Slipstream

Slipstream

Year: 1989

Runtime: 102 mins

Language: English

Director: Steven Lisberger

AdventureScience FictionMonsters aliens sci-fi and the apocalypseThought-provoking sci-fi action and future technologyAction-packed space and alien sagas

In a near‑future world ravaged by pollution, relentless giant winds rule the planet. Bounty hunter Matt intercepts a murderer from two police officers, hoping to claim the reward for himself. The chase drives them from the earth’s depths to the edge of existence.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Slipstream (1989)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Slipstream (1989). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Post-Harmonic Convergence Future

Set in a distant future after a climate-driven cataclysm known as the Harmonic Convergence. Civilization has collapsed into scattered settlements connected by the Slipstream, a powerful wind current encircling the globe. Technology persists in cobbled forms, including androids, while the wind itself governs travel, survival, and exploration.

Location

Hell's Kitchen, canyon chase site, airstrip, Slipstream wind valley, fortified underground museum

In a world reshaped by the Harmonic Convergence, a global Slipstream wind isolates scattered settlements. Life centers on battered airstrips, canyon chases, and remote communities that either worship or fear the wind. The story moves between Hell's Kitchen, a wind-scarred frontier, and a fortified underground museum that preserves fragments of the old world.

🌀 Wind-swept 🗺️ Post-apocalyptic settlements 🧭 Hazardous frontier

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:36

Main Characters – Slipstream (1989)

Meet the key characters of Slipstream (1989), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Will Tasker (Mark Hamill)

A disciplined bounty hunter and former law-enforcement figure in the post-apocalyptic order. Tasker pursues Byron with calculated aggression while clinging to a fading sense of justice. His willingness to manipulate and kill, and his ultimate confrontation with Byron, reveal the cost of enforcing order in a broken world.

🗡️ Bounty hunter 🧭 Duty-bound

Belitski (Kitty Aldridge)

Tasker's partner—tough, capable, and pragmatic. Belitski navigates danger with a cool demeanor and becomes entangled in Owens' schemes. Her actions illustrate how loyalty and self-preservation intersect in a world where trust is scarce.

🗡️ Bounty hunter 🗺️ Resourceful

Matt Owens (Bill Paxton)

An opportunistic arms dealer who abducts Byron to cash in on the bounty. Owens is pragmatic and charismatic, capable of shifting alliances to survive. His evolving dynamic with Byron and Ariel complicates moral judgments in a lawless frontier.

💰 Arms dealer 🎯 Opportunist

Byron

An indestructible android designed as a companion to a murderous master. Byron seeks connection and longs for a hopeful future beyond the Slipstream, forming uneasy bonds with Owens and Ariel. His struggle for autonomy and empathy drives the narrative's exploration of what it means to be human.

🤖 Android 💫 Sentient

Avatar (Ben Kingsley)

The cult leader who commands a community living in the Slipstream's shadow. Avatar embodies a blend of mysticism and suspicion toward technology, cursing Byron and catalyzing the moral conflict between faith and progress. His influence shapes the fate of both fugitives and locals.

🕍 Cult leader ⚖️ Authority

Ariel (Eleanor David)

A resident of the underground museum who becomes a bridge between Byron, Owens, and the outside world. She helps the trio escape and forms a tentative emotional bond with Byron, hinting at a future beyond the museum's walls.

💫 Ally 🧭 Connector

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:36

Major Themes – Slipstream (1989)

Explore the central themes of Slipstream (1989), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🧭 Survival

Survival drives every decision in a wind-swept world where resources are scarce and communities cling to fragile security. Characters navigate dangerous frontiers, from airstrips to remote caves, using wit and alliances to endure. The constant threats of raiders, weather, and isolation test human resilience and ingenuity.

🤖 Artificial Intelligence

Byron embodies the tension between programmed duty and emergent consciousness. The android's quest for autonomy and connection raises questions about what it means to be alive and to choose one's own fate. The story uses Byron to explore empathy, memory, and self-determination within a harsh society.

🌅 Hope & Destiny

The characters glimpse a promised land beyond the Slipstream, hinting at a future beyond oppression and tragedy. Bonds formed with Ariel and Owens give purpose to risk-filled journeys, and the possibility of a better world fuels decisions. Hope is fragile and tested by betrayal and violence until the end.

🕯️ Faith vs. Technology

Avatar's cult venerates the Slipstream as a divine force, representing faith's hold over science and progress. The conflict pits spiritual belief against technological advancement, forcing characters to choose between reverence for tradition and the drive for innovation. This tension examines how communities interpret catastrophe and reconstruct meaning.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 13:36

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Unlock the Full Story of Slipstream

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Slipstream Summary

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Slipstream Summary

Slipstream Timeline

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Slipstream Timeline

More About Slipstream

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More About Slipstream

Explore More About Movie Slipstream

Slipstream (1989) Plot Summary & Movie Recap

Slipstream (1989) Scene-by-Scene Movie Timeline

Slipstream (1989) Spoiler-Free Summary & Key Flow