BARBELITH underground
 

Subcultural engagement for the 21st Century...
Barbelith is a new kind of community (find out more)...
You can login or register.


Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

Best Sci-Fi moments?

  
  

Page: (1)2

 
 
uncle retrospective
14:01 / 26.11.02
Dreamwatch magazine's best sci-fi moments are here

They are:
1. The Empire Strikes Back: Darth Vader tells Luke Skywalker: "No, Luke. I am your father."

2. 2001: A Space Odyssey: Opening sequence.

3. Planet of the Apes: The Statue of Liberty lying in the sands in the final scene.

4. Blake's Seven: Seven's death.

5. Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan: The death of Spock.

6. Babylon 5: Jeffrey Sinclair turns out to be Valen.

7. Alien: Burst chest scene.

8. Star Trek: The Next Generation: When Picard says: "I'm Locutus of Borg."

9. ET: The children flying across the moon on bikes.

10. Blade Runner: Roy Batty says: "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe."

Ok, I can see some of these, but the I'm your father speech the best Sci-Fi moment? What you we recon should be up there?
 
 
Eloi Tsabaoth
14:04 / 26.11.02
I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. I, I, I, I, I....
 
 
Rev. Wright
15:04 / 26.11.02
The ending of Quatermass and the Pit (Hammer production)
The haunting/possession of the workman in the original BBC production of the same story.

Dave shutting down HAL in 2001: A Space Odessey

more to come.......
 
 
Tryphena Absent
16:22 / 26.11.02
I suppose out of all sci-fi moments that speech is the most recognised, quoted and viewed. It probably deserves its place though maybe they should have called it 'best-known sci-fi moments' or some such.
 
 
8===>Q: alyn
16:25 / 26.11.02
Rick Moranis as Dark Helmet, playing with the dolls in Spaceballs.
 
 
The Strobe
16:37 / 26.11.02
Oh, it's all a bit bombastic, isn't?

I think will has the right idea: Dave shutting down HAL is far more effective, emotionally and cinematically than the opening sequence. I mean, the Empire one is nice... but in some ways it's not the speech at all - just the concept and the way it fucks with everything else you know.

Some of my favourite (real) sci-fi moments:

The foil-unicorn in Blade Runner.
The final shot/sequence of Solaris, which is just entirely headfucking. But I'd probably pick the whole film if I could.
The big-revelation in Open Your Eyes/Abres Los Ojos. (ie: you're watching a sci-fi film!).
The big revelation in Dark City.
Ash's dying speech in Alien.
I guess the ending of Planet of the Apes probably IS a fair choice, in that case.
The first time you see the jump to hyperspace in the Millenium Falcon.

etc.
 
 
invisible_al
17:00 / 26.11.02
Moment wise in the Star Wars films I'd have to say that first scene where the blockade runner shoots past you to your right firing back at something behind it and then the screen fills with the Imperial destroyer chasing it, and the sound! Definately something to be watched in a Cinema, still makes me feel like a excited young 'un.

Hmmm will have to have a think...
 
 
Mourne Kransky
17:18 / 26.11.02
Lessee…

I’m with crazy? about Hal singing “Daisy, daiisssyyyy…”

Alien, tick, ET, tick, “Time to die” speech, tick tick tick… Lots of moments in Blade Runner though. “And you have burned so very, very brightly, Roy.” The Voigt-Kampff tests. “You Nexus 6, I make your eyes” “These are my friends. I made them.”

"I am Locutus of Borg" is a great Star Trek moment. More great Borgness in "I am Borg", near the end of Season Five, when Picard wrestles with his Captain Ahab streak and thinks (pre-Janeway) of infecting The Collective with an invasive programming sequence but the abandoned Borg boy floors them with “I am Hugh” and chooses to be transported off the Enterprise to save Geordi from his nasty playmates. Awww… My favourite episode.

Although the greatest Star Trek quote is when Torres, in “Learning Curve” in the 1st season, says to Neelix “Get the cheese to sickbay”

And great choice, Bizunth. “…My life is my own!”

I have a sneaking admiration for the cattle on fire in Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks and, particularly, for the first contact scene in the Nevada desert when the Martian ack ack gack… is translated mechanically as “We come in peace. We come in peace.” Everybody exults. A hippie releases a dove. Then the Martians pull out their rayguns and the dove is toast. Followed by much people zapping, yay!

Then there’s mad-eyed and desperate Kevin McCarthy screaming his McCarthyite “Watch the skies” as Don Siegel’s 1956 Invasion of the Body Snatchers closes. Almost matched by Donald Sutherland’s index finger and that scream at the end of Philip Kaufman's surprisingly good '78 remake.

Soft spot for The Day The Earth Stood Still too, when Messianic Michael Rennie is shot and calls out “Klaatu Barada Nikto” to scary but primitive Gort.

Contact has more religious metaphors and I love the scene where Jodie Foster says “They should have sent a poet… There are no words…” as she arrives at some beautiful wormhole junction. But then I love Jodie Foster.

Silent Running should be in there too. They paved Paradise and put up a parking lot and Bruce Dern is tending to the remaining forests in space, fanatically, with bad news to come. It’s slow to start but great scenes as Dern finally goes off the deep end. I liked the prototypical robots, Huey and Dewey, played by double-leg amputees, walking around on their hands under the robot suits.

And the remaining votes of the ZoCher jury go to: Dr Who! Any time the Tardis rematerialises or I hear “Ex-ter-mi-nate!”
 
 
gridley
17:50 / 26.11.02
I still don't think of Star Wars as sci-fi. It's more fantasy. And how could they have forgotten "Klaatu Barada Nikto"???

More:

--In 2010, when Dr. Chandra is shutting down Hal, and HAL asks, "Dr. Chandra, will I dream?"

--the episode of Deep Space Nine, where Sisko is flashing back and forth from "reality" to 1950s America where he is a black science-fiction writer struggling against the odds to create a series with a black protagonist.

--the opening (and every bit) of Until the End of the World: "1999 was the year the Indian nuclear satellite went out of control. No one knew when or where it might land. It soared above the ozone layer like a lethal bird of prey. The whole world was alarmed. Claire couldn't care less."

--Genesis of the Daleks, when Tom Baker has to decide whether to kill the Daleks in their cradle, then Revelation of the Daleks, when he realizes he made the wrong decision

--the episode of Deep Space Nine where Sisko covertly betrays the Romulans in order to bring them into the war ('But Garak was right about one thing: one man's guilty conscience is a small price to pay for the safety of the entire Alpha Quadrant. And I can live it with it.')
 
 
grant
17:57 / 26.11.02
The flea-assassin sequence in "City of Lost Children". And yes, it is too science fiction.
 
 
Tamayyurt
18:04 / 26.11.02
If we're talking Deep Space 9 (which is full of incredible moments!) I always think of that episode where the Jem'hadar (however it's spelled) have been waiting to fight a Klingon and Worf has to fight a succession of them... and even though he's horribly broken he keeps getting up. That was brilliant.
 
 
gridley
18:17 / 26.11.02
Flash Gordon, in all of Queen-singing, swashbuckling, earth-saving glory!!!!

"Flash, I love you, but we only 14 hours to save the Earth!"

"Aha! I thought it was one of the prime numbers of the Zenith system! I haven't changed!"

"Must be one hell of a planet you Earthmen come from!"
"It's not too bad, Vulcan. Not to bad..."
 
 
John Adlin
18:32 / 26.11.02
The Final Swordfight between Connor and The Kurgan in Highlander the 1st film, Yes I know you can see the wires but still fantastic.

The Trench Run in A New Hope, Forget Empires Relavations and Jedi's Tedy Bears The Attach run is 100% adrenaline all the way, And when your 8 years old-its a real mindblowing experice.

The Battle between Kirk and Kahn in The Wrath Of Kahn, old style naval manovering in spasehips, and at the end of the film Shantenr almost acts.
 
 
Warewullf
19:50 / 26.11.02
The bit in Farscape where John is leading Aeryn away, in tears, while Crais prepares to execute her mother. Just as Aeryn breaks away, tears streaming down her face and preparing to run back to save her mother, she hears a gunshot.

Cue credits.
 
 
Seth
21:22 / 26.11.02
Iconic DS9 moments? I'd go for:

- The five second shot in the Search, Part One in which the Defiant opens fire for the first time, and the force of its weapons nearly knocks it backwards. Sisko's wife was killed by the Borg, and this is the ship that he spent two years designing in Utopia Planitia to wreak awful revenge on the entire race. A symbol of one man's obsessive, grudge bearing need to kick motherfucking ass on an intergalactic scale.

- The moment when a deranged Gul Dukat hands Sisko his baseball, telling him that he is forgiven (The Sacrifice of Angels). Gul Dukat is one of the single most bravely characterised creations in all of Sci-Fi, and his action of passing the baton back to The Fucking Man one of the most thought provoking in the series. Lest we forget, baseball is DS9's metaphor for linear time and consequences, two themes very close to the show's heart.

- The expression on Kira's face as she watches Damar become a legend (The Dogs of War. She's been a terrorist fighting Cardassians all her life, now forced by circumstances to train their fledgling resistance movement. Damar, the man who killed Zeyal (virtually her foster daughter), a man she detests, gains her respect at this moment as he raises the Cardassians to rebel against their Dominion masters.

That will do for now, as this ain't a DS9 thread. Those are gonna start next year, when the DVD boxed sets start coming out. For now, bow before my awesome fanboy might.
 
 
The Monkey
21:36 / 26.11.02
The surrealism that is Scorpius getting his cooling rods changed...in particular that disturbing sex scene in season two, what with the bolt-popping and all. Best villain ever.

While Roy Batty gets most of the good moments in Blade Runner, somehow I find the scene with the other male replicant going through his photos very effective.
 
 
STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK
10:13 / 27.11.02
I'd go with HAL getting shut down and Roy's speech from Blade Runner... I'd also agree with the suggestion of Silent Running- the last scene is unutterably moving...

And (not strictly science fiction, but what the fuck) the scene in Ed Wood where he turns up at Bela Lugosi's house to find him trying to off himself.

And Star Wars- c'mon, the Death Star trench bit. That rocks.
 
 
The Natural Way
10:20 / 27.11.02
Ed Wood? What? How about "not science fiction at all". Great film, though.

Weirdly ('cause I'd never normally think of it), I have to agree with Zocher, the whole deal with that "thing" Foster gets in in 'Contact'. Fantastic. Terrible, terrible fim, though. Really terrible.
 
 
Rev. Wright
11:22 / 27.11.02
The 'last stand' sequence in Starship Troopers as the 'bugs' come screaming towards the outpost.

Would you like to know more?

The faulty ED209 in Robocop and/or Robocops first time on the job

Flash Gordon, the build up to the final attack on Ming's palace.

'Impetuous boy!'

'You looney bird, get out of here!'

more to come.....
 
 
ephemerat
11:33 / 27.11.02
Whilst Strange Days has many superb moments (opening sequence, Lenny on his bed with neat vodka and the lost past, "Well... I've lost my appetite. For about a year." etc.) I have a strange soft spot for Ralph Fiennes doing Lenny in full-on, cheap-ass, hustle mode:

I can get you what you want. You just have to talk to me. I'm your priest, your shrink, your main connection to the switchboard of souls. I'm the Magic Man, the Santa Claus of the Subconscious. You say it, you even think it, you can have it.

Mm, yeah. Would you buy a second-hand car from this man?
 
 
rizla mission
14:07 / 27.11.02
What about the end of Dark Star?

"Benson, Arizona is the place I long to be.." etc.
 
 
Yagg
22:04 / 28.11.02
The part in Aliens when Ripley, wearing the giant forklift-suit, confronts the alien queen over the little girl. The quote is something like "Get away from her, you BITCH!" I think the "enraged mother instinct" makes her more ferocious than any male action hero at that moment, and raises that line above the "I'll be back" and "Hasta la vista" level.

I had a professor in college who read us this entire feminist interpretation of the film with Ripley and the queen as two mother-figures both fighting to protect the young of their species. But that's another thread. Me shut up now.
 
 
arcboi
22:32 / 28.11.02
Interesting stuff. Personally though I can't imagine what ET is doing in that list and I wouldn't touch DS9 for iconic SF moments with a 10ft Class 1 Probe...

I guess some but not all of my personal choices would be:

1. The Sarlacc pit sequence from Return Of The Jedi.
2. The first fire-fight in Aliens when the walls come to life (mum!)
4. The opening credits for UFO
5. Kurt Russell telling the Thing to fuck right off
 
 
ephemerat
12:01 / 29.11.02
I was going to mention John Carpenter's The Thing - the first moment when you really know that it's not a dog.

Have been trying to come up with some kind of stand-out moment from Ghostbusters but there are just too many:

"Back off, man - I'm a scientist."

"Many Shubs and Zuuls knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of a Sloar that day, I can tell you!"

"Go get her, Ray!"

"Gozer the Gozerian! Good evening! As a duly designated representative of the state, county and city of New York, I order you to cease any and all supernatural activity and return forthwith to your place of origin or to the nearest convenient parallel dimension!"

"That ought to do it. Thanks very much, Ray."

And, of course, the first glimpsed sights of Gozer the Traveller, the Destructor, towering over New York in its designated form as the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.
 
 
The Natural Way
12:33 / 29.11.02
I prefer it when it's dressed as eighties flat-top androgywoman.
 
 
Lullaboozler
14:44 / 29.11.02
I was going to mention John Carpenter's The Thing - the first moment when you really know that it's not a dog.

First time you see the Norwegians in the helicopter you're thinking Awww. Second time you see it you're Shoot the @*%$#!*&? dog!

Another classic moment in The Thing is when Blair is working out how long it would take to overwhelm the planet. His face says it all. If it gets out Mankind is finished.
 
 
01
17:29 / 29.11.02
Number one, hands down.

The climax of Return of the Jedi when Luke throws down his lightsaber, turns to the Emperor and announces "You've failed your highness, I am a Jedi like my father before me."
The Emperor then turn, sneers and replies, "So be it... Jedi."
 
 
pointless and uncalled for
10:30 / 30.11.02
The return to The Trouble with Tribbles in DS9 and Worf is forced to explain the appearance of the Klingons.

The Mark 13 pulling a full on Preacher Man in Hardware. Such a good film.
 
 
Our Lady of The Two Towers
11:56 / 30.11.02
It's been a while since I've seen 2010, but isn't the "Will I dream?" line SAL not HAL?

And for the Babylon 5 moment, I'd have as more important either the very first time you see it when Delenn says to Sheridan "All the older races have gone... except one." He asks which one, but she doesn't reply and then he realises it's Kosh. But in terms of beautiful moments the final few minutes of 'Sleeping in Light' when Sheridan 'falls asleep' as the sun comes up, the others attend the decommisioning of Babylon 5 and things go on.
 
 
.
13:08 / 30.11.02
My favourite sci-fi moments are those rare scenes where they really hit home how bloody alien and strange everything is. So that rules out most of the ST stuff. My main criticism of any ST series is how mundane they make the whole space travel thing seem... So for those pure alien-ness headfuck moments, I love:

* Any and all of Farscape, especially scenes with Scorpius/ Harvey, but it's all very odd.

* The bits of Lexx where they weren't running around like sex-starved nymphos (few and far between I guess). e.g. The first episodes of the first series, with the magnificent Divine Shadow et al.

* The bits in Dune with the totally bizarre giant fish-faced aliens who can "fold space". Shame there isn't more of them really.

* Space Above and Beyond. A hugely underrated and terrifying sci-fi series, totally ripped off by Starship Troopers. Nothing else I've seen comes close to exploring how scary it would be to travel through the massive emptiness of space. It's been a while since I've seen the series (and Channel 4 did the usual thing of pushing it around the schedule- 1am on a wednesday anyone?), so I can't recall any particular scene, but the final episode was really powerful.

Finally, from another great underrated sci-fi:
* "How did I know that the only thing to survive the annihilation of the human race would be the Macarena?"

So, any other great moments of sheer alien strangeness?
 
 
Tezcatlipoca
14:07 / 30.11.02
The bits in Dune with the totally bizarre giant fish-faced aliens who can "fold space".

Third stage Guild Navigators...and they're bloody great.

I'd add Dark City to the list, but there are so many defining moments in it that I really can't be more specific.

Interesting - apart from Strange Days - to not see any Cameron works on the list so far.

And I can't recall the name, but the Next Generation episode in which Picard is captured and tortured - Pavlov style - by the Cardassians was excellent. There are indeed four lights...
 
 
arcboi
14:23 / 30.11.02
It's been a while since I've seen 2010, but isn't the "Will I dream?" line SAL not HAL?

No, that was definitely HAL. Although IIRC SAL does ask the same question earlier in the film.

2010 is a good choice though - hugely overshadowed by 2001, it still has some fine moments: "My God! It's full of stars!" being one. HAL making the ultimate sacrifice being another. I also love the spooky scene when Bowman appears on his wife's TV.
 
 
rizla mission
14:32 / 30.11.02
The bits in Dune with the totally bizarre giant fish-faced aliens who can "fold space".

Yeah! Dune! Totally!

Though I think I'd go for either the "The worm IS the spice, the spice IS the worm!" trip sequence, or the bit where he's riding astride his worm in the lightning storm and the prog guitar theme kicks in..
 
 
bjacques
15:02 / 30.11.02
The ending of Dark Star was cribbed from Ray Bradbury's short story "Kaleidoscope."

The final scene of "They Live." "What's the matter, baby?"

The final scene of "The Man Who Fell To Earth."

"Starsip Troopers" the brawl in the space station hallway, between the Mobile Infantry and the pilots. Blink-and-you-miss-it shot of a poster on the wall, Expressionist drawing of a shadowy face under a trooper's helmet, with the legend "AND YOU?" This is taken from a famous WWII Nazi poster "UND DU?" It confirmed my take on the movie: This is Frank Capra's world (and we're just living in it); it's not a Nazi world, but it's almost as foreign to us irony-drenched moderns. It's the total social commitment to a war of survival. WWII was the nearest thing. The War Against Terrorism doesn't come close and thank the indifferent gods it never will.

Apollo 13 - Tom Hanks watching the moon recede in the window of the Command Module

Independence Day - LA, the roof party to welcome the Space Brothers--ZORCH!!! I'm from the old school. ET, Cocoon and CE3K are post-hippie crap.

The Day The Earth Caught Fire (1962, it was on the BBC last night). London looks like that scene from the Invisibles, Chelsea beatniks go wild and an honest ending.
 
 
PatrickMM
15:25 / 30.11.02
For me, nothing can top Vader confronting Luke at the end of Jedi, as Luke is half hidden in shadow. Vader mentions Leia, then Luke goes on a rampage; brilliant lighting and Williams' best cue in the entire trilogy.

Also, the Batty "time to die" speech, and as much as I'm embarressed to say it, very few scenes had me going like the first time I watched The Matrix lobby sequence.
 
  

Page: (1)2

 
  
Add Your Reply