This special double issue of Colloquy: Text, Theory, Critique arises from the (Un)Ethical Futures: Utopia, Dystopia and Science Fiction conference, held 15–17 December 2017 at the Monash University Law Chambers in Melbourne. The conference was organised by an interdisciplinary team of postgraduate students from Monash University and the University of Warwick, including Colloquy editors. Participants explored a wide range of topical issues in science fiction and utopian studies, with a strong emphasis on the ethical dimensions of these genres. Andrew Milner, Jacqueline Dutton and Nick Lawrence gave keynote speeches and participated in an introductory panel, with Meg Mundell, Sascha Morrell and Evie Kendal coming on board to run interactive workshops. In addition to these, the conference hosted 59 research papers and six creative writing presentations, given by postgraduate students, early career researchers, established academics, and independent researchers. The conference saw almost 100 attendees from around the world and feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with strong social media engagement on Twitter under the hashtag #utopias2017. (Zachary Kendal and Aisling Smith : Editorial introduction)