2009 was a great year for science fiction movies for fans young and old with a mix of films that has blended science fiction with action to produce spectacular fantastic films! In 2009 we are revisited by some of the movies we once loved as they were brought back anew. Star Trek is one such film that united a new generation with the old including the new and original character of Spock. Full of science fiction action 2009’s Star Trek offered a story of beginnings and the human experience leaving us in anticipation for more.

Another film of past that revisited us in 2009 was James Cameron’s Terminator Salvation; another piece of the Terminator franchise. This film was a B grade science fiction movie with over-the-top acting, superb special effects and a rather shallow plot line; however, was quite the attraction for people who either can’t get enough of Terminator movies or couldn’t resist the cameo of Arnold Schwarzenneger dubbed as ‘The Governator’.

One of the biggest films of the year was 2009’s Watchman. Though it was not fully true to the comic book it delivered a true science fiction experience for the deep thinking science fiction fans. Rivaling Watchman in popularity and deep thinking was Avatar which moved many people as well as disappointing some who claim the plot line to be cliché. The computer generated animation, special effects and important message about our own human nature was enough to make this one of the highest yielding films.

Animation is a popular media in science fiction to offer the ability to create what is in the minds of the writers that would otherwise be difficult to pull off successfully. Two of the best science fiction movies of 2009 besides Avatar were Battle for Terra and ‘9’. Battle for Terra depicts ‘Earth Force’ looking for a new home and finding a planet called Terra and the proceeding battle between ‘Earth Force’ and Terra’s peaceful inhabitants. Like Avatar, Battle for Terra offers an important message worth checking out. ‘9’ is a darker animated science fiction film and not necessarily targeted to the younger generation. An apocalyptic world is depicted in this desolate film that portrays a group of puppet like beings that are left in the wake of a holocaust between man and machine. This film’s offers a story of destruction and redemption in true animated sci-fi fashion.

Whatever accusations The Matrix suffers from its critics as dinner party philosophy, for the majority of the population, it struck a genuine chord.  Perhaps it’s a function of the growth of secularism – the absence of God in people’s lives doesn’t mean there is not a continued need for spiritualism.  Combine that with a growing awareness of the “scientific” argument for creation still isn’t resolved (actually is a long way from being resolved) the rationalisation of the religious argument in philosophical terms (renaming God as “The Architect”, avoiding the argument of is God male/female by also employing “The Oracle”).

How deep does the rabbit hole go?

Without question, this film offers more than the standard Hollywood fare, it really does help show you just “how deep the rabbit-hole goes”.

The philosophical questions raised by the film include the skeptical worry that one’s experience may be illusory, and the moral question of whether it matters.

Is the Matrix Heaven?

Richard Hanley, author of the best-selling book The Metaphysics of Star Trek and a philosophy professor at the University of Delaware, has  explored the intersection of philosophy and science fiction with his entertaining and thought-provoking piece “Never the Twain Shall Meet: Reflections on The First Matrix.” He argues that given a traditional Christian notion of an afterlife, Heaven turns out to be like The Matrix in which contact with other real human beings is eliminated.

Kevin Warwick is known internationally for his robotics research – he argues that by transforming ourselves into Cyborgs, it would allow us to “plug in” confident that we will fully benefit from all that such a future offers.

Blue Pill vs Red Pill?

Gnosticism and Buddhism also come into play.  What we take to be reality is in fact a dream from which we ought best to wake up, after which enlightenment, be it spiritual or otherwise, can occur. The question is asking us whether reality, truth, is worth pursuing.  The choice Neo makes between the red pill and the blue pill symbolises this question. The blue pill will leave us as we are, in a life consisting of habit, of things we believe we know. We are comfortable, we do not need truth to live. The blue pill symbolises commuting to work every day, or brushing your teeth.  The red pill is an unknown quantity. We are told that it can help us to find the truth. We don’t know what that truth is, or even that the pill will help us to find it. The red pill symbolises risk, doubt and questioning. In order to answer the question, you must gamble your whole life and world on a reality you have never experienced.

The sacred feminine

Morpheus places the blue pill in his left hand and the red pill in his right hand.  As in  the Da Vinci code, left is a historical Christian symbol of feminism, whereas right is masculine.  It’s an area we’d be interested in exploring further.

About Hugo Voting

Voting for the Hugo Awards was conducted on a preferential (instant runoff) system.  When you vote, you don’t vote for just one of the choices, you rank the offerings in each category in your order of preference.  You aren’t required to rank all of them, but if you want to help influence the outcome, it’s to your advantage to do so.

Although the counting is complicated, a basic understanding of it may help you in ranking your choices.  If we have four items we’re voting on: A, B, C, and D, we separate the ballots into four stacks.  Stack 1 has all those ballots that list A as their first choice, stack 2 has those that have listed B as their first choice etc.  We count how many are in each stack.  If one of the choices has received the majority (half of the first-choice votes cast plus at least one more) of votes, then that item is the winner.  If, as often happens in elections with two or more candidates, no item choice has a clear majority, then we take up the stack that has the fewest ballots.  The fewest people have chosen this item as their top choice.  Then we redistribute those ballots based on the second choices listed on those ballots as if they were the first choice.  EG, say Stack Four, those who chose D as their first choice had the least ballots.  We’d take those ballots and put them into Stacks 1, 2, or 3, depending on which was ranked as second choice. Now we have only three piles.  This goes on until there is a winner, i.e., someone with a clear majority.

You can read more about this balloting system on Wikipedia.  The results of the 2004 Hugo voting process.

For more information on the Hugo Awards, look at the WSFS Constitution, AwardWeb, Science Fiction Awards Watch, Locus Magazine’s Index to Science Fiction Awards, or The Hugo Awards.

 The Colorado Convention Center features over 2.2 million square feet of exhibition space, including:

•6 exhibit halls: 584,000 contiguous square feet
•62 meeting rooms: 100,000 square feet of meeting space
•2 ballrooms: 50,000 square feet and 35,000 square feet
•1 5,000 fixed seat theater

The Adam’s Mark Hotel was the party hotel with evening function space.

More than 250 room were contracted at the Hyatt, which adjoins the convention center.  There were also over 4,000 additional rooms in several hotels within walking distance of the convention center.