In conjunction with New Scientist’s recent special on science fiction, they held a meetup in a pub with some of the greatest sci-fi writers of the current era. This intimate and relaxed setting was an experiment for New Scientist, we were told, and developed out of a somewhat failed attempt at a much larger event.

Science fiction has always been a bastion for social commentary, and the latest cinematographic effort in the form of District 9 is no different. By planting the action in an accurate real-world setting, with believable motivations and agendas from all parties involved, the mirror is once more held up to our social conscience – and the result is anything but flattering.