Tech noir combines film noir and technology to create a dystopian future where technology is the real threat to our future. Technology is destructive, amoral and often unstoppable. Examples include:
- Blade Runner
- Terminator (in fact, their is a night club named Tech Noir in the original film)
- The Matrix
- Minority Report
- I Robot
The threat of technology can also be seen in non-dystopian science fiction, as it presents an omni-present threat if not well monitored. Star Trek, which is arguably a more utopian view of the future, and was built on friendly, reliable technologies started to really focus in on the dangers of uncontrolled tech. The Borg, a dystopian human-tech species, were a key nemesis in Star Trek Next Generation and Voyager. Both Discovery (seasons 2 and 3) and Picard have uncontrolled tech as the destroyer of worlds, and that which undermines the utopian future that once dominated the series.
Given the role of tech in our lives, it is easy to imagine that it will remain built into any utopia or dystopia we can imagine.
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I love all those films you list, so I guess I must be a Tech Noir fan, even though I didn’t realise it!
https://iainkellywriting.com/2021/04/23/the-state-trilogy-a-z-guide-t/
I didn’t either. I discovered it during the research for the challenge. Its always fun to learn new things.