Letter from the Editor

As 2017 begins, we thank you, our readers, for making our journal a huge success! When we released the first issue of the MOSF Journal of Science Fiction (MJOSF) in January 2016, we had no idea it would garner such interest. We’re already lining up content for Volume 2, Issue 1 for release in a few months. On the editorial side, we’ve significantly expanded our team to better accommodate the editing workload—check out the masthead and the “About the Contributors” section for this issue to learn more about our new team members.

Our expanded editorial team has allowed us to focus on building out our journal a bit more, and in this issue, you’ll see that we’ve introduced a new section for book reviews. Because cover art for our issues is frequently excerpted from a larger piece of art, we’ve also decided to include the full, uncropped cover art image inside each journal issue.

In this issue of MJOSF, Victor Grech, Mariella Scerelli, and David Zammit argue for the importance of installing ethical subroutines in androids through an examination of the artificial intelligences Data and the Emergency Medical Hologram in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek Voyager. Moira O’Keeffe brings us to the present, examining trends of using “real science of” media tie-ins as a method of science education. In her article comparing dystopias and utopias, Alisha Scott examines how both futuristic visions frequently feature erode human empathy, which can lead to the downfall of human society.

Our editorial team also has some exciting news for you: in response to the overwhelming support for our Journal of Science Fiction, the Museum of Science Fiction will be producing its first take-home exhibit: a new science fiction anthology! Hand-selected by the MJOSF team and the Museum’s editors, curators, and librarians, this take-home exhibit anthology will include a selection of original and reprinted fiction from both award-winning authors and new writers. The exhibit—Catalysts, Explorers & Secret Keepers—will feature short science fiction works by and about the women of the genre, showcasing how they—both as authors and as characters—have engaged with and influenced science fiction for more than a century.

By reprinting rare and timeless classic stories, presenting cutting-edge original fiction by leading writers, and highlighting emerging authors who demonstrate the continuing evolution of the genre, we will celebrate how writers shape science fiction’s evolution with each new day. The Kickstarter campaign to fund Catalysts, Explorers & Secret Keepers was wildly successful, and the project editors are hard at work sifting through the original fiction submissions they received. Campaign backers will receive their copies of the anthology by early fall 2017!

We look forward to sharing MJOSF Volume 2, Issue 1 with you in a few months. Please continue to send us your feedback, questions, and submissions! My thanks, as always, to the skilled authors, reviewers, artists, and editorial staff who have contributed to the journal, and may you all have a happy new year!

-- Monica Louzon, MLS

Managing Editor