What do YOU think about Science Fiction?

What do Freddie Mercury, Isaac Asimov, Robert Stack, William Shatner, Whoopi Goldberg, Jules Verne, Bea Arthur, Harrison Ford, Adam Baldwin, H.G. Wells, Bruce Willis, Casey Kasem, Orson Scott Card, John Travolta, Will Smith, Philip K. Dick, and Edward James Olmos have in common?

Other than being figures in the entertainment industry, most of you have probably picked up on it: they've all been a part of major science fiction stories in recent history. If you read that list and think "huh?" you're also not alone, not by a long shot.

Science Fiction is something that carries a certain stigma to it. Its mere mention evokes a quick response, usually one of the following:

"Eh, that's not my thing."
"Live long and prosper!"
"What? I'm not a nerd."
"There is no way Captain Picard is better than Captain Kirk. I will fight you."
"Let the Wookiee win."
"Sorry, too busy with 'Gossip Girl'."
"Nanu-nanu."
"I frakkin' LOVE sci-fi, man!"

...and the like. The varied responses come from cheesy, cliched, out-there stories from decades. Usually there's some aliens, outer space, robots, computers, spaceships, futuristic technology, made-up languages, hostile planets, ultimate weapons, and so on.

With science fiction, I think two problems arise: it's too "out there" for large audiences, and/or the stuff you see in it is something you've seen before. It's hard to take something like "Stargate" or "Babylon 5" when you've seen it done first, and better, with Star Trek (if you strongly disagree, then I appreciate your love for sci-fi!).

However, look at the following: Star Trek. Star Wars. Battlestar Galactica. Transformers. Firefly/Serenity. Chances are, at least one of them has caught your attention with smart stories that connect with you, in spite of (or because of) the new perspective the story offers through its sci-fi setting.

So the question is, what do you think? Can science fiction reach more than just fanboys, trekkies, and people who dress up like Princes Leia on their wedding day? If so, what makes sci-fi relatable to the average person?

The reason I ask is because I am trying to make The Forever Saga as relatable as possible; something character-driven and compelling on a human level, no matter how many giant robot battles there may be. My philosophy is, if it's done right, and done well, it doesn't matter what genre it is.

That said, what makes science fiction "good"?

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