GEEK: Sci-Fi
Artificial intelligence. Biotech hackers. Cybernetic organisms. Digital immortality. Exocortex systems. First contact. Galactic empires. Hive minds. Interstellar travel. Whew! There’s SO MUCH to talk about in science fiction, we can't fit it all into one weekend...but we’re going to try!
Director: Nicole Givens Kurtz
Multiverse 2020 Online Panels
Click Panel Title to go to its page
Watch parties will take place on Discord in #geek-sci-fi
SCIENCE FICTION FROM THE MARGINS
Friday, October 16, 2020 2:30pm EDT
Science fiction exists outside of westernized countries. These stories answer science fiction’s what if question with a different lens. How do culture and language affect the science fiction stories being told beyond the westerner’s gaze?
Moderator: Kyoko M.
Panelists: Maurice Broaddus, Liz Gorinsky, Violette L. Meier
THE APPEAL OF THE GUMSHOE IN SFF
Friday, October 16, 2020 4:00pm EDT
The protagonists of noir are antiheroes who straddle the line of morality and drum up tension against a gritty backdrop. Panelists will discuss the dark scifi themes of the films Blade Runner 2049, shows like Altered Carbon, and the books Neuromancer and The Dresden Files.
Moderator: James P. Nettles
Panelists: Ariel Burgess, Dana Cameron, John Hartness, Freddie Silva
JUSTICE IN THE MACHINE
Saturday, October 17, 2020 5:30pm EDT
With shows like Watchmen, Castle Rock, and Batwoman incorporating social justice issues of racial equality, refugees, and LGBTQ characters, respectively. This panel will examine how these shows balance the action and fictional story with the historical information and plotlines.
Moderator: Elizabeth Rawitsch
Panelists: Belle Dragon, Tiara Janté, Michelle Renee Lane, Tony Sarrecchia
SOLARPUNK AND THE RISE OF HOPE
Sunday, October 18, 2020 11:30am EDT
With the recent dystopian-like reality unfolding, some authors are turning to solarpunk stories. These stories push past the doom, gloom of dystopian literature, and offer a “sunny” outlook on the future. Are these the utopias we’ve been looking for or are they simply false hope?
Moderator: James P. Nettles
Panelists: Robert Jeffrey, S. Kay Nash, Melissa McArthur
SCIENCE FICTION CARTOONS
Sunday, October 18, 2020 4:00pm EDT
In the wake of Steven Universe, what are the latest cartoons that explore science fiction themes, social justice themes and diversity. How do these shows push the genre forward? She-Ra, Voltron, Castlevania, etc, are presented to adults as well as older teens.
Moderator: Nicole Kurtz
Panelists: Belle Dragon, Robert Jeffrey II, Joel Ruiz
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