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Links to science fiction Web sites and SF Internet trends

Entertainment Web sites

The Internet has a multitude of uses for fans and producers of science fiction. Like all filmmakers, producers of science fiction films are taking to the Web to promote their films. Although the filmmakers often create Web sites primarily for marketing purposes, potential film viewers can find useful information about films by going online. Film Web sites (including those of science fiction films) give the "viewer" the opportunity to learn about the background of a film and the chance to engage in discussions with other viewers. An index of science fiction and fantasy films can be found on Yahoo! Some sites, such as the Internet Movie Database, provide lots of background information about every American film made to date, including science fiction films.

Today, nearly most films and television series have official Web sites. Although the number of official Web sites found across the Web is fairly large, the number of unofficial Web sites devoted to films or TV series greatly outnumber the number of official sites. Several examples of official Web sites and indices to unofficial Web sites can be found at The Sci-Fi Connection's Links.

Fan Fiction

Along with the thousands of unofficial Web sites dedicated Star Wars and Star Trek have come attempts to create original fiction. In Cyberspace, one does not need to be a professional writer to publish a story. The Internet allows people of all ages and of different backgrounds to publish their work so it may be read around the world. All one needs is computer access and the desire to write. Many individuals have taken advantage of the Internet by publishing short stories. Although much of this fiction borrows from established "universes" (such as the Star Trek universe), there are some pieces of "fan fiction" on the Internet with more original characters and settings. An index to a variety of science fiction fan fiction - provided by Yahoo! - can be found here.

Interactive science fiction

Since its emergence, the Internet has redefined the boundaries of mass communication. In all novels, the outcome of the story's plot has always rested in the hands of the author. Although it is possible for different readers to have different interpretations of a novel, readers have no power over a novel's course of events. This has changed, however, with the creation of interactive adventures. Normally, when one thinks of such adventures, video games come to mind. Interactivity between the text and the reader has now grown beyond the realm of video games and extended to the Internet. The following Web sites contain "games" in which the story's outcome rests in the hands of the "reader".

  • Alien Threat - Earth is threatened by an alien fleet. You have to find the alien user name and password, then destroy the alien base.
  • Castle Mogaruith - Dare you enter the Fortress of Mogaruith?
  • Linderwall - Experience the adventure.
  • Macray's Keep - Fantasy Role-Playing on the World Wide Web. Come and see the next generation of web based message/chat FRPG's.
Prior to the Internet, pieces of fiction were always written by either one author or two collaborating authors. Rarely would an author leave his or her work to be finished by another author. The Internet, however, introduced an entirely different type of story that allows readers change and add to stories. Many Web sites contain stories that are incomplete, and the readers are asked to tell the rest of the story. Often, dozens of different readers may contribute to the plot of one of these "add-on" stories. Some sites with "add-on" stories are listed below.

  • Star Wars Fan Fiction Emporium - This site offers multiple add-on stories, including some from the Star Wars universe.
  • The Neverending Tale - Ths site includes an interactive, choose your own path, web system. Web users are allowed to add more paths as well as follow existing paths. This is aimed at young audiences.
Perhaps the greatest advantage of the Internet is that it allows people from around the world to interact with one another. One way in which science fiction fans have taken advantage of the Internet is by discussing pieces of science fiction over one of several Web forums. The site below is an example of a science fiction Web forum. Several additional sites were originally listed below, but the links to these sites are no longer valid.

Some of the information on this page was obtained from Yahoo!

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