Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Futurism.
"The Macra Terror" and the Future of Missing Doctor Who Animations
Since the discovery by the wider fan-base in 1981 that the BBC had been junking episodes of Doctor Who they believed would never be seen again, there have been many attempts to reconstruct these gaps. People have gone to great lengths to recover the episodes themselves, of course, but, with 97 episodes still missing, fans have wanted a way of experiencing these stories as well as all those that exist in the archives. We've had had telesnaps, novelisations, audio releases with linking narration, and even reconstructions bringing a number of these elements together. But, in the past 12 years, we've been seeing more and more of these lost stories be recreated through animation. From Cosgrove Hall's beautifully stark animation of "The Invasion" to Planet 55's almost anime-style animation of "The Reign of Terror," we've seen a variety of styles and a variety of companies attempting to bring these missing episodes to life. Since 2016, BBC Studios have been producing animations themselves, starting with "The Power of the Daleks," and then continuing with the unfinished Tom Baker story Shada. And now, we've reached The Macra Terror, which takes the idea of animating Doctor Who to a whole new level. And now, the big question that Doctor Who fans have is this: what is the future of these animations? Where do we go next?
By Joseph A. Morrison7 years ago in Futurism
'The Chronology Protection Case'
The Chronology Protection Conjecture (TCPC)—this is the idea that we, as human beings, are intimately entangled with the evolution of the cosmos and that it (the cosmos) simply will not allow us to tamper with certain possible paths into the future—or the past. Traveling back in time and accidentally changing history, killing your grandfather so that you were never born in the first place, or imperceptibly upsetting the course of events in subtle ways that later blossomed into catastrophic changes to the present, is now traditional science fiction. But if it were possible, historians wouldn’t be able to sleep at night, their work constantly upset by time-tourists. Stephen Hawking rescued historians from this fate.
By Ray Percival7 years ago in Futurism
Review of 'The Orville' Season 2 Finale
The Orville really brought it home last night with a season two finale (2.14) that built on last week's superb time travel episode (2.13). In effect, making both parts a brilliant two-part time travel engenders alternate history story. Although time travel and alternate history can and do often happen independently of one another, the two science fiction genres are naturally connected. If I go back in time with knowledge I obtained from the future, that instantly creates an alternate reality in which a different series of events are spun, put in motion by the knowledge of the future I now have in the past.
By Paul Levinson7 years ago in Futurism
Jack
The night was darker than the deepest black, and his eyes as sorrowful as if he saw a crow standing over his own grave. Jack, a boy of about four years, stood still. He gazed over the long narrow stream more than two hundred feet below him. It rushed at the pace of a stampede of bulls, and it gushed faster than the time it takes to pop a bubble. You see, Jack knew what he could do, and he fully understood the outcome of every single situation he could possibly control. If he made a decision, he knew the consequences. If he chose one thing over the other, one person over the other, he knew the bridges that would collapse, and the ones that would grow stronger. As he stood over that gushing stream, he knew what his actions would do to his family, his friends, his conscience. He knew it would be over for him, he knew it would carry on for the rest of them. Jack knew about everything after he had gotten into the systems. Jack knew the options, whether they should have been “options” or not.
By Kyle Parker7 years ago in Futurism
Reach For the Stars and They Will Find Us
In our history, humanity has grown and evolved, we have won and we have lost. We have created beautiful wonders, and sadly oversaw atrocities. We have learned with each new generation seeking a better tomorrow. This drive has carried us from the dirt to civilization, and from civilization to society. It has cultivated a culture of dreamers who look beyond what can be seen to chart new paths towards our future.
By John Ames Birch7 years ago in Futurism
Some Useful Tips for Novice Futurist Writers
Novice writers have a lot of creativity and potential in them. At first, though, this potential isn’t refined. The good news is that there are ways that it can be improved into something great. Here, we are going to take a look at what you can do to shape yourself into the next success story.
By Donald Jefferson7 years ago in Futurism
The Blue Queen (Part 2)
Chapter 1 - Frost (Part 1) To the human eye, Ciara Frost was ordinary, except with an alternative sense of style. She had to admit as she walked down the street with people staring that her look didn't lead to blending in much. She wasn't a tall girl, but most human girls weren't.
By Dee Jay Kay7 years ago in Futurism
