Perhaps it’s unfortunate that we don’t have a Star Trek-like TV series in which the spacefaring 22nd century is full of youthful survivors from the 20th century who happened to be last until the age of advanced nanobiotechnology; it would encourage more people to take the future personally.
This is kind of a brilliant idea. Given that television futures always resemble the culture and the period they were produced anyway, why not actually embrace that?
I don’t think this would work. Consider the death cultism of doomsayers for arbitrary future dates. (e.g. radical ecologists) Consider how people act not regarding to cryogenics but to rather simple and excepted ways of increasing life span. Not smoking, limited drinking. Safety issues.
The own death is just not NEAR enough to factor in to decision making.
There are fun shows set in the near future that are nice and decent. But that does not really change the notion of having ones own time set in some kind of fortunistic way.
The reality that the chances for dying are modifiable is not that easily accepted.
I have young and bright people tell me how dying is not an issue for them, since they will just be dead and feel nothing about it. Its a big scale UGH humans carry around.
Anyone around here know how to pitch a TV series?
Be a producer or big scale writer on another TV series. Keep in mind that narratives are sold on interesting characters and plot. The background of a society is not of particular importance. The current trend is for darker&edgier, after the shiny world of Star Trek.
You might enjoy reading the TVTropes tropes on immortality.
This is kind of a brilliant idea. Given that television futures always resemble the culture and the period they were produced anyway, why not actually embrace that?
And, as you say, it has an educational use.
Anyone around here know how to pitch a TV series?
I don’t think this would work. Consider the death cultism of doomsayers for arbitrary future dates. (e.g. radical ecologists) Consider how people act not regarding to cryogenics but to rather simple and excepted ways of increasing life span. Not smoking, limited drinking. Safety issues. The own death is just not NEAR enough to factor in to decision making. There are fun shows set in the near future that are nice and decent. But that does not really change the notion of having ones own time set in some kind of fortunistic way. The reality that the chances for dying are modifiable is not that easily accepted.
I have young and bright people tell me how dying is not an issue for them, since they will just be dead and feel nothing about it. Its a big scale UGH humans carry around.
Be a producer or big scale writer on another TV series. Keep in mind that narratives are sold on interesting characters and plot. The background of a society is not of particular importance. The current trend is for darker&edgier, after the shiny world of Star Trek.
You might enjoy reading the TVTropes tropes on immortality.
To an extent Futurama does this with their heads in jars.