main goal scientists are aiming for and the reason why sci-fi exists in the first place. Though the improvement of mankind and society is necessarily "better", keep in mind that it could go both ways. Sci-fi is the bridge between what's real and what's not. A good technology and a storyline to back it up, as well as the understanding of each character says it all when predicting the possible outcomes of the not-too-distant future.