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[Ares Land]

Up for debate, though: is Gravity science fiction?

[Linguoboy]

Random unrelated question: Does the 1995 movie Apollo 13 count as any kind of science fiction? Yes, I know, it's not in a fictional future, or any kind of fictional setting. It is, in fact, based on a true story, and one decades in the past when the movie was made. But, that said, it is about space exploration.

In fact, it's historical fiction.

I don't see taking place in the future as germane to the label "science fiction" at all. Entire subgenres (e.g. steampunk) exist which are primarily set in historical times.

[Raphael]

I don't see taking place in the future as germane to the label "science fiction" at all. Entire subgenres (e.g. steampunk) exist which are primarily set in historical times.

Completely true, of course. Even Star Wars takes place a long time ago in a galaxy far away.

[WeepingElf]

I don't see taking place in the future as germane to the label "science fiction" at all. Entire subgenres (e.g. steampunk) exist which are primarily set in historical times.

Completely true, of course. Even Star Wars takes place a long time ago in a galaxy far away.

And many people say it isn't really science fiction. Rather, high fantasy with science fiction props. Indeed, it works much like Lord of the Rings or similar stories.

[Raphael]

And many people say it isn't really science fiction. Rather, high fantasy with science fiction props. Indeed, it works much like Lord of the Rings or similar stories.

Sure, but I'd say most science-fiction contains at least some elements that are closer to fantasy. Anyway, for a somewhat harder examples, there's Consider Phlebas, which is set during an interstellar war in the Milky Way that it says went on from 1327 to 1375 CE.

[zompist]

Sure, but I'd say most science-fiction contains at least some elements that are closer to fantasy.

That's one reason some people prefer to call it "speculative fiction." Or, as I do, just SF.

[keenir]

Random unrelated question: Does the 1995 movie Apollo 13 count as any kind of science fiction? Yes, I know, it's not in a fictional future, or any kind of fictional setting. It is, in fact, based on a true story, and one decades in the past when the movie was made. But, that said, it is about space exploration.

How can it be science fiction if it isn't fiction?

when a film says either "inspired by real events" or "some events have been dramatized"

[Travis B.]

Random unrelated question: Does the 1995 movie Apollo 13 count as any kind of science fiction? Yes, I know, it's not in a fictional future, or any kind of fictional setting. It is, in fact, based on a true story, and one decades in the past when the movie was made. But, that said, it is about space exploration.

How can it be science fiction if it isn't fiction?

when a film says either "inspired by real events" or "some events have been dramatized"

While some events in Apollo 13 were dramatized, it was far 'harder' than even the hardest of 'hard' scifi, and the things that were changed were small enough overall that it does not seem right to call it a work of fiction.

[Raphael]

Completely silly, completely random question:

One of my favorite jokes from the movie Airplane 2 is this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D372SW-OhKA

It's probably only funny for people who remember both public payphones and how expensive long-distance calls used to be.

But now I wonder: If you scale up the prices of long-distance calls back in 1982 (when the movie was released) to interstellar distances, would six million dollars actually have been enough for the first three minutes?

[zompist]

But now I wonder: If you scale up the prices of long-distance calls back in 1982 (when the movie was released) to interstellar distances, would six million dollars actually have been enough for the first three minutes?

This can't really be answered without thinking about the technology involved, and of course there is none.

This page has some price comparisons for long-distance over the course of the 20th century. In 1980 (when the movie came out), a 10-minute call over 4000 km (a little less than coast to coast) cost $4.17, or $16 adjusted for inflation.It was expensive because the call went over physical wires; also, honestly, because AT&T liked it that way.* Cell phones work by radio, while VoIP uses the Internet, so the economics are completely different.

The only reasonable way to communicate at interstellar distances is using light (in its physics sense, including all forms of electromagnetic radiation), so the price would have to be based on that. Unfortunately the speed of light makes it impossible to have a phone conversation.

* Remember that Intro to Econ stuff about supply and demand dictating a single best price? It's nonsense. If people have more money, businesses would like to charge them more, and devote a lot of effort to tricks to invite them to do so. You can't really make a lot of money charging high prices on local calls, because it's a business model that depends on everyone using the phone. But making long distance calls expensive gets the real phone addicts (i.e. business) to pay more.

[Raphael]

But now I wonder: If you scale up the prices of long-distance calls back in 1982 (when the movie was released) to interstellar distances, would six million dollars actually have been enough for the first three minutes?

This can't really be answered without thinking about the technology involved, and of course there is none.

This page has some price comparisons for long-distance over the course of the 20th century. In 1980 (when the movie came out), a 10-minute call over 4000 km (a little less than coast to coast) cost $4.17, or $16 adjusted for inflation.It was expensive because the call went over physical wires; also, honestly, because AT&T liked it that way.* Cell phones work by radio, while VoIP uses the Internet, so the economics are completely different.

Thank you! Bummer about the physics.