Exploring Cybernetic Tropes In Science Fiction

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The process of replacing a part of an organic creature's body with robotic technology is almost as central to science fiction as time travel or the depths of space. Something about the blending of humanity and machine to create something new and incredible has captured the imagination of writers for generations.

Horror icon Edgar Allan Poe is credited with the first literary example of a cyborg, as his 1839 tale «The Man That Was Used Up» featured a war hero whose body had to be assembled piece by piece. Almost two centuries later, the concept has evolved into everything from weaponry, to medicine, to the key to human evolution.

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In a work of science fiction, cybernetics are either a central tenant of the world's storytelling or an excuse to allow the writer whatever fantastical happenings they need to occur. In many cases, cybernetic prosthesis exists as a way for characters to suffer immense injury, but later rebound and be useful in future conflicts. In a fantasy story, magic is an all-purpose plot solution that can do whatever the writer needs it to do. Sci-fi writers can abuse cybernetics in much the same way. In any given work, cybernetics can replace a damaged body part, give a person superhuman power, grant an animal sapience, and much more. Despite the theoretically endless variety, there are a few themes that generally pop up in every story on the subject.

If cybernetics aren't a central aspect of a sci-fi narrative, then it's a means to an end. Most examples in big-budget sci-fi follow this sort of arrangement. Maybe a single character wields a cool robot arm, maybe a character suffered a grievous injury in battle and makes use of cybernetic prosthesis. The Star Wars