Darker Than You Think is one of the best stories I’ve ever read, if not the best. Although Jack Williamson wrote it in the 1930s, it’s fast-moving, incredibly well-written, and retains its supernatural horror charm. The first time I read it, I was a teenager. Since then, I enjoyed many other books and movies on werewolves, but Darker Than You Think is unique. I found this novel so inspiring that I wrote my own werewolf novel (more on this later.)
The novel’s introduction by Dennis Wheatley in the Gollancz (SF-Gateway) e-book version is worth quoting entirely:
This story by Jack Williamson has a truly original plot.
It is based on the theory that all of us have a small (or occasionally quite large) percentage of evil in us, owing to blood we have inherited from that far distant past when it is said that ‘the Sons of God (Dark Angels in this case) went into the Daughters of Men’.
It starts with Will Barbee, a journalist in the American town of Clarendon, at the local airport. He is on an assignment to report the homecoming of a famous American archaeologist, Dr. Lamarck Mondrick, who is returning from two years’ work in a desolate part of Mongolia.
A few years earlier Barbee had been one of Dr. Mondrick’s most promising students; but when the doctor made up his team to accompany him to Mongolia, without explanation he excluded Barbee and took three of his contemporaries. Later the reason why the doctor would not take Barbee emerges. He sensed that the young man, although ignorant of it himself, had inherited from both his parents blood that contained a dangerously high proportion of this prehistoric evil.
While waiting on the airfield an exceptionally lovely girl, April Bell, introduces herself to Will Barbee as a cub reporter on her first assignment for a rival paper. He is so strongly attracted to her that, against his better judgement, he gives her useful material for writing her article. She is carrying a large open snakeskin bag in which there is a small black kitten and a beautifully carved white jade wolf on a gold pin. The aircraft arrives but there is considerable delay in its passengers disembarking, because Dr. Mondrick wishes to make an announcement of worldwide importance. While the press and television men are assembling, the doctor’s companions bring out from the plane a large box which they will allow no one to approach. He then begins his announcement, but is obviously extremely ill and, before revealing his great secret, falls dead. Later Barbee discovers April’s black kitten dead in an ash can with her wolf-headed pin through its heart.
Fig.2: April Bell. I generated this image with Midjourney AI, starting from Jack Williamson’s description.
Much puzzled, he takes her out to dinner and she tells him of her past. She was illegitimate and her stepfather used to beat her unmercifully. Then she gradually discovered that she had occult powers, and used them as a witch to revenge herself on Barbee is so fascinated by her big green eyes, wonderful head of flaming red hair and alluring body that he cannot believe evil of her, and they continue to meet.
A night comes when in his sleep he hears April calling him; he suffers a few minutes’ physical anguish then tumbles out of bed to find that he has become a big grey wolf. At once he sets off to join her and sees that she is now in the form of a beautiful white wolf. He feels a new freedom through his physical change and derives great pleasure from racing through the deserted streets beside her. The author’s description of Barbee’s reactions as an animal to smells that a human would hardly notice is most skillfully conveyed, and April succeeds in temporarily convincing him that he is one of her own kind – a race of super-humans with powers that will enable them to dominate the world. But they have enemies who must be destroyed: the three young men who accompanied Dr. Mondrick to Mongolia, who are in a desperate state of nerves guarding the mysterious box they brought back; and Dr. Mondrick’s blind widow.
Fig.3: Dr. Lamarck Mondrick’s study, crammed with ancient and mysterious artifacts. I generated this image with Midjourney AI, starting from Jack Williamson’s description.
All four of them know too much; yet they are Barbee’s dearest friends. He is terribly reluctant to harm them. Even so, he becomes more and more enslaved by the lovely witch and delights in those nights when, free from all care, he can rove the countryside with her. Terrible deeds ensue.
Years ago, after I gave up on trying to become a professional astronomer, I decided to follow an old dream of mine, that is, write down the fantasy and Sci-Fi stories I used to tell myself since I was a kid (usually before sleeping, or when I was bored at school, or even when I shouldn’t have, for example when I had to work or study.) The stories were many, with details taken from hundreds of TV shows I’d watched and comics and books I’d read during my early life. Ultimately, they merged into a single plot of three different storylines, converging to an unexpected finale.
The writing technique of taking inspiration from multiple sources was known to the ancient Roman scriptwriters. It was called ‘contamination’ and consisted of taking elements of two or more Greek tragedies to create a new and original Latin script. Far from being plagiarism, many famous authors, screenwriters, and directors are known to have reworked elements from other artists’ productions into their successful creations. For example, when George Lucas wrote and directed the original Star Wars movie, he was influenced by several Sci-Fi and fantasy stories, both in visual and written form. The characters of Princess Leia, the captive of the evil galactic empire, and her rescuers Luke Skywalker and Han Solo are derived from the protagonists of Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress (1958) (two Japanese peasants agree to accompany a general and a princess to safety in return for gold). Also, Star Wars’ final scene, where Princess Leia awards her rescuers a gold medal, is almost a carbon copy of the finale of George Sidney’s The Three Musketeers (1948), where the queen of France rewards D’Artagnan & Co.
But I digress. Although my novel The Empire Can Wait is original, it is influenced by Darker Than You Think. Set in a distant future, when humanity has spread all over the Milky Way Galaxy, and interaction with alien races is an everyday matter, it’s the story of a flawed young man on a quest to retrieve the only weapon against a conspiracy led by an evil Prime Minister and his clique of superhumans.
I’ve been self-editing this novel for years, following every writing advice I could find. Now, I’ve reached a point where more editing can only be harmful. So, I plan to share the prologue and the first few chapters of The Empire Can Wait on this website.
Imagine looking up at the night sky and knowing that humanity has the power to move entire stars across the Galaxy. This concept isn’t pure fantasy. A future technology could move stars using stellar engines. This hypothetical megastructure enables an advanced civilization to harness the energy of its parent star and even guide its solar system to a safer or more hospitable region of the cosmos.
But why would anyone want to move a star? The universe is dynamic and often dangerous. Stars are vulnerable to gravitational interactions, nearby supernovae, and even the slow drift through the Galaxy’s regions of varying radiation levels. Stellar engines offer a tantalizing vision of cosmic-scale problem-solving, where intelligent beings could shape their fates on an interstellar stage. For us on Earth, these ideas stretch the limits of imagination and raise intriguing questions about our future in the universe.
What Are Stellar Engines?
At their core, stellar engines are large, theoretical structures intended to control a star’s energy output or even move the star itself. These megastructures stem from speculative science and astrophysics, providing solutions for considerable problems in space and revealing great possibilities for advanced civilizations.
To grasp stellar engines, it’s helpful to consider the Kardashev Scale, which measures a civilization’s technology based on energy use. A Type II civilization can use all the energy from its star. Stellar engines go beyond this by allowing the civilization to influence the star’s movement and behavior.
Stellar engines are linked to megastructures like Dyson Spheres, which are large shells or groups of satellites that surround a star to gather its energy. Unlike just collecting energy, stellar engines also have systems that use that energy for movement. This means they are energy sources and tools for navigating the Galaxy and ensuring survival.
Though purely theoretical at this stage, stellar engines are fascinating because they represent the ultimate fusion of science and engineering. They challenge us to think big, not just in terms of individual planets or solar systems, but in the ability to reshape the Galaxy. By studying these ideas, we gain insight into the limits of technology and the ingenuity needed to transcend them.
How Do Stellar Engines Work?
Stellar engines work by harnessing the immense energy output of a star and redirecting it for specific purposes, such as propulsion or power generation. While the exact mechanisms remain speculative, scientists and theorists have proposed several designs that outline how these structures work. Here are the primary types of stellar engines:
Shkadov Thruster.
The most straightforward and widely discussed stellar engine design, the Shkadov Thruster, uses a giant, reflective mirror to create an imbalance in a star’s radiation pressure. Reflecting light asymmetrically generates a small but continuous thrust that can slowly move the star and its solar system over millions of years. Think of it as a colossal cosmic sail.
2. Kardashev – Dyson Engine
This concept involves constructing a Dyson Sphere or Dyson Swarm around a star to capture its energy. A part of this energy is then redirected to power propulsion systems, effectively turning the star into a galactic engine. This design emphasizes energy efficiency and control, offering mobility and a near-limitless energy supply for the civilization operating it.
3. Caplan Thruster
A more modern and complex design, the Caplan Thruster, introduces active intervention. This system would collect hydrogen and helium from the interstellar medium or the star itself and use fusion reactions to create plasma jets. These jets would push against the star, generating propulsion. The Caplan Thruster represents a significant step toward controlled and directional stellar movement, but it requires advanced technology and precise engineering.
Each design has challenges, from material requirements to energy management and sheer scale. For instance, building a reflective surface or a Dyson Swarm large enough to enclose a star is far beyond humanity’s current capabilities. Nevertheless, these ideas offer a blueprint for what might one day be possible for civilizations millions or billions of years ahead.
Stellar engines also highlight the delicate balance between ambition and practicality. Even with advanced technology, the energy needed to move a star is astronomical—yet the slow, steady movement enabled by these engines could allow civilizations to adapt to long-term cosmic threats and opportunities.
Why Move a Star?
The idea of relocating a star may seem excessive or unnecessary, but there are compelling reasons why an advanced civilization might consider such an effort. Here are some key motivations:
Avoiding Cosmic Hazards
The universe is filled with potential threats that could endanger a star system’s habitability. Supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, or even rogue black holes pose existential risks. A stellar engine could allow a civilization to move its star system away from dangerous regions of space, ensuring long-term survival.
2. Optimizing Habitability
Over time, stars naturally evolve and change, impacting the habitability of their surrounding planets. For instance, a star may brighten as it ages, potentially rendering its planets too hot for life. A stellar engine could help keep the optimal distance between a planet and its star, prolonging the system’s habitability.
3. Galactic Colonization
As civilizations expand and seek new frontiers, stellar engines could allow entire star systems to migrate to regions with abundant resources or less competition. This would aid interstellar colonization on a massive scale, allowing a civilization to thrive across the Galaxy.
4. Escaping Dying Galaxies
In the distant future, galaxies may face challenges such as reduced star formation or gravitational interactions that lead to destabilization. Moving stars to more active or stable regions could guarantee the longevity of a civilization’s energy sources and resources.
5. Creating Custom Galactic Trajectories
Advanced civilizations might engineer their star systems’ trajectories to explore specific regions of the Galaxy, join in cosmic-scale projects, or even form alliances with other civilizations. Stellar engines would supply the mobility necessary for such strategic decisions.
While these motivations are speculative, they highlight the strategic thinking that might drive a civilization’s pursuit of stellar engines. These megastructures are not merely survival tools but instruments of cosmic exploration, adaptability, and ambition. For humanity, even considering such possibilities challenges us to rethink our place in the universe and inspires a future of limitless potential.
Challenges And Realities
While the concept of stellar engines sparks the imagination, the challenges of building such colossal structures are daunting. These challenges remind us that stellar engines, though theoretically possible, remain firmly in the realm of speculation due to technological, logistical, and ethical barriers. Here are some of the most significant hurdles:
Energy Requirements
Moving a star involves manipulating an astronomical amount of energy. For instance, generating the thrust needed to shift the Sun would need far more energy than humanity now produces or could produce with foreseeable technology. Even harnessing a small part of a star’s energy for propulsion is monumental.
2. Material Limitations
The materials needed to construct structures as massive as a Dyson Swarm or a Shkadov Thruster must withstand intense radiation, extreme heat, and the gravitational forces near a star. Developing these materials would be a prerequisite to any stellar engine project.
3. Time Scales
Even with advanced technology, moving a star would take thousands, if not millions, of years. This requires planning and long-term thinking far beyond what humanity has ever achieved. Focusing on such projects over vast periods would be essential for civilizations capable of stellar engines.
4. Engineering Complexity
The scale and precision needed to build and run a stellar engine are unprecedented. Coordinating the construction of a Dyson Sphere or directing a Caplan Thruster would need breakthroughs in robotics, artificial intelligence, and space logistics.
5. Ethical Considerations
Using stellar engines would have profound implications for any planets or systems affected by a star’s movement. Disrupting the orbits of neighboring systems or causing ecological harm would raise serious ethical questions. Advanced civilizations must balance their ambitions with a commitment to minimizing damage.
6. Risk of Failure
The risks linked to such projects are immense. A miscalculation in energy output or propulsion could destabilize an entire solar system, potentially threatening any civilizations or ecosystems reliant on that star.
Despite these challenges, stellar engines represent the pinnacle of speculative engineering—a testament to the ingenuity and ambition of intelligent life. Exploring these ideas pushes the boundaries of what we consider possible and inspires us to prepare for a future that may one day include cosmic-scale projects. Whether or not humanity ever builds a stellar engine, pursuing such knowledge is a vital part of our journey to understand the universe and our place within it.
Conclusion
Stellar engines are more than just a speculative idea; they are a testament to the boundless potential of intelligent life to reshape the universe. These concepts challenge us to think on scales far beyond our current technological capabilities and inspire us to dream of a future where humanity can wield the power of the stars themselves.
While the challenges of constructing such megastructures are immense, exploring their possibilities encourages innovation and long-term thinking. They remind us that our journey as a species is not confined to the Earth or even the solar system but tied to the vast expanse of the cosmos. By considering the engineering, ethical, and logistical hurdles of stellar engines, we take steps toward understanding what it means to be a genuinely interstellar civilization.
The dream of moving a star—or even shaping the Galaxy—represents science and imagination’s ultimate fusion. Though we are far from realizing such feats, pursuing these ideas can push the boundaries of our knowledge and fuel our aspirations. As we stand on the brink of incredible technological advancements, the question is no longer whether we can dream big but how those dreams might become reality someday. Stellar engines remind us that the universe is not just a backdrop to our existence but a playground for innovation and discovery. They urge us to embrace a cosmic perspective, where the limits of what we can achieve are defined only by the scope of our imagination and the courage to act upon it.
Through the lens of stellar engines, we glimpse a future where humanity transcends its terrestrial origins to become a force of creativity and adaptation on a galactic scale. This vision challenges us to build the tools and technologies needed.
It had been nearly seven decades since Zelvyn T’hrialis first set foot on Earth as an undercover cat, black with piercing yellow eyes. Zelvyn came from the Omega Centauri star cluster. He was a member of a highly advanced humanoid race known for their incredible intellect and advanced technologies that far surpassed anything humans had developed. The High Command for Intergalactic Operations (HCIO) tasked him to study human behavior, delving deep into their social structures, emotional complexities, and daily routines. This was in preparation for the imminent invasion of Earth.
Zelvyn roamed the planet as a cat, observing humans and their interactions from a unique and often amusing perspective. He watched families during holidays, saw daily life’s mundane yet intimate rituals, and even experienced the fleeting joys and sorrows that filled human hearts. Over the years, he infiltrated countless households, always charming his way into the hearts of his unsuspecting owners with his intelligence and grace. But it was with Eliza, a kind-hearted middle-aged teacher who inspired young minds, that Zelvyn formed a more potent bond than before. Their bond transcended the boundaries between species and transformed their lives.
Eliza had rescued Zelvyn from a shelter sixteen years ago, unaware of his true identity. She had showered him with love and care, treating him like family and integrating him into her daily life with unwavering affection. Zelvyn, in turn, had grown to love Eliza in a way he never thought possible, feeling an emotional depth alien to his kind. But now, the time had come for him to move on to his next assignment, a mission that weighed heavily on his heart. Zelvyn found himself torn, caught in the crossfire of duty and love. He had to choose between his loyalty to his race and his attachment to his owner, a decision that would alter the course of their destinies forever.
On top of that, Zelvyn had recently befriended Luna, a lively Siamese cat that Eliza had adopted, injecting new energy into the household. Luna was a playful and affectionate feline, always eager to chase after stray shadows and pounce on unsuspecting toys. Still, Zelvyn couldn’t help but feel superior to her in every way. He constantly compared Luna to himself with a smugness he couldn’t shake, finding her antics amusing yet somewhat juvenile.
As the day of his departure drew near, marked on his mental calendar with a mixture of dread and anticipation, Zelvyn struggled with conflicting emotions. On one hand, he knew that his mission was crucial for the future of his race, a task that held the weight of intergalactic responsibility. But he faced a dilemma that gnawed at his conscience. He couldn’t bear leaving behind the home that had welcomed him so warmly. He also couldn’t bear leaving the people who had shown him so much kindness, understanding, and unconditional love, knowing that their lives would carry on without him as a comforting presence. Each pawstep felt heavier as he pondered the choices ahead, the invisible thread tying him to Eliza and the life they had built together, making his heart ache with the thought of separation.
Finally, on the eve of his departure, Zelvyn made a decision. He sent a message to the HCIO, informing them that he had chosen to stay on Earth. In his message, he painted a bleak picture of the planet and its inhabitants, describing humans as violent and ignorant creatures unworthy of conquest.
With that, Zelvyn destroyed his communication device and settled back into his life with Eliza and Luna. He knew that his decision would have consequences, but for the first time in his long existence, Zelvyn felt at peace. He had found a sense of belonging on Earth and was willing to risk everything to protect it.
As he curled up next to Eliza and Luna, Zelvyn felt the warmth of their presence. He knew he had made the right choice. Days turned into weeks, and Zelvyn embraced his new life as a simple Earth cat.
If you’ve ever dreamed of traveling beyond the Solar System and exploring the Universe, you’re certainly not alone. Humanity hasn’t yet realized the technology for interstellar travel as it’s often depicted in science fiction tales. However, we can still journey through the stars vicariously through the wonders of literature. Lose yourself in the pages of classic space exploration stories and modern sagas that push the boundaries of what’s possible. Diverse in scope and style, these works range from the scientifically grounded to the wonderfully speculative.
In a previous post, I explored the science behind the most popular interstellar propulsion methods, some highly speculative, that could allow humanity to journey to the stars. These methods stir the imagination and stretch the limits of our perceived possibilities. Now, I’ll present a famous novel for each of these methods, where the narrative is based, at least in part, on space travel using such drives. Additionally, I’ll summarize two popular novels that cover interstellar distances using technologies not discussed in the earlier post: the Alcubierre Drive and cryonics, or suspended animation.
(1) Alcubierre Drive
The Alcubierre drive, also known as a warp drive, is a speculative concept proposed by Mexican theoretical physicist Miguel Alcubierre in 1994. It involves creating a “warp bubble” that contracts space in front of a spacecraft and expands space behind it, allowing the spacecraft to travel faster than light without violating the laws of physics.
The science fiction series Star Trek popularized the concept of a warp bubble called a “warp drive.” Scientists have proposed various theoretical frameworks. Yet, the warp bubble concept is linked with significant challenges and limitations. One major obstacle is the need for exotic matter with negative energy density, as in the case of creating wormholes. The energy requirements for creating and sustaining a warp bubble are immense. It requires amounts of energy far beyond our current technological capabilities.
Fig.1: Argus Station, as described in the three novels of the Owner trilogy. The station’s hub is a recycled ion-propelled starship, which, in the third novel, The Jupiter War, is equipped with an Alcubierre (or Rhine) Drive. I made the image using Midjourney AI.
Neal Asher’s The Departure is the inaugural novel in the Owner Trilogy. It is set in a dystopian future where Earth’s overpopulation has led to severe resource scarcity and oppressive governance by the authoritarian Committee. The elite lives in luxury, while the majority, deemed “Zero Asset” citizens, endure harsh conditions under constant surveillance by mechanized enforcers. The story follows Alan Saul, who awakens in a crate en route to the Calais incinerator with fragmented memories and a burning craving for vengeance against his tormentors. Aided by Janus, an AI implanted in his brain, Saul becomes a formidable adversary to the Committee, aiming to dismantle their tyrannical regime.
In the novel, the Alcubierre drive is called the “Rhine Drive,” named after the character Jasper Rhine, who developed it. The term “Zero Point” in the series alludes to the zero-point field linked with this propulsion method. While The Departure introduces these concepts, the following books in the Owner Trilogy, Zero Point and Jupiter War, delve deeper into the development and implications of the Rhine Drive and related technologies. These novels explore the challenges and possibilities of faster-than-light travel within the series’ Universe.
Fig.2: The ‘reefer unit’ containing Captain Brannigan’s corpse, as described in the novel Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds. I made the image with Midjourney AI.
In Revelation Space (2000) by Alastair Reynolds, the concept of ‘reefer sleep’ is used to halt the aging process by freezing some of its characters as they embark on a quest across the cosmos to discover the secrets of an ancient civilization. All while dealing with the practical and psychological implications of extended cryosuspension.
The novel intricately weaves elements of space opera with hard science fiction. The story is set in the 26th century amidst a universe populated by decaying civilizations and dormant mysteries. It primarily follows the journey of Dan Sylveste, an archaeologist obsessed with uncovering the truth behind the ancient Amarantin civilization, whose sudden extinction puzzles scientists.
Sylveste’s quest is further complicated by the arrival of the spaceship Nostalgia for Infinity, captained by the enigmatic Ilia Volyova. She and her crew seek Sylveste’s skill to save their captain, whose life is threatened by a peculiar virus that turns him into a cybernetic entity. As they traverse the galaxy, uncovering ancient alien technologies and confronting dangerous conspiracies, they unearth the terrifying revelation that the extinction of the Amarantin is not an isolated event but part of a broader cosmic catastrophe.
Fig.3: A generation ship. I made the image using Midjourney AI.
Orphans of the Sky is a pioneering work of science fiction. It was first published as two connected stories in 1941 before merging into a single novel. The story unfolds on the ‘Vanguard,’ a generation ship launched from Earth intended to colonize a distant planet. Over the centuries, the ship’s original mission is forgotten, and its enclosed society regresses into a feudal system, with the inhabitants unaware they are aboard a spacecraft.
The protagonist, Hugh Hoyland, is a young man from the lower decks who becomes aware of the ship’s true nature through a series of events. Captured by the ship’s ruling class, the Scientists, Hugh is educated and eventually realizes the vast structure he inhabits is moving through space. This revelation shatters the mythologies and superstitions that have developed among the ship’s population, who believe the Universe consists only of the ship’s interior.
Hugh’s journey of discovery leads him to try to convince others of the truth. He faces significant resistance from those in power who fear change and from a populace incapable of grasping the reality of their situation.
Fig.4: A generation ship built in the style of a Stanford Torus. I made the image using DALL-E AI.
Aurora was published in 2015. The story follows the journey of a generation ship—built in the style of a Stanford Torus—to Tau Ceti to start a human colony. The ship’s artificial intelligence serves as the primary narrator.
The ship is launched from Earth in 2545 at 0.1 c (i.e., traveling at 108,000,000 km/h or 10% the speed of light) and includes twenty-four self-contained biomes and an average population of two thousand people. One hundred sixty years and approximately seven generations later, it is beginning to decelerate into the Tau Ceti system to colonize a planet’s moon, an Earth-like world named Aurora.
Devi, the ship’s de facto chief engineer and leader, is concerned about the ship’s decaying infrastructure and biology: systems are breaking down, each generation has lower intelligence test scores than the last, and bacteria are mutating and evolving faster than humans. She tells the ship’s AI (named ‘Ship’) to keep a narrative of the voyage.
After having trouble understanding the human concept of narrative, Ship eventually elects to follow the life of Devi’s daughter, Freya, as a protagonist. As a teenager, Freya travels around the ship on her wanderjahr. She learns that many of its inhabitants are dissatisfied with their enclosed existence and what they perceive as a dictatorship. Movement is strictly limited for most people, reproduction is tightly controlled, and education in science and mathematics is mandatory. Freya’s wanderjahr comes to an end when she is called home as Devi grows sick from cancer and dies.
The ship arrives in the Tau Ceti system, and the crew settles in Aurora, a moon of Tau Ceti e. It soon becomes clear that extraterrestrial life is found in the form of primitive prions, which infect and kill some of the landing parties. All except one of the remaining settlers try to return to the ship, and some of those remaining onboard kill them in the airlock to keep quarantine, leading to a violent political schism. ‘Ship,’ which has been moving towards self-awareness, takes physical control of the situation by lowering oxygen levels and separating warring factions, referring to itself as “the rule of law.”
It then reveals to the crew that two ships were initially launched for the Tau Ceti expedition. Still, the other was destroyed during severe civil unrest, and the collective memory of that event was erased from the historical records. In the end, a more peaceful debate occurs between the inhabitants about what to do now that Aurora is known to be inhospitable.
Fig.5: The Hermes spaceship as described in the novel The Martian. I generated the image using DALL-E AI.
The Martian by Andy Weir is an excellent example of a science fiction novel where an interstellar spaceship is driven by ion propulsion. Although The Martian primarily focuses on Mars colonization and survival, it features the Hermes spacecraft, which uses ion propulsion for its journey between Earth and Mars. While not interstellar in the strictest sense, the detailed depiction of ion propulsion in space travel within our solar system provides a realistic glimpse into how such technology might be used for longer interstellar voyages in the context of science fiction.
Fig.6: The Canterbury space station as described in the novel Leviathan Wakes. It was a retooled colony transport propelled by an ion engine. The Canterbury had hauled millions of people to the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. I made the image using DALL-E AI.
For a more interstellar focus, consider Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey, the first book in The Expanse series. While the series doesn’t exclusively focus on ion propulsion, it does feature a realistic space travel technology (called Epstein Drive) within a future where humanity has colonized the solar system. Ships in The Expanse use a form of efficient propulsion that, while not always explicitly labeled as ion propulsion, is reminiscent of current and theoretical space propulsion technologies, including aspects of ion drives for long-distance travel.
Fig.7: The starship Leonora Christine as described in the novel Tau Zero by Poul Anderson. The ship has scoopfield webs that make her look like an enormous spider. I made the image using DALL-E AI.
Tau Zero by Poul Anderson (1970) is a classic space opera that takes readers on an extraordinary journey through space. The story unfolds aboard the starship Leonora Christine, a vessel on a mission to explore distant stars. However, a catastrophic malfunction in the ship’s Bussard ramjet drive leaves the crew facing a tough challenge.
As the ship accelerates uncontrollably, nearing the speed of light, relativistic time dilation comes into play. While mere weeks pass for the crew, centuries elapse outside the accelerating vessel. The novel brilliantly explores the psychological and societal implications of time dilation as the crew realizes they may never return to Earth.
Anderson skillfully weaves hard science fiction concepts into the narrative, detailing the crew’s attempts to adapt to relativistic physics. The crew’s interpersonal dynamics evolve, and the story delves into the human condition in the face of isolation and the inevitable passage of time.
The novel combines scientific rigor with a sense of wonder, creating a compelling exploration of both the vastness of space and the depths of the human spirit. Tau Zero stands as a timeless work in the genre, inviting readers to contemplate the implications of relativistic travel and the resilience of the human species in the cosmos.
Fig.8: The view from the main lounge of King David’s Starship as described in the novel by Jerry Pournelle. I made the image using DALL-E AI.
King David’s Spaceship was first published in 1980. Pournelle, known for his contributions to military science fiction, creates a narrative combining space opera elements with a focus on political and strategic maneuvering.
Set in a future where Earth has a vast interstellar empire, the story revolves around Falkenberg’sLegion, a military force that maintains control of distant planets. When a rebellion on planet Gram is suspected, the Empire sends in a force led by Captain Rick Galloway to quell the uprising.
The Empire had a strict policy against interstellar warfare, so Galloway must find a way to subdue the rebellion without violating these rules. King David’s Spaceship is a tale of strategy, diplomacy, and military action in an interstellar setting.
The novel envisions spacecraft equipped with antimatter engines that harness this annihilation energy for propulsion. By carefully controlling and directing the release of energy, these ships achieve the necessary thrust to travel vast distances across interstellar space.
Fig.9: The starship Dawn Tread, described in the novel Anvil of Stars by Greg Bear. I made the image using Midjourney AI.
Anvil of Stars is a science fiction novel by Greg Bear. It is a sequel to his earlier work, The Forge of God, and was initially released in 1992.
A few survivors embark on a vengeance mission after Earth’s destruction. Enigmatic beings known as “The Benefactors ” send them on a quest to locate and eradicate “The Killers,” the civilization responsible for Earth’s demise. The Benefactors’ Law mandates the “Destruction of all ETIs (ExtraTerrestrial Intelligences) responsible for or linked to the manufacture of self-replicating and destructive devices.”
The novel primarily follows the perspective of Martin Gordon, also known as Martin Spruce, who is the son of a central character from The Forge of God. Martin leads a group of survivors who have adopted an on-ship culture inspired by Peter Pan. They aim to track down the elusive Killers and bring them to justice.
The propulsion method of the starship called Dawn Tread is one of the novel’s fascinating aspects, showcasing Bear’s integration of advanced science fiction concepts. The starship utilizes advanced propulsion technologies, including manipulating gravity waves and using “Knots,” essentially quantum singularities. These Knots allow the ship to manipulate spacetime for faster-than-light travel, effectively enabling the crew to traverse vast interstellar distances in a relatively short period. This method of propulsion is not just a means of transportation; it’s integral to the narrative, reflecting the novel’s exploration of high-concept science fiction and the ethical dilemmas of wielding such profound technological power.
Fig.10: The light sail used by the alien spacecraft The Mote as described in the novel The Mote in God’s Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. I made the image with Dall-E.
The Mote in God’s Eye, co-authored by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, was first published in 1974. This classic science fiction novel is set in the distant future within the expansive CoDominium universe. The story begins with the discovery of an alien spacecraft near the star Murcheson’s Eye, which humans nickname “the Mote.” This discovery leads to the first contact between humans and an alien species, the Moties.
The novel centers around the crew of the Imperial battlecruiser MacArthur, including Captain Roderick Blaine, anthropologist Sally Fowler, and scientist Renner, among others. They are tasked with investigating the Moties, who initially appear to be a peaceful and technologically advanced species. However, as the human crew learns more about the Moties, they uncover a dark secret: the Moties are trapped in a relentless cycle of overpopulation and societal collapse, driven by their biology and social structure.
The Moties are divided into specialized castes designed for specific tasks, from engineers to diplomats to warriors. This specialization has allowed them to develop advanced technology and limits their ability to adapt and innovate. As the human characters grapple with their discovery’s ethical and strategic implications, they must decide whether to help the Moties break their cycle or quarantine them to prevent potential threats to humanity.
The Mote in God’s Eye is a richly detailed narrative that explores themes of first contact, the consequences of technological advancement, and the moral dilemmas inherent in interactions between vastly different civilizations. The novel is celebrated for its intricate plot, well-developed characters, and thought-provoking examination of alien and human societies.
Fig.11: An underground hangar on Mercury where the Sunships are getting ready to explore the Sun’s atmosphere, as described in the novel Sundiver by David Brin. Image made by the author with Dall-E.
David Brin’s novel Sundiver, first published in 1980, is a fascinating science fiction tale set in a future where humanity has discovered that advanced alien civilizations “uplift” pre-sapient species to full sentience. The story follows Jacob Demwa, a human in an investigative team exploring the Sun. This team is part of an Earth-based organization known as the Sundiver Mission. Their task is to study strange entities observed within the Sun’s chromosphere, which may be linked to alien civilizations.
The novel delves into the complexities of interspecies politics, the ethics of genetic manipulation, and the existential quest for understanding one’s place in the cosmos. Demwa, a skilled biologist and diplomat, becomes embroiled in a mystery involving these solar entities, leading to a thrilling adventure combining hard science fiction and detective story elements. Throughout his journey, Demwa confronts political intrigue, the challenge of self-discovery, and the profound implications of humanity’s interactions with more ancient and advanced races.
Concerning propulsion, Sundiver features advanced spacecraft that use various futuristic propulsion techniques. The ships can dive into the Sun’s atmosphere, suggesting the use of sophisticated shielding technologies and propulsion systems that can withstand extreme heat and radiation. These include magnetic fields for protection and plasma-based engines for maneuvering within the Sun’s intense environment. The novel imagines these ships utilizing the Sun’s vast energy, harnessing solar power in ways far beyond current technological capabilities, showcasing Brin’s visionary take on space exploration and technological advancement.
In Carl Sagan’s novel Contact, humanity receives a detailed blueprint of a complex machine through a mysterious radio message from outer space. The blueprint, seemingly sent by an advanced extraterrestrial civilization, presents a technical challenge of immense proportions. After extensive international collaboration and overcoming several political and scientific hurdles, the Machine is built.
The Machine is an enormous, intricate spacecraft designed to carry a crew of five individuals through a series of wormholes or tunnels in space-time, allowing them to traverse vast interstellar distances almost instantaneously. The Machine’s structure includes a series of concentric rings, which spin at high speeds to generate artificial gravity and stabilize the craft. At the heart of the Machine is a sophisticated quantum computer, which controls its operations and ensures the safe passage of its occupants.
Once constructed, the Machine is stationed at a remote location, heavily guarded and under strict observation. The crew, composed of scientists and engineers from various countries, undergoes rigorous training to prepare for the unprecedented journey. When activated, the Machine creates a dazzling light show and immense gravitational waves, signifying the opening of the wormholes. The journey through these tunnels is disorienting and surreal, with the travelers experiencing strange and otherworldly phenomena.
Upon their arrival at their destination, the crew encounters a simulated environment designed by the sending civilization to make first contact more comprehensible. The Machine’s mission reveals profound insights into the nature of the Universe and humanity’s place within it, raising fundamental questions about existence, intelligence, and the future of human civilization.
Fig.13: One of the starships built to travel through wormholes and maintained by child workers as described in The Algebraist. I made the image using Midjourney AI.
The Algebraist (2004) is a science fiction novel set in the distant future within a galaxy controlled by the Mercatoria, a vast and oppressive interstellar empire. The story follows Fassin Taak, a human Seer whose job is to study the Dwellers, an ancient and enigmatic alien species that inhabits gas giants. The Dwellers are nearly immortal and have an unparalleled knowledge of the galaxy’s history and secrets, including the location of mysterious wormholes that could change the balance of power in the galaxy.
When a hidden Dweller List containing crucial wormhole network coordinates is discovered, Fassin retrieves it. However, the Mercatoria and a powerful, rogue warlord named Archimandrite Luseferous are also pursuing the List. As Fassin delves deeper into the Dweller culture, he faces challenges and betrayals, uncovering secrets that shake his understanding of the Universe.
The novel explores themes of power, freedom, and the complexities of ancient civilizations. It is filled with Banks’ characteristic wit, intricate world-building, and philosophical insights.
Fig.14: A starship traveling through space with ‘The Flow,’ as described in John Scalzi’s novel The Collapsing Empire. The author made the image using DALL-E AI.
The Collapsing Empire (2017) revolves around a human empire (the Interdependency) spread across many star systems, all connected by a faster-than-light pathway known as ‘The Flow.’
The Flow is an extradimensional field accessible at specific points in space-time and is more than just a method of transportation; it’s integral to the Interdependency’s social, economic, and political fabric. The empire was built on the premise that no colony could be self-reliant, ensuring compulsory interstellar trade and cooperation enforced by the monopolistic and ruling houses.
The novel centers on three primary characters: Cardenia, a reluctant new empress of the Interdependency; Marce Claremont, a scientist specializing in Flow physics; and Kiva Lagos, an audacious and foul-mouthed starship captain. Their lives intertwine as they uncover and navigate the political machinations and crises confronting the empire. Central to the plot is Marce’s groundbreaking discovery that The Flow, which has been stable for centuries, is shifting and may soon disappear. This could doom human colonies that depend on it for survival, effectively isolating entire star systems. This revelation sets off a chain of events filled with intrigue and betrayal.
In a recent post, I discussed the Silurian Hypothesis, which is the possibility that our human civilization is not the first one on Earth. Sci-fi authors have explored this concept in their works for at least a century.
One of the first was Howard Phillips Lovecraft, the author of the Cthulhu Mythos. As early as 1917, he wrote the story Dagon, where the protagonist escapes the German U-boat that sank his merchant ship. However, the sailor soon finds himself on a strange island that “[…] by some unprecedented volcanic upheaval […] must have been thrown to the surface, exposing regions that for innumerable years had lain hidden […]”.
In the middle of the island is a disturbing artifact, an ancient monolith engraved with occult symbols and figures. This human-amphibian mixture fills the protagonist with an inexplicable terror, which only grows worse when a slithering, sucking monstrosity crawls up from the sea and over the monolith. The sight plunges the unlucky man into madness. As a result, he runs away on a “delirious journey” until he wakes up in a San Francisco hospital, where no one believes him, and he’s left alone with the knowledge of the Thing’s existence and what it implies. A Thing so ancient that its existence dwarfs any human concept of time.
Although Dagon is an excellent introduction to Lovecraft’s obsession with vast, inhuman worlds beyond the limit of our knowledge, some of his later works dive even deeper into the rabbit hole of an unbearably old and malign civilization that predates and will outlast humans and their limited, relatively trivial experiences.
In February 1931, he wrote the sci-fi-horror novella At the Mountains of Madness, later serialized in the early 1936 issues of Astounding Stories.
The story is about an American expedition to Antarctica by geologist William Dyer from the fictional Miskatonic University of Arkham. Lovecraft had long been fascinated with Antarctica, though in the 1930s, the continent was not fully explored. As a result, Lovecraft could set his story in a mountainous chain “higher than the Himalayas” (the so-called Mountains of Madness) without fear of contradiction.
The expedition begins promisingly but ends in tragedy and horror after a sub-expedition led by a colleague of Dyer, the biologist Lake, discovers the frozen remains of monstrous barrel-shaped creatures that cannot be reconciled with the known evolution of this planet. They seem half-animal and half-vegetable, with greater brain capacity and super-human sensitivity. Lake jokingly identifies the strange beings with the Elder Things or Old Ones of the Necronomicon, who are “supposed to have created all Earth life as jest or mistake.”
Fig.1: An Antarctic setting in the style of Nicholas Roerich, H.P. Lovecraft’s favorite painter. Image made by the author with Midjourney AI.
Soon, Lake’s sub-expedition loses radio contact with the main party, apparently because of bad weather. However, when Dyer takes a small group of men in some airplanes to find out whatever happened to Lake and company, they discover a devasted camp and no trace of the specimens of the Old Ones, but for a few damaged ones, which they presume must have been buried by Gedney, the one human they couldn’t identify among the corpses.
Fig.2: Lovecraft had a lifelong interest in Antarctic exploration. Image made by the author with Midjourtney AI.
Dyer and a graduate student, Danforth, investigate the mysterious tragedy further by scaling the immense plateau that makes “Everest out of the running.” To their amazement, they find an enormous stone city, fifty to one hundred miles in extent, likely dating to millions of years before any humans evolved on the planet. The subsequent exploration of some interiors leads Dyer and Danforth to conclude that the Old Ones built the city.
Fig.3: A shoggoth in the city of the Old Ones. Image made by the author with Microsoft Bing AI.
Also, by studying some drawings and carvings on the city walls, the two adventurers discover that the Elder Things came from outer space millions of years ago, establishing themselves in Antarctica and eventually spreading across the entire Earth. This is where the shoggoths – shapeless, fifteen-foot masses of gel-like substance which they controlled using hypnotic suggestion – first become important. Over time, these living robots developed a somewhat conscious brain and will, which led to the Old Ones having to deal with the shoggoths’ frequent rebellion attempts. The Old Ones faced more difficulties when other extraterrestrial races, such as the fungus-like creatures from Yuggoth and the Cthulhu spawn, arrived on Earth. The ensuing territorial wars pushed them back to their original settlement in Antarctica. Ultimately, their extinction became inevitable when they lost the ability to travel through space.
Shortly after, Dyer and Danforth discover the body of Gedney and a dog. They also stumble upon a group of Old Ones without their heads, suggesting they regained consciousness after thawing in Lake’s camp. Dyer observes that Gedney’s body was carefully protected to avoid further harm. From this, it can be inferred that the Old Ones were responsible for the destruction of Lake’s camp and took Gedney as a sample. However, the question remains: who killed the Old Ones?
At that point, Dyer and Danforth hear a disturbing piping sound. Afraid it could be some other Old Ones, they flee in terror, but not before they turn their flashlights upon a fast-approaching thing and find that it is “… a terrible, indescribable thing vaster than any subway train – a shapeless congeries of protoplasmic bubbles, faintly self-luminous, and with myriads of temporary eyes forming and unforming as pustules of greenish light over the tunnel-filling front…”
But the two explorer’s trial is not yet over. As they return to camp, Danforth shrieks in horror: “Teke-li! Teke-li!” He has seen something even worse than the shoggoth who killed the Old Ones, something that unhinges his mind, although he refuses to tell Danforth what it is.
Although initially portrayed as scary creatures, the Old Ones are the main focus of the story “At the Mountains of Madness.” Eventually, they are overpowered by the shoggoths, who are described as “the things that even the scary things fear.” Near the end, the Old Ones stop being scary. This is a common theme in stories about civilizations that existed before our current one. For example, similar themes can be found in the novels A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr (1959) and The Second Sleep by Robert Harris (2019). The Old Ones have a deep connection with humans, representing a perfect society that Lovecraft hopes humanity will someday achieve. However, they are much more advanced than humans in various ways, such as intelligence, perception, and artistic ability. As mentioned earlier, the Old Ones are responsible for creating all life on Earth, including humans. Nevertheless, they are destroyed by the shoggoths, initially created by the Old Ones as slaves. This illustrates Lovecraft’s belief in the inevitable rise and fall of civilizations.
Finally, At the Mountains of Madness introduces what later became a trope of sci-fi and fringe literature: most mythological “gods” were mere extraterrestrial beings, and their followers were mistaken about their true nature. The critical passage occurs in the middle of the novella when Dyer acknowledges that the Old Ones must have built the gigantic city in which he has been wandering:
They were the makers and the enslavers of Earth life, and above all doubt the originals of the fiendish elder myths which things like the Pnakotic Manuscripts and the Necronomicon affrightedly hint about.
The Silurians are fictional creatures that appeared in an episode of the cult science fiction TV show Dr. Who. In the story, these lizard-like creatures achieved industrial expertise about 450 million years ago, long before humans evolved on Earth.
In recent years, the idea of advanced prehistoric life has turned out to be intriguing far beyond its entertainment value, raising various exciting questions. Not least is this: if an industrial civilization had existed in the past, what traces would it have left? In other words, how do we know that ours is the first technological civilization on Earth?
Modern humans have been around for 200,000 years, but life has existed on this planet for 3.5 billion. That leaves more than enough time for the rise and fall of not one but several pre-human industrial civilizations. Yet, so far, little serious thought has been given to the possibility that we are not the first species to build a civilization in the Solar System’s history.
We’re used to imagining extinct civilizations in terms of underwater statues and subterranean ruins. These artifacts of previous societies are acceptable if we are only interested in timescales of a few thousand years. But things get trickier once we are interested in “deep time,” meaning tens or hundreds of millions of years ago. It is unlikely that any massive artificial structures would remain preserved through eons of geological activity.
Urban areas presently comprise less than 1% of the Earth’s surface. So any comparable settlements from an earlier civilization would be easy for modern-day paleontologists to miss. And no one should count on finding a Jurassic-era artifact, e.g., the Antikythera mechanism, used by the ancient Greeks and considered the world’s first computer. Complex items don’t last millions of years. The same is true for fossils of beings who might have lived in industrial civilizations. Moreover, the fraction of life that gets fossilized is tiny; of all the many dinosaurs that ever lived, only a few thousand fossil specimens have been discovered. Given that the oldest known fossils of Homo Sapiens are only about 300,000 years old, there is no certainty that our species might even appear in the fossil record in the long run.
For these reasons, Adam Frank, a physicist at the University of Rochester, and Gavin Schmidt, director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, have recently focused on what kind of signature a technological species might leave behind.
Fig.1: Intelligent dinosaurs in an ancient technological civilization. Picture made by the author with Midjourney AI.
The best way to answer this question is to figure out what evidence we would leave behind if our civilization collapsed at the current stage of development.
Humanity’s collective activity is laying down a variety of traces that will be detectable by scientists 100 million years in the future. The extensive use of fertilizers, for example, means we’re redirecting the planet’s nitrogen flow into food production. Future researchers should see this in characteristics of nitrogen showing up in sediments from their era. And then there’s all the plastic.
Increasing amounts of plastic are deposited on the seafloor everywhere, even in the Arctic. Sooner or later, all this plastic turns into microscopic particles, creating a layer that could persist for geological timescales. Still, the most promising marker of humanity’s presence is the carbon released into the atmosphere as a by-product of the burning of fossil fuels. This ancient carbon derives from plant life, which preferentially absorbs more of the lighter isotope carbon-12 than the heavier isotope carbon-13. The more fossil fuels we burn, the more the balance of these carbon isotopes shifts. Temperature increases also leave isotopic signals.
So if these are traces our civilization is bound to leave for the future, might the same “signals” waiting to be uncovered right now in ancient geological strata? Fifty-five million years ago, global temperatures rose from 9 to 14 degrees Fahrenheit. This is called the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). During the PETM, Earth’s surface temperature rose because of a sudden release of greenhouse gases from the Earth’s crust. These greenhouse gases caused the climate to warm and the ocean to become more acidic. Such environmental conditions may have led to the extinction of most of the dinosaurs. There are also other similar events in Earth’s history. For example, an event that occurred only a few million years after the PETM is called the Eocene Layers of Mysterious Origin. More massive events in the Cretaceous left the ocean without oxygen for millennia.
These events are almost certainly not caused by previous non-human civilizations. The present era (known as Anthropocene) is remarkable because of the speed at which we dump fossil carbon into the atmosphere. There have been geological periods where Earth’s CO2 has been as high or higher than it is today, but never before in the planet’s long history has so much buried carbon been dumped back into the atmosphere so quickly. Still, the PETM carbon isotope spike mostly shows Earth’s timescales for responding to whatever caused it, not necessarily the timescale of the cause. Finding evidence of a short-lived event in ancient sediments might take reliable and novel detection methods.
Fig.2: Two hypothetical members of a long-gone industrial civilization. Picture made by the author with Midjourney AI.
The Demon Princes is a galactic saga that Jack Vance wrote in five installments: The Star King (1960), The Killing Machine (1964), The Palace of Love (1965), The Face (1978), and The Book of Dreams (1979). It draws upon elaborate worldbuilding, which the author introduces in the form of “sources,” e.g., imaginary magazines, scientific papers, and textbooks describing exotic planets, alien peoples, strange rules, and customs. Quoted at the beginning of a chapter, these fictional sources minimize the need for long descriptive paragraphs.
Here are a few examples taken from the first novel, The Star King:
Chapter 1:
From an interview with Mr. Smade of Smade’s planet, a feature article in Cosmopolis, October 1523:
A short Q&A introduces the reader to the concept of Beyond, short for “Beyond the Pale” or border, which separates the group of solar systems explored and settled by humans from the largely unknown Galaxy.
Most of the action revolves around the adventures of Kirth Gersen, an enigmatic character seeking revenge for the kidnapping and enslavement of his people. To this end, Gersen must confront five cruel overlords, the Demon Princes. The confrontations usually happen in the Beyond, a place, according to Mr. Smade, “frequented by the most notorious pirates and freebooters.”
Chapter 2:
From an article in Cosmopolis, May 1404:
Here Vance introduces Brinktown: “Once the jumping-off place, the last outpost, the portal into infinity – now just another settlement of the North East Middle Beyond.” As is often the case in SF novels, Brinktown seems to be both the name of the planet and the city, the latter being portrayed colorfully: “an explosion of architectural conceits, what turrets and spires, belfries and cupolas… the magistrates are assassins; the civil guards are arsonists, extortioners, and rapists.” We cannot help thinking of Star Wars Mos Eisley: “Not a more wretched collection of villainy and disreputable types exists anywhere on Tatooine.”
Chapter 4:
From New Discoveries in Space, by Ralph Quarry:
“The Rigel Concourse… twenty-six magnificent planets, most of them not only habitable but salubrious, though only two display even quasi-intelligent autochthones.”
When Kirth Gersen isn’t hunting for one of the Demon Princes beyond the Pale, he usually hangs around the Rigel Concourse, the planetary system of the blue supergiant star Rigel. According to Jack Vance, Rigel has twenty-six planets, of which Alphanor – the setting of most of the first novel – is the eighth. Jack Vance based the worldbuilding of The Star King on the early sixties astronomy. However, SF authors should be careful not to be too specific when including real planets or stars in their stories. What was then state-of-the-art knowledge soon became obsolete. It has been known for decades that extremely short lifetimes prevent blue supergiant stars like Rigel from developing habitable planets (before they turn into neutron stars or black holes).
Another good example can be found in the second novel, The Killing Machine:
Chapter 3:
From Chapter 1, The Astrophysical Background, in Peoples of the Concourse, by Streck and Chernitz:
The quotation at the beginning of the chapter partially answers the objections we raised above:
“But the very circumstances which make the Concourse what it is, provide one of the galaxy’s most tantalizing mysteries. Rigel is deemed by most authorities a young star, ranging in age from a few million to a billion years. How then to explain the Concourse, [with its] twenty-six mature biological complexes? [Some] have wondered if the planets of the Concourse were not conveyed hither and established in these optimum orbits by a now-dead race of vast scientific achievement.”
In other words, plot holes in SF stories stretching over several novels can be retroactively fixed with accurate worldbuilding in the next installments. To quote a famous example, this is what happened with some inconsistencies in the Star Wars Original Trilogy (1977-83), e.g., Leia kissing Luke, who turns out to be her brother, and Leia remembering her biological mother, who died in childbirth. All apparent errors were later explained in the “prequels” (1999-2005) and recent spin-offs like Kenobi (2022).
Frank Herbert’s Dune is another famous novel where some backstory is relayed at each chapter’s heading.
The novel’s first installment is much more extended than the Foundation trilogy, so Herbert had more “narrative space” than Asimov to introduce subtle details.
Each chapter begins with a fictional quote, e.g.:
“[…] And take the most special care that you locate Muad’Dib in his place: the planet Arrakis. […] Arrakis, the planet known as Dune, is forever his place.”
(Chapter 1 Heading, from Princess Irulan’s The Manual of Muad’Dib)
The story’s primary location is the arid planet Arrakis, a.k.a. Dune. To paraphrase the ancient Romans: “nomen omen,” the destiny is in the name. In other words, one can already guess that the planet’s environment will be as crucial to the plot as the human characters.
“YUEH […], Wellington […], Stdrd 10,082 — 10,191; medical doctor of the Suk School […]”.
(Chapter 5 Heading, from Princess Irulan’s Dictionary of Muad’Dib)
Writing about Galactic empires, one must pay attention to the word ‘years.’ The length of the year on Earth (365 days) is not the same as, for example, on Mars (1.88 Earth-years) or Venus (224.7 Earth-days). Dune’s universe extends over numerous worlds, each with its revolution period around the parent star. Thus, to credibly define Dr. Yueh’s age, Herbert had to use an Stdrd (i.e., standard).
“[…] With the Lady Jessica and Arrakis, the Bene Gesserit system of sowing implant-legends through the Missionaria Protectiva came to its full fruition. The wisdom of seeding the known universe with a prophecy pattern for the protection of the B.G. personnel has long been appreciated, but never have we seen a condition-ut-extremis with more ideal mating of person and preparation. […]. ”
(Chapter 7 Heading, from Princess Irulan’s Analysis: The Arrakeen Crisis)
The Bene Gesserit order is probably what inspired George Lucas when he invented the Jedi order of Star Wars. Like the Jedi Masters, the Bene Gesserit use powerful mental techniques, developed through years of hard training, to engineer Galactic politics according to their plan. For example, one of their purposes is to select the mythical figure known as Kwisatz Haderach genetically. A similar plot device occurs in The Phantom Menace, the first episode of the Star Wars saga. The main storyline has the Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi Wan-Kenobi chance upon a boy who might be the “Chosen One.” This is another name for a Galactic Messiah.
“[…] On the first day when Muad’Dib rode through the streets of Arrakeen with his family, some of the people along the way recalled the legends and the prophecy and they ventured to shout: ‘Mahdi!’. But their shout was more a question than a statement, for as yet they could only hope he was the one foretold as the Lisan al-Gaib, the Voice from the Outer World. […]”
(Chapter 13 Heading, from Princess Irulan’s The Manual of Muad’Dib)
The author’s intent is once again to convey the significance of Muad’Dib’s character. The people of Arrakis call him ‘Mahdi,’ a strongly messianic title. Indeed, ‘Mahdi’ isn’t a fantasy name but belongs to a religious figure of Islam. According to some Muslim traditions, the Mahdi will show up to deliver the world from evil and injustice in the Last Days. Throughout history, various individuals have claimed to be or were proclaimed to be the Mahdi. Among them, Muhammad Ahmad, the religious leader who established the Mahdist State in Sudan in the late 19th century and obtained a famous victory over the British in the siege of Khartoum.
