Monday, January 12, 2015

2015 CE -- Fictions Set in 2015

When it comes to predicting the future, science-fiction has an pretty uneven track record. For every iPad or flip phone there's a dozen flying cars, anthropomorphic robot maids, or a BrainJail (where people are imprisoned for rubbish laws like downloading their feelings onto computer discs). It's now 2015 and we've made contact with no extraterrestrials, established zero extrasolar colonies, and built not one moon base. In the US we're still working on building a respectable rail network!



Of course most of the best science-fiction isn't about guessing what they future is going to be like but sometimes, as with Brave New World, it comes frighteningly close. However, not even Aldous Huxley could have predicted listicles or Doritos Loaded and similarly, George Orwell could never dream up portmanteaus as odious as "amazeballs" or "honeydick"  for his lexicon of nightmarish doublespeak.

Alphaville

On the other hand, some predictions have come true. Just as Back the the Future II predicted, we do live in a world of never-ending film franchises, hoverboards, and Nike is working on a self-tying shoe for the benefit of those for whom velcro is too much work and slip-ons are just too sensical. If other works set in 2015 are as accurate, what else can we expect from the year 2015?



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FILMS SET IN 2015













Firebird 2015 AD
(1981), Back to the Future Part II (1989), Memory Run (1995), Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone (ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版: 序) (2007), The 6th Day (2000), Shank (2010), Underworld: Awakening (2012), and Gatchaman (ガッチャマン) (2013).



TELEVISION SERIES SET IN 2015



Defenders of the Earth (1986), Future GPX Cyber Formula (新世紀GPXフューチャーグランプリサイバーフォーミュラ) (1991), and FlashForward (2009–2010).



VIDEO GAMES SET IN 2015











The Peace Keepers (ラッシング・ビート修羅) (1993), Alien Soldier (エイリアンソルジャー) (1995), Drome Racers (2002), Soldiers of Anarchy (2002), Jetfighter 2015 (2005), Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation (エースコンバット6 解放への戦火) (2007), Ninja Blade (2009), Ace Combat: Assault Horizon (2011), and XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2012).


WRITTEN WORKS SET IN 2015

    


Isaac Asimov
's "Runaround" (1942), Robert A. Heinlein's I Will Fear No Evil (1970), Osamu Tezuka's  Jetter Mars (ジェッターマルス) (1977), John B. Olsen and Randall S. Ingermanson'The Fifth Man (2002), A. R. Gurney's Post Mortem (2006), and Saci Lloyd's The Carbon Diaries: 2015 (2009).


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