Our love of science fiction inspires much of the work that we do at Marxent. Beyond that, many of us are huge sci-fi fans because through science fiction and fantasy, we see our own courage, love, and humanity in a different light. It gives us insight into imagined realities and both the good and evil potential of technology. It makes us giggle and cry. For the Marxent team, science fiction moments are also part of what fuels our curiosity, imagination and passion for Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality.

Straight from the hearts of the Marxent crew, here are 10 of our favorite sci-fi moments of all time.

1. Gattaca

Moment: Vincent’s brother gives up in their swimming contest as adults and can’t believe how his brother beat him. The answer from Vincent:  “You wanna know how I did it? I never saved anything for the swim back.”

It’s the ultimate expression of humanity and our stupid, reckless hearts, our hope and belief in our own future. – JOE

2. Ender’s Game

Moment: Near the end of the movie, Ender has completed the “final test” of his training only to be told by Col. Graff that he just eradicated the entire Formic species.

Col. Graff: “… WE WON! That’s all that matters.”
Ender: “No…. the way we win matters.”

This hits home for me because it’s a great reminder to always try and understand every angle of a situation, instead of blindly riding emotions with unknown consequences. There’s not always just one solution, there may not even be a problem to begin with. – JOHN

3. Cyberiad by Stainslaw Lem

Moment: An inventor builds a machine that can make anything that begins with the letter N. A rival inventor asks that it creates Nothing, and the machine begins destroying the universe. When they halt the machine, it’s only able to recreate the things that start with N, but not things like the “glorious worches and zits that had, till now, graced the horizon!”

The chapter ends, “Leaving him beside the machine that could do everything in n, Klapaucius skulked Home – and to this day the world has remained honeycombed with nothingness, exactly as it was when halted in the course of its liquidation. And as all subsequent attempts to build a machine on any other letter met with failure, it is to be feared that never again will we have such marvelous phenomena as the worches and the zits – no, never again.

The entire book is incredibly funny, and the chapter containing this story is online at the Stainslaw Lem site. – BRIAN

4. 2001: A Space Odyssey

Moment: Throughout the movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey shows our relentless fascination with the unknown, and how since the dawn of man we’ve passionately pursued it.

This is my favorite film of all time, and I find that very inspiring. OK, so some of the other themes in the movie aren’t as optimistic or aspirational, but even with all of the major obstacles we face (falling into an alien-based wormhole, getting beaten with a femur), our passions get us through to the other side. – NICK

5. Terminator

Moment: The scene where Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese have fled and temporarily escaped the Terminator.

There is no action—it’s a quiet moment where Sarah finally begins to trust Reese and then turns to him for comfort. At first you simply see the foreshadowed romance, but then you realize the mind-blowing, time-bending, temporal paradox that is created by Reese fathering John Connor. This is what separates Terminator from a dozen other Schwarzenegger movies.– PAUL

6. Return of the Jedi

Moment: Darth Vader throws the Emperor into the reactor.

It’s an emotional moment watching Vader look at his son and back at the emperor, then attempt to redeem himself in the end. Very few films made me stand up and fist pump the air like Return of the Jedi.– STEVE

7. The Matrix

Moment: Neo fights Morpheus in the dojo.

This moment in The Matrix reflects the whole reason I am fascinated by computers and their power. They provide a new world where the only limits are my creativity, and in that world I can be a superhero. -BARRY

8. Defying Gravity

Moment: Rubicon. Seven crewmembers are on a multi-year mission in unchartered space – hundreds of miles from earth and what is familiar. They are at the “Rubicon of the Mission,” the point where once they cross this line in space they will be too far away to turn back to return to earth.

It’s a pivotal moment for the crew, when each member realizes the excitement and the fear of what they are sacrificing to be a part of the mission. They have to rely on other another for support and trust, to do things no one else is doing. It’s a beautiful moment when they debate as a crew if they should turn around; fear of the unknown makes them all doubt the greatness of their mission. Ultimately they decide to keep going. This is a powerful metaphor because sometimes doing uncharted things makes us feel fearful, but if you choose to cross the Rubicon, the rewards are limitless.– JESSI

9. Her

Moment: utopian civilization. A sci-fi movie with a romance plot, Her stands out from many of the other adventure/action stories and that makes it especially impactful. The movie introduces the concept of AI that’s “human enough” for people to fall in love with.

The background setting is a near utopian but still very believable civilization. It’s never identified by the movie’s characters or plot points, but it’s built in the details. Nonetheless, I was left wanting to be there and explore it. I was impressed the movie created that desire to be there so passively. Ultimately, Her shows how far technology can take us into creating an idyllic civilization. Despite that though, we’re always gifted with and limited by our human condition. -ROB

10. Parks and Recreation

Moment: The new season, set a few years in the future, shows floating tablets/phones as a part of everyday life.

How nice would it be to have some of the devices shown off in this new season? The show is inspirational and also reinforces how technology can be intrusive with in a scene with unwanted delivery drones. For me as a designer, that highlights the importance of making thoughtful AR and VR experiences for people. – RYAN