American Science Fiction TV: Star Trek, Stargate and BeyondFrom "The Next Generation" and "The X-Files", to "Farscape" and "Enterprise", sci-fi television series in the US have multiplied since the 1980s. Jan Johnson-Smith shows how, in line with national political upheavals, this vibrant and perplexing genre set about expanding the myth of the Western frontier into deep space. She looks at the "sense of wonder" or sublime that infuses much Frontier art and science fiction, and traces a possible historical precedent to the genre in the fabulous and heroic journeys of the Classical epic. She discusses narrative styles and their influences, from the overarching narrative of "Babylon 5" to the episodic formula of "The Outer Limits", considers how experimental series such as "Twin Peaks" challenge conventional structures, and how and why sci-fi television has adopted new technologies. She also explores the juxtaposition of arcane language and technological jargon in modern American sci-fi television, revealing the extraordinarily alien, yet curiously familiar arena it creates. |
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Page 8
... demonstrate this continued interest, whilst Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess and Young Hercules are jovial reminders of its classical origins. However, the masks and costumes of latter-day American superheroes ...
... demonstrate this continued interest, whilst Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess and Young Hercules are jovial reminders of its classical origins. However, the masks and costumes of latter-day American superheroes ...
Page 9
... demonstrates. A trend noticeable in more recent Star Trek series is for aliens to be portrayed by actors from ethnic groups: the question of difference is therefore highlighted both internally and externally to the story. The question ...
... demonstrates. A trend noticeable in more recent Star Trek series is for aliens to be portrayed by actors from ethnic groups: the question of difference is therefore highlighted both internally and externally to the story. The question ...
Page 10
... demonstrates this continued interest; the finale of Voyager offers the clearest example of the desire to rewrite history, but it played fast and loose with temporal physics on many occasions. Seven Days and Odyssey 5 are both utterly ...
... demonstrates this continued interest; the finale of Voyager offers the clearest example of the desire to rewrite history, but it played fast and loose with temporal physics on many occasions. Seven Days and Odyssey 5 are both utterly ...
Page 16
... demonstrates, nor must it include spaceships and alien invaders as Prey (1998) proves – yet along with Earth: Final Conflict (1997–2002) and The War of the Worlds (1988–1990), these television series are unquestionably science fiction ...
... demonstrates, nor must it include spaceships and alien invaders as Prey (1998) proves – yet along with Earth: Final Conflict (1997–2002) and The War of the Worlds (1988–1990), these television series are unquestionably science fiction ...
Page 19
... demonstrating the communality between apparently disparate genres and removing a huge obstacle to progress within genre theory. CREATING WORLDS A more practical approach is to simply ask what it is that helps us identify a story as ...
... demonstrating the communality between apparently disparate genres and removing a huge obstacle to progress within genre theory. CREATING WORLDS A more practical approach is to simply ask what it is that helps us identify a story as ...
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