SyFy genres

with focus (in order of preference) on movies, tv series then books

Utopian and dystopian fiction

• There are many dystopian fiction films, including most recently Civil War (2024) which paints how Trump 2.0 may yet unfold.

Utopian Works (Since 1980s)

Tomorrowland (2015) paints a utopian world that turns dystopian. Here are other modern works (since 1980s) that depict utopian worlds:

Films

• Elysium (2013) - A utopian space station for the wealthy elite
• The Fifth Element (1997) - A futuristic utopia on Earth
• Wall-E (2008) - A post-human utopia where robots maintain Earth
• Her (2013) - A utopian vision of human-AI relationships
• The City of Ember (2008) - A hidden utopian city underground

TV Series

• Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994) - The Federation as a utopian society
• The Good Place (2016-2020) - A comedic take on an afterlife utopia
• Utopia (2013-2014) - A group tries to create a utopian society
• The 100 (2014-2020) - Starts dystopian but explores utopian possibilities

Books

• The Dispossessed (1974) by Ursula K. Le Guin - An anarchist utopia on a moon colony
• The Giver (1993) by Lois Lowry - A seemingly utopian society with dark secrets
• The Diamond Age (1995) by Neal Stephenson - A nanotechnology utopia
• The Windup Girl (2009) by Paolo Bacigalupi - A biopunk utopia in a post-climate-change world
• The Martian (2011) by Andy Weir - A utopian vision of Mars colonization

Genre Classifications

Black Mirror

Primary Genre: Speculative Fiction (with strong elements of Dystopian Fiction and Science Fiction)

Subgenres/Related Genres:

• Dystopian Fiction: Explores dark, often cautionary visions of future societies
• Science Fiction: Uses technological and scientific concepts as central elements
• Psychological Thriller: Many episodes focus on psychological manipulation and moral dilemmas
• Social Science Fiction: Examines societal structures and their potential consequences
• Tech Noir: A subgenre that combines technology with noir elements (dark, morally ambiguous settings)

The Twilight Zone

Primary Genre: Fantasy (with strong elements of Science Fiction and Horror)

Subgenres/Related Genres:

• Fantasy: Often deals with supernatural or paranormal elements
• Science Fiction: Some episodes explore scientific concepts and futuristic scenarios
• Horror: Many episodes contain elements of fear, suspense, and the supernatural
• Psychological Thriller: Focuses on psychological states and moral dilemmas
• Magical Realism: Blends realistic settings with fantastical elements
• Paranormal Fiction: Deals with phenomena beyond normal experience or scientific explanation

Soft science fiction

1. Fiction that is primarily focused on advancements in, or extrapolations of, the soft sciences; that is social sciences and not natural sciences.

   • Orwell 1984
   • The Stargate franchise
   • The Star Trek franchise
   • The Star Wars franchise
   • The Farscape franchise
   • The Planet of the Apes franchise
   • The Transformers franchise
   • The Terminator franchise
   • Frank Herbert’s Dune and its direct sequel Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune
   • The Firefly franchise
   • Spaceballs

2. Second definition is science fiction in which science is not important to the story.

Social science fiction

1980s

• Ursula K. Le Guin, Always Coming Home (1985)
• Orson Scott Card, Ender’s Game (1985)
• Iain M. Banks, The Culture series (1987-2012)
• Sherri S. Tepper, The Gate to Women’s Country (1988)

1990s

• Octavia E. Butler, Parable of the Sower (1993)
• Lois Lowry, The Giver (1993)
• José Saramago, Blindness (1995)
• Andrew Niccol, Gattaca (1997)
• Alexander Gromov, St. Vitus’ Minuet (1997)
• Ted Chiang, Story of Your Life (1998)

2000s

• Malorie Blackman, The Noughts & Crosses series (2001-2021)
• Nancy Farmer, The House of the Scorpion (2002)
• Robert J. Sawyer - Neanderthal Parallax (2002-2003)
• Margaret Atwood, Oryx and Crake (2003)
• James Howard Kunstler, World Made by Hand (2008)
• Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (2008-2010)
• James Dashner, The Maze Runner (2009)
• Stephen King, Under the Dome (2009)

2010s-present

• Renee Gladman – The Ravicka series (2010-2017)
• Veronica Roth, Divergent (2011)
• Lauren Oliver, Delirium (2011)
• Jeff Vandermeer, Borne (2017)
• Jon Bois, 17776 (2017)

Speculative fiction as philosophy

• The novel I,Robot (and movie with Will Smith) by Isaac Asimov is a collection of short stories primarily exploring the nature of morality and consciousness. One short story though develops an elegant argument for how a rational thinker could develop the idea of a higher power when they lack the necessary information to otherwise explain the nature of the world.
• The Hunger Games trilogy. A dystopian fiction that explores themes of government control, reality television, and social inequality.