Being Bionic : The World of TV Cyborgs

The cyborg – an organic body augmented with technology – is an enduring figure that can be found across science fiction stories, novels, films, and, more recently, television. What can its marked presence in cult TV shows tell us about the rapidly changing world we live in, and indeed about the human condition? This book explores how the image of the cyborg attracts our fears and fascinations. These bionic creations encourage us, as viewers, to think about our interactions with technology in an age of immediacy and surveillance, reassess our own corporeal experiences, and re-imagine gender binaries and racial differences. Chapters draw together cyborg theory and criticism from science fiction and television studies to analyse a variety of popular series: from Doctor Who to Star Trek: Voyager, and Battle Star Galactica to Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, the cyborg appears as action hero, villain, or as a reflection of ourselves. Whether manifested in the Daleks, the Cylons, or the Borg, these figures are ideal sites to explore concepts such as replication, uniformity, performance, embodiment and virtuality, and the serial narratives of cult TV the ideal format to analyse changing cyborg representations over time. This book uses the televisual medium as a tool to understand a range of cybernetic characters, forming a notable event.