A theory about age and science fiction fandom.

[SeaBee]

I have often found myself wondering why it seems that so many science fiction fans who are male have always been into it. Most of the women I know who are fans of science fiction shows seem to come into it later, and quite often are brought in because they are following an actor they like.

One possible reason I have come up with is that most males come to the genre via comics, books, TV shows or computer games when they are children or young teens. Certainly when I was a youth comics like Marvel and 2000 AD were definitely aimed at the boy market and were a huge influence on my choice. Likewise shows like Doctor Who, Space 1999, Captain Scarlet, Star Trek and Danger UFO were popular viewing amongst the boys at school.

So, are you Male or Female and what was your age range when you first got into science fiction? Are you into it for the science or the actors? Is it space battles and ray guns or steamy looks and emotional interplay that has you shouting for more?

I'm going to ask the mods to create a poll here.

How old were you when you became a science fiction fan?

Male under 10 years old.
Male 11 - 15
Male 16 - 22
Male 23 - 30
Male 31 - 40
Male over 40
Female under 10 years old.
Female 11 - 15
Female 16 - 22
Female 23 - 30
Female 31 - 40
Female over 40

[The Flyattractor]

Definatly under 10.

[jelgate]

Under 10.

The reason being because my father liked to watch TNG at the time

[The Flyattractor]

Under 10.

The reason being because my father liked to watch TNG at the time

Well that explains a lot.....

[DigiFluid]

Male under 10. Grew up when TNG was on its first run, like jelly, watching it with my dad.

And watching re-runs of The Twilight Zone, Doctor Who, Lost in Space, etc.

[Replicator Todd]

Oops I voted incorrectly(accidentally voted for 16-22 instead of under 10)....but yeah I watched Star Wars and TNG on TV all the time before I was even 10. The first sci-fi show I really REALLY followed was Stargate SG-1. I think alot of it came from sci-fi cartoons and Marvel Comics more-so than Star Wars or TNG at first. I loved anything delving away from the real world and into imagination. Plus you know, space battles and time travel are the coolest things around!

[geekywraith]

Under 10. I remember watching re-runs of the classic Star Trek series with my older brother when I was 5 yrs old. Since then I've watched mostly sci-fi.

[blueray]

wow didn't read the question and checked how old i am now...

I became a sci-fi fan when i was like 10 and saw star wars for the first time. ever since i've loved sci-fi and some fantasy such as HP and LOTR's. unless are you afraid of the dark is considered sci-fi? if so i was like 5 and scared to death lol.

[Infinite-Possibilities]

THere was a time when I didn't like Star Trek because I thought they were too scary. But they were also one of the earlier things that got me into sci-fi. I THINK I was probably under 10 when I started watching them.

[VampyreWraith]

Female, under 10 when I started watching sci-fi. TNG was probably the first sci-fi tv series I really got into(I was about 8 or 9 I think). I also loved watching the Twilight Zone. I watched Star Wars when I was pretty young too, but didn't really love it until I was a bit older. I've been a fan a sci-fi, fantasy, and horror for as long as I can remember.

[Rosehawk]

I grew up watching Science fiction, new, old, reruns - tons and tons of reruns. I can even remember watching my first sci-fi show when I was six. And while so much of it was cheesy and poorly written in science fictions early days and for a long time afterwards, what it represented on a young impressionable mind was that there are infinite possibilities out there and it helped me to keep my mind open to things as I got older.

It wasn't the space battles or all the toys and gagets, can't even say for sure if it was the characters, - though my first actor crush was on a sci-fi actor... I just grew up enjoying that it was different then a lot of other stuff on TV.

I am female and I guess I just grew up with it so Sci-fi is normal to me.

[maneth]

I was 12 and watching reruns of Star Trek on TV. Spock was one of my first TV crushes, and there it was definitely the character, not the actor. We were living in the UK at the time, and when we went back home a year later, my English was good enough to delve into my dad's extensive sci-fi library. I grew up reading Heinlein, Asimov and Clarke and a few others.

In case anyone's missed it, I'm female and in my early 40s.

[Morgania]

First interested under age 10 , but I didn't really become a fan until I was a teenager. (In case you're wondering, I'm female.)

[Rise Of The Phoenix]

I know I was under 10, I'm male.
I think I watched the Original Star Wars trilogy when I was like 5 or something, watched trek films, the original series, TNG, I'm 28 now, still love it.

I remember watching random original series Battle Star Galacticas, Planet of the Apes.

My childhood is filled with Sci-Fi and Fantasy memories.
My brother and a lot of our joint friends watched loads of sci-fi stuff too.
Good times!!!

[SF_and_Coffee]

I'm female and in my late 40s. I became a fan of science fiction before the age of ten. In fact, it was before the age of five! My dad was into scifi, and when the original Star Trek series first aired, he started me watching it. I recall watching it as young as three years old, and possibly even two. Thought it was one of the coolest things ever.

As I grew up and learned to read, then got bored with children's books, my father gave me science fiction novels from his own collection. Occasionally there would be a scifi series on television for a while, too, as with the original Battlestar Galactica or Logan's Run, etc.

So I've been a fan of the genre all my life. I don't follow specific actors, as a rule, and I've never really liked comic books and horror bores me. I came to my love of scifi by way of television and books. I'm less into fantasy, though I've read my share of that too.