The Matrix
A.I. robots have subjugated the human race, transforming us into a power source after the debris of our nuclear attacks on them blocked out the sun. They run a VR simulation for us so we don’t get bored.
However, this future is prevented by the Great Solar Challenge, which reduces the cost of solar power generation to a fraction of the cost of nuclear power. With abundant clean energy, humans no longer engage in resource wars and nuclear weapons are completely banned a short time later. When A.I. is eventually created, nuke-less humans are no longer a threat, we have no need to retaliate, the fallout of our non-existent attacks never blots out the sun and we are not turned into copper-tops.
We do however still engage in VR simulations to avoid boredom. Nothing we can do about that.
The Road Warrior
After civilization breaks down, anarchists in sports gear roam Australia in heavily customized dune buggies, stealing gasoline and terrorizing anyone who gets in their way. One man… gets in their way.
The Great Solar Challenge also prevented this terrible future from occurring. All vehicles become battery-powered with solar energy collectors on their roofs. The internal combustion engine goes the way of the dodo.
In addition, the Plexi Mask Challenge completely transforms the sports wear industry, allowing all face masks to be completely transparent for better visibility on the field or rink. Anarchists give up on the hockey mask as a form of intimidation.
The Hunger Games
In the poor state, a poor pretty girl takes care of her poor family. A handsome boy, who is not quite as poor, falls in love with her. A love triangle forms when they are entered into a competition to the death with handsome and pretty contestants from other states.
The Global Agriculture Challenge prevents this future. Humans are finally able to create produce that requires the least amount of manipulation to generate the greatest volume of numerous agricultural commodities. Another solution from that same challenge generates a nutritional system based on any human’s current environment. And yet another points the way to how distribution can occur globally. Combined, these 3 solutions solve world hunger.
The aforementioned Plexi Mask Challenge forces sports recruiters to select athletes based on how pretty or handsome they are. This completely transforms the sports industry from roughnecks and goons into pretty/handsome folks with winning smiles.
Logan’s Run
In order to deal with a shortage of resources, humans are put to death at age 30. But when a good cop gets set up and marked as 30, he must outwit the police force he once so dutifully served.
The Global Agriculture and Great Solar Challenges prevent this future from happening. Also, after the Great Cancer Challenge successfully crowd-sources a cure for the disease, the average human lifespan skyrockets to 130. And a new law allows that, at 130, any human can request to be put to death. Because come on, you’ve spent the last 40 years of your life lollygagging in that VR simulation.
Turtlenecks still make a comeback in this future but are mostly worn as ironic fashion statements.
RoboCop
A good cop from Detroit is gunned down and remade as a cyborg by some greedy corporate stereotypes. Struggling to deal with his transformed physiology, he must eventually overcome his programming and challenge his new masters.
The Restore Detroit Challenge brings a series of new industries to the Motor City, including solar panel production. With the success of the previously mentioned Great Solar Challenge, Detroit sees a boom in production jobs that completely revitalize the city.
Coupled with the Early Education Challenge – which generates new, transformative learning methods – humans are given more of the tools they need to build healthy lives.
As a result, the citizens of Detroit become both well-employed and well-educated and the city becomes one of the safest places to live in North America.
Sadly, Officer Alex J. Murphy dies when he falls out of a tree and breaks his neck while attempting to retrieve a cat.
Soylent Green
In an overpopulated and heavily industrialized 21st century, Charlton Heston is a good cop investigating a murder that leads him to discover that the most popular mass-produced food source is made from recycled humans.
This one is going to be a little tough to swallow.
The Great Solar Challenge gave us an ample supply of energy for the world. The Global Agriculture Challenge gave us an ample supply of food for the world. And the Early Education Challenge did such a good job in Detroit that its methods and results were successfully duplicated in other cities around the globe. All of the above led to a wiser human race, not shackled by the fears and desires to which it once held firmly. And this led to development of Soylent Green, which gives us all the nutrients we need, but…
It’s recycled waste, people. Soylent Green is our own recycled waste. Sure there’s fewer landfills and we’ve cleaned up our oceans but this is really gross. To be honest, I liked it better when Soylent Green was people.
Planet of the Apes
In this parable of manifest destiny, Charlton Heston is an astronaut on a doomed space flight who lands on a planet where sentient apes with rifles dominate herds of roaming unintelligible humans. The twist: the planet is eventually revealed to be Earth – Heston had actually travelled into the future, not to a different planet.
The Great Cosmetic Challenge totally prevents this simian future when a method is created for cosmetic testing that does not require animals. The animal rights movement is spurred on by this and, eventually, all lab monkeys are moved to sanctuaries. The more humans who see the proper treatment of animals, the more humans treat animals properly.
Because – as we all know – human see, human do.
