We’re often asked what our favorite sci-fi is, and we’re occasionally accused of ripping off greats like Iain M. Banks, Larry Niven and Philip K. Dick. Movies we’re accused of stealing from include Starship Troopers, Aliens, Blade Runner... you name it.

Of course, these things influence us. After all, we’re nerds. The specific accusation that we swiped the idea of a ring-shaped planet wholesale is not accurate. The idea of a Ringworld, first posited in sci-fi by Larry Niven in his brilliant novel of the same name, is actually a variation of a Dyson Sphere, a fantastically impossible object described by the 20th century physicist, Freeman Dyson. You can read about that here: Dyson Spheres!

Ring-shaped artificial worlds have also been used by Iain M. Banks and others because they are cool. And that’s why we used one. Because it’s cool and therefore the type of thing a Forerunner civilization would build.

The list that follows is humongous and is not only representative of the wealth of influences adopted by the Bungie team, but can also be used as a kind of shopping guide for the sci-fi neophyte (unless we point out otherwise).

One unfortunate part about this list is the demographic at Bungie errs on the side of 20 and 30-somethings. Which means classics from yesteryear probably aren’t as well represented as they should be, although there’s some Edgar Rice Burroughs in here to play nice with the Firefly and Lost.

The Bungie Top Five Sci-Fi Fings

That’s right, using a poorly thought out system of polling, subjective opinion and water-cooler talk - this is the definitive list of Bungie Sci-Fi influences, time-wasters and favorites.

TV Shows

Maybe because it’s recent. Maybe because it’s fresh. Maybe because it features an ungodly amount of delectable lady-protagonists. Whatever the reason, Firefly rose to the top as the cream of the TV crop. The new-fangled Battlestar had its followers too, coming in a close second and enjoying the luxury of more seasons to come. A lone vote for Blake’s 7 gets mad props, if nothing else. * Firefly
* Battlestar Galactica (new school!)
* Lost
* The X-Files
* The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Gala