Dimension X - old old-school sci-fi

[hedgehobbit]

Ok, it's not really Star Trek related but it is a great look into the world of science fiction pre-star wars.

For those who may not know, Dimension X (and it's sequal X Minus One) is a old radio show featuring science fiction stories from some of the more famous sci-fi writers of the early 50s. The shows are 25 minutes long and are similar in tone to Outer Limits or Twilight Zone except they feature space travel more often since they don't have to actually build sets.

I put them on my MP3 player (they compress nicely) and listen to them while I walk the dog. They are a great source of inspiration and a good way to return to the days when sci-fi didn't automatically mean kung-fu and explosions.

It is important to keep in mind that each episode is written by a different person and some of them are absolutely horrible. So, if you hear one that sucks, don't give up on the series, just try another.

You can download all the episodes here:
www.archive.org/details/OTRR_Certified_Dimension_X
There are other sci-fi show on this web page. All for free.

[finarvyn]

Hmmm. I hadn't heard of these, but thanks for the heads-up and the link.

I find that much of the old-school scifi out there (books, movies, etc) is hit or miss, possibly because their speculation often turned out to be so far off the mark.

[hedgehobbit]

Yeah. Dimension X is funny in that way. Often the stories take place in the far off distant future of 1965!

[rflowers]

I've listened to a bunch of these, and also got hooked on some horror & suspense stuff as well.

(Side note : radio dramas were made well after the "Golden Age", even into the 1970s and maybe even early 80s. I've listened to a few only to be jarred by (to me!) modern references and some definitely not Golden Age of Radio swear words!)

What's really cool is that many of these stories come from the classic sci-fi stories.