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The Paranormal and the Paranoid

Conspiratorial Science Fiction Television

Aaron Gulyas

Toward the end of the twentieth century, science fiction television took a dark turn. Series like The X-Files, Millennium, and Dark Skies wove menacing technologies, paranormal forces, and shadowy government agencies into complex tales of corruption and cover-ups. Mind control, alien abductions, secret government laboratories, and implacable “men in black” moved from the fringes to the mainstream of American culture, making weekly appearances in living rooms everywhere. Other series that played on fears of new technologies—such as virtual reality—set the stage for unfamiliar kinds of exploitation, while Dark Angel offered glimpses of a near-future wasteland devastated by a technological catastrophe.

In The Paranormal and the Paranoid: Conspiratorial Science Fiction Television, Aaron John Gulyas explores the themes that permeated and defined science fiction television at the turn of the millennium. The author traces the roots of this phenomenon in an earlier generation of series including The Invaders, Kolchak: The Night Stalker,and Project U.F.O. and examines how changes in the cultural landscape led to the proliferation of these types of shows. This book delves into the internal mythology of shows like The X-Files, resurrects now-forgotten series like Wild Palms and VR.5, and provides an important glimpse into American culture at the close of the twentieth century.

While exploring the pervasive grimness of these shows, Gulyas also examines how they offer hope in the form of heroes—like agents Scully and Mulder—who relentlessly dug through the tissue of lies and distortions to find and expose the truth. The Paranormal and the Paranoid will appeal to scholars of media studies, sociology, and science fiction—not to mention fans of these programs and even conspiracy theorists.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 196 • Trim: 6¼ x 9¼

978-1-4422-5113-7 • Hardback • June 2015 • $117.00 • (£90.00)

Series: Science Fiction Television

Subjects: Performing Arts / Television / History & Criticism, Performing Arts / Science Fiction

The Paranormal and the Paranoid

Conspiratorial Science Fiction Television

Hardback

Summary

Toward the end of the twentieth century, science fiction television took a dark turn. Series like The X-Files, Millennium, and Dark Skies wove menacing technologies, paranormal forces, and shadowy government agencies into complex tales of corruption and cover-ups. Mind control, alien abductions, secret government laboratories, and implacable “men in black” moved from the fringes to the mainstream of American culture, making weekly appearances in living rooms everywhere. Other series that played on fears of new technologies—such as virtual reality—set the stage for unfamiliar kinds of exploitation, while Dark Angel offered glimpses of a near-future wasteland devastated by a technological catastrophe.

In The Paranormal and the Paranoid: Conspiratorial Science Fiction Television, Aaron John Gulyas explores the themes that permeated and defined science fiction television at the turn of the millennium. The author traces the roots of this phenomenon in an earlier generation of series including The Invaders, Kolchak: The Night Stalker,and Project U.F.O. and examines how changes in the cultural landscape led to the proliferation of these types of shows. This book delves into the internal mythology of shows like The X-Files, resurrects now-forgotten series like Wild Palms and VR.5, and provides an important glimpse into American culture at the close of the twentieth century.

While exploring the pervasive grimness of these shows, Gulyas also examines how they offer hope in the form of heroes—like agents Scully and Mulder—who relentlessly dug through the tissue of lies and distortions to find and expose the truth. The Paranormal and the Paranoid will appeal to scholars of media studies, sociology, and science fiction—not to mention fans of these programs and even conspiracy theorists.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 196 • Trim: 6¼ x 9¼

978-1-4422-5113-7 • Hardback • June 2015 • $117.00 • (£90.00)

Series: Science Fiction Television

Subjects: Performing Arts / Television / History & Criticism, Performing Arts / Science Fiction

Author

Aaron John Gulyas is associate professor of history at Mott Community College, Flint, Michigan, and also serves as a Faculty Technology Consultant for the college’s Center for Teaching and Learning. He is the author of Extraterrestrials and the American Zeitgeist: Alien Contact Tales since the 1950s (2013).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: Conspiracy Theory and the Paranormal in the Late Twentieth Century
Chapter 2: Paranoid and Paranormal Precursors from the 1960s to the 1990s
Chapter 3: The X-Files: The Intersection of Real and Manufactured Mythology
Chapter 4: “History as We Know It Is a Lie”: Dark Skies, Roswell, and Paranoid History in 1990s Television
Chapter 5: Sinister Forces: The Conspiratorial Mood in 1990s Science Fiction Television
Chapter 6: Our Dark Future: The Intersection of Conspiracy and Technology
Epilogue: Changing Times and Changing Fears
Videography
Bibliography
Index
About the Author

Reviews

The book should be a treat for people who love science fiction television series . . . It contains a wealth of facts and interesting contexts. . . .[This book] is recommended for anyone who wants to understand ufomytens [UFOs] development.
— UFO-Mail

This is a helpful volume, and one that should be appreciated by scholars.
— The Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts

The Paranormal and the Paranoid

Conspiratorial Science Fiction Television

Aaron Gulyas

The Paranormal and the Paranoid

Conspiratorial Science Fiction Television

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