Top-5 Thursday-Early Space Adventures

Science fiction seems to have a fixation with the final frontier. Even before the Space Race, Star Trek, and Star Wars, enterprising authors sent their characters to the stars. (Yes, enterprising. There’s another Star Trek pun I can...Chekov my list. Not even sorry).

Here is a list of some of the most interesting, and influential space stories from the early days of the genre.

5. “The Brick Moon” by Edward Everett Hale (1869)-

This short story written in the form of a journal was the first to describe an inhabited, artificial satellite. It accounts the marvelous journey of people accidentally launched into space with the brick sphere they constructed as a navigational tool.

4. “The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall” by Edgar Allan Poe (1835)-

Intended by Poe to be released as a true account, and later revealed as a hoax, this satirical piece of fiction describes the journey of the titular Hans Pfaall to the moon in a balloon that converted the vacuum of space into breathable air.

3. Lumen by Camille Flammarion (1872)-

A dialogue framed in a work of highly philosophical fiction, Lumen speculates about the existence and nature of extraterrestrial life, and makes rather accurate assumptions about the speed of light.

2. A Voyage to the Moon by George Tucker (1827)-

Not only the earliest space adventure on this list, but also one of America’s oldest works of science fiction, George Tucker’s A Voyage to the Moon, described a Lunarian civilization that satirized the politicians and scientists of its time.

1. From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne (1865)-

It had to be Verne, didn’t it? Yes, it did. Not only was this novel one of the most influential space adventures of its time, it also described the process of getting to the moon in a nearly realistic way… As I’ve already described on this blog multiple times.

So, there are some precursors to the inspiring space age stories we know and love. Have you read any of them? Are you inspired to? I’d love to hear any thoughts in the comments!

Keep on glowing in the dark,

Elora

Visions of the Future: The 1870s-The Quest for Order

It was as if the world were trying to cover up the wounds created by the wars of the last decade without treating them. Politicians and scientists saw the future as bright and inviting, even as war, turmoil, and discontent continued just outside their comfortable, padded world.

History:

The British Empire continued to expand its borders during the 1870s, setting up comfortable, western colonies in the far corners of the earth where they weren’t always welcome. The United States, meanwhile, was recovering from their bloody Civil War. The rather unbalanced and ineffectual period of Reconstruction lasted in the States until 1877.

Elsewhere in Europe, the Franco-Prussian War raged from 1870-1871. This struggle led to the collapse of the Second French Empire,the formation of the French Third Republic, and the unification of Germany into the German Empire, or the Second Reich.

Science:

  [The Paris Exhibition of 1878]

Many inventions that are indispensable in the modern day were first devised in the 1870s, such as the lightbulb and the phonograph, invented by Thomas Edison. 1876 saw a prototype telephone created by Alexander Graham Bell. At the same time, an Austrian physicist named Ludwig Boltzmann was developing important theories and equations concerning entropy, and its relation to thermodynamics.

The popularity of scientific exhibitions continued to rise. In 1873, The Weltausstellung, (World Exhibition), was held in Vienna. The Centennial Exposition took place in Philadelphia in 1876, and the Exposition Universelle was held in Paris in 1878.

Stories:

French writer Jules Verne continued to dominate the genre in the 1870s. The year 1870 saw the release of perhaps his most famous work, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. On an expedition to destroy a giant sea monster, a French marine biologist, his servant, and a Canadian whaler discover that their supposed monster is, in fact, a marvelous submarine, the Nautilus, piloted by vengeful scientist-prince, Captain Nemo. The title, which has caused some confusion, refers to the distance travelled around the earth, not the depth below the sea.

In 1971, Colonel George Chesney wrote an important precursor to invasion literature, The Battle of Dorking, which told the story of a terrifying future war.

That same year, Edward Bulwer-Lytton wrote a book called The Coming Race, which described an underground civilization of supermen, who controlled an energy form known as vril, an all-permeating substance, which to me sounds very similar to the force of Star Wars. This book, and the substance it described, sparked the interest of some occultist groups, who believed it to be real.

In 1872, Samuel Butler produced another classic of the growing utopian genre, Erewhon. It describes a utopia that satirized Victorian culture. The name of the place is Erewhon, which is a nearly-backwards spelling of the word “nowhere”.

The same year, French astronomer Camille Flammarion published Lumen, a highly philosophical story that explored and introduced ideas about the speed of light, and alien lifeforms.

Another interesting, but rather obscure contribution to science fiction was Edward Page Mitchell’s story, “The Tachypomp”, published in 1874. It details one mathematically-challenged man, and his quest for love, and the secret of infinite speed.

Worldview:

The mindset of the 1870s was rather scientific. People of the western world generally believed that nature was simple, orderly, and theirs to command.

In a decade full of political and social problems, a new social and scientific era was beginning, and the genre of science fiction started coming into its own, with ideas and themes that would keep readers thinking and enjoying for years to come.

Keep on glowing in the dark,

Elora

A One-Year, Fifty-Post Special List!

It’s April 16th. Somehow, by some miracle, this blog has lasted for a whole year! Not only that, but it’s also managed to make it to fifty posts! I’m very grateful to be able to write about these things that I love in light of God’s truth, and share my thoughts with other people. It has been a great privilege and a great blessing. If you’ve been reading this blog from the beginning, or if this is the first post of mine you’ve ever read, I’m grateful for you!

Since it’s sort of a special occasion, I thought I’d write a special sort of post. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a while, and I might do some more of them later on. However, never fear, your regularly scheduled sci-fi history posts will resume after this week. For now, thanks for reading, and supporting me in this crazy blogging venture, and I hope you enjoy this Star Trek “starter kit”.

If you are a geek, you probably want to share the objects of your geeky affections with your friends. However, asking your friends to watch 1960s television, or read 1930s literature with you may attract strange stairs. Suppose for a minute, though, that someone finally caves in to your constant nagging, or perhaps you meet a fellow geek who wants to understand the thing you enjoy better. How do you introduce them to your favorite TV series, book subgenre, or set of movies? That’s what this list is for.

As you’ve all figured out by now, I am a huge fan of Star Trek: The Original Series. Oftentimes, I reference the show, then have to explain myself.  Occasionally, someone will offer to watch it with me, in order to attempt to understand my particular brand of weird. If they follow through with this decision, I have to decide which episode/episodes to show them. So, finally, I compiled a list of what I believe to be the ten most “user-friendly” episodes of Star Trek, that give people a good feel for what the series is. All in good fun, of course.

So, whether you are new to the series yourself, are trying to educate a reboot fan, or just want to do a mini-marathon with your nerdy friends for the fiftieth anniversary next year, I hope you enjoy this list.

1. “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” (S03-E15)-

I wanted my first episode on this list to include the entire main crew that continues to appear throughout the movies and reboot stuff. So yes, I was doing a lot of nitpicking concerning the helm for this spot on the list. “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” has everyone: Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Uhura, Chekov, and Sulu. Aside from characters, this episode also gives a good feel for the bold, no-nonsense way The Original Series addresses the issues of its day. The endless struggle between the two different groups of aliens on Cheron makes a poignant statement about race relations. Plus, Captain Kirk gives some great speeches, and almost self-destructs the entire Enterprise.

2. “Devil in the Dark” (S01-E25)-

The Original Series introduces so many iconic creatures that it was hard to decide which ones to put on this list, much less which ones to put first. Finally, I decided upon the scary but sympathetic, silicon-based Horta. The antagonist that ends up having sympathetic qualities is a recurring  plot device in Star Trek, and the Horta is a good example of it. Plus, Spock performs a harrowing mind-meld, Bones says some iconic lines, and lots of redshirts die.

3. “The Trouble With Tribbles” (S02-E15)-

Perhaps the most iconic Star Trek episode. Everyone loves tribbles, (except for Klingons). Delta airlines even has tribbles in their safety procedures video. Look it up! Aside from the lovable but prolific furballs, this episode is also notable as one of the few Original Series episodes featuring the Klingons. Plus, all the characters are over the top! Bones and Spock banter, Kirk yells at bureaucrats, Scotty punches the Klingons that insult his ship, Chekov says that everything was inwented in Russia. It’s just fun.

4. “Amok Time” (S02-E01)-

The first episode of the second season introduces a lot of the things people regularly associate with Star Trek- the Vulcan salute, the fight music, Chekov. Plus, it has the entire cast, develops the Vulcan race, and features Kirk and Spock fighting!

5. “City on the Edge of Forever” (S01-E28)-

I’ll freely admit that “City on the Edge” is the best episode of the original series. It presents a fascinating time-travel conundrum, and the characters react in a very realistic, human way. It is a great episode of science fiction television, and provides good character development for the characters. So, why didn’t I put it first? Because, I think the real heart of Star Trek- even when the stories aren’t as good as “City on the Edge”- is the characters. When you get to know the characters first, you’ll enjoy them even more in the very best episode, and you’ll still like them even in “The Way to Eden”- if you can make it through all the singing.

6. “Space Seed” (S01-E22)-

Because you want them to understand Wrath of Khan, right? This episode is a great story of the corrupting influence of power, betrayal, loyalty, genetic engineering and suspended animation starring a well-acted and intriguing villain on its own. But when you pair it with the Wrath of Khan, all sorts of themes, ideas, excitement, crying, screaming, and a little bit of confusion, (who was where what season, huh?) ensue.

7. “The Naked Time” (S01-E04)-

Once you get to know a set of characters, it’s fun to watch them act all out of sorts. Like Spock crying, everyone wants to see Spock crying, (it’s sad, though. I feel for the guy). I’m impressed that the writers were able to so develop the characters in the first three episodes, that the differences in this episode were notable. Also, they invent time warp. Plus, Sulu fences everyone he sees, Kirk dotes on the ship, Kevin Riley, and a lot more clothes than the title implies.

8. “Balance of Terror” (S01-E14)-

This is one of those great, thought-provoking episodes of Star Trek that makes you wonder things like: “are the people I hate really all that different from me?” It introduces the alien race, the Romulans, and their tumultuous relationship with the Federation- a conflict that continues to be an important plot point even into the reboot movies.

9. “Mirror, Mirror” (S02-E04)-

This is the quintessential alternate universe episode of science fiction television. You have probably heard or seen jokes about or references to Spock’s beard even if you haven’t seen this episode. It is an interesting look into the twisted “could-be” Star Trek universe, and brings the characters face to face with the darker side of their natures. Also, Uhura slaps Sulu in the face, Spock calls people illogical, Chekov screams (it happens a lot in the series and the movies, so get used to it), and everyone smiles creepily.

10. “By Any Other Name” (S02-E22)-

This is one of those episodes where you get to see all the characters in their element. Well, except for the ones who get turned into salt cubes. They are in their elements too, just those elements happen to be sodium chloride… Anyway, Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Scotty have to work together to stop some aliens from the Andromeda galaxy from taking over our galaxy. It’s good, old fashioned Star Trek fun. Also, they almost self-destruct the Enterprise, Kirk gets the girl and gets in a fight, and the only female redshirt to die in the entire series meets her demise.

Thanks for reading. I hope you had fun reading through this list, because I most certainly had fun writing it. Thanks for your support and encouragement over this past year. If you have any thoughts on great Star Trek episodes, or any ideas of things you want to see on the blog moving forward, let me know in the comments!

Keep on glowing in the dark,

Elora

Visions of the Future: The 1860s- Foreshadowing

The world was expanding. Technology was expanding. War was expanding. The seeds of the conflicts that would mark the next century were being sown even as early as the 1860s.

History:

After a decade marked almost entirely by conflict, it is relieving to look into history and see the end of a war. In 1860, the Second Opium war between China and Great Britain came to a conclusion. However, the 1860s were hardly a decade of widespread peace. The United States waged a bloody civil war from 1861 to 1865. In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, stagnating the nation’s already slow advance towards peace and restoration. In 1864, the Austro-Prussian war began. This was only a small part of the ill-will and resentment that was festering in Europe, which would eventually escalate into the widespread terror of World War I.

Science:

(Mendeleev and his periodic table)

The 1860s saw many advances in the organization and implementation of the sciences. For example, in this decade, Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev organized one of the earliest versions of today’s periodic table of the elements, (yes, it actually was invented in Russia!). Also, Gregor Mendel developed his laws of genetic inheritance. International science exhibitions came into popularity during the 1860s, with one taking place in London in 1862, and another in Paris in 1867.

Many previously invented technologies came into everyday usage. For example, the transatlantic telegraph was installed in 1866, and the United States’ Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869.

As for new inventions, Alfred Nobel invented dynamite in 1867, (it will forever amuse me that the guy who invented dynamite has a peace prize named after him), and an early submarine was developed in 1869.

Stories:

I consider there to have been three main periods in the first 100 years of science fiction. The first period was marked by several writers who were mainly Romanticist in their philosophy. Think of the early stories by Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe, and others. This period came to an end around the 1850s-60s. The next period was dominated by one author in particular, a modernist Frenchman named Jules Verne. Maybe you’ve heard of him. The Vernian age of science fiction (is that too dramatic? Because I like it), lasted approximately from the 1860s to the 1880s, when he began to be upstaged by one H.G. Wells.

In 1863, Verne published a follow-up novel to his short story “A Voyage in a Balloon”. Five Weeks in a Balloon had a similar theme and plot to the 1851 lighter-than-air adventure, but with an expanded scope. In 1865, Jules Verne published one of his most popular and fascinating stories, From the Earth to the Moon. It told the story of a group of gun-enthusiasts in Baltimore who invented a space-gun, with which they propelled themselves towards the moon. This story predates the actual moon-landing by over a hundred years, and bears an eerie resemblance to the actual event. For example, Verne launched his characters into space from a base in Florida. The Apollo 11 mission started at the Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida. Verne’s calculations for the cannon were very nearly accurate, but the muzzle would have needed to be much longer to achieve actual space flight.

Though Jules Verne was most definitely the most influential sci-fi author of the time, he was not the only one. In 1868, Edward F. Ellis published the first science fiction dime novel, The Steam Man of the Prairies, a quintessential story in the budding Edisonade genre. This genre was inspired by prolific American inventor, Thomas Edison, and usually starred boy-geniuses and their wacky inventions.

In 1869, Edward Everett Hale published The Brick Moon, the first work of fiction to feature an artificial satellite populated by humans.

Worldview:

It is fascinating to note how much the early 20th century was impacted by the events, ideas, and innovations of the 1860s. For example, the seeds for one of the most destructive ideologies in the past century, Communism, were sown in 1867, when Karl Marx first published his thoughts on society in Das Kapital.

The world would never be the same after the 1860s. The stage was set, and the drama that would consume the next century was already in motion.

Thanks for reading! I’ll be back tomorrow with a very special post. It will be my one year anniversary of writing this blog, as well as my 50th post. It will deviate from our trek through sci-fi history, (though trekking will most definitely be involved), but I think it will still be pretty fun. I hope you can join me. As always, I’d love to hear from you in the comments!

Keep on glowing in the dark,

Elora