Sci-Fi Fantasy ##TOP##

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Sci-Fi Fantasy

Founded in 1996, the Hall of Fame was relocated from the Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas to its permanent home at MoPOP in 2004. The final inductees are nominated by the public, and chosen by a panel of award-winning science fiction and fantasy authors, artists, editors, publishers, and film professionals.

Of course, book Twitter was not going to let that stand, and after the initial shock and joking subsided, they began discussing the real differences between science fiction and fantasy. From pointed commentary on fundamental problems in SFF publishing and fandom to jokes about actors that play in both spheres, there was a huge range of responses using this format.

Veronica Roth takes Antigone and retells it with a sci-fi bend in this novel. Antigone's parents are dead, and humanity's last hope is the Archive, where the dead's genes are stored. Trapped in her uncle's mansion, Antigone rages against him as he prepares to take her father's throne.

Stephen King raised not one, but two successful authors. Owen King's The Curator follows Dora, who is determined to find out the truth about her late brother. As she explores the various institutions in this fantasy world, she discovers a conspiracy with the potential to change everything about her reality.

A man finds out his employers have discovered how to use time travel to their advantage and unravels their string of crimes in this time-bending novel with intersecting storylines that include both noir and sci-fi elements.

Science fiction and fantasy do not need to provide a mirror image of reality in order to offer compelling stories about serious social and political issues. The fact that the setting or characters are extraordinary may be precisely why they are powerful and where their value lies.

Rod Serling's 1959 serial was the granddaddy of American sci-fi television, its otherworldly moral fables holding a freaky mirror up to Cold War-era anxieties and paranoia. It was nominated three years running for Serling's incisive writing, winning in both 1960 and 1961.

Modern sci-fi sitcoms are few and far between, which may explain the love for Bonnie and Terry Turner's quirky aliens-out-of-water show. (The other biggie: Mork & Mindy, which got two nominations in 1979.) That, or it could just be that 3rd Rock had a fantastic cast: John Lithgow and Kristen Johnston scored three Lead Actor and two Supporting Actress wins, respectively; the show was also up twice for Best Comedy and twice for directing.

Considering that it's become one of the most influential shows of the past 20 years, it's criminal that Buffy only had one solitary Primetime Emmy notice: a writing nomination for showrunner Joss Whedon in 2000. And given the impact that the future Avengers kingpin's snappy, witty style would have on TV writing, it's ironic that the nominated script ("Hush") contained almost no dialogue. (Whedon fans, don't even ask about his amazing, short-lived sci-fi Western show Firefly; it didn't even register as a blip on the Emmys' radar.)

Which brings us to genre TV's great white hope, the Breaker of Chains, the Sword in the Darkness, Azor Ahai reborn (okay, okay, we'll stop mixing our mythos). David Benioff and D.B. Weiss's HBO fantasy juggernaut virtually dominated the 2015 nominations, though Game of Thrones has garnered loads of nods in past years, for best drama series, writing, directing and acting. But the only win so far has been a supporting actor trophy for Peter Dinklage in 2011. Still, the show trounced the competition in the Creative Arts Emmys earlier this week, and is nominated in five primetime categories including Best Drama. Could this be the year it takes the Iron Throne?

If ever there were a dark horse nominee that deserved the ascension, it's the almost supernaturally talented Tatiana Maslany. BBC America's punk-tinged feminist sci-fi thriller is the kind of show that usually flies under Emmy voters' radar. But it was hard to ignore the groundswell of support from critics and fans for Maslany, who has earned a 2015 Lead Actress nod for playing pretty much all of the main characters (plus a few supporting roles and antagonists, and also a scorpion?). The Emmys gave a statuette to Toni Collette for her shape-shifting performance in United States of Tara in 2009; here's hoping the voters can still recognize virtuosity when they see it.

#1 Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) 94% #1 Adjusted Score: 111926% Critics Consensus: Led by an outstanding Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once lives up to its title with an expertly calibrated assault on the senses. Synopsis: Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, collectively known as Daniels, the film is a hilarious and big-hearted sci-fi action... [More] Starring: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong Directed By: Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert #2 Prey (2022) 93% #2 Adjusted Score: 105225% Critics Consensus: The rare action thriller that spikes adrenaline without skimping on character development, Prey is a Predator prequel done right. Synopsis: Set in the Comanche Nation 300 years ago, "Prey" is the story of a young woman, Naru, a fierce and... [More] Starring: Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Stormee Kipp, Michelle Thrush Directed By: Dan Trachtenberg #3 Nope (2022) 83% #3 Adjusted Score: 103769% Critics Consensus: Admirable for its originality and ambition even when its reach exceeds its grasp, Nope adds Spielbergian spectacle to Jordan Peele's growing arsenal. Synopsis: A man and his sister discover something sinister in the skies above their California horse ranch, while the owner of... [More] Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun, Michael Wincott Directed By: Jordan Peele #4 Neptune Frost (2021) 96% #4 Adjusted Score: 99090% Critics Consensus: Bursting with ideas and ambition, Neptune Frost is difficult to describe -- and just as hard to resist. Synopsis: In an otherworldly e-waste camp made of recycled computer parts, a subversive hacking collective attempts a takeover of the authoritarian... [More] Starring: Cheryl Isheja, Bertrand Ninteretse, Eliane Umuhire, Elvis Ngabo Directed By: Saul Williams, Anisia Uzeyman #5 After Yang (2021) 90% #5 Adjusted Score: 100150% Critics Consensus: Although its reach occasionally exceeds its grasp, After Yang yields rich rewards for those willing to settle into its low-key wavelength. Synopsis: When his young daughter's beloved companion -- an android named Yang -- malfunctions, Jake (Colin Farrell) searches for a way... [More] Starring: Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Justin H. Min, Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja Directed By: Kogonada #6 The Long Walk (2019) 94% #6 Adjusted Score: 95362% Critics Consensus: The Long Walk may require patience from some viewers, but they'll be rewarded with a thoughtful and alluringly atmospheric ghost story. Synopsis: An old man walks the dusty roads between his isolated farm and the nearby rural village in the company of... [More] Starring: Yannawoutthi Chanthalungsy, Vilouna Phetmany, Por Silatsa, Noutnapha Soydara Directed By: Mattie Do #7 The Pink Cloud (2021) 93% #7 Adjusted Score: 94882% Critics Consensus: An eerily relevant debut from writer-director Iuli Gerbase, The Pink Cloud reaches into the emotional fault lines of pandemic life and comes away with striking observations about human behavior. Synopsis: A mysterious and deadly pink cloud appears across the globe, forcing everyone to stay home. Strangers at the outset, Giovana... [More] Starring: Eduardo Mendonça, Girley Paes, Kaya Rodrigues, Renata de Lélis Directed By: Iuli Gerbase #8 Slash/Back (2022) 92% #8 Adjusted Score: 93365% Critics Consensus: An impressive feature debut for director/co-writer Nyla Innuksuk, Slash/Back puts a refreshing spin on the standard alien invasion thriller. Synopsis: Set in Pangnirtung, Nunavut, a sleepy hamlet nestled in the majestic mountains of Baffin Island in the Arctic Ocean, SLASH/BACK... [More] Starring: Tasiana Shirley, Alexis Wolfe, Nalajoss Ellsworth, Chelsea Prusky Directed By: Nyla Innuksuk #9 Something In The Dirt (2022) 91% #9 Adjusted Score: 93621% Critics Consensus: Something in the Dirt reaffirms Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead as sci-fi storytellers with a distinctive -- and darkly alluring -- vision. Synopsis: When neighbors John and Levi witness supernatural events in their Los Angeles apartment building, they realize documenting the paranormal could... [More] Starring: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead, Sarah Adina Smith, Wanjiru M. Njendu Directed By: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead #10 Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) 76% #10 Adjusted Score: 95901% Critics Consensus: Narratively, it might be fairly standard stuff -- but visually speaking, Avatar: The Way of Water is a stunningly immersive experience. Synopsis: Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, "Avatar: The Way of Water" begins to tell... [More] Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang Directed By: James Cameron

Still, any resistance Star Trek met from SF gatekeepers is a very different semantic argument from Star Wars. Star Trek's sci-fi cred may get questioned by so-called experts, but by any new (or old) definition of "science fiction," it's always qualified. Even critics who hated it (like Baxter and Sam. J. Lundwall) still felt compelled to include the original Star Trek in their non-fiction books about the history of science fiction. 041b061a72