More Babylon 5 Essential Reading - Legions Of Fire Trilogy by Peter David - It Fills The Hole In Your Mind

At the end of the fifth season of Babylon 5, there were many questions that had been answered through the course of the series, but there were many questions left unanswered too.

When the series began, Londo was but a foppish buffoon that was put in a position of Ambassador on Babylon 5, a position that was, at first, not considered important by his own government.  When the Centauri sent Londo an aide, it turned out to be another seemingly buffoon named Vir Cotto. Londo debauched and drank through life on the station, not taking his job, or himself very seriously.  Then one day, a mysterious stranger named Morden approached Londo and asked what would normally be an innocent question.

Morden asked several of the ambassadors on the station the same question and got a variety of answers.  “What do you want?” seems such a small question, but when Morden asked Londo that question, and after trying to dismiss Morden out of hand, Londo actually gave an answer that started him down a path lined with the deaths of millions of beings.  Londo, in essence stated that he wanted to see his people restored to their former prominence in the galaxy.  Mr. Morden apparently had the resources to help Londo achieve that goal, but the cost was high.

Little did Londo know, but he had made a deal with the Devil, as sure as the legendary Faust did.

At any rate, at the end of the series, Londo had become Emperor of the devastated Centauri Republic faced with the task of rebuilding in the aftermath of what the Shadows had left behind.  Londo makes the supreme sacrifice to save what is left of his Republic by allowing agents of the Shadows, the Drakh, to place a Keeper on his shoulder that would monitor his every move and every thought.  When we last see Londo, he seems appears as a lonely and despondent ruler who is at the mercy of those that will rebuild the Centauri republic in their own image.

So what happened to Londo after that last scene in the television series?  What happened to Vir and how does he rise to become Emperor of the Centauri Republic?  And what of that vision that we saw during the series with Londo and G’Kar choking the life out of each other?  Those answers are explored in this three book series penned by Peter David.

The Long Night Of Centauri Prime: Book I Of The Legions Of Fire Series By Peter David (1998)

At the end of the series, Londo has become Emperor of Centauri Prime, but he also comes under the influence of the Drakh, agents of the Shadows who are determined to continue the agenda of their former masters.  The Drakh have planted nuclear explosives all over Centauri Prime and threaten to destroy the planet unless Londo submits to taking on a creature known as a Keeper.  This Keeper will watch every move that Londo makes as well as monitor every thought he has.  After Londo makes a speech to the Centauri people in the form of a giant hologram, telling his people that they will once again become the great society that they once were, he decides to take a walk around the city.

As Londo walks, he contemplates suicide, when he is suddenly struck in the head by a rock.  It is soon discovered that the person who threw the projectile was Senna, the daughter of Lord Refa, who has taken up residence with a family of refugees.  Londo offers her a place in his palace. When she refuses to accept his offer, Londo returns to his palace and learns that if he drinks enough, he can dull the senses of his Keeper and have time to himself.  He decides to take an opportunity to carry out his suicide plan.  Before he is able to complete his plan, his Captain of the Guard, Durla, escorts Senna into the room.  Circumstances have caused Senna to change her mind and take Londo up on his offer. This causes Londo to also have a change of heart; he believes that if he can save just one person on Centauri Prime, perhaps he will be able to make the difference that his people need.

The Drakh who is manipulating Londo, Shiv’kala, orders Londo to promote Durla to Minister of Internal Security.  At first Londo refuses, but Shiv’kala threatens to eliminate Senna if he doesn’t comply.  Durla is promoted and begins to advance his own agenda, transforming Centauri Prime into a police state that uses ruthless methods to keep order.

Meanwhile, on Babylon 5, the Drakh continue their plot to smash the Alliance with an attempt on the life of President Sheridan.  Thanks to Vir, this plot fails.  Vir then travels to Centauri Prime to investigate what is going on and is approached by Techno-Mages.

Vir knows that there is something going on that threatens to destroy his home world, The Techno-Mages have their own plan to set things right that involves Vir.  But thanks to Durla, Vir is being watched by Mariel, Londo’s former wife and it seems hopeless that things will be set right.

Armies Of Light And Dark: Book II Of The Legions Of Fire Series by Peter David (2000)

Picking up in from where the last book leaves off, Vir and the Techno-Mages head to a planet where there has been an excavation taking place for some time.  It not commonly known that many Centauri workers have been sent there and have been disappearing.

Vir and the Mages find a gate there that builds the cloud vessels that were responsible for the destruction of the Narn Homeworld. It is also learned that this planet killer is intended to be used against Earth.  Vir manages to destroy the planet and after returning through the gate, it falls to ruin and stops the plans the Drakh have of a swift victory for them.

Vir has become quite enamoured with Mariel, who is spying for Durla.  When Vir learns that he is being badly used by Mariel, he becomes angry and asks a mage to cast a spell on her to make her hopelessly in love with him.  But this is all part of a greater plan to turn Durla’s spy against him as Vir sends Mariel to Durla.

Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the attempted assassination attempt, Sheridan sends Garibaldi to Centauri Prime to find out what is happening there.  G’kar will accompany him as well as Lou Welch, who is charged with watching Garibaldi’s back.  After arriving, Garibaldi tells Londo that they are there to investigate a plant that is suspected of making munitions that can be used to start a war with the Alliance, Lou feigns and illness and stays behind as Garibaldi is  off to inspect the suspected munitions plant.

Lou, under the cover of a cloak that hides him from sight, follows a member of the Prime Candidates, an organization of youth that has been put together by Durla to support his activities and infiltrate high levels of government and spy for him. Lou follows Throk into their headquarters and is seen by Shiv’Kala, who is able to see through the cloak, and uncovers Lou.  Throk kills Lou.  Garibaldi is incensed at this and vows to get to the bottom of the situation, but Vir tells him that it is an internal affair of the Centauri Republic and that it will be handled internally.

Vir begins to gather and inform followers that will effect real change on Centauri Prime while Durla becomes Prime Minister and begins a purge of those that would oppose him. Londo makes a decree that off-worlders are no longer welcome on Centauri Prime.  This is generally taken as an attempt of Londo to show his power, but he writes in his journal that it is actually to keep others from suffering the same fate as Lou Welch.

Out Of The Darkness: Book III Of The Legions Of Fire Series By Peter David (2000)

In this third and final book of the series, Durla has assembled a huge fleet of warships and sends them out to destroy some of the smaller alliance worlds.  While Sheridan tells the Alliance that they should use the White Star fleet to stop the Centauri, they are unwilling to do so. At about the same time, G’kar is disguised as a Centauri and saves Durla from an assassination attempt, but is caught and is to be killed until Londo intervenes and makes him a guest, but will not allow him to leave Centauri Prime.

In the television episode, Objects at Rest, Londo had delivered a gift to be given to Sheridan and Delenn’s child on his sixteenth birthday.  The gift was an urn, but the Drakh put a Keeper in the base of the urn.  On the night of his sixteenth birthday, the Keeper in the urn frees itself and attaches itself to David Sheridan, who immediately steals a ship and heads for Centauri Prime where he is delivered into the hands of Durla.  When Londo learns of this, he confronts Durla and they struggle, but Londo’s keeper stops the struggle.  When Sheridan and Delenn arrive, they are arrested and are to be put to death.

Garibaldi informs Vir about all of this,  Vir heads to Centauri Prime to help with David’s rescue, but he also learns about the Drakh influence that has been there for a number of years.

Durla readies his fleet to begin attacking the major worlds of the Alliance and publicly announces the attack, but his plans are thwarted by Vir and his Legions of Fire when they detonate a bomb underneath the Tower of Power, the headquarters of the Drakh.  With the Drakh exposed, the people begin to realize what has  been happening.  Durla refuses to believe the evidence of the Drakh influence and attempts to launch the fleets, but is again stopped, but this time by Mariel.

Shiv’kala tells Londo to tell the Centauri people that the Drakh are friends that have been with them to help them rebuild and insists that Londo continue with Durla’s plans. When londo refuses, Shiv’kala detonates a third of the bombs that were planted on Centauri Prime, Londo finally agrees to what he is being ordered to do.  In the meantime, With the help of the Techno-Mages, Vir is able to locate all of the bombs and have them neutralized.

Londo calls G’kar to the throne room and asks G’kar to kill him to stop the Drakh influence. G’kar refuses at first , but is finally convinced that it is the right thing to do, but while he had Londo by the throat, the Keeper awakens and Londo begins to also choke G’kar.  Both die in the struggle.  When Vir arrives to help Londo, he finds what has happened and is immediately approached by Shiv’kala who attempts to kill him, but Vir manages to escape to centauri Prime.

Meanwhile, leaving Shiv’kala alone on Centauri Prime, the other Drakh abandon the planet, Vir makes a claim for the throne and returns to Centauri Prime, and with the help of Garibaldi, kills Shiv’kala.

According to what I have learned about this book series, it was written by Peter David from outlines that were given to him by J. Michael Straczynski.  That would make these books, without a question Babylon 5 canon.  And in my opinion, JMS could not have chosen a better writer for the job.

Peter David shows that he did do his homework as far as the characters are concerned.  As one reads the series, it is not hard to hear the voices of the characters, especially in Londo’s little quips.  The other characters that are familiar to B5 fans are also equally accurately recreated.  But one of my favorite parts of these stories was to see the growth that took place on the series carried on through these stories.

One of the most developed characters on the series was that of Vir Cotto.  When Vir first arrived on Babylon 5, he was such a buffoon.  He stuttered and more or less tripped over himself with almost every step.  This character grew to be very popular with me, as well as the fans.  As time went on, while still seeming to provide comic relief on the television series, he began to show backbone, standing up to Londo on occasion and asserting himself when needed.  But in this series of books, we see that Vir has become a force to be reckoned with and not anywhere the buffoon that he was first presented to be.

A major scene from the trilogy that stands out in my mind is when Garibaldi intended to go to Centauri Prime and handle things his way.  Vir backed him down and stood his ground with an attitude that even took Garibaldi by surprise.  In that one scene, Vir became a viable candidate to be a leader, and the emperor of the Centauri Prime.

As an avid fan of Peter David’s work, especially in the Star Trek, I really enjoyed these three stories and the way that they were written.  It is obvious that the author has a great deal of respect for the B5 universe and it clearly comes through in this instance.  As was the last B5 book I reviewed (To Dream In The City Of Sorrows), I consider this must reading for B5 fans who what to know what happens to Londo and the Centauri Republic after the close of the television series.

If there is anything that I didn't care for in these books was the term "Tower of Power" for the place where the Drakh were holed up.  Every time I saw this term I thought about that R&B group that appeared in the late 1960's that also went by that name.

As I read this, it got me thinking that perhaps the entire series was actually intended to actually be the rise and fall of Londo Mollari.  So much of the series centers on Londo, his triumphs and his failures, his mistakes, and the few things he did get right.  I have also heard this before from others, thought I might have heard it from JMS, and was told the same by my partner on the Babylon Project Podcast, Raul Ybarra.

One thing that is worth noting here is that the first two books in the Legions of Fire series are pretty easy to find, but the third book seems to be rare.  All three are out of print, so you might consider checking out your local library, inter-library loan, or if you have a friend who has the books or knows where to get them.

Well, there it is...

Q'aplaH!

To Dream In The City Of Sorrows By Kathryn Drennan - Essential Reading For Babylon 5 Fans

To Dream In The City Of Sorrows by Kathryn Drennan (1997)

Babylon 5 is one of my favorite television shows, so it would seem that I would have gotten into the books much sooner than now, but it just never happened.  I guess I had too much else to do.  I learned about this book when I became involved with The Babylon Project Podcast.  As my co-host and I discussed several of the first season episodes, Raul would mention To Dream In The City Of Sorrows and he kept telling me that it was an essential story that I should read to answer some of the questions that were raised in the first season. Some of the questions I had were…

• How did Sinclair become Ambassador to Minbar and how did he become Eltil’zha?

• How did Sinclair appear as his older self on Babylon 4 at the same time he was commander of Babylon 5?

• Sinclair proposed Marriage to Catherine Sakai, did they ever get married?

All of these questions and more are answered in this story.

[With the beginning of the second season of Babylon 5, command of the station is taken over by John Sheridan. Ivanova tells explains that Commander Sinclair has been permanently reassigned to another post, there is no more to that story until later in the series.  So, City of Sorrows picks up where the first season leaves off.

Not only has Sinclair been reassigned to earth, he is made Ambassador to Minbar.  As he goes about his duties there, he finds that he is being sequestered for some unknown reason.  He is unable to contact anyone to get advice and orders. Mainly his duties are to meet and greet visitors to Minbar from Earth.  When he decides that he is not able to function effectively as ambassador, he decides to resign and leave, but before he can get away, he is informed by a member of the Grey Council that he is to become the head of a highly trained group of people known as the Rangers.

Meanwhile, Catherine Sakai is busy running her business doing planetary surveys looking for the mineral known as Q-40 that is essential in the construction of jump gates.  She has no idea what is happening to SInclair.

This book also covers the back story of Marcus Cole, who isn’t introduced as a character in the television series until the third season as an important Ranger.  Marcus runs the family business of processing the Q-40 for use.  When his facilities are attacked and destroyed by the Shadows, who at this point are only making attacks on smaller targets, Marcus not only sees his family fortune go up in flames, but he sees his brother killed.  With nothing to lose, and as his dying brother directs with his last words, Marcus proceeds to Minbar to enter Ranger training.

With difficulty, Catherine manages to avoid being killed by the shadows who pursue her through hyperspace, and is eventually, with the help of Garibaldi, reunited with Sinclair on Minbar, where she enters Ranger training.

When a rift in Sector 14 is discovered that might allow Shadow ships to get through, the action of the story escalates to an even higher level as the trio set about finding a solution to the problem.

As far as I am concerned, This is essential reading for fans of Babylon 5.  It is a great story and one of the strongest points is that it is completely accurate as far as the portrayal of the characters and in their voice.  As one reads, one can hear the voices of every character that appears in the series. That action is fast paced and I would love to think that it would have made an awesome television film.

This should come as no surprise when one considers that the author, Kathryn Drennan was married to the creator of Babylon 5, J. Michael Straczynski (JMS). According to JMS, Drennan is the only person who knows as much about the B5 universe as he does, and this story came out of the authors affection for the Sinclair character as well as her affection for Michael O’Hare, the actor who portrayed him.

If there is any question about whether this book is canon or not, it can be put to rest.  In the introduction to the book, JMS writes that the book is indeed canon and should be read with that in mind.  This is confirmed in an interview in which JMS states, “this one is 100% canon...it's also the most exhaustive attempt to tie in all the storylines done to date. Anybody wants to know what happened to Sinclair, it's in the book. That's a genuine chapter of the story arc.”

Along with penning the B5 first season episode, By Any Means Necessary, Drennan has a few other impressive credits including working with Carl Sagan on Cosmos, and for working with Michael Piller on Star Trek: TNG.  I find it very unfortunate that she has not written more extensively on other projects, whether they are B5 related or not.  This lady has some great writing chops.

Raul (Babylon Project Podcast co-host) and I discussed this book briefly and we are at odds (however friendly) as to when this book should be read.  I think that one should read right after the end of the first season, but Raul thinks that one should read just prior to the third season because of the introduction of the Marcus character.  Either way, even the casual B5 fan will really enjoy this story and it comes with my highest recommendations.

One day, I hope in the not too distant future, Raul and I will cover this book on our podcast.  Please stay tuned.

Well, there it is…

Q’aplaH!

New Episodes Of The Dune Saga Podcast & SciFi Diner Featuring A Babylon 5 Discussion - I'm On Both, So You Must Listen - Resistance Is Futile

There are two items to cover today...

David, Scott and I got together after reading Dune: The Machine Crusade, the second in the Legends of Dune trilogy and had a lot of fun discussing the book.  We covered many aspects of the story, we talked about the characters, we covered our favorite quotes from the book, and read and commented on reviews of the book as well as our listener feedback.

We would love to have you listen into our conversation, but if you need a refresher on Machine Crusade, sstart by listening to David's Dune In Ten summary of the of the story.  After listening to that, jump right in and listen to our commentary on The Dune Saga Podcast #2 episode.

You can feed back to us in numerous ways including sending an e-mail to dunesagapodcast@gmail.com, post on our Facebook page, We are on Twitter at @dunesagapodcast, and you can leave us a voice-mail at 1-888-508-4343.

We will be reading the third and final installment of the Legends series, Dune: The Battle of Corrin.  Please send your comments for the show before January 21st.

What happens when Scott, Miles and M leave the SciFi Diner unattended, well you can find out if you listen to Raul Ybarra and me take over for one episode.  We learned that certain members of the Diner cast have never watched the epic television series Babylon 5.  We were agahst at this, so Raul and I got together and hijacked the diner for an overview of the series.

Listen to our discussion of many aspects of the show that is approaching it's 20th anniversary on The SciFi Diner Podcast Episode 192 - A Babylon 5 Rewind.

You can feedback to the Diner as always, or if you would like, can send feedback directly to Raul at raul@thechristiangeek.net or on Twitter @rytchgeek.  As for me, you can e-mail me at arrowoodjj@gmail.com, leave comment on my Facebook page, or find me on Twitter @JimArrowood2.

Well, there it is...

QaplaH'!

Reality Is In The Eye Of The Perceiver...

The Man In The High Castle by Philip K Dick (1962)

With an announcement from SyFy that they have plans to make The Man In The High Castle into a television miniseries, I decided to download it and read it on my Kindle.  I was expecting another hard-hitting sci-fi read in the same vein as Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep (the basis for the film Blade Runner) and Total Recall (a short story serving as the basis for the films of the same title), as well as many of the other PKD short stories I have read or listened to over the past several months.  Little did I know what a surprise I would be in for.

If you are looking for a hardcore scifi novel, High Castle is not what you are looking for.  However if you are looking for a book that will really stretch your imagination and make you think, then you cannot go wrong with this book.

High Castle is set in an alternate reality following World War II.  The author imagines what the world would, or more specifically the Western United States, might be like had the Axis powers won the war.  In this alternate reality, President Franklin Roosevelt is assassinated before the U.S got involved in the war and the Naval Base at Pearl Harbor is bombed out of existence.  This brings the war waged by Hitler and the Japanese empire for world domination to the shores of the U.S. and ends with Germany in control of the eastern part of the country while Japan exerts control over the west.  Germany's rule of the east is quite harsh as they continue their quest for racial purity, not stopping with Jews, but also extending their "Final Solution" to the people of African decent.  The Japanese on the other hand, are somewhat more benevolent actually assimilating a great deal of American culture, but they do use Americans as slave labor.  The American Midwest is a neutral buffer zone between the Greater German Empire and the Japanese Empire, and people are pretty much able to live in relative freedom, but suffer shortages, being caught in the middle.

Hitler, who has succumbed to insanity brought on by the ravages of syphilis, is replaced by Martin Bormann who dies early on in the story and is replaced by Joseph Goebbels who is said to be planning to use nuclear weapons against the Japanese mainland.

There are five main characters in the book that are followed, some of which are tied together with a single thread that weaves throughout PKD's novel, which is a book within a book called The Grasshopper Lies Heavy.  Grasshopper is a novel penned by a character named Hawthorne Abensen who is believed to be living in a virtual fortress in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  The reason for his fortification is because Grasshopper is about the Axis powers losing the war, thus it has been banned by the German government, and Abendsen must protect himself from being killed.

Some characters in the novel try to find direction in their lives by consulting the I Ching, an ancient Chinese text that contains lines to give guidance or helps one interpret events taking place in one's life.  The characters cast runes which direct them to lines in the I Ching which is often referred  to as the Oracle.  One character, Juliana Frink is compelled to follow the Oracle to seek out Abendsen in his high castle and inquire about how and why he wrote Grasshopper.  

Juliana does make a pilgrimage to Cheyenne only to find that Abendsen, who once did live behind fortifications, has chosen to live a more normal life in a regular home with his wife because he found that living in a "castle" was too much like living in prison.  She further learns that Abendsen actually didn't conceive of Grasshopper from his own imagination, but rather consulted the Oracle and wrote what it indicated.  With much consternation, Juliana then consults the oracle to find out what is to be learned from the Grashopper, and is rewarded with the answer that everyone is living in a false reality.

So what is to be learned from The Man In The High Castle?  In my studies of philosophy, I have learned that one reason for studying philosophy is that everyone needs to examine their lives, or their reality and be constantly vigilant in doing so.  We all filter reality through many perceptions including belief systems, cultural connections, and what we learn as we grow.  Perhaps Dick wrote High Castle to remind us that reality needs to be examined, and that one must be aware of the factors that tend to shade our perceptions of reality, and that when this is accomplished, we can get a clear picture of reality.  If this was the purpose of writing High Castle, he did so masterfully.  So if you are planning to read this Hugo Award winning book, be prepared to think.

In Other News...
I was honored to be invited to join a panel on the Sci-Fi Diner Podcast where we made an attempt to define what constitutes what is science fiction.  Along with the hosts, Scott and Miles, I was joined by Raul Ybarra, and Keith R. A. DeCandido where we hashed it out.  So what was out conclusion?  I really don't think that we came up with an all-encompassing definition.  Raul did say something that struck a chord with me though; he mentioned that for him, the definition of science fiction is a "moving target" in many aspects.  If you are also looking for a definitive answer to this question, you might listen to Episode 166 of the SciFi Diner Podcast.  Aw heck, listen even if you aren't looking for answers, it's just a good show.

No Room For Failure: More NASA History...

Failure Is Not An Option: Mission Control From Mercury To Apollo 13 And Beyond by Gene Kranz – 2009

Who received most of the accolades when a successful, or for that matter, an unsuccessful space mission was completed?  Well the answer to that question is obvious; of course it is the astronauts who risked their lives to explore the unknown.  But behind those heroes were thousands of people who often times were among the unsung heroes that helped to launch, fly, and land those spacecraft.  Chief among those were the flight controllers which is the subject of Gene Kranz’s Book Failure Is Not An Option.

Kranz’s book is all about the corps of flight controllers that manned Mission Control for every minute of every day that there was an American spacecraft aloft.  He traces the history of flight control from the very beginnings of the space program through the entire Apollo program.

The early years of space exploration were marked by a competition between the United States and the Soviet Union vying for dominance with the Soviet Union scoring decided victories, leaving the United States playing a game of catch-up.  While the Soviets were sending satellites and people into orbit around the planet, the United States’ rockets were having a difficult time just getting off of the launch pad.  When the U.S. Finally did begin successfully launch payloads, President John F. Kennedy declared to the world that before the end of the 1960’s, the U.S. would successfully send an American to the moon, and return them safely (according to Kranz, the plans prior to Kennedy’s speech were to actually land Americans on the moon in the mid 1970’s).

Kranz traces the history of manned space flight from the perspective of his role as a NASA flight controller.  During his thirty year tenure, he was a firsthand witness to all of the events including projects Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo.  He goes into some detail on all of the flights, and goes into even greater detail on the flights for which he was the chief controller including the first landing on the Moon of Apollo 11, and the near tragedy that was Apollo 13.  He gives an accurate picture of the missions including the problems that were encountered and solved and discusses the reasons for and the solutions to the problems that allowed Americans to take pride in our achievements in space exploration.

Kranz’s narration is sometimes difficult to read because he get quite technical at times, but this book is a must read for those of us who enjoy knowing what went on behind the scenes at NASA.  However, if you are looking for scandal, you will not find it in this book, it is not an expose, but rather a factual account of the history of manned spaceflight from the flight controller’s point of view.

Not only does Kranz revisit the past in Failure, he also speaks to the future of American space exploration by expressing his disappointment (which is felt  by many of us today as American astronauts hitch rides into space aboard Russian rockets) in the present state of affairs: “Entering the twenty-first century, we have an unimaginable array of technology and a generation of young Americans schooled in these technologies.  With our powerful economy, we can do anything we set our mind to do.  Yet we stand with our feet firmly planted on the ground when we could be exploring the universe.”

I think that Failure is a worthwhile read for students of space flight history and those who want to know what goes on behind the scenes at NASA.

In other news…

There is an ongoing debate in the science fiction genre that would seem to search for the answer to a question that has occupied my mind of late; what is science fiction and what is not.  I had the opportunity to once again be a guest on the Scifi Diner Podcast and explore this question with Scott, and Miles (podcast hosts), Raul Ybarra (sci-fi fan, blogger, and mad-scientist), and Keith DeCandido (sci-fi author).  Our conclusion?  Well you are going to have to listen to the show.  I am told that it will be released sometime this coming week and I will add the link to it when it comes available.  We visited for almost two hours on this and could actually have talked longer.

I received a very nice gift from Nick Eftimiades in the mail.  He sent me an autographed copy of Edward of Planet Earth, a work of fiction in the style of Douglas Adams.  Click HERE to read my review and recommendation for Edward.  I should also like to point out that Eftimiades is not only an author, but he is also active in many other areas including Chinese espionage, and the defense of our planet from threats from space.  I, for one, have gained more interest in possible threats due to the recent meteor incidents in Russia and on the east coast of the United States.  Recently, Nick has posted something that may sound like science fiction, but it is truly a threat and needs to be addressed.  Click on the link to read his United States Commission on Planetary Defense.

Blog posts from me have become quite infrequent of late because real life has a tendency to get in the way of leisure pursuits.  Hopefully, as the school year comes to a close, I will be able to write more frequently, but until then…

There it is.

Q’aplaH!

Defining Sci-Fi: Is Star Wars Sci-Fi?

What is Sci-Fi, or what isn’t Sci-fi?  That is the question I have been pondering of late.

Quite a while back, while listening to an episode of the Scifi Diner Podcast, this question came up.  I cannot remember which episode it was, but I did respond to it with an e-mail in which I rendered my humble opinion that Star Wars was not pure science fiction, but rather I felt that it was more of a fantasy story set within the framework of a science fiction setting.  Neither can I remember exactly what the Diner’s hosts (Scott and Miles) response was at the time.

More recently, this subject has once again surfaced on the Diner and has once again started me thinking about what constitutes what is science fiction.  Are the Star Wars movies science fiction?  Are they fantasy?  Is Star Trek science fiction?  I think that just about anyone that has any knowledge of Trek would give you a resounding YES to that last question, including myself.  But I have been unsure about Star Wars.

One argument that I have heard numerous times that some use to eliminate Star Wars from the science fiction category is a quote from Han Solo in the very first Episode IV: A New Hope where he brags to Obi-Wan Kenobi that the Mellinium Falcon made the “Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs.”   In the realm of real science, a parsec is a measurement of distance, but Han is apparently using the term as a measurement of time.  This is a very weak argument to use as a vehicle to discredit Star Wars as legitimate science fiction.  If one is going to use a comparison of real science as a measuring stick to validate an entity, many science fiction franchises would have to be eliminated from the genre, including Star Trek.

For instance, in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, it is stated that V-Ger is over eighty-two astronomical units in diameter.  One astronomical unit (AU) is about ninety-three million miles, or the average distance from the Earth to the sun in our own solar system.  The orbit of the former planet Pluto is an average of seventy-nine AU from the sun.  Doing the simple math, one sees that V-Ger would comfortably eclipse our solar system beyond the distance of all of the largest objects it contains.  In the film, Starfleet doesn’t discover this object until it is just 54 hours away from the earth.  Scientists have recently discovered that the Andromeda galaxy and our own Milky Way are on a collision course and will encounter each other in about four-billion years.  With Star Trek set in the 23^rd century, one would think that astronomers of the future would be able to detect a solar system sized object headed our way well before it reaches 54 hours from contacting the Earth.

There are many other examples of this type of made-up science in Trek.  For instance, the use of matter/energy transport requires examination.  In Lawrence Krauss’ book, The Physics of Star Trek, it is explained that the temperatures required to break apart atoms is so great that no one could possibly survive being vaporized in the use of a transporter.   There are actually many inconsistencies in Trek when compared to science including many various particles that do not exist in nature.  So eliminating Star Wars as being science fiction based on the misuse of a single word would, in the words of a well-respected sci-fi character, not be logical.  After all, one must keep in mind that one of the functional words in the name of our beloved genre is FICTION; this includes devices that are made up by people to tell stories.  To appreciate this, one must have the ability to suspend one’s disbelief for a small period of time.

So, while trying to come up with some litmus test to validate Star Wars as science fiction, I wondered, is there nothing that one might consider to be based on science in Star Wars.  And then I remembered the Force, that seemingly magical plot device that gives the Jedi and the Sith their incredible abilities.  Magic you say?  According to Star Wars lore, the strength of the Force is directly proportional to the amount of Midi-Chlorians that an individual has in their bodies.  Midi-Chlorians are said to be living microscopic organisms that everyone in the Star Wars universe has and are necessary to life.  The Jedi and Sith have learned how to tap into the interconnected nature of these organisms and thus, gain a special intuitive sense and heightened awareness of the goings on around them.  Microorganisms helping humans be more aware; certainly sounds like invented science to me.  There is even mention of a scientifically based test to determine the level of Midi-Chlorians that one possesses in their cells. 

While I pondered this question of what constitutes science fiction, I thought I would take advantage of my Facebook membership to get an idea of what others thought about this subject.  In essence, I asked anyone what their opinion was on what makes up the difference between sci-fi and sci-fantasy and I did receive a few responses.   Thanks to those who did respond including: Jamie Legates (my daughter), Benjamin Arrowood (my son), Jordan Westengaard (former student and FB friend), Mahlon White (friend of many years), Rick Tetrault (sci-fi podcaster), Kevin Bachelder (sci-fi podcaster), Wayne Henderson (podcaster on numerous subjects), Raul Ybarra (fellow blogger), Kevin Dilmore (author), and Michael Jan Friedman (author).  I also got an answer from Dayton Ward (author) when I asked him directly on his blog what genre he thought Star Wars fit into.  Here’s what I learned:

Kevin Bachelder: "I have very, very loose definitions myself. I don't bother to worry about whether it's hard scifi or a hybrid of scifi and fantasy. I consider almost all of it to be scifi in some form. Not a topic that I give much thought to."

Jamie Legates: "The line between science fiction and fantasy is the word SCIENCE. Monster movies don't qualify, Star Wars does. Syfy has it all wrong."

Benjamin Arrowood: "The force (loosely) has a scientific explanation, though, which is the root of sci-fi. I think the difference is actually based more on plot than content. Fantasy is about adventure. Science fiction is about discovery. The general feeling when you watch Star Wars is one of action, light sabers, and bad guys. The general feeling while watching Star Trek is intrigue, logic, contemplation and going where no one has gone before. One is simply more intelligent, and the other more exciting. That's why I've kind of felt that the new Star Trek is more science fantasy. The world it's based in has already been established, so they packed it with action, almost like not needing the character development it once needed."

Jordan Westengaard: "Usually magic draws the line, not often does a scifi have magic. The force could be what makes Star Wars a Sci-fantasy. Also fantasy usually won't have technology ...usually.”

Mahlon White: “For me the answer is magic. Sci-fi uses science and logic to tell a fantastic story. Fantasy relies on some mystic power to tell all or part of the story. Because of the "Force" I would categorize Star Wars as Sci-Fantasy."

Rick Tetrault: “The main difference, in my opinion, is plausibility. Star Trek is Science Fiction because, for the most part, it attempts to ground most of its technology in some form of plausible science. Star Wars, on the other hand, makes little to no attempt at plausibility, and merely makes whatever technology they need to tell the story. They are analogous, yet very different.”

Wayne Henderson: “I would say that Star Wars is somewhere between Science Fiction and Fantasy Adventure. I think Star Wars has quite a few Science Fiction elements to it. Whatever the categorization is, I love Star Wars.”

Raul Ybarra: "It was Arthur C. Clarke who said that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. I believe it was either his second or third law. The simple answer is that there isn't a simple answer. As I said in my response to the SciFi Diner, a purist would likely claim that the line is reached when you cannot trace the concept back to some aspect of legitimate scientific fact or theory. Personally, I think that definition is rather harsh. However that doesn't mean that I think all it needs to be SciFi is to happen in space or to include bug-eyed monsters.
I like to think of it this way, if the story can be *at least* loosely connected to science at the time of its writing, I'm willing to call it science fiction. Yes, you can do that with Star Wars, though those connections are extremely poor. That's why I did class it as SciFi. In fact, one of Lucas' worst mistakes, in my opinion happened when he tried to put *too* much science into the story. Tying the Force to Midi-chlorian was an unnecessary attempt to rationalize something that needed no explanation, in my opinion.
Another example worth thinking about... One of the classic horror stories of all time is Frankenstein. However, many people may not realize this, but Frankenstein is often regarded as the first science fiction novel. The doctor's attempts at reanimation are based on scientific speculation consistent for the time, in spite of their fantasy/horror elements in today's light.
Where I have to draw a line is with a lot of the superhero genre - especially the standard Marvel or DC universes. I'm sorry, but getting bitten by an irradiated spider to confer its abilities just doesn't meet that science threshold, even if it does happen in a lab. Another non-SciFi example? Well, just because a little green man (who also happens to be bug-eyed) is trying to get home builds an interstellar transmitter from an old record player, kite string and a Speak-N-Spell just doesn't reach the SciFi line for me. There's less science there than a typical MacGyver episode!
So, in a way, defining ScFi can be something of a moving target in that you have to take it in the context of its time. Yet, when you look at it in that light, it's not hard to recognize it when you see it.”

Kevin Dilmore

Kevin Dilmore: “I'd certainly consider Star Wars in the SF sub-genre of space opera. It has little to nothing to do with the social and ethical ramifications of advancing technology, which for me is a foundational point of a science-fiction story.”

Dayton Ward

Dayton Ward: "Star Wars isn’t hardcore SF, but rather space opera or space fantasy. IMHO, of course."

Michael Jan Friedman: "Science fiction is fiction based on science; it has to be consistent with what we know of the world. Fantasy has to be consistent only with itself. If you say that interstellar travel is based on science, then SW is science fiction. If you say the Force is based on science, then SW is science fiction. But to me, it's fantasy because it feels more like magic than advanced science."

Michael Jan Friedman

Again, thanks to all of you for your responses.

So what conclusions can be drawn?  What defines science fiction?  Is Star Wars science fiction?

As one can see when looking at the myriad of responses I received, it would seem that the answers to the above questions are unique to each individual  There is no real test to label what is or is not science fiction, within the confines that science, whether real or imagined, must be involved in some way.  I think that perhaps one has to think more in degrees of how hard or soft the science fiction is.  For instance, something like the Fringe television series is very dependent on science to advance the story being told, while at the same time, Star Wars is far less dependent on real science to move that story forward.  So Fringe would be hard sci-fi while Star Wars is soft sci-fi.  Star Trek would have to fall somewhere in between.  Maybe there needs to be a scale, say for instance on a scale of one through five, with five being hard, Fringe is a one, Star Wars is a Five, and Star Trek is a three-point-five.  This isn’t a scale of what one likes though, because as far as I am concerned, I love nearly all science fiction, and especially that which is based in space travel and exploration.

So, for me, science fiction has to have, first and foremost, a good story; second there has to be characters that I can care about, they have to be real to me; and finally there has to be either real or imagined science involved.  So, if you had asked me a month ago if Star Wars was sci-fi, I would have said no, but now, in light of my exploration, I will have to admit that my mind has been changed.

To listen to the Scifi Diner podcasts that sparked this post, go to Conversations Episode 74 and Conversations Episode 76.  Both of these are excellent episodes that include not only the subject of this blog post, but lots of other great conversations and comments.

Q’aplaH!