Eugene Wesley “Gene” Roddenberry was a United States Army Air Corps Veteran who flew 89 combat missions during World War II. Post the war and after retiring from the US Army Air Corps, he became a commercial pilot. Why am I talking about this person? Because it is a little known fact that the original scriptwriter and creator of Star Trek, the cult classic that has a global fan following of staggering proportions (even close to six decades after it first aired) is this war veteran.

There are many prompts and influences which drew me to the world of science from an early age. But I can say unequivocally that a big one in that list is the magical world from the works of authors such as Isaac Asimov or filmmakers such as Gene Roddenberry and George Lucas. It is the vivid imagination that was rooted in scientific thought that inspired me to explore the possibilities that science enables.

I work in the world of robotics today and I am able to draw parallels to the work of Isaac Asimov, once only a literary pursuit through his anthology on robots in my growing years. And I see how strongly the stories they weaved are starting to reflect in reality now. It reminds me of how visionaries like Leonardo Da Vinci were able to see a world that lay well into the future, as evinced by his early schematic designs for a working helicopter.

Somewhere in it all, the fact that people like Isaac Asimov come from a background in sciences (he was a PhD in Chemistry as his academic credentials), implied that while being fiction, the stories that they wrote were rooted in scientific temper. This is perhaps the main reason why you see their fantasies coming to life in later years.

The question then, to paraphrase an old quandary, is whether science fiction imitates reality or reality imitate science fiction. Simply put, I would suggest that well-drafted science fiction, especially when written by people with deep scientific interest and understanding, helps define fantastic outcomes and targets, thereby inspiring innovators in coming years to push boundaries and achieve what was never thought possible.

When Sci-Fi Predictions Come True

There are numerous inventions, including mobile phones, robots and VR that were imagined in science fiction first. Motorola’s Martin Cooper, one of the brains behind the mobile phone and famously remembered for having placed the first public call from a handheld portable device in 1973, credits the two-way wrist radio from Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy as one of the inspirations for this thinking on this project.

Virtual reality, once confined to sci-fi in works like Tron, now shapes industries far beyond gaming—education, therapy, and design are embracing immersive experiences. Asimov’s work on fictional robotics far preceded the first autonomous machines ever developed. Today, immersive technologies like VR also highlight humanity’s responsibility for environmental care, as seen in Wall-E, where robotics is imagined as both a caretaker and a call to action.

Ethics and Society in Sci-Fi

Sci-fi hasn’t just predicted technology—it questions how we use it. Films like Blade Runner (1982) and Terminator explore the ethics of AI, cloning, and autonomy, forcing us to ask: just because we can create intelligent systems, does it mean we should?

Metropolis (1927) adds another layer, depicting the dehumanization and societal divides of an industrialized future—issues that remain relevant today. Orwell’s 1984 and The Day the Earth Stood Still also delve into surveillance and global responsibility, showing how sci-fi doesn’t just challenge us to innovate but also to reflect on the world we’re building. Similarly, even an animated film like Wall-E brings up this ethical dimension, illustrating the consequences of unchecked consumerism and environmental neglect.

Inspiring Futuristic Innovation

The ability of sci-fi to blend ethics, imagination, and innovation has sparked real-world breakthroughs. Star Trek’s vision of a united, technology-driven humanity continues to inspire engineers and scientists, influencing projects like NASA’s Artemis program and SpaceX’s Mars ambitions. These efforts echo the speculative visions of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Metropolis, where humanity dares to push beyond Earth’s boundaries into the vast unknown.

While faster-than-light travel remains out of reach, other concepts, like brain-computer interfaces from Neuromancer, are slowly transitioning from fiction to experimental technology. These advancements demonstrate sci-fi’s power to dream and challenge humanity to create the futures it envisions.

Sci-fi doesn’t just imagine the future—it dares us to dream bigger. Its ability to inspire, provoke reflection, and address societal challenges makes it a powerful force in shaping what’s to come. Tomorrow’s breakthroughs may already be written into today’s sci-fi, waiting to leap into reality.