(Click on the picture for a wallpaper sized version)
For my part I know nothing with any certainty,
but the sight of the stars makes me dream.
~Vincent Van Gogh~
What is it about space? About the stars? What makes it such a thrilling notion, to climb aboard a rocket ship and fly off into the unknown? As I sat outside tonight, gazing up at a full moon through the telescope, seeing the edges of craters and the brilliant depths of whites and grays, I was overtaken with awe at the idea that we have built flying machines that have ferried men to the moon. It is almost beyond imagination.
Our fascination with the night sky and desire to know if there is anyone else ‘out there’ is certainly not a new phenomenon. Heck, ‘science fiction’ as a genre has thrilled many a heart young and old long before I was born. Is it surprising then that so many in my generation grew up to be enamored with both the wonder of the cosmos and the fiction that opens the door and takes us there? We grew up in a world where men had landed on the moon, where probes were launched to take pictures of other planets. A world in which Star Trek, Star Wars, and Battlestar Galactica conjured dreams in our heads that by the time we were adults, everyone would be rocketing through the stars.
Though television and film planted the seeds, the birthplace of my love for science fiction was a small farmhouse in rural Nebraska. The vastness of space and time opened up to me on the floor in front of my uncles’ small, four-shelf book case. On the uppermost two shelves sat my passports to other worlds; my introduction to heroes beyond, but including, Captain James T. Kirk and Han Solo. As silly as it sounds, those two shelves were a whole universe to me, the influence of the books no doubt enhanced by the fact that this was my ‘cool’ uncle who did not loan his books out to just anyone. I used to go out to my grandmother’s house and sit in his room and look at those books over and over again, deciding which to choose to read next, mesmerized by the fantastic images that graced the covers of those books. It was at that shrine to the final frontier that I was introduced to Han Solo’s pre-Star Wars adventures; where I read my first sex and swearing in Michael Jahn’s Armada; where I met the Stainless Steel Rat, Jim DiGriz.
The influence of those books, enhanced by the Saturday evening mantra of “Spaceâ€â€the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.”, further enhanced by the love affair between a man and his ship cemented it for me. Most nights of the year I could look up at a blanket of stars, seen so clearly from our house in the country, and dream about my Enterprise, my Millenium Falcon. It does not surprise me that I have such a deep and abiding love for science fiction.
An aside: like most men I like machines. Automobiles, motorcycles, boats, airplanes…even as a kid I liked race cars and hot rods. I was thinking about this today and realized what a close correlation that is to the most popular icons in science fiction film and men’s love for them (I realize many of you ladies love them also but I am working with a stereotype here):
Han Solo’s Millenium Falcon
Captain James T. Kirk’s U.S.S. Enterprise
Battlestar Galactica’s Colonial Vipers
I coveted these machines every bit as much if not more than the Bandit’s black Trans Am or the Duke’s General Lee (and believe me, I loved those too). Part of the attraction of science fiction is obviously space travel and the idea of other planets, but another aspect is the joy of seeing these machines, or imagining those described in various novels, and envisioning oneself in them. How many times have I piloted the Millenium Falcon, or shot out of Galactica‘s launch tube in a Viper? Countless times in my back yard alone or with friends, at night when I lay dreaming, or from my pencil on pieces of paper that are sadly lost to time. Even today the man/machine connection is strong as is evidenced by Joss Whedon’s cult hit Firefly and Malcom Reynold’s ship Serenity:
Enough with the digression. Every year as Christmas comes to a close I get a very strong jones for science fiction. While I generally read science fiction off and on throughout the year, the craving for it…or my whims…are strongest this time of year. I don’t know if it is because cold crisp nights make the beauty of the stars and moon stand out more strongly in contrast to the temperature or if some event in my childhood causes me to associate this time of year with science fiction. What I do know is that I feel the need to read, and read I must.
Over the last few years I have begun to collect the novels that I remember being on my uncle’s bedroom shelves. I have even come across books that were there which I haven’t read: Harry Harrison’s To the Stars trilogy (Homeworld, Wheelworld, Starworld), The Gentle Giants of Ganymede by James P. Hogan, Isaac Asimov’s The Stars, Like Dust that I remember seeing and have added them to my collection of books to read someday. The handful of books that my uncle Dean introduced me to that have become frequent re-reads along with those whose titles I know and want to read are comfort books to me. They are the security blanket to my inner Linus. They are my childhood in paperback form, worn covers, yellowed pages and all.
If things seem a little bit science fiction heavy in the near future (and they may already with recent glowing reviews of John Scalzi’s books Old Man’s War and The Ghost Brigades) fear not. It is just me scratching an itch and I will no doubt be mixing other things into my posts as well.
January 5th marks the return of the dreaded Friday Favorites. This was my mainstay for some time and the combination of work and other factors caused me to set this aside for awhile. I am now ready to return this to the Stainless Steel Droppings line up! January’s selections will probably lean towards science fiction as I feed my addiction but I promise you that these are some great artists and I am excited about the opportunity to share their work with you.
I cannot help being the little boy whose immersion into the world of science fiction via the written word and visual media really made him believe that space travel would be commonplace in his lifetime. While that dream has not aged as gracefully as I have, I can still hope. In the meantime I can fly rockets into the heavens every time I crack open one of these books. A large part of me is still Calvin, climbing into a box with Hobbes to travel to far off places or day-dreaming about being Spaceman Spiff. This too shall pass, but while it is here I will revel in it and throughout the year you will find me looking up at the stars and dusting off sci fi books both old and new to keep that child alive.
Bring on the sci fi! lol
I’m right behind Angela, cheering you on!
While my ignorance of science fiction as a genre is great, I am very touched by the way your uncle, and his bookshelf, affected your love of reading I can only hope that I create that kind of impact on the children I touch both in my family and my classroom. Also, I remember my mother waking me up in 1969 so that we could warm up (!) our black and white televsion to watch the astronauts land on the moon. It does boggle the mind. Finally, my dear son’s favorite toy was the Millenium Falcon, which he played with, and drew, ad nauseum. I’m glad to see he isn’t alone.
Carl, thanks for the Van Gogh quote! I have stars for a display, but didn’t have a theme…until now! 🙂
I get alot of mileage out of googling quotes on whatever subject I am wanting to write about. Glad I could be of service. 😉
Your son is definitely not alone, Bellezza. My mother read to us when we were kids and frequently took us to the library which no doubt set the initial foundation for my desire to read, but I cannot get away from nor underestimate how important my uncle’s bookshelf was to fueling my passion for science fiction, and by extension fantasy. Discovering the wonder of these type of books helped me stay interested in reading all through my teenage years into adulthood.
Speaking of space, did anyone hear about this. That thing must have been traveling at an incredible rate of speed to do that kind of damage, bounce, and remain stuck in the wall.
What a wonderful post. I’m also a big fan of the night sky, and find the topic of space and what is out there quite fascinating. I’m certainly not an avid reader of science fiction, but as a kid and teenager I devoured the work of Ray Bradbury and John Wyndham. I really loved these authors because of their ability to delve deeply into the ‘human factor’ of their stories.
And the original Star Trek? Love, love, love it. So much so that one our Christmas presents for each other was the purchasing of the entire DVD collection of the original series. Once again, the main reason I loved that series was because the writers really tapped into essential human stories that still have value in the here and now.
What a great gift! I would love to have the whole original series on DVD!!!
If you like that whole human factor thing I think you would enjoy the two John Scalzi books I reviewed recently. There is definitely a timely message there as well as thought provoking, Star Trek-like, issues about what makes a person human, rights of the individual, etc. Good stuff.
Did you read about this:
· CHICAGO — Federal officials say it was probably some weird weather phenomenon, but a group of United Airlines employees, including some pilots, swear they saw a mysterious saucer-shaped craft hovering over O’Hare International Airport last fall. Air traffic controllers saw nothing, though, and a preliminary check of radar found nothing out of the ordinary, a Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman told the Chicago Tribune. The FAA is not investigating, she added.
Off to finish reading your marvelous post!
More than anything that is probably proof that pilots and flight attendants drink during the course of the workday! 😉
Hehehe. 😉
What a wonderful post Carl! I think I have a jones for a little science fiction now! Thank you!!
Your blog was wonderful. And the pictures are fantastic. Did you take them with your new camera? There is just something about space that is so thrilling, I get excited on a monthly basis whenever I see a full moon. Seeing a harvest moon is a double thrill. I also have you to thank for turning me on to science fiction. And am I ever enjoying it!
nope, the moon picture (and the one of the stars) is from the Astronomy Picture of the Day site that is a link there in my side bar. You can find the most fantastic pictures there. Glad you are enjoying the sci fi Pat!
I’m just starting to appreciate the night sky and ventured into science fiction, very tentatively (via Ray Bradbury) in 2006. Your post was beautiful, and made me have a greater than zero (as it was previously!) interest in Star Trek!
If you weren’t a fan growing up I would be interested in what you would think of Star Trek. The ridiculously non-existant budget and ham-ish acting of the original series could no doubt make the whole thing seem like a farce but I love it. As cheesy as it is I really enjoy it, and not as something to laugh at.
There are also some outstanding episodes in the Next Generation series though it is hard at this point to get past how dated the outfits look. The original series is old enough that the dated stuff is ‘retro’. TNG hasn’t quite gotten to that point.
I loved Voyager, was my favorite series after the original series, but many people didn’t like it. Never watched and of Deep Space Nine but it had its own following. Didn’t really watch Enterprise after the first couple of episodes.
If you haven’t watched any science fiction, or very little Lazy Cow (I feel guilty typing that!), then I would really suggest watching Firefly (a one-season-only show) and then the movie Serenity. It is, without a doubt, the most fantastic character-driven science fiction show I have ever seen. Quirky, fun, adventure-filled, dramatic. Joss Whedon’s ability to make you fall hard for these characters is amazing. Really great stuff, I highly recommend it. Only 14 regular season episodes and a movie. Not too much of a commitment but well worth every moment.
I mentioned recently (on my own blog I think, or maybe also in a comment here – memory fails me again), that I really tend to read very little science fiction. Or rather, I read very little space-related science fiction.
On the other hand I have always had a soft spot for Star Trek – the original series which I would watch on BBC2 with my dinner as a child(I remember having a weekly homemade pizza with Star Trek, Thunderbirds and The Fresh Prince), Voyager and Deep Space Nine. I like TNG less and watched half an episode of Enterprise. I also love Babylon 5 and adore Firefly and Serenity. That said, I do mostly avoid films with a space related bent – I really don’t know why. Perhaps it depends on the characters and character development. A focus on the human element, relationships etc rather than the ships and space itself.
Science Fiction and I have a somewhat peculiar relationship…
That’s why, especially if you have a soft spot for Stainless Steel Rat, I think you’d like Scalzi’s trilogy (the third comes out this year). The skeleton of the story is about colonization of other planets via war ala’ Starship Troopers, but the bulk of the story is about the characters, especially the second story. They are much more about the people and clash of cultures stuff (which is quite timely with today’s world affairs) than about flying around in outer space. Actually, in my experience, 90% or better of science fiction is that way. They are adventures, mysteries, romances or a combination with the setting being space rather than a contemporary world, a fantasy world, etc. It is the real hard sci fi that concentrates more on the ‘science’ element of sci fi. I understand what you are saying Quix, I do believe though that there is alot out there that you would like that meets the criteria that you are talking about.
Thanks Carl. I loved Buffy and think Joss Whedon is a genius, so I’ll definitely check out Firefly and Serenity. I may save Star Trek for when the children are a little bit older so we can watch it together.
If you liked Buffy you’ll probably really enjoy Firefly. The writing is excellent.
Firefly was great. Don’t start me, I’m still bitter.
I got into SciFi because my English teacher had bookshelves of it behind my desk in class, and I used to sneak read it. (He thought it was fabulous and eventually told me I could take ’em home, as long as I brought them back.)
What a fantastic English teacher!!!
And I’m bitter too, but can’t help pulling the DVD’s out every so often and basking in the goodness that was Firefly.