Has Sci-fi died? I ask why, because it feels like there has been a distinct lack of Sci-fi in recent years, especially in the film industry, Star Wars aside. There was a time when we took Sci-fi films for granted and there were TV series aplenty. Just think back to the first Star Trek series, Lost In Space, Doctor Who (when he went to other worlds, now he just can't leave Cardiff). Personally, I yearn for some of that thinkig man's Sci-fi, not unlike A Space Odyssey: 2001, or the early Star Trek epsiodes, where, like Lost In Space, there was always a moral lesson to be learned.
In gerneral, the same applies to all films and British TV in particular, which is losing ground to US telly at a dramtic rate. Everyone knows that the basis for a good film or TV series lies in the script writing. If you get that right, then you've already laid the ground work. With a decent budget/actors, there isn't too much room for error once that script is secured. So, what can the problem be? Well, I could be wrong, but I think the source of the problem is ageism! Shock horror, what am I saying? Well, I'm saying, that they're allowing young guys to write scripts, who possess no real knowledge of Sci-fi history. Not only that, the script approvers haven't a scooby either, so the output is absolute trash.
The solution lies in going back to those books written in the 50's and 60's when Sci-fi writing was at it's zenith. Bring some of those works up to date, reflecting the changes that have happened since then, and you'll have yourself some tremendous film material. I know because I used to read some of those very books. There's a wealth of potential Sci-fi blockbusters gathering dust on old book shelves. I cite Ursula Le Guin's "Left-hand Path Of Darkness" and several of the works of Poul Andersen, (which are numerous) as examples. Come on, let's get the Sci-fi film industry back into full swing!
