It might be time to think about how we use allegory in sci-fi…
This article comes fromDen of Geek UK.
And in its toolbox one of its most powerful tools is allegory.
Look atThe War Of The Worlds.
One of things that separates that book from its numerous adaptations and copycats is H.G.
Wells and the narrators steadfast refusal to cast any moral judgement against the Martians.
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And of course theresStar Trek, the flagship of science fiction allegory on TV.
InDeep Space Nine, one of my favorite episodes growing up was the episodeChimera.
And the actors who played Garak and Bashir had tried to play it as a romance.
line inX2(which Ive been informed is what were supposed to callX-Men 2).
Theres a very good look at that whole discussionhere.
At the same time, the film frequently drops the phrase Mutant, and proud!
The problems in both cases are two-fold.
Firstly, the problem is a storytelling one.
Marginalized groups dont have superpowers.
By definition they have less power than the groups marginalizing them.
Creating a register of people who follow the Muslim faith is a human rights atrocity.
The allegory doesnt bear examination.
But the second problem here is that these stories have a cargo-cult attitude to minority activism.
Which brings us back to our opening point.
But all of these situations are real things that happen and have happened to real people.
Chris Farnellhas written numerous sci-fi stories which are meant to be taken entirely literally and at face value.
you’re free to read some of them in his short story collection,Dirty Work.
Equally literal is his Omegle-based cyberpunk noir RPG,Silicon Bullets.
