List of SFF Clichés

[apokalypsis]

Violence is a good way to solve nearly any problem.

 

[Thadlerian]

The accelerating development of gender roles in fantasy:

Then:
Girl gets captured by antagonist and boy comes to the rescue.

Now:
Girl spends half the book telling everyone how independent she is, gets captured by antagonist and boy comes to the rescue.

 

[mosaix]

Aliens are intelligent enough to build star ships, cross the galaxy, invade and enslave Earth, but don't recognise a human infiltrator disguised as one of them.

 

[jackarcalon]

-The movie "Strange Days": Impossible technology, but society made no progress. In reality, it was easier to emancipate women and end segregation than build flying cars. The most dramatic future changes may be social.
-Characters look too cool. If we could see real humans from the future they would look bizarre.
-It's dark in here, and grimy.
-No one has to fill out paperwork.
-Characters have to solve unknown phenomenon themselves, without trying to alert every scientist and journalist on earth. They should call the media.
-Galaxies and nebulas are clearly visible to the unaided human eye.
-Spaceships that accelerate but don't decelerate.

 

[Urien]

The villain is always played by a Brit or a Brit playing a European. This is true for most blockbuster movies.

The government is always evil, always has more resources and always has black SUVs.

On a far future Starship representing earth, the crew is always predominantly American. Clearly the Chinese and Indians will suffer some terrible space sickness which prevents them from crewing.

Aliens are never alien, their motives are always distinctly human.

Human weapons are frequently ineffective against alien death bubbles or whatever.

 

[jackarcalon]

-Galaxies and nebulas are clearly visible to the unaided human eye.

Of course many are clearly visible, but never as bright as in the movies.
If you get a chance to look up at night, find the three bright stars in Orion's belt, and form a line to the five bright stars that look like an M or a W.
Look at that area long enough, and you may see the Milky Way, made of billions of stars, and gas and dust clouds. It's surprisingly three dimensional.

 

[j d worthington]

Very difficult to see in the city these days, though. Had a conversation with Nesa about this the other day, about how, even within the city, you used to be able to see an entire sky full of stars... beautiful, awe-inspiring sight. Now, you're lucky to even see Orion here, let alone Cassiopeia; and as for the Pleiades....

 

[mosaix]

When aliens are depicted in films or on TV then the similarity in appearance between alien life-form and human life-form is inversely proportional to the size of the budget.

 

[Ash59]

Star Wars

 

[ice.monkey]

Okay, what about if you've got any character or being that's big and strong there's no way it's got more than two brain cells to rub together!

And the modern cliche in SF where the beings who have evolved to a higher state can in no way interfere with the current state of affairs in the universe. Nope, I'm all right jack and sod the rest of you!

 

[DevoidRaptor]

How bout this one:

Man 1- "...Her."

Man 2- "Her?"

Man 1- "Her."

Or really any use of the italicised pronouns, usually preceeded by an elipsis... Him and ...It are popular to.

"You mean, we have to visit... him?"

 

[The Pelagic Argosy]

Often when the Nasa scientists and five-star generals are stymied, despite having the resources of the entire military-industrial complex at their disposal (and the president on speed dial), they must rely on help from renegade streetwise punk computer hackers.

The initial meeting between the geeky lead scientist hero (played by Jeff Goldblum) and the attractive, pierced and/or tattooed lead female punk hacker will take place in the back room of a futuristic dance club.

As payment for saving the world, the punk hackers demand that thier criminal records be wiped clean...and pizza.

Replace "renegade streetwise punk computer hackers" with Bruce Willis and Steve Buscemi as needed.

 

[mosaix]

Often when the Nasa scientists and five-star generals are stymied, despite having the resources of the entire military-industrial complex at their disposal (and the president on speed dial), they must rely on help from renegade streetwise punk computer hackers.

The initial meeting between the geeky lead scientist hero (played by Jeff Goldblum) and the attractive, pierced and/or tattooed lead female punk hacker will take place in the back room of a futuristic dance club.

As payment for saving the world, the punk hackers demand that thier criminal records be wiped clean...and pizza.

Replace "renegade streetwise punk computer hackers" with Bruce Willis and Steve Buscemi as needed.

The pizza is an excellent touch.

 

[Pyan]

The villain is always played by a Brit or a Brit playing a European. This is true for most blockbuster movies.

Especially noticeable in the Die Hard films. And it's usually Jeremy Irons or Alan Rickman, as well.

 

[Ash59]

But how many of the abovementioned are 'Archtypes' rather than 'Cliches'?
Many of the 'cliched' carachters mentioned are to be found in the great narratives throughout history. Its no suprise that they turn up in sci-fi/Fantasy. As in the tales of that other Great Frontier - the American 'Wild West.
Dont' forget...Captain Kirk died for YOU!

 

[Urien]

More Brits as bad guys: The Emperor in Star Wars. The operative in Serenity. Sean Bean as evil scientist in The Island, evil Hitcher in The Hitcher, evil businessman in National Treasure.

 

[HappyHippo]

it's not just a sci-fi cliche, us brits are evil to our eyebrows!

the self destruct sequence takes four people to authorise, and only one little button to deactivate.

 

[mosaix]

There is always a self destruct sequence and it is always counted down in a female voice and there is only one little button instead of several easily accessed ones.

 

[Winters_Sorrow]

More Brits as bad guys: The Emperor in Star Wars. The operative in Serenity. Sean Bean as evil scientist in The Island, evil Hitcher in The Hitcher, evil businessman in National Treasure.

Yeah, Sean Bean's in there twice. He's so eh-vil!

Also plays the villain in Goldeneye, although the protagnist is also "English" (or in this case Irish!)

And regarding the Die Hard series you've got to admit a distinct lack of englishness in William Sadler's performance in Die Hard 2

Completely digressing from the topic, so erm.....another cliche....hmm, ok!
When faced with an inescapable dilemma, a bit of on the spot inventive tech-wizardry is found rather than;
"What are we going to do?"
"Erm. I dunno"
*Boom* - everyone dies

 

[iansales]

Completely digressing from the topic, so erm.....another cliche....hmm, ok!
When faced with an inescapable dilemma, a bit of on the spot inventive tech-wizardry is found rather than;
"What are we going to do?"
"Erm. I dunno"
*Boom* - everyone dies

It's called a deus ex machina.