Being Bionic: The World of TV Cyborgs

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The 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.

Reviews

Bronwen Calvert's Being Bionic is an insightful and comprehensive exploration of a fascinating subject: a treatise that is both instructive and accessible to the general reader. Highly recommended." - Eric Brown, author of Helix and science fiction reviewer for The Guardian #
"Being Bionic considers these bizarre, fascinating and often conflicted amalgams of flesh and machine as presented across fifty years of television, paying special attention to the humanity that may or may not lurk within their cybernetic shells. Author Bronwen Calvert guides our attention, in particular, to the oft-overlooked yet ever-expanding representations of the female cyborg such as Seven of Nine and the Bionic Woman alongside other unforgettable portrayals of cyborgs in popular entertainment.--Dayton Ward, best-selling author of the Star Trek: The Original Series books
Bronwen Calvert's Being Bionic: The World of TV Cyborgs is an important exploration of an important subject. From Doctor Who to Dollhouse, from Battlestar Galactica to Bionic Woman, Calvert's scholarly erudition and probing interpretations illuminate the nature of our cyborgs, of ourselves.--Rhonda Wilcox, Gordon State College, USA; author of Why Buffy Matters
Calvert's Being Bionic offers a much needed critique of the cyborg in contemporary science fiction television. Using both new and classic examples - from series such as Star Trek and Doctor Who, to Dollhouse and Fringe - Calvert convincingly argues that television allows for important and unique commentaries on the cyborg as cultural metaphor. More than film now, the television cyborg is omnipresent, and routinely questions what it means to be human and our relationship with technology. Assimilate this book and enjoy!--Lincoln Geraghty, University of Portsmouth

Author Bio

Bronwen Calvert is Associate Lecturer at the Open University in the North of England.