What is your favorite type of sci-fi? For me since Ive always been interested in life in the universe/space exploration, anything regarding that. I love golden age sci-fi and reading what they thought we would do in space back in the 40s and 50s
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I absolutely loath the "I will explain everything about the world in incredible detail" sci-fi. The kind where they have an unique name for every new thing, and explain how the starship works down to a tiny level, and basically exist just to jerk off how super smart they think they are. And then the rest of the universe is filled with humans but with ridges! and spiders with more spikes! and worms but huge! and "the desert/forest/frozen planet!"
Because that's what type I like, the kind where the universe is actually filled with unique things that have their own biology and life cycles that clearly evolved on a fucking foreign planet instead of just clearly Earth with parts stapled on. And then something is done with that fact, instead of it just being worldbuilding.
Sadly, it seems to only exist in sci-fi horror works. The kind where all the sci-fi isn't a thinly veiled metaphor for the author's politics.
Any recommendations?
None that I can really think of right now sans Alien which I'm sure you've seen. It was more of a preference than something I regularly can get ahold of.
Larry Niven writes great aliens.
Niven and Pournelle co-wrote "The Mote in God's Eye"; the best first contact book ever. The aliens are very alien.
In Larry Niven's Known Space universe there are the Man-Kizin Wars.
There are very good reasons for most aliens having a compatible biology (I'll tell you if you like) and the Kizin are pretty great as an alien species. They have a lot more in common with panthers than they do with humans.
Dune?
That is what turned me off Dune in like the first 30 pages back in the day. I got into some scene with a "gomjabbar" and was just uninterested.
I won't paint it as bad on just that brief impression, but I absolutely hate it when stories are like that. Same with fantasy works that do the same thing.
Makes sense.
Dune is one of my favorite science fiction books--but only the first one.
Now I'm wondering when the trope of "ice planet" or "desert planet" or whatever started. Dune certainly really popularized the concept (and Star Wars really drove that home), but I would imagine it goes back to pulp fiction and the early days.
ChatGPT.... The concept of single biome planets, such as a "desert planet" or an "ice planet," has its roots in the early days of science fiction literature and has been a popular trope for many decades. This idea likely stems from the desire to create exotic and easily understandable settings for science fiction stories. Here's a brief overview of its development:
Early 20th Century: While it's difficult to pinpoint the exact origin, the concept of single biome planets was popularized in early 20th-century science fiction. Writers like Edgar Rice Burroughs, in his Barsoom series (starting with "A Princess of Mars" in 1912), depicted Mars as a predominantly desert-like world.
Golden Age of Science Fiction (1938-1946): During this era, authors like Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury began to explore and solidify many science fiction tropes, including unique planetary environments. Bradbury's "The Martian Chronicles" (1950) often depicted Mars as a desolate, arid landscape, reinforcing the desert planet trope.
Post-War Science Fiction: After World War II, there was a surge in science fiction literature, with writers increasingly exploring the possibilities of life and environments on other planets. This period saw the creation of many more vividly imagined single-biome worlds.
Modern Popularity: The most iconic example of a single biome planet is arguably the desert planet of Tatooine in George Lucas's "Star Wars" (1977). This and other similar portrayals in film and television helped cement the concept in popular culture.
Influence of Real Astronomy: As our understanding of exoplanets grew, especially with the advent of space telescopes like Kepler, the idea of planets with singular biomes became more plausible, further fueling the trope in recent science fiction.
In summary, while it's challenging to determine the exact moment when the concept of single biome planets started in science fiction, it's clear that it has been a prominent and evolving element of the genre since at least the early 20th century.
Probably a billion years ago when Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, Pluto, Uranus, etc. formed. Idk if you've ever looked at them but they don't exactly have diverse climates.
And aliens being just humans with prosthetics.
Just because Jabba reminds you of your mom doesn't make that statement true.
My mother was meth skinny, Checkmate Atheist.
Well you have to give old Star Trek a bit of a break, there. Making a weekly TV series in the 1960s or 1990s didn't exactly lend itself to big budget CGI aliens. Humans with prosthetics was the best you could expect to do.