The New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science in Albuquerque is presenting the Sci-Fi & Sci-Fact exhibition until June. The exhibit “explores the ways that science fiction and scientific fact overlap and help create our modern world,” according to the museum’s website.
The exhibit is on loan from the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo, where it initially debuted in December 2023.
The exhibit explores the relationship between science fiction, scientific inventions and the future via displays that include memorabilia and props from books, films and television shows. Information plaques on the walls throughout the exhibit provide additional context on how science fiction has shaped reality and opened “doors for tomorrow’s creators.”
A display of books in the exhibit showcases modern ideas that were conceived of in literature before their invention in real life. The display mentions the term “TASER” as an acronym for “Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle” from the 1911 novel “Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle” by Victor Appleton.
On this note, defibrillators are traced back to Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” and credit cards are traced to Edward Bellamy’s “Looking Backward.” Headphones as commonly used modern items are first found in Ray Bradbury’s novel “Fahrenheit 451.”
Among memorabilia included in the exhibition are props from “Star Trek: The Original Series” to demonstrate their relationship to modern technology, such as the infamous Communicator and its similarity to cellphones. Likewise, the Newspads from “2001: A Space Odyssey” and similar props from “Star Trek: The Next Generation” are mentioned with the claim that “today’s modern tablet computers have their genesis in” these science fiction concepts.
Other notable props are the suit worn by Dr. Lazarus — played by Alan Rickman — in “Galaxy Quest” and a “Ceremonial Rebel Trooper" costume from the Throne Room scene at the end of 1977’s "Star Wars IV: A New Hope.” A full-scale working replica of R2-D2 also makes an appearance.
The exhibit also touches upon New Mexico’s connection to science fiction. A display called “Enchanted Sci-Fi: New Mexico Authors” discusses the contributions of writers such as George Harry Stine, Jack Williamson, Rebecca Roanhorse and Stephen McCranie to the American literary tradition of science fiction.
Another display mentions the myriad of science fiction films that have been shot in New Mexico, beginning with 1959’s “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” which was filmed partly in Carlsbad Caverns, and continuing into the 21st century with one of the sets for the 2009 film “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” being built on the White Sands Missile Range.
The exhibition makes a point about how careers are shaped by science fiction. A display mentions that a 2022 survey showed that 69% of the respondents said science fiction influenced their careers and life choices. The side-by-side of a fictional spaceman and a real life astronaut demonstrates the relationship in which these “two worlds collide” and influence each other, according to the exhibit.
Some multimedia installations are also featured, further highlighting the importance of film and television in the popularity of science fiction. French filmmaker Georges Méliès’ seminal 1902 short film “A Trip to the Moon” can be seen on repeat in the exhibition room, along with a compilation of scenes from different sci-fi films and television shows such as “Firefly” and the 2004 reboot of “Battlestar Galactica.”
The Sci-Fi & Sci-Fact exhibit at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science invites visitors to look at both the past and future. As one of the exhibition placards states: “The question remains … where does it go from here?”
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Emmett DiMauro is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
Elijah Ritch is a freelance reporter for the Daily Lobo. They can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
