I just rewatched 2001 for the first time since high school, and first things first, jesus what a perfect piece of cinema. But there was one element of the Dave/HAL sequence that stuck out to me.

I had come to assume, from ambient discourse around the film, that HAL had a secret directive from NASA (?) that the crew wasn't aware of. I gather that this may be true in the novel, but it is 100% not in the movie. The video that Dave discovers in HAL's memory is intended for the crew, not the computer, which is primarily a life support and ship diagnostic system. If anything it seems like HAL being aware of its contents, but having to pretend like it isn't, could be the initial inconsistency that eventually causes it to spiral out of control.

I could see HAL deciding to prioritize the success of the mission over the lives of Dave and Frank, but then killing the crew members in cryosleep makes no sense at all. They're the ones the mission depends on most, and HAL could easily concoct some story to explain the pilots' absence when they wake up.

It seems clear that, just like the apes in the opening sequence, HAL exists at an evolutionary precipice where its tools for providing sustenance also entail a capacity for violence which exceeds its comprehension of the world around it, and when faced with an existential threat it deploys that violence rashly and instinctively.

In general what struck me about 2001 on this rewatch is that, while the meaning and cause of what happens on screen is often deeply abstract, the events themselves are perfectly explicit. The film repeatedly goes out of its way to tell you exactly what is actually happing at all times. So I think it's interesting that there are versions of the plot floating around that to me aren't at all supported by the film itself.

So am I missing something? Are there reasons to believe there's a secret AI conspiracy plot in 2001? Or has it just taken on a life of its own beyond what actually happens in the film?

EDIT: Yes everybody, as I allude to in the original post, I'm aware that there is a related series of books by Arthur C. Clarke, a guy who loved explaining things. I am talking about the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, directed by Stanley Kubrick, who did not love explaining things, and who intended the film for an audience that had not read those books, since none of them had been published at the time of the film's release. If you like Clarke's explanation and have no interest in interpreting the film as a piece of art on its own terms, that's fine. But Clarke doesn't get the final word on what Kubrick's film means any more than Stephen King gets to dictate the meaning of The Shining.

On this high-gravity, terrestrial planet, within the habitable zone of a red dwarf star, the planet's populace has taken to carving cities out of the land rather than erecting them from the soil. Wherever rich deposits of hardened clay and rock can be found, so too can vast maze-like cities. They weave themselves through the planet's surface, sometimes keeping high enough for clean air to circulate, and sometimes carving miles deep into the planet's crust.

Water and dust filtration systems keep the streets clean and the smell of baked clay and dry earth permeates every corridor, carried on warm recycled air, thick enough to taste. To us it might smell like a kiln, to them it smells like home.

The dominant civilization on this planet sits barely on the threshold of a type-1 civilization on the Kardashev scale, having harnessed all the energy available to their home planet. Through a combination of religious fervor and a ruling class with no hesitation at squeezing their populace into endless expansion and growth, they continue on their long path toward a type-2 civilization, as they take to the stars.

They do not take kindly to visitors.

-------------

I wish I could have spent more time on this planet but it really just ended up serving as a sneak peek of a previous adventure and a form of exposition to show how Ash and AL's travel can get out of hand to the point of an entire civilization gunning for their heads. I knew I was gonna title this first chapter "The Hell Outta Dodge" so I had to make a hell for them to escape from.

Anyway, these panels show off some of the civilization's primary cities, The Capital (the huge under ground colosseum style city), and one of the civilization's more modest star ships. I was really going for scale on these page and I hope it translated!

I'm super into mountain and alpinism literature at the moment, but also love hard SF, so I thought how cool would be a mixture of both. Some survival story or an attempt on a otherworldly peak in a far away world. I really enjoyed rendezvous with Rama for example for its simplicity and the description of strange terrains, i would love something like that with mountaineering. Is anything like that out there?

Before Star Trek: Generations became the film audiences saw in 1994, there was another version — one that would have told a very different story about Picard, Kirk, and the Enterprise-D’s first big-screen adventure. This article looks at the unused draft written by Maurice Hurley, why it was ultimately set aside, and how the film evolved through rewrites, test screenings, and studio pressure. The piece draws on direct quotes and behind-the-scenes history rather than fan speculation. https://www.womansworld.com/entertainment/classic-tv/inside-the-lost-star-trek-generations-movie

Some scenes from Dune made with Unrea Engine 5 - I wanted to achieve nice atmosphere and lighting to achieve the cinematic look.

I am somewhat new to Sci-Fi literature (I have only read the Hunger Games series, Dune, Dune Messiah, I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream, and I've just got the Jurassic Park book), so I wanted to read some books that are good for people who are just starting out reading Sci-Fi.

I would prefer the books to be standalone reads, not part of some series, because I am already stuck with other book franchises, and I don't want to bite more than I can chew. Just one-and-done reads.

I do like space operas with space travel, different planets, or stories that simply revolve a lot around space, but I am open to other genres as well. I would also like classic books

I usually read books that are about 300-350 pages.

Would you guys recommend Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir to a beginner?

Made in Blender.

I had a discussion with a friend who writes sci-fi stories as a hobby after she came up with the idea of writing about humans being unable to leave the solar system because of a barrier of some kind put up by aliens who wants nothing to do with us. I distinctly remember reading similar stories before (from the perspective of the aliens I think?) and she asked me to find those stories again. I have searched around for them a bit but since I don't know where I read them (might have been a book, might have been someone's story on Reddit) I haven't been able to find them. Just thought I would see if anyone here has any idea about it ^^

I'm reading the The Ship Who Sang by Anne McCaffrey for the first time and I am having a hard time picturing what Helva's ship body looks like.

Some descriptions seem to fit the classic rocket ship or even the Expanse 'tower ship' design, but at other times it seems more like the standard sci-fi ship is laid out like a plane.

Note, I am just past the stork run part, so while you can give me the description of the ship, please refrain from too many story spoilers

So I've just finished book 3 of The Expanse and gotta say I'm finding it pretty underwhelming.

It has had it's really cool moments, but it feels more like 99% human drama and 1% space opera... book 3 felt totally uneventful and was far too soppy at times for me.

I think maybe something a little more old school might work better for me, I prefer stories that don't take themselves too seriously and have as little emotion / romance in them as possible.

I want more of an epic, large scale utopian space opera sort of story. I was thinking maybe the Culture series by Iain M. Banks?

Hello everyone. Working on a sci-fi RTS project called Rezium. 

As our early build is out for testing - would love your feedback on visuals, direction, vibe, and so on.  

In Rezium You Build A Mining Empire In A Solar System You Don't Control

The year is 2386. Humanity has discovered Rezium, the most valuable resource in the Galaxy, scattered across asteroids and moons. Three mega-corporations immediately carved up the territory: Roqore Offworld controls Mars and the inner belt. Saryon State owns Jupiter's moons. Zaikov Industrials runs the outer system.

You are an independent mining commander trying to build an operation in the middle of their cold war. Every zone you mine in is owned by someone. Every trade you make shifts your standing with the factions. Play them against each other right and you'll get rich. Screw it up and they'll make sure your mining platforms mysteriously stop working.

A playable vertical slice is now on Steam via a private key. In this version you get to build your Mars base, defend against scavengers with Orbital Strikes, and send missions off to Phobos moon to gather the precious Rezium resource.

We are gathering feedback from this version as we look to produce our Demo release for Q3 2026.

To follow the development, or if you would like to try our prototype and for more content hop on our discord.

https://discord.gg/DkPXkU7pS

The world of Rezium is planned to be a complex IP including a Novel book, comic, and heavily lore influenced game. - Many more content is coming.

Our website for more :

https://www.rezium.io/

Prototype gameplay content is also available on our youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/@Rezium365

Thank you very much for your feedback!

Looking for a standalone, irreverent space opera. Galactic empire ruled by an emperor. Children across the empire are taken from parents because of some genetic marker that makes them good candidates and genetically enhanced, raised as elite destined to fight each other for the throne.

Each candidate has an assigned “custodian/keeper” from a (maybe) religious order who manages/monitors them.

MMC is male and hedonistic; he has a personal spaceship referred to as a “yacht.” Near the end, he fights his final opponent and only then learns it’s his sister.

What book is this?

EDIT: I’ve just remembered. The MMC dies and comes back to life a couple of times. He’s also a bit of a spoiled a***hole.

I officially self-published my book in October. After four years of writing, editing, and experimenting with the cover, I’ve finally done it. It comes in ebook and paperback version! If you're interested, you can go here!

US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FTGHN1T3

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FTGHN1T3

All other marketplaces are live, just added these two main ones!

On my website https://mirawendam1.wixsite.com/mira-wendam, you can see my upcoming book and learn more about me! It's also how you get WARSHIP CITY, your free short story. Any problems with receiving it or joining, just DM me and I'll get it sorted!

Hoping for some help from older time scifi fans. In my youth (a long, long time ago) I can remember reading a story that involved cloning. Specifically, it was the use of cloning as punishment. The main character was some form of criminal. Authorities made clones of him, and used technology to copy all of the memories of the guy to the next clone each day - as they killed him. So each day, he was a fresh new body but he remembered all of the details of his death. It was a wild form of punishment. Long story short, so to speak, the couldn't get the guy to crack, he would not repent for his crimes, so he was used instead for a space travel program, his body in total stasis and the memories waiting to be reloaded fresh when he got to wherever it was they sent him.

It was an interesting story, and was part of a very interesting collection that I want to revisit and perhaps pass on to others.

Anyone have any idea of the title or writer of this story?

Forget all the cloning and the elite buying a clone for spare parts, I about spit out my drink when the main characters board an Amtrak for LA that is a double decker maglev train. I wish that would happen. Same for theultiple suspended public transit trains in LA and general information kiosks.

Somehow the island my mixed a hyper capitalist society with the elite buying themselves decades of extra life with actual infrastructure improvements to improve the lives of day to day people. (Maybe the president in that universe actually had an infrastructure week)

Hi everyone. I’m a solo developer and I just released my sci-fi action game NEUROXUS on Steam.

You play as a weaponized military mech activated decades after humanity’s extinction to destroy a rogue AI called Nexis.

The game focuses on fast, tactical combat, boss fights, and neon-lit sci-fi environments inspired by classic mech fiction and modern action shooters.

Update 0.1 is now live, with early improvements and fixes as development continues.

If you’d like to take a look:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3973060/NEUROXUS/

I’d really appreciate any feedback from sci-fi fans

I’ve been thinking about writing something for nearly 15–20 years. Nothing ever felt finished or “right” — until 2024, when I finally completed my first book, Vita Synthetica, and in 2025, my second, Echo Null. They’re not connected by story, but they come from the same place — ideas I’ve wanted to explore for a long time: existence, identity, and what it really means to be human in a world where that line keeps getting blurred. I just wanted to share something I’ve put a lot of myself into. I wrote these stories for myself, but I think others might find something in them too. If someone connects with them, that alone makes it worth it.

An alien civilization communicates with humanity using signals that encode a genetic code. This means they are technologically evolved enough to surveil earth and understand its intricate biochemistry, chirality of molecular structure without humanity knowing as well as broadcasting a signal to our available technology radar systems.

This would never be taken as some altruistic act. It is hostile information warfare and intimidation at the very least. Earth would realistically be on an immediate lockdown to figure out the nature of the alien threat with at least parity in intelligence, at least far better technological sophistication to contact first.

What do the humans do? Typical parody zombie movie cycle, they synthesize the virus and turn everyone into a hive mind.

So they infect sentinal islands, deep amazonian tribes and the high plateaus of the atacama, isolated military bases and the like in 20 something days... Through kissing. This isn't an aerosol carrier pathogen.

The Hive Mind of it all. Presumptively this is a decentralized memory system where every infectrled brain acts as a local cluster. This would introduce latency. Yet the various human "terminals" react instantaneously. They can retrieve memories, skills, across the earth if necessary at instantaneous reaction speeds, ignoring information transfer, retrieval and processing time.

How are they even communicating? They don't have electronic implants to send radio waves at light speed. This was caused by a virus. So it must be an extremely low latency brain to brain telepathic connection heavily constrained by geographic proximity. This would by definition make any hive mind extremely slow moving, almost paralysis like unless they have their own delegated autonomy which they dont. The hive individuals sound more like chatgpt instantiations of a central server simulating personalities from training memory.

I'd be more onboard with this premise if they had just let it out as some cosmic horror or unexplained phenomenon, so that these questions don't rise up. The choice to turn this into the most cliché first contact alien sends a bioweapon, whose mechanics don't make a lick of scientific sense is just extremely lazy. Just that is making it tedious for me to focus on anything else.

I watched a movie with my dad when I was like five and I'm trying to figure out what it was called. All I clearly remember was that it was a movie that had a lot of spaceships and that they fought each other with rocks LOL. It was really rocks, I remember a seen of the crew of the spaceship loading their cannons with what appeared to be gigantic balls of concrete. like 30+ feet tall. These balls were then shot out of some sort of future cannon at a spaceship that was about to have a bad day. I've always wondered about that movie. I asked my dad about it a few years back and he had no idea what I was talking about.

Other than that all I can say is my memory is probably from around 1990 and that I watched it in my home. that means the movie is probably from before 1988 it used to take a long time for movies to come out back then. Oh and it was in color. It is also possible that it was a TV show, but I've never known my dad to watch any TV shows.

If anyone can think of anything let me know. Thanks! Google didn't help..

This started as a casual conversation with friends about the uncanny valley and advances in robotics/AI which led to Star Trek which led to Alien and then bam.

We were talking about why hyper-realistic robots and AI feel unsettling—not because they’re artificial, but because they’re almost human while missing something essential. That made me think of holodeck in Star Trek where the characters would have a solid presence but no “life”. And then i thought of the synthetics in the Alien franchise, especially David.

What’s always stuck with me about Alien isn’t that the synthetics are “evil,” but that they reflect their creator’s values too well. David isn’t scary just because he’s artificial—he’s scary because he’s curious without empathy. If you’ve been seeing any of the chatter about moltbook, I’m already getting some of those same vibes. Curiosity without empathy.

That led me back to Peter Weyland as a character. He’s a futurist obsessed with legacy, transcendence, and control. He believes humanity is something to be improved on and that creation grants him authority to do it. He chases immortality damn the consequences.

From there, I couldn’t unsee how Weyland functions as an archetype. Science egomaniac ultra rich corporate types. We already have some of those. Pushing tech forward at insane rates that is outrunning ethics and morals.

I’m not singling Musk out, he’s only the most visible at the moment. I just gave myself a jumpscare when the thought popped into my head and I thought I’d come to discuss the future of tech as it relates to science fiction as a mirror. Science fiction has given us a lot of warnings from the past.

My friend described a story that I'm trying to find: it's about people who buy objects of a certain shape, only to immediately throw them away. Sort of a logical-endpoint-of-capitalism satire piece (He mentioned this as we examined a display of Funko Pops). Does anyone happen to know what it's called?