Book Review: Out There: The Science behind Sci-Fi Film and TV by Ariel Waldman

This review was first published by Booklist on June 1, 2023.

Waldman, host of the space- and pop- culture-focused show Offworld, offers a delightful collection of conversations about the role of popular sf films and television in shaping our vision of space and what the future may hold. She presents conversations she’s had with NASA astronauts, physicists, astronomers, engineers, SETI researchers, and other analysts on subjects such as spaceship and spacesuit design, how we might deal with loneliness and communicate with aliens, black holes, artificial gravity, matter transporters, clones, cyborgs and artificial intelligence, the skills modern and future astronauts will need to have, and more. Luminaries such as Frank Drake (creator of the famed Drake Equation), Mythbuster’s Adam Savage, and speculative fiction author Annalee Newitz (to name but a few of the most well-known) detail their perspectives on how sf has and continues to influence how we relate to science and popular expectations for human beings’ future in space. Most importantly, this work illustrates the importance of imagination in the pursuit of science. It’s a concise and rewarding book.