Sci-fi just gets no respect

Even as science fiction has gone more mainstream, it's still not getting the recognition that many feel it deserves. Now, the Oscars have managed to dole out a few non-special effects and make-up related awards the last couple of years. But television's awards, the Emmy's, remain allergic to the concept of science fiction as high-concept drama. It reminds me of the problem many of my English teachers seemed to have with science fiction. They were so obsessed with metaphor and social commentary and what-not, yet seemed incapable of recognizing that sci-fi had a greater capacity for metaphor and social commentary than another other genre.

I think that fact that sci-fi takes you to an unfamiliar place (in time or space) scares a lot of people away. The less familiar the environment and the people in it, the less appealing. Even Edward James Olmos, who stars in Battlestar Galactica, said that he would leave if they put aliens on the show. There's only so much "weirdness" some people can take. Take X-Men - part of what made the movie so successful was that it was made more realistic than the comic (insofar as a comic book movie can be realistic). My sister complained about the names. Then she saw the cartoon and realized it could have been much worse. People might have had a bit more trouble relating to Logan if he'd been wearing yellow spandex (yikes!).

But even as sci-fi film and television have gotten more down to Earth in some cases (Lost, Medium, etc), we are increasingly living in an unfamiliar world. What was true two years ago, or two months ago, may no longer be the case. We are used to feeling out of place in our own world, so we may also be more willing to feel out of place in a fictional world. At this point, the label "sci-fi" may be the only thing keeping people away from something they might otherwise enjoy. Call it a thriller or a mystery or a drama, then sneak in the sci-fi elements and those unfamiliar with sci-fi may not even realize what they're watching.

P.S. Dear Sci-Fi Channel, you're not helping. You fill your airways with utter junk that even fans of the genre can't watch. Just because you come up with the occasional gem does not mean you are capable determining what is good or true sci-fi and what is complete crap or simply not sci-fi. You were significantly better when you were a cash strapped independent cable network with an endless supply of shows that lasted less than a season on network tv. Just because you have the money to buy 20 B-minus horror movies about giant snakes doesn't mean you should. [/rant]