Essential Sci-Fi

 

Essential Sci-Fi Essential Sci-Fi films Essential Sci-Fi Television shows Extras Guidelines for adding new material Explanations for movie and television ratings Disclaimer

 

"Essential sci-fi" is a list of "must see" movies and television shows for fans (and those who want to be fans) of sci-fi.

 

Science fiction can contain all other genres e.g. action, animation, comedy, drama, fantasy, horror, thrillers, etc. and all combinations of these genres as shown by the various choices on the list.

 

This page is divided into three sections:

 

• Section 1: Essential movies: films which helped define the genre, pushed the limits of movie-making technology and whose storylines stand the test of time.

 

• Section 2: Essential television shows: programs which brought classic/ratings-worthy sci-fi to the masses.

 

• Section 3: Extras: this is the section for material that did not make into the other sections.

 

If you want to contribute to this page, please read the "Guidelines for adding new material" located after the "Extras" section.

Further information about the movies or television shows can be found at:

 

• Wikipedia.
• The Internet Movie Database (IMDb).
• Google.
• Yahoo.
• MSN.

 

 

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Essential Sci-Fi films

The list is in alphabetical order.

 

• 2001: A Space Odyssey

 

• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

 

• The Abyss

 

• Akira

 

• Alien

 

• Aliens

 

• Alien Nation

 

• The Andromeda Strain

 

• Back to the Future

 

• The Black Hole

 

• Blade Runner (director's cut)

 

• Close Encounters of the Third Kind

 

• The Day the Earth Stood Still

 

• Dune (1984 David Lynch version)

 

• Fantastic Voyage

 

• The Fifth Element

 

• Forbidden Planet

 

• Galaxy Quest

 

• Ghost in the Shell

 

• The Hidden

 

• Honey, I Shrunk the Kids

 

• The Iron Giant

 

• Jurassic Park

 

• Logan's Run

 

• The Matrix

 

• Men in Black

 

• Metropolis (1927 Fritz Lang version)

 

• Minority Report

 

• Pitch Black

 

• Planet of the Apes (1968 original)

 

• Predator

 

• Serenity

 

• Slaughterhouse Five

 

• Solaris (1972 original)

 

• Space Balls

 

• Stargate

 

• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

 

• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

 

• Star Trek: First Contact

 

• Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

 

• Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

 

• Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

 

• The Terminator

 

• Terminator 2: Judgement Day

 

• The Thing (1982 John Carpenter version)

 

• Total Recall

 

• Tron

 

• Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

 

• The War of the Worlds (1953 original)

 

 

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Essential Sci-Fi Television shows

The list is in alphabetical order.

 

• ALF

 

• Alien Nation TV series

 

• Andromeda

 

• Automan

 

• Babylon 5

 

• Battlestar Galactica (2003 re-imagining)

 

• Blake's 7

 

• Captain Scarlet (Gerry Anderson Supermarionation series)

 

• Doctor Who

 

• Enterprise

 

• Eureka

 

• Evangelion

 

• Farscape

 

• Firefly

 

• The Invaders

 

• Jake 2.0

 

• Joe 90 (Gerry Anderson Supermarionation series)

 

• Knight Rider

 

• Logan's Run

 

• Max Headroom

 

• The Outer Limits

 

• Quantum Leap

 

• Red Dwarf

 

• SeaQuest DSV

 

• Seven Days

 

• The Six Million Dollar Man

 

• Sliders

 

• Stargate Atlantis

 

• Stargate: SG-1

 

• Star Trek (the original series)

 

• Star Trek: The Next Generation

 

• Stingray (Gerry Anderson Supermarionation series)

 

• Surface

 

• Threshold

 

• Tripping the Rift

 

• Thunderbirds (Gerry Anderson Supermarionation series)

 

• Torchwood

 

• The Twilight Zone (some, not all, of the stories had sci-fi elements)

 

• UFO

 

• Ultraviolet (1998 British series)

 

• V

 

• Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

 

• The X-Files

 

 

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Extras

The list is in alphabetical order.

 

• 2010: The Year We Make Contact (sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey)

 

• A Scanner Darkly

 

• Contact

 

• Event Horizon

 

• Innerspace

 

• I, Robot

 

• Mork & Mindy

 

• Robocop

 

• Soylent Green

 

• Space 1999

 

 

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Guidelines for adding new material

 

• Should contribute something positive to the genre (pioneering special effects, great story, "something never seen before", etc).

 

• Doesn't have to be very popular (although that distinction helps).

 

• Doesn't have to be a blockbuster (although that distinction helps).

 

• Selections can be a personal favourite but "personal favourite" shouldn't be the only reason for including it on the list.

 

• What ever you put on the list (movies, tv shows) make sure you've seen it. If you've never seen it but only "heard about it" then don't include it on the list.

 

• Films based on classic novels don't have to be 100% faithful to the source as long as they can stand on their own. However, if the film borrows heavily from the source novel and screws it up, then it is not eligible for this list. Just in case you were wondering, "I,Robot" (starring Will Smith) uses only the "3 laws" and the title from the Asimov short story. Story wise, it can stand on its own without references to Asimov and thus it can be included on the list.

 

• Stories set in the future or the past do not automatically qualify as sci-fi. Example: " A Clockwork Orange". Make sure they have other sci-fi elements.

 

• Stories set in dystopian futures with the protagonist(s) fighting political dictatorships are not eligible for this list. Examples include: "1984", "Equilibrium", "Fahrenheit 451", "V for Vendetta".

 

• Fantasy titles are not eligible for this list. Example: "Lord of the Rings", "Chronicles of Narnia".

 

• Superhero movies are not eligible for this list. Examples include: any of the "Batman" movies, "Spiderman", "Superman", "X-Men".

 

• Zombie movies are not sci-fi movies.

 

• These guidelines are not cast in stone. Some flexibility is allowed/expected.

 

• These guidelines are subject to change without further notice.

 

 

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Explanations for movie and television ratings

 

Movies and television shows are rated for their content e.g. for violence, coarse language, etc. Not all sci-fi is "safe for the kids". For example, "Slaughterhouse Five" is rated "R" and "Battlestar Galactica" is rated "TV-14". If you need to know what the various ratings mean, check these links:

 

• Movie ratings: http://www.mpaa.org/FlmRat_Ratings.asp

 

• Television show ratings: http://www.tvguidelines.org/ratings.asp

 

 

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Disclaimer

 

TTCS is not responsible for the content of:

 

• sites linked to from this page

 

• external sites

 

• third party sites

 

 

Information on this page is subject to change without further notice. If you use any information from this page, you do so at your own discretion and risk and you are soley responsible for any and all: financial loss, damage to your equipment or loss of data that may result directly or indirectly from such use.

In other words, if you screw-up, or your equipment or data gets screwed up, it is 100% YOUR fault! Don't blame anyone else.

 

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Article submitted on the TTCS wiki on 20 March 2007 by CR.

Original concept by CR.

 

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