What Is the Enduring Appeal of a Sci-Fi Adventure?
This past May saw the latest in a long string of remasters of one of science fiction’s most enduringly popular classics. Though it isn’t the largest franchise in the genre with only a single film, The Last Starfighter just got a full 4K Blu-ray release over 40 years after its theatrical debut. Fondly remembered by generations of sci-fi fans, it’s still regarded as a high point of the genre despite being a one-off.
Given that sci-fi films of this type are apparently the most likely to get multiple rereleases and remasters, what exactly is it that keeps people coming back?
Where No-one Has Gone Before
There is a very polarised idea in human minds about how to deal with the unknown. Some prefer to stick to what they know, and then there are others who seek to know and see everything there is to know and see. Sci-fi fantasies naturally appeal to the latter group and offer a glimpse at what the biggest unknown out there might hold. Some envision a future of cultural learning and acceptance while others portray the opposite end of the scale where everything is lawless and hostile, although most drop somewhere in between.
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Space, or famously put another way, the “Final Frontier,” has a lasting appeal simply because it still remains largely unknown. Despite all the latest tech and innovations, we’re still only capable of seeing a tiny fraction of the universe. The scale is reflected in the fact that almost every major sci-fi franchise out there is still limited to a few planets in a single galaxy: any larger and the human mind can’t process it.
The Hero’s Journey
The Last Starfighter shares a lot of details with another bit of long-lasting media, the Space Invaders video game series. Both prominently feature one lone fighter making a stand against hordes of alien invaders and this heroic narrative is another major appeal factor. Space Invaders itself has been remade and remastered countless times and has even made its way into the world of gambling, being found as far and wide as European, Australian and UK online casinos with a slot game adaptation in the form of Invaders Megaways.
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This all goes to show just how timeless the “lone hero” is as a draw. It’s far from unique to sci-fi but it does mean that films like The Last Starfighter can survive so well over the decades. For many, it plays into the idea of “escapism,” essentially people using these worlds and characters to have something new and exciting away from their regular lives. It’s the underlying connection between stories being told now and those stories told thousands of years ago.
It’s hard to imagine any media made in the last 100 years having quite the endurance as those ancient stories, but given how timeless it is, don’t be surprised when the next big media format comes out and we see The Last Starfighter and other sci-fi classics like it make another jump in technology.
