What does the future hold? In a time of what can seem like constant strife and uncertainty, the question becomes even more urgent. And as always, science fiction storytellers have imagined the answers — and continue to do so through the most turbulent times.
In our revived Sci-fi Week, Polygon revives its collection of sci-fi stories to once again look at how modern books, movies, TV, and games speculate on what’s to come, and the new voices who stretch their imaginations through time to imagine it. Yes, there are pillars of the genre that may never fall out of fashion (the beauty of setting a story hundreds of years in the future), but in 2020, there’s a whole new batch of sci-fi probing the great unknown.
What are the new rules of science fiction? How are storytellers rewiring classic tropes to be more urgent and reflective of our present? How are the stories of today shaping the world of tomorrow? Throughout our series, we’ll explore robot-filled societies of Earth, the far reaches of space, and even our own tangible future, as IRL innovators try to make dreams a reality. From dystopias to utopias and everything in-between, this is Polygon’s look at our next future.