After the revelations of ‘cryo’ here goes with the prefix ‘hyper’.
This prefix is derived from the Greek word huper meaning ‘over’ or ‘beyond’. It has been used regularly in English word building, but it’s use has extended since World War II ended.
There are general words in the dictionary such as hyperborean, hyperbole, hyperbola and hypernym which have been used since at least the 19th century.
Medical words often use ‘hyper’ as a prefix: hypercalcemia, hyperglycaemia, hypermetropia, hyperthermia, hyperthyroidism and the infamous hyperactive.
Then there are words which have been coined since World War II such as hyperinflation, hypersonic (more than five times the speed of sound), hypertense, hypertext.
It’s thought that the word ‘hyperspace’ was invented by John Campbell Junior in Islands of Space in 1931. Heinlein used it in Starman Jones in 1953. In this context hyperspace is an extra dimension which can be entered via gates or wormholes, allowing travel across vast distances of our Dimension. Other writers have seen hyperspace differently – Frederik Pohl saw it as a pocket universe in The Mapmakers in 1955, George R.R. Martin thought travel there would take longer, (in FTA 1974), and in 1990 John E. Smith wrote Redshift Rendezvous in which light only travelled at 22mph in hyperspace.
The word hyper also appeared in comics in 1940 with Hyper Mystery Comics. This featured a Golden Age Flash Gordon clone, with no name or origin, surnamed ‘the Phenomenal’. He used ray guns and had nothing ‘hyper’ about him.
Uses of ‘hyper’ in Sci Fi Film, Television and Games
‘Hyper’ as a General Prefix
Like everyone else, sci fi writers use ‘hyper’ to mean extra or super, attaching it to just about anything they can.
Hyperactive Spaceballs Mode Dark Helmet’s hyperjets used to reach ludicrous speed.
Hyperbaric Chamber seaQuest DSV: Lostland Container in which the skull from the helmet was locked.
Hyperbolic Resting Chamber My Favourite Martian Replacement for the lounge suggested by Martin. [< hyperbola , a geometric shape]
Hyperboomers Bubblegum Crisis Three Boomers built by Largo to fight the Knight Sabers, but destroyed by Priss at Genom Tower.
Hyperchip McCaffrey, Partnership Polyon’s new version of the hyperchip. Contained a program which allowed him to override and control any system that they were installed in.
Hypercloak Blinx 2 : Masters of Time & Space Special cloak which allowed the Tom Tom Gang to move unseen as long as they moved slowly.
Hypercube Cube 2 Cube which had every face another cube, forming a tesseract. Used in this case as a prison.
Hyper-Galactic Star Cruiser Atomic Betty Spaceship commanded by Atomic Betty, crewed by X5 and Sparky.
Hypergiant Enterprise: Cogenitor Sun with only one hundred years to go supernova examined by Enterprise and the Vissians.
Hyper Gravity ST Animated: Beyond the Farthest Star Property of a dark planet inhabited by an energy being. It sucked ships into orbit for the being to use to escape.
Hyperjets Spaceballs Engines on Dark Helmet’s ship capable of ludicrous speed when they went into hyperactive.
Hyperman Adventures of Hyperman Superhero alien from the planet Do-wop, junior agent for W.A.R.P. sent to protect Earth.
Hypernauts Series, Christy Marx, 1996.
Hyperonic Radiation TNG The Ensigns of Command Type of radiation found on Tau Cygna Five, fatal to humans, also blocking communications and transporters. The settlers had discovered ways to become immune to its influences. Data adapted a phaser to work under its influence.
Hyperoptic DriveThe Osiris Chronicles A form of interstellar drive.
Hyper Police Series, Anime, 1997
Hyper Rage Farscape: Thank God It’s Friday, Again Condition suffered by D’Argo causing him to flee to the Skyaran people where he found peace for five days.
Hyper reality probe seaQuest DSV :To Be or Not To Be Design feature of seaQuest not created by Bridger.
Hyper Sapien: People From Another Star Film, 1986, Canada.
Hyperseal, deadlocked handcuffs Torchwood: Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang Items John used on Gwen to make the team find a way to release the personalised bomb attached to him.
Hypersleep 1. Alien Cargo Cryogenic sleep state used by SSS to rotate crew on freighters.
2. Alien 3 Cryogenic stasis used during long space journeys.
Hypersonic Soundwaves D? The Lazarus Experiment Use of sound above the range of human hearing to create a resonance in the rejuvenation chamber. Recreated by the Doctor using an organ in a Cathedral bell tower, changing Lazarus back into a normal human.
Hyperspanner Enterprise: Minefield Tool used by Archer to defuse the Romulan mine.
Hyperspectral Imaging Andromeda: Phear Phactor Phenom Technology used to find nanobots present in human secretions.
HyperStone Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The HyperStone Heist Device which Shredder acquired from Dimension X. Shrank buildings.
Hypertrichosis Lanuganosa X-Files: The Post-Modern Prometheus Aka Hirsutism. Real condition of over hairiness, possibly caused by persistent growth of baby hair.
Hypertime Clockstoppers State of being in which a human moved so fast that time appeared to stand still. Accessed by the use of molecular accelerators, or time watches. This would allow surgeons to perform operations between beats of a heart.
‘Hyper’ relating to Hyperspace
Hyperspace is a word used by mathematicians to mean spaces of more than three dimensions. It is used commonly in Science Fiction, but with slight variations in its meaning. New words have developed to describe parts and theories of this other dimension, and for the engines required to travel into it.
1.Star Trek the Next Generation 1987 - 1993; Star Wars 1977 ; Deep Space Nine 1993-2000; Star Trek Voyager 1995-2001 ; Crusade 1998.
An area of space separate to normal Space-time, usually approached through a wormhole, stargate or slipstream not following the usual rules of time and distance. Originally hyperspace was pictured as a rushing void, often twisting like a vortex. In later programs, such as Crusade it has been depicted as having distance, artefacts and life-forms.
2. Babylon Five Soul Hunter A layer of space where travel was much faster because the distance between points was less. Entered through a Jump Gate, beacons provided a guide for ships to prevent them from becoming lost. Appeared to be red in colour.
3. Doctor Who: The Stones of Blood Alternate dimension parallel to ours used to bypass time distortion when travelling faster than the speed of light. Cessair of Diplos trapped her pursuer’s ship in hyperspace for 4000 years.
4. Sliders: Pilot Title of text read by Quinn even though his travels through a wormhole into different dimensions don’t seem to involve hyperspace.
5. Weber, On Basilisk Station A compressed dimension of space where the distance between two points was shorter than in normal space. Existed in multiple bands, the ‘higher’ the band, the shorter the distance between points.
6. Lexx: The Game Called The Other Zone. Location where Kai chose to play Prince a game of chess. Entered through a portal, separate to our Universe, it appealed to Prince.
Hyperspace Drive Stargate SG1: Fail Safe Function of the Hatak vessel, repaired and used to take the asteroid through Earth rather than crash into it.
Hyperspace Field Stargate Atlantis: No Man’s Land Area of space used by ships travelling faster than light. Prevented the launch of small ships from a larger ship e.g. Darts and Daggers.
Hyperspace Physics Test Star Trek: The Next Generation: Coming of Age Part of the test sequence undergone by Wesley to see if he was ready for Starfleet. Everyone in the group passed.
Hyperspace Portal Stargate Atlantis: Inferno Opening in the fabric of space to allow a ship to travel vast distances in no time. Used by McKay to take the Orion away from Taranis.
Hyperspace sub-beam Blake’s 7: Seek, Locate, Destroy A Federation message scrambler.
Hyperdrive and a few others
Hyperdrive 1. Star Trek the Next Generation 1987 - 1993; Star Wars 1977 ; Deep Space Nine 1993-2000; Star Trek Voyager 1995-2001 ; Crusade 1998.
Engines on a star-ship allowing travel faster than light, and entry to hyperspace.
2. Blake’s 7 Space Fall Engine allowing a ship to travel faster than the speed of light.
3. Lost in Space Secondary drive for the Jupiter 2 usually forming a gate for travel.
4. Stargate SG1: Company of Thieves Engine driving the Odyssey.
5. Weber: Mission of Honor Usual type of engine, replaced with Streak Drive which was faster.
6. Star Wars: A New Hope Engine used by the Millenium Falcon, class 0.5.
7. Series, 2006, Britain. This is more a sitcom than a serious science fiction show, so hyperdrive and hyperspace aren’t very important.
Hyperdrive Sequence Dark Star Preparation to travel to another system, begun after a bomb dropped with enough time to leave a system before the planet exploded.
Hypergate Lost in Space Device allowing control over the entry into hyperspace. Once a second gate was installed at any destination, instantaneous travel was possible. With no gate there was no exit vector.
Hyper generators Weber, On Basilisk Station Machines used to accelerate a ship into hyper.
Hyperlaunch Stargate SG1: Within the Serpent’s Grasp Process of accelerating a Goa’uld ship into hyperspeed.
Hyperlight Drive Lois and Clarke: Foundling Technology allowing Superman’s spaceship to travel from Krypton to Earth.
Hyperspeed Stargate SG1: Within the Serpent’s Grasp Goa’uld referent for speeds faster than light.
Hyperwall Weber, On Basilisk Station The limit on the edge of a solar system where gravity ceased to interfere and hyper can be entered.
Hyperwave Red Dwarf: Ouroboros Phenomenon in space travelling through non-space to the next dimension. Allowed an unstable linkway to form between dimensions, and the transferral of Kochanski.
Where to now? FTL
In the 2000’s the word hyperspace is still used, but less commonly. Series like Battlestar Galactica and Stargate Universe use the term ‘FTL’ meaning faster than light, to describe the style of engines being used in starships and the speed at which they go. This has possibly been in response to criticisms that ‘hyperspace’ and ‘hyperdrive’ did not describe the speeds being travelled at. It would be theoretically possible to travel in ‘hyperspace’ at sub-light speeds. Star Trek did at least develop sub-light engines as well as warp engines to help with these problems.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Friday, December 3, 2010
In Cryo
Recently I read Lois McMaster Bujold’s new Miles Vorkosigan novel: Cryoburn. Devoted Bujold fans will be over the moon to have new book in this series, but other readers will get a lot out of it as well. Cryoburn presents a planet where the corporations have taken over the process of cryostasis as a business, encouraging everyone to use their facilities. Underneath the main cities there are miles of tunnels full of cryopods. These are so huge that when Miles gets lost in them, there is a real possibility he will be lost forever, but then he’s Miles Vorkosigan, so he doesn’t. When a cryostasis chemical fails and many people in the pods die, the companies plot to move off planet and save their money.............
What’s unusual in this novel is that instead of using cryosleep to take people to distant stars, companies use it to help people circumvent actual death. Even Miles thinks old people should use it instead of dying. But, his mother asks, what would they wake up to?
So where did the idea of cryosleep come from and how did the words associated with it develop?
Derivations
The word ‘cryonics’ was made up in the 1960’s by Karl Werner Aspenstrom, a Swedish poet and essayist. In 1967 the Cryonics Society of California began freezing people who had just died. (And a lot thawed out in 1981 during a power failure, leaving the company to be sued.)
The prefix cryo comes from the Greek word ‘Kryos’, meaning frost. Cryogenesis comes from blending cryo with the word ‘genesis’ which is of Greek origin meaning development. So the first meaning of anything to do with cryo is to be put on ice, or frozen. All the additions to the concept of replacing blood with a special fluid and using a special container, came later.
‘Cryo’ has become a popular prefix. Here’s a short list of words from the Encyclopaedia Britannica:
Cryobanking
Cryoflora
Cryoglobulinemia
Cryoglobulins
Cryolite
Cryolophosaurus
Cryomedicine
Cryophilic
Cryoprecipitate
Cryoprotective
Cryopump
Cryosphere
Cryostat
Cryosurgery
Cryovegetation
None of these words has anything to do with cryonics, but they all have something to do with low temperatures. And yes, it is a dinosaur!
Prior to the use of the prefix ‘cryo’ writers used the term ‘Suspended Animation.’ SA can mean freezing, but it also involves hypnotic trances and gas induced sleep. SA often involves Earth being visited by creatures or people from the past, and spins off into Mummy genres so it is used in nearly the opposite way to ‘cryo’.
For the purpose of this blog I will leave out accidental freezing, in glaciers or the Arctic, as stories about these freezings have different purposes, even though some social problems they discuss overlap.
1940’s and 1950’s
This time period only includes Suspended Animation, which is seen in novels:
Far Centaurus by A.E. Van Vogt in 1944 had sleepers in cryo beaten to their planet by ships with FTL.
The Insurgents by Vercors in 1957.
The Door into Summer by Heinlein in 1957.
1960’s
In this decade cryonics was described in novels, not in films. It was used for different purposes in different books:
Dumarest series by E.C. Tubb, saw two forms of space travel, one using drugs and using cryo.
The Age of the Pussyfoot by Frederik Pohl in 1969. Cryo suspension for travel into deep space.
Why Call Them Back from Heaven? By Clifford Simak in 1967. Asked whether people could be tried for letting people die, not freezing them.
Zapiski iz budushchego by Nikolai Amosov, 1969. Translated into English in 1970 as Notes from the Future.
1970’s
This is the first decade in which cryogenesis appears in film, but it was rudimentary with only words for containers being used, and no systematic language use evolving.
Cryogenic Capsule Blake’s 7: Time Squad Unit providing extremely cold temperatures, used to suspend the aging process of people for long term travel at sub-light speed.
Cryogenic suspension Blake’s 7 Headhunter A booth to maintain life at its lowest viable point.
Cryogenic Freezer Compartment Dark Star Unit in which the fatally injured Commander Powell was kept so that he could be consulted in emergencies.
Cryotube Battlestar Galactica: Lost Planet of the Gods Medical support chambers, kept pilots alive until Dr. Salik found a cure for their infection.
Novels in this time period included:
Absolute Zero by Ernest Tidyman poses an industrialist building up a cryonics industry, but sends up the idea.
Looking Backward, from the Year 2000 by Mack Reynolds, 1973 used freezing for space travel.
Ozymandias by Terry Carr, 1972 had people escape a war by using cryo.
The Defenceless Dead by Larry Niven showed that the dead could be exploited as a resource.
The Dream Millennium by James White, 1974 examined psychological results of long term freezing.
1980’s
Cryogenic Laboratory Timelapse Location where Hardy was reanimated twelve years after his murder.
Suspended Animation Red Dwarf: Confidence and Paranoia Said to be the state someone held in stasis stayed in.
1990’s
This is the decade when cryo gets going as a concept, with lots of new words appearing to deal with the state of being in cryo, the containers again, and some equipment.
Cryoco Terminator 2 Brand of liquid nitrogen tanker driven by the T1000.
Cryocon Demolition Man Convicts placed in cryogenic suspension, to be revived if their skills are useful to society. Run by Cocteau Industries.
Cryogenic Freezer B5 The Long Dark Container creating a state of hibernation for humans. Mariah Cirrus was revived after one hundred years in one of these
Cryogenic Hibernation SG Out Of Mind Being in a state of cryogenic suspension. SG1 was placed into this state and then revived by Hathor, who created the illusion that they were in an SGC in the year 2077.
Cryogenic Lockers B5 The Illusion of Truth Cryogenic suspension chambers used to freeze a person on Babylon 5 until they could be transferred to Earth for treatment.
Cryogenic Pods 1. Lexx: Wake the Dead Units in which five teenagers stayed for three hundred years after they failed to set up the right code for a wake up call.
2. . SQDSV When We Dead Awaken Containers held in a secure location, one holding Alison Brody who needed a cure for the virus General Brody gave her.
3. . SG1 Into the Fire Device into which Raully placed O’Neill to kill the symbiote in him. [< resembled scene with Han Solo in Return of the Jedi]
Cryogenic Units B5 The Illusion of Truth Suspension chambers used on Babylon5.
Cryo Reversal Stargate: Out Of Mind Process of being brought out of cryogenic hibernation.
Cryostasis 1. Demolition Man To be suspended animation in sub zero conditions. Used as a punishment.
2. Lexx State of suspension in which the dead Kai was held until he was next needed.
3. Lost in Space State of suspended animation required for a long space trip, involving freezing in individual tubes.
Cryosuit Lost in Space Thick leather suits worn by crew when in suspended animation.
Cryotransport Mercy Point Mobile bed allowing a patient to remain in cryostasis.
Cryotube 1. System Shock 2 Medical pod in which G65434-2 woke on the Von Braun with amnesia.
2. Lexx Clear container in which Kai was placed in stasis until he was next needed.
2000’s
Once again, there have been a lot of words coined to deal with new concepts in this field. Notice that cryogenesis is shortened to cryo most of the time.
Cryobank James Cameron’s Avatar Storage facility for cryovaults in the habitation section of a space ship travelling to Pandora. Resembled drawers in a cupboard.
Cryocorps Cryoburn Businesses selling cryogenic services to the population of Kibou-daini, including WhiteChry and NewEgypt. Badly affected when a lot of customers died due to a failure of cryo fluid. Planned to set up new companies on Komarr and flee.
Cryo Device A Past is Prolix Chamber in which Trance was placed when her temperature was out of control due to the approach of her sun. Launched into space and drenched with plasma to save her.
Cryogenic Casket Torchwood: Sleeper Container in which Beth was placed to keep her from activating into an alien agent. Failed as she emitted a false image.
Cryogenic Pods Farscape: Season of Death Containers holding creatures ready for harvest when the Diagnosan needed body parts. Supposedly at the point of death, not all were. Jool was held in one of these.
Cryo Neck Cooler Andromeda: When Goes Around----- Object around Harper’s neck, initially cooling him but imminently causing problems.
Cryopods Farscape: Die Me Dichotomy Stasis chambers, used by Grunchlk to store people in order to harvest their body parts for paying customers.
Cryosleep James Cameron’s Avatar State of suspended animation in which soldiers and others sent to Pandora were kept for the trip in cryovaults.
Cryosync The Incredible Hulk 2008 Cryogenic freezing chamber in which the super soldier serum was kept.
Cryostasis Farscape :Thank God It’s Friday, Again State Rygel was kept in until Aeryn worked out what was wrong and how to cure it. Kept him at 105 degrees below Galerian frost point.
Cryovault James Cameron’s Avatar Container in which people were kept in cryosleep for the trip to Pandora. Laid flat in a cryobank, had hardly any headroom for the sleeper.
That Darned Container
The container a human is placed in to be frozen has had a lot of names:
Cryovault, cryosync, cryopods, cryogenic pod, cryogenic casket, cryo device, cryotube, cryogenic locker, cryogenic unit, cryogenic tube, cryogenic capsule, cryogenic freezer or freezer compartment.
Hmmm – no consensus yet.
Stasis
Cryostasis is a word used in Demolition Man/Lexx /Farscapeand Lost in Space. It’s use is valid in that it means to be frozen for huge amounts of time, remaining stable and not decaying. But it’s meaning is likely to be mixed up with the concept of ‘Stasis’ which relates to Quantum Physics. Theoretically a living being could be placed outside the space time continuum and then be returned hundreds or thousands of years later, feeling as if they had been gone a second or two.
This is of course, what happened to Lister in Red Dwarf.
Stasis Chamber 1.Red Dwarf The End Container in which normal space/time can be ‘switched off’ leaving the occupant outside our reality.
2. Deep Space 9 Vortex Container used to keep Croden’s daughter Yareth safe.
3. Doctor Who: 42 Medical containment cylinder the Doctor wanted Korwin kept in, placed in it himself when infected. This didn’t seem to operate like a normal stasis chamber.
4. Stargate Atlantis: The Kindred Ancient device in which Carson’s clone was placed until the drug needed to keep him alive could be synthesised.
5. Stargate Atlantis : The Last Man Ancient device in which Sheppard had to remain for hundreds of years until the solar activity was sufficient to send him back to his own time.
Stasis Generator Slider’s :The Unstuck Man Machine creating a field to hold Geiger who had become unstuck between dimensions.
Stasis Gun Farscape : A Bug’s Life Weapon placing victims in suspended animation rather than killing them.
Stasis Leak Red Dwarf: Stasis Leak A leak from the stasis chamber, floor 16, froze time in a particular place, creating a doorway through time which Lister, Rimmer and the Cat used to travel back in time. People could come back from the past unless they belonged in the future.
Stasis Lock Transformers 1984 Automatic shutdown of systems in a Transformer to prevent the loss of spark when severely damaged.
Stasis Pod 1. Transformers 1984 Container which held protoform until given a solid form. Able to scan life forms and use them as a template for the form of the Transformer.
2. The Next Generation: The Neutral Zone Containers holding the frozen bodies of dead humans, kept in orbit around Earth until the container drifted far into space.
3. Enterprise: Precious Cargo Type of biopod for transporting people over long distance.
4.Stargate Atlantis: Whispers Containers in an abandoned lab, left by Michael with creatures he made from the DNA of several animals. They could not be controlled so they were left there.
5. Earth Final Conflict: Trapped by Time Containers housing three astronauts from Apollo 20 who returned before they left. X Trammel.
6. The Wizard of Mars Aka jazzy columns. X Column
7. Doctor Who: The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood Suspended animation chambers used by the Silurians to survive what they thought was an Apocalypse. View of multiple chambers in Roman Army camp pattern resembled Star Wars 2.
Once again, the word ‘stasis’ is used in the 1960’s in the Wizard of Mars and in the 1980’s in Transformers. But its widespread use is in the 1990’s and 2000’s. There is a similar confusion of its meaning, with some uses being what is really cryogenesis.
There are stasis pods and chambers, so there is more agreement on the naming of the devices used here than there is for cryogenesis.
What’s unusual in this novel is that instead of using cryosleep to take people to distant stars, companies use it to help people circumvent actual death. Even Miles thinks old people should use it instead of dying. But, his mother asks, what would they wake up to?
So where did the idea of cryosleep come from and how did the words associated with it develop?
Derivations
The word ‘cryonics’ was made up in the 1960’s by Karl Werner Aspenstrom, a Swedish poet and essayist. In 1967 the Cryonics Society of California began freezing people who had just died. (And a lot thawed out in 1981 during a power failure, leaving the company to be sued.)
The prefix cryo comes from the Greek word ‘Kryos’, meaning frost. Cryogenesis comes from blending cryo with the word ‘genesis’ which is of Greek origin meaning development. So the first meaning of anything to do with cryo is to be put on ice, or frozen. All the additions to the concept of replacing blood with a special fluid and using a special container, came later.
‘Cryo’ has become a popular prefix. Here’s a short list of words from the Encyclopaedia Britannica:
Cryobanking
Cryoflora
Cryoglobulinemia
Cryoglobulins
Cryolite
Cryolophosaurus
Cryomedicine
Cryophilic
Cryoprecipitate
Cryoprotective
Cryopump
Cryosphere
Cryostat
Cryosurgery
Cryovegetation
None of these words has anything to do with cryonics, but they all have something to do with low temperatures. And yes, it is a dinosaur!
Prior to the use of the prefix ‘cryo’ writers used the term ‘Suspended Animation.’ SA can mean freezing, but it also involves hypnotic trances and gas induced sleep. SA often involves Earth being visited by creatures or people from the past, and spins off into Mummy genres so it is used in nearly the opposite way to ‘cryo’.
For the purpose of this blog I will leave out accidental freezing, in glaciers or the Arctic, as stories about these freezings have different purposes, even though some social problems they discuss overlap.
1940’s and 1950’s
This time period only includes Suspended Animation, which is seen in novels:
Far Centaurus by A.E. Van Vogt in 1944 had sleepers in cryo beaten to their planet by ships with FTL.
The Insurgents by Vercors in 1957.
The Door into Summer by Heinlein in 1957.
1960’s
In this decade cryonics was described in novels, not in films. It was used for different purposes in different books:
Dumarest series by E.C. Tubb, saw two forms of space travel, one using drugs and using cryo.
The Age of the Pussyfoot by Frederik Pohl in 1969. Cryo suspension for travel into deep space.
Why Call Them Back from Heaven? By Clifford Simak in 1967. Asked whether people could be tried for letting people die, not freezing them.
Zapiski iz budushchego by Nikolai Amosov, 1969. Translated into English in 1970 as Notes from the Future.
1970’s
This is the first decade in which cryogenesis appears in film, but it was rudimentary with only words for containers being used, and no systematic language use evolving.
Cryogenic Capsule Blake’s 7: Time Squad Unit providing extremely cold temperatures, used to suspend the aging process of people for long term travel at sub-light speed.
Cryogenic suspension Blake’s 7 Headhunter A booth to maintain life at its lowest viable point.
Cryogenic Freezer Compartment Dark Star Unit in which the fatally injured Commander Powell was kept so that he could be consulted in emergencies.
Cryotube Battlestar Galactica: Lost Planet of the Gods Medical support chambers, kept pilots alive until Dr. Salik found a cure for their infection.
Novels in this time period included:
Absolute Zero by Ernest Tidyman poses an industrialist building up a cryonics industry, but sends up the idea.
Looking Backward, from the Year 2000 by Mack Reynolds, 1973 used freezing for space travel.
Ozymandias by Terry Carr, 1972 had people escape a war by using cryo.
The Defenceless Dead by Larry Niven showed that the dead could be exploited as a resource.
The Dream Millennium by James White, 1974 examined psychological results of long term freezing.
1980’s
Cryogenic Laboratory Timelapse Location where Hardy was reanimated twelve years after his murder.
Suspended Animation Red Dwarf: Confidence and Paranoia Said to be the state someone held in stasis stayed in.
1990’s
This is the decade when cryo gets going as a concept, with lots of new words appearing to deal with the state of being in cryo, the containers again, and some equipment.
Cryoco Terminator 2 Brand of liquid nitrogen tanker driven by the T1000.
Cryocon Demolition Man Convicts placed in cryogenic suspension, to be revived if their skills are useful to society. Run by Cocteau Industries.
Cryogenic Freezer B5 The Long Dark Container creating a state of hibernation for humans. Mariah Cirrus was revived after one hundred years in one of these
Cryogenic Hibernation SG Out Of Mind Being in a state of cryogenic suspension. SG1 was placed into this state and then revived by Hathor, who created the illusion that they were in an SGC in the year 2077.
Cryogenic Lockers B5 The Illusion of Truth Cryogenic suspension chambers used to freeze a person on Babylon 5 until they could be transferred to Earth for treatment.
Cryogenic Pods 1. Lexx: Wake the Dead Units in which five teenagers stayed for three hundred years after they failed to set up the right code for a wake up call.
2. . SQDSV When We Dead Awaken Containers held in a secure location, one holding Alison Brody who needed a cure for the virus General Brody gave her.
3. . SG1 Into the Fire Device into which Raully placed O’Neill to kill the symbiote in him. [< resembled scene with Han Solo in Return of the Jedi]
Cryogenic Units B5 The Illusion of Truth Suspension chambers used on Babylon5.
Cryo Reversal Stargate: Out Of Mind Process of being brought out of cryogenic hibernation.
Cryostasis 1. Demolition Man To be suspended animation in sub zero conditions. Used as a punishment.
2. Lexx State of suspension in which the dead Kai was held until he was next needed.
3. Lost in Space State of suspended animation required for a long space trip, involving freezing in individual tubes.
Cryosuit Lost in Space Thick leather suits worn by crew when in suspended animation.
Cryotransport Mercy Point Mobile bed allowing a patient to remain in cryostasis.
Cryotube 1. System Shock 2 Medical pod in which G65434-2 woke on the Von Braun with amnesia.
2. Lexx Clear container in which Kai was placed in stasis until he was next needed.
2000’s
Once again, there have been a lot of words coined to deal with new concepts in this field. Notice that cryogenesis is shortened to cryo most of the time.
Cryobank James Cameron’s Avatar Storage facility for cryovaults in the habitation section of a space ship travelling to Pandora. Resembled drawers in a cupboard.
Cryocorps Cryoburn Businesses selling cryogenic services to the population of Kibou-daini, including WhiteChry and NewEgypt. Badly affected when a lot of customers died due to a failure of cryo fluid. Planned to set up new companies on Komarr and flee.
Cryo Device A Past is Prolix Chamber in which Trance was placed when her temperature was out of control due to the approach of her sun. Launched into space and drenched with plasma to save her.
Cryogenic Casket Torchwood: Sleeper Container in which Beth was placed to keep her from activating into an alien agent. Failed as she emitted a false image.
Cryogenic Pods Farscape: Season of Death Containers holding creatures ready for harvest when the Diagnosan needed body parts. Supposedly at the point of death, not all were. Jool was held in one of these.
Cryo Neck Cooler Andromeda: When Goes Around----- Object around Harper’s neck, initially cooling him but imminently causing problems.
Cryopods Farscape: Die Me Dichotomy Stasis chambers, used by Grunchlk to store people in order to harvest their body parts for paying customers.
Cryosleep James Cameron’s Avatar State of suspended animation in which soldiers and others sent to Pandora were kept for the trip in cryovaults.
Cryosync The Incredible Hulk 2008 Cryogenic freezing chamber in which the super soldier serum was kept.
Cryostasis Farscape :Thank God It’s Friday, Again State Rygel was kept in until Aeryn worked out what was wrong and how to cure it. Kept him at 105 degrees below Galerian frost point.
Cryovault James Cameron’s Avatar Container in which people were kept in cryosleep for the trip to Pandora. Laid flat in a cryobank, had hardly any headroom for the sleeper.
That Darned Container
The container a human is placed in to be frozen has had a lot of names:
Cryovault, cryosync, cryopods, cryogenic pod, cryogenic casket, cryo device, cryotube, cryogenic locker, cryogenic unit, cryogenic tube, cryogenic capsule, cryogenic freezer or freezer compartment.
Hmmm – no consensus yet.
Stasis
Cryostasis is a word used in Demolition Man/Lexx /Farscapeand Lost in Space. It’s use is valid in that it means to be frozen for huge amounts of time, remaining stable and not decaying. But it’s meaning is likely to be mixed up with the concept of ‘Stasis’ which relates to Quantum Physics. Theoretically a living being could be placed outside the space time continuum and then be returned hundreds or thousands of years later, feeling as if they had been gone a second or two.
This is of course, what happened to Lister in Red Dwarf.
Stasis Chamber 1.Red Dwarf The End Container in which normal space/time can be ‘switched off’ leaving the occupant outside our reality.
2. Deep Space 9 Vortex Container used to keep Croden’s daughter Yareth safe.
3. Doctor Who: 42 Medical containment cylinder the Doctor wanted Korwin kept in, placed in it himself when infected. This didn’t seem to operate like a normal stasis chamber.
4. Stargate Atlantis: The Kindred Ancient device in which Carson’s clone was placed until the drug needed to keep him alive could be synthesised.
5. Stargate Atlantis : The Last Man Ancient device in which Sheppard had to remain for hundreds of years until the solar activity was sufficient to send him back to his own time.
Stasis Generator Slider’s :The Unstuck Man Machine creating a field to hold Geiger who had become unstuck between dimensions.
Stasis Gun Farscape : A Bug’s Life Weapon placing victims in suspended animation rather than killing them.
Stasis Leak Red Dwarf: Stasis Leak A leak from the stasis chamber, floor 16, froze time in a particular place, creating a doorway through time which Lister, Rimmer and the Cat used to travel back in time. People could come back from the past unless they belonged in the future.
Stasis Lock Transformers 1984 Automatic shutdown of systems in a Transformer to prevent the loss of spark when severely damaged.
Stasis Pod 1. Transformers 1984 Container which held protoform until given a solid form. Able to scan life forms and use them as a template for the form of the Transformer.
2. The Next Generation: The Neutral Zone Containers holding the frozen bodies of dead humans, kept in orbit around Earth until the container drifted far into space.
3. Enterprise: Precious Cargo Type of biopod for transporting people over long distance.
4.Stargate Atlantis: Whispers Containers in an abandoned lab, left by Michael with creatures he made from the DNA of several animals. They could not be controlled so they were left there.
5. Earth Final Conflict: Trapped by Time Containers housing three astronauts from Apollo 20 who returned before they left. X Trammel.
6. The Wizard of Mars Aka jazzy columns. X Column
7. Doctor Who: The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood Suspended animation chambers used by the Silurians to survive what they thought was an Apocalypse. View of multiple chambers in Roman Army camp pattern resembled Star Wars 2.
Once again, the word ‘stasis’ is used in the 1960’s in the Wizard of Mars and in the 1980’s in Transformers. But its widespread use is in the 1990’s and 2000’s. There is a similar confusion of its meaning, with some uses being what is really cryogenesis.
There are stasis pods and chambers, so there is more agreement on the naming of the devices used here than there is for cryogenesis.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
What's in the Water?
What’s in the Water?
Having looked at the metaphor of water in sci fi, it’s time to move on to what’s in that water, including creatures, aliens, humanoids, dolphins, undersea kingdoms and cities. There’s at least an equal number of films, series and novels on engineered humans and dolphins, as there are sea creatures.
There’s a phenomenon in this genre where sea creatures are present in space, either as theory or as satire. There’s also a lot of amusing stuff here as well, depending on your humour (especially if 1950’s films make you giggle.)
Good creatures:
Considering how much we use the sea there aren’t many good creatures in it in sci fi. Penguins are downgraded to villains in Batman and fish are evil in Darius+. But there are a few goodies:
Sealab 2020 (1972) featured an underwater facility where the crew looked after the ocean and its inhabitants.
seaQuest DSV Darwin is a sentient, speaking dolphin who helps the ship.
Star Trek: The Way Home Kirk has to find whales in the past to bring to the present to save the planet from an alien ship.
Cocoon A group swam around the Atlantis site, attracted to the aliens. Present in the opening scenes as the aliens landed.
The New Adventures of Ocean Girl has a sacred whale called Mandrool.
Bad Creatures
Most of the animals we envisage coming from the sea are evil, often having been created from pollution or scientific experiments. They usually want to dine on human beings or take over the planet, regularly stomping through cities in their attempts. It’s a lot like plants again, writers don’t like anything non-human.
Generally bad creatures are large and live alone in the water or near the water using it to approach humans e.g. The Host.
20,000 Leagues Beneath the Sea (novel 1870; films 1907, 1916, 1954; Game 1998) A giant squid attacks the Nautilus.
Frankenfish (2004) had a monster mutated fish killing people in the bayou.
Godzilla In the 1998 film this creature was formed by undersea nuclear testing and later returned to the sea to lay eggs.
It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955) A giant octopus from the Mindinao trench followed shipping to San Francisco.
The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues (1956) showed a monster created from radioactive rocks in the ocean.
Leviathan (1989) Deep Sea creatures are adversely affected by genetic modification.
Primeval (2006), season one episode four, featured monsters living in the water, who initially appeared from the vortex , in a pool.
Silurians ( aka Sea Devils) in Doctor Who (The Silurians/Warriors of the Deep/The Hungry Earth) are reptilian creatures living under the sea, often shown with a third eye. They repeatedly tried to take over the Earth as they originally owned it. Started in season 7, 1963 and continues until the present season.
Snakehead Terror (2002?) shows monstrous crocodilians living in a lake where they are disturbed.
The Beast from 20,000 fathoms (1954) Although this beast is a defrosted dinosaur it is a rhedosaurus which returns to the ocean.
The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1955) A half human, half marine creature plays tricks on a group of tourists.
SeaQuest DSV dagger redux (1994) A genetically engineered creature, released by the Marauder to eat the skin off seaQuest was beaten off against undersea rocks.
SeaLab 2021 Happycake (2000) A giant variety of squid which found the happycake oven.
Red Dwarf: Nanarchy (circa 1995) A despair squid nearly destroyed the crew.
Hyperdrive: A Gift from the Glish (2006) The whale people of Jorrain are really rude.
The creatures in Surface initially appear to be small and cute, with only one example, but there are others that multiply to take over the oceans.
An interesting digression from the good creature/bad creature dichotomy is shown in Deep Shock (2002) where electric eels melting the ice caps are ancient inhabitants of the Earth. Seen as a threat by the authorities who bomb their home, they are valued as an intelligent species by a scientist and her military partner and saved.
It’s odd how relatively few giant squids there are in sci fi, especially when there are lots of giant spiders, maggots, turtles (Gamera), flies, claws, gila monsters, leeches, and behemoths.
Humanoids
For humans to live in the sea, or even work in it, they must be genetically engineered, usually with gills. Startide Rising has humans working with dolphins on a starship using equipment in the water compartments. This would be time consuming when alternatives exist.
Engineered ‘tritons’ are described in the pulp sci fi story Crisis in Utopia by Norman L. Knight in 1940.
The same idea is presented again by Knight, writing a novel with James Blish in 1967 called A Torrent of Faces.
City Under the Sea (1957) and Beyond the Silver Sky (1961 by Kenneth Bulmer both describe artificially engineered humans living under the sea.
The Space Swimmers (1963) by Gordon R. Dickson and Ocean on Top (1967) by Hal Clement also describe artificially altered people.
Humans however, can live in the sea but generally need to be adapted to sea life with gills:
Gill girl and guy in Dark Angel Gill Girl; Gill men in The City Under the Sea (1965); Piccolo in seaQuest DSV.
Does Princess Neri have gills in The New Adventures of Ocean Girl ? or the original Neri (Ocean Girl 1994-7)? She should have.
The Mariner in Waterworld (1995) has natural gills to survive after the melting of the polar ice.
A departure from the idea of engineering humans is presented in 1974 in the novel The Godwhale by Thomas J. Bass with a cyborg whale.
Humans and Dolphins
seaQuest supposed that dolphins could be given equipment to allow them to speak. Novels that examine this idea are:
The Jonah Kit by Ian Watson, 1975
A Deeper Sea by Alexander Jablokov, 1992
Into the Deep by Ken Grimwood, 1995
Undersea Kingdoms and Cities.
Atlantis is an enduring themes, presented in many ways, but there have been other cities and kingdoms imagined under the sea.
Old novels on Atlantis include:
The Crystal City Under the Sea by Andre Laurie in 1895
The Sunken World by Stanton A. Coblenz in 1928
The Maracot Deep by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1929
They Found Atlantis by Dennis Wheatley in 1936
The Deep Range was a novel by Arthur C. Clarke in 1957.
Undersea Quest described underwater colonization in 1954. This became a trilogy, by Frederik Pohl and Jack Williamson.
Films and series include:
Atlantis (Stargate Atlantis: The Lost Continent/Atlantis: The Lost Empire/Atlantis: Milo’s Return/Lost Atlantis);
City Beneath the Sea (1963)
Gungan City (Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, 1999);
Landau Munitions Depot (SeaQuest DSV Brothers and Sisters);
Rapture (Bioshock, 2007/8) In this game the player kills genetically altered inhabitants to restore the balance. Not very edifying.
Undersea Kingdom (Undersea Kingdom) Another Atlantis story with the villains wanting to take over Earth.
Space Leviathans
Another odd thing I’ve noticed is how many marine creatures end up in space:
Ben Bova includes ‘leviathans’ in his book Jupiter. These huge creatures save an Earth probe by pushing it up out of danger.
Doctor Who: The Beast Below A whale powers the City of London through space.
Farscape: Moya as a space Leviathan kept in control, as was her son Talyn.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy : A whale appears in space over Magrathea.
Terry Pratchett: An enormous turtle flies through space supporting four elephants who hold up Discworld.
Treasure Planet has a fleet of space whales.
Star Trek: The Next Generation Galaxy’s Child has a space whale baby which imprints on the Enterprise.
Raft by Stephen Baxter: A fleet of space whales saves the hero, Rees.
Aliens in the Water
Occasionally aliens set up camp in Earth’s oceans, waiting for us to discover them or to attack us:
Atomic Submarine from 1959 had an alien ship at the North Pole attacking submarines.
Abyss : Aliens have an underwater base that glows, but had not been found as it was very deep.
Sphere : Some kind of space ship lurked in the depths, making dreams come true for those who found it.
Sundiver and Startide Rising by David Brin in 1983 has a dolphin commander, Crideiki, hide his ship in the ocean of another planet.
Conclusions:
I’ve learned that sci fi writers don’t like the sea much, but they don't actually hate it. Any body of deep water brings fear of the unknown. As usual there are more monsters and villains than good guys, and lots of suspicious engineered humanoids. But, probably thanks to the lack of films and series in this genre, there’s not the same feeling of hatred there is to trees and other vegetation in sci fi.
But it really is time to rethink our ocean stories. With the collapse of the Gulf Stream and the melting of the polar caps there have been some stories coming out of the ocean, but there should be more.
Having looked at the metaphor of water in sci fi, it’s time to move on to what’s in that water, including creatures, aliens, humanoids, dolphins, undersea kingdoms and cities. There’s at least an equal number of films, series and novels on engineered humans and dolphins, as there are sea creatures.
There’s a phenomenon in this genre where sea creatures are present in space, either as theory or as satire. There’s also a lot of amusing stuff here as well, depending on your humour (especially if 1950’s films make you giggle.)
Good creatures:
Considering how much we use the sea there aren’t many good creatures in it in sci fi. Penguins are downgraded to villains in Batman and fish are evil in Darius+. But there are a few goodies:
Sealab 2020 (1972) featured an underwater facility where the crew looked after the ocean and its inhabitants.
seaQuest DSV Darwin is a sentient, speaking dolphin who helps the ship.
Star Trek: The Way Home Kirk has to find whales in the past to bring to the present to save the planet from an alien ship.
Cocoon A group swam around the Atlantis site, attracted to the aliens. Present in the opening scenes as the aliens landed.
The New Adventures of Ocean Girl has a sacred whale called Mandrool.
Bad Creatures
Most of the animals we envisage coming from the sea are evil, often having been created from pollution or scientific experiments. They usually want to dine on human beings or take over the planet, regularly stomping through cities in their attempts. It’s a lot like plants again, writers don’t like anything non-human.
Generally bad creatures are large and live alone in the water or near the water using it to approach humans e.g. The Host.
20,000 Leagues Beneath the Sea (novel 1870; films 1907, 1916, 1954; Game 1998) A giant squid attacks the Nautilus.
Frankenfish (2004) had a monster mutated fish killing people in the bayou.
Godzilla In the 1998 film this creature was formed by undersea nuclear testing and later returned to the sea to lay eggs.
It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955) A giant octopus from the Mindinao trench followed shipping to San Francisco.
The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues (1956) showed a monster created from radioactive rocks in the ocean.
Leviathan (1989) Deep Sea creatures are adversely affected by genetic modification.
Primeval (2006), season one episode four, featured monsters living in the water, who initially appeared from the vortex , in a pool.
Silurians ( aka Sea Devils) in Doctor Who (The Silurians/Warriors of the Deep/The Hungry Earth) are reptilian creatures living under the sea, often shown with a third eye. They repeatedly tried to take over the Earth as they originally owned it. Started in season 7, 1963 and continues until the present season.
Snakehead Terror (2002?) shows monstrous crocodilians living in a lake where they are disturbed.
The Beast from 20,000 fathoms (1954) Although this beast is a defrosted dinosaur it is a rhedosaurus which returns to the ocean.
The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1955) A half human, half marine creature plays tricks on a group of tourists.
SeaQuest DSV dagger redux (1994) A genetically engineered creature, released by the Marauder to eat the skin off seaQuest was beaten off against undersea rocks.
SeaLab 2021 Happycake (2000) A giant variety of squid which found the happycake oven.
Red Dwarf: Nanarchy (circa 1995) A despair squid nearly destroyed the crew.
Hyperdrive: A Gift from the Glish (2006) The whale people of Jorrain are really rude.
The creatures in Surface initially appear to be small and cute, with only one example, but there are others that multiply to take over the oceans.
An interesting digression from the good creature/bad creature dichotomy is shown in Deep Shock (2002) where electric eels melting the ice caps are ancient inhabitants of the Earth. Seen as a threat by the authorities who bomb their home, they are valued as an intelligent species by a scientist and her military partner and saved.
It’s odd how relatively few giant squids there are in sci fi, especially when there are lots of giant spiders, maggots, turtles (Gamera), flies, claws, gila monsters, leeches, and behemoths.
Humanoids
For humans to live in the sea, or even work in it, they must be genetically engineered, usually with gills. Startide Rising has humans working with dolphins on a starship using equipment in the water compartments. This would be time consuming when alternatives exist.
Engineered ‘tritons’ are described in the pulp sci fi story Crisis in Utopia by Norman L. Knight in 1940.
The same idea is presented again by Knight, writing a novel with James Blish in 1967 called A Torrent of Faces.
City Under the Sea (1957) and Beyond the Silver Sky (1961 by Kenneth Bulmer both describe artificially engineered humans living under the sea.
The Space Swimmers (1963) by Gordon R. Dickson and Ocean on Top (1967) by Hal Clement also describe artificially altered people.
Humans however, can live in the sea but generally need to be adapted to sea life with gills:
Gill girl and guy in Dark Angel Gill Girl; Gill men in The City Under the Sea (1965); Piccolo in seaQuest DSV.
Does Princess Neri have gills in The New Adventures of Ocean Girl ? or the original Neri (Ocean Girl 1994-7)? She should have.
The Mariner in Waterworld (1995) has natural gills to survive after the melting of the polar ice.
A departure from the idea of engineering humans is presented in 1974 in the novel The Godwhale by Thomas J. Bass with a cyborg whale.
Humans and Dolphins
seaQuest supposed that dolphins could be given equipment to allow them to speak. Novels that examine this idea are:
The Jonah Kit by Ian Watson, 1975
A Deeper Sea by Alexander Jablokov, 1992
Into the Deep by Ken Grimwood, 1995
Undersea Kingdoms and Cities.
Atlantis is an enduring themes, presented in many ways, but there have been other cities and kingdoms imagined under the sea.
Old novels on Atlantis include:
The Crystal City Under the Sea by Andre Laurie in 1895
The Sunken World by Stanton A. Coblenz in 1928
The Maracot Deep by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1929
They Found Atlantis by Dennis Wheatley in 1936
The Deep Range was a novel by Arthur C. Clarke in 1957.
Undersea Quest described underwater colonization in 1954. This became a trilogy, by Frederik Pohl and Jack Williamson.
Films and series include:
Atlantis (Stargate Atlantis: The Lost Continent/Atlantis: The Lost Empire/Atlantis: Milo’s Return/Lost Atlantis);
City Beneath the Sea (1963)
Gungan City (Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, 1999);
Landau Munitions Depot (SeaQuest DSV Brothers and Sisters);
Rapture (Bioshock, 2007/8) In this game the player kills genetically altered inhabitants to restore the balance. Not very edifying.
Undersea Kingdom (Undersea Kingdom) Another Atlantis story with the villains wanting to take over Earth.
Space Leviathans
Another odd thing I’ve noticed is how many marine creatures end up in space:
Ben Bova includes ‘leviathans’ in his book Jupiter. These huge creatures save an Earth probe by pushing it up out of danger.
Doctor Who: The Beast Below A whale powers the City of London through space.
Farscape: Moya as a space Leviathan kept in control, as was her son Talyn.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy : A whale appears in space over Magrathea.
Terry Pratchett: An enormous turtle flies through space supporting four elephants who hold up Discworld.
Treasure Planet has a fleet of space whales.
Star Trek: The Next Generation Galaxy’s Child has a space whale baby which imprints on the Enterprise.
Raft by Stephen Baxter: A fleet of space whales saves the hero, Rees.
Aliens in the Water
Occasionally aliens set up camp in Earth’s oceans, waiting for us to discover them or to attack us:
Atomic Submarine from 1959 had an alien ship at the North Pole attacking submarines.
Abyss : Aliens have an underwater base that glows, but had not been found as it was very deep.
Sphere : Some kind of space ship lurked in the depths, making dreams come true for those who found it.
Sundiver and Startide Rising by David Brin in 1983 has a dolphin commander, Crideiki, hide his ship in the ocean of another planet.
Conclusions:
I’ve learned that sci fi writers don’t like the sea much, but they don't actually hate it. Any body of deep water brings fear of the unknown. As usual there are more monsters and villains than good guys, and lots of suspicious engineered humanoids. But, probably thanks to the lack of films and series in this genre, there’s not the same feeling of hatred there is to trees and other vegetation in sci fi.
But it really is time to rethink our ocean stories. With the collapse of the Gulf Stream and the melting of the polar caps there have been some stories coming out of the ocean, but there should be more.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Water
Water
We’re living in times when water matters. The poles are melting, faster than expected, raising sea levels faster than was ever believed possible. People protest they are no longer allowed to build too close to the coast. The current protests about the plan for the Murray-Darling river system shows how difficult water issues are now and will be even more so in the future.
There is not enough fresh water, glaciers are melting bringing down floods, but the glaciers are not being replaced. Water is being divvied up by countries around the globe, not always happily. There will be wars about who owns water.
Rivers are dying because we are using all the water. ‘Water rights’ are being bought up from farmers so that rivers can flow again. Or are the water rights really being sold to agribusinesses who will control our food in the future?
We search for water on the Moon, on Mars, on every planet, hoping there will be enough to sustain life.
Did science fiction writers foresee these problems with water? What did water signify to them? Is water a theme or a metaphor in sci if, or both?
Water on Earth
Water, water everywhere: Waterworld showed a flooded Earth were everyone lived on rafts. With a vague memory of dry land, the Mariner struggles to save himself and give his ‘family’ a new life. Very few of us believe the whole planet will flood, but the idea was interesting.
More in line with what is happening is the idea that the government or large companies will take control of the water.
The Girl from Tomorrow as an Australian teenage series that presumed the misuse of water in our time would lead to dreadful water shortages in the future, and a military state to control everybody. The criminals Draco and Silverthorn steal water from the present to make a fortune for themselves in the future, destroying the far future as a result. Everything has to be set right, and the characters determine to be environmental activists to help the future be better.
Tank Girl has the Water and Power Company keeping strict control of water, stopping renegades like Tank Girl taking it.
Flash Gordon the series portrays Ming controlling the water on Mongo, then stealing it from Earth when he begins to run out.
The main idea seems to be that water shortages will lead to militaristic governments and companies controlling the water and the population.
How do we cope on other planets?
Arrakis is the most famous ‘other planet’ in this genre. In Dune Frank Herbert invented a planet that had very little water. On Arrakis the people wear ‘still suits’ to recycle every drop of water. Even at death people must return their water to their clan. An indoor garden is the greatest luxury you can have on Arrakis. When the ecology of Arrakis was changed to be wetter, this was a disaster and had to be reversed.
In Star Trek Voyager The Ocampa planet had underground supplies of water which it traded with the Kazon. Janeway is able to impress the Kazon by replicating water and beaming it in containers to the surface, then letting it run away when they won’t co-operate.
Stargate Universe has an episode Water where characters search for water on a likely planet, finding some that has creatures in it. At least water is acknowledged as a basis of life fundamental to survival.
In Earth 2 the groups has to find water that is safe to drink, trusting the Terrians to lead them to the right source.
Stargate Fire and Water has Daniel held in a laboratory underwater where he can’t escape.
Lexx has planet water refusing to share with water with planet fire, causing a war.
Finding safe water on other planets will be testing for humans. If there are other races competing for water there will be danger.
What about Underwater Cities?
Sci fi is fond of cities underwater with pretty domes and lights shining through the murk. No-one has built one yet, and seaQuest shows how difficult they could be.
Star Wars: Phantom Menace (film) The Gungans have an underwater city, which is quite dangerous to reach. Full of glass and lights with no information on how they grow food.
The Abyss (film) has an alien city in the depths of the ocean, with no realistic details.
City Beneath the Sea (film) has a race of water breathing humanoids called aquanoids.
The Neptune Factor (film) shows the rescue of people from an underwater lab.
Xardion (game) has Oceansphere.
Seastalker ( game) has the city Aquadome.
AquaNox (game) has the city Neopolis which is a battleground .
Blackstar (series) has the underwater kingdom of Aquaria.
The Fin(comic) had the underwater kingdom of Neptunia
Red Dwarf Nanarchy (series) showed Ocean World, with its Despair Squid.
seaQuest DSV (series) shows a number of underwater installations, most of which are imperfect.
Summing Up
Water gives life and with that it gives incredible power.
The lack of water can destroy a group, or lead to the dominance of a bullying leadership.
Uneven distribution of water can lead to war.
Living underwater is difficult and dangerous.
The ecology of this planet and others has to be respected. Altering an ecology successfully is difficult.
We may not be the only races needing water.
Intelligent creatures could develop gills to live underwater.
Water greedy gardens are a luxury, but we should have some.
Safe water is precious.
Next: It’s what’s in the water that matters.
We’re living in times when water matters. The poles are melting, faster than expected, raising sea levels faster than was ever believed possible. People protest they are no longer allowed to build too close to the coast. The current protests about the plan for the Murray-Darling river system shows how difficult water issues are now and will be even more so in the future.
There is not enough fresh water, glaciers are melting bringing down floods, but the glaciers are not being replaced. Water is being divvied up by countries around the globe, not always happily. There will be wars about who owns water.
Rivers are dying because we are using all the water. ‘Water rights’ are being bought up from farmers so that rivers can flow again. Or are the water rights really being sold to agribusinesses who will control our food in the future?
We search for water on the Moon, on Mars, on every planet, hoping there will be enough to sustain life.
Did science fiction writers foresee these problems with water? What did water signify to them? Is water a theme or a metaphor in sci if, or both?
Water on Earth
Water, water everywhere: Waterworld showed a flooded Earth were everyone lived on rafts. With a vague memory of dry land, the Mariner struggles to save himself and give his ‘family’ a new life. Very few of us believe the whole planet will flood, but the idea was interesting.
More in line with what is happening is the idea that the government or large companies will take control of the water.
The Girl from Tomorrow as an Australian teenage series that presumed the misuse of water in our time would lead to dreadful water shortages in the future, and a military state to control everybody. The criminals Draco and Silverthorn steal water from the present to make a fortune for themselves in the future, destroying the far future as a result. Everything has to be set right, and the characters determine to be environmental activists to help the future be better.
Tank Girl has the Water and Power Company keeping strict control of water, stopping renegades like Tank Girl taking it.
Flash Gordon the series portrays Ming controlling the water on Mongo, then stealing it from Earth when he begins to run out.
The main idea seems to be that water shortages will lead to militaristic governments and companies controlling the water and the population.
How do we cope on other planets?
Arrakis is the most famous ‘other planet’ in this genre. In Dune Frank Herbert invented a planet that had very little water. On Arrakis the people wear ‘still suits’ to recycle every drop of water. Even at death people must return their water to their clan. An indoor garden is the greatest luxury you can have on Arrakis. When the ecology of Arrakis was changed to be wetter, this was a disaster and had to be reversed.
In Star Trek Voyager The Ocampa planet had underground supplies of water which it traded with the Kazon. Janeway is able to impress the Kazon by replicating water and beaming it in containers to the surface, then letting it run away when they won’t co-operate.
Stargate Universe has an episode Water where characters search for water on a likely planet, finding some that has creatures in it. At least water is acknowledged as a basis of life fundamental to survival.
In Earth 2 the groups has to find water that is safe to drink, trusting the Terrians to lead them to the right source.
Stargate Fire and Water has Daniel held in a laboratory underwater where he can’t escape.
Lexx has planet water refusing to share with water with planet fire, causing a war.
Finding safe water on other planets will be testing for humans. If there are other races competing for water there will be danger.
What about Underwater Cities?
Sci fi is fond of cities underwater with pretty domes and lights shining through the murk. No-one has built one yet, and seaQuest shows how difficult they could be.
Star Wars: Phantom Menace (film) The Gungans have an underwater city, which is quite dangerous to reach. Full of glass and lights with no information on how they grow food.
The Abyss (film) has an alien city in the depths of the ocean, with no realistic details.
City Beneath the Sea (film) has a race of water breathing humanoids called aquanoids.
The Neptune Factor (film) shows the rescue of people from an underwater lab.
Xardion (game) has Oceansphere.
Seastalker ( game) has the city Aquadome.
AquaNox (game) has the city Neopolis which is a battleground .
Blackstar (series) has the underwater kingdom of Aquaria.
The Fin(comic) had the underwater kingdom of Neptunia
Red Dwarf Nanarchy (series) showed Ocean World, with its Despair Squid.
seaQuest DSV (series) shows a number of underwater installations, most of which are imperfect.
Summing Up
Water gives life and with that it gives incredible power.
The lack of water can destroy a group, or lead to the dominance of a bullying leadership.
Uneven distribution of water can lead to war.
Living underwater is difficult and dangerous.
The ecology of this planet and others has to be respected. Altering an ecology successfully is difficult.
We may not be the only races needing water.
Intelligent creatures could develop gills to live underwater.
Water greedy gardens are a luxury, but we should have some.
Safe water is precious.
Next: It’s what’s in the water that matters.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
sci fi drinks
Sci Fi Drinks
As a follow up to food, drinks are another topic where Sci fi needs a shake up!
Non-Alcoholic Drinks
Sci fi writers offer some alternatives for non-drinkers: coffee, tea, fruit and health juices, milk and milkshakes. So far I haven’t noticed anyone using any form of sports drink. Tea and coffee are normal beverages in our society, so there’s not too much to say about them yet. Milk and milkshakes are generally warming, healthy drinks, particularly for children.
It’s the fruit, vegetable and health drinks that draw my ire, just as fruit and vegetables did in sci fi food. The nicest sounding drinks are lemon, fruit cup and fruited source water. But then we get drinks that would put anybody off – cauliflower juice, Kelp’s Kool Tonic, Spinach Juice with Pear. There are so many enticing variations of fruit juice that could be used or invented, but instead sci fi writers put viewers off juice with their uncool choices. They’re not as bad with soft drinks, but the heavy reliance on Cola drinks is promoting an unhealthy choice, if not being downright boring and uncreative. Bubbleshock is the most creative, but it was part of an alien conspiracy, and was bad for you.
There is another aspect of drinks that is more interesting: characters become associated with the drinks they favour. This didn’t happen much with food.
Tea – Captain Picard favoured Earl Grey, hot, for his Star Trek adventures.
Cola – In Andromeda Harper loved Sparky Cola.
Juice – Worf drank prune juice when in human company, and blood wine in Klingon circles. This hasn’t raised the status of prune juice, even though he thought it was a man’s drink.
Raktajino was the symbol drink of Deep Space Nine, especially Julian Bashir.
These are the main references in McKenzie’s Sci Fi Dictionary:
Coffee Cappuccino (Eearth Final Conflict: Keys to the Kingdom ); Cappuccino with chocolate sprinkles (Torchwood: A Day in the Death ); Coffee, Jamaica blend, double strength, double sweet (Deep Space 9: Whispers ); Coffee (Stargate: SG1 Urgo /Crusade: Visitors from down the Street); Frappucino (Roswell: Wipeout! ); Mochachino (Hyperdrive: A Gift from the Glish ); Proteinaceous Seed (Star Trek Voyager: The Cloud ); Raktajino(Deep Space 9: The Homecoming et al);
Fruit/Vegetable/Health Juice Aloe Vera (Goodnight Sweetheart :Easy Living); Cauliflower Juice (Hyperdrive: Weekend Off );Balso tonic (Star Trek: Next Generation: The Host ); Bolian tonic water (Deep Space 9:Paradise Lost); Fruit Cup (K-9 and Company); Fruited Source Water (Flash Gordon: Pride); Icoberry Juice (Deep Space 9: Let He Who is Without Sin ); Korvino Juice (Deep Space 9:Defiant);Lemon Drink (The Happening ); Prune Juice (Star Trek: Next Generation: Yesterday’s Enterprise ); Kelp’s Kool Tonic (The Nutty Professor 1963); Special Juice (Hyperdrive: Assessment ); Spinach Juice with Pear (Star Trek Voyager: Eye of the Needle );
Milkshakes and Milk Drinks Banana Guava Shake (Kyle XY: The List is Life ); Banana Milk (The Host); Banana milkshake (Torchwood: Random Shoes); Chocolate shake (Kyle XY :Leap of Faith); Chocolate Wonder (Kyle XY :Grey Matters); Cocoa (Goodnight Sweetheart: Come fly With Me );Curry Milkshake (Red Dwarf); Enyac’s milk (Deep Space 9: Ties of Blood and Water); Martian Shake (Roswell: Pilot); Mercury Milkshake (Roswell: Blood Brother); Strawberry Milkshake (Goodnight Sweetheart season 4 In the Mood );
Soft Drink Bubbleshock (Sarah-Jane Adventures: Invasion of the Bane ); Cherry Cola (Kyle XY: Leap of Faith); Cola (Dinotopia: Contact ); Ginger Beer (Doctor Who: The Unicorn and the Wasp/ Goodnight Sweetheart season 4 In the Mood ); Guarana Soda (The Incredible Hulk 2008); Impact Cola (Slider’s: The Young and the Relentless ); Lemonade (The Nutty Professor 1963/D? The Happiness Patrol ); Root Beer (Deep Space 9: Facets ); Slusho Mix (Star Trek 2009 ); Slushy (Primeval 2/1 ); Sweetwater (Stargate SG1 2001 ); Sparky Cola (Andromeda); Trixian Bubble Juice (Deep Space 9:The Storyteller);
Tea Andonian Tea (Star Trek: Next Generation: Conspiracy ); Chamomile Tea (Kyle XY: Sleepless in Seattle/ Earth 2); Deka Tea (Deep Space 9:The Alternate ); Earl Grey Tea (Star Trek: Next Generation: Contagion et al ); Govaline Tea (Deep Space 9:The Muse); Janaran Tea (Enterprise: Chosen Realm); Klabnian Fire Tea (Star Trek 2009 ); Lemon tea (Star Trek: Next Generation:The Host); Marob Root Tea (Star Trek Voyager: Ex Post Facto); Red leaf Tea (Deep Space 9: Civil Defense ); Tarkalean Tea (Deep Space 9:Cardassians );Tea (Goodnight Sweetheart :Come fly With Me); Valerian Root Tea (Star Trek: Next Generation: Second Chances);
Alcoholic Drinks :
There is a large number of alcoholic drinks in the McKenzie list, which at first sight makes you think sci fi encourages alcohol consumption. The feeling gets even worse when you see how much the squeaky clean Star Trek Universe drinks. The problem here is taking alcohol out of context. Even though there is a full range of alcoholic drinks, from beer to wine and champagne, as well as spirits, alcohol is usually seen as something to consume to relax or celebrate. People who drink too much are reprimanded or avoided. There doesn’t seem to be any difference in this attitude between American or British series and films, where there were differences in what foods are encouraged. Men and women drink alcohol, not quite equally, but often together in social situations. The important things to realise is that the attitude to alcohol is one of enjoyment in moderation.
But it’s interesting that alien drinks are often more alcoholic than human ones, and that drinking alcohol is often a test of alien manhood (not womanhood) to drink them. Humans sometimes fall foul of this attitude and unless prepared beforehand ( as Riker was for Klingon beverages) always regret joining in. Characters aren’t normally identified with a particular form of alcohol as they were with tea or soft drink. In fact, some characters like Kerr Avon in Blakes’ Seven are identified with not drinking alcohol. It’s more common for characters to share alcohol for special occasions e.g. Reg and Gary share drinks in Goodnight Sweetheart, both for Reg’s retirement and VE night. Whenever Gary has to drink in both time periods he inhabits, he regrets it the next day. When Ron drinks too much in the same series, it is to show what a serious problem he has and how Gary overlooks it.
On a word making basis, it is the alien drinks that promote word invention and playfulness. Apart from Bubbleshock, most drinks have normal names.
These are the listings in McKenzie’s Dictionary for alcohol.
Beer Ale and ambrosia (Battlestar Galactica: Lost Planet of the Gods); Andorian Ale (Deep Space 9: Meridian ); Beer(The Host/ Stargate Atlantis: The Shrine/ Goodnight Sweetheart: The Yanks Are Coming);Bitters (Deep Space 9: Homecoming); Brestanti Ale (Deep Space 9: Blood Oath); Budweiser Classic (Star Trek 2009 ); Guinness (Eearth Final Conflict: The Secret of Strand Hill); Maporian Ale (Deep Space 9: Looking for par’Mach in All The Wrong Places ); Maraltian Seev-ale( Deep Space 9: Duet); Romulan ale (Star Trek: Next Generation:: The Defector ); Synthale (Deep Space 9: Playing God/ Deep Space 9: Bar Association ); Trakian Ale (Star Trek: Next Generation: Lower Decks );
Brandy Alvanian Brandy (Deep Space 9: Body Parts ); Brandy Alexander (Roswell: Viva Las Vegas); Brandy and Soda (Goodnight Sweetheart : The Bells Are Ringing); Cherry Brandy (Goodnight Sweetheart : Just one More Chance); Saurian Brandy (Deep Space 9: Prophet Motive); Yridian Brandy (Deep Space 9: The Sword of Kahless)
Champagne Bollinger ‘69 (Moonraker); Bollinger Champagne (GSw Mairzy Doats); Champagne (Doctor Who: Rose/Doctor Who: The Empty Child/ Star Trek: Next Generation: Datalore/ Torchwood: Out of Time/Tripods: Chateau Ricardeau, France/ Deep Space 9: Prophet Motive/ Stardust/ Star Trek: Next Generation:: Parallels); Chateau Picard (ST Nemesis); Dom Perignon Champagne (Earth Final Conflict: Horizon Zero ); Pink Champagne (Bionic Woman 2007: The Education of Jaime Sommers ); Kandora Champagne (Deep Space 9: Meridian );
Liqueurs and Aperitifs Alaskan Polar Bear (The Nutty Professor 1963); Black Hole (Deep Space 9:the Homecoming/ Deep Space 9: Playing God); Bombay multi-fling (Star Hyke: Plug’n’Play ); Buzzer (BG The Lost Warrior ); Cardassian Sunrise (Star Trek 2009 ); Choc Mint Liqueur (Goodnight Sweetheart : Pennies from Heaven); Daiquiri (The Invaders: Inquisition ); Harvey Wallbanger (Doctor Who: The Unicorn and the Wasp); Jovian Sunspot (Babylon 5: Spider in the Web); Langour (Deep Space 9: Vortex); Lemon, lime, and bitters (Doctor Who: The Unicorn and the Wasp ); Mai Tai (Dinotopia: Car Wars ); Margarita (Bionic Woman 2007: The Education of Jaime Sommers); Martini(Iron Man); Modela Apertif (Deep Space 9: Dramatis Personae); Passionfruit Martini (Stargate SG1: Memento Mori ); Samarian Sunset (Deep Space 9: Profit and Loss ); Sidecar (Doctor Who: The Unicorn and the Wasp ); Zulu (Spr Banshees)
Rum and Blackcurrant (Goodnight Sweetheart :Out of Town)
Tequila Taelon Tequila (Earth Final Conflict: Phantom Companion); Tequila (Goodnight Sweetheart : Pennies from Heaven );
Vodka (Flash Gordon: The Sorrow ); Vodka, tonic with a slice of lemon (Torchwood: To the Last Man);
Whisky Aldebaran Whisky (Deep Space 9: Prophet Motive ); Bourbon (The Invaders: Inquisition); Jack (Star Trek 2009); JD and Coke (Torchwood: Greeks Bearing Gifts); Poteen (Star Trek: Next Generation: Up the Long Ladder); Rye and Ginger (Star Trek: Next Generation: Manhunt);Scotch (Star Trek: Next Generation: Manhunt/ Deep Space 9: Homecoming/ Iron Man); Single Malt Irish Whisky (Deep Space 9: The Assignment ); Sour Mash (The Invaders: Counter-attack ); Tennessee Whisky (Goodnight Sweetheart :The Yanks Are Coming ); Whisky (Threshold/ Dinotopia: Marooned );
Wine Alberian wine (Flash Gordon: Alliances ); Azalea Springs Merlot (Scanner Darkly); Mint Julep (Lois and Clarke: The Man of Steel Bars); Calamon Sherry (Star Trek: The Next Generation: In Theory ); Dandelion and Burdock (Goodnight Sweetheart :The Leaving of Liverpool); Klingon Fire Wine (Star Trek: The Next Generation: A Fistful of Datas ); Mead (Lexx: A Midsummer’s Nightmare ); Mojito (Primeval Episode Six ); Prosecco (Deep Space 9: Rivals ); Rooswine (Stargate Atlantis: Missing); Wine (Star Trek: Next Generation: Family ); Vignon (Battlestar Galactica: The Lost Warrior);
Alien Drinks: Afterbringer – (Andromeda: The Pearls that were his eyes); Arcturian Fizz (Star Trek: Next Generation: Ménage a Troi); Bloodwine ( Enterprise: Judgement); Chech’tuth (Star Trek: Next Generation: Up the Long Ladder ); Coco-no-no (Star Trek: The Next Generation: Booby Trap ); Fanalian Toddy (Deep Space 9:Explorers ); Fish juice (Deep Space 9: Trials and Tribble-ations); Kanor (Deep Space 9: Profit and Loss); Millipede Juice (Deep Space 9: Prophet Motive); Muskan Seed Punch (Star Trek: Next Generation: Aquiel); Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Series); Papalla Juice (Star Trek: Next Generation: Liaisons Planetwiper Amc ; Quaff (The Flying Sorcerers); Rasslak (Farscape: Nerve); Red Torian (Star Trek: Next Generation:The Mind’s Eye);Rokassa Juice (Deep Space 9: Cardassians); Skaara’s Moonshine (Stargate SG1 Children of the Gods ); Snail Juice (Deep Space 9: Bar Association/ Deep Space 9: Let He Who is Without Sin ); Stardrifter (Deep Space 9: The Storyteller); Synthehol (Star Trek: Next Generation: Up the Long Ladder );
Tanquesary and Tonic (Jumper); Til’amin Froth (Deep Space 9: Empok Nor );TKL (Star Trek: Next Generation: Yesterday’s Enterprise); TKO (Quantum Leap: The Right Hand of God); Tranyas (Deep Space 9: Facets ); Warnog (Star Trek: Next Generation: Rightful Heir );
Drugs
Drugs are generally not shown in a positive light in any sci fi. Some drugs are used to control people or aliens, others are highly addictive and difficult to withdraw from. Characters are not shown smoking tobacco, even when it was considered cool to smoke there were few characters who did so (it might have interfered with makeup and rubber costumes!) and generally no-one smokes pot. Characters like Vila in Blake’s 7 who drinks alcohol and soma, are despised by the other characters. However Dr. Franklin is forgiven for his Stems addiction once he has shaken it off. Keeping your head clear is important in space.
The names for drugs are often quite inventive, moving from real names to more evocative ones. Any drug promising good feelings like Bliss or nectar, should be avoided!
Amnesia Pill (Torchwood: They Keep Killing Suzie);
Beetle Snuff (Deep Space 9 :Prophet Motive )
;Bliss (Eearth Final Conflict Bliss/Doctor Who: Gridlock);
Blissto AmcC Partnership;
Buzzbeanium (Lexx: Patches in the Sky) ;
Dust (Babylon5: Dust to Dust);
Flash (Andromeda: The Pearls that were his eyes); Ketracel White (Deep Space 9 :Hippocratic Oath);
Kryss (Eearth Final Conflict: Sins of the Father); Learning Drugs (Red Dwarf: Balance of Power);
Morpha Battlestar Galactica: Rapture; Nectar (Haze: New Crime City);
Percocet (4400 Hidden) ; Preservanex (Supertoys Last all Summer);
Rapture O5;
Roshna (Stargate: SG1: Deadman Switch);
Shadow (Blake's 7);
Soma – form of alcohol and adrenalin, (Blake's 7, Brave New World);
Sphinx Green (Weber: Honor Among Enemies);
Stems (Babaylon5 :Walkabout;)
Substance D (Scanner Darkly );
Substance 35 (Stargate: SG1: Watergate);
Ultrazone (robot drug) (Red Dwarf: Beyond a Joke) ;
Vitas (Babylon 5: Voices from the Past);
Vitazoid (Blake's 7: Gambit);
As a follow up to food, drinks are another topic where Sci fi needs a shake up!
Non-Alcoholic Drinks
Sci fi writers offer some alternatives for non-drinkers: coffee, tea, fruit and health juices, milk and milkshakes. So far I haven’t noticed anyone using any form of sports drink. Tea and coffee are normal beverages in our society, so there’s not too much to say about them yet. Milk and milkshakes are generally warming, healthy drinks, particularly for children.
It’s the fruit, vegetable and health drinks that draw my ire, just as fruit and vegetables did in sci fi food. The nicest sounding drinks are lemon, fruit cup and fruited source water. But then we get drinks that would put anybody off – cauliflower juice, Kelp’s Kool Tonic, Spinach Juice with Pear. There are so many enticing variations of fruit juice that could be used or invented, but instead sci fi writers put viewers off juice with their uncool choices. They’re not as bad with soft drinks, but the heavy reliance on Cola drinks is promoting an unhealthy choice, if not being downright boring and uncreative. Bubbleshock is the most creative, but it was part of an alien conspiracy, and was bad for you.
There is another aspect of drinks that is more interesting: characters become associated with the drinks they favour. This didn’t happen much with food.
Tea – Captain Picard favoured Earl Grey, hot, for his Star Trek adventures.
Cola – In Andromeda Harper loved Sparky Cola.
Juice – Worf drank prune juice when in human company, and blood wine in Klingon circles. This hasn’t raised the status of prune juice, even though he thought it was a man’s drink.
Raktajino was the symbol drink of Deep Space Nine, especially Julian Bashir.
These are the main references in McKenzie’s Sci Fi Dictionary:
Coffee Cappuccino (Eearth Final Conflict: Keys to the Kingdom ); Cappuccino with chocolate sprinkles (Torchwood: A Day in the Death ); Coffee, Jamaica blend, double strength, double sweet (Deep Space 9: Whispers ); Coffee (Stargate: SG1 Urgo /Crusade: Visitors from down the Street); Frappucino (Roswell: Wipeout! ); Mochachino (Hyperdrive: A Gift from the Glish ); Proteinaceous Seed (Star Trek Voyager: The Cloud ); Raktajino(Deep Space 9: The Homecoming et al);
Fruit/Vegetable/Health Juice Aloe Vera (Goodnight Sweetheart :Easy Living); Cauliflower Juice (Hyperdrive: Weekend Off );Balso tonic (Star Trek: Next Generation: The Host ); Bolian tonic water (Deep Space 9:Paradise Lost); Fruit Cup (K-9 and Company); Fruited Source Water (Flash Gordon: Pride); Icoberry Juice (Deep Space 9: Let He Who is Without Sin ); Korvino Juice (Deep Space 9:Defiant);Lemon Drink (The Happening ); Prune Juice (Star Trek: Next Generation: Yesterday’s Enterprise ); Kelp’s Kool Tonic (The Nutty Professor 1963); Special Juice (Hyperdrive: Assessment ); Spinach Juice with Pear (Star Trek Voyager: Eye of the Needle );
Milkshakes and Milk Drinks Banana Guava Shake (Kyle XY: The List is Life ); Banana Milk (The Host); Banana milkshake (Torchwood: Random Shoes); Chocolate shake (Kyle XY :Leap of Faith); Chocolate Wonder (Kyle XY :Grey Matters); Cocoa (Goodnight Sweetheart: Come fly With Me );Curry Milkshake (Red Dwarf); Enyac’s milk (Deep Space 9: Ties of Blood and Water); Martian Shake (Roswell: Pilot); Mercury Milkshake (Roswell: Blood Brother); Strawberry Milkshake (Goodnight Sweetheart season 4 In the Mood );
Soft Drink Bubbleshock (Sarah-Jane Adventures: Invasion of the Bane ); Cherry Cola (Kyle XY: Leap of Faith); Cola (Dinotopia: Contact ); Ginger Beer (Doctor Who: The Unicorn and the Wasp/ Goodnight Sweetheart season 4 In the Mood ); Guarana Soda (The Incredible Hulk 2008); Impact Cola (Slider’s: The Young and the Relentless ); Lemonade (The Nutty Professor 1963/D? The Happiness Patrol ); Root Beer (Deep Space 9: Facets ); Slusho Mix (Star Trek 2009 ); Slushy (Primeval 2/1 ); Sweetwater (Stargate SG1 2001 ); Sparky Cola (Andromeda); Trixian Bubble Juice (Deep Space 9:The Storyteller);
Tea Andonian Tea (Star Trek: Next Generation: Conspiracy ); Chamomile Tea (Kyle XY: Sleepless in Seattle/ Earth 2); Deka Tea (Deep Space 9:The Alternate ); Earl Grey Tea (Star Trek: Next Generation: Contagion et al ); Govaline Tea (Deep Space 9:The Muse); Janaran Tea (Enterprise: Chosen Realm); Klabnian Fire Tea (Star Trek 2009 ); Lemon tea (Star Trek: Next Generation:The Host); Marob Root Tea (Star Trek Voyager: Ex Post Facto); Red leaf Tea (Deep Space 9: Civil Defense ); Tarkalean Tea (Deep Space 9:Cardassians );Tea (Goodnight Sweetheart :Come fly With Me); Valerian Root Tea (Star Trek: Next Generation: Second Chances);
Alcoholic Drinks :
There is a large number of alcoholic drinks in the McKenzie list, which at first sight makes you think sci fi encourages alcohol consumption. The feeling gets even worse when you see how much the squeaky clean Star Trek Universe drinks. The problem here is taking alcohol out of context. Even though there is a full range of alcoholic drinks, from beer to wine and champagne, as well as spirits, alcohol is usually seen as something to consume to relax or celebrate. People who drink too much are reprimanded or avoided. There doesn’t seem to be any difference in this attitude between American or British series and films, where there were differences in what foods are encouraged. Men and women drink alcohol, not quite equally, but often together in social situations. The important things to realise is that the attitude to alcohol is one of enjoyment in moderation.
But it’s interesting that alien drinks are often more alcoholic than human ones, and that drinking alcohol is often a test of alien manhood (not womanhood) to drink them. Humans sometimes fall foul of this attitude and unless prepared beforehand ( as Riker was for Klingon beverages) always regret joining in. Characters aren’t normally identified with a particular form of alcohol as they were with tea or soft drink. In fact, some characters like Kerr Avon in Blakes’ Seven are identified with not drinking alcohol. It’s more common for characters to share alcohol for special occasions e.g. Reg and Gary share drinks in Goodnight Sweetheart, both for Reg’s retirement and VE night. Whenever Gary has to drink in both time periods he inhabits, he regrets it the next day. When Ron drinks too much in the same series, it is to show what a serious problem he has and how Gary overlooks it.
On a word making basis, it is the alien drinks that promote word invention and playfulness. Apart from Bubbleshock, most drinks have normal names.
These are the listings in McKenzie’s Dictionary for alcohol.
Beer Ale and ambrosia (Battlestar Galactica: Lost Planet of the Gods); Andorian Ale (Deep Space 9: Meridian ); Beer(The Host/ Stargate Atlantis: The Shrine/ Goodnight Sweetheart: The Yanks Are Coming);Bitters (Deep Space 9: Homecoming); Brestanti Ale (Deep Space 9: Blood Oath); Budweiser Classic (Star Trek 2009 ); Guinness (Eearth Final Conflict: The Secret of Strand Hill); Maporian Ale (Deep Space 9: Looking for par’Mach in All The Wrong Places ); Maraltian Seev-ale( Deep Space 9: Duet); Romulan ale (Star Trek: Next Generation:: The Defector ); Synthale (Deep Space 9: Playing God/ Deep Space 9: Bar Association ); Trakian Ale (Star Trek: Next Generation: Lower Decks );
Brandy Alvanian Brandy (Deep Space 9: Body Parts ); Brandy Alexander (Roswell: Viva Las Vegas); Brandy and Soda (Goodnight Sweetheart : The Bells Are Ringing); Cherry Brandy (Goodnight Sweetheart : Just one More Chance); Saurian Brandy (Deep Space 9: Prophet Motive); Yridian Brandy (Deep Space 9: The Sword of Kahless)
Champagne Bollinger ‘69 (Moonraker); Bollinger Champagne (GSw Mairzy Doats); Champagne (Doctor Who: Rose/Doctor Who: The Empty Child/ Star Trek: Next Generation: Datalore/ Torchwood: Out of Time/Tripods: Chateau Ricardeau, France/ Deep Space 9: Prophet Motive/ Stardust/ Star Trek: Next Generation:: Parallels); Chateau Picard (ST Nemesis); Dom Perignon Champagne (Earth Final Conflict: Horizon Zero ); Pink Champagne (Bionic Woman 2007: The Education of Jaime Sommers ); Kandora Champagne (Deep Space 9: Meridian );
Liqueurs and Aperitifs Alaskan Polar Bear (The Nutty Professor 1963); Black Hole (Deep Space 9:the Homecoming/ Deep Space 9: Playing God); Bombay multi-fling (Star Hyke: Plug’n’Play ); Buzzer (BG The Lost Warrior ); Cardassian Sunrise (Star Trek 2009 ); Choc Mint Liqueur (Goodnight Sweetheart : Pennies from Heaven); Daiquiri (The Invaders: Inquisition ); Harvey Wallbanger (Doctor Who: The Unicorn and the Wasp); Jovian Sunspot (Babylon 5: Spider in the Web); Langour (Deep Space 9: Vortex); Lemon, lime, and bitters (Doctor Who: The Unicorn and the Wasp ); Mai Tai (Dinotopia: Car Wars ); Margarita (Bionic Woman 2007: The Education of Jaime Sommers); Martini(Iron Man); Modela Apertif (Deep Space 9: Dramatis Personae); Passionfruit Martini (Stargate SG1: Memento Mori ); Samarian Sunset (Deep Space 9: Profit and Loss ); Sidecar (Doctor Who: The Unicorn and the Wasp ); Zulu (Spr Banshees)
Rum and Blackcurrant (Goodnight Sweetheart :Out of Town)
Tequila Taelon Tequila (Earth Final Conflict: Phantom Companion); Tequila (Goodnight Sweetheart : Pennies from Heaven );
Vodka (Flash Gordon: The Sorrow ); Vodka, tonic with a slice of lemon (Torchwood: To the Last Man);
Whisky Aldebaran Whisky (Deep Space 9: Prophet Motive ); Bourbon (The Invaders: Inquisition); Jack (Star Trek 2009); JD and Coke (Torchwood: Greeks Bearing Gifts); Poteen (Star Trek: Next Generation: Up the Long Ladder); Rye and Ginger (Star Trek: Next Generation: Manhunt);Scotch (Star Trek: Next Generation: Manhunt/ Deep Space 9: Homecoming/ Iron Man); Single Malt Irish Whisky (Deep Space 9: The Assignment ); Sour Mash (The Invaders: Counter-attack ); Tennessee Whisky (Goodnight Sweetheart :The Yanks Are Coming ); Whisky (Threshold/ Dinotopia: Marooned );
Wine Alberian wine (Flash Gordon: Alliances ); Azalea Springs Merlot (Scanner Darkly); Mint Julep (Lois and Clarke: The Man of Steel Bars); Calamon Sherry (Star Trek: The Next Generation: In Theory ); Dandelion and Burdock (Goodnight Sweetheart :The Leaving of Liverpool); Klingon Fire Wine (Star Trek: The Next Generation: A Fistful of Datas ); Mead (Lexx: A Midsummer’s Nightmare ); Mojito (Primeval Episode Six ); Prosecco (Deep Space 9: Rivals ); Rooswine (Stargate Atlantis: Missing); Wine (Star Trek: Next Generation: Family ); Vignon (Battlestar Galactica: The Lost Warrior);
Alien Drinks: Afterbringer – (Andromeda: The Pearls that were his eyes); Arcturian Fizz (Star Trek: Next Generation: Ménage a Troi); Bloodwine ( Enterprise: Judgement); Chech’tuth (Star Trek: Next Generation: Up the Long Ladder ); Coco-no-no (Star Trek: The Next Generation: Booby Trap ); Fanalian Toddy (Deep Space 9:Explorers ); Fish juice (Deep Space 9: Trials and Tribble-ations); Kanor (Deep Space 9: Profit and Loss); Millipede Juice (Deep Space 9: Prophet Motive); Muskan Seed Punch (Star Trek: Next Generation: Aquiel); Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Series); Papalla Juice (Star Trek: Next Generation: Liaisons Planetwiper Amc ; Quaff (The Flying Sorcerers); Rasslak (Farscape: Nerve); Red Torian (Star Trek: Next Generation:The Mind’s Eye);Rokassa Juice (Deep Space 9: Cardassians); Skaara’s Moonshine (Stargate SG1 Children of the Gods ); Snail Juice (Deep Space 9: Bar Association/ Deep Space 9: Let He Who is Without Sin ); Stardrifter (Deep Space 9: The Storyteller); Synthehol (Star Trek: Next Generation: Up the Long Ladder );
Tanquesary and Tonic (Jumper); Til’amin Froth (Deep Space 9: Empok Nor );TKL (Star Trek: Next Generation: Yesterday’s Enterprise); TKO (Quantum Leap: The Right Hand of God); Tranyas (Deep Space 9: Facets ); Warnog (Star Trek: Next Generation: Rightful Heir );
Drugs
Drugs are generally not shown in a positive light in any sci fi. Some drugs are used to control people or aliens, others are highly addictive and difficult to withdraw from. Characters are not shown smoking tobacco, even when it was considered cool to smoke there were few characters who did so (it might have interfered with makeup and rubber costumes!) and generally no-one smokes pot. Characters like Vila in Blake’s 7 who drinks alcohol and soma, are despised by the other characters. However Dr. Franklin is forgiven for his Stems addiction once he has shaken it off. Keeping your head clear is important in space.
The names for drugs are often quite inventive, moving from real names to more evocative ones. Any drug promising good feelings like Bliss or nectar, should be avoided!
Amnesia Pill (Torchwood: They Keep Killing Suzie);
Beetle Snuff (Deep Space 9 :Prophet Motive )
;Bliss (Eearth Final Conflict Bliss/Doctor Who: Gridlock);
Blissto AmcC Partnership;
Buzzbeanium (Lexx: Patches in the Sky) ;
Dust (Babylon5: Dust to Dust);
Flash (Andromeda: The Pearls that were his eyes); Ketracel White (Deep Space 9 :Hippocratic Oath);
Kryss (Eearth Final Conflict: Sins of the Father); Learning Drugs (Red Dwarf: Balance of Power);
Morpha Battlestar Galactica: Rapture; Nectar (Haze: New Crime City);
Percocet (4400 Hidden) ; Preservanex (Supertoys Last all Summer);
Rapture O5;
Roshna (Stargate: SG1: Deadman Switch);
Shadow (Blake's 7);
Soma – form of alcohol and adrenalin, (Blake's 7, Brave New World);
Sphinx Green (Weber: Honor Among Enemies);
Stems (Babaylon5 :Walkabout;)
Substance D (Scanner Darkly );
Substance 35 (Stargate: SG1: Watergate);
Ultrazone (robot drug) (Red Dwarf: Beyond a Joke) ;
Vitas (Babylon 5: Voices from the Past);
Vitazoid (Blake's 7: Gambit);
Monday, July 5, 2010
sing-a-long sci fi
Sing-a-long Sci Fi
So far in this blog I’ve looked at the use of the Greek alphabet and various mythologies to form sci fi words, as well as the use of the letter X, the end letters ‘ck’, sesquipaedialisms, poetry and green vocabulary in sci fi word use. Some of this has pointed to an embedded sexism in the language of sci fi, a dislike of nature unless it’s cut and put in a vase, as well as Anglo-centrism. But I’ve also looked at how planets are named in reality and in sci fi. Branching out I’ve looked at the types of food promoted by sci fi and some of the background of Avatar (more to come!). Unsurprisingly now I want to look at songs in sci fi.
Limitations
Let’s get it straight – I’m talking about the use of songs, not unadorned music. Classical and Rock music will form a blog of its own.
Obviously I can’t comment on every song used in every sci fi film and series (let alone if they’re used in games), so this is the next limitation.
Thirdly, on looking for the singers of various songs it rapidly became a problem that some songs have had many singers. I’ve tried to find the earliest, but some could be wrong and some will have been sung by other people you like that I didn’t know about. Sorry. It would take years of research to get that sorted, so it’s not possible.
If it’s such a problem why look at this?
I’m interested in several things. Firstly, copyright is different in different countries and at different times, but it restricts what can be used in films and series. Sci fi budgets don’t usually extend to paying large amounts for the rights to play a song. So what is played? How is it played? Why do producers and directors persist in using songs? What role do they play that is so important? What effect do the songs have? And if I can cover a bit of this in one blog I’ll be lucky!!
What Songs are Played?
Musicals and Musical Films supply songs used in series, and episode titles for those series. There’s a surprisingly small range of musicals used, with Man of La Mancha featured in one Quantum Leap episode, subsequently released on CD. Often characters sing the songs, or parts of them, as part of the plot. This is usual in Quantum Leap and Goodnight Sweetheart where songs are integral to the plot, and is done in Sliders when Maggie sings for a living for the group. Apart from Footloose the musicals are all old classics, which would be out of copyright. Dirty Dancing dates from the eighties, with some earlier music.
April Love: Quantum Leap A Leap for Lisa April Love 1957/Pat Boone
Deep in My Heart: Quantum Leap: The Color of Truth The Student Prince 1954
Don Quixote Quantum Leap : Catch a Falling Star Man of La Mancha
Footloose Quantum Leap : Piano Man Footloose
Get Me to the Church on Time Goodnight Sweetheart: Is Your Journey Really Necessary?: My Fair Lady
Getting to Know You Red Dwarf: Back to Earth My Fair Lady
If I Only Had a Heart The Next Generation :The Schizoid Man :The Wizard of Oz
I Have Often Walked Goodnight Sweetheart Fools Rush In My Fair Lady
Impossible Dream, The Space Cases, Season 1, 1996 Man of La Mancha
I've Grown Accustomed to His Face Now and Again, 1999 title My Fair Lady
I’ve Had the Time of My Life -Kyle XY : Season three title Dirty Dancing
Life is a Cabaret Doctor Who: Scream of the Shalka Cabaret
Luck be a Lady Doctor Who: Rose Guys and Dolls
Shall We Dick? title 3rd Rock from the Sun, Season 5, 2000 The King and I (Shall we Dance?)
There’s a Place for Us Quantum Leap: It’s a Wonderful Leap West Side Story
To Dream the Impossible Dream Quantum Leap : Catch a Falling Star Man of La Mancha
Impossible Dream, The Space Cases, Season 1, 1996 title Man of La Mancha
Tonight, Tonight Goodnight Sweetheart: In the Mood West Side Story
Way Out West Sliders, Season 4, 1998 Calamity Jane
What does he want of me? Quantum Leap: Catch a Falling Star Man of La Mancha
Wonderful Spiderman 3 Annie Get Your Gun (Sinatra)
You’ll Never Walk Alone 1990, Season 2, 1978 title Carousel
Traditional Songs
There is a big range of traditional songs including Christmas carols; English, American, French, Irish, Scottish and Australian folk songs; some Italian songs. Happy Birthday has restrictions, but in this case it is sung in Klingon, so it’s OK. Who knows what is really being sung? And the all time favourite song comes out as - Amazing Grace.
As well as the usual series using songs, Star Trek appears here using a variety of traditional American and French songs.
All the Pretty Little Horses 4400 As Fate Would Have It American lullaby.
Amazing Grace - Quantum Leap : The Right Hand of God/ Memphis Melody/ English hymn.
Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan/ Sliders: Pilot/ A Roswell Christmas Carol/ Sung by Vera Lynn/Elvis
SQDSV Sympathy for the Deep/EFC First of It’s Kind Presley etc.
Auld Lang Syne Goodnight Sweetheart: It Ain’t Necessarily So Scottish traditional
Carol of the Bells Quantum Leap :A Little Miracle Carol.
Danny Boy Torchwood: Random Shoes Irish folk song.
Dixie : Quantum Leap: Memphis Melody 19th C USA (Daniel Emmett)
Down in the Valley The Next Generation: Dark Page Aka Birmingham Jail folk song.
Glory, Glory Hallelujah Wild, Wild West 2000 American hymn.
Happy Birthday (The Next Generation: Parallels) Traditional song
Hava Nagilah Quantum Leap: Thou Shalt Not… Israeli folk song
Jingle Bells (Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned ) Carol.
Joy to the World Quantum Leap: A Little Miracle Carol.
Kookaburra sits in the old Gumtree Doctor Who: Fear Her Australian children’s.
La Donna E Mobile Dark Angel: Flushed; Italian opera.
Lord of the Dance Torchwood: Small Worlds English religious song.
Marseillaise The Next Generation: Hide and Q French national anthem.
The Minstrel Boy The Next Generation :The Wounded Carol
Oranges and Lemons Finders Keepers English nursery rhyme.
Pop goes the Weasel The Next Generation: Shades of Gray English nursery rhyme.
Roll out the Barrel Goodnight Sweetheart: Is Your Journey Really Necessary? English drinking song.
Row Row Row Your Boat Stargate: SG1 Urgo/Star Trek: The Final Frontier English round.
Silent Night Quantum Leap: A Little Miracle Carol
Sur le Pont d’Avignon The Next Generation: Chain of Command French children’s round
We Wish You a Merry Christmas K-9 and Company Carol
What Shall We do with the Drunken Sailor? seaQuest DSV: Bad Water Sea Shanty
Songs from the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s
Given that copyright usually lasts fifty years (sometimes longer), most of the songs played in sci fi fall into this age grouping. There are several songs here from the eighties which may have had earlier versions or short copyright.
Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra feature heavily in this section, with the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Four Tops coming next. After that there’s a wide range of songs and singers.
Songs used in episodes and films:
All My Lovin’ : Beatles Goodnight Sweetheart: It Ain’t Necessarily So
Angel Baby: Rosie and the Originals 1960/John Lennon et al Max Q
A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square Torchwood: Captain Jack Harkness
As Time Goes By : Sinatra Quantum Leap: Play It Again, Seymour/ D? The Happiness Patrol
Baby I need some lovin’ : Four Tops Quantum Leap: Black on White on Fire
Big Girls Don’t Cry : Beachboys Quantum Leap: All-Americans
Blowin’ in the Wind: Bob Dylan Quantum Leap : Nowhere to Run
Bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover : Vera Lynn Torchwood: Captain Jack Harkness /Goodnight Sweetheart: Don’t Fence Me In
Can’t Help Myself : The Four Tops, 1965 Quantum Leap: Animal Frat
Chant Down Babylon : Bob Marley Roswell: Chant Down Babylon
Delilah : Tom Jones Goodnight Sweetheart: It’s a Sin to Tell a Lie
Dream a Little Dream of Me :Sinatra Farscape: Dream a Little Dream
Duck and Cover ( 50’s Propaganda) Quantum Leap: Nuclear Family
Eve of Destruction : Barry McGuire, 1965 Quantum Leap: Nowhere to Run
Fate’s Wide Wheel : King Thunder Quantum Leap: Glitter Rock
Feelings : Barbra Streisand Quantum Leap: Private Dancer
Flash, Gordon : Queen, 80’s Flash Gordon
Fly me to the Moon: Sinatra Space Cowboys
Georgia: Ray Charles Quantum Leap : M.I.A.
Glory of Love : Peter Cetera/Tom Jones Goodnight Sweetheart: Nice Work If You Can Get It
God Speed my Love : Righteous Brothers , Unchained Melody 55 Quantum Leap: M.I.A.
Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday : Rolling Stones 1966 Children of Men
Great Balls of Fire: Jerry Lee Lewis Quantum Leap: L Good Morning, Peoria/ Miss Deep South
Happiness is : Joplin Quantum Leap: Memphis Melody
Happy Days are here again: Barbra Streisand Doctor Who: Daleks in Manhattan/ Evolution of the Daleks
Have you ever seen rain? : Credence Clearwater Revival Stargate SG1: Unending
Heard it on the Grapevine : Credence Clearwater Revival Quantum Leap : M.I.A./Goodnight Sweetheart: The Yanks Are Coming
Heatwave: Martha and the Bandellas Quantum Leap: A Song for the Soul
Here Comes the Sun: Harrison, Abbey Road, 1969 Doctor Who: 42
Hernando’s Hideaway : Johnny Ray Quantum Leap: Sea Bride
He’s So Shy : Suzy Quattro Quantum Leap: Another Mother
High Hopes: Sinatra 59/Doris Day 64 What Planet Are You From?
Hot Spot :Foxy Brown Quantum Leap: Glitter Rock
I am the Walrus :Beatles Goodnight Sweetheart :Nice Work If You Can Get It
I Can’t Decide: Scissor Sisters (Ta-Dah) Doctor Who: Last of the Timelords
If You Leave Me Now: Chicago 1976 Goodnight Sweetheart: I Got it Bad and That Ain’t Good
I’ll Never Smile Again: Ruth Lowe (music) The Philadelphia Experiment
I’m so lonesome I could die: Elvis Presley Lois and Clarke: Neverending Battle
I’m the Great Pretender: Elvis Presely Quantum Leap: Rebel Without a Clue
Imagine : John Lennon Quantum Leap: The Leap Home Pt 1/ Goodnight Sweetheart Is Your Journey Really Necessary?
I need a hero : Tina Turner Lois and Clarke: Pilot/Mad Max 3
I need somebody to love :Beatles Quantum Leap: M.I.A.
I never fool nobody but me :Irma Thomas seaQuest: DSV Sea :West
In Heaven there is no bar: Charlie Pride NTZ Kentucky Rye
I Remember You : Frank Ifield 1962 The Next Generation : Second Chances
It’s a Beautiful Day: ELO Doctor Who: Love and Monsters
It’s a Little Bit Funny: Elton John Goodnight Sweetheart
It’s got to be you : Pamela Birch Doctor Who: The Empty Child;
I’ve got a brand new pair of roller skates: Melanie Safka, 71 Doctor Who: Love and Monsters
I’ve Got a Crush on you : Gershwin/Sinatra/Fitzgerald Lois and Clarke: I’ve Got a Crush on You/Double Jeopardy
I Want to Play House with You: Elvis Presley Quantum Leap: Memphis Melody;
Jailhouse Rock :Elvis Presley Quantum Leap: Rebel Without a Clue
Jingle, Jangle: The Archies, 1960’s Stepford Wives 2
La Bamba : Trini Lopez 60’s Quantum Leap: Animal Frat/ All-Americans
Let’s do the Twist: Chubby Checker Quantum Leap: Good Morning, Peoria/ Spiderman 3
Let’s Twist Again: Chubby Checker Quantum Leap: All-Americans
Locomotion: The Beach Boys Quantum Leap: Thou Shalt Not…
Look for the Silver Lining: Jerome Kern 1919/J. Garland Lois and Clarke The Man of Steel Bars
Look of Love Willie Bobo/Dusty Springfield Quantum Leap: The Play’s the Thing
Maybe Baby : The Crickets, 1950’s Quantum Leap: Maybe Baby
Memories of You :music by Eubie Blake, words by Andy Razat. . The Philadelphia Experiment
Mona Lisa : Elvis Presley 4400 The New and Improved Carl Morissey
Moon River : Mancini (music) Quantum Leap: Runaway
My Girl : Temptations, 1964 Quantum Leap: Black on White on Fire
My Melancholy Baby : Ella Fitzgerald, 1936 Torchwood: Captain Jack Harkness
Nightbird The Next Generation: Second Chances
One eyed Purple People Eater : Sheb Wooley 1958 Contact
Quanta La Gusta : Carmen Miranda QL Miss Deep South
Que Sera, Sera : Doris Day QL Genesis
Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head: Johnny Farnham 69 Quantum Leap: The Leap Home Pt 2
Rock N’Robin :Bobby Day, 58/The Hollies 64 Quantum Leap: Camikazi Kid
Rock the Redhead : King Thunder, 1970’s Quantum Leap: Glitter Rock
Runaway : Elvis Presley Quantum Leap: Maybe Baby/ Runaway
Shout : Johnny O’Keefe Quantum Leap: Good Morning, Peoria
Singing Me Softly : Carpenters Quantum Leap: Thou Shalt Not…
Sitting on the Dock of the Bay: Otis Redding 1967 Quantum Leap: M.I.A.
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes : Piaf/Barbra Streisand Quantum Leap: Stand Up
Solitary Man :Johnny Cash Stargate Atlantis: Vegas
Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me: Sinatra 45/55 Quantum Leap: It’s a Wonderful Leap
Somewhere in the night : Sinatra 46 Quantum Leap: Piano Man
Spirit in the Sky Contact
Starman: David Bowie Torchwood: Random Shoes
Steal My Heart Away: Don Williams 1979/Van Morrison Smallville: Pilot
Stormy Weather: Sinatra 44,54 Quantum Leap: Pool Hall Blues
Sympathy for the Devil :The Rolling Stones Stargate Atlantis: Vegas
That’ll Be the Day: The Crickets 1957 Battlestar Galactica:1980 The Night the Cylons Landed
That Old Black Magic: Sinatra 46 The Nutty Professor 1963
That’s All Right Mama : Elvis Presley Quantum Leap: Memphis Melody
That’s the Glory of Love Benny Goodman 1936/Bette Midler/ Quantum Leap: Good Morning, Peoria
The Boys are Back in Town: Thin Lizzy 1976 Quantum Leap: Maybe Baby
The Good Life : Tony Bennett Torchwood: Out of Time
The Good Ship Lollipop: Shirley Temple Battlestar Galactica:1980 The Night the Cylons Landed
The Runner: Ian Thomas (music) The Philadelphia Experiment
The Times They are a’Changin: Bob Dylan Goodnight Sweetheart: Goodnight Children Everywhere
Trouble : Roy La Montagne Torchwood: Out of Time
Twelve O’Clock Rock :Bill Haley and the Comets Quantum Leap: Good Morning, Peoria
Tutti Fruiti : Elvis Presley Quantum Leap: Good Morning, Peoria
Underneath the Arches Goodnight Sweetheart: It Ain’t Necessarily So
Volare : Dean Martin Quantum Leap: Double Identity
We’ve Got a World that Swings :Les Brown and his Band of Renown The Nutty Professor 1963
Well I think I’m going Outta my head : Cilla Black Goodnight Sweetheart: Fools Rush In
When I’m Sixty Four: Beatles Goodnight Sweetheart: Turned Out Nice Again
Who’s Gonna Drive you home tonight? :The Cars 1984 Transformers the Movie/2
Wild Thing: The Troggs Quantum Leap: Animal Frat/ The Leap Home 2
Winter Wonderland : Hundred incl. Bing Crosby Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned
Yesterday: Beatles Goodnight Sweetheart: Is Your Journey Really Necessary?
Yellow Rose of Texas : Elvis Presley Quantum Leap: Genesis
You Ain’t Nothin But a Hound Dog: Elvis Presley Quantum Leap: GenesisYou
Zippity Doo Dah: James Baskett for Disney’s Song of the South/46 Battlestar Galactica:1980 The lots more Night the Cylons Landed
What’s the Effect of all this old Music?
Positives first : The music is old-fashioned, warm and emotional. It’s accessible with a lot of songs that can be danced to or sung, giving programs connection to the audience. Older viewers will know the songs well, and lots of young viewers will have heard them, providing a familiar backdrop for unfamiliar situations. It’s easy to give inter-textuality using older songs, there’s a lot to choose from and people will understand what you’re doing straight away.
Specific series rely on this warmth to provide an emotional landscape for the characters to work in e.g. Quantum Leap and Goodnight Sweetheart.
But music can be used to give a very different tone. Stargate Atlantis: Vegas was very different to the normal episodes in this series, showing a different John Sheppard. The music used here is evocative of loneliness and a Western image, and it’s done brilliantly.
And the negatives: This music could put off people who like Hard Rock or Classical Music. It could also seem very twee and cloying to young people. There is a danger sci fi could sound old fashioned and out of date. (But notice the music in Fantastic Mr. Fox an animated film which was just released – the music is all the same vintage as that we are discussing.) It is an odd dynamic to have old music playing in futuristic or alien settings.
Isn’t there any modern music?
Yes, there is. Obviously some modern bands understand that being played in sci fi films and series will give them a lot of exposure, and so we’re getting modern music now, whereas ten years ago that was nearly unheard of. Andromeda named some flyers ‘foo fighters’ but we never heard Foo Fighters play on that show! However, it’s noticeable that modern music is being heard in very specific series: Smallville has Lifehouse actually playing in an episode and had an arrangement with the band, and Torchwood and Doctor Who under Russell T. Davies used up to date music .
Blind: Lifehouse Smallville: Spirit
Come Back Down: Lifehouse Smallville: Spirit
Monster: The Autonate Torchwood: Countrycide
Ooh La : The Kooks Torchwood: Small Worlds
Ooh La La : Goldfrapp Torchwood: Day One
Saturday Night: Kaiser Chiefs Torchwood: Day One
Somebody Save Me : Remy Zero Smallville: Tempest
Tainted Love : Soft Cell Doctor Who: The End of the World
Toxic : Britney Spears Doctor Who: The End of the World
Undone: Lifehouse Smallville: Spirit
You’re All I want: Lifehouse Smallville: Tempest
Song can lighten or deepen a sci fi film or series episode. I t can give inter-textuality, multiple meanings and link sci fi material. Producers are often forced to use old music, or use it because it’s familiar and easy. It’s good to see new songs being used.
(I know, I know - episode titles use song titles and lines, this will be dealt with later!)
So far in this blog I’ve looked at the use of the Greek alphabet and various mythologies to form sci fi words, as well as the use of the letter X, the end letters ‘ck’, sesquipaedialisms, poetry and green vocabulary in sci fi word use. Some of this has pointed to an embedded sexism in the language of sci fi, a dislike of nature unless it’s cut and put in a vase, as well as Anglo-centrism. But I’ve also looked at how planets are named in reality and in sci fi. Branching out I’ve looked at the types of food promoted by sci fi and some of the background of Avatar (more to come!). Unsurprisingly now I want to look at songs in sci fi.
Limitations
Let’s get it straight – I’m talking about the use of songs, not unadorned music. Classical and Rock music will form a blog of its own.
Obviously I can’t comment on every song used in every sci fi film and series (let alone if they’re used in games), so this is the next limitation.
Thirdly, on looking for the singers of various songs it rapidly became a problem that some songs have had many singers. I’ve tried to find the earliest, but some could be wrong and some will have been sung by other people you like that I didn’t know about. Sorry. It would take years of research to get that sorted, so it’s not possible.
If it’s such a problem why look at this?
I’m interested in several things. Firstly, copyright is different in different countries and at different times, but it restricts what can be used in films and series. Sci fi budgets don’t usually extend to paying large amounts for the rights to play a song. So what is played? How is it played? Why do producers and directors persist in using songs? What role do they play that is so important? What effect do the songs have? And if I can cover a bit of this in one blog I’ll be lucky!!
What Songs are Played?
Musicals and Musical Films supply songs used in series, and episode titles for those series. There’s a surprisingly small range of musicals used, with Man of La Mancha featured in one Quantum Leap episode, subsequently released on CD. Often characters sing the songs, or parts of them, as part of the plot. This is usual in Quantum Leap and Goodnight Sweetheart where songs are integral to the plot, and is done in Sliders when Maggie sings for a living for the group. Apart from Footloose the musicals are all old classics, which would be out of copyright. Dirty Dancing dates from the eighties, with some earlier music.
April Love: Quantum Leap A Leap for Lisa April Love 1957/Pat Boone
Deep in My Heart: Quantum Leap: The Color of Truth The Student Prince 1954
Don Quixote Quantum Leap : Catch a Falling Star Man of La Mancha
Footloose Quantum Leap : Piano Man Footloose
Get Me to the Church on Time Goodnight Sweetheart: Is Your Journey Really Necessary?: My Fair Lady
Getting to Know You Red Dwarf: Back to Earth My Fair Lady
If I Only Had a Heart The Next Generation :The Schizoid Man :The Wizard of Oz
I Have Often Walked Goodnight Sweetheart Fools Rush In My Fair Lady
Impossible Dream, The Space Cases, Season 1, 1996 Man of La Mancha
I've Grown Accustomed to His Face Now and Again, 1999 title My Fair Lady
I’ve Had the Time of My Life -Kyle XY : Season three title Dirty Dancing
Life is a Cabaret Doctor Who: Scream of the Shalka Cabaret
Luck be a Lady Doctor Who: Rose Guys and Dolls
Shall We Dick? title 3rd Rock from the Sun, Season 5, 2000 The King and I (Shall we Dance?)
There’s a Place for Us Quantum Leap: It’s a Wonderful Leap West Side Story
To Dream the Impossible Dream Quantum Leap : Catch a Falling Star Man of La Mancha
Impossible Dream, The Space Cases, Season 1, 1996 title Man of La Mancha
Tonight, Tonight Goodnight Sweetheart: In the Mood West Side Story
Way Out West Sliders, Season 4, 1998 Calamity Jane
What does he want of me? Quantum Leap: Catch a Falling Star Man of La Mancha
Wonderful Spiderman 3 Annie Get Your Gun (Sinatra)
You’ll Never Walk Alone 1990, Season 2, 1978 title Carousel
Traditional Songs
There is a big range of traditional songs including Christmas carols; English, American, French, Irish, Scottish and Australian folk songs; some Italian songs. Happy Birthday has restrictions, but in this case it is sung in Klingon, so it’s OK. Who knows what is really being sung? And the all time favourite song comes out as - Amazing Grace.
As well as the usual series using songs, Star Trek appears here using a variety of traditional American and French songs.
All the Pretty Little Horses 4400 As Fate Would Have It American lullaby.
Amazing Grace - Quantum Leap : The Right Hand of God/ Memphis Melody/ English hymn.
Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan/ Sliders: Pilot/ A Roswell Christmas Carol/ Sung by Vera Lynn/Elvis
SQDSV Sympathy for the Deep/EFC First of It’s Kind Presley etc.
Auld Lang Syne Goodnight Sweetheart: It Ain’t Necessarily So Scottish traditional
Carol of the Bells Quantum Leap :A Little Miracle Carol.
Danny Boy Torchwood: Random Shoes Irish folk song.
Dixie : Quantum Leap: Memphis Melody 19th C USA (Daniel Emmett)
Down in the Valley The Next Generation: Dark Page Aka Birmingham Jail folk song.
Glory, Glory Hallelujah Wild, Wild West 2000 American hymn.
Happy Birthday (The Next Generation: Parallels) Traditional song
Hava Nagilah Quantum Leap: Thou Shalt Not… Israeli folk song
Jingle Bells (Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned ) Carol.
Joy to the World Quantum Leap: A Little Miracle Carol.
Kookaburra sits in the old Gumtree Doctor Who: Fear Her Australian children’s.
La Donna E Mobile Dark Angel: Flushed; Italian opera.
Lord of the Dance Torchwood: Small Worlds English religious song.
Marseillaise The Next Generation: Hide and Q French national anthem.
The Minstrel Boy The Next Generation :The Wounded Carol
Oranges and Lemons Finders Keepers English nursery rhyme.
Pop goes the Weasel The Next Generation: Shades of Gray English nursery rhyme.
Roll out the Barrel Goodnight Sweetheart: Is Your Journey Really Necessary? English drinking song.
Row Row Row Your Boat Stargate: SG1 Urgo/Star Trek: The Final Frontier English round.
Silent Night Quantum Leap: A Little Miracle Carol
Sur le Pont d’Avignon The Next Generation: Chain of Command French children’s round
We Wish You a Merry Christmas K-9 and Company Carol
What Shall We do with the Drunken Sailor? seaQuest DSV: Bad Water Sea Shanty
Songs from the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s
Given that copyright usually lasts fifty years (sometimes longer), most of the songs played in sci fi fall into this age grouping. There are several songs here from the eighties which may have had earlier versions or short copyright.
Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra feature heavily in this section, with the Beatles, Rolling Stones and Four Tops coming next. After that there’s a wide range of songs and singers.
Songs used in episodes and films:
All My Lovin’ : Beatles Goodnight Sweetheart: It Ain’t Necessarily So
Angel Baby: Rosie and the Originals 1960/John Lennon et al Max Q
A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square Torchwood: Captain Jack Harkness
As Time Goes By : Sinatra Quantum Leap: Play It Again, Seymour/ D? The Happiness Patrol
Baby I need some lovin’ : Four Tops Quantum Leap: Black on White on Fire
Big Girls Don’t Cry : Beachboys Quantum Leap: All-Americans
Blowin’ in the Wind: Bob Dylan Quantum Leap : Nowhere to Run
Bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover : Vera Lynn Torchwood: Captain Jack Harkness /Goodnight Sweetheart: Don’t Fence Me In
Can’t Help Myself : The Four Tops, 1965 Quantum Leap: Animal Frat
Chant Down Babylon : Bob Marley Roswell: Chant Down Babylon
Delilah : Tom Jones Goodnight Sweetheart: It’s a Sin to Tell a Lie
Dream a Little Dream of Me :Sinatra Farscape: Dream a Little Dream
Duck and Cover ( 50’s Propaganda) Quantum Leap: Nuclear Family
Eve of Destruction : Barry McGuire, 1965 Quantum Leap: Nowhere to Run
Fate’s Wide Wheel : King Thunder Quantum Leap: Glitter Rock
Feelings : Barbra Streisand Quantum Leap: Private Dancer
Flash, Gordon : Queen, 80’s Flash Gordon
Fly me to the Moon: Sinatra Space Cowboys
Georgia: Ray Charles Quantum Leap : M.I.A.
Glory of Love : Peter Cetera/Tom Jones Goodnight Sweetheart: Nice Work If You Can Get It
God Speed my Love : Righteous Brothers , Unchained Melody 55 Quantum Leap: M.I.A.
Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday : Rolling Stones 1966 Children of Men
Great Balls of Fire: Jerry Lee Lewis Quantum Leap: L Good Morning, Peoria/ Miss Deep South
Happiness is : Joplin Quantum Leap: Memphis Melody
Happy Days are here again: Barbra Streisand Doctor Who: Daleks in Manhattan/ Evolution of the Daleks
Have you ever seen rain? : Credence Clearwater Revival Stargate SG1: Unending
Heard it on the Grapevine : Credence Clearwater Revival Quantum Leap : M.I.A./Goodnight Sweetheart: The Yanks Are Coming
Heatwave: Martha and the Bandellas Quantum Leap: A Song for the Soul
Here Comes the Sun: Harrison, Abbey Road, 1969 Doctor Who: 42
Hernando’s Hideaway : Johnny Ray Quantum Leap: Sea Bride
He’s So Shy : Suzy Quattro Quantum Leap: Another Mother
High Hopes: Sinatra 59/Doris Day 64 What Planet Are You From?
Hot Spot :Foxy Brown Quantum Leap: Glitter Rock
I am the Walrus :Beatles Goodnight Sweetheart :Nice Work If You Can Get It
I Can’t Decide: Scissor Sisters (Ta-Dah) Doctor Who: Last of the Timelords
If You Leave Me Now: Chicago 1976 Goodnight Sweetheart: I Got it Bad and That Ain’t Good
I’ll Never Smile Again: Ruth Lowe (music) The Philadelphia Experiment
I’m so lonesome I could die: Elvis Presley Lois and Clarke: Neverending Battle
I’m the Great Pretender: Elvis Presely Quantum Leap: Rebel Without a Clue
Imagine : John Lennon Quantum Leap: The Leap Home Pt 1/ Goodnight Sweetheart Is Your Journey Really Necessary?
I need a hero : Tina Turner Lois and Clarke: Pilot/Mad Max 3
I need somebody to love :Beatles Quantum Leap: M.I.A.
I never fool nobody but me :Irma Thomas seaQuest: DSV Sea :West
In Heaven there is no bar: Charlie Pride NTZ Kentucky Rye
I Remember You : Frank Ifield 1962 The Next Generation : Second Chances
It’s a Beautiful Day: ELO Doctor Who: Love and Monsters
It’s a Little Bit Funny: Elton John Goodnight Sweetheart
It’s got to be you : Pamela Birch Doctor Who: The Empty Child;
I’ve got a brand new pair of roller skates: Melanie Safka, 71 Doctor Who: Love and Monsters
I’ve Got a Crush on you : Gershwin/Sinatra/Fitzgerald Lois and Clarke: I’ve Got a Crush on You/Double Jeopardy
I Want to Play House with You: Elvis Presley Quantum Leap: Memphis Melody;
Jailhouse Rock :Elvis Presley Quantum Leap: Rebel Without a Clue
Jingle, Jangle: The Archies, 1960’s Stepford Wives 2
La Bamba : Trini Lopez 60’s Quantum Leap: Animal Frat/ All-Americans
Let’s do the Twist: Chubby Checker Quantum Leap: Good Morning, Peoria/ Spiderman 3
Let’s Twist Again: Chubby Checker Quantum Leap: All-Americans
Locomotion: The Beach Boys Quantum Leap: Thou Shalt Not…
Look for the Silver Lining: Jerome Kern 1919/J. Garland Lois and Clarke The Man of Steel Bars
Look of Love Willie Bobo/Dusty Springfield Quantum Leap: The Play’s the Thing
Maybe Baby : The Crickets, 1950’s Quantum Leap: Maybe Baby
Memories of You :music by Eubie Blake, words by Andy Razat. . The Philadelphia Experiment
Mona Lisa : Elvis Presley 4400 The New and Improved Carl Morissey
Moon River : Mancini (music) Quantum Leap: Runaway
My Girl : Temptations, 1964 Quantum Leap: Black on White on Fire
My Melancholy Baby : Ella Fitzgerald, 1936 Torchwood: Captain Jack Harkness
Nightbird The Next Generation: Second Chances
One eyed Purple People Eater : Sheb Wooley 1958 Contact
Quanta La Gusta : Carmen Miranda QL Miss Deep South
Que Sera, Sera : Doris Day QL Genesis
Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head: Johnny Farnham 69 Quantum Leap: The Leap Home Pt 2
Rock N’Robin :Bobby Day, 58/The Hollies 64 Quantum Leap: Camikazi Kid
Rock the Redhead : King Thunder, 1970’s Quantum Leap: Glitter Rock
Runaway : Elvis Presley Quantum Leap: Maybe Baby/ Runaway
Shout : Johnny O’Keefe Quantum Leap: Good Morning, Peoria
Singing Me Softly : Carpenters Quantum Leap: Thou Shalt Not…
Sitting on the Dock of the Bay: Otis Redding 1967 Quantum Leap: M.I.A.
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes : Piaf/Barbra Streisand Quantum Leap: Stand Up
Solitary Man :Johnny Cash Stargate Atlantis: Vegas
Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me: Sinatra 45/55 Quantum Leap: It’s a Wonderful Leap
Somewhere in the night : Sinatra 46 Quantum Leap: Piano Man
Spirit in the Sky Contact
Starman: David Bowie Torchwood: Random Shoes
Steal My Heart Away: Don Williams 1979/Van Morrison Smallville: Pilot
Stormy Weather: Sinatra 44,54 Quantum Leap: Pool Hall Blues
Sympathy for the Devil :The Rolling Stones Stargate Atlantis: Vegas
That’ll Be the Day: The Crickets 1957 Battlestar Galactica:1980 The Night the Cylons Landed
That Old Black Magic: Sinatra 46 The Nutty Professor 1963
That’s All Right Mama : Elvis Presley Quantum Leap: Memphis Melody
That’s the Glory of Love Benny Goodman 1936/Bette Midler/ Quantum Leap: Good Morning, Peoria
The Boys are Back in Town: Thin Lizzy 1976 Quantum Leap: Maybe Baby
The Good Life : Tony Bennett Torchwood: Out of Time
The Good Ship Lollipop: Shirley Temple Battlestar Galactica:1980 The Night the Cylons Landed
The Runner: Ian Thomas (music) The Philadelphia Experiment
The Times They are a’Changin: Bob Dylan Goodnight Sweetheart: Goodnight Children Everywhere
Trouble : Roy La Montagne Torchwood: Out of Time
Twelve O’Clock Rock :Bill Haley and the Comets Quantum Leap: Good Morning, Peoria
Tutti Fruiti : Elvis Presley Quantum Leap: Good Morning, Peoria
Underneath the Arches Goodnight Sweetheart: It Ain’t Necessarily So
Volare : Dean Martin Quantum Leap: Double Identity
We’ve Got a World that Swings :Les Brown and his Band of Renown The Nutty Professor 1963
Well I think I’m going Outta my head : Cilla Black Goodnight Sweetheart: Fools Rush In
When I’m Sixty Four: Beatles Goodnight Sweetheart: Turned Out Nice Again
Who’s Gonna Drive you home tonight? :The Cars 1984 Transformers the Movie/2
Wild Thing: The Troggs Quantum Leap: Animal Frat/ The Leap Home 2
Winter Wonderland : Hundred incl. Bing Crosby Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned
Yesterday: Beatles Goodnight Sweetheart: Is Your Journey Really Necessary?
Yellow Rose of Texas : Elvis Presley Quantum Leap: Genesis
You Ain’t Nothin But a Hound Dog: Elvis Presley Quantum Leap: GenesisYou
Zippity Doo Dah: James Baskett for Disney’s Song of the South/46 Battlestar Galactica:1980 The lots more Night the Cylons Landed
What’s the Effect of all this old Music?
Positives first : The music is old-fashioned, warm and emotional. It’s accessible with a lot of songs that can be danced to or sung, giving programs connection to the audience. Older viewers will know the songs well, and lots of young viewers will have heard them, providing a familiar backdrop for unfamiliar situations. It’s easy to give inter-textuality using older songs, there’s a lot to choose from and people will understand what you’re doing straight away.
Specific series rely on this warmth to provide an emotional landscape for the characters to work in e.g. Quantum Leap and Goodnight Sweetheart.
But music can be used to give a very different tone. Stargate Atlantis: Vegas was very different to the normal episodes in this series, showing a different John Sheppard. The music used here is evocative of loneliness and a Western image, and it’s done brilliantly.
And the negatives: This music could put off people who like Hard Rock or Classical Music. It could also seem very twee and cloying to young people. There is a danger sci fi could sound old fashioned and out of date. (But notice the music in Fantastic Mr. Fox an animated film which was just released – the music is all the same vintage as that we are discussing.) It is an odd dynamic to have old music playing in futuristic or alien settings.
Isn’t there any modern music?
Yes, there is. Obviously some modern bands understand that being played in sci fi films and series will give them a lot of exposure, and so we’re getting modern music now, whereas ten years ago that was nearly unheard of. Andromeda named some flyers ‘foo fighters’ but we never heard Foo Fighters play on that show! However, it’s noticeable that modern music is being heard in very specific series: Smallville has Lifehouse actually playing in an episode and had an arrangement with the band, and Torchwood and Doctor Who under Russell T. Davies used up to date music .
Blind: Lifehouse Smallville: Spirit
Come Back Down: Lifehouse Smallville: Spirit
Monster: The Autonate Torchwood: Countrycide
Ooh La : The Kooks Torchwood: Small Worlds
Ooh La La : Goldfrapp Torchwood: Day One
Saturday Night: Kaiser Chiefs Torchwood: Day One
Somebody Save Me : Remy Zero Smallville: Tempest
Tainted Love : Soft Cell Doctor Who: The End of the World
Toxic : Britney Spears Doctor Who: The End of the World
Undone: Lifehouse Smallville: Spirit
You’re All I want: Lifehouse Smallville: Tempest
Song can lighten or deepen a sci fi film or series episode. I t can give inter-textuality, multiple meanings and link sci fi material. Producers are often forced to use old music, or use it because it’s familiar and easy. It’s good to see new songs being used.
(I know, I know - episode titles use song titles and lines, this will be dealt with later!)
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Sci fi Cafe
Someone once said to me that there was no food which didn’t have a negative impact on your health, so you may as well go ahead and live on sweets! She was referring to health problems caused by fat, salt and sugar. These days we have a heap more problems to worry about, things such as:
• Is genetically modified food safe in the long term?
• Which foods have antibiotics in them?
• How many heavy metals does seafood contain?
• Which foods are contaminated by pesticides?
• Which foods have MSG in them?
Lots of the food we eat is now toxic to parts of the community – some people have allergies, others are susceptible to cancer. But most people put these issues in the too-hard basket and continue to eat as if there are no problems. Sci fi writers are just as prone to do this as anyone else.
How does Sci Fi Present Food?
Sci fi most often shows ordinary humans eating ordinary food, sometimes it shows aliens eating their own food, or humans eating each other, it rarely shows complex issues such as the slow poisoning of the food chain.
Ordinary Food
Science Fiction films and television shows present food most often in the form ordinary people eat it. This raises an ethical question: should sci fi be showing how real people eat or should it be showing how we should eat? When the O’Brien’s shared the cooking on Deep Space Nine Keiko’s cooking was very healthy, but so unappetising Miles wouldn’t eat it, and his stodgy food was presented as better, even though Keiko complained about it. This is an extreme example of sci fi’s attitude.
Food in sci fi is a signifier of comfort and stability, think of the family dinners in Kyle XY or Deanna Troi’s love of chocolate in The Next Generation. It’s also a sign of group cohesion, think of Chianna’s dinner in Farscape.
There are more references to food in the Star Trek franchise and sci fi products aimed at a younger audience, than in sci fi action. Food often sets a normal scene that will be disrupted by something unusual so that we move from the known to the unknown seamlessly. It’s no surprise sci fi presents a lot of unhealthy food choices.
What unhealthy food does Sci Fi show us eating?
First of all you have to realise that food names can be specific to place, for instance ‘fondant’ to an Australian means a kind of icing, but in the English context in Doctor Who seems to mean a dessert.
As well as this semantic problem some food items may belong in several categories, or be on their own e.g. is a dumpling really a cake? I’ve done my best, making sure unhealthy goes into unhealthy – after all, eggs may be good but not when eaten with chips!
Burgers Blue Moon Burger (Roswell: Blood Brother); Burger (Dinotopia: Contact ); Cheeseburger (seaQuest DSV: Whale Song/ Iron Man); Eclipse Burger (Roswell: Crazy); Hamburger (My Favourite Martian: Pilot/ Aliens in the Attic ); Sweet Burger (Roswell: A Tale of Two Parties );
Cake Banana Cake (Doctor Who: Fear Her); Birthday cake (Beware! The Blob/ Kyle XY Blame it on the Rain ); Blueberry Muffin (Red Dwarf: Back in the Red); Cake (Hyperdrive : Clare); Cheesecake Split (Roswell: A Tale of Two Parties );Cupcakes (Star Gate: Off the Grid / Stepford Wives 2/ Kyle XY: The List is Life); Danish (Torchwood: Meat ); Data cake (The Next Generation: Phantasms); Donut (Transformers the Movie/2 ); Double layer chocolate fudge cake (seaQuest: DSV: By Any Other Name); Dumplings (Flash Gordon: Life Source); Icoberry Torte (Deep Space 9 :Sanctuary ); Strawberry Shortcake (Enterprise: Horizon);
Chips: Beta carotene Chips (Earth Final Conflict: Keys to the Kingdom ); Chip butties (Red Dwarf: Back to Earth ); Chips (Doctor Who: World War II/Doctor Who: The Parting of the Ways ); Cold Chip Sandwich (Sarah-Jane Adventures: Revenge of the Slitheen ); Eggs, Ham and chips (Torchwood: Random Shoes];Fish and Chips (Doctor Who: Last of the Timelords/ Doctor Who: Turn Left );
Chocolate: Delvian Chocolates (Deep Space 9 : Improbable Cause ); Chocolate Bar (Stargate:SG1Bane);Chocolate Cake (The Next Generation: Parallels); Chocolate Caramels (BG2: Exodus ); Chocolate Eruption (Roswell: A Tale of Two Parties);Chocolate Ice cream (Bionic Woman: 200Faceoff);Chocolate Sundae (The Next Generation: The Price); Chocolate Walnut Cookies (Stargate:SG1: Forever in a Day); Choco Poppers (NTZ A Little Peace and Quiet); Eskimo Bar (Jupiter Moon); Kai Winn chocolate soufflé (Deep Space 9 : Life Support); Milky Way (Slaughterhouse-5 N ); Plain Chocolate (The Next Generation: Liaisons /Hyperdrive: Weekend Off ); Starbars (Silver Sun); Three Musketeers Candy Bar (Slaughterhouse-5 Novel );
Desserts and Biscuits Blueberry Pancakes (Kyle XY: Blame it on the Rain ); Blue Jelly (SGA The Game ); Blue String Pudding (The Clangers); Bread Pudding Soufflé (Deep Space 9 : Homefront ); Caramel apples (Lois and Clarke: The Green, Green Glow of Home ); Crepes (Kyle XY:To C.I.R With Love ); Croissants (The Next Generation: Attached / Doctor Who: Turn Left); Fondant Supreme (Doctor Who: The Happiness Patrol); Jell-O (SGA Michael ); Macaroons (SG Line in the Sand); Mrs. Angela’s Rhubarb Surprise (Doctor Who: Forest of the Dead); Nepco Wafers (Jeremiah: To Sail Beyond the Stars); Peach Cobbler (The Next Generation : Liaisons ); Popcorn (Lois and Clarke: The Green, Green Glow of Home/ Stargate Atlantis: Doppelganger/Earth Final conflict: Through Your Eyes );
Strawberry Fondant Surprise (Doctor Who: The Happiness Patrol ); Suet pudding (Goodnight Sweetheart: Who’s Taking You Home Tonight? );
Tellurian Mint Truffles (Deep Space 9 : The Assignment ); Waffles (BG1980 The Super Scouts );
Hot Dogs Chilli Rock Dog (Roswell: Crazy); Chipolti (Babylon 5 : Knives); Hot dog (Deep Space 9 :Starship Down/ Flash Gordon: Random Access/ Aliens in the Attic );
Ice Cream: Banana Split (The Next Generation : Suddenly Human); Double double chocolate fudge (Lois and Clarke: : The Man of Steel Bars );Fudgy Budgy Cone (Dark Angel: Dawg Day Afternoon); Hot Fudge Blast Off (Roswell: The Morning After); Hot fudge Ice Cream (SG1 Holiday): Plain Ice Cream (Torchwood: Meat /Close Encounters of the Third Kind);Ice Cream Sundae (seaQuest DSV: Vapors ); Mint Chocolate Ice Cream (Red Dwarf: Pete);
Pasta: Angel Hair Pasta (Enterprise: Regeneration); Angel Hair with Tomato and Basil (Lois and Clarke: The Rival ); Pasta al Fiorella (The Next Generation: Birthright); Pasta Boudin (Deep Space 9: Paradise Lost ); Pasta Carbonara (BW2007: Everything Will Change );Pasta Special (Dinotopia: Marooned); Spaghetti (Kyle XY: Does Kyle Dream of Electric Fish? );
Pie Asteroid Pie (Roswell: We Are Family ); Blueberry pie (The Next Generation : Pre-emptive Strike); Men in Blackberry Pie (Roswell: The Balance); Pie (SG1 Urgo /Tripods: England); Shepherd’s Pie (The Infinite Worlds of H.G. Wells); Sweet Potato Pie (X-Files: Jose Chung’s From Outer Space);
Pizza: American Feast (Torchwood: Everything Changes); Double Cheese Pepperoni (FG Assassin ); Jubilee Pizza (Torchwood: Everything Changes ); Mr. Pink Pizza (The Incredible Hulk 2008); Pepperoni Feast (Torchwood: Cyberwoman );Pepper Undefined Pizza (Earth Final Conflict: Truth/ Doctor Who: Rose/ Stargate: Atlantis: The Return/ Heroes: Four Months Later/ Iron Man/ The Incredible Hulk 2008/ Torchwood: Meat/V2009 episode 3);
What else do you notice? Americans eat pizza, sweet pies, pasta, hot dogs and burgers, while Brits eat pizza, Shepherd’s pie, chips
Healthy Food
What we consider healthy to eat differs from person to person. Many people choose to be vegetarian and will think meat and poultry are not healthy choices, but compared to the above they are very nutritious! Take heart from the fact that most of the sandwiches are vegetarian, or close to it ( we have to assume Worf would have something alive on his wrap). The soup is vegetable based as well.
Sandwiches, wraps and rolls : Avocado sandwich (Beware! The Blob);
Burrito (4400 Becoming / (Hyperdrive: Asteroid);
Cheese and Pickle sandwiches(Torchwood: Meat);
Galaxy Melt (Roswell: Four Square); Galaxy Sub (Roswell: Meet the Dupes/1); Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches (seaQuest DSV: Brothers and Sisters );
Sandwiches (The Next Generation : Samaritan Snare/ Beware! The Blob );
Tuna Sandwich (Stargate:SG1:Rules of Engagement );Tuna Salad Sandwich (The Day the Earth Stood Still 2 );
Watercress sandwiches (The Next Generation : Journey’s End ); Worf Wrap (Roswell: To Serve and Protect);
Soup Bunya Chowder (Babylon 5: A Distant Star);
M15 soup (Goodnight Sweetheart: Who’s Taking You Home Tonight?); Mock Oyster Soup (Goodnight Sweetheart: Who’s Taking You Home Tonight?);
Pepper soup (Doctor Who: The Unicorn and the Wasp);
Tomato Soup (Voyager: The Caretaker);
Vegetable Soup (The Next Generation : Attached );
Poultry Chicken (Doctor Who: The End of Time); Chicken a la Sisko (Deep Space 9: Shattered Mirror ); Chicken Drumsticks (Lexx: Bad Carrot ); Chicken Enchiladas (Lois and Clarke: Honeymoon in Metropolis );Chicken Legs (Doctor Who: Forest of the Dead); Chicken Soup (My Favourite Martian: There is No Cure for the Common Martian); Chicken Tikka (Goodnight Sweetheart: Who’s Taking You Home Tonight? ); Curried chicken and rice (Deep Space 9: Blaze of Glory);
Tofu Chicken (Stargate: Atlantis: McKay and Mrs Miller );
Turkey (Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned);
Vindaloo (Red Dwarf);
Vegetables Asparagus (Deep Space 9: By Inferno’s Light/ SQDSV By Any Other Name); Aubergine and seaweed curry (Dinotopia: The Cure); Broccoli (Earth 2:Natural Born Grendlers);
Carrot (Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars ); Corn on the Cob (Voyager: The Caretaker); Corn on the Cob/Cream Corn (Lois and Clarke: The Green, Green Glow of Home );
Heavenly Hash Special (Roswell: Monsters);
Potato Casserole (The Next Generation : The Wounded );
Swede (Doctor Who :Last of the Timelords);
Tuber (Stargate: Atlantis: The Game );
Salad Endive Salad (Deep Space 9: Whispers); Greek God Salad (Roswell: The End of the World);
Fruit Apple (Battlestar1980: The Super Scouts/ Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour ); Bananas (Doctor Who: Midnight ); Citrus Fruit (Stargate: Atlantis: The Game );
Power Fruits (Blackstar); Strawberry (Lexx: Nook/Firefly/ Stargate: Atlantis: Brainstorm );
Fish and other Seafood Anchovies (Doctor who: The Unicorn and the Wasp); Blackened redfish with creamed spinach and sautéed beets (Deep Space 9: Equilibrium); Blowfish Sushi (Lois and Clarke: Vatman ); Caviar (The Next Generation : Sins of the Father );
Fish fingers and custard (Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour );
Gumbo (Quantum Leap: Southern Comforts; Frankenfish );
Kelp buds (The Next Generation : The Wounded );
lobster (The Invaders: The Peacemaker);
Plankton Loaf (The Next Generation: The Wounded);
Redfish (Deep Space 9 : The Visitor); Redskin Basket (Roswell: River Dog);
Sea Berries (The Next Generation : The Wounded ); Shrimp Creole (Deep Space 9: The Abandoned); Smoked Salmon (Torchwood: Adam );Sushi (Bionic Woman: 2007: The Education of Jaime Sommers); Squid (Deep Space 9: Blaze of Glory );
Eggs
Egg Salad (Quantum Leap: The Color of Truth ); Eggs (Goodnight Sweetheart: As You Wave Me Goodbye);
Frijola Frittata (Roswell: Wipeout! );
Green Eggs with Moonrock Hash (Roswell: The Convention);
Sweet and Sour Tortillas (Roswell: To Serve and Protect );
Meat Bacon (Goodnight Sweetheart: As You Wave Me Goodbye/ Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour ); Chitlins (Quantum Leap: The Color of Truth );
Fricandeau Stew (Deep Space 9: Whispers ); Jambalaya (Deep Space 9: Homefront )/Deep Space 9: The Jem’Hadar);
Lamb’s Tails (Goodnight Sweetheart: Just one More Chance );
Meatballs (Battlestar Galactica1980: The Night the Cylons Landed);
Roast Beef (Stargate:SG1: Arthur’s Mantle/ Doctor Who: Midnight );
Salisbury Steak (Stargate: Atlantis: The Game ); Schnitzel (Stargate: Atlantis: Irresponsible ); Steak (Stargate:SG1:Upgrades );
Odds and Ends
Baked Beans (Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour); Blue Moon Queseolla (Roswell: A Tale of Two Parties);
cellular peptide cake (The Next Generation : Phantasms); Cheese (Goodnight Sweetheart: As You Wave Me Goodbye);
Fajita Fajita(Roswell: A Tale of Two Parties ); Froot Loops (Stargate:SG1: Window of Opportunity);
Goobers ( aka peanuts) (Stargate: Atlantis: Doppelganger/Roswell: A Tale of Two Parties);
Jalapeno Shooters (Roswell: A Tale of Two Parties );
Koopa special (Super Mario Brothers);
Nourishment Gel (Hyperdrive: Weekend Off );
Oatmeal (Stargate:SG1:Window of Opportunity ); Oyster Mushrooms (Dinotopia: The Big Fight);
Peanuts (Doctor Who: Midnight ); Power Bars (Stargate: Atlantis: Epiphany/ Stargate: Atlantis: Harmony );
Saturn Rings (Roswell: Blood Brother ); Spirulina (Earth 2: Memory Play);
Taquitoes with green sauce (Lois and Clarke: Vatman );
Walnuts (Doctor Who: The Unicorn and the Wasp);
Yoghurt (Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour ); Whatsit’s (Hyperdrive: Weekend Off );
Zagnuts (Roswell: The Summer of ’47);
What you notice about healthy food is that it is dominated by sandwiches, soup, meat and chicken. There’s not a lot of imagination in the meals except for Roswell where the characters were working in a tourist cafe, making up lot of interesting names and using Mexican dishes. The Star Trek franchise doesn’t dominate this section. Deep Space 9 shows the Sisko family making traditional Southern American dishes, and presents Keiko O’Brien’s seafood choices, but not much else.
It’s interesting that fruit and salad are so under-represented. Perhaps the Killer Tomatoes had a bad influence on salad, but Lexx’s bad carrots haven’t had the same effect. At least the salad names are interesting. Even the vegetable dishes are limited and boring.
Alien Food
This involves alien animals, vegetables and fruits, sometimes made into sweets and puddings or other recognisable food formats. What’s interesting here is the limited number of series and films (forget books!) that imagine alien food:
The Star Trek franchise dominates: Deep Space Nine; The Next Generation, Voyager and Enterprise. This is a universe where there are many friendly aliens as well as hostile ones. Voyager has an alien chef finding the crew edibles on planets in the Delta Quadrant.
Farscape – This series also had friendly aliens, some of whom lived on Moya with John. Food would inevitably be a problem for such a varied group.
Babylon 5 – Once again a universe with friendly aliens with whom the crew made alliances. The aliens here deride human food as often as alien food is shown.
Stargate Atlantis and Roswell have one entry each, not surprising for earth bound Roswell, but an interesting omission for Atlantis.
So far the dominant alien food imaginers have been American. Two English series show alien food in a less positive light:
Red Dwarf has interesting alien food that sometimes crawls off the plate or attacks the crew.
Lexx has revolting alien food which the crew enjoys. But Lexx also shows humans being turned into alien food.
The Alien Menu
Alterian chowder (Deep Space 9 : Armageddon Game) ; Andorian Tuber Root (Deep Space 9 : Second Sight);
Bok rat liver (Deep Space 9 : Soldiers of the Empire ); Breen (Babylon 5: Walkabout); Bregit Lung (The Next Generation: A Matter of Honor ); Buffalo wings (Doctor Who : Voyage of the Damned ); Bularian Canapés (The Next Generation: Journey’s End);
Chee’lash fruit (Deep Space 9 : Hard Time); Coltayin Roots (The Next Generation: Liaisons ); Crispy Grolak (Farscape: Lava’s a Many Splendored Thing);
Delovian Souffle (The Next Generation :The Child );
Feragit Goulash (Voyager: Parallax); Flaked Blood Fleas (Deep Space 9 : Rules of Acquisition );Flamed Mange Cat (Flash Gordon: Revelations); Fungilli (The Next Generation: Galaxy’s Child):
Gagh (The Next Generation : A Matter of Honor /Enterprise: Sleeping Dogs);
Gladst (Deep Space 9: Melora); Gramilion Sand Peas (Deep Space 9 : Rules of Acquisition );
Hasperat (Deep Space 9 : Rejoined ); Heart of Targ (The Next Generation: A Matter of Honor );
I’danian Space Pudding (Deep Space 9 : Babel/ Deep Space 9 : The Search);
Jelassa Berries (Lexx: Trip); Jellied Gree Worms (Deep Space 9 : Ferengi Love Songs); Jilnak (Farscape: Lava’s a Many Splendored Thing); Jumbo Romulan molluscs (Deep Space 9 : The Maquis);
Koberry Torte (Deep Space 9 : The Homecoming ); Ktarian Chocolate Puff (The Next Generation: Liaisons);
Lingta (Deep Space 9 : Looking for Par’Mach in All The Wrong Places); Lokar beans (Deep Space 9 : Rules of Acquisition); Lorvan Crackers (Deep Space 9 : Defiant);
Mantickian Pate (The Next Generation : Half a Life); Matapin rock fungi (Deep Space 9 : Business as Usual); Mobifruit (Deep Space 9 : Rejoined );
Ongilan Caviar (The Next Generation : Genesis ); Orion Wing Slugs (The Next Generation :Ménage a Troi ); Oskoid (The Next Generation : Ménage a Troi/ The Next Generation : Half a Life);
Palamarian sea urchin (Deep Space 9 : Business as Usual ); Pipius Claw (The Next Generation : A Matter of Honor ); Plomeek broth (Enterprise); Plomeek Soup (Deep Space 9 : The Maquis); Puree of Beetle (Deep Space 9 : The Assignment);
Q’lavos (Deep Space 9 : The Ship ); Q’Parol (Deep Space 9 : The Assignment ); Quadruple Chocolate dipped sweet cluster fry (Lexx: Eating Pattern)
Racht (Deep Space 9 : Melora ); Raw Slug Liver (Deep Space 9 : The Assignment ); Regava Eggs (Deep Space 9 : Destiny ); Rokeg Blood Pie (The Next Generation : A Matter of Honor );
Slug Steaks (Deep Space 9 : Ferengi Love Songs); Spiny Lobe Fish (The Next Generation: Frame of Mind ); Space Weevil (Red Dwarf: Legion);
Tarvokian Powder Cake (The Next Generation: Liaisons); Thalian Chocolate Mousse (The Next Generation: The Dauphin ); Tojal in Yamok Sauce (Deep Space 9 : Destiny ); Tube grubs (Deep Space 9 : Rules of Acquisition ); Tulaberries (Deep Space 9 : Rules of Acquisition ); Tuttleroot Soup (Stargate Atlantis: Critical Mass); Tuwaly Pie (Deep Space 9 : Shakaar);
Uttaberries (The Next Generation : Ménage a Troi); Utaberry Crepes (Deep Space 9 : Armageddon Game);
Vak Clover Soup (Deep Space 9 : Melora ); Veklava (Deep Space 9 : Rejoined); Viinerine (The Next Generation: Face of the Enemy );
Wentlian Condor Snake (Deep Space 9 : Business as Usual );
Yigrish Cream Pie (Deep Space 9 : Distant Voices);
Zilm’kach (Deep Space 9 : Melora )
What does it all add up to?
Food in science fiction equates to comfort and belonging. This connection is so strong food becomes a metaphor for these human emotions.
But food also demonstrates the differences between us and aliens. These differences can be positive as shown by Deanna Troi digging into alien desserts, or revolting as in the case of Klingon gagh.
Doctor Who gives value to plain, old fashioned cooking and fatty English foods, presumably in protest against the globalisation of food. The Doctor waxes on happily about chips and pies to encourage us to eat local, if not healthy.
Alien food gives us a chance to play with words, inventing new fruits and animals in a variety of dialects, from Andorian to Vulcan. Roswell excelled at making up sci fi names for cafe food, fitting in with the Roswell theme.
Lots of positives and lots of room to improve!
Someone once said to me that there was no food which didn’t have a negative impact on your health, so you may as well go ahead and live on sweets! She was referring to health problems caused by fat, salt and sugar. These days we have a heap more problems to worry about, things such as:
• Is genetically modified food safe in the long term?
• Which foods have antibiotics in them?
• How many heavy metals does seafood contain?
• Which foods are contaminated by pesticides?
• Which foods have MSG in them?
Lots of the food we eat is now toxic to parts of the community – some people have allergies, others are susceptible to cancer. But most people put these issues in the too-hard basket and continue to eat as if there are no problems. Sci fi writers are just as prone to do this as anyone else.
How does Sci Fi Present Food?
Sci fi most often shows ordinary humans eating ordinary food, sometimes it shows aliens eating their own food, or humans eating each other, it rarely shows complex issues such as the slow poisoning of the food chain.
Ordinary Food
Science Fiction films and television shows present food most often in the form ordinary people eat it. This raises an ethical question: should sci fi be showing how real people eat or should it be showing how we should eat? When the O’Brien’s shared the cooking on Deep Space Nine Keiko’s cooking was very healthy, but so unappetising Miles wouldn’t eat it, and his stodgy food was presented as better, even though Keiko complained about it. This is an extreme example of sci fi’s attitude.
Food in sci fi is a signifier of comfort and stability, think of the family dinners in Kyle XY or Deanna Troi’s love of chocolate in The Next Generation. It’s also a sign of group cohesion, think of Chianna’s dinner in Farscape.
There are more references to food in the Star Trek franchise and sci fi products aimed at a younger audience, than in sci fi action. Food often sets a normal scene that will be disrupted by something unusual so that we move from the known to the unknown seamlessly. It’s no surprise sci fi presents a lot of unhealthy food choices.
What unhealthy food does Sci Fi show us eating?
First of all you have to realise that food names can be specific to place, for instance ‘fondant’ to an Australian means a kind of icing, but in the English context in Doctor Who seems to mean a dessert.
As well as this semantic problem some food items may belong in several categories, or be on their own e.g. is a dumpling really a cake? I’ve done my best, making sure unhealthy goes into unhealthy – after all, eggs may be good but not when eaten with chips!
Burgers Blue Moon Burger (Roswell: Blood Brother); Burger (Dinotopia: Contact ); Cheeseburger (seaQuest DSV: Whale Song/ Iron Man); Eclipse Burger (Roswell: Crazy); Hamburger (My Favourite Martian: Pilot/ Aliens in the Attic ); Sweet Burger (Roswell: A Tale of Two Parties );
Cake Banana Cake (Doctor Who: Fear Her); Birthday cake (Beware! The Blob/ Kyle XY Blame it on the Rain ); Blueberry Muffin (Red Dwarf: Back in the Red); Cake (Hyperdrive : Clare); Cheesecake Split (Roswell: A Tale of Two Parties );Cupcakes (Star Gate: Off the Grid / Stepford Wives 2/ Kyle XY: The List is Life); Danish (Torchwood: Meat ); Data cake (The Next Generation: Phantasms); Donut (Transformers the Movie/2 ); Double layer chocolate fudge cake (seaQuest: DSV: By Any Other Name); Dumplings (Flash Gordon: Life Source); Icoberry Torte (Deep Space 9 :Sanctuary ); Strawberry Shortcake (Enterprise: Horizon);
Chips: Beta carotene Chips (Earth Final Conflict: Keys to the Kingdom ); Chip butties (Red Dwarf: Back to Earth ); Chips (Doctor Who: World War II/Doctor Who: The Parting of the Ways ); Cold Chip Sandwich (Sarah-Jane Adventures: Revenge of the Slitheen ); Eggs, Ham and chips (Torchwood: Random Shoes];Fish and Chips (Doctor Who: Last of the Timelords/ Doctor Who: Turn Left );
Chocolate: Delvian Chocolates (Deep Space 9 : Improbable Cause ); Chocolate Bar (Stargate:SG1Bane);Chocolate Cake (The Next Generation: Parallels); Chocolate Caramels (BG2: Exodus ); Chocolate Eruption (Roswell: A Tale of Two Parties);Chocolate Ice cream (Bionic Woman: 200Faceoff);Chocolate Sundae (The Next Generation: The Price); Chocolate Walnut Cookies (Stargate:SG1: Forever in a Day); Choco Poppers (NTZ A Little Peace and Quiet); Eskimo Bar (Jupiter Moon); Kai Winn chocolate soufflé (Deep Space 9 : Life Support); Milky Way (Slaughterhouse-5 N ); Plain Chocolate (The Next Generation: Liaisons /Hyperdrive: Weekend Off ); Starbars (Silver Sun); Three Musketeers Candy Bar (Slaughterhouse-5 Novel );
Desserts and Biscuits Blueberry Pancakes (Kyle XY: Blame it on the Rain ); Blue Jelly (SGA The Game ); Blue String Pudding (The Clangers); Bread Pudding Soufflé (Deep Space 9 : Homefront ); Caramel apples (Lois and Clarke: The Green, Green Glow of Home ); Crepes (Kyle XY:To C.I.R With Love ); Croissants (The Next Generation: Attached / Doctor Who: Turn Left); Fondant Supreme (Doctor Who: The Happiness Patrol); Jell-O (SGA Michael ); Macaroons (SG Line in the Sand); Mrs. Angela’s Rhubarb Surprise (Doctor Who: Forest of the Dead); Nepco Wafers (Jeremiah: To Sail Beyond the Stars); Peach Cobbler (The Next Generation : Liaisons ); Popcorn (Lois and Clarke: The Green, Green Glow of Home/ Stargate Atlantis: Doppelganger/Earth Final conflict: Through Your Eyes );
Strawberry Fondant Surprise (Doctor Who: The Happiness Patrol ); Suet pudding (Goodnight Sweetheart: Who’s Taking You Home Tonight? );
Tellurian Mint Truffles (Deep Space 9 : The Assignment ); Waffles (BG1980 The Super Scouts );
Hot Dogs Chilli Rock Dog (Roswell: Crazy); Chipolti (Babylon 5 : Knives); Hot dog (Deep Space 9 :Starship Down/ Flash Gordon: Random Access/ Aliens in the Attic );
Ice Cream: Banana Split (The Next Generation : Suddenly Human); Double double chocolate fudge (Lois and Clarke: : The Man of Steel Bars );Fudgy Budgy Cone (Dark Angel: Dawg Day Afternoon); Hot Fudge Blast Off (Roswell: The Morning After); Hot fudge Ice Cream (SG1 Holiday): Plain Ice Cream (Torchwood: Meat /Close Encounters of the Third Kind);Ice Cream Sundae (seaQuest DSV: Vapors ); Mint Chocolate Ice Cream (Red Dwarf: Pete);
Pasta: Angel Hair Pasta (Enterprise: Regeneration); Angel Hair with Tomato and Basil (Lois and Clarke: The Rival ); Pasta al Fiorella (The Next Generation: Birthright); Pasta Boudin (Deep Space 9: Paradise Lost ); Pasta Carbonara (BW2007: Everything Will Change );Pasta Special (Dinotopia: Marooned); Spaghetti (Kyle XY: Does Kyle Dream of Electric Fish? );
Pie Asteroid Pie (Roswell: We Are Family ); Blueberry pie (The Next Generation : Pre-emptive Strike); Men in Blackberry Pie (Roswell: The Balance); Pie (SG1 Urgo /Tripods: England); Shepherd’s Pie (The Infinite Worlds of H.G. Wells); Sweet Potato Pie (X-Files: Jose Chung’s From Outer Space);
Pizza: American Feast (Torchwood: Everything Changes); Double Cheese Pepperoni (FG Assassin ); Jubilee Pizza (Torchwood: Everything Changes ); Mr. Pink Pizza (The Incredible Hulk 2008); Pepperoni Feast (Torchwood: Cyberwoman );Pepper Undefined Pizza (Earth Final Conflict: Truth/ Doctor Who: Rose/ Stargate: Atlantis: The Return/ Heroes: Four Months Later/ Iron Man/ The Incredible Hulk 2008/ Torchwood: Meat/V2009 episode 3);
What else do you notice? Americans eat pizza, sweet pies, pasta, hot dogs and burgers, while Brits eat pizza, Shepherd’s pie, chips
Healthy Food
What we consider healthy to eat differs from person to person. Many people choose to be vegetarian and will think meat and poultry are not healthy choices, but compared to the above they are very nutritious! Take heart from the fact that most of the sandwiches are vegetarian, or close to it ( we have to assume Worf would have something alive on his wrap). The soup is vegetable based as well.
Sandwiches, wraps and rolls : Avocado sandwich (Beware! The Blob);
Burrito (4400 Becoming / (Hyperdrive: Asteroid);
Cheese and Pickle sandwiches(Torchwood: Meat);
Galaxy Melt (Roswell: Four Square); Galaxy Sub (Roswell: Meet the Dupes/1); Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches (seaQuest DSV: Brothers and Sisters );
Sandwiches (The Next Generation : Samaritan Snare/ Beware! The Blob );
Tuna Sandwich (Stargate:SG1:Rules of Engagement );Tuna Salad Sandwich (The Day the Earth Stood Still 2 );
Watercress sandwiches (The Next Generation : Journey’s End ); Worf Wrap (Roswell: To Serve and Protect);
Soup Bunya Chowder (Babylon 5: A Distant Star);
M15 soup (Goodnight Sweetheart: Who’s Taking You Home Tonight?); Mock Oyster Soup (Goodnight Sweetheart: Who’s Taking You Home Tonight?);
Pepper soup (Doctor Who: The Unicorn and the Wasp);
Tomato Soup (Voyager: The Caretaker);
Vegetable Soup (The Next Generation : Attached );
Poultry Chicken (Doctor Who: The End of Time); Chicken a la Sisko (Deep Space 9: Shattered Mirror ); Chicken Drumsticks (Lexx: Bad Carrot ); Chicken Enchiladas (Lois and Clarke: Honeymoon in Metropolis );Chicken Legs (Doctor Who: Forest of the Dead); Chicken Soup (My Favourite Martian: There is No Cure for the Common Martian); Chicken Tikka (Goodnight Sweetheart: Who’s Taking You Home Tonight? ); Curried chicken and rice (Deep Space 9: Blaze of Glory);
Tofu Chicken (Stargate: Atlantis: McKay and Mrs Miller );
Turkey (Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned);
Vindaloo (Red Dwarf);
Vegetables Asparagus (Deep Space 9: By Inferno’s Light/ SQDSV By Any Other Name); Aubergine and seaweed curry (Dinotopia: The Cure); Broccoli (Earth 2:Natural Born Grendlers);
Carrot (Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars ); Corn on the Cob (Voyager: The Caretaker); Corn on the Cob/Cream Corn (Lois and Clarke: The Green, Green Glow of Home );
Heavenly Hash Special (Roswell: Monsters);
Potato Casserole (The Next Generation : The Wounded );
Swede (Doctor Who :Last of the Timelords);
Tuber (Stargate: Atlantis: The Game );
Salad Endive Salad (Deep Space 9: Whispers); Greek God Salad (Roswell: The End of the World);
Fruit Apple (Battlestar1980: The Super Scouts/ Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour ); Bananas (Doctor Who: Midnight ); Citrus Fruit (Stargate: Atlantis: The Game );
Power Fruits (Blackstar); Strawberry (Lexx: Nook/Firefly/ Stargate: Atlantis: Brainstorm );
Fish and other Seafood Anchovies (Doctor who: The Unicorn and the Wasp); Blackened redfish with creamed spinach and sautéed beets (Deep Space 9: Equilibrium); Blowfish Sushi (Lois and Clarke: Vatman ); Caviar (The Next Generation : Sins of the Father );
Fish fingers and custard (Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour );
Gumbo (Quantum Leap: Southern Comforts; Frankenfish );
Kelp buds (The Next Generation : The Wounded );
lobster (The Invaders: The Peacemaker);
Plankton Loaf (The Next Generation: The Wounded);
Redfish (Deep Space 9 : The Visitor); Redskin Basket (Roswell: River Dog);
Sea Berries (The Next Generation : The Wounded ); Shrimp Creole (Deep Space 9: The Abandoned); Smoked Salmon (Torchwood: Adam );Sushi (Bionic Woman: 2007: The Education of Jaime Sommers); Squid (Deep Space 9: Blaze of Glory );
Eggs
Egg Salad (Quantum Leap: The Color of Truth ); Eggs (Goodnight Sweetheart: As You Wave Me Goodbye);
Frijola Frittata (Roswell: Wipeout! );
Green Eggs with Moonrock Hash (Roswell: The Convention);
Sweet and Sour Tortillas (Roswell: To Serve and Protect );
Meat Bacon (Goodnight Sweetheart: As You Wave Me Goodbye/ Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour ); Chitlins (Quantum Leap: The Color of Truth );
Fricandeau Stew (Deep Space 9: Whispers ); Jambalaya (Deep Space 9: Homefront )/Deep Space 9: The Jem’Hadar);
Lamb’s Tails (Goodnight Sweetheart: Just one More Chance );
Meatballs (Battlestar Galactica1980: The Night the Cylons Landed);
Roast Beef (Stargate:SG1: Arthur’s Mantle/ Doctor Who: Midnight );
Salisbury Steak (Stargate: Atlantis: The Game ); Schnitzel (Stargate: Atlantis: Irresponsible ); Steak (Stargate:SG1:Upgrades );
Odds and Ends
Baked Beans (Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour); Blue Moon Queseolla (Roswell: A Tale of Two Parties);
cellular peptide cake (The Next Generation : Phantasms); Cheese (Goodnight Sweetheart: As You Wave Me Goodbye);
Fajita Fajita(Roswell: A Tale of Two Parties ); Froot Loops (Stargate:SG1: Window of Opportunity);
Goobers ( aka peanuts) (Stargate: Atlantis: Doppelganger/Roswell: A Tale of Two Parties);
Jalapeno Shooters (Roswell: A Tale of Two Parties );
Koopa special (Super Mario Brothers);
Nourishment Gel (Hyperdrive: Weekend Off );
Oatmeal (Stargate:SG1:Window of Opportunity ); Oyster Mushrooms (Dinotopia: The Big Fight);
Peanuts (Doctor Who: Midnight ); Power Bars (Stargate: Atlantis: Epiphany/ Stargate: Atlantis: Harmony );
Saturn Rings (Roswell: Blood Brother ); Spirulina (Earth 2: Memory Play);
Taquitoes with green sauce (Lois and Clarke: Vatman );
Walnuts (Doctor Who: The Unicorn and the Wasp);
Yoghurt (Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour ); Whatsit’s (Hyperdrive: Weekend Off );
Zagnuts (Roswell: The Summer of ’47);
What you notice about healthy food is that it is dominated by sandwiches, soup, meat and chicken. There’s not a lot of imagination in the meals except for Roswell where the characters were working in a tourist cafe, making up lot of interesting names and using Mexican dishes. The Star Trek franchise doesn’t dominate this section. Deep Space 9 shows the Sisko family making traditional Southern American dishes, and presents Keiko O’Brien’s seafood choices, but not much else.
It’s interesting that fruit and salad are so under-represented. Perhaps the Killer Tomatoes had a bad influence on salad, but Lexx’s bad carrots haven’t had the same effect. At least the salad names are interesting. Even the vegetable dishes are limited and boring.
Alien Food
This involves alien animals, vegetables and fruits, sometimes made into sweets and puddings or other recognisable food formats. What’s interesting here is the limited number of series and films (forget books!) that imagine alien food:
The Star Trek franchise dominates: Deep Space Nine; The Next Generation, Voyager and Enterprise. This is a universe where there are many friendly aliens as well as hostile ones. Voyager has an alien chef finding the crew edibles on planets in the Delta Quadrant.
Farscape – This series also had friendly aliens, some of whom lived on Moya with John. Food would inevitably be a problem for such a varied group.
Babylon 5 – Once again a universe with friendly aliens with whom the crew made alliances. The aliens here deride human food as often as alien food is shown.
Stargate Atlantis and Roswell have one entry each, not surprising for earth bound Roswell, but an interesting omission for Atlantis.
So far the dominant alien food imaginers have been American. Two English series show alien food in a less positive light:
Red Dwarf has interesting alien food that sometimes crawls off the plate or attacks the crew.
Lexx has revolting alien food which the crew enjoys. But Lexx also shows humans being turned into alien food.
The Alien Menu
Alterian chowder (Deep Space 9 : Armageddon Game) ; Andorian Tuber Root (Deep Space 9 : Second Sight);
Bok rat liver (Deep Space 9 : Soldiers of the Empire ); Breen (Babylon 5: Walkabout); Bregit Lung (The Next Generation: A Matter of Honor ); Buffalo wings (Doctor Who : Voyage of the Damned ); Bularian Canapés (The Next Generation: Journey’s End);
Chee’lash fruit (Deep Space 9 : Hard Time); Coltayin Roots (The Next Generation: Liaisons ); Crispy Grolak (Farscape: Lava’s a Many Splendored Thing);
Delovian Souffle (The Next Generation :The Child );
Feragit Goulash (Voyager: Parallax); Flaked Blood Fleas (Deep Space 9 : Rules of Acquisition );Flamed Mange Cat (Flash Gordon: Revelations); Fungilli (The Next Generation: Galaxy’s Child):
Gagh (The Next Generation : A Matter of Honor /Enterprise: Sleeping Dogs);
Gladst (Deep Space 9: Melora); Gramilion Sand Peas (Deep Space 9 : Rules of Acquisition );
Hasperat (Deep Space 9 : Rejoined ); Heart of Targ (The Next Generation: A Matter of Honor );
I’danian Space Pudding (Deep Space 9 : Babel/ Deep Space 9 : The Search);
Jelassa Berries (Lexx: Trip); Jellied Gree Worms (Deep Space 9 : Ferengi Love Songs); Jilnak (Farscape: Lava’s a Many Splendored Thing); Jumbo Romulan molluscs (Deep Space 9 : The Maquis);
Koberry Torte (Deep Space 9 : The Homecoming ); Ktarian Chocolate Puff (The Next Generation: Liaisons);
Lingta (Deep Space 9 : Looking for Par’Mach in All The Wrong Places); Lokar beans (Deep Space 9 : Rules of Acquisition); Lorvan Crackers (Deep Space 9 : Defiant);
Mantickian Pate (The Next Generation : Half a Life); Matapin rock fungi (Deep Space 9 : Business as Usual); Mobifruit (Deep Space 9 : Rejoined );
Ongilan Caviar (The Next Generation : Genesis ); Orion Wing Slugs (The Next Generation :Ménage a Troi ); Oskoid (The Next Generation : Ménage a Troi/ The Next Generation : Half a Life);
Palamarian sea urchin (Deep Space 9 : Business as Usual ); Pipius Claw (The Next Generation : A Matter of Honor ); Plomeek broth (Enterprise); Plomeek Soup (Deep Space 9 : The Maquis); Puree of Beetle (Deep Space 9 : The Assignment);
Q’lavos (Deep Space 9 : The Ship ); Q’Parol (Deep Space 9 : The Assignment ); Quadruple Chocolate dipped sweet cluster fry (Lexx: Eating Pattern)
Racht (Deep Space 9 : Melora ); Raw Slug Liver (Deep Space 9 : The Assignment ); Regava Eggs (Deep Space 9 : Destiny ); Rokeg Blood Pie (The Next Generation : A Matter of Honor );
Slug Steaks (Deep Space 9 : Ferengi Love Songs); Spiny Lobe Fish (The Next Generation: Frame of Mind ); Space Weevil (Red Dwarf: Legion);
Tarvokian Powder Cake (The Next Generation: Liaisons); Thalian Chocolate Mousse (The Next Generation: The Dauphin ); Tojal in Yamok Sauce (Deep Space 9 : Destiny ); Tube grubs (Deep Space 9 : Rules of Acquisition ); Tulaberries (Deep Space 9 : Rules of Acquisition ); Tuttleroot Soup (Stargate Atlantis: Critical Mass); Tuwaly Pie (Deep Space 9 : Shakaar);
Uttaberries (The Next Generation : Ménage a Troi); Utaberry Crepes (Deep Space 9 : Armageddon Game);
Vak Clover Soup (Deep Space 9 : Melora ); Veklava (Deep Space 9 : Rejoined); Viinerine (The Next Generation: Face of the Enemy );
Wentlian Condor Snake (Deep Space 9 : Business as Usual );
Yigrish Cream Pie (Deep Space 9 : Distant Voices);
Zilm’kach (Deep Space 9 : Melora )
What does it all add up to?
Food in science fiction equates to comfort and belonging. This connection is so strong food becomes a metaphor for these human emotions.
But food also demonstrates the differences between us and aliens. These differences can be positive as shown by Deanna Troi digging into alien desserts, or revolting as in the case of Klingon gagh.
Doctor Who gives value to plain, old fashioned cooking and fatty English foods, presumably in protest against the globalisation of food. The Doctor waxes on happily about chips and pies to encourage us to eat local, if not healthy.
Alien food gives us a chance to play with words, inventing new fruits and animals in a variety of dialects, from Andorian to Vulcan. Roswell excelled at making up sci fi names for cafe food, fitting in with the Roswell theme.
Lots of positives and lots of room to improve!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Little fidget wheels - poetry in sci fi
Poetry : for the literati or the masses?
During the last big clean-up I found an article called When Holograms Kiss: Poetry and Star Trek . Written back in 1998 by the Australian poet S K Kelen, it looks at episodes of the original Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation as epic poetry. Kelen uses a definition of poetry from the Princeton Encyclopaedia of Poetry and Poetics on Native American poetry to underpin her ideas. Poetry in this context is large, it is close cousin to drama, particularly tragedy, and it examines universal themes.
This left questions to answer.
· Do other Sci fi programs have an epic quality?
· Does sci fi include other, more philosophical poetry?
· What about Shakespeare?
Do non-Star Trek series or films have epic qualities?
The answer to this is: of course! The best sci fi is always close to Greek drama and to the rules of poetry laid down in the Ars Poetica. In this work by the Roman poet Horace we are told to look for content in the works of the Socratics, to base work on
‘whoever knows what he owes his country and friends, what love is due to a parent, brother, or guest, what’s required of a senator or a judge in office, what’s the role of general in war.
You can see these plots in Star Trek but also in Babylon 5 where all kinds of duty are explored, with the prophetic figure of J’Kar leading everyone through the maze.
You can also see them easily in Torchwood where fulfilling your duty may lead to your own death or the death of those you most love. Torchwood’s Small Worlds uses Yeats poem The Stolen Child to explore Jack’s responsibility to an individual child and to humanity, a lose-lose situation that leaves Jack sad and condemned but humanity intact. Jack later takes on the role of a Greek god when he is freed from a prison of solid concrete, walking off naked and supreme.
It’s possible to look at sci fi series that fail the viewer as ones that don’t embrace the epic. Think of Battlestar Galactica at its blackest. The characters machinate and shift allegiances, never reaching the real moments of triumph and failure we need heroes to find and embrace. Adama tries but never really makes it. And whose idea was it to make so many core characters Cylons? The Goodies are the Baddies are the Goodies???
Have a look yourself at your favourite series or movie to see if your heroes (male and female) are being given moral challenges that they rise above or fail outright, in believable ways. Are your characters epic or just mundane? Because it’s the epic that keeps us entranced and lasts for thousands of years.
Does Sci Fi Include Other More Philosophical Poetry?
It sure does. But what’s interesting is how often the same poets keep being quoted:
Christina Rossetti: Goblin Market in Doctor Who: Midnight/ I Have Been this way before in Sliders: Roads Taken.
Dante Aligheri: Il Courtagiano in X-files: 2Shy
Emily Dickinson: Because I would not stop for death in Torchwood: They Keep Killing Suzie.
John Masefield: I Must Go Down to the Sea Again in Star Trek: The Final Frontier
John Milton: Flowers of all hue in The Next Generation: Dark Page
Robert Browning: Paracelsus in X-files: The Field Where I Died
Robert Frost: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening in Roswell: Cry Your Name
Samuel Taylor Coleridge: The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner in seaQuest DSV Hide and Seek; Kubla Khan in Torchwood: Greeks Bearing Gifts
T.S. Eliot: The Hollow Men in Doctor Who: The Lazarus Experiment
Walt Whitman: Captain, My Captain in Torchwood: They Keep Killing Suzie/ A Song of Myself in Smallville: Crush/ Leaves of Grass in Dark Angel: Brainiac.
William Butler Yeats: The Song of Wandering Aengus in Enterprise: Rogue Planet/ Drinking song in Sliders: Luck of the Drawer/The Stolen Child in Torchwood: Small Worlds
Things to notice here are:
· English and American poets are both quoted, with English poets quoted by American programs and vice versa.
· Women poets are quoted although not as often as men.
· The poets are all very famous and are usually known for being philosophical, with several exceptions.
Is there any alien poetry?
Aliens don’t escape the Muse, particularly Klingons who uplifted love poetry to the highest art.
J’Kar in Babylon 5 writes his musings in poetic form.
Don’t forget Prosteltnik Vogon Jeltz who wrote the worst poetry in the Galaxy.
And there was the Poetman in Lexx: Supernova, really a hologram with attitude. He twisted poetry into its opposite: Life is the sweetest misery before he tried to kill everyone.
What About Shakespeare?
Shakespeare wrote both plays and poetry, but his poetry is not quoted nearly as often as are lines from his plays. Why would science fiction writers be interested in his work? Apart from his great plot lines and characterisation, which have inspired writers ever since the 16th Century, Shakespeare cut to the core of human nature. It’s possible to use a quote from the Bard and know that readers and viewers will understand what you mean about the situation on a star ship or for a robot or for visiting aliens..............Shakespeare is the ultimate source in Post Modern reference systems. So, how often does this happen?
Shakespearean Quotes in Films and TV Series:
All the World’s a Stage –
All the Galaxy’s a Stage (Hamlet) Star Trek: The Next Generation: Hide and Q Quoted by Q and Picard.
Angels and ministers of grace defend us (Hamlet) Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Quoted by Dr. McCoy.
O brave new world, that has such people in it’ (The Tempest) – Star Trek: The Next Generation: Emergence Quoted by Data.
Julius Caesar: Deep Space Nine: Improbable Cause Discussed by Garak.
There’s more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy (Hamlet) Doctor Who: The Unquiet Dead. Quoted by Dickens.
Star Trek and Doctor Who figure large here, perhaps because they like to refer to the wider world of literature. Otherwise there’s not much else.
Shakespeare as a character:
Doctor Who: The Chase - seen on a time and space visualiser.
Doctor Who: The Shakespeare Code - presented as the character The Wordsmith.
Don’t forget the protagonist of The Postman who mangled Shakespeare to make a living, or the Captain of the Dirigible which saved the main characters in Stardust.
Shakespeare’s Characters re-used:
MacBeth—planet from the Star Fox video game series
Miranda – Planet in Serenity .
Oberon Blake’s 7 Breakdown Planet ; New Planet of the Apes Space Station from which the astronaut was launched back in time; Lexx: A Midsummer’s Nightmare King of the fairies/
Titania—planet of the Star Fox video game series.
Shakespearean references as series episode titles:
Alas, Poor Mork, We Knew him Well - Mork and Mindy season 3, 1980
All the Worlds a Teletalk Linkup - Luna season 1,
A Midsummer’s Nightmare – Lexx season 4
A MidGoomer Night’s Dream – ALF animated
Conscience Of The King, The - Star Trek, Season 1, 1966
Much Ado About Babysitting – Sailor Moon, season 2 1996
Much Ado About Dick - 3rd Rock From the Sun season 2 1997
Much Ado about Kitten – Sailor Moon season five, 2001
Much Ado About Musyamon – Digimon – Digital Monsters – season 3, 2001
My sister’s Keeper – Digimon: Digital Monsters season 1, 1999
Once More Unto The Breach - Star Trek Deep Space 9, Season 7, 1998
Romeo and Juliet and Dick – 3rd Rock from the Sun season 2, 1997
Romeo and Joule-Watt - Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad season 1, 1994
Romeo and Glimmer – She-Ra, Princess of Power season 2, 1986
Romeo and Juliet – Carl2 season 1, 2005.
Taming of the Zords – Power Rangers Wild Force season 2, 2002
Tempest – Smallville season 1, 2000
Tempest - .hack//sign season 1, 2000
To Be or Not To Be - seaQuest DSV 1993
To Be or Not To Be Evil – Good versus Evil season 1, 1999
Incidentals:
Shakesblob in Love – Blobheads, 2003
The Shakespeare Code – Doctor Who season 3, 2007
I’ve found no Shakespearean references in game titles, series titles or film titles. It looks like the ease with which a Shakespearean play title or famous quote can be parodied, has made Shakespeare most popular with the naming of TV series episodes, in particular animated series. One explanation for this is that Shakespeare is performed in Japan, making the spoofy titles inter-cultural references.
Finally
Poetry is used in mainstream science fiction to underpin philosophical ideas, particularly in Star Trek and Doctor Who. Shakespeare has the most references to his works, but unhappily is mostly used to create humorous series titles.
Sadly there is no use of Australian poetry that I could find, and there are several poets who lend themselves to such use – Slessor and Dobson spring to mind. There are endless possibilities for poetry to be used in sci fi in all its forms, it’s up to intelligent, inventive creators to do so.
During the last big clean-up I found an article called When Holograms Kiss: Poetry and Star Trek . Written back in 1998 by the Australian poet S K Kelen, it looks at episodes of the original Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation as epic poetry. Kelen uses a definition of poetry from the Princeton Encyclopaedia of Poetry and Poetics on Native American poetry to underpin her ideas. Poetry in this context is large, it is close cousin to drama, particularly tragedy, and it examines universal themes.
This left questions to answer.
· Do other Sci fi programs have an epic quality?
· Does sci fi include other, more philosophical poetry?
· What about Shakespeare?
Do non-Star Trek series or films have epic qualities?
The answer to this is: of course! The best sci fi is always close to Greek drama and to the rules of poetry laid down in the Ars Poetica. In this work by the Roman poet Horace we are told to look for content in the works of the Socratics, to base work on
‘whoever knows what he owes his country and friends, what love is due to a parent, brother, or guest, what’s required of a senator or a judge in office, what’s the role of general in war.
You can see these plots in Star Trek but also in Babylon 5 where all kinds of duty are explored, with the prophetic figure of J’Kar leading everyone through the maze.
You can also see them easily in Torchwood where fulfilling your duty may lead to your own death or the death of those you most love. Torchwood’s Small Worlds uses Yeats poem The Stolen Child to explore Jack’s responsibility to an individual child and to humanity, a lose-lose situation that leaves Jack sad and condemned but humanity intact. Jack later takes on the role of a Greek god when he is freed from a prison of solid concrete, walking off naked and supreme.
It’s possible to look at sci fi series that fail the viewer as ones that don’t embrace the epic. Think of Battlestar Galactica at its blackest. The characters machinate and shift allegiances, never reaching the real moments of triumph and failure we need heroes to find and embrace. Adama tries but never really makes it. And whose idea was it to make so many core characters Cylons? The Goodies are the Baddies are the Goodies???
Have a look yourself at your favourite series or movie to see if your heroes (male and female) are being given moral challenges that they rise above or fail outright, in believable ways. Are your characters epic or just mundane? Because it’s the epic that keeps us entranced and lasts for thousands of years.
Does Sci Fi Include Other More Philosophical Poetry?
It sure does. But what’s interesting is how often the same poets keep being quoted:
Christina Rossetti: Goblin Market in Doctor Who: Midnight/ I Have Been this way before in Sliders: Roads Taken.
Dante Aligheri: Il Courtagiano in X-files: 2Shy
Emily Dickinson: Because I would not stop for death in Torchwood: They Keep Killing Suzie.
John Masefield: I Must Go Down to the Sea Again in Star Trek: The Final Frontier
John Milton: Flowers of all hue in The Next Generation: Dark Page
Robert Browning: Paracelsus in X-files: The Field Where I Died
Robert Frost: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening in Roswell: Cry Your Name
Samuel Taylor Coleridge: The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner in seaQuest DSV Hide and Seek; Kubla Khan in Torchwood: Greeks Bearing Gifts
T.S. Eliot: The Hollow Men in Doctor Who: The Lazarus Experiment
Walt Whitman: Captain, My Captain in Torchwood: They Keep Killing Suzie/ A Song of Myself in Smallville: Crush/ Leaves of Grass in Dark Angel: Brainiac.
William Butler Yeats: The Song of Wandering Aengus in Enterprise: Rogue Planet/ Drinking song in Sliders: Luck of the Drawer/The Stolen Child in Torchwood: Small Worlds
Things to notice here are:
· English and American poets are both quoted, with English poets quoted by American programs and vice versa.
· Women poets are quoted although not as often as men.
· The poets are all very famous and are usually known for being philosophical, with several exceptions.
Is there any alien poetry?
Aliens don’t escape the Muse, particularly Klingons who uplifted love poetry to the highest art.
J’Kar in Babylon 5 writes his musings in poetic form.
Don’t forget Prosteltnik Vogon Jeltz who wrote the worst poetry in the Galaxy.
And there was the Poetman in Lexx: Supernova, really a hologram with attitude. He twisted poetry into its opposite: Life is the sweetest misery before he tried to kill everyone.
What About Shakespeare?
Shakespeare wrote both plays and poetry, but his poetry is not quoted nearly as often as are lines from his plays. Why would science fiction writers be interested in his work? Apart from his great plot lines and characterisation, which have inspired writers ever since the 16th Century, Shakespeare cut to the core of human nature. It’s possible to use a quote from the Bard and know that readers and viewers will understand what you mean about the situation on a star ship or for a robot or for visiting aliens..............Shakespeare is the ultimate source in Post Modern reference systems. So, how often does this happen?
Shakespearean Quotes in Films and TV Series:
All the World’s a Stage –
All the Galaxy’s a Stage (Hamlet) Star Trek: The Next Generation: Hide and Q Quoted by Q and Picard.
Angels and ministers of grace defend us (Hamlet) Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Quoted by Dr. McCoy.
O brave new world, that has such people in it’ (The Tempest) – Star Trek: The Next Generation: Emergence Quoted by Data.
Julius Caesar: Deep Space Nine: Improbable Cause Discussed by Garak.
There’s more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy (Hamlet) Doctor Who: The Unquiet Dead. Quoted by Dickens.
Star Trek and Doctor Who figure large here, perhaps because they like to refer to the wider world of literature. Otherwise there’s not much else.
Shakespeare as a character:
Doctor Who: The Chase - seen on a time and space visualiser.
Doctor Who: The Shakespeare Code - presented as the character The Wordsmith.
Don’t forget the protagonist of The Postman who mangled Shakespeare to make a living, or the Captain of the Dirigible which saved the main characters in Stardust.
Shakespeare’s Characters re-used:
MacBeth—planet from the Star Fox video game series
Miranda – Planet in Serenity .
Oberon Blake’s 7 Breakdown Planet ; New Planet of the Apes Space Station from which the astronaut was launched back in time; Lexx: A Midsummer’s Nightmare King of the fairies/
Titania—planet of the Star Fox video game series.
Shakespearean references as series episode titles:
Alas, Poor Mork, We Knew him Well - Mork and Mindy season 3, 1980
All the Worlds a Teletalk Linkup - Luna season 1,
A Midsummer’s Nightmare – Lexx season 4
A MidGoomer Night’s Dream – ALF animated
Conscience Of The King, The - Star Trek, Season 1, 1966
Much Ado About Babysitting – Sailor Moon, season 2 1996
Much Ado About Dick - 3rd Rock From the Sun season 2 1997
Much Ado about Kitten – Sailor Moon season five, 2001
Much Ado About Musyamon – Digimon – Digital Monsters – season 3, 2001
My sister’s Keeper – Digimon: Digital Monsters season 1, 1999
Once More Unto The Breach - Star Trek Deep Space 9, Season 7, 1998
Romeo and Juliet and Dick – 3rd Rock from the Sun season 2, 1997
Romeo and Joule-Watt - Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad season 1, 1994
Romeo and Glimmer – She-Ra, Princess of Power season 2, 1986
Romeo and Juliet – Carl2 season 1, 2005.
Taming of the Zords – Power Rangers Wild Force season 2, 2002
Tempest – Smallville season 1, 2000
Tempest - .hack//sign season 1, 2000
To Be or Not To Be - seaQuest DSV 1993
To Be or Not To Be Evil – Good versus Evil season 1, 1999
Incidentals:
Shakesblob in Love – Blobheads, 2003
The Shakespeare Code – Doctor Who season 3, 2007
I’ve found no Shakespearean references in game titles, series titles or film titles. It looks like the ease with which a Shakespearean play title or famous quote can be parodied, has made Shakespeare most popular with the naming of TV series episodes, in particular animated series. One explanation for this is that Shakespeare is performed in Japan, making the spoofy titles inter-cultural references.
Finally
Poetry is used in mainstream science fiction to underpin philosophical ideas, particularly in Star Trek and Doctor Who. Shakespeare has the most references to his works, but unhappily is mostly used to create humorous series titles.
Sadly there is no use of Australian poetry that I could find, and there are several poets who lend themselves to such use – Slessor and Dobson spring to mind. There are endless possibilities for poetry to be used in sci fi in all its forms, it’s up to intelligent, inventive creators to do so.
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