The New New Fan

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The New New Fan.

The image of the science fiction fan as a card-carrying geek, forever donning Vulcan ears to attend the latest Trekkie convention is a thing of the past according to research released by Sci·Fi, the UK arm of the cable channel owned by Universal Studios Networks.

The first Star Trek series and Next Generation is seen as old hat by serious sci-fi enthusiasts as are more recent shows such The X-Files.

The research, conducted by research firm Murmur, reveals that in the new millennium there is a feeling that the world is catching up with sci-fi. As a result, the dedicated sci-fi fan is today far more interested in the area where SF-meets-human stories.

Alien-based drama, although still popular, does not satisfy the speculative nature of the modern sci-fi fan who is preoccupied with a broader range of subject matter including altered states, genetics and the paranormal.

The conductor of the survey reveals that hardcore sci-fi fans are not the unsocial, inarticulate uber-geeks they were once taken to be but are in fact, extremely switched on.

Mark Ratcliff, the MD of Murmur, commented:

"The serious sci-fi enthusiast knows exactly what the latest music is and is well versed on the latest technology and media. He or she generally has an inquisitive mind and likes to adopt a skewed take on reality."

The current success of the movie A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) bears testament to the change in focus of the modern sci-fi enthusiasts who are more concerned with things that, it is perceived, could well happen.

Researchers found that the sequels to The Matrix were the most anticipated movies scheduled for release; while ‘Attack of the Clones’ is seen as the last chance to save the Star Wars franchise after the blooming disappointment of The Phantom Menace.

Janet Goldsmith of Universal Studios Networks had this to say about the genre:

"This research demonstrates the view that the science fiction genre is not simply concerned with little green men, but covers a wide and diverse spectrum.

"Our (SCI·Fi Channel’s) aim is to mirror that view within our schedules. As a result, over the past 12 months, SCI·Fi has secured UK television premieres of the Emmy-nominated Dune, a three-part mini-series based on Frank Herbert’s classic science fiction novel, and the futuristic Farscape."

Well, the news that we’re not all sitting around spotting plot discontinuities in Star Trek Enterprise is probably not news to us fans (with or without the upper case F); but here at the ‘Nest we suspect this view is still going to be the one the mainstream media perpetuates.

Ironically, the weekend after this research was published, your esteemed publisher was sitting around watching the Saturday morning cartoons, when along comes ‘Recess’, the Disney toon that takes a slanted view of the US school system – kind of like the Simpsons meets Grange Hill.

In the episode I watched, the pupil hero of the piece escapes the boredom of a detention with the help of the local Dungeons and Dragons group. And how are these inquisitive, switched-on kids portrayed? Freakshow-looking misfits, who giggled like James Bond villains while mumbling arcane RPG terms.

It was a similar story in an episode of the tv series Clueless, when Cher has the misfortune to become the object of romantic attraction for a SF/F fan. Luckily, by the end of the program, she manages to foist him off on a fellow lady geek science fiction fan at a SF con populated by similar grotesques – because, obviously, no sexy blonde is going to date a short, social misfit.

If a group of kids of a different race or religion were portrayed with that level of stereotyping, some arm of the government would shut the producers down.

Swap out the loser kid who’s undatable for being a SF/F fan, with a child who didn’t appeal to the school babe because he was from a Muslim or Jewish family, and TV stations would quite rightly need to be hiring kelvar-plated limos for their executives.

Oh well, c’est la vie. I’m off to stare longingly at my ceiling poster of Seven of Nine for a couple of hours. And after that? Anyone fancy a couple of hands of Magic: The Gathering?

Stephen Hunt

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