punch it today
sci-fi is everywhere you look but it
wasn't so long ago that an obsession
with tech in far-flung worlds came with
certain hazards
welcome to watch mojo's series how geek
culture became pop culture
once niche and ridiculed geek culture
has exploded into the mainstream
how did so much change
[Applause]
[Music]
join us as we look at how pulp fiction
comics
video games anime and nerd heroes became
pop culture staples
[Music]
modern science fiction has its roots in
the works of celebrated writers like
mary shelley
jules verne and h.g wells
but it was actually the now relatively
obscure pulp magazines of the 1920s
that shaped the genre and fandom as we
know them today
one of the most influential was hugo
gernsbach's amazing stories
the first magazine dedicated exclusively
to sci-fi
debuting in 1926 it inspired and
eventually featured the tales of the
genre's big three arthur c
clarke robert a heinlein and isaac
asimov
crucially the magazine also printed the
addresses of readers in a letter column
allowing them to mail each other
directly soon
sci-fi enthusiasts were sharing their
passions in unofficial publications that
came to be known as fanzines
thus pulp magazines actually gave birth
to fandom
i did not know that however the pulps
weren't exactly seen as high art
even the word pulp derived from
inexpensive wood pulp papers
whereas more prestige magazines were
printed on glossies and slicks
so they were niche from the get-go
nevertheless sci-fi continued to mature
through seminal dystopian works and a
renewed emphasis
on scientific research as the genre
gained momentum
its reach was broadened through films
and film serials
and in the 50s this golden age
culminated in a string of relatively
high production films
now considered classics this is uh no
offense but
you are a robot aren't you that is
correct sir
for your convenience i am monitored to
respond to the name
robbie by the 60s however small
publishers had been pushed out of the
market and the golden age of science
fiction was over
a new generation of more experimental
writers began picking up the torch
ultimately though it was a little tv
show called star trek that took the
genre where
no fan had gone before its five-year
mission
to explore strange new worlds
to seek out new life and new
civilizations
to boldly go where no man has gone
before
originally hitting the airwaves in 1966
star trek was the brainchild of gene
roddenberry
who drew inspiration from westerns and
gulliver's travels
the series quickly accumulated a cult
following known as trekkies and trekkers
alas the show's fan base was niche and
following a ratings nose dive in season
two
rumors spread that nbc was ready to pull
the plug hey you better come on back
down
krakos put the bag on your captain why
would he put
a bag on our captain to save the show
a fan named bijo trimble helmed a then
unheard of letter writing campaign
frankly in our wildest dreams neither
john narrate thought it was going to
succeed
we really didn't but the trick is you
don't tell
the others nbc renewed star trek for
another season
but its new friday time slot at 10 pm
meant the writing was on the wall
although the starship uss enterprise
crew signed up for a five-year mission
the series only lasted three seasons
regardless
trimble and her fellow trekkies proved
that a small yet devoted fan base could
make a difference
the show's impact and legacy extended
far beyond the original series
three years after its cancellation fans
gathered at the statler hilton for star
trek
lives the franchise's first major
convention
although fan conventions had been
popping up since as far back as the
1930s
they only really gained traction in the
60s and 70s
they represented the next step in fandom
bringing people together to express
their mutual passions in person
i found fandom uh itself
by going to the conventions and meeting
up with all of these other
crazy people who did the same crazy
things that i liked
nonetheless these fans remained part of
a select group
while outsiders continued to poke fun
particularly at cosplay elements
dedicated fans were still seen as the
butt of the joke
it would take a universal hit to change
the general public's perception
fortunately sci-fi was going to bold new
places on the big screen as well
by 1968 critics started seeing the genre
in a new light
thanks to 2001 a space odyssey and
planet of the apes
you blew it up even so nothing could
have prepared hollywood for the cultural
phenomenon to come
if jaws invented the summer blockbuster
then star wars proved it was here to
stay
in 1977. george lucas's epic space opera
borrowed heavily from pulp fiction and
film serials
at the time space opera remained a very
niche subgenre
that all changed when star wars broke
box office records
much to the surprise of lucas and 20th
century fox
even more surprising was it wasn't just
geeks who made star wars a hit
its popularity leaked over to mainstream
audiences and even the oscars
scoring seven wins and a nomination for
best picture
star wars was a turning point that
demonstrated just how big
sci-fi and fandom could be with hordes
of fans showing up for the sequels
wow what an ending who'da thought darth
vader was luke skywalker's father
ah thank you thank you mr blow the
picture for me
this popularity led to the revival of
star trek on the silver screen
spock did we just see the beginning of a
new life form yes captain
we witnessed the birth possibly a next
step in our revolution
i wonder from 1979 on the enterprise
crew continued their voyages in cinemas
a torch passed on in 1994 to the next
generation
i'm from what you would consider the
future
this newfound interest in sci-fi also
led to cult classics like blade runner
lighthearted adventures like back to the
future and special effects extravaganzas
like jurassic park
meanwhile the matrix which owes a lot to
the 1984 cyberpunk novel neuromancer
was integral in making the genre cool
suddenly
computers and philosophy could be sexy
you take the red pill
you stay in wonderland and i show you
how deep the rabbit hole goes
the same year the matrix came out
audiences returned to a galaxy far far
away
in star wars episode 1 the phantom
menace
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the hype for this prequel was
unprecedented
but the saga was forever changed thanks
to jar jar and midichlorians
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star wars became increasingly divisive
going into the 2000s
i don't like sand it's
coarse and rough and irritating
and it gets everywhere fortunately a new
hope was emerging on the small screen
television shifted to high quality
scripted television in the new
millennium
lost was a notable game changer with its
ambitious premise and overarching
mystery bridging the gap
between mainstream tv and cult tv jacob
didn't say anything to me about desmond
doesn't sound like he said anything
about anything
that's kind of true dude he's worse than
yoda i got a bad feeling about this
one of its creators j.j abrams was
tasked with rebooting the star trek film
series
the result was the franchise's highest
grossing entry to date
arm phasers fire everything we've got
yes sir
nostalgia was clearly big business
influencing other studios to greenlight
more reboots
remakes sequels prequels and spin-offs
in the 2010s
for many no franchise was more nostalgic
than star wars
leading to disney's acquisition of
lucasfilm for 4.05 billion dollars in
2012.
abrams subsequently jumped ship from
star trek to direct disney's first star
wars film
the force awakens cheering
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we're home the first entry in the star
wars sequel trilogy was a critical hit
and the biggest domestic box office
success ever the response to the last
jedi and rise of skywalker was all over
the map however
with some praising them and others
saying bring back the prequels
i'm sorry i'm sure you are wherever you
stand on disney's handling of star wars
fans seem to agree on one thing the
mandalorian is so worth the disney plus
subscription
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disney plus is just one of the several
platforms currently engaged in the
streaming wars
the entertainment industry was never the
same after netflix revolutionized the
streaming business in 2007
netflix went on to produce numerous
original programs including stranger
things
the ultimate homage to sci-fi fantasy
and nostalgia
hold up the pokemon blaster in a way
stranger things has brought things full
circle the geeks who grew up dressing up
as ghostbusters are now the ones
producing a majority of the content
what was once described as niche is the
new norm through star trek
star wars stranger things and others
sci-fi fans have earned their place at
the cool kids table
make sure to tune in for our next
episode of how geek culture became pop
culture
where we'll be talking fantasy from
hobbits to harry potter
you