History Quotes / SciFiGhetto

->Here is a woman so terrified of sf-cooties that she'll [[IRejectYourReality happily redefine the entire genre]] for no other reason than to exclude herself from it.
-->--'''Peter Watts''', on Creator/MargaretAtwood, "[[http://www.rifters.com/real/shorts/PeterWatts_Atwood.pdf Margaret Atwood and the Hierarchy of Contempt]]"

->The whole association of fairy tale and fantasy with children is local and accidental. I hope everyone has read Tolkien's [[Literature/OnFairyStories essay on Fairy Tales]] which is perhaps the most important contribution to this subject that anyone has yet made. If so, you will know already that, in most places and times, the fairy tale has not been specifically made for, nor exclusively enjoyed by children. It has gravitated to the nursery when it became unfashionable in literary circles, just as unfashionable furniture gravitated to the nursery in Victorian homes.

->''"It is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be...Science fiction writers foresee the inevitable, and although problems and catastrophes may be inevitable, solutions are not.

Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinder critics and philosophers of today - but the core of science fiction, its essence...has become crucial to our salvation if we are to be saved at all."''

->Where [[Creator/EthanHawke Hawke]]’s criticism of superhero movies is misguided, and damaging, is in his dismissal of the idea that a movie about “[[Film/{{Logan}} people in tights with metal coming out of their hands]]” can rival the films of [[Creator/RobertBresson Bresson]] or [[Creator/IngmarBergman Bergman]] in artistry. He’s criticizing fantasy and prioritizing realism, which isn’t the same thing as reality. [...] Some of the best movies of all are fantasies, ever and now. (Four of [[https://www.newyorker.com/culture/2017-in-review/the-best-movies-of-2017 my top-ten films]] from 2017—''Film/GetOut'', ''Slack Bay'', ''A Ghost Story'', and ''Sylvio''—are fantasies.)

->I sunk into a proper old gloom. I didn’t even tell you about it because it was foul. Peter Morgan is such a fine writer, damn him. His ''Longford'' script is so fine and subtle, so deceptively simple, heartbreaking and true, and I was so powerfully jealous. I thought, I’m sitting here typing ''[='=]INT. SPACESHIP[='=]''. [[ArtistDisillusionment What am I doing with my career?]] The answer is, having a wonderful time, with absolute freedom, I know, I know. All the same, looking at ''Longford'', the real tick and bat and pulse that goes on between people, the sheer epic quality of ordinary life, even the lives of Lords and murderers, made me ache... That’s why I turned down the opportunity to meet Creator/GeorgeLucas the other day. The thought of more years typing ''[=‘=]Int. Spaceship[=’=]'' and playing with other people’s toys…
-->--'''Creator/RussellTDavies''' (yes, that one), ''The Writer's Tale''

->Patrick said to me, 'You used to be in ''Series/DoctorWho'' didn't you?' and I said 'Yes, I still am actually,' and he said 'why do you do all this television, why don't you do proper stuff like theatre?,' and I said 'Well I love it actually, I love doing ''Doctor Who''.' 'But science fiction, I mean why would you want to do science fiction?' I said, 'I don't know -- I think partly because you learn so much technical stuff, it's really interesting,' and he said 'Oh, [[GilliganCut I wouldn't want to do that sort of stuff.]]'
-->--'''Lalla Ward''' [[http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/webcasts/shada/interviews/ward/page10.shtml on]] working with '''Creator/PatrickStewart'''

->In the days leading up to the pilot episode airing, we were doing a lot of press, and I became increasingly irritated by the suggestion from the media, that given my my background with the Royal Shakespeare Company, that I was in a sense ‘slumming’ by doing this syndicated science-fiction television series. Until one day I lost control and I said "listen no only am I proud and delighted to be playing the captain of the ''Enterprise'', but all those years of working for the Royal Shakespeare Company which you have referred to again and again, sitting in the throne of England, was nothing but a preparation of sitting in the captain’s chair of the ''Enterprise''.
-->--'''Patrick Stewart'''

->I have nothing to say about it. I did that years ago and [[OldShame I mostly denied I ever did it]]...Otherwise, all I would get would be ''[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries Star Trek]]'' questions for the rest of my natural life -- and probably my unnatural life. You ever see those people who are ''Star Trek'' fans? The same people who go to swap meets.
-->--'''Teri Garr''' (right before [[GetOut hanging up the phone]]) in an interview with ''Starlog''

->Speaking of [[YouHaveToBelieveMe desperate pleas for legitimacy]], the first dialogue of the movie: "This is no fantasy… no careless product of wild imagination."
-->--'''Chris Sims''' and '''David Uzumeri''' [[http://comicsalliance.com/comicsalliance-reviews-superman-the-movie-1978-part-one/ on]] ''{{Film/Superman}}''

->Also departing in "The Dalek Invasion of Earth" was Carole Ann Ford’s character of Susan, the Doctor’s granddaughter. Ford was frustrated with her character’s collapse into [[DamselInDistress generic peril monkey]], and wanted to pursue meatier dramatic roles, which, as was the fate of most ''Doctor Who'' supporting cast members, [[WhiteDwarfStarlet never really panned out.]]
-->--'''[[http://www.eruditorumpress.com/blog/a-mild-curiosity-in-a-junkyard-silence-in-the-librarythe-forest-of-the-dead/ Dr. El Sandifer]]''' on ''Series/DoctorWho'', [[{{Recap/DoctorWhoS2E2TheDalekInvasionOfEarth}} "The Dalek Invasion of Earth"]]

->A chastity belt is a harness that is made to fit around the waist, blocking access to the naughty parts, thus preventing sex. Kinda like wearing a ''Star Trek'' belt.
-->--''Website/{{Cracked}}''

->This is not a criticism of this episode but of the sort of people that suggest that because this is an episode of ''Star Trek'' this isn’t a drama that is entering dark territory like ‘real life’ dramas do. The horrendously underwritten and overpriced ''Trek'' review book ''Final Frontier'' suggests this and it made me want to use the breeze block of a book and use it for toilet paper [[InsultToRocks but I wouldn’t assail my arse with such disagreeable scribblings]]... We’re not talking about one planet but an entire Quadrant. One man's soul is the tipping point between saving ''billions'' of lives and throwing them away.
-->--'''[[http://www.docohobigfinish.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/deep-space-nine-season-six.html Joe Ford]]''' on ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', "In the Pale Moonlight"

-->--'''[[http://www.philipsandifer.com/2015/02/a-mild-curiosity-in-junkyard-silence-in.html Dr. El Sandifer]]''' on ''Series/DoctorWho'', [[{{Recap/DoctorWhoS2E2TheDalekInvasionOfEarth}} "The Dalek Invasion of Earth"]]

-->-- '''Robert Conquest'''

-->-- '''Creator/CSLewis''', ''On Three Ways of Writing For Children''

-->-- '''Creator/TerryGoodkind'''

-->-- '''Creator/MargaretAtwood'''

-->-- '''Peter Watts''', on Creator/MargaretAtwood, "[[http://www.rifters.com/real/shorts/PeterWatts_Atwood.pdf Margaret Atwood and the Hierarchy of Contempt]]"

-->-- '''Creator/KieronGillen'''

-->-- '''Tim Brooks''', an executive at the channel now known as Creator/SyFy.

-->-- ''Website/{{Cracked}}''

-->--Richard Brody, "[[https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/what-ethan-hawke-gets-wrongand-rightabout-superhero-movies What Ethan Hawke Gets Wrong—and Right—About Superhero Movies]]"

-->-- '''{{Website/SFDebris}}''', introduction to ''{{Series/RedDwarf}}''

-->-- Robert Brockway, ''Website/{{Cracked}}'', [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-5-most-unjustly-overshadowed-sci-fi-classics The Five Most Unjustly Overshadowed Sci-Fi Classics]]

-->-- ''Film/AnAdventureInSpaceAndTime''

-->-- '''Justin Goudey, Newton, NJ''', The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest 2016

-->-- '''Creator/CSLewis''', ''An Experiment in Criticism''

->Where [[Creator/EthanHawke Hawke]]’s criticism of superhero movies is misguided, and damaging, is in his dismissal of the idea that a movie about “[[Film/{{Logan}} people in tights with metal coming out of their hands]]” can rival the films of [[Creator/RobertBresson Bresson]] or [[Creator/IngmarBergman Bergman]] in artistry. He’s criticizing fantasy and prioritizing realism, which isn’t the same thing as reality. [...] Some of the best movies of all are fantasies, ever and now. (Four of [[https://www.newyorker.com/culture/2017-in-review/the-best-movies-of-2017 my top-ten films]] from 2017—''Film/GetOut'', ''Slack Bay'', ''A Ghost Story'', and ''Sylvio''—are fantasies.)

->The ease of realism, the psychological illusion that reality is given to the filmmaker by the mere fact of pointing the lens and shooting, has led to the critical delusion that a movie filmed realistically actually gets at more of reality than one that involves the imagination and the creation of fantasies. The result is an ongoing, endemic indifference to inner lives (whether those of characters or of filmmakers), a repudiation of characterization and context that leaves much of the current “realist” cinema—whether studio-made or independently produced—more deadening than some mediocre superhero movies. Realism is overrated, not only by [[Creator/EthanHawke Hawke]] but by critics who fear that they are devoting their lives to frivolity as much as they fear charges of élitism and snobbery. In pointing out the absurd critical enthusiasms for some uninspired and bloated fantasy movies, [[Creator/EthanHawke Hawke]] has diagnosed an authentic phenomenon, but his proposed cure may be worse than the disease.
-->--Richard Brody, "[[https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/what-ethan-hawke-gets-wrongand-rightabout-superhero-movies What Ethan Hawke Gets Wrong—and Right—About Superhero Movies]]"

->Where [[Creator/EthanHawke Hawke]]’s criticism of superhero movies is misguided, and damaging, is in his dismissal of the idea that a movie about “[[Film/{{Logan}} people in tights with metal coming out of their hands]]” can rival the films of [[Creator/RobertBresson Bresson]] or [[Creator/IngmarBergman Bergman]] in artistry. He’s criticizing fantasy and prioritizing realism, which isn’t the same thing as reality. [...] Some of the best movies of all are fantasies, ever and now. (Four of [[https://www.newyorker.com/culture/2017-in-review/the-best-movies-of-2017 my top-ten films]] from 2017—''Film/GetOut'', “Slack Bay,” “A Ghost Story,” and “Sylvio”—are fantasies.)

'''Sydney Newman:''' ''(under his breath)'' [[OneOfUs I like it...]]

-->--'''[[http://www.philipsandifer.com/2015/02/a-mild-curiosity-in-junkyard-silence-in.html Dr. Phil Sandifer]]''' on ''Series/DoctorWho'', [[{{Recap/DoctorWhoS2E2TheDalekInvasionOfEarth}} "The Dalek Invasion of Earth"]]

->"Science fiction is the lowest of all possible literary genres," said ICE-500 into the hover-mic, as he slowly rolled past the vast hordes of mutant alien book critics.''

->"Science fiction is the lowest of all possible literary genres," said ICE-500 into the hover-mic, as he slowly rolled past the vast hordes of mutant alien book critics.

->I'm not saying anything new here, but mainstream fantasy tends to be a socially conservative genre. Go grab any of the obvious [[Creator/MichaelMoorcock Moorcock]] or [[ChinaMieville Mieville]] essays, and I'll basically agree with them. And frankly? Science Fiction writers are just much cooler. I tended to think of myself as a speculative fiction writer until a particularly wise ex called me on my bullshit. If your speculations are basically "[[Comicbook/{{Phonogram}} what if music were magic?]]" you're a bloody fantasy writer, dick.

'''Sydney Newman:''' Last time I looked.\\

->Patrick said to me, 'You used to be in ''Series/DoctorWho'' didn't you?' and I said 'Yes, I still am actually,' and he said 'why do you do all this television, why don't you do proper stuff like theatre?,' and I said 'Well I love it actually, I love doing ''Doctor Who''.' 'But science fiction, I mean why would you want to do science fiction?' I said, 'I don't know -- I think partly because you learn so much technical stuff, it's really interesting,' and he said 'Oh, [[GilliganCut I wouldn't want to do that sort of stuff.]]'\\\
I haven't run into Patrick Stewart since, but I look forward to it so I can say, 'Funny, why do you do all that sort of science fiction stuff you do now, why aren't you doing [[IronicEcho proper theatre like real actors]]?'

->There's no denying the truth of it. These assholes gave a Best Picture award to ''{{Film/Titanic}}'', a loud, big budget film depending on overcoming technical difficulties and populated by character ciphers that broke all box office records, but gave half as many awards and no Best Picture to ''[[Film/ANewHope Star Wars]]'', a loud, big budget film depending not only on overcoming technical difficulties, but pioneering the techniques that other films would use to overcome them, populated by character archetypes that broke all box office records, and helped to shape many aspects of the film industry. They also snubbed the classic ''[[{{Film/CloseEncountersOfTheThirdKind}} Close Encounters of the Third Kind]]'' that same year. And let's take 1982, where we had ''[[{{Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial}} E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial]]'', that drove critics to compare Creator/StevenSpielberg to [[{{Creator/JeanRenoir}} Renoir]] for the incredible achievements of his film, and then gave the award to ''{{Film/Gandhi}}''. Why ''Gandhi''? Well, the same reason ''Titanic'' won, because at that age, only a bit of historical pathos can cause these [[AwardSnub twisted old farts]] to achieve an erection.

->This is not a criticism of this episode but of the sort of people that suggest that because this is an episode of ''Star Trek'' this isn’t a drama that is entering dark territory like ‘real life’ dramas do. The horrendously underwritten and overpriced ''Trek'' review book ''Final Frontier'' suggests this and it made me want to use the breeze block of a book and use it for toilet paper [[InsultToRocks but I wouldn’t assail my arse with such disagreeable scribblings]]...We’re not talking about one planet but an entire Quadrant. One man's soul is the tipping point between saving ''billions'' of lives and throwing them away.

->It is far easier to believe in a million fairy tales than to believe in one man who does not like fairy tales. I would rather kiss [[Creator/TheBrothersGrimm Grimm]] instead of a [[Literature/TheBible Bible]] and swear to all his stories as if they were thirty-nine articles than say seriously and out of my heart that there can be such a man as you; that you are not some temptation of the devil or some delusion from the void. Look at these plain, homely, practical words. 'The Dragon's Grandmother,' that is all right; that is rational almost to the verge of rationalism. If there was a dragon, he had a grandmother...Can you not see that fairy tales in their essence are quite solid and straightforwards; but that this everlasting fiction about modern life is [[RealityIsUnrealistic in its nature essentially incredible?]]

->This is not a criticism of this episode but of the sort of people that suggest that because this is an episode of ''Star Trek'' this isn’t a drama that is entering dark territory like ‘real life’ dramas do. The horrendously underwritten and overpriced ''Trek'' review book ''Final Frontier'' suggests this and it made me want to use the breeze block of a book and use it for toilet paper [[InsultToRocks but I wouldn’t assail my arse with such disagreeable scribblings]]...We’re not talking about one planet but an entire Quadrant. One mans soul is the tipping point between saving ''billions'' of lives and throwing them away.

->In many ways [[{{Recap/DoctorWhoS2E2TheDalekInvasionOfEarth}} The Dalek Invasion of Earth]] marks the end of an era for ''Series/DoctorWho''. Its existence as a concession to popular culture provides an interesting bind. On the one hand, Sydney Newman, a populist impresario at heart, would have been elated, and Verity Lambert, the producer, enjoyed a clear boost in reputation. But this came at the expense of the series’ literary qualities. The series was a hit, but not for what Newman originally envisioned its purpose as being. The success of the Daleks was based on their visual spectacle, and served as a stunning refutation of the Frick report’s conclusions that attempting special effects-based science fiction on television was a doomed endeavor. But at the same time it refuted her conclusion that literary plays for adults were thus the correct model of science fiction, [[FollowTheLeader opening the door for more of the mindless pulp adventure]] out of which the Daleks sprung...Also departing in The Dalek Invasion of Earth was Carole Ann Ford’s character of Susan, the Doctor’s granddaughter. Ford was frustrated with her character’s collapse into [[DamselInDistress generic peril monkey]], and wanted to pursue meatier dramatic roles, which, as was the fate of most ''Doctor Who'' supporting cast members, [[WhiteDwarfStarlet never really panned out.]]
-->--'''[[http://www.philipsandifer.com/2015/02/a-mild-curiosity-in-junkyard-silence-in.html Dr. Phil Sandifer]]'''

->This is not a criticism of this episode but of the sort of people that suggest that because this is an episode of ''Star Trek'' this isn’t a drama that is entering dark territory like ‘real life’ dramas do. The horrendously underwritten and overpriced ''Trek'' review book ''Final Frontier'' suggests this and it made me want to use the breeze block of a book and use it for toilet paper [[InsultToRocks but I wouldn’t assail my arse with such disagreeable scribblings.]] Whilst shows such as ''Series/TheWestWing'' do open our eyes to the tough decisions of government and how people are affected about those decisions it is the ''scale'' of this episode that makes it so impressively sinister and penalties so colossal. We’re not talking about one planet but an entire Quadrant. One mans soul is the tipping point between saving ''billions'' of lives and throwing them away.