Are people born with a love of space adventure?

[CmdrShep2154]

I was never interested in anything sci fi or set in space until I finally played "Mass Effect" after a friend recommended it to me. Shortly after finishing the trilogy I devoured shows like "Babylon 5", "Battlestar Galactica", "Farscape", "Firefly", and now "The Expanse". Around this time I first discovered the movie "The Fifth Element".


Are people born with a love of space adventure or can one good work of a genre make a person a fan? Are there some deeper psychological factors at play here? For some reason I associate space opera particularly the ones with aliens and lasers with the 1990s and for me who was a child growing up in the 90s I consider the decade to be one of happiness and optimism.

 

[Looney]

I was never interested in anything sci fi or set in space until I finally played "Mass Effect" after a friend recommended it to me. Shortly after finishing the trilogy I devoured shows like "Babylon 5", "Battlestar Galactica", "Farscape", "Firefly", and now "The Expanse". Around this time I first discovered the movie "The Fifth Element".


Are people born with a love of space adventure or can one good work of a genre make a person a fan? Are there some deeper psychological factors at play here? For some reason I associate space opera particularly the ones with aliens and lasers with the 1990s and for me who was a child growing up in the 90s I consider the decade to be one of happiness and optimism.

Hmmmmm, interesting idea. I myself remember always loving Science Fiction since I was a child in the 80s, but I don't think I really got obsessed until B5. I think that there is a certain psychological aspect to it because I know MANY people who can't get into Science Fiction simply because they refuse to try to wrap their heads around it. In that regard I would have to say that born with it or conditioned with it there seems to be some sort of type of imagination and thinking involved that some have and some don't or some refused to try to use.

 

[EnochTheProphet]

I would agree with Looney, many people refuse to try and understand science fiction. However, when it comes to many shows like Breaking Bad or Mr. Robot, I would argue they show their Sci-Fi influence on their sleeve. Many people are more accepting of those shows because it's set in the modern era, something that is more tangible to viewers than spaceships. Yet it was many Sci-Fi shows that came before who set the precedent for what a 40+ minute drama could be. Even Bryan Cranston's earliest roles were on B5 albeit for one episode.



I didn't truly understand or appreciate sci-fi until I got older. Maybe because my brother would watch the cheesiest stuff available on the Sci-Fi (now SyFy lol) network. Obviously all the space stuff is just a guise for the real meat of what makes sci-fi so good. It's able to tackle issues that we face while still being a part of its own world. I didn't understand that until much later in my life. I think it's truly an acquired taste because there's a lot of bad sci-fi material out there as well.

 

[Looney]

I would agree with Looney, many people refuse to try and understand science fiction. However, when it comes to many shows like Breaking Bad or Mr. Robot, I would argue they show their Sci-Fi influence on their sleeve. Many people are more accepting of those shows because it's set in the modern era, something that is more tangible to viewers than spaceships. Yet it was many Sci-Fi shows that came before who set the precedent for what a 40+ minute drama could be. Even Bryan Cranston's earliest roles were on B5 albeit for one episode.

I didn't truly understand or appreciate sci-fi until I got older. Maybe because my brother would watch the cheesiest stuff available on the Sci-Fi (now SyFy lol) network. Obviously all the space stuff is just a guise for the real meat of what makes sci-fi so good. It's able to tackle issues that we face while still being a part of its own world. I didn't understand that until much later in my life. I think it's truly an acquired taste because there's a lot of bad sci-fi material out there as well.

You know I've often thought one plus of immortality would be seeing which SciFi story came closest to getting it right. But in all seriousness with regard to the context of Science Fiction exploring issues we deal with today I certainly hope by the time any of those possible futures become a reality that we've moved passed so many of those issues. Doubtful because most of the stories just deal with human nature, desire, greed, selfishness, and so on, but one can dream................

 

[Jan]

But in all seriousness with regard to the context of Science Fiction exploring issues we deal with today I certainly hope by the time any of those possible futures become a reality that we've moved passed so many of those issues. Doubtful because most of the stories just deal with human nature, desire, greed, selfishness, and so on, but one can dream................

Ever read John Brunner? Talk about having your fiction come to life! Ouch.

 

[RW7427]

I think people are born with a sense of adventure in the unknown......whether that be outer space, or below the sea, or in the make believe. I was always fascinated with epic fantasy, and since it is commonly grouped with science fiction, I developed an interest in that as well. I have always enjoyed using my imagination to travel to far away places, and escape reality.....even for a little while reading a book or watching a movie. Adventure in the unknown is exciting and daring and it gives us an outlet for our imaginations.

 

[puzzle]

I wouldn't think anyone can be born with a taste for some form of art... at most a slight predisposition, maybe...

...I guess that much depends on what a person finds. If they read or watch poorly done sci-fi, or go looking for something entirely different, it may disappoint them and they'll prefer other genres...

...if they stumble on something bright and shiny, find their sense of wonder provoked or their understanding expanded by speculation about the possible... maybe they'll want more?

 

[deaded]

Ever read John Brunner? Talk about having your fiction come to life! Ouch.

Ever read Philip K Dick? This guy was on to something.

 

[Looney]

Ever read John Brunner? Talk about having your fiction come to life! Ouch.

Ever read Philip K Dick? This guy was on to something.

Just so there is no confusion, this.......

Ever read John Brunner? Talk about having your fiction come to life! Ouch.

.....was Jan's quote after she quoted me. Just a little technical glitch that I had to clarify so people don't think I know John Brunner or what this reading thing you speak of is. .............

(I might have mentioned this before) Speaking of Philip K. Dick I did finally read DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP? I was GREATLY disappointed, but I can see how it was ground breaking for its time. I now know a concrete example of a film being more interesting than the book it is based on. My biggest issue with the book was when Deckard was taken into the Police Station. It was just too far from believable that it could have happened and then Deckard's reaction to it was weird. ..... And that is why I have sworn off books and that reading thing forever.

 

[Springer]

(I might have mentioned this before) Speaking of Philip K. Dick I did finally read DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP? I was GREATLY disappointed, but I can see how it was ground breaking for its time. I now know a concrete example of a film being more interesting than the book it is based on. My biggest issue with the book was when Deckard was taken into the Police Station. It was just too far from believable that it could have happened and then Deckard's reaction to it was weird. ..... And that is why I have sworn off books and that reading thing forever.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep is the only Philip K. Dick book I've read (so far) - I was surprised by how normal it was, given his reputation for substance-enhanced storytelling! I liked it well enough, Dick's prose is very slick, I remember it felt a lot more low-key than the film, but I did deliberately try to avoid comparing it too much to the film. I'll always try to read a book before I see the film, wherever possible, if it's something I'm interested in – remember doing this just before I saw Starship Troopers. Love the film, but the book is a different beast and it was helpful to see which parts of the film were inspired by the novel, and which parts weren't. Been doing the same for The Expanse, and as a result prefer the books to the show (even if the authors are arrogant so and so's).

To answer the OP's question - nobody is born with anything, but we are influenced by the people and events around us. My dad was into space and astronomy and science fiction, so from about the age of 4 I was too. If I'd grown up two decades earlier, Apollo would have probably inspired me instead. What inspires kids to like the same type of things as we did today? Elon Musk? Don't think so. Though I like Discovery and Picard, they are hardly accessible like TOS and TNG were, which were a source of inspiration for many. Mars rovers maybe – and the latest one is landing today!