Modern Science Fiction -- Mimetic Theory and Literary Study

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Date Posted: 20:13:01 04/06/08 Sun
Author: Caitlin
Subject: Modern Science Fiction

*disclaimer* - This post will indulge in my obsession with SciFi, and will reference a show that I'm sure not many of you have heard about -

Alright. On to my point. I think that modern science fiction has a LOT to do with mimesis. A quote from Girard states, "The only way of repelling evil turns out still to be by way of the evil itself. Any renunciation of technology, pure and simple, seems to be impossible: the machine is so well set up that it would be more dangerous to stop than to go forward" (Things 256). I LOVED this quote because I immediately thought of SO many SciFi books and movies. You might be more familiar with the movie series of The Matrix (which are fascinating in itself).

However, there is a relatively new TV series on the SciFi channel that demonstrates this principle of an almost lose/lose situation concerning mimeticism and technology. It's called "Battlestar Galactica". Now, this series that is airing is actually a retelling of the same titled series from 1978 (again, copying a model).

In this series man has created machines that work for us so well and have such a complex AI system, that they begin to question why they are serving the humans when they are clearly superior. They rebel. They evolve in such a way that they end up looking exactly like humans - bleeding liek them, feeling like them, and in some cases LOVING like them - but they are still machines. They almost completely wipe out the human race.

What I really want to get at is a specific political situation that comes up. Humanity is faced with a choice. They have the temporary means to annihilate the entire Cylon race (interesting that they grant them the term of "race"), but what does that mean for humanity? The question they face is: If we wipe out the cylons, are we not essentially losing a part of the human soul and becoming just like the cylons?

This plays right into Girard's quote is that getting rid of the cylons seems almost impossible because to do so would in effect "lower" them to the cylon level of brutality and violent evil.

AH! There are so many other fantastic examples of the struggle of mimeticism in this series. I wish I could share them all with you, but I'm afraid many of you would simply have a blank stare on your face.

*Begin shameless plug* Watch "Battlestar Galactica" Friday nights at 10pm!! *End shameless plug*

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Replies:

Re: Modern Science Fiction -- Jonathan Dunn, 13:47:34 04/13/08 Sun
- Re: Modern Science Fiction -- Caitlin, 18:26:46 04/13/08 Sun
- Girard's Supporting Quote -- Caitlin, 18:53:29 04/13/08 Sun