Science Fiction Classics

Most discussions of "Dune" focus on Paul Atreides, the Fremen, the

Few science fiction military units are memorable as Frank Herbert's Sardaukar.

Readers often remember them first as elite soldiers, feared throughout the Imperium and spoken of with the kind of respect usually reserved for natural disasters. That impression is intentional, but it is only the surface of Herbert's idea.

The Sardaukar are not simply an army with bet...

On June 1, 1990, science-fiction audiences entered the summer movie season with Arnold Schwarzenegger headed to Mars in "Total Recall."

Directed by Paul Verhoeven and based on a story by Philip K. Dick, the film followed construction worker Douglas Quaid, a man who purchased artificial memories from a company called Rekall. Soon after...

George Lucas gave us plenty to argue about. Whether Han shot first. Whether Greedo shot first. Whether Jar Jar Binks constitutes a war crime. But one question has nagged at the scientifically inclined fan since 1977. Just how ...

The fathers who grew up watching star cruisers, masked heroes, and rogue robots in the 1970s and 1980s now occupy a different role in American life. Many of them first encountered science fiction through paperback racks, comic books, Saturday matinees, and the first wave of blockbuster fantasy films.

What once belonged to niche fandoms now exists comfortably in suburban...