This meaninglessness to man’s existence is only amplified by films like Alien (1979), which reveal man’s insignificance as he drifts through limitless space. It is ironic that so much science fiction should reduce the relevance of man to an accident of cosmic chemistry and physics, while simultaneously preaching that true meaning and purpose can only be found through man’s own reason and technological creativity. We could argue that it is not man that is presented as capable of greatness, but science.
