From the earliest days of terrestrial exploration, a variety of tools have aided explorers in travelling. From the compass, to the telegraph, to GPS satellites, these tools serve the fundamental human need to discover, understand ones place in the world, and to communicate with others.

Science fiction films set in outer space have the opportunity to reinterpret these basic tools of the explorer, and imagine what new forms they might take.

The tools of the space-age explorer are the computer and the communications device. By taking a survey of extra-terrestrial science fiction films from Aelita (1924) to Star Wars III (2005), prevailing trends in their representation can be revealed. There are three basic sets of questions that must be asked in order to interrogate their portrayal in these movies:

1) What did they look like? What did they do? How were they used? What special effects were used?

2) What did they do for the plot?

3) What larger social or scientific attitude did the portrayal represent?


From this analysis, the portrayal of computers and communications technology can be broadly categorized into three fundamental types of representation. Computers are considered as:


Enigmatic Symbols (Aelita, First Men)

Means of Perception (Solaris, Outland, Total Recall)

Character (2001, Silent Running, Star Wars)

 

Matt Storus 20099307

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