3 minute read
PDBY reserves the right to retract a letter, comment
STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE
George Lucas
Advertisement
1977
THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY
Douglas Adams Steven Spielberg
1978 1982
The world is introduced to galaxies far far away for the first time. This first instalment follows the journey of Luke Skywalker who along with Han Solo and the wizened Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, attempt to free Rebellion leader Princess Leiafrom the clutches of the Galactic Empire and the Sithlord Darth Vader. The heroes, in league with the Rebel Aliiance, attempt to destroy the Empire’s planet-destroying space station, the Death Star.
Douglas Adams creates his radio science fiction comedy series that airs on BBC Radio 4. In 1979, the first novel with the same title is published.
This film introduces the world to a friendly extraterrestrial who finds itself trapped on earth.
The Duffer brothers create a science fiction horror series set in the fictional rural town of Hawkins, Indiana, during the early 1980s. The nearby Hawkins National Laboratory ostensibly performs scientific research for the United States Department of Energy, but secretly does experiments into the paranormal and supernatural, including those that involve human test subjects. Inadvertently, they have created a portal to an alternate dimenstion, “the Upside Down”.
2016
Inspired by older series such as The Twilight Zone, Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones create a dystopian science fiction series. Each Episode is a standalone episode that is usually set in an alternative presentor the near future, often with a dark and satirical tone, although some are more experimental and lighter.
The first instalment of the “Divergent” series makes its debut. The novel is set in a post-apocalyptic dystopianChicago. Citizens are organised by their social and personality-related affiliations into five different factions.
2011 2011
Ridley Scott
1982
A film that is later regarded as one of the best science fiction films of all time, makes its debut. It is loosely based on Philip K. Dick’snovel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, and is set in a dystopianfuture Los Angeles of 2019, in which synthetic humansknown as replicantsarebioengineered by the powerful Tyrell Corporation to work on off-world colonies. When a fugitive group of advanced replicants led by Roy Batty escapes back to Earth, burnt-out cop Rick Deckardreluctantly agrees to hunt them down.
Image: Marchall Potgieter
In this film about aliens, it is partially presented in a found footageformat by featuring fictional interviews, news footage, and video from surveillance cameras. The story begins in an alternate 1982, when an alien spaceship appears over Johannesburg, South Africa. When a population of sick and malnourished insectoid aliens are discovered on the ship, the South African government confines them to an internment camp called District 9.
2009
The first instalment of the “Terminator” film series hits the big screen.
Entertainment | 13
1984 THE TERMINATOR
James Cameron
THE HANDMAID’S TALE 1985
Margaret Atwood
Robert Zimecks and Bob Gale team up and introduce the world to Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett “Doc” Brown.
ENDER’S GAME
1985
1985
Orson Scott Card
A novel is published that depicts the collapse of an amusement parkshowcasing genetically re-created dinosaurs to illustrate the mathematical concept of chaos theory, and its real world implications. In 1993, the film is released and it becomes the highest grossing film ever at that point.
1985
Atwood’s awardwinning novel is published. It is later adapted into a film and then a television series.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
Robert Zemeckis
Card publishes a novel based off of a short story he wrote in 1977. Set at an unspecified date in Earth’s future, the novel presents an imperiled humankind after two conflicts with the Formics, an insectoid alien species.
JURASSIC PARK
Michael Crichton
THE MATRIX
Lilly and Lana Wachowski
1999
The Wachowskis debut the first instalment of the Matrix franchise.
An American adult animated science-fiction sitcomairs on Fox. It follows the adventures of slacker Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1000 years and is revived in the 31st century.
1999
FUTURAMA
Matt Groening
THE HUNGER GAMES
Suzanne Collins
2008
The first instalment of “The Hunger Games” trilogy and Katniss Everdeen’s story is published.
Pixar and Disney release a science fiction animated film of a deserted earth and robot love story.
2008
WALL-E
Pixar and Disney
UNDER THE DOME
Stephen King
James Dashner’s first instalment of “The Maze Runner” series is published.
2009
2009
Stephen King publishes his 48 th novel. It focusses on a invisible glass dome-like barrier that seemingly falls out of the sky, transforming the community into a domed city.
THE MAZE RUNNER
James Dashner
AVATAR
2009
This fiction, fantasy film is set in the mid-22nd century when humans are colonising Pandora, a lushhabitable moon, in order to mine the mineral unobtanium.
