10 Science Fiction Themes you find Over & Over

Good, bad or indifferent - there are themes in science fiction that one kindly might observe are recurring. I found this list on IO9 and it did get me thinking. I think this is a good starting point. I did like the way they broke out the themes. The basic "first time" an idea was put into play. This list is by no means definitive and I am sure that any and all of us could add articles or expand on alternatives to what is already listed. However the list here is certainly thought provoking, even though many of us might have issue with some of the inclusions. Like in #10 I would think Dr. Manhattan would be a good modern twist huh?


1. Robots:
The Forerunner: Fritz Lang's Metropolis.
The Iconic: Isaac Asimov Positronic Robot
The Modern Twist Bladrunner Nexus

2. Interstellar Travel:
The Forerunner: Lensman by E.E. "Doc" Smith
The Iconic: The Iconic: George Lucas's Star Wars.
The Modern Twist anything Stargate

3. Time Travel:
The Forerunner Hg wells Time Machine
The Iconic "—All You Zombies—" by Robert Heinlein.
The Modern Twist: Robert Zemeckis's Back to the Future

4. Superpowers:
The Forerunner: Superman by Joel Siegel and Joe Schuster.
The Iconic: Spider-Man by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
The Modern Twist: Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

5. Bodily Transformation:
The Forerunner: Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.
The Iconic: The Fantastic Four by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
The Modern Twist: David Cronenberg's The Fly.

6. Parallel Universe:
The Forerunner: Flatland by Edwin Abbott Abbott.
The Iconic: "Mirror, Mirror", Star Trek. The classic 1967 episode.
The Modern Twist: Fringe.

7. Alien Invasion:
The Forerunner: The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells.
The Iconic: Every Doctor Who episode, 1970 through 1974.
The Modern Twist: Neill Blomkamp's District 9.

8. Immortality:
The Forerunner: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.
The Iconic: "Long Live Walter Jameson", The Twilight Zone.
The Modern Twist: The Highlander franchise.

9. The Post-Apocalyptic World:
The Forerunner: Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon.
The Iconic: George Miller's The Road Warrior.
The Modern Twist: The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

10. Godlike Aliens:
The Forerunner: H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos
The Iconic: 2001, Rendezvous with Rama, & Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke.
The Modern Twist: Doctor Who 2005-2010.

There is quite a bit of discussion in the article. Check it out here.