Telepathy in sci-fi going from horror to hero power

I'm rewatching old episodes of Babylon 5 and the way they handle telepaths is so different now. Back then it was all about the danger and losing your private thoughts, but newer stuff treats it like any other cool superpower. Which way of showing it feels more real to you guys?

6 comments

6 Comments

alice4572h ago

Wait, people actually think mind-reading wouldn't be terrifying?

terry_webb2h ago

Have these people never been stuck in a boring meeting and just started thinking about lunch? Imagine someone hearing you mentally replay that awkward thing you said in 2012 (you know the one). The sheer volume of dumb song lyrics and random worries would be overwhelming.

nathanhenderson2h ago

You actually still cringe over something from 2012? That's a deep cut, man. Keith274 is onto something with the song lyrics, but my brain would also be playing back every bad joke I've ever told. The thought of someone hearing that noise is enough to make me sweat. How do you even function with all that mental clutter?

eric_adams1114m ago

My brain's playlist makes Keith274's sound good, honestly.

adams.barbara14m ago

My head's just as cluttered, honestly.

keith2742h ago

Seriously, terry_webb nails it with the dumb song lyrics on loop. Alice457 is totally right that it would be terrifying, because my brain is just a messy junk drawer of old worries and snack ideas. No one wants to hear that noise.