Tag: Science Fiction
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Oh, that kiss! How ‘Star Trek’ voyaged into controversial social and political frontiers
Lt. Uhura and Captain Kirk (played by Nichelle Nichols and William Shatner) embrace in a controversial episode of “Star Trek.” (Courtesy of CBS Television Studios) Fifty years ago, “Star Trek” pushed the frontiers of technology with 23rd-century smartphones – also known as communicators – but the TV show pushed social and political frontiers as well. “While…
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‘Building Star Trek’ connects 50-year-old artifacts with 23rd-century technologies
A scaled-down model of the Starship Enterprise hangs from the ceiling at “Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds,” an exhibit at Seattle’s EMP Museum marking the 50th anniversary of the TV show’s premiere. (GeekWire photo by Kevin Lisota) The vision of the future that “Star Trek” laid out in 1966 may have been bright and shiny, but…
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Obama puts Neal Stephenson’s sci-fi tale ‘Seveneves’ on his summer reading list
“Seveneves” by Neal Stephenson. (Credit: William Morrow) Seattle science-fiction author Neal Stephenson’s tale about the moon’s destruction and what happens next, “Seveneves,” has won a place on President Barack Obama’s summer reading list. Obama, who’s beginning his summer vacation on Martha’s Vineyard, isn’t the only one who has put Stephenson’s 880-page novel on a short list. Microsoft…
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Video: ‘Star Trek’ shows its age – and agelessness – in EMP Museum’s 50th-anniversary exhibition
From several yards away, the bridge of the Starship Enterprise looks as if it was beamed down from the 23rd century into the “Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds” exhibition that opens Saturday at Seattle’s EMP Museum. But up close, you can tell it’s a 50-year-old movie prop, with rocker switches from the ’60s and bits of…
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‘Star Wars’ tech: Latest threat suggests the bad guys have perfected plasma physics
A detail from the poster of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” shows Starkiller Base. (Lucasfilm / Disney) Spoiler Alert! This post doesn’t reveal any major plot twists, but it does explore a significant element of the new movie. Stop reading now if you want it to remain a surprise. X-wing fighter technology hasn’t changed all that much…
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Can’t wait for ‘Star Wars’? The force is strong with ‘Childhood’s End’ and ‘The Expanse’ on TV
Like Han Solo, spaceship pilot Alex Kamal (played by Cas Anvar) has a complicated past in “The Expanse,” which has its TV premiere on Syfy tonight. (Photo by: Rafy/Syfy) While you’re waiting for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” to invade theaters this week, you can tune in a couple of other star wars on TV…
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Season’s readings: 12 gift books for geeks
NASA astronaut Michael Hopkins reads a book titled “Max Goes to the Space Station” in 2014 during a space station outreach activity called Story Time From Space. (Credit: NASA / STFS) In this age of e-readers, there are still occasions when it’s nice to have a book printed on actual paper – like holiday giving, for instance. But which book…
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Six small steps that could add up to giant leaps for spaceships
An artist’s conception shows a Magbeam station emitting a plasma beam to propel a target spacecraft beyond Jupiter. (Credit: UW Advanced Propulsion Lab) SPOKANE, Wash. — Is there a better way to power a spaceship? The basic tools of the rocket trade have been refined over the course of nearly nine decades, but there’s only so far…
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GeekWire goes to the movies: Here’s what we thought of Christopher Nolan’s epic space drama Interstellar
Matthew McConaughey is superb as Cooper in Interstellar. Images via IMDb. GeekWire was transported to other galaxies yesterday — wandering through worm holes on a quest to save the human race. Yes, we played hooky Wednesday afternoon and took in Christopher Nolan’s two hour and 49 minute epic space drama Interstellar, watching the action unfold…
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Interstellar: Dramatic awe, with a science-fiction flaw
Sure, Interstellar is smart spectacle. But is it good science fiction? In short: Interstellar tries hard. Maybe a little too hard. As a one-time writer of the form, I use a straightforward definition of “science fiction:” Fiction that extrapolates from current scientific knowledge to ask what-if, projected onto human beings and societies. Equally important, the…