Science Fiction clichés

While it’s okay in some circumstances for a writer to traffic in clichés, more often than not their existence in a story is an example of lazy writing. And I would think no one feels more discomfort on this front than sci-fi fans, especially when the clichés involve a lack of grounding in facts.

Here is a list of 25 clichés in science fiction movies and TV. A few of them:

002. Shields/Weapons Offline
Things like weapons systems and shields going “offline”. No secondary or tertiary backup systems in the 24th century? Then you deserve to drink the bitter draught of defeat. Losers.

005. Unpredictable Humans
Out-thinking robots and AI’s with our “unpredictable human irrationality and intuition”? Look, to any garden variety AI, humans will be as predictable as an episode of Matlock. They’ll be able to out-think, out-hunch, outguess, and out-intuit us at every turn. Always. No exceptions.

007. Aliens With Quirky English Grammar
“We do not use contractions. That is because we are ALIENS, you see, or possibly androids.” Seriously, what’s so hard about mastering contractions? Is that Humanity’s big claim to fame?

011. The Giant Warship With The “Achilles Heel”
Engineers tend to be very smart people. They lie awake at night worrying about things like small thermal exhaust ports, and exposed hyperdrive conduits. And when they get up in the morning, they design solutions to those sorts of flaws.

024. Mathematics, The Universal Language
Assuming two alien species could agree on what constitutes a pattern and that 1+1=2, where do you go from there? How does one write an equation for “love”, “death”, or “take me to your leader”? There’s a big difference between “communication” and language or understanding.

But wait, there’s more: The Grand List of Overused Science Fiction Clichés with dozens and dozens of examples.

Hey, sci-fi fans. What movie and TV clichés drive you crazy?

HT to @Quotes4Writers for the links.

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