Retrospectively, wasn’t a lot of the space-exploration-based SciFi from the 50s 60s 70s serving the purpose of justifying massive government spendings in big rockets, mainly used to build ICBMs, to justify imperialist policies and the cold war?

were we (the scifi afficionados) the useful idiots of this missile race?

There are a myriad of reasons we are on the shitty timeline, but a non-insignificant one to me is how terrible classic sci-fi writers were at writing humans rather than planks with faces drawn on them that periodically state the author’s views on something. The focus of sci-fi on massive space operations and colonization of other planets from the beginning was warped by a dis-interest from sci-fi writers in the positive potentialities within the human psyche that are outside the grasp of cynical structures of power and control, the part of ourselves that just wants to tend a garden in their backyard and nothing more.

I think this has lead to very hollow visions of the future that were well suited to becoming the basis for people like Elon Musk’s world view. Sci-fi looked to the stars and tried to see into the future while ignoring the one thing we can count on about the future, humans will still be humans.

(I know this is a generalization and isn’t true as a rule)

It is not so much about the year the story plays at but also about shying away from some stories nowadays.

A story where humans are Cool Bastards and the Aliens just Plain Evil?

Can’t have that. It wouldn’t be social critic enough.

Humans being smart and solving problems without crying and discussing their feelings in face of impending doom?

Naaah… would alienate the audience.

c/HFY and r/HFY show how to do it different… (shameless self propaganda, noteworthy The Typo which saved humanity, Day of the Fat Man, Deterrence)