Alfred Bester
publication date: Friday, February 12, 2021 (part of Winter 2021)
category: 
Literature
clue: One of the most acclaimed science-fiction shows of the 1990s cast an actor from one of the most popular science-fiction shows of the 1960s to play a character named for one of the best-regarded science-fiction writers of the 1950s.
explanation: Bester inspired the name of Alfred Bester (played by Star Trek's Walter Koenig) on Babylon 5. more…
difficulty: hard
solved by: Russ Wilhelm, Steve West, LaVonne Lemler, Samir Mehta, Chris Lemler, and Denise Sawicki
Sci-Fi Namesakes: Science fiction is a genre of ideas, and the best ideas are the ones connected to reality. This two-week theme presents 14 real-life people who inspired the names of characters in sci-fi TV shows, including shows with fantastical elements not normally considered sci-fi. Dr. Who, I presume?Similar Goos
Art Bell
This paranormal investigator spent years shining a light into the blackest shadows of supernatural mysteries on his bicoastal AM show, which would have made him the right man to look into a case of identical cloned orphans. Go »
Julia Quinn
She gave up on a career in medicine to focus on writing historical romance novels with anachronistically feminist heroines, and now she has a hit TV adaptation thanks to Shonda Rhimes and Netflix. Go »
John Locke
This English philosopher is known for developing the theory of empiricism and connecting consciousness to the notion of self, not for getting lost on a mysterious tropical island with his wheelchair after a plane crash. Go »
John F. Kennedy
His assassination in November 1963 birthed many conspiracy theories about lone gunmen, and one lone gunman was literally birthed on the same day. Go »
Syd Barrett
Pink Floyd's original frontman shocked legions of fans when he was fired for the band for schizophrenic illness, a topic that might make for an interesting show set in the world of the X-Men. Go »
