10/4/23, 11:18 The science of science fiction

The science of science fiction

«I've seen things no one would believe... Ships bursting into flames beyond the Orion Nebula. I have seen C-rays
shining in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time like tears in the rain. It's time
to die." This is the monologue of the replicant Roy Batty in one of the most memorable scenes in cinema. The
movie Blade Runner, from which we take it, is loosely based on the classic science fiction book Do Androids
Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick; however, this passage is not found in the novel, nor in the film's
script; it was an improvisation by the actor Rutger Hauer.

Roy Batty is a replicant, a kind of biological machine, built in the laboratory and programmed to perform certain
types of activities, including having a very short life. Replicants do everything possible to imitate humans, since
they have memories, family photos, they feel anger, sadness, love, something that in theory should not happen,
because they are a human creation destined to fulfill their purpose and disappear. He, along with others of his
kind, rebel against this fate and are hunted by humans to "retire" them. When dying, he gives this speech as a way
of expressing his attachment to life and its sad end.

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If we look at the monologue through the eyes of an astronomer, it makes no sense, since the Tannhäuser Gate is
not a celestial body, nor do the famous C rays exist, nor do ships burst into flames in space; however, that passage
has transcended the film, the actor himself, and the story that inspired it, establishing itself in popular culture. It
led me to look for information about the Orion Nebula, the blessed door he speaks of, and to reflect on our ethical
responsibility towards human creations. We are not talking about science, we are in the realm of fiction.

According to Isaac Asimov, "Science fiction is that branch of literature which deals with the human response to
changes in the level of science and technology." It is a literature made up of narratives in which the determining
element is imaginative speculation: What would happen if…? It is eminently speculative since, along with new
alternatives in the world of ideas, it incorporates the "sense of the marvelous," the inevitable surprise of the reader
before the new worlds, characters and societies that the genre proposes. Speculation and wonder are the two
constitutive features of the genre, while fabrication and reflection are its world.

The genre demands from its creators an extraordinary ability to coherently manage the situations and
environments created. You have to invent a world, make it plausible and then be consistent with it.

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The "parents" of science fiction are the British Mary Shelley and H.G. Wells and the French Jules Verne. The
name was given to it by writer and editor Hugo Gernsback in the magazine Amazing Stories, in 1926. The word
science, in the name, reflects the initial interest in analyzing the consequences that changes, scientific and
technological discoveries produce or will produce in individuals and social organizations. But be careful, science
fiction is not, nor does it claim to be, science.

Nowadays, the genre has been extended to the analysis of hypotheses that correspond to history, psychology,
sociology, anthropology, in addition to the physical-natural sciences. It is precisely the wonders of science fiction
that attract young people who are easily interested in its subject matter and content, finding in their contact with
science fiction reasons for fun while at the same time provoking original and promising reflection. Furthermore,
they provide a golden opportunity to interest them in real science and the impact (the real one) that it and its putative
daughter, technology, can have on society.

The book The Science of Science Fiction: When Hawking Played Poker on the Enterprise, by Manuel Moreno
Lupiáñez and Jordi José Pont (2019, Shackleton editions), is a fun way to approach science from movies, comics
and other popular culture resources classified within the science fiction genre, even though several of them are
actually part of the fantasy genre.

Moreno Lupiáñez and Pont are two renowned astrophysicists and fans of fantasy literature and science fiction,
recognized as great communicators in the university environment. They have another book that I definitely
recommend—although it is very difficult to find in these parts—titled From King Kong to Einstein: Physics in
Science Fiction (1999, Libros Ilustrados, No. 44). These authors know what they are talking about, in both
universes: science and fiction.

In any case, it shows us the close link between science and fiction that I referred to in previous paragraphs, since
science, the real kind, frequently provides useful elements for the plot development of works of fiction. Directors or
screenwriters look for a plot basis or justification with a certain https://www.sabermas.umich.mx/archivo/la-ciencia-
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foundation level. Sometimes liberties are taken that have no place in science, not even as a possibility.
Can there be intelligent life on the surface of a neutron star? Can we reach stars that are several light years away
from our solar system? Is it possible to send a message to the past by modulating a tachyon beam? Can artificial
intelligence be developed with the personality of Sigmund Freud or Albert Einstein? Can we build a “replicant”
that surpasses humans in intelligence, strength and abilities? The answer to these questions is a resounding No! But
the fact that science denies these possibilities does not prevent us from speculating about them or similar ones.
In this book, and as a way to get closer to and interested in science, illustrious scientists share the spotlight with
fictional characters such as Darth Vader, ET, Spiderman and Godzilla. Throughout the chapters, the authors invite
us to consider whether the "acrobatic pirouettes of the Millennium Falcon," the supersonic races of Flash Gordon,
or the temporal phenomena that occur on Miller, the planet that appears in the film Interstellar, are possible.
Science fiction, besides being a fascinating form of entertainment, is also an ideal way to learn the laws of science,
if only because of the number of times they are not respected by Hollywood scriptwriters. With this pretext, we can
spend very entertaining afternoons watching our favorite movies of the genre, while finding —with this guide, for
example, or freely— the connections to scientific topics, the technological possibilities, or what is being worked on
in this regard... And of course, the possible errors.
It will undoubtedly be another way of seeing a film, a comic or a television series and using it as a learning
resource. The Science of Science Fiction is a highly recommended book for everyone, but especially for teachers
who are looking for less solemn resources to teach what they should. This book is available in paperback and e-
book versions… Easy to get!

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10/4/23, 11:18 The science of science fiction

Horacio Cano Camacho, Research Professor at the Multidisciplinary Center for

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