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The shadow of 9/11 even touched the world of science fiction


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117 points

WTC memorial
The 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attack on the U.S. is rapidly approaching and there is no shortage of reminiscing about the events of that day. We all have stories to tell.

Since this is a place that talks about science fiction, have you wondered what effect that day had on the genre? If you think it had none, then you’d be wrong.

As many will tell you, science fiction is not about the future, but merely tells stories about today, but wraps them in the genre’s tropes.  Since 9/11 and terrorism are from our time, they figure in plenty of science fiction stories, shows and movies.

IO9 does a good job of summarizing the many examples of science fiction that is informed by that dark day.

Have you noticed the rise of superhero movies since 9/11? It’s no coincidence, as many have written, including the aforementioned IO9, but not quite as thoroughly as you’ll find in this piece.

While there are many allegorical takes on 9/11 in the movies or on television, few have actually portrayed the events of that day. Graphic novels have been less cautious on the subject as this list shows.

In memory of 9/11, Den of Geek recently compiled a list of its 10 greatest sci-fi conspiracy movies.

What I’m surprised at is no one mentioning, apart from the 9/11 conspiracy folks,  the pilot episode of The X-Files spinoff, The Lone Gunman. Six months before 9/11, the show featured a story of an attack on the World Trade Center with an airplane. The truth is out there!