Populating the Multiverse . . . Or, Science-Fictiony People

Here's what I don't get: People.  In science fiction and fantasy.  The central conceit in all (or so near to all that the rest just sort of define the rule) speculative fiction is that people exist.  Now, in a lot of science fiction this isn't very problematic, since sci-fi tends to extrapolate from this moment and consider "what if?"  Where it gets kind of interesting in in fantasy.

Let's ponder.  Is Westeros Earth?  Nope.

Is  Randland Earth?  Maybe.

Is Middle-Earth our own Earth?  Probably not.

And on and on and on.  Which led me to wonder, where are the people coming from?  Are they following an evolutionary track that dictates that on any vaguely Earth-like planet there will be (mostly Anglo-Saxon looking) bipeds wandering around, mostly speaking English?  Mostly adhering to some vaguely Anglo-Saxon tradition? 

Probably not.

The first response is that it doesn't matter.  And it probably doesn't.  But these characters are our characters.  They represent people as we understand them, with many of the same cultural assumptions built into their own culture.  Major departures (I'm looking at you Neil Stephenson) include a rich cultural milieu that is difficult to get into, and characters who are difficult to empathize with.  So most fantasy includes people pretty much the same as you, or me, or our neighbors.

It sort of makes me wonder if all fantasy is just science fiction within the multiverse.  Remember those Ewok adventures?  The ones with the family that crash-lands on Endor and have to fight off rancor and evil witches?  They're pretty campy, but I remember them fondly.  What I remember most clearly is that though we're expected to understand these movies were set in a science-fictiony universe, there were witches, castles, and monsters.  But by slapping "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away . . . " we come to accept everything as falling under the umbrella of infinite universe = infinite variety.

So maybe, this is how it happened!

First, "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away . . . " the first human beings evolved in a rich milieu of diverse cultures, species and deeply steeped in a mystical energy field that allowed them experience the universe in a much more empathetic way.  In time, they developed space-flight, left their own galaxy, and spread throughout the universe.

In time they reached a medium aged, medium bodied spiral galaxy that looks suspiciously like spilled milk from the inside.  There, they settled a world and called it Earth.  (SPOILERS!)  But on that planet, they developed a race of cybernetic beings that eventually rebelled; nuclear war ensued and our intrepid human beings were forced to flee and colonize twelve planets where human civilization was rebuilt.  In time, they built cybernetic beings that eventually rebelled, nuked all the planets of humankind, and forced a rag-tag band of human beings out into the stars, where eventually they joined forces with their cybernetic creations to repopulate a planet they re-named Earth.  But they'd already developed faster-than-light travel, and though their main ship was pretty trashed, they were able to use smaller craft to spread throughout the universe.

Where eventually they created a system of stargates!  They spread throughout the galaxy, embedded the myths of the Twelve Colonies everywhere they went, and eventually returned to Earth, but because of whatever, decided this galaxy was pretty blase, and left for parts unknown.

But in all those other galaxies, they spread their culture (including Anglo-Saxonness, and the English language), but because of cultural degradation and environmental upheavals, some were lost and devolved to medieval technology.  And in a few really interesting cases, the transhumans even traveled to other universes, where the laws of physics are kind of wonky.  Or, since we know that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, maybe there are remnants of transhuman technology floating around that allow certain individuals to manipulate time and space in ways that mimic magic!

Seems reasonable to me.  Let me hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Stargate: Universe . . . The Review

 

I just finished watching Stargate: Universe on demand on Netflix and I have to tell you: It doesn't suck.

I started watching Stargate: SG1 when it premiered on TV, and then stopped after a few episodes, but I eventually picked it back up on DVD.  I watched nine seasons worth before I gave up on it as being silly, contrived and with diminishing production values.  Then suddenly they were talking about going to Atlantis, of all places, and I decided to let it go.

But I came back to SG: Atlantis about halfway through the second season and I was intrigued enough to give it a shot.  But it was just as silly and contrived as as SG1 so I stopped.

Then SG: Universe came out.  By then I was so jaded that I couldn't conceive that the show would be any good, even though some of my friends said it wasn't bad.  But they weren't excited about it, so that was a sure sign for me to let sleeping dogs lie.

Recently it popped up on Netflix on demand, and I figured I'd give the pilot a try while I folded laundry.  Thank god for laundry, I have to tell you.  If I'd devoted my attention to the first ten minutes or so, I probably would have turned it off.  With cameos from the SG1 cast, and with the same hackneyed acting I would have stopped watching and never looked back.  But I wasn't paying attention.  Sometime between folding all my underwear and staring on the towels, the show got good.  It got really good.  So good that I had to rewind, put the laundry to the side and sit down to watch.

Basic premise: bunch of people stranded on a ship in the middle of nowhere with no hope of rescue.  The ship itself, however, is falling apart and their presence has only exacerbated the problem.  So within the first moments they have to learn to work together to fix the ship while fighting panic and learning how the new world works.  Immediately, a critical moral quandary arises.  And someone important dies.  Just like that.  It proved that it had the chops to make the hard calls in the first hour and it has maintained those chops throughout the first two seasons.

Will it fall into ignominy and victim to the silliness of Atlantis and SG1 prior?  Perhaps.  The potential certainly exists.  Several stories have been borderline abysmal.  But when it excels it really excels.  Of particular note is the way in which it deals with time travel.  Yeah, time-travel; we know the trope and we know that most shows do it very poorly.  Even Dr. Who has its problems and its a show predicated upon traveling through space and time.

But SG: Universe does it with aplomb.

First, it lays out the ground rules, rules already established in SG1.  They're silly rules, and feel like the arbitrariness of a bored writer in a hurry.  Nevertheless, this is the continuity in which the story exists, so that's how this show will play the game.  But it treats those rules with respect and examines the ramifications of each instance, following them along lines of reasoning that have dire moral implications.  It isn't shy about it, either.  Paradoxes are treated with respect, and made integral to the character's progressions.

Ultimately, this is a show about the characters.  Well rounded characters have always made for good television.  More than stereotypes--the nerd, the pretty girl, the corn-fed American soldier-boy, tough-as-nails black man, stern leader--these characters have foibles, flaws and, more often than not, virtues.  But when they err, people die.  Though sometimes those deaths are caused by negligence, caprice or simple exhaustion, it is always on the part of the characters, and not the story writers.

So, while at first I was surprised that it was good for an iteration of Stargate, have come to love it as being good in its own right.  You should give it a chance, it's on Netflix.