Hosted and executive produced by Ridley Scott, Prophets of Science Fiction is an 8-part series that focuses on science fiction authors who influenced and inspired modern technology and scientific advances through their books. The series originally aired Fall 2011 and Winter 2012 on the Science Channel.
What these authors once dreamed in their imaginations is now real. Although we now view them as visionaries, in their times, many were considered renegades and mad scientists. Prophets of Science Fiction is not the typical profile/biography. Each story is told through the eyes of these dynamic people who truly have changed the world around them. The show, filmed in a pseudo-documentary style, features re-enactments of moments from each author’s life and comments from other authors and scientists who were directly influenced by the author’s work. Each episode celebrates the life, ideas, and genius of these legends from the science fiction genre.
Ridley, in his own right considered a science fiction prophet of filmmaking by many, colors every installment with tales of how each figure has personally influenced him and his career. Ridley Scott is the iconic director of modern classic movies such as Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, and the 2012 release Prometheus, among many others.
Episodes include Mary Shelley, Phillip K. Dick, H.G. Wells, Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Jules Verne, Robert Heinlein, and George Lucas. It has not been announced yet whether Prophets of Science Fiction will have a second season. There has been a DVD release in June 2012, but it is Australian based, and a Region 4 format only.
