Hatrack River Writers Workshop: Bad Sci Fi Novels

This is topic Bad Sci Fi Novels in forum Grist for the Mill at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
http://www.hatrack.com/ubb/writers/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=8;t=000110

Posted by AmieeRock (Member # 8393) on :

Okay, I'd like some ideas. I have a story thrashing around in my head about a very very bad sci-fi/fantasy writer. So I need an idea. Please tell me what the worst and most cliched plot for a sci fi story would be,and have fun with it!

Posted by Bent Tree (Member # 7777) on :

A resolute list.

Here is a pretty good list.

Posted by Natej11 (Member # 8547) on :

I would say the most cliche plot of all time is a new technology coming out and how it's opposed because people fear it will destroy the world/it actually does destroy the world in the end.

Another similar cliche is a strange person coming to a new place and everyone being suspicious and eventually killing him/driving him out/accepting him.

Posted by snapper (Member # 7299) on :

Although I have read a few bad sci-fi novels (Armada tops my list) it is really hard to come up with a truely awful plot and prose. It appears that publishers are very careful on putting those out (it's that profit thing).

For a really, really, really bad plot line you need to turn to the big screen. You could take the easy route and google 50's tripe, but by far the best was one I saw was when I was just a kid.

Battle Beyond The Stars

It starred Richard Thomas (John boy from the Waltons) and the go to bad guy for every bad movie John Saxon. I'll let wikepedia tell the important stuff.

quote:
The story is a pastiche of Akira Kurosawa's film Seven Samurai and its western remake, The Magnificent Seven. The farmers of the peaceful planet Akir, named in honor of Akira Kurosawa, are threatened by the space tyrant Sador (played by Corman regular John Saxon, carrying the old Eli Wallach role). Richard Thomas plays Shad, who sets out to recruit a band of mercenaries to fight Sador. This band includes Gelt, played by Robert Vaughn in a part that is essentially a reprise of his role in The Magnificent Seven with many of the same lines of dialogue; George Peppard (who was originally considered to play Vin, Steve McQueen's character, in The Magnificent Seven) as a space cowboy; and Saint-Exmin, a member of the alien Valkyrie race, played by Sybil Danning.
The film contains many of the clichés that came to dominate sci-fi films following Star Wars including giant spaceships, exotic aliens and the finale of a suicidal assault on a space fortress.
Footage from the movie was used in the creation of the laser disk game Astron Belt.

If that sounds bad you should see the movie.

That Seven Samuari's plot is the most overused idea. You got seven potentially campy hero's and a very cliche bad guy you can use. You can't go wrong if you're looking for an awful plot to build on.

Editted to add:
If you want more bad ideas, just google John Saxon. He's played every bad guy for every awful movie that I ever saw.

[This message has been edited by snapper (edited April 04, 2009).]