Science Fiction Rubber Creature

So I’m a little opinionated when it comes to Sci-Fi.
My relationship with the genre is complicated.  Unlike most people, I never saw Star Wars as a child, in fact, I never felt the urge.  It didn’t seem to be my “thing.”  My grandmother would sometimes watch Star Trek and to me, it looked confusing and boring.  I figured I just wasn’t into that sort of thing until a schedule conflict in college forced me into a Science Fiction literature class.  Exposed to a wide array of topics within the genre, I discovered that I really did enjoy “science fiction”!  I found that even while I still don’t understand cyberpunk (Sorry, Matrix trilogy) I greatly enjoyed dystopian novels and movies – Farenheit 451, The Man in the High Castle, and V for Vendetta all come to mind as stories that captivated me and swept me along on a fantastic ride!

I realized I had loved Science Fiction all along, but never knew what to call it!  Those Twilight Zone marathons I tuned in to over and over again?  Science Fiction!  Who knew?  Buffy the Vampire Slayer incorporated elements of Science Fiction, as did my new discovery Firefly.  I was free!  Free to lap up the likes of Battlestar Galactica, Doctor Who and eventually, yes, even Star Wars.

From New York Comic Con 2012

Ever since my eyes have been opened, I try to give all of Science Fiction a fair chance.  Especially the early days of sci-fi.  A personal favourite of mine are the classic episodes of Doctor Who, which can be seen on Netflix with Instant streaming.  Yes, sometimes the costumes are hokey, the acting a tad melodramatic, and you can “see the wires.”  But I believe the stories are the most important part.  If the writing is good – and it most often is good – then you shouldn’t let yourself be daunted by an actor in an obvious rubber mask.  Low-budget doesn’t have to mean low-quality or low-enjoyment!

Yet I have some people I call “friends” who can’t stoop to enjoying these programs with me because they refuse to suspend belief.  Look, even the most sophisticated program (modern-day Doctor Who, for instance) uses makeup, models, and special effects.  The aliens are no more “real” than they were back in 1963!  It’s still actors in slightly better rubber masks.

Here’s my soapbox moment:  if you love sci-fi, you should love it for the stories, not the special effects.  Wikipedia defines “Science fiction” as “fiction with imaginitive content.”  Which means that there should be imagination involved!  Use your imagination and you will find the rubber creatures and tinny robots don’t matter as much as the imaginative plot lines and sincere storytelling. 
Look, if all that matters to you is the CGI, you might as well just watch a Michael Bay film. 
And nobody wants that.