this post was submitted on 22 Nov 2023
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Science Fiction

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Lemmy World Rules

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Which sci-fi titles (movies, books) do you consider comforting, cozy, something you come back to from time to time? For me, I guess it is The Matrix. Still holds up to this day, gets better with every re-watch, and gives me a sense of peace when I need it.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm at home in the chaotic universe of Douglas Adams.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I can see that. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy movie felt really comfy. I read the book, but it did not draw me in, for some reason. Any particular novel you like, other than obviously The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Try listening to the audiobooks narrated by the author himself. It's amazing IMO.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (9 children)
[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I don't know if I should upvote you for having it on your list or downvote you for not having watched it already...

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

But wasn't it cancelled? I'm not sure I want to watch something if the ending is missing.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The movie Serenity was made to provide an ending.

"I am a leaf on the wind; watch how I soar"
wipes away tears

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I didn't feel a lack of closure. It was still a few years before mass serialization of TV so episodes are largely self contained. There's a movie that came out afterwards that gives some answers to a few questions that weren't wrapped up.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Agree. For me the problem with it ending too soon is mostly that I liked it and wanted more , but it wasn’t really a single overarching story that needed an ending.

Contrast it with Babylon 5 where the overall story arc was everything

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ok, don't downvote, I watched the movie!

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah this is my answer as well.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

My wife and I have a Valentine's Day tradition of getting Chinese takeout and starting the series.

We have a child named after a character.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Stitch Hessian?
Badger?
Blue Gloves?
Mr. Universe?

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The Martian. Both the book and the movie

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Same author (Andy Weir), different book: "Project Hail Mary". Almost a spiritual successor to "The Martian" and gives you cozy feels AF.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Loved it it's much more "fantastic", ie mind inspiring. Also there's gonna be a movie!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I loved the book. Tried enjoying the movie three times, I think, then finally realized that the book is way better.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (3 children)

For me it's The Expanse.

And also pretty much anything by Philip K Dick.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Just finished Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. It's a fun and wholesome scifi story.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Great pick. I read that over the summer and found it both excellent and uplifting! It really showcases a shining example of humanity we should strive for

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Murderbot of course (Martha Wells), also The Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers. Also her novella To Be Taught, If Fortunate

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (5 children)

On the topic of The Matrix, I'm surprised by the number of people who think that Matrix 1 2 & 3 are the only Matrices. In my opinion, The Animatrix is better than both sequels combined, by a lot, and most people seem to have never heard of it. If you're a fan of The Matrix, watch The Animatrix!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I remember watching it back in the days. Some of the "parts" were a bit too weird (especially the animation) for my taste, but yeah, I enjoyed it overall.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Anything written by Becky Chambers is like a comfy blanket for your soul. She puts so much humanity and empathy in stories about aliens.

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Pretty much any of the Wayfarers books by Becky Chambers, not so much for familiarity or nostalgia but because that’s intentionally part of their vibe

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Thanks for the recommendation, haven't read it!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I've found myself rereading Old Man's War multiple times.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I have the audiobook of that one. For me it's Project Hail Mary.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Project Hail Mary definitely has a comfortably buddy feel to it

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The 1973 BBC Radio Dramatization of Asimov's Foundation. It's about eight hours long and the voice work is quite good. It's comfortable for me to listen to and come back to, very digestible. One complaint: I've yet to find a version that had properly equalized sound levels, so the comfortable listing volume for their speech throughout the work is suddenly jarringly loud when they switch to the machine-clacking "encyclopedia" segments that serve as segues between parts of the story. Other than that, I have no complaints: It's a fairly faithful adaptation of the original work, and does not suffer from the fatigue and dating many other works do (in my opinion, audio balancing notwithstanding).

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

My favorite all time movie is Interstellar but I wouldn’t call it comforting or cozy

I loved Orson Scott Card’s Ender and Alvin cycle

YSK Card had some problematic words regarding LGBT community at some point but made amend since. I read the books before hearing about that, and that’s something I wish I had known of. You might want to check his words before giving him your money.

I guess one cozy and comforting show would be some old stuff from my youth like Stargate SG1, X-Files or Sliders maybe? Something that I would put on a screen like an old friend and doing something else in the meantime.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

For me it's definitely a book that often doesn't get much love: Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. I read that book like ten times by now in both English and my mother tongue. Such a defining book for me since I first read it in my youth and it gave me a lot of food for thought regarding what it means to live a meaningful life. It is not really hardcore sci-fi after all but more a kind of coming-of-age novel that happens to take place in a sci-fi setting.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Do comics count? If so, Freefall. Philosophy, ethics, science, questioning what it truly means to be human, and all while never losing its sense of humor.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

The books Walkaway (Cory Doctorow) and Accelerando (Charles Stross) both give me nostalgia for a time when the future seemed like an exciting challenge instead of an unbearable one.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Certain episodes of Star Trek TNG are that way for me.

A lot of Futurama is this way as well.

I don't know how many times I've listened through the audiobook of Andy Weir's The Martian.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Inception (2010)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Here's some I consider cozy:

  • Asimov's R. Daniel Olivaw Trilogy starting with "The Caves of Steel" is downright cozy.
  • Nathan Lowell's "Quarter Share" and the other "Tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper".

And if you like to listen to books, "Quarter Share" is available as a podcast: https://chartable.com/podcasts/quarter-share/episodes

Edit: It varies by book, but many chapters of "The Vorkosigan Saga" are downright cozy.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I adore the book The 5th Gender but it's worth knowing in advance its also gay smut 😅

It's really sweet and romantic gay smut though 🥺 and to be fair the sci-fi and mystery elements are genuinely fantastic. At the beginning I was worried it was gonna be overly quirky, just ignore that part. Its endearing quirky, I swear.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Another one... Ell Donsaii series. It's light but nice to read and quite interesting in a science fiction kinda way

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Annihilation is my go to comfort movie. I've probably seen it thirty times.

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