Utopian ideas in Sciende Fiction

[heiss93]

What are some science fiction novels or movies that incorporate utopian elements?

Especially since 1917 in the west there have been few explicitly Communistic utopias, but many have post-scarcity economies. Science fiction was very popular in pre-revolution Russia and in the USSR, and was one of the ways in which Communism was made concrete for the masses. Bogdanov's Red Star utopia on Mars is the most famous Marxist scifi utopia. HG Wells was especially popular. I know Star Trek is often cited as an example of a scifi communist utopia as well.

[New Tet]

The Dispossessed (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dispossessed), by Ursula k LeGuin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursula_K._Le_Guin)

[MarxSchmarx]

^^ please type normally.

There was a book I read as a kid for an assignment called "The Last Republic", it was about a future world gov't where everything operated on a gift economy thanks to automation, but suicides started to become ubiquitous and it was attributed to life being "too easy" for people, and the lack of an existential struggle.

[Pogue]

Usrula Le Guin is probably the best example.

[Random Precision]

What are some science fiction novels or movies that incorporate utopian elements?

Especially since 1917 in the west there have been few explicitly Communistic utopias, but many have post-scarcity economies. Science fiction was very popular in pre-revolution Russia and in the USSR, and was one of the ways in which Communism was made concrete for the masses. Bogdanov's Red Star utopia on Mars is the most famous Marxist scifi utopia. HG Wells was especially popular. I know Star Trek is often cited as an example of a scifi communist utopia as well.

Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy (Red Mars, Blue Mars, Green Mars) draws a lot of inspiration from Bogdanov, and one of the Russian characters is named after him. Bit weak on characterization, but I'd def. check it out.

Also, I'm not sure that I'd call Star Trek a communist utopia. In fact it tends to reproduce the day's politics, with the Federation as the United States facing rival powers such as the Klingons, the Romulans etc. The story arc for the last Star Trek series was in fact basically 9/11 and the WoT. However politically that happens to be the best I think, since the humans are uncomfortable junior parters to the Vulcan military dictatorship, the High Command, and get repeated pats on the head whenever they try to go beyond that. I think the main reason it got cancelled is that people were uncomfortable with a Star Trek that didn't show humans (our image of America I think) at the top.

[Spawn of Stalin]

News from Nowhere by William Morris is worth a read, very utopian and it also deals with some criticisms of Communism too.

[Bandito]

"Island" by Aldous Huxley.

[Liberateeducate]

"Island" by Aldous Huxley.amazing novel

[Sasha]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cities_of_the_Red_Night