Since I was a kid I was always fascinated by astronomy but in the past few years I've grown even more intrested. I'm constantly reading up on whatever material I can find and when I read up on what LHC my mind basicly blew up. Now I feel inhibited (restrained? stuck?) because I know that by the time I die the farthest the human race will have gotten is Mars. Which is pretty cool, but not enough for me.

Since I can't travel to the future, and I can't live forever, I try to get as much sci-fi in as possible. I read most, if not all of Asimov's books (I dont usually read, but Asimov is too good).

I blasted through every Star Trek series (except the first, it's just too old)
Side note: In Enterprise, Season 3, my favorite part was when they started exploring the delphic expanse. That was amazing. (For those who don't know, it's a region of space where everything is messed up. The usual laws of physics don't apply anymore, stuff pops out of nowhere. Stars are in the wrong place. Gravity is going haywire and no one knows why.)

Star Wars, of course
Battlestar Galactica (the new one) is another good series, but it's not really about exploring space. More about ship to ship fights.
Firefly was good
I can't watch Stargate. It's like Lord of the Rings VS robocop. It's just too dumb.

And as for games: Mass effect had an amazing story, Eve Online would be awesome if it wasnt boring to hell.

Does anyone have anything good to recommend? I'm a fan of special effects and I can't stand older movies, so.. nothing before 1977.

Make up your mind.

ETA: to give a couple of recommendations, there was Alien and Aliens; the rest of that series aren't worth it (oops, those must be disqualified because they were pre-1990).

For real-life space drama, I recommend The Right Stuff and Apollo 13.


Nick

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Nick Theodorakis

There, I fixed it.

Apollo 13 is really good. Alien 1 and 2 were good, 3 sucked, 4 was confusing.

I was going to recommend Mass Effect as a game, but obviously you've played that one. That game is only epic. I'm on my 5th playthrough already.

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"Science is physics and astronomy." -Me
"There is absolutely no law in physics that prevents time travel." -Dr. Michio Kaku

Jumpgate Evolution is almost in beta, although you could go ahead and play the original Classic version that is still running a live server after seven years. It's definitely not point and click like EvE.

To me the "Must Own" space DVDs are For All Mankind, In the Shadow of the Moon, The Right Stuff, Apollo 13 and the 5-disc set From the Earth to the Moon. While you've asked for sci-fi movies, don't go past the first two. They are documentaries about the moon landings that are put together in such a way they can blow the hat off and melt the socks of anyone who hasn't seen anything like them. The commentaries and extras on the For All Mankind DVD are superb.

My collection so far:

Documentary - Apollo
1 Aerospace 407 - Apollo 7 - Apollo 8 (1994)
2 Aerospace 408 - Apollo 17 - Apollo 11 (1994)
3 Aerospace 410 - Apollo 16 - Apollo 13 (1994)
4 The American Space Odyssey 1 (1960s-70s)
5 The American Space Odyssey 2 (1960s-70s)
6 The American Space Odyssey 3 (1960s-70s)
7 The American Space Odyssey 4 (1960s-70s)
8 Apollo 7 - 1 (Spacecraft Films) (1968)
9 Apollo 7 - 2 (Spacecraft Films) (1968)
10 Apollo 8 - 1 (Spacecraft Films) (1968)
11 Apollo 8 - 2 (Spacecraft Films) (1968)
12 Apollo 8 - 3 (Spacecraft Films) (1968)
13 Apollo 11 - 1 (Spacecraft Films) (1969)
14 Apollo 11 - 2 (Spacecraft Films) (1969)
15 Apollo 11 - 3 (Spacecraft Films) (1969)
16 Apollo 11-14 (2004)
17 Apollo 15-17 (2004)
18 For All Mankind (1989) – Highly recommended
19 In the Shadow of the Moon (2007) – Highly recommended
20 Nasa 1 — Apollo 13 — Discovery STS-51D — The Universe (-)
21 Nasa 2 — Gemini Project — Apollo 16 — Astro Smiles (-)
22 Nasa 3 — Skylab — Who's Out There? (-)
23 One Small Step (1960s-70s)
24 The Time of Apollo (1972)

Documentary - Apollo/Space
25 Aerospace 406 - Space Shuttle - Apollo 14 (1994)
26 Aerospace 409 - Gemini VIII - Apollo 10 (1994)
27 Blue Planet (1990)
28 Destination Mars (1996)
29 NASA Unauthorised - The Unrevealed Secrets of Space (2006) - Some excellent scenes, but much of the narration is ridiculous, like it was written in Russian by an airy-fairy 10-year-old space geek then put through Babelfish. See sample below.
30 To The Planets (-)

Documentary - Apollo "Hoax"
31 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Moon (2001)
32 What Happened on the Moon? (2000)

Movie - Space/Sci Fi
33 Apollo 13 (1995) – Highly recommended
34 Armageddon (1998)
35 The Arrival (1996)
36 Barbarella (1968)
37 Capricorn One (1978)
38 Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
39 Cocoon (1985)
40 Contact (1997)
41 The Day of the Triffids (1963)
42 Deep Impact (1998)
43 The Dish (2000)
44 E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
45 The Fifth Element (1997)
46 From the Earth to the Moon 1 (1998) – Highly recommended
47 From the Earth to the Moon 2 (1998) – Highly recommended
48 From the Earth to the Moon 3 (1998) – Highly recommended
49 From the Earth to the Moon 4 (1998) – Highly recommended
50 From the Earth to the Moon 5 (1998) – Highly recommended
51 Independence Day (1996)
52 Invaders From Mars (1953)
53 Marooned (1969)
54 Mars Attacks! (1996)
55 Men In Black (1997)
56 Men In Black II (2002)
57 Mission To Mars (2000)
58 Moonraker (1979)
59 October Sky (1999)
60 Red Planet (2000)
61 The Right Stuff (1983) – Highly recommended
62 Rocketeer (1991)
63 Saturn 3 (1980)
64 Serenity (2005)
65 Space Cowboys (2000)
66 Sphere (1998)
67 Starship Troopers (1997)
68 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
69 Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
70 Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
71 Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
72 Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
73 Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
74 Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
75 Stranded (2002)
76 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
77 2010 The Year We Make Contact (1984)
78 War of the Worlds (2005)

Narration from NASA Unauthorised - The Unrevealed Secrets of Space
0:50:47 During the sixties space exploration was peaking, and the U.S. was growing anxious to win the space race.
0:50:55 With accommodation of NASA feeling extreme pressure to send a man to the moon, and support from John F. Kennedy and his dream to send a man to the moon, the Apollo programme was born.
0:51:07 Being compared to the sea, the moon was called "The new ocean." Just like the sea once attracted ships, space was now attracting shuttles. 0:51:16
0:51:23 Established in 1963, the Apollo programme aimed to develop man's capability to interact and carry out experiments on the moon.
0:51:32 As the first real attempt to voyage far into space, the Apollo programme began bridging the gap between man and moon.
0:51:40 With so much riding on the mission and so many people working on it, the Apollo project was a huge risk.
0:51:48 Even though Kennedy was unsure of the project's ability, he still mocked its slow pace.
0:51:54 With more than half against spending 40 million dollars on space exploration, the U.S. public was unsure of the project's potential.
0:52:02 Although the 40 million could have been spent on medical research or education, NASA continued on with the development.
0:52:09 The Space Sciences Board of the National Academy of Sciences commended NASA for its intrepid drive for space exploration and supported the overall cause of the Apollo project.
0:52:21 With all of the scientists agreeing on the mission's creative aspect, NASA got the go-ahead to start the miraculous project.
0:52:29 After taking years for the funding to come through, NASA started designing proposals and hiring staff to man the incredible difficulties of space exploration.
0:52:40 Beginning with the development of a three-part spacecraft, NASA developed a system containing a command module and a lunar module. As planned, one astronaut would remain in the command module and orbit the moon while the other two astronauts remained in the lunar module and eventually touch down onto the lunar surface to collect rocks and explore.
0:53:01 NASA's first two attempts, launching in 1968, Apollo 8 and 10, didn't land a man on the moon, but sparked the beginnings of lunar orbit. 0:53:09
0:54:07 It wasn't until July 20th, 1969, when Apollo 11 successfully landed Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin on the moon's surface. 0:54:16
0:55:22 With a camera on the lunar module providing live feed from the moon's surface, Armstrong and Aldrin began their famous walk.
0:55:30 As the nation watched Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set up the American flag, one of the most famous quotes was spoken. "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," resonated through radios across America and stirred the nation's confidence. 0:55:47
0:57:12 Once excitement wore off, the astronauts began their testing. Feeling weightless, they began collecting rocks and core samples to test once they returned to earth.
0:57:23 To begin their experiments the astronauts explored solar wind composition. Using aluminium foil sheet, measurements of particle entrapment were recorded to determine the composition of noble gases. This data helped link up holes in the atmosphere's history.
0:57:41 The experiment took place on the moon's surface, but results were examined on earth.
0:57:46 The astronauts also monitored the moon's seismic activity through a seisometer [sic]. This experiment measured ground tremors to understand the density of the moon.
0:57:56 As the hours continued, more and more experiments were finished. The laser ranging retro-reflector was left on the moon's surface to reflect beams toward the earth's surface. These beams allowed for precise measurement of the earth-moon distance.
0:58:12 Through all the tests, new information about the moon and its relationship to earth were discovered. 0:58:18
0:59:06 The moon has always remained mysterious and full of secrets, even after space exploration. Scientists today still debate its origin. Some believe the moon formed as the earth formed, developing from the same cloud of debris, while others believe the moon came too close to earth and its gravitational pull captured it.
0:59:26 Even though earth rocks and moon rocks are very similar, there isn't enough evidence to fully prove it's the same matter.
0:59:33 But even with concrete scientific evidence, skeptics still believe the mission to the moon was a hoax.
0:59:40 With ample footage and over 800 pounds of moon rocks, people still try to devalue NASA's accomplishment, calling the Apollo mission a staged project. Accusing NASA of fooling not only the U.S. but other enemy countries, skeptics have gone as far as to destroy the integrity of the Apollo 11 astronauts.
1:00:00 NASA has been quick to smother any theories against the moon mission, responding with clear evidence of man's exploration on the moon. 1:00:07

If "games" includes boardgames as well as computer games, may I recommend "Liftoff" by (I think) Mayfair Games.

It's a 2 to 4 player game in which each player runs a national space effort from 1957 until someone successfully lands an astronaut on the Moon and returns them to the Earth. (The third and fourth players represent East Asia and Western Europe, just so that more than two people can play.) You start with a small budget and a single launch pad, and you have to select a strategy for going to the Moon, research the relevant programs, run missions, and recover from accidents. Random events can affect your budget, while successful missions increase your budget and failures reduce it. In particular, being the first to achieve something will have the greatest financial benefit, so there may be occasions when you'll want to rush a mission (which compromises safety) in order to be first.

Mission involve a series of safety checks - the more complex, the more safety checks you have to make. Each safety check is made against a relevant piece of hardware, and failure to make the roll may have unpleasant consequences; the advanced failure tables make unnerving reading.

It's not a quick game, and there's not a great deal of direct interaction between players (more along the lines of working out how the others' strategies will affect your budget), but I enjoy playing it. One particular piece of fun is that the game allows you to try all sorts of strategies for going to the Moon - two man capsule, one man lunar module, or four man capsule-module, or three man mini-shuttle plus lunar module, and so on. There's also a simple mechanism for working out a hypothetical Soviet program, so you can play the game solitaire.

Wow, Kiwi, that is one hell of collection! I'll definitly try it out.

We should make a sticky of all the good Sci-Fi media.

"Firefly was good"

No firefly was amazing! *Sheds tear*

That sounds like a really fun board game!

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I don't care which rocket you use, whichever one you pick, I'll like it, I swear.
"If you think the LHC will create black holes, you might as well believe Hobbits are at the bottom of your garden."- Dr. Mike Inglis
Rovers forever! - ToSeek

It's pretty much a live version of Cowboy Bebop.

I.E, A bunch of lowlives living of a flying hunk of junk, trying to scrounge up all the money they can get just to keep their ship flying. AND it's also a space western setting.