Top Science Fiction Storylines: Notes on Star Wars, Star Trek, Babylon 5, and Battletech

Being that speculative fiction in a field of incredibly popularity today, I decided to pen an article summing up some of the better series, including TV, movies, and books, that are out today. Much will be missed, but, in coming up with this list, I decided to note the stories that are dearest to me. While Star Wars is the most popular story here, I tried to work in some of my other interests in the field, like Battletech and Star Trek.

Star Wars: This is the series that made it known space fantasies could be made on a big scale. It is doubtful without the success of Star Wars that interest in other space epics like Battlestar Galactica would ever exist. The heroic journey of the Skywalkers, from Luke to Anikin, emboldened the story with the sense of good and evil found in every great epic. The battles between son and father were the mainstay of the series, but the conflicts between right and wrong also had a strong presence. The first Star Wars films, which were 4-6 in the actual series, used cutting edge technology to create the incredible battle scenes which can still be appreciated today. While the prequels didn't win over as many hearts as the original Star Wars films, they did further the Star Wars narrative.

Star Trek: The Star Trek heroes, from Captain Kirk to Captain Picard, have been mainstays of television for almost half a century. Before Star Wars there was the original Star Trek series with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, which also can be credited in influencing Battlestar Galactica (a series which deserves to be mentioned but one I haven't watched with regularity). Star Trek has been incredibly successful, with several series spanning the decades. My favorite would be Star Trek: The Next Generation, though Star Trek Deep Space 9 comes in a close second. The movies have been notable as well, especially Star Trek First Contact. It all started with Gene Roddenberry, but the series has survived well after his death with top writers filling in the gaps, and a series of novels which expand upon Roddenberry's original vision (including New Frontier by Peter David).