Exploring early hits such as The Twilight Zone and Star Trek, as well as more recent successes such as Battlestar Galactica and Lost, The Essential Science Fiction Television Reader illuminates the history, narrative approaches, and themes of the genre. The book discusses science fiction television from its early years when shows attempted to recreate the allure of science fiction cinema, to its current status as a sophisticated genre with a popularity all its own.

J. P. Telotte and the contributing authors address questions surrounding some of the most important programs in the genre's history. How did science fiction television develop its distinctive qualities? What are the political undertones of Star Trek? What propelled science fiction from cult status to an immense industry capable of supporting a television channel devoted exclusively to sci-fi content? The Essential Science Fiction Television Reader boldly goes where no media study has gone before. Telotte has assembled a wide-ranging volume rich in theoretical scholarship yet fully accessible to science fiction fans. The book supplies readers with valuable historical context, analyses of essential science fiction series, and an understanding of the key issues in science fiction television making it a stimulating trip through time and space.

J. P. Telotte, professor of literature, communication, and culture at the Georgia Institute of Technology, is the author or editor of numerous books, including Science Fiction Film, Replications: A Robotic History of the Science Fiction Film and The Cult Film Experience: Beyond All Reason.

Reviews

"Telotte's volume of essays makes clear how much science fiction is on television (and how much television has been the subject of science fiction). The contributors to this volume demonstrate how much this matters. These are well-written, accessible, and informative essays that cover the subject in depth, from Captain Video to Star Trek; from X-Files to Firefly" --Robert Kolker, University of Virginia

"This well-edited collection offers a richly detailed and critically penetrating overview of science fiction television, from the plucky adventures of Captain Video to the postmodern paradoxes of The X-Files and Lost. Sixteen essays by major scholars in the field address topics ranging from the politics of Star Trek to the mythic resonances of The Twilight Zone, from the complexities of adapting material from other media to the science-fictionality of television itself. Teachers, students, and fans of SFTV will learn much from this engaging, indispensible volume." --Rob Latham, University of Iowa, Co-editor of Science Fiction Studies

"...A collection of essays edited by Telotte, that chart the historical and literary landscape of a genre that doesnt always get the respect that it deserves."-Ohioana Quarterly

...Perhaps the greatest strength of The Essential Science Fiction Television Reader is that it not only presents a wide range of approaches to the study of SFTV but also raises compelling questions that invite further discussion."-Science Fiction Studies