Science Fiction as Commentary on Humanity

When asked what my definition of science fiction is, my immediate reaction is, "Well, I do find myself in a class being taught by a computer screen showing the face of someone a thousand miles away. Maybe this is science fiction."

But that seemed too easy.

So what I think really defines science fiction is the ability to show humanity and what it really means to be human in a different, unfamiliar context. To unpack that a bit, think about the new Star Trek movies, or really any other kind of space-based story; I've just seen those movies more recently. You watch Star Trek and you have a core cast that's mostly human. A wide variety of humans, keep in mind. You have Kirk, a white American male; Uhura, a black woman; Sulu, who was legitimately created for the purpose of being a of non-descript Asian background; Chekov, who is Russian; the list goes on. The end product is a collection of people who are meant to represent the entirety of humanity, surpassing all notions of nationality or any other divisive factor.

And then there's Spock.

Spock is half-human and half-Vulcan. Vulcans are a race defined by their objectivity and logical thinking, as well as a deliberate attempt to quell all emotions. He serves partly as a foil to the at-times hot-headed Captain Kirk, but really, his job is to show something that humans are not. Humans are enterprising and passionate, unlike a Vulcan.

Even if Spock is a weak example, Star Trek gives numerous more. Klingons are war-like and aggressive; humans aren't like that. The Borg form a hivemind with no sense of individuality; humans aren't like that. Alien races serve the purpose of being a juxtaposition to humanity. By looking at aliens and seeing what humans are not, we can chisel away and determine what they are.

There are plenty of other non-space examples. On a less existential note, The Walking Dead was another example someone mentioned in class. I haven't watched terribly much of it, but from what I have seen, it says a lot about people by taking away routines, comforts, technology, and familiarity, stripping humanity down to its more primal components.

The X-Men pulls a 180 with this by making the main characters decidedly NOT human, but rather being just half a tick to the left of human. The characters are generally relatable and deal with the same or similar issues that we have in our own lives. The viewer has to stop and think about why they aren't human, when they really seem to be so by all of things that we value as humanity.

That's my definition of what science fiction is. I apologize that it's so long. I started typing about Star Trek and looked up to see that half of a page had magically written itself. Also, I really hope this is posted in the right place.