One of the great things about growing up when I was a kid was how science fiction inspired curiousity and wonder. You could get your fix across a number of platforms be it the television, radio, books, movies, comic books…movies about comic books. 

While the good versus evil motif did tend to trend on the side of villains being super smart sciency types, you could also see the rewarding contributions of science for the betterment of humanity.

I thought about this a lot this past week as I indulged in a few of my favorite science fiction fantasies of late, many of which are inspired from the Marvel Comic Universe and the DC Universe. In these stories we have an opportunity to dream about what’s over the next horizon while also holding up a mirror to our collective consciousness to ask ourselves, “Are we ready?” or “How might we handle what’s coming?” 

Metahumans, mutants, gifted individuals, it doesn’t really matter what label we apply. Humanity is changing. I see it even in simple things like the fact that people are so connected to their mobile streamed info networks that I saw three people almost run into walls or other people walking down the hall the other day within 3 minutes of one another because they were walking, hunched over their phones.

Heck I’ll admit I spent a great deal of last week with tech hanging out of my right ear that allows me to control the functions of my mobile phone. 

We are seriously talking about people exploring space up close and personal instead of through far off lenses. 

We are finding ways to live longer and improve the quality of those lives. 

Much of my love of science and the great unknown traces back to those stories and fables. It is such a joy to see shows like The Flash and Jessica Jones, Battlestar Gallactica, Warehouse 13 and X-Men and Tomorrow People. 

I love how these stories make me ask the question, “What if…?” These shows do more than just showcase tech, they explore the very human side of how we handle change as a species and there are inspiring moments and those that make me question our definition of civility.

I’m in love with endless wonder. Aren’t you?

~ Marta C. Youngblood