Page "Science fiction" Paragraph 22

In the 1980s, cyberpunk authors like William Gibson turned away from the optimism and support for progress of traditional science fiction.

The Star Wars franchise helped spark a new interest in space opera, focusing more on story and character than on scientific accuracy.

C. J. Cherryh's detailed explorations of alien life and complex scientific challenges influenced a generation of writers.

Emerging themes in the 1990s included environmental issues, the implications of the global Internet and the expanding information universe, questions about biotechnology and nanotechnology, as well as a post-Cold War interest in post-scarcity societies ; Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age comprehensively explores these themes.

Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan novels brought the character-driven story back into prominence.

The television series Star Trek: The Next Generation ( 1987 ) began a torrent of new SF shows, including three further Star Trek spin-off shows and Babylon 5.

Concern about the rapid pace of technological change crystallized around the concept of the technological singularity, popularized by Vernor Vinge's novel Marooned in Realtime and then taken up by other authors.