Well Sickies, we caught the sickness and couldn’t meet up this week. Fear not, we are going waaaaaay back to a time when it was Just Scott and Rage on a review of the Netflix film Spectral. Enjoy this blast from the past and we’ll see you next week. If you are curious, this was originally symptom 10, which aired on… wait, we weren’t even calling them symptoms yet? Holy Crap we’ve been doing this for that long!
Two weeks ago Scott and the Ragemaster discussed the best tech in science fiction history. Now it is time to bookend that with a discussion of the worst tech in science fiction history. The items that make this list are useless, misapplied, unrealistic or just plain stupid and cringe inducing. Some of the items are actually conceptually awesome, had the writers put just a little time into making look the least bit realistic or functional.
We also take time to crap on Captain Planet, because even though he is not science fiction he is technically a superhero, and the worst one ever.
It was supposed to be a simple show about reviewing future science fiction movie releases. That's how it started. Then, about 10 minutes into things, the Ragemaster began singing and gave us all a moment of awesomeness.
Aside from the Ragemaster's impromptu singing, we do discuss the major upcoming sci-fi movies set to appear on the silver screen in 2017, and to our surprise, there was a lot less "worst movie ever" than we thought.
Don't miss the Ragemaster remix at the end of the Symptom 13.
Hard science or soft science fiction. Interstellar or Star Wars? The Martian or Minority Report? Star Trek or 2001: A Space Odyssey? In some circles there is a fierce debate over this, among fans who want more science in their sci-fi. This week, Ragemaster and Scott discuss the differences between the two and the pros and cons of each. In the end, it doesn't matter if the tale is grounded in real science or overloaded with transporters and faster than light travel, what matters is if there is a compelling story that explores the human condition and entertains you. If story manages to do those things its good science fiction, regardless of how accurate or inaccurate the science is.
We have discussed that the place to go for quality science fiction that doesn't cater to the lowest common denominator are streaming sites like Netflix or Hulu. Spectral, a Netflix original film, is a prime of example of good, not great, entertaining science fiction. Spectral is an enjoyable, action packed, fast paced sci-fi romp, with a little bit of subtle examination of the human condition included. This week's episode of Sci-Fi Malady discusses Spectral and why we feel it is a cut above the films coming out of major Hollywood studios at this time. We also take a shot at JJ Abrams, because of course we do, he sucks.
It is another Isolation Unit episode as due to scheduling we could not the entire crew together. Grab your towel, it is time to discuss The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. This episode discusses the questions, is the reality we perceive the true reality, what is the meaning of life, the purpose of existence, and once again, is being happy the real goal of existence.
Mix up a pan galactic gargle blaster and settle in for a discussion of Douglas Adams' classic Sci-Fi satire, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Don't Panic - The answer is always 42.
It is very possible that in the distant future science will figure out how to create a virtual world that looks, sounds, smells and feels like reality, in essence, The Matrix. Some current scientists and theorist believe that human memory is so similar to computer memory, that is a matter of time before your brain can be uploaded in a computer virtual reality construct, allowing one to live eternally in a digital world.
This week the Sci-Fi Malady crew discusses the Black Mirror Episode San Junipero, a virtual world where the dead have uploaded their consciousness and the terminally ill visit weekly for five hours. We discuss first how in our opinion, this is an amazingly well written piece of science fiction and we wish there was more stories like this, and secondly, the moral and ethical implications of San Junipero.
Is a virtual world real? What if you could experience love in that artificial world? Can you actually upload yourself into a computer, or would that just become an algorithm running as an independent program in a greater program? Are "you" really just your neural pathways and synapses, or is there that as of yet unidentified soul that gives us spark of life, a thing that can't be transferred into a computer?
It's the first Sci-Fi Malady Isolation Unit episode. What does that mean? It means its just Scott because we were unable to get the crew together to record this week. Me being a trekkie, I decided to discuss a theme from TOS, (The Original Series) that a society that does not have conflict or struggle is a flawed, non growing society, even if it is perfectly happy, crime, poverty and disease free. It is by facing difficulty and striving to overcome it that individuals and humanity as a whole, improve, not by being happy or healthy. While being happy and healthy are important and everyones end goal, it is only by overcoming obstacles that we improve.
1/19/17 Edit - The original upload had an editing error which had 30 seconds of dead air. I corrected that with today's upload.
This week the Sci-Malady crew was a little shorthanded, but The Ragemaster and Scott discussed a science fiction cult classic, Firefly. Spoilers, we love Firefly and had nothing negative to say about it. It is simply one of the greats in the pantheon of science fiction franchises. In this week's episode we discuss why Firefly was so great, artistically, as well as why the show was ultimately cancelled. We wrap with a what if discussion about whether Firefly should or should not return for a postscript on Netflix.