• Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket

Why Dirty Sci-Fi Is The Best Sci-Fi

January 1, 2019 by Neil Calloway

This week Neil Calloway argues that one thing unites all the best science fiction…

Guardians of the Galaxy, the original Star Wars movies, Alien, and Firefly all have something in common. The obvious thing is that they’re all science fiction, but if I was just listing sci-fi surely I’d have included Star Trek, too. They’re all science fiction, but they’re also what I’d call “dirty space movies”.

You know a dirty space movie when you see it; everything is a little more battered in it, a little bit darker, the characters are a lot cooler and more likeable. Clean utopias might be nice fantasies, but how many times did you pretend to be characters from Star Trek when you were a kid compared to how many times you pretended to be Han Solo? The fact is, we prefer our science fiction darker, dirtier, the good and bad to be a bit more ambiguous.

Even within dirty space films we tend to prefer the dirtier stuff; would you rather be a passenger in the filthy Millennium Falcon, which can outrun Star Destroyers or in the clean, sterile Tantive IV, that gets caught in a tractor beam almost immediately?

There’s a reason that everyone wants anthology films about Han Solo and Boba Fett rather than any other characters; they’re far more interesting, whether they’re in their battered old space freighter or their tarnished Mandalorian armour. It’s why everyone likes the Empire Strikes Back and Rogue One is superior to The Force Awakens.

“Dirty Space movies” sounds like you’re describing that porn film that was shot in zero gravity and had a soundtrack by Liam Howlett from The Prodigy and 3D from Massive Attack, but it’s actually a good label when making the distinction between science fiction films. Part of the lacklustre response to Prometheus was perhaps down to it being probably the “cleanest” of the films in the Alien franchise. The exception to the rule is of course 2001: A Space Odyssey, but that was made in 1968, before man had stepped on the moon; since regular space travel has become a reality, we like sci-fi to be less clean.

Think of a sci-fi film and you’ll be able to place it in the “clean” or “dirty” column pretty quickly, and I’d bet good money there are more of your favourites in the dirty list. The sterile utopia of Star Trek obviously has its fans, but it’s never really been entirely socially acceptable to be a Trekkie, whereas fans of Star Wars have been able to be more or less open about their obsession. James Cameron made Aliens (dirty) and Avatar (clean). Which do you prefer?

Neil Calloway is a pub quiz extraordinaire and Top Gun obsessive. 

Filed Under: Articles and Opinions, Movies, Neil Calloway Tagged With: firefly, Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Trek, Star Wars

FMTV – Watch Our Latest Video Here

WATCH OUR MOVIE NOW FOR FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

13 Great Obscure Horror Movie Gems You Need to See

6 Abduction Thrillers You May Have Missed

Movies That Actually Really Need A Remake!

8 Essential Feel-Good British Underdog Movies

10 Essential Vampire Movies To Sink Your Teeth Into

Forgotten Horror Movie Sequels You Never Need to See

10 Essential Frankenstein-Inspired Films

From Hated to Loved: Did These Movies Deserve Reappraisal?

Gladiator at 25: The Story Behind Ridley Scott’s Sword-and-Sandal Epic

Forgotten Horror Movie Gems From 25 Years Ago

Top Stories:

Movie Review – Saint Clare (2025)

Feel the Heat: 10 Uncomfortably Hot and Sweaty Films

10 Great 1980s Sci-Fi Adventure Movies

James Gunn’s Superman soars with $217 million worldwide box office opening

Movie Review – Eddington (2025)

Comic Book Review – Star Trek: Red Shirts #1

18 Incredible 21st Century Films You May Have Missed

Movie Review – Superman (2025)

STREAM FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

FEATURED POSTS:

Rooting For The Villain

Great Cyberpunk Movies You Need To See

10 Great Action Movies from 1995

6 Great Rutger Hauer Sci-Fi Films That Aren’t Blade Runner

Our Partners

  • Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

© Flickering Myth Limited. All rights reserved. The reproduction, modification, distribution, or republication of the content without permission is strictly prohibited. Movie titles, images, etc. are registered trademarks / copyright their respective rights holders. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. If you can read this, you don't need glasses.


 

Flickering MythLogo Header Menu
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket