Name: Alex Solak

Contribution: Science Fiction Columnist

Twitter: @alexsolak

Favourites TV Genres:
Science ficiton of course, because the possibilities are endless.

Favourites TV Shows:
#1 Battlestar Galactica
Runners up: Firefly, Certain StarTrek (definitely anything with Q), Doctor Who, Torchwood, Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Universe (each for completely different reasons)

About Me:

I’m Alex and I’ll be the first to admit I’m a bit of nerd. When I’m not studying journalism at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, I’m often found in front of the TV (or more lately the computer) watching the latest Sci Fi shows and movies.

Why Science Fiction? It’s the possibilities. From it’s television incarnation with Star Trek and the original ‘Outer Limits’, science fiction is a genre that has allowed it’s writers to tackle complex concepts and ideas easily in worlds of their own construction.
Take Star Trek (the next generation)’s character Data. He’s a robot struggling to understand what it means to be human. Through his analysis and constant questioning, other characters (and the audience) get to explore what humanity really is. Only his viewpoint from the outside really allows us to see into ourselves.

For a more recent example, Battlestar Galactica dealt with a whole range of social and political issues; the power of religion, what constitutes terrorism, and how war can push our species closer to the narrow line between good and evil.
These are some of the massive themes that lend themselves to (good) science fiction.

I’ve loved Sci Fi for years, but it wasn’t until December, 2009 that TV Done Wright has offered me the chance to share that passion with the world.

Look for my entries to start appearing in January 2010 (anyone else still get a little shock once in a while that it is actually ‘twenty-ten’?)

Stay tuned.