ISIS beheadings kinda ruin militaristic sci-fi and fantasy

[desura]

Anyone else feel this way? The more I read about how awful ISIS is, or how awful Saudi Arabia is, the more difficult it is to enjoy sci-fi and fantasy. Why? Because the protagonists of sci-fi tend to be little rebels who are determined and they outwit the big lumbering empire. Look at how hard it is to prevent acts like the Paris attacks, how you have to flood the streets with police and go full-on big brother, and that is where we are. Add to that, most of these fantasy stories involve child soldiers. Well, just this week a ten year old child soldier was killed by the taliban.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

This is news to you? One mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter. You can change like 2 scenes in the Star Wars saga and make the Empire the good guys and the rebels the villains.

 

[Chiropteran]

Did the Rebel Alliance really blow up the Death Star, or was it all planned by Vader and the Emperor to drum up support for their war against the terrorists?

 

[dave_the_nerd]

It just depends on who the good guys are.

You get to decide who the good guys are.

Part of it, I suppose, it the USA's origins in rebellion - our cultural baggage reflects that, and glorifies it even as we fight other insurgencies.

 

[JamesV]

No.

The reason you read and enjoy science fiction and fantasy is because they are not related to real life.

George RR Hack bases his tripe off of soap operas, George (coincidence?) Lucas bases his films off literature, and so on... in my library it's listed as B&T; in other words NOT true fiction.

I could write a story where the antagonist did things modern terrorists do, but never the protagonist. Let's have a science experiment and have you do the opposite and try to sell it to publisher.

 

[Red Squirrel]

What's scary is what you see in movies/TV is often more tame than what actually happens in real life.

 

[Ruptga]

Wait so depictions of war and killing, especially when the targets are unsuspecting, are unpalatable but only because they resemble current events that you identify with? That's better than nothing, I guess.

I actually think that's one of the least of "militaristic sci fi and fantasy's" problems. Something isn't sci fi just because there are pew pew lasers involved; pew pew lasers are actually a really good clue that you're just watching another brainless action movie.

 

[Schmide]

Note to ISIS: Imagine how many nerds you could call on if you started dressing in skin tight silver suits.

 

[Sonikku]

Did the Rebel Alliance really blow up the Death Star, or was it all planned by Vader and the Emperor to drum up support for their war against the terrorists?

In Darth Vader#1 Palpatine comes down hard on vader for yavin in the aftermath of 4. It's canon.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Note to ISIS: Imagine how many nerds you could call on if you started dressing in skin tight silver suits.

I hear they wanted to start a space program, which probably would have involved really cool space suits. When they priced the cost of this and proposed it to the leader, lot of heads rolled.