Currently the top trending series on Netflix - Away is an overwrought TV drama about a space shuttle commander, played by actor Hilary Swank, torn between her frontier obligations on Mars and her role as a mother back home
The Right StuffThe genre's current resonance is understandable, says Amy Wardrop, a reporter at local space industry news site Space Australia, as ecological anxiety has forced us to ponder our post-Earth possibilities while, at the same time, once-wild technological ambitions appear achievable."I think it's partly because the commercial space industry is higher profile in the media through the likes of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos," says Wardrop.
"It's inevitable we view our planet and our place on it differently with the rise in communications, Earth observations, and global events we can increasingly measure in real time. It also seems some of the solutions to our problems will come from our increasing space capabilities." Ridley Scott's Raised by Wolves centres on two androids tasked with raising human children on a mysterious virgin planet.Beyond anxieties around Earth's sustainability, the current batch of shows also touch on the growing distrust in scientific progress and "the idea that space exploration doesn't come without risks", says Peter Schembri, a lecturer in screen studies specialising in science fiction at Queensland University of Technology.
Schembri says while the genre's conventions have long been used to explore such allegorical concerns , as our understanding of space and our place in it has increased focus has moved from a speculative approach to one heavily informed by reality."It's the difference between what's called 'hard science fiction' and 'soft science fiction', with [the former] trying to stick as closely as possible to existing scientific facts," he says.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Why Amy has to keep her life in Australia a secret from her family in ChinaMembers of China's LGBT community say moments like the recent cancellation of the country's largest LGBT festival are demoralising and highlights an irony where they are accepted in theory but in practice are not.
Read more »
'That was difficult': Why Ivan Cleary didn't enjoy coaching his son last yearFor a large chunk of last year, Ivan Cleary did not enjoy coaching Nathan. It has been a different story this season | mrchrisnico NRL Panthers
Read more »
Why John Barilaro's koala concerns may destroy his political habitatHe's known for using strong-arm tactics to ensure the National Party gets its way, but John Barilaro's latest ultimatum to his Liberal Party colleagues over koala policy may have backfired — and now his leadership is on the line.
Read more »
Skin expert's blue light warning over laptops, phones, tablets and TVLaptops, phones, tablets, TV's and even LED light bulbs are all sources of blue light and researchers say t...
Read more »
'I was getting about 1000 messages a day': why Greg Hunt gave up running for a whileHis political stocks hit an all-time low during the 2018 Liberal leadership tussle. Then Greg Hunt found himself Health Minister during a global pandemic – where his professed regard for science and fondness for three-point plans came to the fore.
Read more »
'I was getting about 1000 messages a day': why Greg Hunt gave up running for a whileHis political stocks hit an all-time low during the 2018 Liberal leadership tussle. Then Greg Hunt found himself Health Minister during a global pandemic – where his professed regard for science and fondness for three-point plans came to the fore.
Read more »