Fox's ad-supported SVOD service is teaming up with writers' resource the Black List on the "To Be Commissioned" initiative.

The ability to jump forward and backwards in time has long fascinated science fiction writers and physicists alike. So is it really possible to travel into the past and the future?

3 Body Problem, the upcoming Netflix sci-fi epic from the creators of Game of Thrones and The Terror: Infamy, has been pushed back to March 2024.

The success of the anthology series has led to a string of lesser copycat shows and films in a genre that needs to look beyond. If this sounds to you like the premise of a Black Mirror episode, you would be correct. That’s loosely the synopsis of Hang the DJ, the fourth installment of the British futurist anthology series’ fourth season, released on Netflix in late 2017. It’s also the basic summary of Fingernails, a new Apple TV+ film released this month and the latest in a string of underbaked yet overdone emulations of the show which presaged the future with varying levels of clarity.

The two productions have their differences – in the episode, Black Mirror’s Amy (Georgina Campbell) and Frank (Joe Cole) choose to be together despite a negative test result, only to discover that they’re in a simulation of outcomes for a real couple with a 99% chance of compatibility. In the movie, no computer glitch can save Anna (Jessie Buckley) from a stagnant relationship with her test-confirmed boyfriend Ryan (Jeremy Allen White) or her test-confounding attraction to her co-worker Amir (Riz Ahmed). Fingernails, written and directed by the Greek film-maker Christos Nikou, is starrier, more expensive, more clearly aiming for prestige sci-fi.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is regarded as one of the best, if not the best, Star Trek movie of all, but Star Trek Generations and Star Trek: First Contact co-writer Ronald D. Moore also points out the "bad way" Star Trek II impacted the movie franchise. Ricardo Montalbán played the titular, genetically engineered villain, and his menacing, scenery-chewing performance set the gold standard for every Star Trek movie villain to follow. But as Moore assesses, Khan became a double-edged sword for the Star Trek movies.

In the oral history "The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek" by Peter Holmstrom, Ronald D. Moore hailed Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan as "a classic" and "a fan's dream" that "works on every level." However, Moore also describes the negative impact Wrath of Khan made on every Star Trek movie that followed, as Paramount continually demanded that each film had a villain like Khan. Read his quote below:

It's the one that's referenced over and over again. In some ways, in a bad way. Because I could easily make the argument that what Wrath of Khan did was it permanently sent every Star Trek film down the same path. They all then, with the exception of IV, went, "We need a villain like Khan." I can't tell you how many times I heard that. "We need a Khan. Who's the Khan in this movie?" It all became about emulating that story.

The Silo comparison isn’t unearned: Beacon 23 is based on a short story collection by Hugh Howey, who wrote the source material for Silo. The series follows a space lighthouse (Howey really has a thing for cylindrical buildings) and the various keepers who have lived there over the years. The first episode focuses on government agent Aster (Lena Headey) and Halan (Stephan James), and their storyline weaves in and out of those who came before, building to a huge secret that’s just as fascinating as it is a classic sci-fi trope.

Because of the short-story source material, Beacon 23 is able to use a non-linear, episodic structure that almost echoes single-set anthology shows like Room 104. Showrunner Zak Penn, best known for writing early drafts of a bunch of MCU movies including The Avengers, uses the structure of the show to his advantage: with every episode centered in the eponymous Beacon, the relatively low budget is expertly hidden.

Science fiction novels and movies are packed with far-out ideas, most often as the springboard for an action-packed adventure rather than a serious attempt to predict future trends in science or technology. Some of the most common tropes, such as accelerating a spacecraft to fantastic speeds in a matter of seconds without crushing the occupants , are just plain impossible according to the laws of physics as we understand them. Yet those very same laws appear to permit other seemingly far-fetched sci-fi concepts, from wormholes to parallel universes. Here's a rundown of some of the sci-fi ideas that could really be done — in theory, at least.

After Avengers: Endgame, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has never been the same, and there are some aspects of the movie that explain how it broke the universe. The latest of Marvel Studios' Avengers movies, 2019's Avengers: Endgame, is the biggest superhero movie of all time. The MCU was at the height of its popularity during Phase 3, so when it came time to end the Infinity Saga, Marvel had to deliver, and the studio did so in spades. Avengers: Endgame was the perfect finale to the Infinity Saga, superbly wrapping up the more than 10 years of storytelling the MCU had set up to that point.

Following Avengers: Endgame's ending, the MCU had to radically change. Marvel Studios was able to release more projects in Phase 4 than it had ever done before — Phase 4 had a mind-blowing 18 projects over just two years, almost matching the Infinity Saga's 23 movies in an 11-year span — thanks to Disney+. While the addition of TV series and other formats to the MCU allowed Marvel to introduce more characters and give supporting heroes their time to shine, which movies would not have allowed, there was a clear quality drop from Avengers: Endgame to Phase 4's movies and series. Sadly, Avengers: Endgame contributed directly to the MCU's recent disarray.

The rebels were the original good guys of the Star Wars franchise who saved the galaxy from the evil Empire, but there are still things about the Rebellion that make no sense. Some flaws with the Rebel Alliance were always apparent from the start of the original trilogy, while other problems arose through subsequent sequels and prequels. The Star Wars movies and TV shows fleshed out the history of the Rebellion while telling new stories of their fight against tyranny, but this also created questions that haven't always been answered.

These issues may take some viewers out of the experience when revisiting the original Star Wars movies. The problems with the Rebellion also set up similar problems for the Resistance in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, which drew heavily from the rebels fighting against the Empire. Some plot holes can be explained or justified as crucial parts of a story, but there are still 10 things about the Rebellion that make no sense in Star Wars.

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New Star Wars Movies: Every Upcoming Movie & Release Date

10
How Are The Rebellion So Well Organized?
Cassian Andor In Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Cassian Andor and the rebel base on Yavin 4.
The Rebel Alliance was fairly well-organized once the various factions came together, but this is confusing because of how they are presented across the Star Wars franchise. They were scattered after A New Hope, were defeated in The Empire Strikes Back, and were engaging the Empire across the galaxy in Return of the Jedi. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story showed how divided the Rebel Council was even before the start of the Galactic Civil War, with several members abandoning the cause. With so much internal chaos combined with the Empire's relentless hunt, it's hard to believe the rebels could remain so well-organized.

9
How Did The Rebels Suddenly Build Such A Massive Fleet After ANH?
The Rebellion Regroups In The Empire Strikes Back
C-3PO, R2-D2, Luke Skywalker, and Leia Organa looking into space in The Empire Strikes Back.
After the collapse of the Rebel Council, the devastation of the Battle of Scarif, and the losses at the Battle of Yavin, the Rebellion's resources were dwindling at the end of A New Hope. However, The Empire Strikes Back showed that they had amassed an impressive fleet on Hoth, and Mon Mothma implied they had additional forces across the galaxy beyond what was seen at the Battle of Endor. It's never directly explained how the Rebellion compensated for these losses or developed an armada to match the Imperial fleet in battle. Many worlds would join the Rebellion after the Death Star's destruction, but just as many would be terrified.

8
Why Did The Rebels Not Check The Falcon For Trackers?
The Millennium Falcon
Millennium Falcon from Star Wars
Princess Leia Organa may have been a great rebel leader, but she showed poor judgment regarding the Death Star plans. She knew the Empire let them escape to track them, yet she still went straight to the rebel base instead of meeting with another ship. The rebels then failed to check the Millennium Falcon for trackers, which would have confirmed Leia's suspicions and allowed them to remove it immediately. It seems reasonable that the Rebellion would be more cautious after keeping their base a secret for so long.

The novelization of Star Wars: The Force Awakens by Alan Dean Foster hinted that this same tracker allowed the First Order to find the Falcon 34 years later.

7
Why Would Every Rebel Faction Rally Behind Restoring The Republic?
Saw Gerrera Questioned Mon Mothma's Goals In Andor
Saw Gerrera and Star Wars Rebel Alliance in Andor
The Rebellion's full title was the Alliance to Restore the Republic, but this approach had a glaring issue. The Empire came to power because the Old Republic was so corrupt, and half the galaxy hated the Republic during the Clone Wars. Saw Gerrera observed this problem in Andor season 1, calling out neo-Republicans like Maya Pei and former Separatists like Anto Kreegyr for trying to bring back the systems that caused the war in the first place. Perhaps the galaxy was willing to rally behind anything that opposed the Empire, but Mon Mothma could have gained more support by proposing a new government altogether.

In the Star Wars Legends continuity, the New Republic was eventually replaced by the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances (a reference to "Galaxy Far, Far Away").

6
How Did The Rebels Not Learn About The Death Star Sooner?
Cassian Andor Learned About The Death Star First In Rogue One
Andor's Death Star and Cassian Andor.
The Rebellion did not learn about the Death Star until shortly before it was unleashed on the galaxy, but they should have uncovered its existence long before that. All it took was one Imperial pilot to defect and a rebel informant to tell Cassian Andor what the Empire was building for the Rebellion to take action. This was Galen Erso's attempt to sabotage the project and save the Alliance, but it was unclear why he waited until the station was near completion. Not to mention that hiding the construction of a weapon the size of a moon would be nearly impossible to keep secret.

5
The Rebels Should Have Had A Better Strategy For The Death Star Plans
Princess Leia Gives The Death Star Plans To R2-D2 In A New Hope
Leia giving R2D2 the Death Star Plans in Star Wars
Even before Leia led the Empire straight to the rebel base, she brought them to Tatooine as well. Rather than having another ship take the plans while she served as a distraction or waiting until she had escaped to find Obi-Wan Kenobi, she combined her two missions and comprised both. Leia was captured 10 minutes after the Battle of Scarif, and she had to send the plans down to the planet with R2-D2, nearly exposing Obi-Wan in the process. After all the trouble the rebels went to acquiring the Death Star plans, they should have planned a proper escape.

4
The Battle of Scarif Was Not The Rebels' "First Victory"
A New Hope Opening Crawl
Star Wars A New Hope Opening Crawl
The opening crawl of A New Hope claimed that the rebels stealing the Death Star plans was "their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire.", but the other movies and TV shows contradict this statement. Star Wars Rebels saw the rebels score numerous victories against the Empire, even if they were small or temporary ones. The number of rebel factions in Rogue One and the Empire's concern in A New Hope leads to the natural conclusion that the rebels must have had enough significant victories to be a problem. The "first victory" could have meant the first victory of the official Galactic Civil War, but either way, it is confusing.

3
The Rebels Should Have Evacuated Yavin 4 Immediately After The Death Star Battle
Award Ceremony On Yavin 4 In A New Hope

The award ceremony at the end of A New Hope is one of the greatest movie endings of all time, but this doesn't change that the rebels were wasting precious time. Luke Skywalker had just destroyed the Empire's ultimate weapon, and the rebels lost multiple squadrons, meaning they should have evacuated immediately. The rebels started evacuating Echo Base on Hoth when they suspected the Empire knew where they were, yet they took time for a celebration in A New Hope. The Empire could have sent its fleet straight to Yavin 4 to take revenge, much as the First Order did in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

2
Why Did The Rebel Ships Fly Toward The Star Destroyers While Fleeing Hoth?
A Rebel Transport Flees Hoth In The Empire Strikes Back
A Rebel Alliance transport flees Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back.
Despite the urgency of the rebel evacuation on Hoth, it seems odd that they flew directly toward the Star Destroyers in orbit. They may have had an ion canon that could short out a ship's systems, but the rebel transports could have exited the planet where the Empire had no Star Destroyers. The best explanation is that the Imperials were blocking the only safe hyperspace route out of the system, but Luke and at least one rebel transport seemed to have an easier time escaping. It may have been safer for the rebels to fly away from the Star Destroyers while taking the time to plot an alternate hyperspace jump.

1
Mon Mothma Was A Bad Leader
Mon Mothma In Return Of The Jedi
Star Wars Rebels steal second Death Star plans how bothans
Mon Mothma was a woman of uncompromising moral conviction and was instrumental in forming the Rebel Alliance, but she often failed as a military leader. She refused to exert authority over members of the Rebel Council, causing them to go behind her back or refuse to listen. Her unwillingness to act also led to Admiral Raddus taking the initiative and drawing the Alliance into the Battle of Scarif. Mon Mothma carried these problems into her role as Chancellor of the New Republic, relinquishing too much executive authority and letting career politicians like Senator Hamato Xiono walk all over her.

However, it is understandable why Mon Mothma limited herself in this way. She formed the Rebel Alliance as a last resort and knew she risked becoming like Palpatine by relying too much on his methods. Rather than grabbing power for herself, she trusted the Rebellion and the New Republic with the freedom they had fought for. Unfortunately, this made her unequipped from a military standpoint, and her policies allowed the New Republic to ignore the threat of the Imperial Remnant and the First Order. Mon Mothma's contributions to the galaxy were undeniable, but she is still one of many things that make no sense about the Rebellion in Star Wars.

With direction by Toshio Kawaguchi (an accomplished journeyman in the industry if there ever was one, with credits that run from Akira to Studio Ghibli to Neon Genesis Evangelion), Pluto tells the story of a robot detective named Gesicht and the wave of murders of robots and humans that he’s tasked with investigating. Gesicht’s work leads him to discern that a killer is targeting both the most advanced robots in the world and the people involved with supporting International Robot Laws. However, whatever might seem clear cut in the beginning reveal themselves to be forces beyond the protagonist’s comprehension.

Pluto is littered with homages and nods — one can find bits not only from Astro Boy but the works of Isaac Asimov and Philip K. Dick and even Pinnochio and Silence of the Lambs. Its emotional cohesion renders it to be much more than an onslaught of ideas, though. At the forefront is the role of robots in the world and the ethics involved in their treatment, but it’s all wrapped up in a much wider concern about what it truly means to be conscious and if the pre-conceived barriers between humans and robots are even there at all. And in an age where arguments about artificial intelligence and the differences of algorithmic service and actual creation are ongoing, Pluto feels more than a little prescient.

facepalm Fans in the U.S. will need to also have Max and BritBox subscriptions if they want access to the entire series.

George Lucas and the release of Star Wars in the 1970s unintentionally set a precedent for how almost every single piece of sci-fi media would depict space combat. Small spaceships fighting each other above in the atmosphere is synonymous with the genre, but does the science support this World War II style of dog-fighting in SPACE?

Fox seemingly hated Futurama and loaded the creative team with production notes, so the creators opted for a bit of malicious compliance.

Giant robots — often called "mechs" by science-fiction fans — are usually involved with stories about world-changing battles. Movies such as Pacific Rim, anime like Voltron and Robotech, games like Battletech, even Mechagodzilla and Marvel’s Hulkbuster suit — they’re all about sheer power, be it heroic or terrifying or both.

The new Kickstarter project Travailiant Rising, which will turn a mech short story into a comic book series, is about something a little different: PTSD and anger management. (And, of course, awesome giant robots smashing a post-apocalyptic urban landscape.)

Accomplished sci-fi/fantasy author Kevin J. Anderson is known for many properties, including Dune and Star Wars novels as well as his own titles, such as the steampunk Clockwork Angels and the comedy-noir Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I. series). He was approached some years back to participate in a giant-robot anthology called Mech: Age of Steel.

Let’s not dwell on it. Superhero movies have been on a downward trajectory for some time. Recent efforts, like Shazam: Fury Of The Gods and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, have looked tired and ragged round the edges, the fatigue spread to audiences and the result was plain to see at the box office. Take a look at the formulaic poster for DC’s Blue Beetle, and you’d think yet more of the same was on its way. You’re in for a pleasant surprise.

Teenager Jaime Reyes (Cobra Kai’s Xolo Mariduena) returns to Palmera City after graduating from college, but it’s not as he remembers it. At home, his dad’s health is failing and the family are facing eviction while, under the domination of an ambitious multi-national corporation, the city has lost its way. Then an ancient relic called the Scarab falls into his hands and chooses him as its host – whether he likes it or not. Its powers are such that it can cover him with a high-tech suit of armour, turning him into a superhero, but that company desperately needs the Scarab to develop a new law-enforcement robot. So Jaime has to protect it, using any and every means at his disposal.

So far this year I have watched Metropolis and Zardoz for the first time. What are some other must see SciFi movies?

Most Scifi fans I have ran into can pretty quickly rank the four stars –BattleSTAR Galactica, STAR Trek, STARgate, and STAR wars, but what lesser-known or less-prestigious shows hold a special place in your heart?

No, Firefly doesn't count as lesser-known.

It's a slightly click-baity title, but as we're still generating more content for our magazines, this one included, why not?

My Sci-fi unpopular opinion is that 2001: A Space Odyssey is nothing but pretentious, LSD fueled nonsense. I've tried watching it multiple times and each time I have absolutely no patience for the pointless little scenes which contain little to no depth or meaningful plot, all coalescing towards that 15 minute "journey" through space and series of hallucinations or whatever that are supposed to be deep, shake you to your foundations, and make you re-think the whole human condition.

But it doesn't. Because it's just pretentious, LSD fueled nonsense. Planet of the Apes was released in the same year and is, on every level, a better Sci-fi movie. It offers mystery, a consistent and engaging plot, relatable characters you actually care about, and asks a lot more questions about the world and our place in it.

It insists upon itself, Lois.