Description
Book SynopsisThe contradictions and complexities of the cyborg therefore hold particular appeal to programme makers of dramatic TV narratives. Bronwen Calvert examines the uses and representations of the cyborg in this ground-breaking text, by looking at its frequent appearance in a wide variety of popular and cult shows: from the iconic Daleks of Doctor Who and bionic female empowerment in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, to the duality of humanoid and distinctly robotic cyborgs in Battlestar Galactica. In doing so, she reveals how television's defining traits shape our experience of cyborgs and help us as viewers to question contemporary issues such as surveillance and terrorism, as well as the function of simulation and ultimately what it means to be human.
Table of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction: Troubled Boundaries and Transformative Cyborgs Chapter 2: Exterminate, Upgrade: Doctor Who Chapter 3: Resistance, Assimilation and the Collective: Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager Chapter 4: Toasters and Replicas: Battlestar Galactica Chapter 5: Cyborg Embodiment and Virtuality, ‘Between Life and Death’: Caprica Chapter 6: The Cyborg As Action Hero: Bionic Woman Chapter 7: Us and Them: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Chapter 8: Hacking the System: Dollhouse Chapter 9: Complete Control: Fringe Conclusion: Cyborg Futures
