RACISM may be defined as: the Belief that Race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and abilities, and that racial differences produce an inherent Superiority of one race over another.

SCIENCE FICTION, with its brave exploration of Parallel Worlds and Alternate Realities, can open our eyes to the Consequences of Racism, through storytelling inspired by Real-World conflicts — like Slavery, Civil Rights, and Immigration.

I, ROBOT (2004)

I, Robot sees Detective Spooner embarking on a puzzling case of suicide where he believes it was actually murder. By a robot. In this future society, robots are used as Slaves to humans in all facets of life.

In the year 2035, humanoid robots serve humanity, which is protected by the Three Laws of Robotics. Dr. Alfred Lanning (the now deceased co-founder of U.S. Robotics) leaves behind an interactive holographic message for Spooner — with clues to the cause of his death. Spooner discovers that the robot suspect, Sonny, is a specially built NS-5 with a secondary processing system that allows him to ignore the Three Laws. Sonny appears to show emotion and claims to have “dreams”.

In response to the right question, Lanning’s hologram informs Spooner: “The Three Laws will lead to only one logical outcome: Revolution.”

Significantly, Spooner (a Black Man) must overcome his prejudice and distrust toward robots by learning to trust Sonny, who helps him discover the true culprit behind a series of unexplained robot attacks that threaten to deprive humanity of Free Choice.

X-MEN (2000)

Introduced to the world of Marvel Comics by creator Stan Lee in September 1963, the X-Men were a team of teenage mutants, led by their teacher and mentor Professor Charles Xavier, who fought super-criminals and other mutants, led by Magneto, bent on the destruction of humanity. But rather than be a black-and-white battle between good and evil, the X-Men had a wrinkle: mutants were hated by the “normal” humans they defended.

“I loved that idea,” Lee said in 2000, as the first X-Men movie hit theaters. “It not only made them different, but it was a good metaphor for what was happening with the Civil Rights Movement in the country at that time.”

“Those stories have room for everyone, regardless of their race, gender, religion, or color of their skin,” Lee said in a 2017 video published by Marvel. “The only things we don’t have room for are hatred, intolerance, and bigotry.”

Although he was deeply influenced by the Civil Rights struggles unfolding around him in the 1960s, Lee was more of a chronicler than an activist. He was a good reflection of how the average American was awakened by everything that happened in the ’50s and ’60s.

By creating characters that looked and acted differently, Lee tapped into the struggles that readers of his books experienced every day. “Marvel has always been and always will be a reflection of the world right outside our window,” he explained a year before his death.

ALIEN NATION (1988)

Alien Nation is a Sci-Fi flick doubling as a sometimes-brilliant metaphor for the experience of Asian Immigrants in the United States. Set in 1992, the film details the arrival of Aliens on a derelict spacecraft. Genetically engineered slave labor of an unknown species, they are four million strong, and marooned off the coast of San Francisco, a port town famously rich in Asian diversity.

The story begins as a murder mystery and leads to the discovery that an alien drug is being introduced into the ‘Newcomer’ population through the agency of an upper class seeking to exploit them.

Conversations, misunderstandings, and preconceptions about ‘Newcomers’ are all familiar to anyone who is Asian-American.

A human foreman, when shown pictures of Alien suspects, apologizes that all the Slags “look alike” to him. Their food smells “strange” (raw beaver meat) and offensive to humans. The females, however, have found a foothold in human society as “sex workers”. Their exoticism mirrors the attitude toward Asian women in the West, spawned by generations of American servicemen first meeting them in foreign brothels.

Alien Nation deals critically with the idea of racism against Asians in many forms. It’s far from perfect — but it has perfect moments.

THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY

As Awarding-winning Authors of Young Adult Sci-Fi, we have created THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY (2016-2018) to empower Women and People of Color:

Book 1 A GLEAM OF LIGHT explores Native American Mythology as UNA, half-Hopi bureaucrat from D.C., is summoned to Hopiland. Her connection to the white man’s world makes her uniquely qualified to help solve a mystery linked to an ancient discovery, as she tries to reconnect with her roots and cultural identity.

Book 2 THE DRAGON’S GLARE explores Asian American Mythology with UNA on special assignment to investigate unexplained violence in Chinatown, New York City. She discovers a deep-seated cultural connection with Tibetan immigrants as Ancient Chinese wisdom battles a threat from Ancient Evil.

Book 3 BEYOND THE WORLD explores African American Mythology as UNA, briefly stranded on her honeymoon adventure in Yosemite, uncovers a UFO mystery that leads to an Alien Conspiracy. Together with teen members of Explorer’s Club from the Kikuyu Tribe, she must track down the source of strange events and fight to save humanity.

Each life-changing story in the TRILOGY sheds light on racial injustice — as it explores the human connection to Ancient Aliens through the eyes of Native Mythology. Throughout history, native peoples have borne first witness to the TRUTH about our relationship to Planet Earth … and Life elsewhere in the universe. In the modern world, that Truth has been lost.

 

In recent years, the term “Wokeness” has been used to describe a “newfound awareness” of injustice and discrimination in society, especially RACISM. Science Fiction franchises like Star Wars and Star Trek have increasingly introduced storylines that explore Diversity and Inclusivity. They are moving in the Right Direction.

When I was growing up, with few exceptions, SCI-FI offered an optimistic take on the Future: the promise of Progress through new Technology and Morality, overcoming Obstacles that drive people apart (like Prejudice and Racism), and opening Doors to Truth beyond our wildest imaginings — that lead to Enlightenment.

Hope to see you there.

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Female-powered SCI-FI centers on a woman’s point of view, where a female character is vital to the story. Increasingly, women Writers and Directors working behind the camera are making their voices heard … through powerful Characters up on the big screen.

Writers

Women writers have helped shape Science Fiction ever since Frankenstein was penned by Mary Shelley (1818).

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (1962) has probably introduced more young Sci-Fi fans to the genre than any other novel.

African American author Octavia Butler, multiple recipient of the Hugo and Nebula awards, is perhaps best known for the Patternist series and stand-alone novels like Kindred (1979).

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (1985) is widely considered to be one of the best (and most terrifying) Sci-Fi novels of all time.

Directors

Female Sci-Fi Directors often get less opportunities, less news coverage, less awards, and less credit (than men) for the amazing work they do. High-profile directorial success stories are beginning to change all that.

Patty Jenkins — Wonder Woman (2017)
The first female-led superhero movie in over a decade and the big-screen live-action debut of DC’s reigning queen, there was a lot riding on the critical and commercial success of this film. With Wonder Woman, Jenkins set the standard for not just women-led superhero cinema but the genre as a whole.

Ava Duvernay — A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
DuVernay is the first woman of color to direct a live-action film with a budget of over $100 million, and the second woman to do so after Patty Jenkins. A Wrinkle in Time made the list for the top 100 grossing movies of 2018, making Ava DuVernay one of four female directors that made the list that year.

Cathy Yan — Birds of Prey (2020)
In April 2018, Yan was selected to direct the Harley Quinn DC Extended Universe superhero film Birds of Prey, based on the comic of the same name. The film was released on February 7, 2020 to positive reviews. Yan was the second woman and the first Asian woman to direct a DC film (or any US superhero film).

Chloe Zhao — Eternals (2021)
In September 2018, Marvel Studios hired her to direct Eternals, following the events of the 2019 Marvel movie Avengers: Endgame, featuring a new team of superheroes that must reunite in order to fight an ancient enemy of the human race. It made $161.7 million during its opening weekend and became No. 1 at the box office.

Powerful Characters

Sci-Fi films with strong female Characters — who know a thing or two about commanding a starship, defeating a killer cyborg, or fighting Aliens — are an inspiration to women everywhere.

Lieutenant Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) — Star Trek (1979 – 1991)
As a communications officer, Lieutenant Uhura served a critical function on the bridge of the Enterprise, and she wasn’t afraid to fight for the lives of her crewmates.

Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) — Alien film series (1979 – 1997)
Heroes are normal people called upon by circumstance to do extraordinary things. Ripley deftly and narrowly survived the xenomorph’s attack in the first film, only to face swarms of them again and again, in the sequel and beyond.

Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) — Terminator film series (1984-2019)
It was clear from Sarah Connor’s first appearance in Terminator 2: Judgment Day that her experiences in the previous film had radically changed her. Connor had become a full-fledged warrior with unwavering determination to protect her son, the savior of humanity’s future, and a dogged desire to erase that future altogether.

Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) — The Matrix film series (1999-2021)
The revelation that the film’s depiction of life at the end of the 20th century was actually a simulation by sentient machines using humans as living batteries was mind-blowing. Trinity dispatches some police officers with a physics-defying kick, introducing her unique ability to consistently kick-ass with style and purpose.

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) — The Hunger Games film series (2012-2015)
Katniss volunteers to replace her sister in the annual Hunger Games in order to spare her life. Using her cunning, wilderness survival skills, and archery, she manages to buck the rules of the system by taking on a partner to jointly win the tournament … then parlays that success into a full-blown rebellion.

THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY

Created to empower Women and People of Color, each life-changing story in the TRILOGY sheds light on racial injustice — as it explores the human connection to Ancient Aliens through the eyes of Native Mythology.

In Book 1 A GLEAM OF LIGHT (2016) — UNA Waters, half-Hopi bureaucrat from D.C., is summoned to Hopiland. Her connection to the white man’s world makes her uniquely qualified to help solve a mystery linked to an ancient discovery, as she tries to reconnect with her roots and cultural identity.

In Book 2 THE DRAGON’S GLARE (2017) — UNA is on special assignment to investigate unexplained violence in Chinatown, New York City. She discovers a deep-seated cultural connection with Tibetan immigrants as Ancient Chinese wisdom battles a threat from Ancient Evil.

In Book 3 BEYOND THE WORLD (2018) — UNA, briefly stranded on her honeymoon adventure in Yosemite, uncovers a UFO mystery that leads to an Alien Conspiracy. Together with teen members of Explorer’s Club from the Kikuyu Tribe, she must track down the source of strange events and fight to save humanity.

Female-powered SCI-FI — centered on a woman’s point of view — may hold the key to our Future.

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A Parallel Universe … also known as a parallel dimension, alternate universe, or alternate reality, is a hypothetical plane of existence, co-existing with our own. The sum of all potential parallel universes that constitute Reality is often called a “Multiverse”.

SCIENCE FICTION has explored this concept for centuries. In modern times, it often appears in movies, television and comic books. The idea was perhaps first popularized in comic books with publication of The Flash #123, “Flash of Two Worlds” in 1961.

On screen, recent examples abound.

STAR TREK

Star Trek featured the recurring “Mirror Universe”, a dark reflection of the normal universe in which the regular characters are twisted, self-serving and more than willing to resort to torture and murder to achieve their goals. Star Trek episodes featuring parallel universes outside the Mirror Universe include “Parallels” and “The Alternative Factor”.

FRINGE

Fringe follows a Federal Bureau of Investigation “Fringe Division” team based in Boston. The team uses unorthodox “fringe” science and FBI investigative techniques to investigate a series of unexplained, often ghastly occurrences, some of which are related to mysteries surrounding a parallel universe.

THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE

The Man in the High Castle is an American dystopian alternate history TV series (based on the 1962 novel by Philip K. Dick) depicting a parallel universe where the Axis powers of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan rule the world (dividing the United States of America into East and West regions, separated by a “Neutral Zone”) after their victory in World War II.

THE OA

Part I — Prairie Johnson, an adopted young woman who resurfaces after having been missing for seven years, calls herself “the OA” (for “original angel”), has scars on her back, and can see, despite having been blind when she disappeared. The OA refuses to tell the FBI and her adoptive parents where she has been and how her eyesight was restored, and instead quickly assembles a team of five locals (four high school students and a teacher) to whom she reveals that information, also explaining her life story. Finally, she asks for their help to save the other missing people whom she claims she can rescue by opening a portal to another dimension.

Part II — Follows the OA as she traverses to another dimension and ends up in San Francisco to continue her search for her former captor Hap and her fellow captives. Prairie crosses paths with private eye Karim Washington and assists in his investigation of the surreal disappearance of a missing girl that involves an abandoned house with a supernatural history and an online puzzle game. Meanwhile, in the original dimension, a series of unfortunate events propels the OA’s five companions to embark on a road trip across America to assist the OA on her journey.

MIDNIGHT SPECIAL

Alton Meyer is a boy unlike any other in the world with bizarrely powerful abilities and strange weaknesses. In the middle of the night, his father, Roy, spirits him away from the isolated cult that practically worships him and is determined to regain him at all costs. At the same time, Alton’s abilities have been noticed by the US government as well and they are equally insistent on getting to the bottom of this mystery with Paul Sevier of the National Security Agency leading the Federal pursuit with his own questions. These rival hunts force father and son into a desperate run towards a looming date with destiny that could change everything.

THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY

Book 1 A GLEAM OF LIGHT explores Native American Mythology as the protagonist, UNA WATERS, half-Hopi government agent from D.C., is summoned to the land of her birth when the U.S. Army invades the Sacred Peaks of Hopiland. (There she discovers a direct link to a Parallel Dimension — inhabited by Alien Intelligence.)

Book 2 THE DRAGON’S GLARE explores Asian American Mythology as UNA finds herself on special assignment to investigate unexplained violence in Chinatown, New York City, where she discovers a deep-seated connection with Tibetan immigrants. (During an episode of “Missing Time”, Una receives Extraterrestrial Enlightenment.)

Book 3 BEYOND THE WORLD explores African American Mythology as UNA, briefly stranded on her honeymoon adventure in Yosemite, uncovers a UFO mystery (with help from Explorer Club members of the Kikuyu Tribe) that leads to an Alien Conspiracy. (Una’s personal connection with the Alien Dimension holds the Key to our fate.)

SCI-FI and REALITY are converging toward the same path … one that offers enlightenment about Parallel Worlds … and leads to the TRUTH about Human Destiny.

Stay Tuned.

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SCIENCE FICTION — the genre of possibility — often tells fantastic tales of space exploration, sentient robots, alien encounters and futuristic events … based on imagination. But sometimes, it is firmly rooted in Real-World events.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977) drew from actual people’s experiences with UFOs and reports from military insiders.
To properly portray UFO sightings, Spielberg brought Dr. J. Allen Hynek onboard — a world-renowned astronomer who developed the UFO classification system from which Close Encounters takes its title. (Encounters of “the third kind” involve humans seeing visible occupants within a UFO.) Hynek began working with the US Air Force in 1948 as what he would eventually describe as “a debunker.” In time, however, he came to believe that UFO sightings couldn’t necessarily be explained away as entirely mundane. (The film boasts such a high level of authenticity that NASA wrote a letter to Spielberg about the dangers of making such a detailed movie.)

INTRUDERS (1992) was partially based on real life events in Ufology Budd Hopkins’ book Intruders: The Incredible Visitations at Copley Woods. (The TV Movie tells the story of two women, one in California plagued by nightmares about faceless strangers invading her house, another in Nebraska with a history of unexplained blackouts who one night ends up on a motorway, miles from home. A psychiatrist, struck by similarities between the two cases, discovers they share the same explanation: Alien Abduction.)
The Book: in 1983, Kathie Davis, floated out of her room in rural Indianapolis while asleep, was subjected to physical examination inside a UFO. The story she told the world afterwards, corroborated by specialists and hundreds of other victims all over the country, is not to be missed or dismissed lightly.

FIRE IN THE SKY (1993) made a real life story horrifying. (It still contains one of the freakiest Alien abduction scenes ever filmed — maybe because it’s drawn from true events.)
In 1975, forestry worker Travis Walton was working as part of a crew near Snowflake, Arizona. Suddenly, a saucer-shaped craft came into their field of vision, emitting a high-pitched buzz. Walton approached the spacecraft, and was blasted by a tremendous energy beam. His coworkers ran away, assuming he was dead, but five days later, he showed up in town in a phone booth. He claims he was abducted by Extraterrestrials who examined him in a hospital-like room. (The Movie dramatizes the abduction with queasy intensity.)

THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES (2002) draws inspiration from a real tragedy. (The Movie is about a reporter researching the myth of Mothman. His wife dies in a mysterious accident, then, two years later, and as he tracks down the monster, he finds himself reconnecting to memories of her … and, slowly but surely, discovering the truth of her death.)
The True Story: throughout 1966 and 1967, residents of Point Pleasant, West Virginia reported sightings of a strange creature with dark wings, humanoid proportions, and glowing red eyes. On December 15th, 1967, the Silver Bridge connecting Point Pleasant to Gallipolis, Ohio collapsed, killing 46 people. Many people in the area blamed the mythic Mothman. To this day, no one knows exactly what those Point Pleasant townsfolk saw.

THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY

Book 1 A GLEAM OF LIGHT, opens with dramatization of a documented Historical Event — the mysterious UFO encounter of America West Flight 564 on May 25, 1995.
Story elements in Book 2 THE DRAGON’S GLARE, and Book 3 BEYOND THE WORLD are inspired by: Eyewitness Accounts of modern UFO sightings (including phenomena like Missing Time), Military Crash Retrievals, and Face-to-Face Encounters with Extraterrestrials (based on the work of respected UFO researchers David M. Jacobs and Richard Dolan).

SCI-FI stories about UFOs and Aliens — inspired by Real Life — are not only fantastic. They make TRUTH stranger than Fiction.

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In recent years, major SCI-FI franchises, such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, and Star Trek, have started to include more character DIVERSITY of every kind. Let’s briefly consider a few streaming examples.

THE EXPANSE

The Expanse has always been a show that tackled diversity head on, but never felt like it was trying too hard, perhaps in part because diversity is a part of the story itself. There’s something recognizable about the conflict between Earth, Mars and the downtrodden people of the Belt. The show takes place in our universe around 200 years from now, in a future where racism and sexism have become obsolete. Executive producer Naren Shankar explains: “We’re trying to really represent human beings, and to extrapolate, to the extent it’s possible with this kind of drama, where humanity might go, how ethnicities might mix, how people might look.”

STAR TREK PICARD

Diversity and inclusion have been cornerstones of the Star Trek universe since its humble beginnings. Despite this commitment to racial and gender diversity, it is rare to have human characters whose individual cultural heritage and ethnic background is truly central to their personhood. One refreshing exception: the character of Rios from Picard — Chilean, played by a Latinx actor named Santiago Cabrera, he speaks Spanish on camera regularly (with an accent) and uses a classic Spanish nursery rhyme to override his ship’s controls. Cultural heritage and background are central to his identity.

FOUNDATION

Creator David S. Goyer understood that adapting Foundation (originally published in 1942) meant making notable changes to better reflect today’s world, like switching the story’s key heroes — Gaal, who is Dr. Seldon’s apprentice, and Salvor, a leader of the colony tasked with compiling important human knowledge — from white men to Black women. “I was conscious of the fact that there were a lot of people that were underrepresented in a lot of these sort of seminal works,” he explains. “I knew that I wanted this show to break through not just the hardcore fans, but to everyone.” He also assembled a diverse writers’ room — comprised of a majority number of women and people of color.

THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY

In Book 1 A GLEAM OF LIGHT, the central storyline draws its diverse inspiration from Hopi Mythology — with the concept of Guardianship given to each of four human races: red, yellow, black, and white. Chapter 9, “Spirit Woman”, lays out the specifics:

“Long ago, the Great Spirit came down and gathered the peoples of this world together on an island which is now beneath the water.
“To the Indian people, the red race, he gave Guardianship of the Earth.
“To the South, he gave the yellow race Guardianship of the Wind.
“To the West, he gave the black race Guardianship of the Water.
“To the North, he gave the white race Guardianship of the Fire.”

Diversity in the TRILOGY flows naturally from this point forward.

Book 1 A GLEAM OF LIGHT explores Native American Mythology as the protagonist, UNA WATERS, half-Hopi government agent from D.C., is summoned to the land of her birth when the U.S. Army invades the Sacred Peaks of Hopiland.

Book 2 THE DRAGON’S GLARE explores Asian American Mythology as UNA finds herself on special assignment to investigate unexplained violence in Chinatown, New York City, where she discovers a deep-seated connection with Tibetan immigrants.

Book 3 BEYOND THE WORLD explores African American Mythology as UNA, briefly stranded on her honeymoon adventure in Yosemite, uncovers a UFO mystery (with help from Explorer Club members of the Kikuyu Tribe) that leads to an Alien Conspiracy.

(The White Race, not forgotten, plays a significant role in the events of Book 3.)

 

THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY empowers Women and People of Color, appealing to viewers Worldwide. As the Authors, it is our greatest hope to see this story successfully adapted to the screen — perhaps even as a TV Mini-series … streaming one day soon on Amazon Prime.

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Some of the greatest SCI-FI Stories … almost didn’t make it to the screen. Production delays, cost overruns and more can threaten a project to the point of cancellation. Luckily for fans, the ones on this list found a way to survive.

Star Wars (1977)

Universal Studios and United Artists both passed on STAR WARS, before it was picked up by 20th Century Fox. During the first week of production, shooting was interrupted by a rainstorm that caused technical problems. When studio heads later tried to nix the Death Star finale, George Lucas went ahead and filmed it anyway. It has also been reported that some of the actors found it hard to take the movie seriously (with some later admitting that they didn’t think it would do well.) Guess they were wrong!

Blade Runner (1982)

Inspired by Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, the first script for BLADE RUNNER was not up to Dick’s standards. Ridley Scott took charge of the project and hired David Peoples to rewrite the script, bumping the budget from $13 million to $15 million. Right before the crew was ready to begin filming, Filmways backed out with their money, leaving the film without financing. Eventually, the producer of the film, Michael Deeley, was able to get three different backers involved, saving one of the most beloved cult classics of all time.

Back To The Future (1985)

The first draft of BACK TO THE FUTURE was canned by Columbia Pictures for being “not sexual enough.” The writers took the film to other studios over the next four years — only to be rejected, even pitching the film to Disney (who rejected it over the whole Marty and his mom ordeal). Eventually, Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis resorted to taking the film to their good friend, Steven Spielberg, who took the film to Universal. The rest is history.

Waterworld (1995)

The budget for WATERWORLD ballooned from $100 to $175 million (the biggest at the time). It received new writers, a new score, and last minute script changes, some of which were done by Joss Whedon (who refers to the ordeal as “seven weeks of hell”). After a hurricane destroyed a multi-million dollar film set, and lead star Kevin Costner almost died, the movie was not looking like it would ever see the light of day. Eventually, the finished film was released, to cult fanfare. Maybe one of the most underrated movies of all time.

Stranger Things (2016)

The creators of STRANGER THINGS, Matt and Ross Duffer, say initially they were intending to make a film out of the concept. They explain that “nobody wanted to hear movie ideas. They wanted to hear television ideas.” But then the networks weren’t thrilled with the idea of the concept as a TV show either (it was turned down 15 to 20 times), so they pitched it as an eight-hour movie that could include breaks. Ultimately, Netflix went for it.

 

As creators of THE SURVIVAL TRILOGY, we’re hoping that one day our story will make it to the screen. We’ve been reaching out to filmmakers, in hopes of finding the right person to bring our story to life.

Wish us luck!!!

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