Can you be a Stargate fan and not believe in aliens?

[deadegg]

This has been a raging debate amongst myself and a quite sizable group of friends. I believe in any possibilities when it comes to extraterrestrial life, yet there are a few friends who do not. Im interested in how you can be a gung-ho fan of sci-fi in general without a suspension of disbelief... any thoughts?

[Callista]

Yes, it's possible.

While I'm not going to say that I'm certain there are no other forms of life anywhere in the universe, I don't believe in the kinds of aliens normally shown in science fiction. And I definitely don't believe that if there are intelligent aliens somewhere that there would be lots and lots of them flying from planet to planet and galaxy to galaxy.

But, I tend to like sci-fi. I think it's mostly because sci-fi allows for a lot of imagination and a lot of moral and ethical questions that don't have easy black and white answers, unlike most police shows or medical shows or such. Stargate is loaded with juicy ethical questions and it's often not easy to decide who's right and who's wrong in any given case.

And, sci-fi isn't just aliens. It's also futuristic scenarios, technology-run-amok scenarios, end-of-the world scenarios, time travel scenarios, etc. Some of my favorite books and shows fall into those categories and Stargate has dealt with all of them. I think it's because those things can make you think and ponder the decisions that are made in the real world. They can be almost like parables that allow good discussion and thought without having to use real people and real governments and real countries/races/ethnicities/religions/etc. so that you can look at the real issue with a little less bias.

[Flyboy]

People shouldn't confuse the fiction with reality. My believe in unknown phenomenon, of whatever kind is in no way influenced by my entertainment interests. Fiction is fiction. So yes, there's no reason why you couldn't enjoy Stargate and not believe in aliens... just as you can watch The X-Files and not believe that the US government is working alongside Alien colonists, or you could watch Battlestar Galactica and not believe AI to be a threat.

[wraith queen inga]

Its VERY unrealistic that we are the only intelligent life in the universe.

[rens14]

I have to agree with callista. Because I believe there is some form of alien life out there and it would be cool if they were intelligent. But I don't believe aliens have visited earth.

[The_DrRodneyMckay]

In my opinion you can because I really like the finale of Battlestar Galactica, which was full of religious stuff, and I'm an atheist. So I think believing, or no believing, in aliens is the same thing.

[Jedi_Master_Bra'tac]

I'm a Stargate fan and I don't believe that people can turn themselves in energy and live on a higher plain of existence. I'm a Harry Potter fan and I don't believe in magic and mythical beasts. I'm a Christmas fan but I don't believe in Santa Claus.

I don't see how one's beliefs would affect their enjoyment of FICTION (or Christmas...).

[jvmauck]

Just because the subject matter is about that, doesn't mean you believe it when you watch it. it's purely entertainment, and nothing more. I'm a Christian and just because the show doesn't agree with my faith, doesn't mean I don't enjoy it, because I do love the shows.

[Gregorius]

Yes.

[VSS]

This has been a raging debate amongst myself and a quite sizable group of friends. I believe in any possibilities when it comes to extraterrestrial life, yet there are a few friends who do not. Im interested in how you can be a gung-ho fan of sci-fi in general without a suspension of disbelief... any thoughts?

Of course you can. I love scifi and don't think there are aliens. I think the Drake Equation fools people into thinking that there are just because it looks so scientific. It's all just pure guesswork. Make any one of those variables zero and the whole equation falls apart.

But a lot of scifi (BSG, Firefly, 2010, The Matrix) is completely compatible with the non-alien viewpoint. Even Stargate is- because of the stargate. It wouldn't have been nearly so popular if there wasn't that link that explained where all the people came from, and why the goa'uld look human.

Aliens can be a crutch for scifi- a deus ex machina plot point that can literally do or be anything. It's harder to write science fiction without them, but it's better fiction in the end, because it's actually relevant. It's a whole lot more likely that people in the future will have to deal with black holes and too-intelligent AI than alien life forms.

[major davis]

[Ugly Pig]

Of course you can. Do you seriously think that in order to enjoy a work of fiction, you need to actually believe that the fantasy it presents is real? If so, that's pretty messed up.

[jelgate]

I don't see why not. It is fiction after all

[Xaeden]

Why would you need to believe something to enjoy a good work of fiction? Part of the reason I like works of fiction that have unrealistic elements is because it gives me something I cannot find in life. The other part is that the specific tv shows/films/books that I like are simply enjoyable and interesting.

I don't believe magic is real for a second, but I like to read about it from time to time for that very reason - My imagination and the world the author creates make it "real." The same goes for Science Fiction where my views on aliens are similar to Callista's, but I enjoy good stories written about them and I generally like the idea of Humans interacting with intelligent, alien life (something that stems from childhood wonder). So, even though I don't think that's possible in the real world, I like to let my imagination take me to places where it is.

[Alder]

Yes.