How to be a Science Fiction Fan

I am a science fiction fan geek, and proud of it. How about you? You’ve read the books and seen the films. You felt inflamed when author Margaret Atwood said science fiction is all about ‘talking squids in outer space’, after all her own novel, The Handmaid’s Tale was nothing to do with a chatty octopus from Neptune was it? Face it, you’re a geek. You’ve watched Star Wars – A New Hope at least ten times. You have copies of the Target Dr. Who novelizations. You feel angry when someone says Babylon Five was pants. Maybe you want to go from reading books and watching Star Trek: Deep Space Nine reruns to actually joining a science fiction society. Oh but hang on, aren’t they uber-geeks? It’s all well and good liking Star Trek, but learning Klingon, and wearing a Star Fleet uniform round the house might be going too far, like joining a cult or something.  Actually, it’s rarely that extreme. The media portrayal of science fiction fans who think that Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea was a documentary, dress like characters from Stargate SG-1 for their weddings, and still have issue #1 of The Mighty Thor in its shrink wrap bag, are out there but relatively rare. Most science fiction fans dress normally most of the time, drink beer, chat about their favourite shows, but are quite happy to nit-pick mistakes and episodes that have Jumped The Shark. I am involved in the Manchester England based FONT science fiction group, which has run for over 15 years. It grew from a Manchester University science fiction society called Warped, and welcomes non-university members too. If you want to consider getting involved in any kind of fandom, here are a few useful pointers. Science fiction fans rarely like the term sci-fi, preferring to call it science fiction, SF or speculative fiction. Sci-Fi is often seen as a sneering derogatory media term. The Sci-Fi TV channel often angers fans for its limited repetitive output, willingness to air non-SF shows and films, and its recent name change to Scy-Fy, which renders it totally non-descript. SF covers science fiction, fantasy and horror. There are two kinds of science fiction fan groups. 1/. Media fandom. 2/. Literary fandom. Film and TV SF inspires Media fan groups. They may cover a wide range of shows, the careers of specific directors, or be dedicated to a specific film or TV production or franchise. Most shows have fans, whether it is Lost In Space or Blake’s Seven. The biggest groups tend to be Xena; Warrior Princess, Stargate SG1, Dr. Who, and especially Star Trek. Trek fans can be militant. A major controversy rages in their circles as to whether they should be called Trekkers or Trekkies. Trekkies tend to be seen as willing to dress in character, wear Vulcan pointy-ears, etc, while Trekkers see themselves as more discerning, seriously minded fans. There was some parody of this in the spoof movie Galaxy Quest. Star Trek’s own leading actor, William Shatner upset fans in a Saturday Night Live comedy sketch when he told them Star Trek is just an entertainment and they should all go away and ‘get a life’. Most fans got the joke and loved it. A few did not. Fan groups can help keep a show on the air when it is threatened with a ban or cancellation. Their activity is on the increase in the Internet and SMS messaging era. A literary fan group tends to address books, ranging from the Golden age classic authors, Asimov, Philip K Dick, Arthur C. Clarke, and modern writers like Terry Pratchett. A few SF groups, like FONT address all aspects of SF, including graphic novels and computer games. Local meetings SF groups can attract celebrities, authors, etc, just as members and a few groups may occasionally invite authors as guests, if the authors don’t expect high fees. Fans will look out for author signings at bookshops, and if a film of interest comes up, a group outing might be arranged. Most gatherings tend to be informal and social, amounting to a few beers in a bar, a light inexpensive restaurant meal, and discussion on the latest reads and viewings. Sometimes fans get spare copies of books or DVD’s and swap them among members of the group. Groups may meet up weekly, fortnightly or monthly. Dressing up is not something most fans do every day. For many, it is done for conventions or fancy dress parties. Even at a science fiction convention, fans may only dress in character at a masquerade event, though a few may stay in costume all weekend. The media tend to latch on to fans in startling outfits rather than those in jeans and tee shirts. A saying among music and SF fans in England is ‘never go to a gig dressed up as the performers you are going to see’. Fans of KISS who go in a similar make and leather look as the group are often given a wide birth, while SF fans turning up in masks and latex on normal, non-masquerade events are often similarly viewed. Some other SF fan related terms and expressions. CONVENTIONS. A gathering of fans over a set week or weekend at a hotel or a similar centre, where fans will have set stage or panel activity relating generally to SF or to specific authors, or TV shows. Special guests may include actors from a show, production staff, or authors, comic book artists, etc. There will be talks, question and answer sessions, a fancy dress event inspired by some aspect of a show usually judged by the celebrity guests of honour, and there will be stalls offering related merchandising. The leading guests may also have autograph and photo sessions with fans. The biggest British convention is the Eastercon, named for taking place every Easter. It has run for over 65 years. The biggest global event is Worldcon, which moves from country to country. Here fans vote in the prestigious Hugo Awards, the veritable Oscars of Science Fiction. DEAD-DOG PARTIES – A convention often ends in the evening of its last day; this sometimes leaves fans that need to stay an extra night in a hotel before catching early morning trains or flights home. Dead Dog events are informal unofficial convention events enabling such fans to stay together in a reserved bar or hotel function room. At some conventions, Dead Dog might be well organized and even set down as a programme event, at others, fans may be left to sort themselves out when the main convention organizers simply leave at convention close. Sometimes Dead Dog may be promoted but then not take place, leaving fans angered by lack of communication or cut off from friends they hoped to see one last time before going home. Never assume Dead Dog will definately happen until it does. It is rarely an official part of the convention. FAN – Someone who likes a show, film, book or genre. Not necessarily a fanatic, but more likely to want to meet authors, cast members, watch or read the material many times, etc. Some fans can get elitist and cliquey though most are perfectly loveable folk. FANDOM – A general expression for all science fiction fans and activity. FAN-FICTION – stories written by SF fans and especially by media fans carrying their own stories about their heroes from Dr. Who to Xena. Fan-Fiction is usually tolerated as long as it does not sell commercially, when it would be in danger of accusations of copyright infringement. A great deal of fan-fic is in circulation online. Quality varies from the dreadful to the so good you wish it was filmed as a real episode. FANZINES – Non-commercial and unofficial publications by fans for fans, which may carry fan-fic, but also anecdotes about a show by its fans, a report on a convention by attendees, themed crossword puzzles and even general filler items including recipes. FILK A singing session taking established pop and rock songs and changing the lyrics so that the song celebrates or parodies some aspect of science fiction. ROBOT WARS A staged battle with home made mechanical, sometimes electronic robots, which fight until the robots fall to bits with the last one moving having won. This was a popular event at science fiction conventions for some time before becoming a TV competition. The TV versions do tend to have bigger robots that use flames and cutting blades. At an SF convention, the robots are smaller and safer as hotels rarely appreciate damage to their floors. SECRET MASTERS OF FANDOM – A tongue in cheek, but respectful accolade for fans who have managed to influence the science fiction industry itself. Most such fans are not that secretive in what they do at all. Many help organize conventions, contact guests, help campaign to keep shows going, and publish influential news in their zines. Some conventions award prizes for the best contributions fans make to fandom. The best-known British SMOF is David Langford, whose formidable Ansible journal is one of fandom’s best resources of the state of the overall SF industry. His website may be the best place to check for any SF groups in your own town. SLASH FICTION – A controversial variation on fan fiction in which characters from a TV show engage in explicit relationships with one another. Slash Fiction is predominantly but not exclusively concerned with gay relationships, so Spock & McCoy, Giles & Spike from Buffy, etc, get together with intense intimacy. The most controversial and surprisingly prominent Internet slash deals with teenage characters (often under-age) from the Harry Potter series. ANSIBLE – A links resource on all kinds of science fiction. http://news.ansible.co.uk/

Arthur Chappell