Pink Raygun’s Independence Day Spectacular

By Lisa Fary

To me, July 4th isn’t just about patriotism and pride in the United States – it’s about freedom. Freedom to live the way I want to live, believe what I want to believe.  America doesn’t hold a patent on freedom, and Americans aren’t the only ones who have fought wars and died for the idea. (send your hate mail to lisa@pinkraygun.com or post a comment below. Emails will be posted for all to see).

So today, I’m not going to talk about the sci-fi moments that make me proud to be an American. Instead, we’ll look at sci-fi that celebrates freedom – having it and fighting for it – for all people.

And I’m going to do it without talking about Independence Day or BSG.

Star Wars
For a lot of us, this was our first exposure to rebellion and evil empires. It’s so visceral for a kid. Who cares about political ideology when there’s scary armored guys who take a pretty princess prisoner and blow up a planet? They must be the bad guys! Then there’s a skinny, misunderstood kid, and his lovable robot pals; he not only saves the princess, but he’s wearing white – obviously the good guy!

SW was so much more enjoyable when it was about rebel friends/rebel scum fighting for freedom. Then it got all soap opera-y.

Babylon 5
You’re in charge of the galaxy’s most important space station. What do you do when your president is murdered by the vice-president, who then seizes power? Who starts chipping away citizens’ rights? Who then aligns himself with the Shadows for even more power?

Declare independence.

Of course, it does help to have the support of some intergalactic heavy hitters like the Mimbari and the Vorlons.

Demolition Man
The future in San Angeles is perfect. No violence. No drugs. No murder. No teenage pregnancy. No STDs. There’s also no toilet paper. Sex is illegal, as is swearing and eating meat. The only restaurant around is Taco Bell.

Looking at it that way, the future kinda sucks.

But, there’s a revolutionary afoot, and it’s not Sylvester Stallone. It’s Denis Leary and he sees the perfection for what it really is: oppression and social conformity. He leads a resistance from the filthy underground of San Angeles, fighting to be free. Free to be human. Cussing, meat-eating, fluid-exchanging humans.

I still can’t figure out the mechanics of the seashells. How could they possibly get ya clean?

Flash Gordon
My favorite meathead revolutionary. Savior of the universe, flying blind on a rocket cycle to throw off the evil reigns of Ming the Merciless and his standy uppy collar. Flash first attempts to subdue Ming’s mercilessness via his mad football skills. He later unites the Hawkmen and the Treemen, then flies a retro spaceship into Ming’s palace, interrupting a wedding and impaling the merciless leader!

V
It’s not enough for the Visitors to oppress humanity and take the water – they have to EAT US, too. With their advanced weaponry and fleet of ships, fighting against the Visitors is a hopeless venture, but that doesn’t stop an underground resistance from forming and causing problems. With the help of Science!, they’re able to develop the Red Dust which finally wiped out the Visitors.

Until CEO Nathan Bates decided to try to capitalize on the Visitors’ technologies. He let Diana get away and all hell broke loose. Again. Stupid, corporate tool.

District 9

It’s not out yet, but District 9 looks like the flip side of V or Alien Nation, wherein crash landed aliens are enslaved by humanity. Up until the mid-1990s, it seemed like every evil empire, every oppressor of humanity was a stand in for either Nazi Germany or Communist Russia. Now that humanity is the oppressor in District 9, I wonder what that says about us.  Since it’s not an America movie, I doubt it will be anything favorable.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
This one is a bit different – it’s about freedom from fear, freedom to trust, and freedom to live in a new peace.

Despite the behind the scenes actions of a few old timers within the Federation and Klingon Empire, by the end, Captain Kirk and the Klingon chancellor determined that the known galaxy would not continue to live in a state of war. Klingons and the Federation would not fear and fight each other, but set aside their long held prejudices and differences work together for the betterment of all. They understood that being at peace and free from the fear of violence did not mean that each side had to see exactly eye to eye or give up their beliefs or ways of life. They understood that the existence of one of their civilizations, did not require the annihilation or subjugation of the other.

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Lisa Fary’s early exposure to classic Battlestar Galactica in 1979 is largely responsible for her lifelong interest in science fiction and her childhood ambition of being an intergalactic space cowgirl. She’s very happy to have the freedom to say what she wants, believe what she wants, and live the life that she wants without fear of being disappeared.

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