American Myth and the Spectatorship of SF Films: Reviewing Star Wars and "Deep Space Homer" of The Simpsons

미국적 신화의 관점에서 본 SF영화의 관객성 -『스타워즈』와 『심슨가족』의 "우주비행사 호머"를 중심으로

The science fiction was established as a typical genre of the American popular culture by the monumental releases of two series: Star Wars and Star Trek. Based on the popular science discourse, these two series have functioned as an ideological apparatus for re-appropriating Frontierism which reflects the essential values of American myth. Arguably, the SF genre owes its success mainly to the increasing popularity of science during the 1960s and 1970s, which was well represented in the space project of NASA. This power of popular science, however, tended to weaken in the 1990s as the public interest in NASA's project gradually decreased. "Deep Space Homer," an episode of The Simpson's fifth season, reflects the changing attitude of the American audience toward the new American hero created in the SF series of popular science in the previous popular culture.