Difference between revisions of "Science Fiction"

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* "[[The Omega Cynic]]," by [[Mystik Slacker]] (a [[dream world]])
* "[[The Omega Jane]]," by [[TAG]] (Daria/The Omega Man)
* "[[The Road Worrier, Part 2]]," by [[Milo Minderbinder]]
* "[[The Road Worrier, Part 2]]," by [[Milo Minderbinder]] (Daria/The Road Warrior)
* "[[Submariner Series]]," by [[Wildgoose]]

Revision as of 03:45, 3 March 2008

Daria as Barbarella

Science fiction is imaginative writing about the consequences of advancements in science and technology. Science fiction differs from fantasy in that whatever happens in science fiction is expected to be possible within the laws of nature, as understood today or as might be understood in the future. What happens in fantasy is assumed to be impossible under any circumstances (Clarke's Third Law aside). Speculations about exotic discoveries like teleportation, faster-than-light spacecraft, and time travel are included, as many elements of the modern world (e.g., computers, spacecraft, vaccines, nuclear power) were also once thought impossible.

Jane and Daria as alien sex goddesses on Sick, Sad World ("The Lawndale File")

Science Fiction in Daria Canon

Science fiction was only lightly touched on in the Daria series, through Artie's fantastic tales of being kidnapped by aliens and the unfortunate appearance of Daria and Jane as alien sex goddesses on TV. "The Lawndale File" parodied The X-Files series and other SF stories, but presented nothing of a true SF nature. The UFO convention in "Esteemsters" used its SF elements to humorous effect.

Controversial episodes that many fans consider to be fanciful, such as "Depth Takes a Holiday" and "Daria!," are here considered to be fantasy. Some fanfics spun off from those episodes, however, qualify as science fiction.

Science Fiction in Daria Fanfiction

Like fantasy writing, science-fiction works are usually sorted into broad subgenres like cyberpunk and alternate history. Daria SF has certain subgenres that appear frequently, while some subgenres of mainstream SF are almost never seen (e.g., steampunk). The better-known types of Daria SF are named below, with examples of each. Crossovers are included under the appropriate heading. Note that a story can fall into multiple subgenres, depending on its content.

E.T.: Extraterrestrial Tiffany

Alien Contact SF

The core of the tale is the interaction between humans (one or more of the Daria cast) and creatures or intelligent beings from other worlds. Alien invasion stories fall under this group.


Trent Lane of the rock band Teutonic Spiral

Alternate History SF

It is explained in the section on alternate universes that most AU Daria tales revolve around twists in the personal histories of the series cast or Lawndale alone, not the larger history of the world itself. Fanfics covering greater historical change are included here as SF.


Apocalyptic SF

Disaster on an epic scale strikes the world, and civilization crumbles before it. A few crossovers here, but mostly original work. Everyone has a different idea on how to destroy earth.


An unfortunate if rather amusing atomic mutation

Comedy SF

SF cliches have been effectively parodied in Daria crossovers, which dominate the field.


Cyberpunk SF

Cyberpunk is very rarely seen in this fandom, which is odd since the Internet and cutting-edge technology are behind-the-scenes features of Daria.


Gadget SF

Someone invents a futuristic gadget that causes unholy trouble when turned on. Not many of these exist, but they're fun when you find them.


The Tombot

Mecha SF

So far, all military-oriented SF Daria stories featuring giant battle robots (mecha, in Japanese anime lingo) are crossovers, some also being complete reinventions.


Social SF

The "soft" sciences of psychology, sociology, and political theory seem like they would be reasonably appropriate to Daria, and a few stories in this vein have appeared. Crossovers are rare here.


Jodie lands on the moon

Space Exploration

Daria was not an SF series, and near-future space exploration is a hard-core SF theme, so it stands to reason that there won't be many fanfics about going to the moon. There are a few, however, and none of them crossovers.


Space Opera

The collision of fleets of war spacecraft, the rise and fall of space empires, the epic tales of derring-do that span the universe, these are the elements of space opera. Daria, predictably, has very little of it except in crossovers. A number of Star Wars parodies and spin-offs have been done here.


Stacy Rowe of the Fashion Club 4

Superhero SF

Caped crimefighters and criminals are well covered elsewhere in DariaWiki. Though nearly all superhero fanfics in Daria fandom are crossovers, no two are remotely alike.


Time-traveling Jane fixes the Sphinx

Time Travel SF

Whether into the past or into the future, time travel presents special opportunities and dangers. Doctor Who crossovers are not uncommon, though not all deal with time travel alone.