Foundation

Now that the season has concluded, I suppose I have to talk about “Foundation,” don’t I? *sigh*

You all know I favor an optimistic, positive outlook whenever possible. So here’s the positive! The production values are incredible, and the show is visually stunning. Several of the performances are very compelling (Lou Llobell as Gaal, Lee Pace as Day, and Jared Harris as Hari Seldon, in particular). More sci-fi on TV is always a good thing, and I give the showrunners props for spending a lot of money to tell a complex, long game story in a thoughtful manner. Also, Seldon’s “crisis” appearance was definitely more exciting than it is in the books!

If you enjoyed the show on its own merits, that’s awesome. I’m not here to harangue you in any way. Continue loving it.

BUT.

Someone on Twitter said, “They’ve always said that Foundation is unfilmable. It still hasn’t been.” I am forced to agree. I knew going in that there were going to be significant differences, but…damn. (Note: I don’t have a problem with the gender-swapping, as a rule; the cast of the first three novels is 99.9% male, so something had to change.)

But…damn. It’s as if they plucked a bunch of character and location names from the novels, threw them all into a blender, dumped the results out onto the counter, and stitched them all back together into something I like to call, “Not Foundation.”

But it’s not really about all the (many) discrete plot changes. It’s that the show doesn’t “feel” like Foundation in any discernable way. In a thousand small ways but two really big ones:

(1) In rereading the series recently (obviously), I was struck anew at how colorful and vivid Asimov’s writing is. His dialogue is over-the-top, often veering into purple prose. The characters are overdramatic, cocky and confident, making grand declarations with a flourish of a hand and a swish of a sash. It’s wonderful.

The show, though? It’s so…heavy. Ponderous. Weighted down. The dialogue is Very Serious, always. This frankly feels like an adaptation of an Arthur C. Clarke story, not an Asimov one (though they were relative contemporaries and share space on the Great Sci-Fi Masters shelf, their writing styles are very different). They should have gotten someone like Joss Whedon to write the dialogue—his style isn’t a perfect match, but it would have gotten much closer to the feel and dynamic of Asimov’s writing.

I hope they never bring in Arkady Darrell, because the writers have shown themselves completely incapable of capturing her ridiculous spirit, gumption and spunk.

(2) The story violates the fundamental underpinnings of psychohistory. At least twice, someone declares that the fate of the Seldon Plan rests on a single, special individual. Hari himself says this!

Look, we all love the “Chosen One” trope (well, some people do), but the Foundation novels do not. It’s stated repeatedly—really, ad nauseum—in the books that psychohistory only predicts the behaviors of great masses of people. It can’t predict the actions of a single person (this is why the Mule nearly wrecks the whole thing).

Because I’m such a ridiculous nerd and always have been, I wrote my AP English paper on the tension between free will and determinism in the Foundation series. And it isn’t only a tension—it’s arguably a fundamental flaw in the books. It IS individuals who solve the Seldon Crises. The main character of each story arc saves the day because they’re clever and smart and think their way through a seemingly unwinnable situation. Psychohistory posits that it was inevitable that someone would do so, but it doesn’t care who it would be.

This contradiction(?) is a totally reasonable criticism of the novels—but it IS what the novels say. The show abandons an excellent opportunity to play with this tension in favor of going all in on the “Chosen One.”

So, yes, I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed at the stories that aren’t being told here, and at the opportunities being passed by. Honestly—and I hate to say this—the experience makes me even more reluctant to option Amaranthe for the screen (should the opportunity ever arise). I’ve always been terrified of what Hollywood might do the characters, the story, the soul of Amaranthe. This show embodies exactly why I’m right to be worried. On the other hand, Dune is a beautiful adaptation of the source material, so I’m not saying never. It can be done—which is why it’s so disappointing it wasn’t done in this case.

(By the way, I could have written another 1,000 words here. In fact, I did, but #MrJennsen came over, put his hand on the keyboard, and said, “It’s time to stop posting.”)

Originally posted on Facebook.

A Stunning Launch

The weather + launch time combined to create some uniquely stunning images of this week’s SpaceX Falcon9 launch of additional Starlink satellites. Head over to their Flikr page to download high-res versions: https://www.flickr.com/photos/spacex/with/51676136282/

Originally posted on Facebook.

Mind the Stars

We've got so much further we want to go and so much more we want to explore, but look what we've done already. My goodness.

"Space can be a cruel mistress, but she is a beautiful one.

As we await the launch of ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer and the return of Thomas Pesquet, let us marvel at the fact that humans live and work in space, an environment so inhospitable to us.

As Thomas nears the end of his six-month mission Alpha on the Space Station, he took this image, noting that living on the International Space Station “really feels like flying on a spaceship into the cosmos… or wait… that’s what we do.”"

Read more and download the high-res image: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2021/11/Mind_the_stars#.YYQCdwJtqh8.link

Originally posted on Facebook.

Living Room Library

It will be many months before we have The Great Library v2.0, but as of today, we DO have the carefully curated, hand-picked and lovingly placed His & Hers Living Room Library!

(If you see a first-in-series book on the shelf, rest assured that the rest of the series is sitting in a box downstairs, waiting impatiently for TGLv2.)

(His on the left, Hers on the right, obviously - though we fought over who got to claim several of the books. I'm glaring at you, Neuromancer....)

(Also, I daresay this probably represents a higher percentage of signed books than any other room in Montana.)

Originally posted on Facebook and Instagram.

The Art of Rudan

In ALL OUR TOMORROWS, our old...not friends, exactly...the Ruda return to play an important role. (As a reminder, since it's been a while, the Ruda are the synthetic intelligence that Alex and Caleb met while touring the Mosaic in Sidespace.) Their entire planet has been covered by the Ruda Supremes' metallic footprints, creating quite an unusual landscape.

When imagining strange alien worlds, I tend to meld together several visualizations I've encountered, and this is true when it comes to the Ruda homeworld. Together, these two pieces capture perfectly the image of Rudan in my mind, and I thought you'd enjoy seeing them!

"Assembling Artifact" by Spiraloso: https://www.deviantart.com/.../Assembling-Artefact-890640977.

"Origin of Civilization" by Aeon Lux: https://www.deviantart.com/.../Origin-of-Civilization...

(Basically, impose the etched patterns and light of the first upon the surfaces of the second.)

Originally posted on Facebook.

Dune

TL;DR: Go watch it!

I don't think it's possible to spoil a story that's 56 years old, but I'll speak in generalities. To say this film is visually stunning is to minimize the world 'stunning.' Denis Villeneuve took everything he learned making Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 and elevated it to an entirely new level. The sense of atmosphere, of mood, of otherworldliness, is as remarkable and all-encompassing as any film I have ever been privileged to see.

It is sci-fi in the best ways possible, full of worlds and ways and technologies that are alien and foreign to us. But they are presented so subtly, and the worldbuilding is so fully realized, that it all feels utterly natural. This is the world of Dune, and we are simply living in it.

I'm not sure that Jason Mamoa is the embodiment of Duncan Idaho, but he is awesome regardless, chewing up every scene he's in. Oscar Isaac is...underutilized; he never really gets a chance to shine, and it feels like the Duke exits the stage too soon. Josh Brolin isn't particularly likeable, but he is well-cast as Gurney. Rebecca Ferguson turns in a fine performance, but Jessica isn't quite as forceful of personality (or cunning) as I would prefer. Sharon Duncan-Brewster is a pleasant surprise and very compelling as Dr. Liet Kynes. Zendaya as Chani looks great, but she doesn't really factor into the story yet and spends most of her screen-time staring *meaningfully* into the camera.

Some may fairly disagree, but I thought Timothée Chalamet was excellent. Yes, he's young, quiet and scrawny (even waif-like). But he has tremendous charisma (or maybe it's just the hair? IDK) and powerful screen presence.

The underlying plot is a bit thinly developed (particularly the motivations of various players) - I rarely say this, but I would have been totally fine with the film being 3 hours long (rather than its 2h 35min runtime). There was still room for diving deeper into the story. But at the end of the day, you're not watching it for a dissertation on imperial politics - you're watching it for a visual spectacle. And my goodness do you get that!

Yes, the ending is...unfulfilling, I suppose? But you go into this knowing it's only half the story. As one of the characters says, "This is only the beginning." And this beginning was such a joyful experience to watch. Also, Dune Part Two has now officially been greenlit, so we will get the rest of the story (in 2023….).

One pet peeve: I said this about Blade Runner 2049, and I'm saying it again now, with the caveat that as someone who is sensitive to loud noises, this might just be me. But Villeneuve always feels like he is using the audio to brutally beat you into submission! I was left feeling a little like I had a case of PTSD after the auditory abuse I took (metaphorically, of course). And the next time I hear a foghorn, I'm liable to cower in the corner and cover my ears....

Originally posted on Facebook.

To Boldly Go - After-Action Report

Captain Kirk has finally made it to space and come home again! (Or if he's in a time loop, gone to space for the first time of many?).

His words on returning are for the ages. “That was unlike anything you’ll ever feel, ever.”

"Everybody in the world needs to do this. Needs to see this. It was unbelievable."

"What you have given me is the most profound experience you can imagine. I hope I never recover from it. What I feel right now, I don't want to lose it."

...and now I'm bawling. Who wants to go? #ToBoldlyGo

Also, how incredible does Shatner look? 90 years old, seriously? He doesn't look a day over 70.

Originally posted on Facebook.

To Boldly Go

Captain Kirk is going to space - for real: Jeff Bezos’ spaceflight venture Blue Origin is launching William Shatner — aka Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise — to space on the company’s New Shepard rocket. At 90 years old, he’ll become the oldest person to fly to space, surpassing legendary aviator Wally Funk, who flew on the first crewed flight of New Shepard this summer.

The New Shepard flight is currently scheduled for October 12th out of Blue Origin’s launch facility in West Texas.

https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/4/22708534/blue-origin-william-shatner-new-shepard-crewed-flight-october

Babylon 5 Reboot

I am having really conflicting feelings about this! On the one hand, I trust JMS - Babylon 5 has always been his story to tell. Also, I would love updated visuals!

But...these actors so completely embody the characters that recasting seems a travesty (Note: Claudia Christian said on Twitter that JMS has kept her and the others in the loop from the beginning because he wants them "involved" with the show, but it's not clear what that means).

And reboots are almost always a pale imitation of the original. We're currently drowning in reboots, and it seems like they're pretty much all terrible. OTOH, the Battlestar Galactica reboot was 100 times better than the original - one of the best scifi TV shows to date - so it can be done. And if anyone can do it, it's JMS.

JMS has posted his thoughts about this endeavor in a Twitter thread, for anyone who is interested. Not many hard details, but straight from the source: https://twitter.com/straczynski/status/1442621159221043202

What do you all think?

https://www.thewrap.com/babylon-5-reboot-original-creator-the-cw/

785cGev5kjtU72x3oJpGN3-1024-80.jpg

Originally posted on Facebook.

Inspiration4 Adventure

It was a big week for the future of civilian and tourist space flight! SpaceX completed the first "all-private" crew to space in a Dragon capsule on a Falcon 9 rocket. The Inspiration4 mission was privately funded and will be raising money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

The crew orbited the Earth for 3 days - can you imagine it? Then they returned safely home from what will be the first of many such missions.

You can learn more about the crew members here: https://www.upi.com/.../SpaceX.../7831631288629/, and more about the entire mission here: https://inspiration4.com/.

Special shout-out to the stuffed golden retriever tagging along for the adventure.

Originally posted on Facebook.