“But the highest goal of science fiction is to tell us the truth about ourselves. We find it in every sci-fi work that ever tried to say: “This is how it is. Don’t pretend, don’t turn away, don’t lie. This is who you are. This is what we are.” Seeking truth is the strongest and bravest course, the hardest fiction to write, the most difficult to fall in love with, because it holds an honest mirror to humanity. We never want to look that clearly at our own reflections. Is that a blemish coming on? Does this dress make me look like the privileged product of a globally exploitative oligarchy? Why, yes, actually, it does. Turn that mirror to face the wall.”
–Maggie Burns. “Mars Need Women: How a Dress, a Cake, and a Goofy Hat Will Save Science Fiction.” Serenity Found. Ed. Jane Espenson. Dallas: BenBella Books, 2007. 15-24. Quote on page 16.