20 works of upbeat science fiction to brighten your day

2. Star Trek: The Next Generation

Yes, I’ve already mentioned Star Trek’s original series. I also wrote about the novel Redshirts and Galaxy Quest, which almost any Trekkie would acknowledge as a Trek movie in disguise.
But the 1990s original series’ follow up, Star Trek: The Next Generation, is perhaps the most true blue of all the Star Trek optimists.

Okay, this one is a bit of a cheat because, as you may have guessed, there are different judgments of the Star Trek future. Is a galaxy-wide political behemoth like the Federation really good for everyone? Or, could it be that the Federation is a little more like a conquering colonial force with just a bit more set dressing than we are used to seeing?

But, in some respects, it’s a pretty good deal. No one worries about their income or their health care. People seem to have more purpose, not to mention education. Plus, if you’re Counselor Deanna Troi, you basically get to wear your pajamas to work for the first few seasons.

Unlike the original series, Star Trek: The Next Generation was more apt to dive into the complicated side of their utopia. People still had problems, after all. Engineer Geordi La Forge still doesn’t know how to talk to girls, for one. Meanwhile, the Enterprise has a worrying tendency to come across the strangest and most dangerous space phenomena. Think quasi-fictional tech speak, like huge quantum filaments and broken warp drives.

But, thankfully, everything turns out well at the end of the day. The ship makes it safely through a treacherous nebula. Data, the fantastical and practically superpowered android, saves the day. Sure, you dropped your cup of Earl Grey tea, Captain Picard, but the replicator will just fix you another one. The Next Generation manages to show us a future where things are still interesting, but not as grimly as in later Trek series.

Perhaps most importantly, Captain Jean-Luc Picard is at the heart of it all. Though Kirk gets an unfair reputation for being a brash womanizer, Picard really does stand above in terms of philosophizing and morality. He’s willing to make difficult decisions, but humane and rational ones.  Also, he’s not above getting silly, too.

Without a morally upright and vastly intelligent man like Picard at the helm, The Next Generation would be very different indeed.