# Sci-Fi — Genre

> Science fiction. Speculative scenarios based on (or extrapolated from) science and technology.

## Defining elements

- Speculative premise (technology, future, alien, science)
- "What if..." structure
- World-building
- Often examines humanity through other lens
- Idea-driven (alongside character)

## Sub-genres

| Sub-genre | Example | Focus |
|-----------|---------|-------|
| Hard sci-fi | Interstellar, Arrival | Plausible science |
| Space opera | Star Wars | Galactic adventure |
| Cyberpunk | Blade Runner | Tech dystopia |
| Dystopian | 1984, Children of Men | Bad future |
| Utopian | (rare) Star Trek | Good future |
| Time travel | Looper, Tenet | Temporal manipulation |
| First contact | Arrival, Contact | Alien encounter |
| AI / Robot | Ex Machina, A.I. | Artificial intelligence |
| Post-apocalyptic | Mad Max, The Road | After collapse |
| Climate fiction | The Day After Tomorrow | Environmental |
| Bio sci-fi | Annihilation | Biological |
| Mind / consciousness | Inception | Internal worlds |

## Structural conventions

### World-building introduction
- Explain rules of world early
- Show, don't tell
- Specific details
- Internal consistency

### Concept exploration
- "What if X were true?"
- Implications followed
- Logic consistent

### Character through concept
- Characters affected by world's rules
- Personal story within concept
- Don't lose human stakes

### Twists from concept
- Reveals based on world rules
- Audience figures it out (or doesn't)
- Earned, not arbitrary

## Voice / Style

### Visual
- Production design crucial
- Practical + VFX
- Production design = character
- Lighting often stylized

### Sound
- Scoring often electronic
- Sound design for tech
- Silence in space (or not)

### Dialogue
- Some exposition needed
- Avoid info-dumps
- Specialized vocabulary
- Logic clear

## Sci-fi mechanics

### Speculative premise
"What if AI became sentient?"
"What if aliens contacted us?"
"What if we could time travel?"
"What if humanity lived on Mars?"

Premise drives story.

### Internal logic
- Rules established
- Followed consistently
- Violations undermine
- "Hard" sci-fi: real science basis

### Implications followed
- One premise → many consequences
- Explore ramifications
- Don't shy from dark implications

### Hope / Warning
- Sci-fi often warns of futures to avoid
- Or imagines futures to aspire
- Has POV on humanity

## Sample sci-fi scene

```
INT. MARS HABITAT - DAY (SOLAR DAY 487)

NIGAR (38), botanist, examines the seedling under a grow light.
She wears a casual jumpsuit. Three other crew members visible
through the corridor window.

The plant is growing. First successful one.

Her wrist communicator beeps. ELDAR (35), commander, voice:

ELDAR (over comms)
Earth's response just came in.

NIGAR
And?

Long pause.

ELDAR
They're not coming.

She looks at the plant. Touches the leaf.

NIGAR
Define 'not coming.'

ELDAR
Funding cut. Resupply mission cancelled. We're on our own.

She doesn't respond. The plant stretches toward the artificial sun.

NIGAR (V.O.)
Our food supply lasts 312 days. We have 6 crew members. The math
doesn't work.

She looks up at the others through the window. They don't know yet.

NIGAR
... I'll be right there.

She turns off the grow light. The plant dims into shadow.

FADE OUT.
```

This works through:
- Specific world rules (Sol 487, comms, crew size)
- Personal scale + cosmic stakes
- Dialogue exposition without info-dump
- Visual metaphor (plant + their situation)

## Common mistakes

- Info-dump dialogue
- World-building over story
- Inconsistent logic
- Generic dystopia
- Forgetting human stakes
- Tech without consequence
- Over-explanation (mystery is good)

## Best sci-fi films reference

- 2001: A Space Odyssey (philosophical)
- Blade Runner / 2049 (cyberpunk)
- Arrival (linguistic, hopeful)
- Children of Men (dystopian, technical)
- Annihilation (biological, surreal)
- Ex Machina (AI, intimate)
- Interstellar (hard sci-fi epic)
- Her (near-future intimate)
- The Matrix (action sci-fi)
- District 9 (allegorical)

## When to write sci-fi

- Philosophical "what if" question
- Examining humanity through lens
- Spectacle + ideas
- Festival or studio (both work)
- Streaming friendly (huge sci-fi audiences)
- Visual ambition

## Production realities

Sci-fi can be:
- Low budget (Primer, Coherence)
- Mid budget (Ex Machina, Annihilation)
- High budget (Interstellar, Dune)

Concept doesn't require huge budget if smart.

## Combination with other genres

- Sci-fi + Drama (Arrival, Her)
- Sci-fi + Thriller (Ex Machina)
- Sci-fi + Action (Edge of Tomorrow)
- Sci-fi + Horror (Alien)
- Sci-fi + Comedy (Galaxy Quest)
- Sci-fi + Romance (Eternal Sunshine)
