Hi Rog - neither freak nor geek me'thinks. Personal preference is all 
For myself - there is 'good' sci-fi and 'bad' sci-fi - just the same as any other genre. However - I find an understanding of - perhps what may best be described as 'the history' of any genre often helps understand the objectives of any genre. Having gained an insight into the objectives often improves the appreciation 
Hope that makes some sense ol' mate. BTW - I hated the very smell of curry when I was young - but having gained an understanding of its 'objectives and history' I now quite enjoy a good curry hehehe
For myself - there is 'good' sci-fi and 'bad' sci-fi - just the same as any other genre. However - I find an understanding of - perhps what may best be described as 'the history' of any genre often helps understand the objectives of any genre. Having gained an insight into the objectives often improves the appreciation Hope that makes some sense ol' mate. BTW - I hated the very smell of curry when I was young - but having gained an understanding of its 'objectives and history' I now quite enjoy a good curry hehehe