Regulatory science fiction: the stories of yesterday provide hints for the lawmakers of tomorrow.

• Author: Feeney, Matthew
• Position: Culture and Reviews

As GANGSTER Griff Tannen emerges from the Hill Valley courthouse after a disastrous hoverboard chase, a USA Today media drone floats nearby, furiously snapping photos. The date, according to a nearby edition of the newspaper, is October 21,2015.

This pivotal scene in 1989's Back to the Future Part II wasn't far off when it came to anticipating drone and camera technology. If anything, the movie's prop designers seem to have slightly underestimated the speed of technological progress. The drone is large and cumbersome, struggling to stay aloft under the weight of numerous camera lenses and incandescent light bulbs.

When 2015 actually did roll around, comparatively lightweight drones capable of carrying a single 360-degree camera were already ubiquitous, and the press was moving in to take advantage of the new technology. Last year 16 media organizations, including The New York Times, NBCUniversal, Getty Images, the Associated Press, and USA Today's parent company Gannett, partnered with Virginia Tech to test drones and train journalists in their use.

In December, the Federal Aviation Administration announced that every drone more than half a pound and less than 55 pounds must be formally registered with the federal government, including drones purchased before the new rules were enacted. Pilots who fail to register could face civil fines of up to $27,500 and criminal penalties of up to $250,000 and imprisonment for up to three years, according to the government's FAQ page. These are the first universal drone ownership and use rules, and they pull drones out of a legal limbo in which they have long hovered.

Whether set in the future, the present, or a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, works of science fiction offer examples of technology that may be with us sooner than we think. Such innovations are exciting, but they also pose challenges. Lawmakers should be ready for a time when facial recognition tech is more widespread and accurate, drones can be equipped with high-functioning A.I., and killer robots can fight our wars. Reading and watching more science fiction is a great way for judges and politicians to get prepared and immerse themselves in a few cautionary tales.

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom

Menace, perhaps the most lambasted movie of the Star Wars franchise, also has some pretty solid tech. The film includes a scene in which Sith apprentice Darth Maul travels to the desert planet Tatooine in order to find Queen Amidala of Naboo. When he arrives, Maul deploys three DRK-I probe droids to aid his search.

The probe droids are unmanned aerial vehicles, a.k.a. drones. According to Wookiepedia, the all-Star Wars incarnation of Wikipedia, "the DRK-i probe droid was a small, spherical automaton equipped with sophisticated sensor and communications packages.... The DRK-i version featured a trio of imaging sensors: a central photoreceptor, a magnetic imaging device, and a thermal imager. An antenna atop the DRK-I's dome allowed...