Interstellar Travel in the New Science Fiction

Interstellar Travel in the New Science Fiction

Jason D. Batt100YSS 2014 Public Symposium19 September 2014@jdanielbattThe future of humanity in space is not guaranteed. Great cultures have arisen in the past, set their sites on great and, from their perspective, inevitable goals, and failed. Science fiction literature has been a guide post for space exploration from the early days. Much has changed since Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov wrote. Our political and international world is different. Our technology has branched into different and unforeseen areas. With the current technological expansion in view, what do todays science fiction writers say about interstellar exploration? What pitfalls do they see? What is the roadmap they present now? What challenges do they show? Is there an agreement upon the timeline? What technology shows promise? What dangers do they predict out there? The presentation will present a survey in review of current science fiction on the topic of interstellar exploration. The foundation for this has arrived from serving as judge of the Lifeboat to the Stars literary award for science fiction literature focusing on interstellar efforts. This award was presented at the 2013 Campbell Conference.

Daniel Abraham: No, I dont think interstellar travel, space empires, etc. are at best science fantasy any more than they ever were. Or, putting it the other way, they havent become any less likely, in the recent past. Theyve always been the stuff of fantasy. That didnt used to be a problem.

The thing that has changed, I think, is the requirement that science fiction be somehow rigorous to be taken seriously. When I look back at the classic science fiction that I grew up with, a lot of it didnt pass the sniff test. Larry Niven had teleportation, giant alien cat warriors, and humans eugenically bred for their luck. Arthur Clarke had God turning out the stars. Herbert had giant freaking worms digging through a desert rich in psychoactive space fuel. Unsophisticated as I was, I didnt see anything wrong with that. Still dont.

I see two things happening with the genre. The first is that its becoming the primary idiom of pop culture. The second is that, in response to that, there is a narrower and narrower definition of real science fiction which uses terms like science fantasy to exclude work which isnt somehow pure enough. I think that theres a real risk of science fiction going the way of jazz music and poetry in which it becomes a more and more sophisticated, narrow, and inaccessible form dedicated to meeting the standards of a smaller and smaller elite.

JAMES BLODGETT:Humanity could use fresh inspiration for space travel. The public and even the science fiction field seem discouraged with space after initial enthusiasm. Folks in 1940 and 1960 could extrapolate from the Wright Brothers airplane to the airliner and later the jetliner, amazing progress which took only a few years. The discovery of atomic power suggested miracles to come. This progress was plausibly extrapolated to predict amazing progress in the near future, the near future of 1960. Subsequent space developments have been underwhelming. It is no surprise that science fiction has shifted from space opera to dystopia. However, there are new plausible visions that could lead to amazing developments in space, a space-based form of singularity. The nanotech and artificial intelligence versions of the singularity can also suggest ways to get us into space. There are several types of existential risk that have prompted folks like Hawking to think that we had better get going into space, making the point that space travel is existentially important. We are on the cusp; with disorganization and bad luck we may never develop space and we may go extinct; with focused work and good luck we may see an exponential future in space that can produce amazing prosperity and expand humanity by orders of magnitude. Takeaways100YSS is an exercise in applied Science FictionScience fiction has its roots in fear and wonder, legend and mythology, exploration and reflection.Science Fiction does not provide a roadmap to future developmentsFirst and foremost, Science Fiction accepts the fact and inevitability of change.Science fiction and innovation exist in a circle of influence, mutually dependent upon each other.It may be the case that the future worlds and infinite possibilities projected in science fiction can be used to inspire viewers to pursue work that will make those possibilities or ones like them, real.The are ways to read science fiction that could be negative / dangerous.Reality is a mess and science fiction is developed and influences within that meScience fiction does get it wrongBut Science Fiction Does get it right . . .

Science Fiction does not provide a hard roadmap to future developments.

What does Science Fiction do?First and foremost, it accepts the fact and inevitability of change.

Frame dilemmas and puzzles that could arise

Play out possible consequences of future innovation

Normalize and/or make desirable certain technology

Suggest paths to innovation

Inspire invention

Reflects the speculative thinking of a generation

Create a mindset that leads to innovation (if not able to predict it exactly)

The Extraordinary Voyage

the roots of what we now call science fiction are found in the fantastic voyages of the Andient Greek novel; and I use the Vernean phrase voyages extraordinaires . . . especially voyages to other planets.Adam Roberts The History of Science FictionThe Extraordinary Voyage

Stories of journeying through space form the core of the genre . . . Are the trunk, as it were, from which the various other modes of SF branch off.Adam Roberts The History of Science FictionWhy this review?Not as a roadmapAs a literary review to analyze how writers are grappling with interstellar now Looking at Science Fiction in the age of the actual interstellar mission/organizationLooking at interstellar fiction as a sub-genre:Has it been abandoned? How has it changed?Gleaning for unique thoughtsSifting for commonality of thought; as a reflection of the culture as a whole

Contemporary Science Fiction (Todays Writers)Books published in the 21st Century (since 2000); with a focus on works since 2010.Avoidance of works with IPs and previously published sources prior to 2000.Focused on travel between planets within our dimension. Avoided works that focused on travel between different dimensional worlds.Not exhaustive

Fictional Approaches to InterstellarAstronomical distances and the impossibility of faster-than-light travel pose a challenge to most science-fiction authors. They can be dealt with in several ways: accept them as such (hibernation, slow boats, generation ships, time dilation - the crew will perceive the distance as much shorter and thus flight time will be short from their perspective),

find a way to move faster than light (warp drive), "fold" space to achieve instantaneous translation (e.g. the Dune universe's Holtzman effect),

access some sort of shortcut (wormholes),

or sidestep the problem in an alternate space: hyperspace.

Interstellar MethodsFTL: Faster than lightWarpHyperspaceFixed pointJumpWormhole (stargate)

STL: Slower than LightGeneration Ship

Unique Approaches

Acquisition of MethodHuman-developedAlien-developedOther

CrewNormal Humans Enhanced (Bio / Tech) Aliens Robotic AIs Seed Colony / Embryonic

Commonwealth SeriesPeter HamiltonExpanse SeriesJames S. A. CoreyEon SeriesGreg BearThe SparrowMary Doria RussellOn the Steel BreezeAlastair ReynoldsGreat North RoadPeter HamiltonBattlestar GalacticaSins of a Solar EmpireSword of the StarsHalo seriesThe Light of Other DaysClarke & BaxterPalimpsestCharles StrossFarscapeHouse of SunsAlastair ReynoldsThe AlgebraistIain M. BanksOlds Man WarJohn ScalziRevelation SpaceAlastair ReynoldsExistenceDavid BrinColonyRob GrantAscensionFireflyJoss WhedonKovacs seriesRichard MorganSeedIn Which Faster-Than-Light Travel Solves All of Our ProblemsChris StabbackThe People of PeleKen LiuFive Elements of the Heart MindKen LiuAcross the Universe seriesBeth RevisThe Tortoise & The Hare Kevin J. Anderson / Steve SavileBowl of Heaven / ShipstarGregory Benford, Larry NivenThe Lost Fleet seriesJack CampbellThe Creative FireBrenda CooperIn the Lions MouthMichael FlynnEarthboundJoe HaldemanOuter DiverseNina MunteanuAshes of CandesceKarl ShroederHome FiresGene WolfeCount to a TrillionJohn C. WrightA Delicate BalanceKevin J. AndersonTwenty Lights to The Land of SnowMichael BishopA Country for Old MenBen BovaOvertakenKarl BunkerScattered Along the River of HeavenAliette de BodardConnoisseurs of the EcentricJetse de VriesAgainst EternityDavid FarlandLesser BeingsCharles E GannonIt Pays to Read the Safety CardsRWW GreeneOther SystemsElizabeth GuizzettiTranscript of Interaction Between Astronaut Mike Scudderman and the OnStar Hands-Free A.I. Crash AdvisorGrady HendrixThe Big Ship and the Wise Old OwlSara A HoytChoicesLes JohnsonThe Old EquationsJake KerrThe WavesKen LiuDesign FlawLouise MarleyLucyJack McDevittWaiting at the AltarJack McDevittNoumenonRobert ReedSiren SongMike ResnickThe First Day of EternityDomingo SantosShatteringSteven UtleyStar SoupChris WillrichAncillary JusticeAnne LeckieNeptunes BroodCharles StrossLockstepKarl ShroederEmbassytownChina MievelleOdyssey One seriesEvan CurrieVattas War seriesElizabeth MoonFortunes Pawn / Paradox seriesRachel BachDiving seriesKristine Kathryne RuschPushing IceAlastair ReynoldsConfederation seriesTanya HuffPolity seriesNeal AsherGrand Central ArenaRyk E. SpoorThe Taken TrilogyAlan Dean FosterSpin TrilogyRobert Carles WilsonDread Empires Fall TrilogyWalter Jon WilliamsKop seriesWarren HammondEve OnlineWeb Shifter seriesJulie CzernedaTrader Pact seriesJulie CzernedaLight TrilogyM. John HarrisonBlindsightPeter WattsThe Future Happens TwiceMatt BrownIt's Always Spring Break Somewhere in the Galaxy"Raven C. S. McCrackenInterstellarChristopher NolanMass EffectCasey Hudson

THE WORKS:85 Distinct Pieces46 novels (and/or series) series were given one entry (i.e. Bowl of Heaven and Shipstar by Benford /Niven)25 short stories (primarily after 2010)5 TV shows1 Film6 Video Games1 Novella

RESULTS:39 use FTL (46%)40 use STL (47%)Of those 40 STL, 21 are Generation Ships

Of the 39 FTL:0 stories employing Warp12 use Hyperspace5 use fixed-point jumps9 total using a jump-based technology // I had to add an entry to my original set of propulsion method: Fixed point Jumps10 use wormhole3 uniques (unclassifiables)

Acquisition of Interstellar:In 51, humans develop the capability for interstellar ourselvesYet, in 15 we receive the tech as a gift from the aliensThe others are nondescript

IN NOVELS ALONE:59% use FTL (27)39% use STL (18)7 generation ships (16%)6 Hyperspace (13%)3 Fixed (7%)6 Jumps (13%)6 Wormholes (13%)

SHORT STORIES6 use FTL (18%)18 use STL (72%)11 Generation Ships (44%)1 HyperspaceThe other five are non-explanatory

REPEATED THEMES:Older generation ship overtaken by newer, faster shipWinner of the Lifeboat to the Stars Award: Andersons The Tortoise and the Hare and Overtaken by Karl Bunker

Warp is not used.

The fantastical, unexplainable hyperspace is far-more often employed (12 used; the most called upon of all FTL methods)

Jumps are employed . . . This was a category I had to add.

The gift of the gods: Aliens so far removed from us . . . Interstellar acquired from themCoreys Expanse Series: advanced fusion drive for interplanetary, extra-terrestially created wormhole device for interstellar// STL at first, discovery of Wormhole in third book

REPEATED THEMES:Yet, more often than not, humans develop FTL or STL to the stars on their own. 51 of the 85 show this.

Short fiction tended to focus on character-interaction and life on GENERATION SHIPS; a theme that isnt repeated oft in the longer form works.

STL (solar system locked) at first; FTL or interstellar capabilities at the end: Expanse Series, Charles Stross Neptunes Brood, Alastair Reynolds Blue Remembered Earth and On the Steel Breeze

UNIQUE AND MENTIONABLE APPROACHES & CONCEPTS:Scalzis SKIP DRIVE

Greg Bears Eon series: THE WAY

Neal Ashers Polity series uses RUNCIBLES for instantaneous transport (a nonsense name)

Karl Shroeders Lockstep: STL ships, FTL transmissions of data, including personalities. // All human settlements participating in the shared culture agree to go into periodic long cold sleeps even if they are not travelling. By making the interstellar trip during these periods of shared cold sleep people in different star systems can travel effectively "overnight". That means you can do trade with other star systems and still have your family and friends alive when you come back home.

Brins Existence probes with copied AIs scour/seed the galaxy. Both FTL / Biologically-based interstellar is simply impossible.

UNIQUE AND MENTIONABLE APPROACHES & CONCEPTS:There is a generation ship in Corey's Expanse series built by the Mormons but never released.

Alastair Reynolds Blue Remembered Earth and On the Steel Breeze; African-nations develop true solar system colonization

Alastair Reynolds House of Suns: a galactic civilization of STL capabilities (also interesting concept: the absence the Andromeda Galaxy has disappeared); planet-based societies are short-lived; Consequently, the most powerful entities in the galaxy are the "Lines"familial organisations made of cloned "shatterlings". The Lines do not inhabit planets, but instead travel through space, holding reunions after they've performed a "circuit" of the galaxy; something that takes about 200,000 years.

NEXT STEPS:Compare this to the previous generations/ages

Add the suggested elements from the Lifeboat Foundation Bibliographic Survey:Trip Focus (how much is the story about the trip, how much of the story is about trip technology, plausibility, believability, imagination, motivational)Story MoodTime FramePolitical SystemViolation of constructClarity of storytellingTransport: power source, propulsion method, mission type, crew conditions, tech/astronomy assumptions, destination, crew composition, extra-solar life, source of star transport tech,

Recommended Reads:A Thousand Points of Light . . . The search for the next incarnation of the Dalai Lama on a starshipBrins ExistenceReynolds Blue Remembered Earth"Lucy" by Jack McDevittThe Expanse series by Corey. Space Opera constrained to our solar system. Both operatic and tangible.

Thanks to the R/PRINTSF Sub-Reddit

Specifically: Starpilotsix, superkuh, sigkircheis, fritz_freiheit, escielenn, gonzoforpresident, systemstheorist, strolls, twistytwisty, weezer3989, miloshvu