Sci - Fi ' s Memories

Stargate

2009-09-13T17:21:00.002+01:00

Stargate

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the film, see Stargate (film). For the device itself, see Stargate (device). For other uses, see Stargate (disambiguation).

Stargate

An activated Stargate, the central object of the fictional Stargate universe, here depicted in the SG-1 television series.
Creator	Roland Emmerich Dean Devlin
Original work	Stargate (film)
Print publications
Books	Literature
Comics	Comics
Films and television
Films	Stargate Stargate: The Ark of Truth Stargate: Continuum Stargate: Extinction
Television series	Stargate SG-1 Stargate Infinity Stargate Atlantis Stargate Universe

Stargate portal

Stargate is a military science fiction franchise, initially conceived by Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin. The first film in the franchise was simply titled Stargate. It was originally released on October 28, 1994 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Carolco, and became a worldwide hit grossing nearly $200 million (USD) worldwide. Three years later, Canadian Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner created a television series entitled Stargate SG-1 as a sequel for the film.

In addition to film and television, the Stargate franchise has expanded into other media, including books, video games, and comic books. These supplements to the film and television series have resulted in significant development of the show's fictional universe and mythology. In 2008, the films Stargate: The Ark of Truth and Continuum were released direct-to-DVD, which in total grossed over 21 million in the United States. In 2002, the franchise's first animated series, Stargate Infinity, was released as an introduction to the Expanded Universe. In 2004, Stargate Atlantis was released as a spin off from Stargate SG-1 and a new Stargate spin off series entitled Stargate Universe is scheduled to air on October 2, 2009.

[show]

Premise

Stargate productions center on the premise of a "Stargate", a ring-shaped alien device that creates a wormhole enabling personal teleportation to complementary devices located cosmic distances away. Under the control of the United States government, the Stargate discovered on Earth is kept a secret from the public. This allows storylines to present no contradiction between depicted events and reality, an effect compounded by setting Stargate in the present day, and depicting Earth accurately, with any unrealistic technology originating solely from alien civilizations. These extraterrestrial civilizations are however more often pre-industrial than scientifically advanced, and are almost invariably human. Together, this allows for stories predominated by human interaction in Earth-like environments, an unusual feature for a science fiction franchise.

In the story, this is explained as being the result of alien interference in Earth's distant past - the concept influenced by the theories of Erich von Däniken. Many ancient mythologies are shown to be the result of aliens who had visited Earth posing as gods by using their technology to give the impression of deific power. While some of these aliens had benign intentions, a race later known in Stargate SG-1 as the "Goa'uld" used Stargates to move slaves from Ancient Egypt to other habitable planets, simultaneously being responsible for the Egyptian religion and culture. Following a successful rebellion, they fled Earth, and the Stargate was buried and forgotten until modern times, when the United States acquired it following an archaeological dig. Rediscovering the function of the Stargate, the galaxy is begotten as a source of knowledge, as well as threats, and the attention of the Goa'uld is drawn once more to Earth.

Franchise releases

Due to multiple developers working separately and independently on the franchise over the years, the various Stargate productions are not entirely consistent with each other; and while no set of works forms an official canon,^[1] the largest following exists for the three live-action series.^[2] Through the work of various authors and developers, at least six separate story cycles can be discerned, some of which are continuations of the other ones (either endorsed or unendorsed by their ancestor).

[edit] Media releases

Film	Release date	Box office revenue			Director
Film	Release date	United States	Foreign	Total	Director
Stargate^[3]	May 25, 1994	$71,565,669	$125,000,000	$196,565,669	Roland Emmerich
Stargate: The Ark of Truth^[4]	March 11, 2008	$13,166,110	—	—	Robert C. Cooper
Stargate: Continuum^[5]	July 29, 2008	$8,055,900	—	—	Martin Wood
Stargate: Extinction	TBA	TBA	TBA	TBA	Andy Mikita
Series	Creator(s)	Original Run		Episodes	Seasons
Series	Creator(s)	Debut	End	Episodes	Seasons
Stargate SG-1^[6]	Wright, Glassner	July 27, 1997	March 13, 2007	214	10
Stargate Infinity^[7]	Lewald, Maliani	September 14, 2002	March 24, 2003	26	1
Stargate Atlantis^[8]	Wright, Cooper	July 16, 2004	January 9, 2009	100	5
Stargate Universe^[9]	Wright, Cooper	October 2, 2009	TBA	TBA	TBA

Game releases

Main article: Stargate games

A Stargate Trading Card game was released in May 2007. It is available in both Online and Print forms. Designed by Sony Online Entertainment—who also run the Online version of the game—and published by Comic Images.
A Stargate Role-Playing Game (RPG) was produced by Alderac Entertainment. It was considered canon by both the publishers, and the staff of MGM.^[10] However, when Sony bought MGM, they lost the license to produce Stargate RPG products and the RPG license is currently unassigned.
Two video games based on the film were released by Acclaim Entertainment: a side-scrolling platformer for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and Sega Genesis, and a Tetris-like puzzle game for the Sega Game Gear and Nintendo Game Boy.
Stargate SG-1: The Alliance was a computer game based on the Stargate universe, which was due to be released in late 2005. The release of the game was however canceled.
There are three simulator-style amusement park rides named Stargate SG-3000 located at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, Six Flags Great America, and Six Flags Marine World.
Stargate Worlds is a Stargate-universe MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) in development. The writers and producers of Stargate view Stargate Worlds as running side by side with the show in complete canon. Estimated to be released in the last quarter of 2009.
A Stargate pinball game has been produced by Gottlieb.

Theatrical films

Stargate

Main article: Stargate (film)

In 1994, the military science fiction feature film Stargate was released; directed by Roland Emmerich and co-written by Dean Devlin. The film lays the foundation for all the Stargate productions that come after it, by explaining the notion, function, and history of the Stargate.

The theatrical version of the film begins with the unearthing of the Stargate in Giza in 1928. As of Present Day (i.e. 1994), the failing egyptologist Daniel Jackson (James Spader) helps to make the Stargate work again by deciphering the hieroglyphs on the cover stones of the Stargate, now housed at a military base in Creek Mountain, Colorado. A team led by Colonel Jack O'Neil (Kurt Russell) is ordered is to step through the Stargate and identify potential military threats on the other side. Jackson accompanies them to aid in translations to allow them to return home later. At their arrival, the team discovers a slave civilization serving an alien who is posing as the Egyptian god Ra (Jaye Davidson). He and his minion-gods have taken human form, commanding the slaves with brute force. With the help of the locals, O'Neil's team is eventually able to instigate a slave rebellion, overwhelming Ra's forces. Ra escapes in his mothership, but O'Neil is able to teleport and detonate a nuclear warhead on-board Ra's ship in orbit. With Ra dead, the civilization can live in peace; O'Neil and his team return home through the Stargate, but Daniel Jackson stays on the planet with a young local woman named Sha'uri.

Other releases and future development

After Bill McCay had written a series of five novels continuing the story the original creators had envisioned, and despite the success of the Stargate television series, Dean Devlin stated in 2006 that "he has struck a production deal with MGM and is developing the long-delayed sequel feature films that will pick up the story from the 1994 original"^[11] According to Devlin, two movie sequels would have picked up the story from the 1994 original, but not the mythology of the SG-1 and Atlantis series, with the original stars Kurt Russell and James Spader. Devlin regretted giving MGM control over the franchise.^[11] The first movie already tapped into Egyptian mythology; the second one would have moved into other mythologies; and the third would tie together all mythologies.^[12] Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis producer Brad Wright said in 2002 that "Devlin can wish to do a sequel to Stargate all he wants. MGM owns the rights, and I doubt very much that they'll ask him to do it. He knows better."^[13]

Plans for producing two sequels of the original film were announced by the original film's creator Dean Devlin at the 2006 San Diego Comic-Con. He has said he is currently in talks with MGM to produce four films and he would like two of them to be the final two films in his envisioned Stargate trilogy. In an interview with Sci Fi Wire, Devlin says that should the sequels be made, he hopes to enlist Kurt Russell and James Spader in the two sequels. Both Russell and Spader have expressed interest, Devlin revealed. "They've always said they wanted to do it. The irony is actually because it was 12 years ago that we made Stargate, [and] part two was actually supposed to take place about 12 years later. We were just going to kind of age them up as actors. So it actually works out really nicely." These sequels would bypass the 12 years of mythology created by SG-1 and Atlantis if they are produced.^[11]

In the meantime, Lionsgate remains the major rights holder to the original film; this was due to the fact that its predecessor, Live Entertainment, owned home video rights to the Carolco Pictures library and had also owned international distribution rights, although Carolco itself was on the brink of bankruptcy when they produced this film.^{[citation needed]}

Television

SG-1

The original starring cast of Stargate SG-1.

Main article: Stargate SG-1

In 1997, Jonathan Glassner and Brad Wright co-developed Stargate SG-1, a television series intended to continue the story laid down by the original film. Although new actors were cast, several roles from the film were reprised, including the main characters Daniel Jackson and Jack O'Neill (which was re-spelled to include an extra "L"). The Stargate Command setting was transferred from a fictional military facility located in Creek Mountain, to the Cheyenne Mountain military complex. Other variations and differences between the original film and SG-1 mostly concern the location of the planet Abydos, the alien Ra, the race of Ra's underlings (Jaffa), and Stargate travel.^[14]^[15]

The series debuted on Showtime on July 27, 1997, and moved to the Sci-Fi Channel after its fifth season.^[16] It starred Richard Dean Anderson (as O'Neill) and Michael Shanks (as Jackson), alongside Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge and Don S. Davis playing the new characters Samantha Carter, Teal'c and George Hammond. The cast remained fairly regular for most of SG-1's run, but experienced some changes. Michael Shanks left the show at the end of Season 5 and was replaced by Corin Nemec as Jonas Quinn. Shanks returned at the beginning of Season 7 and Nemec was written out. At the end of Season 7 Davis left the show and Anderson filled the gap he left in the story. Season 9 saw the departure of Anderson, but added new regulars Beau Bridges and Ben Browder. After a debut episode in Season 8, followed by appearances in eight episodes of Season 9, Claudia Black's popular reception earned her a position in the regular cast in Season 10.^[17]

MGM put an average of $1,400,000 into each episode of the show, and regards it as one of its most important franchises.^[18] Stargate was taken off air in 2007, however two movies entitled Stargate: The Ark of Truth and Stargate: Continuum were made to tie up loose ends.

Infinity

Main article: Stargate Infinity

The Complete Series cover art

Stargate Infinity is an American animated science fiction television series created by Eric Lewald and Michael Maliani as a spin off from its sister show, Stargate SG-1. The story arc in Infinity is set 30 years into the future and follows Gus Bonner and his team. Bonner's team was created after he was framed for a crime he did not do. He escaped from Stargate Command (SGC) after the hostile alien race Tlak'kahn attacked the SGC to find the chrysalis. He together with his team escapes through the Stargate with the chrysalis. From that point forward they go from planet to planet until they find the evidence to clear their names while learning about the unique cultures in the galaxy, so that they can one day return back to Earth.^[19] The story arc was never resolved because of low viewership ratings, the show was cancelled in 2003.^{[citation needed]}

Stargate Infinity premiered in September 2002 as part of 4Kids Entertainment’s FOX BOX Saturday morning line-up on FOX and went off the air in June 2003. Due to its lack of popularity the show is almost completely unrecognized. The series was cancelled before any of its story arc's could be resolved. The show was of low budget, which was constantly noted by the media.^[20]^[21] DIC Entertainment released a 4-episode DVD on October 7, 2003 in Region 1. MGM Home Entertainment released a five disc season box set on August 13, 2007 in region 2.^[20] Shout! Factory, a company known for releasing cult animated series, acquired the rights to the show and released the entire series to DVD on May 13, 2008 in Region 1.^[21] As of 2009, there is yet to come a release of Stargate Infinity package in Region 4, namely Oceania and Latin America.^[22]

The writers and producers of Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe and the main canon of the Stargate franchise were not involved with Infinity, and neither MGM, the production teams nor the fans of Stargate consider Infinity to be an official part of the Stargate universe. According to Stargate SG-1 co-creator Brad Wright, the animated series should not be considered official Stargate canon. Commenting on it, he stated, "I don't have a problem with it. I'm just not involved."^[23]

Atlantis

Main article: Stargate Atlantis

The original starring cast of Stargate Atlantis.

The Stargate Atlantis plot follows the adventures of the "Atlantis expedition", a combination of military forces and civilian scientists that travel to the Pegasus galaxy in search of the Lost City of Atlantis, left behind by the most powerful race known to ever have lived, referred to as the Ancients, also known as Lanteans and Alterrans. The finding of the city had been a plot arc for most of SG-1's Season 7, and the Ancients themselves had been a long-running facet of the SG-1 setting. Arriving at the City, the expedition discover that the Pegasus galaxy is dominated by a terrible enemy known as the "Wraith", against whom they must defend themselves, despite being vastly outnumbered.

Stargate Atlantis was a spin-off television series from Stargate SG-1. A new feature film was originally intended to transition the two series after the sixth season of SG-1. Later, SG-1 was renewed for a seventh season, and the feature film was then planned to transition that season. Finally, when SG-1 was renewed for an eighth season, the intended film instead became the two-part season finale episode "Lost City", and the setting of Stargate Atlantis was moved to the Pegasus galaxy.^[24] This allowed the two shows to exist side-by-side within the same fictional universe, and later the two shows even become interconnected. Atlantis was developed by most of the same people and in the same studios as SG-1.

Atlantis debuted on the Sci-Fi Channel on July 16, 2004, starring Joe Flanigan and Torri Higginson in the lead roles, with Rainbow Sun Francks, David Hewlett, and Rachel Luttrell alongside. Hewlett and Higginson's characters had previously appeared in SG-1 (though Higginson inherited the role from actress Jessica Steen). In Atlantis' second season, Paul McGillion and Jason Momoa (replacing Francks) were added as regulars. At the end of the third season, Higginson and McGillion were removed as regulars, both serving recurring roles in the 4th season. Season 4 brought in Amanda Tapping, reprising her role as Samantha Carter from SG-1, and Jewel Staite in a recurring role. Tapping left the show for season five to concentrate on Sanctuary, and was replaced by Robert Picardo, who reprised his role as Richard Woolsey from both SG-1 and Atlantis. However, in late summer 2008 it was announced that SciFi would not renew Atlantis. The final episode aired on 9 January 2009.

Universe

The main cast of Universe. The series has a much larger main cast than previous Stargate shows.

Main article: Stargate Universe

Stargate Universe is the third Stargate series, and is currently in development. The idea behind Stargate Universe is that it is set on a ship that was part of an Ancient experiment that was set in motion probably millions of years ago, one that they never saw to fruition, but that we can. The experiment is to send a ship across the universe, and to send one ahead of it to seed the galaxies with Stargates, and that they would one day use the stargate's ninth chevron to gate to the ship.

Millions of years ago (before their conflict with the Wraith and even before they moved Atlantis to the Pegasus Galaxy), the show would reveal, the Ancients sent out two ships: an automated vessel to place Stargates throughout multiple galaxies in our universe, and a second ship to follow up and explore. A standard, 7-symbol gate address allows for travel within the same galaxy. Use of the Stargate's eighth chevron allows for travel to a different galaxy. And the ninth chevron will allow the team to reach this second Ancient ship, the Destiny.^[25]

The series was pitched to the Sci Fi Channel in the fall of 2007, just before the writer's strike—which put a hold on the project. "The pitch was received very well," according to Stargate Atlantis co-creator Brad Wright. The third Stargate series won't be set on Earth, or on a remote base, but on a ship that travels from galaxy to galaxy. Following news of the cancellation of Stargate Atlantis, it was reported that Sci Fi Channel had ordered Universe to series, with a planned launch date of October 2, 2009. It has also been revealed that the show will attempt to broaden Stargate's usual viewer demographics by bringing in younger viewers as well as keeping its old fan base.^[25]

Reception

Main articles: Stargate Fandom, List of awards and nominations received by Stargate SG-1, and List of awards and nominations received by Stargate Atlantis

Fans (called "Gaters") posing as SG teams at Dragon Con in 2008

Stargate took in $16.7 million on its opening weekend,^[26] and received mixed reactions from critics; while it was panned by the likes of Roger Ebert,^[27] several positive reviews counterbalanced this leading to a score of 43% on Rotten Tomatoes.^[28] Although the film was originally intended as the first of a trilogy of films,^[11] Emmerich and Devlin ultimately moved on to produce Independence Day, and it was not until 2006 that Devlin showed renewed interest in developing sequels.^[12] In the intervening time, copyright-holder MGM succeeded the film with the television series Stargate SG-1 without the input of Emmerich and Devlin.

Stargate SG-1 has won the Saturn Award for Best Syndicated Television Series on numerous occasions, and its cast has won similar awards for acting.^[29] More recently it has received acclaim for its visual effects, which increased in quality and realism as the show gained a larger budget.^[30] On August 21, 2006, the Sci Fi Channel announced that it would not be renewing Stargate SG-1 for an eleventh season after a series of poor performances in the Nielsen Ratings.^[31] Many fans were enraged at the news, even creating websites in reaction to exhibit their commitment to the series.^[32] Spokesmen for the production have said all options for the continuation of SG-1 are being considered, including complete digital broadcasting.^[33] Executive producer Robert C. Cooper told the fansite GateWorld exclusively that he was working to continue SG-1.^[34] Currently, no network or company has ordered new episodes of SG-1, so the show is on hold until a new buyer can be found. However, SciFi has attempted to block other networks from taking up the show, citing its original exclusive contract with MGM.^[35] Stargate Atlantis has won several awards for its actors, visual effects and directors, including a WorldFest Platinum Award for David Winning's direction of an early Season 1 episode.^[36] Atlantis proved to be equally as successful as SG-1, with Nielsen Ratings and viewership. The Stargate franchise was nominated in 2009 for a Constellation Award in the category of Outstanding Canadian Contribution to Science Fiction Film or Television in 2008.^[37] The outcome of this nomination will be announced later this year.

The average viewership to Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis was around 10 million a week worldwide. According to the Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis co-creator Brad Wright the show is very popular in Great Britain, Germany, France and Australia, but with a steadily declining viewership in homeland Canada. It was estimated that around 30 million Stargate DVDs were sold worldwide in 2006.^[38]

The DVD release of Stargate: The Ark of Truth in the U.S. earned MGM/Fox US $1.59 million in rentals in the first week after the release, and another US $1.38 million in rentals in the second week. In its third week it earned US $1.19 million in rentals totaling US $4.16 million . The DVD has also earned US $9.0 million in sales.^[4] Stargate: Continuum would go on to gross over $8 million United States dollars in the United States.^[5] The film sparked mostly positive reviews with movie critics.^[39]^[40]^[41] A third Stargate SG-1 movie is planned to follow Continuum, the film will center around the character of Jack O'Neill.^[42]

Emmy Awards

Series	Award categories
Series	Music Composition for a Series	Special Visual Effects for a Series	Main Title Theme Music
Stargate SG-1	Nominated	Nominated	—
Stargate Atlantis	Nominated	Nominated	Nominated
Stargate Universe	0TBA	0TBA	0TBA

Direct-to-DVD releases

Main articles: Stargate: The Ark of Truth, Stargate: Continuum, and Stargate: Extinction

Stargate: The Ark of Truth is a direct-to-DVD movie written and directed by Robert C. Cooper. The film is the conclusion of Stargate SG-1's Ori arc, and picks up after the SG-1 series finale, but takes place before the fourth season of Stargate Atlantis. The Ark of Truth was released as a Region 1 DVD release on March 11, 2008. Sky One has broadcast the film on March 24, 2008, to be followed by the Region 2 DVD release on April 28, 2008 with the Region 4 DVD release on April 9, 2008.^[43]

Stargate: Continuum is a direct-to-DVD movie written by Brad Wright and directed by Martin Wood. Some scenes for this movie were already shot at the end of March 2007, but the original start date was set for May 22 at Vancouver's Bridge Studios. The production budget was $7 million.^[44] The movie was released on DVD and Blu-ray on July 29, 2008. The Region 4 DVD was released on August 6, 2008 with the Region 2 DVD released on August 18, 2008;^[45] followed by possible TV broadcasts.^[46] The film is a time-travel adventure and is the second sequel to Stargate SG-1, after Stargate: The Ark of Truth.

Executive producer Brad Wright has revealed that "Children of the Gods", Stargate SG-1's pilot episode, is being re-cut into a Stargate SG-1 direct-to-DVD movie with brand new visual effects and scenes not previously included in the television version.^[47]

In April 2009, MGM confirmed a third SG-1 new film that Brad Wright had first announced in May 2008.^[48]^[49] Wright will co-write the still unnamed film with former Stargate Atlantis executive producer Carl Binder.^[50] Martin Wood will serve as director.^[51] According to Wright, the film would center on the Jack O'Neill character and will reunite as many of the SG-1 cast as possible, depending on the cost of the film and actor availability.^[48] Michael Shanks (Daniel Jackson) has confirmed his and Richard Dean Anderson's participation.^[52] Amanda Tapping confirmed her appearance in the third SG-1 film and the first Atlantis movie.^[53] According to Wright, the character of Vala Mal Doran will not appear in the film.^[51]

According to Sci-Fi and Joseph Mallozzi, a Stargate Atlantis two hour direct-to-DVD movie has been given the go ahead after the series was cancelled at the end of its fifth season. More movies are expected to follow in the Atlantis series if the first movie is successful.^[54] The rumored working title for the film is Stargate Extinction. By May, 2009 the script for the film was finished.^[55]

Literature

Main articles: Stargate literature, List of Stargate comics, and List of Stargate audiobooks

There are three series of novels based on the Stargate franchise, one based on the original Stargate film and two based in the Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis television shows. A series of books written by Bill McCay were published from 1995 to 1999 that were unofficial sequels to the film.^[56] These were produced by consulting the original notes made by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich, in an attempt to envision where the film "would have gone". Neither party has commented on whether McCay's interpretation was correct. Despite the fact that he attempted to remain close to the original vision, the subsequent television series Stargate SG-1 (which began under an entirely independent development) developed the story along different lines, making no attempt to reconcile the plot lines of the books. This marked the first major branching of the franchise.

Later, from 1999 to 2001, ROC published four novels based in Stargate SG-1 written by Ashley McConnell.^[57] In 2004, UK-based Fandemonium Press started a new series of licensed tie-in novels based on Stargate SG-1. Due to the conflict with ROC's license, these books were available in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK, but not in the US. Fandemonium books became available in the US in 2006. The official Stargate Magazine, produced by Titan Publishing, began publishing short stories written by Fandemonium authors in their 8th issue. The stories alternate between both SG-1 and Atlantis.^[58]

A series of comic books, based on Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, began to be published by Avatar Press in 2003. Five have been published to date, with stories by James Anthony and artwork by Jorge Correa.^[59] In February 2008 it was announced that Big Finish Productions would be releasing officially-licensed audiobooks featuring members of the cast reading new stories. The first two stories, available on CD and digital download, are Gift of the Gods read by Michael Shanks and A Necessary Evil read by Torri Higginson.^[60]

Notes

^ Brad Wright. Interview with Darren Sumner. Brad Wright Interview. GateWorld. Chicago. Retrieved on 2009-05-05.
^ "GateWorld Omnipedia". GateWorld. http://www.gateworld.net/omnipedia/faq.shtml#5. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
^ "Stargate (1994)". The Numbers. http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1994/0SGTE.php. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
^ ^a ^b "Stargate - The Ark of Truth". The Numbers. Nash Information Services. http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2008/0SGAT.php. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
^ ^a ^b "Stargate - Continuum". The Numbers. Nash Information Services. http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2008/0SGCT.php. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
^ Hal Erickson. "Stargate SG-1 [TV Series]". Allmovie. http://www.allmovie.com/work/stargate-sg-1-tv-series-159885. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
^ Hal Erickson. "Stargate SG-1 [Animated TV Series]". Allmovie. http://www.allmovie.com/work/stargate-infinity-animated-tv-series-272518. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
^ Hal Erickson. "Stargate Atlantis [TV Series]". Allmovie. http://www.allmovie.com/work/stargate-atlantis-tv-series-312306. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
^ Cammila Albertson. "Stargate Universe [TV Series]". Allmovie. http://www.allmovie.com/work/stargate-universe-tv-series-478052. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
^ Posts by the Adelrac Entertainment staff on their boards
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Patrick Lee. "Devlin Develops New Stargates". Sci-Fi.com. http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=37194. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
^ ^a ^b "Devlin Announces Plans For Stargate Sequels". ComingSoon.net. http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=15537. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
^ "Interview: Brad Wright". GateWorld. http://www.gateworld.net/interviews/brad_wright.shtml. Retrieved 2009-04-03.
^ Will Joyner (July 26, 1997). "Through a Gate to the Far Side of the Universe: A TV Series". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C05E5D7163AF935A15754C0A961958260. Retrieved 2007-10-15.
^ "Stargate SG-1 — TV Shows". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A765597. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
^ "Announcement from SciFi Channel". SciFi Wire. http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/art-main.html?2001-08/14/12.30.sfc. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
^ "Interview — Vala joins SG-1 regulars". SciFi World. http://www.thescifiworld.net/interviews/claudia_black_01.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
^ "Stargate 200: 10 years of Stargate success". MultiChannel. http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6332083.html. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
^ "Stargate Infinity". Cookie Jar Entertainment. http://www.cjar.com/cj_shows_stargate.php. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
^ ^a ^b "Stargate Infinity Box Set". Total Sci Fi Online. August 20, 2007. http://totalscifionline.com/reviews/820-stargate-infinity-box-set. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
^ ^a ^b "Stargate Infinity: The Complete Series". Sci Fi Movie Page. http://www.scifimoviepage.com/dvd/stargate_infinity-dvd.html. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
^ "Stargate: Infinity - The Complete Series". EzyDVD. http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/800114. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
^ Sumner, Darren (2001). "Brad Wright (Interview)". GateWorld. http://www.gateworld.net/interviews/brad_wright.shtml. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
^ Sharon Gosling. "Watergate". Stargate Atlantis: The Official Companion Season 1. London: Titan Books. pp. 10–14. ISBN 1-84576-116-2.
^ ^a ^b Darren Sumner. "Stargate Universe Has A Go!". http://gateworld.net/news/2008/08/istargate_universei_has_a_go.shtml. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
^ "Top Opening Weekends By Month". boxofficemojo.com. http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/weekends/month/?mo=10&p=.htm. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
^ Roger Ebert. "Stargate". Sun Times. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19941028/REVIEWS/410280308/1023. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
^ "Stargate". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/stargate/?name_order=asc. Retrieved 2009-04-04.
^ "Saturn Awards – Past Award Winners". Saturn Awards. http://www.saturnawards.org/past.html. Retrieved 2009-03-24.
^ "Stargate grows cutting edge VFX industry". GateWorld. http://www.gateworld.net/news/2006/05/istargatei_grew_cutting_edge_vfx.shtml. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
^ "SG-1 Ends Run; Atlantis Back". scifi.com. August 22, 2006. http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=2&id=37607. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
^ "Fans Rally: SaveStargateSG1". GateWorld. http://www.gateworld.net/news/2006/08/fans_rally_savestargatesg1.com.shtml. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
^ "MGM Insists Stargate Won't Shut". MultiChannel News. http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6366152.html. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
^ "Cooper: SG-1 will go on". GateWorld. http://www.gateworld.net/news/2006/08/cooper_isg-1i_will_go_on.shtml. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
^ "MGM Considers Stargate SG-1 Future". GateWorld. http://www.gateworld.net/news/2006/08/mgm_considers_isg-1is_future.shtml. Retrieved 2009-05-05.
^ "Groundstar Entertainment Presents David Winning - Filmmaker - Director". Groundstar. http://www.davidwinning.com/awards.html. Retrieved April 9, 2009.
^ "The Constellation Awards". Constellation Awards. http://constellations.tcon.ca/v.shtml. Retrieved May 11, 2009.
^ Andrews, Mark. "Stargate's success is out of this world". The Vancouver Sun. http://www2.canada.com/vancouversun/news/business/story.html?id=8cadeca7-c0a8-403f-b6d6-7c1f728a9aa7&k=25558&p=2. Retrieved April 8, 2006.
^ "Preview: Stargate Continuum". Sky Entertainment. http://tv.sky.com/preview-stargate-continuum. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
^ Nix. "Stargate: Continuum (2008) Movie Review". Sci Fi Cool. http://www.scificool.com/stargate-continuum-2008-movie-review/. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
^ Nix. "Stargate: Continuum Blu-ray Review". IGN. http://bluray.ign.com/articles/895/895143p1.html. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
^ Sumner, Darren. "Anderson confirms SGU appearances". GateWorld. http://www.gateworld.net/news/2009/04/anderson-confirms-sgu-appearances/. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
^ "Sky One to air Ark of Truth in March". GateWorld. 2009-05-07. http://www.gateworld.net/news/2008/02/sky_one_to_air_iark_of_truthi_in.shtml.
^ "Tapping discusses SG-1 movies". GateWorld. August 9, 2007. http://www.gateworld.net/news/2007/08/tapping_discusses_isg-1i_movies.shtml. Retrieved 2007-08-09.
^ "Wright: Continuum is classic Stargate". GateWorld. November 21, 2007. http://www.gateworld.net/news/2007/11/wright_icontinuumi_is_classic_is.shtml. Retrieved 2007-11-21.
^ "Stargate goes nuclear". Playback Magazine. April 2, 2007. http://www.playbackmag.com/articles/magazine/20070402/stargate.html. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
^ Darren Sumner. "Special edition of SG-1 pilot episode in the works". GateWorld. http://www.gateworld.net/news/2008/04/special_edition_of_isg-1i_pilot_.shtml. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
^ ^a ^b David Read (May 12, 2008). "Wright: Stargate movies need O'Neill". GateWorld. http://www.gateworld.net/news/2008/05/wright_stargate_movies_need_onei.shtml. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
^ Darren Sumner (April 6, 2009). "Anderson confirms SGU appearances". GateWorld. http://www.gateworld.net/news/2009/04/anderson-confirms-sgu-appearances/. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
^ Joseph Mallozzi (October 9, 2008). "October 9, 2008: Actor Tyler McClendon Answers Your Questions". WordPress. http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/2008/10/09/october-9-2008-actor-tyler-mcclendon-answers-your-questions/. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
^ ^a ^b Joseph Malozzi (January 2, 2009). "Brad Wright Answers Your Questions". WordPress. http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/2009/01/02/january-2-2009-brad-wright-answers-your-questions/. Retrieved 2009-01-27.
^ Ian Spelling (January 26, 2009). "Michael Shanks has a surprise about Stargate Universe". SciFi.com. http://scifiwire.com/2009/01/michael-shanks-has-a-surprise-about-stargate-universe.php. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
^ Kelly West (2009-04-28). "Amanda Tapping Talks About Sanctuary". cinemablend.com. http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Amanda-Tapping-Talks-About-Sanctuary-12460.html. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
^ Kent Gibbons. "‘Stargate Atlantis’ Run Ends On Season 5". MultiChannel News. http://www.multichannel.com/article/134413-_Stargate_Atlantis_Run_Ends_On_Season_5.php. Retrieved 2009-05-07.
^ Sumner, Darren (August 24, 2008). "Mallozzi on Stargate Atlantis movie". GateWorld. http://www.gateworld.net/news/2008/08/mallozzi_on_istargate_atlantisi_.shtml. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
^ "Bill McCay". Fantasy Fiction. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/bill-mccay/. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
^ "SG-1 by Ashley McConnell". Fantasy Fiction. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/ashley-mcconnell/stargate-sg1.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
^ "Stargate Magazine". Titan Magazines. http://titanmagazines.com/app?service=external/Product&sp=l12. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
^ "Stargate". Avatar Press. http://www.avatarpress.com/stargate/. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
^ "Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis". Big Finish Production. http://www.bigfinish.com/Stargate-SG-1-and-Atlantis. Retrieved 2009-07-07.

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Categories: Stargate | Ancient Egypt in fiction | Wormholes in fiction | Media franchises | Television franchises

Andromeda Ascendant

2009-09-13T17:02:00.002+01:00

Andromeda Ascendant

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

*Andromeda Ascendant*
General characteristics
The Andromeda Ascendant
First appearance	Under the Night
Class	Glorious Heritage
Registry	XMC-10-284
Fighters	Slip fighters Combat drones
Armaments	AP Cannons Point defense lasers Smart missiles Smart bullets Nova Bombs
Defenses	High tension armor Ablative armor Reactive armor Battle blades
Propulsion	Slipstream

The Andromeda Ascendant is a fictional starship in the television series Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda.

The ship began her life in the Newport News Orbital Shipyards above Earth, where her keel was laid in CY 9768. Construction proceeded without a hitch right through the delivery and installation of the Headwaters of Invention Mark VIII Slipstream engines in CY 9772. The Andromeda is the tenth Glorious Heritage-class heavy cruiser, High Guard ship of the line, from the days of the old Systems Commonwealth. Andromeda and her captain, Dylan Hunt (played by Kevin Sorbo) were frozen in the event horizon of a black hole for 300 years before being rescued by the crew of the Eureka Maru in CY 10087 (approx 5167 CE).

The ship has an artificial intelligence (AI). Andromeda appears to the crew in three formats: on the two-dimensional monitors; as a three-dimensional holographic projection; and as the avatar Rommie (played by Lexa Doig). In the High Guard, AIs are considered officers as part of their own crew. An avatar is a humanoid representation of an intelligence, and Andromeda has the above mentioned holographic and android avatars that represent the personality and physical representation of the ship's AI, in this case in the form of a human female. The ship's engineer, Seamus Zelazny Harper (played by Gordon Michael Woolvett), built an android as her second avatar, which can interact with the holographic avatar and the monitors, and also travel, walk and act outside the ship. The monitor and hologram manifestations are commonly referred to in fandom as "Core" and "Logic", respectively.

The ship is equipped with a slipstream drive for FTL (faster than light) travel.

Andromeda is somewhat unusual among starships as it is clearly implied that she has an emotional attachment to Captain Hunt. This is a variation on the idea of captains being in love with their ships, implied for centuries and extensively used by Roddenberry in Star Trek.

Notes

Andromeda Ascendant's complete official designation is "Shining Path to Truth and Knowledge AI model GRA 112, serial number XMC-10284".
CY = Commonwealth Year.
AFC = After the Fall of the Commonwealth.

External links

The Andromeda Ascendant website

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andromeda_Ascendant"

Categories: Andromeda (TV series) | Andromeda spacecraft | Fictional artificial intelligences

The Evolution of the USS Enterprise | /Film

2009-09-09T00:04:00.000+01:00

The Evolution of the USS Enterprise /Film

Rare Star Wars Photos | Unique Scoop

2009-08-06T02:36:00.001+01:00

Just See More at :

Rare Star Wars Photos Unique Scoop

Imperial March / Darth Vader's Theme

2009-08-05T01:26:00.002+01:00

Star Wars Episode V Soundtrack - Han Solo and the Princess

2009-08-05T01:24:00.000+01:00

Sci-Fi-O-Rama & Jamie Hewlett - Tank Girl

2009-07-31T02:56:00.001+01:00

Jamie Hewlett - Tank Girl

Filed under: Fashion, Illustration, Jamie Hewlett, Sci-Fi — Kie @ 7:13 am

A wonderfully detailed profile shot of “Tank Girl”, a British Comic book character who made her official debut in Deadline Magazine back in 1988.

Go on reading at :

Sci-Fi-O-Rama & Jamie Hewlett - Tank Girl

8 Sci-Fi Vehicles You Should Never Operate Drunk | 33mag

2009-07-31T02:45:00.000+01:00

8 Sci-Fi Vehicles You Should Never Operate Drunk 33mag

Encyclopedia Galactica - Timeline - Contents

2009-07-25T22:43:00.001+01:00

Encyclopedia Galactica - Timeline - Contents

Three Laws of Robotics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2009-07-25T22:39:00.001+01:00

Three Laws of Robotics - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

SIR ARTHUR C. CLARKE DIES

2008-03-19T00:09:00.002Z

Science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, who co-wrote the epic film "2001: A Space Odyssey" and raised the idea of communications satellites in the 1940s, died Wednesday at age 90, an associate confirmed. Clarke died early Wednesday at a hospital in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where he had lived since the 1950s, said Scott Chase, the secretary of the nonprofit Arthur C. Clarke Foundation. "He had been taken to hospital in what we had hoped was one of the slings and arrows of being 90, but in this case it was his final visit," Chase said

ALIEN : MOVIE POSTERS

2008-03-13T21:28:00.006Z

HEINLEIN CRATER IN MARS

2008-03-13T03:36:00.006Z

Heinlein Crater

Although there is no lunar feature named explicitly for Heinlein, this lack was rectified in 1994 when a major crater on Mars was named for him.

This image shows a complete mosaic of Mars assembled from Viking images. The center of the mosaic is the zero meridian; the split is at 180 degrees.The region of Heinlein crater is marked at lower right.

This image shows a mosaic of part of Mars' southern hemisphere, assembled from Viking images. The image is necessarily distorted.

The bottom center point of the mosaic is at Mars' south pole (90 degrees south); the top edge is at 42.5 degrees south. The two extreme longitudes are 180 degrees and 270 degrees; the center longitude is 225 degrees west.

Heinlein crater is the lowermost member of the large pair marked, at 64.6 degrees south, 243.8 degrees west, and is 83 km in diameter.

This image shows a closeup of Heinlein crater (the lower of the pair). The large adjoining crater is Weinbaum crater, named after science fiction writer Stanley G. Weinbaum.

Other craters in the immediate region, visible in the southern hemisphere mosaic, include ones named for (Thomas) Huxley, (H.G.) Wells, (J.B.S.) Haldane and (Edgar Rice) Burroughs. All of these names are permanent and official, sanctioned by the IAU. Whether or not they're sanctioned by the Martians is yet to be seen.

SPACE:1999 - THE TV SERIES - ( I )

2008-03-13T02:56:00.012Z

CLARKE + OLDFIELD - WHEN WORDS INSPIRE MUSIC - OR HOW MANY "SONGS OF DISTANT EARTH" DO YOU KNOW ?

2008-03-13T01:28:00.008Z

Cover of "The Songs of Distant Earth", the novel by Arthur C. Clarke

Covers (front and back) of the musical work created by Mike Oldfield, "The Songs of Distant Earth", based in the Arthur C. Clarke novel.

Songs of Distant Earth (novel)
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Songs of Distant Earth is the common title of several science fiction works by Arthur C. Clarke, including a science fiction short story, a short movie synopsis, and a 1986 soft science fiction novel that all bear the same title. This article deals with the novel.

Plot summary

The story is centered on a rendezvous between human beings far in the future, after a time of great crisis on Earth, on the oceanic planet of Thalassa.
Unlike Clarke's other works, this piece focuses on characterisation and emotional development, instead of technological change. In some sense, it was written as a response to critics who attacked his writings as cold and impersonal.
In the novel, the human race responds to the prospect of unavoidable doom by launching a series of robot colony ships into space, to continue Earth life after the destruction of the homeworld (caused by the Sun becoming a nova). Thalassa is colonised by one such ship in 3109, but loses contact with Earth due to a volcanic eruption that destroys its interstellar communications antenna. Meanwhile, just prior to the Sun going nova, vacuum energy technology is invented to allow the construction of one near-light-speed vessel, the Magellan, which is launched to build the last colony of mankind. (Previous colony ships employed embryo space colonization, or various forms of DNA synthesis. In Magellan, a living crew of 1 million people is transported in cryonic suspension.)
En route to its target, the planet Sagan 2, the Magellan makes a planned stop at planet Thalassa to replenish its worn down ice shield, which has been steadily chipped away by interstellar debris. A small subset of the crew is awakened to perform the repair work on the shield. Because Thalassa has not maintained its interstellar communications antenna, the planet's citizens are unaware of the coming of the Magellan until the ship's arrival in orbit about the planet. The novel explores the impact of this reunion, documenting the efforts of the Magellan crew to repair their ship, and most poignantly, the possibility of love amidst the barriers of distance and time.

Scientific aspects

The story explored one possible outcome of the solar neutrino problem, which was unsolved at the time the story was written.
Though not fully reversible by current technology cryonic suspension (sometimes called cryogenic stasis) is indeed a reality [1] and a feasible medical procedure for human beings in the sense that a patient may await unchanged until the technology for the second half of the process (revival) has become a reality.
Recent tests (2005) have also shown the possibility of inducing a short term hibernation-like state on mice. [2]
Vacuum energy is a controversial feature of modern physics, and the concept has repeatedly been hijacked by pseudoscientific theories. In the acknowledgements to the book, Clarke considered using vacuum energy a scientifically viable, but highly futuristic, propulsion technology.
The logistics of space travel at near-light speeds is also explored in the novel in some detail, albeit with some errors for the sake of dramatic tension. The novel is also notable for featuring a Space Elevator. In his introduction notes to the novel, Clarke states that he wished it to be a realistic interstellar voyage, without use of warp drives or other fantastic technologies.

Cross-media Influences

Multi-instrumentalist and composer Mike Oldfield was so moved by the novel, that he wrote an entire album based on it (see link above). Around this time, Oldfield was exploring computer game possibilities, and on UK editions of the CD album "The Songs Of a Distant Earth", Oldfield included a CD-ROM multi-media interactive exploration "game" of some notable locations from the book, including the "Hibernaculum". Buried within the game is the promotional video for the album's single "Let There Be Light". The album's artwork features stills from the CD-ROM. The CD-ROM portion is only playable on Mac (not PC) computers.
The total forms "Songs" has taken as of 2005:
the original short story, published in 1958 in The Other Side of the Sky
a little-known 5-page movie outline, published in 1979 (Omni Magazine, vol III no 12)
full-length novel (1986)
original album by Mike Oldfield
CD-ROM computer game (from the UK edition of the album)
promotional music video: "Let There Be Light"
A song by Kuribayashi Minami used in the video game Muv-Luv (the final chapter of the game is also named after Songs)

The Songs of Distant Earth (album)
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

The Songs of Distant Earth is an album, written and mostly performed by Mike Oldfield. It is based on Arthur C. Clarke's novel Songs of Distant Earth.
It was first released in 1994 (see 1994 in music) as a CD, and shortly afterward as an Enhanced CD of which two versions were made. The non-enhanced, CD album featured the image of the Manta flying in front of a planet on the front cover. This was also used on the initial release of the Enhanced CD version. However, it was later changed to the more common image of the Man in a suit holding a glowing orb with the Manta flying overhead. This second pressing of the enhanced CD (shown at right) contains slightly more multimedia content, such as the full version of the "Let There Be Light" video. The audio content is the same on all versions of the album.
In terms of Mike's career, The Songs of Distant Earth represented a foray into science fiction-related music. Songs such as "Supernova" and "Hibernaculum" could be seen as similar or even influenced by Enigma, while "New Beginning" has ethnic world chants in the style of Deep Forest. There are also Native American influences on the album. However to be fair, Mike Oldfield had been using a variety of ethnic musical styles since the 1970s, long before the emergence of Enigma or Deep Forest in the early 1990s. Such works as Ommadawn (1976) and Incantations (1978) featured extensive use of chanting and drumming in combination with uplifting instrumental solos. And more broadly, Mike's early work in the genre of atmospheric instrumental music tinged mixed with world and folk styles, is widely held as a forebear for the success of many other such instrumental artists.
Mike's interest in space and its connection to his music can also be cited elsewhere in his career, such as in the 1980 film entitled The Space Movie which featured a soundtrack wholly made up of music from Tubular Bells (1973), Hergest Ridge (1974), Ommadawn and Incantations, and for which Mike also wrote some original music.

Track listing

"In the Beginning" – 1:24
"Let There Be Light" – 4:57
"Supernova" – 3:23
"Magellan" – 4:40
"First Landing" – 1:16
"Oceania" – 3:19
"Only Time Will Tell" – 4:26
"Prayer for the Earth" – 2:09
"Lament for Atlantis" – 2:43
"The Chamber" – 1:48
"Hibernaculum" – 3:32
"Tubular World" – 3:22
"The Shining Ones" – 2:59
"Crystal Clear" – 5:42
"The Sunken Forest" – 2:37
"Ascension" – 5:49
"A New Beginning" – 1:37

Miscellanea

The then Chairman of Warner, Rob Dickins, suggested to Oldfield that he should do an album based on this particular piece of Clarke's work[1].
The spoken section at the beginning of the album is Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders reading from the Book of Genesis while orbiting the Moon on Christmas Eve, 1968.
The Gregorian Chant on "Hibernaculum" is not Latin, but the chant on "Let There Be Light" is.
The Saami yoik chant on "Prayer For The Earth" was composed and performed by Nils-Aslak Valkeapää. The chant is from the 1987 movie Ofelaš (The Pathfinder).
The enhanced CD content was taken from the inspirational of Oldfield's MusicVR project.

Clarke and Oldfield

The booklet of the album features a foreword by Arthur C. Clarke about the evolution of Songs of Distant Earth from short story to novel. It ends with the following about the album:
"Since the finale of the novel is a musical concert, I was delighted when Mike Oldfield told me that he wished to compose a suite inspired by it. I was particularly impressed by the music he wrote for The Killing Fields and now, having played the CD of The Songs of Distant Earth, I feel he has lived up to my expectations.
Welcome back into space, Mike: there's still lots of room out here."
This was not the first time that Mike's music had been connected with the books of Arthur C. Clarke.
Prior to The Songs of Distant Earth, Mike had released Tubular Bells II, which featured a track called "Sentinel" — which also happened to be the title of a short story written by Arthur C. Clarke that later evolved into his most famous work, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Another track from Tubular Bells II was called "Sunjammer". The Arthur C. Clarke short story, The Wind From The Sun, had the working title of "Sunjammer".
Meanwhile, other track titles from Tubular Bells II may be less direct references to space and science fiction — "Weightless" and "Dark Star", for example. Dark Star was the name of a science fiction film by director John Carpenter, released in 1973, the same year as the original Tubular Bells.

2001: A SPACE ODISSEY - DO YOU REMEMBER ?

2008-03-12T03:32:00.002Z

ROBERT HEINLEIN - A brief biography

2008-03-12T02:53:00.005Z

Robert A(nson) Heinlein (1907-1988)

Prolific American writer, one of the grand masters of science fiction with Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke. Heinlein produced during his career fifty novels and collections of short stories. Heinlein admired highly motivated men of action - like Howard Hawks in his movies - and attacked religious hypocrisy and corporate power games. His later works, in which his right-wing views mixed with fast-moving stories and fascination with with the paranormal, earned him the reputation of being a militarist, even a "fascist". However, a number of his book gained cult status among members of the counterculture.

"Furthermore, although a flaming liberal during the war, Heinlein became a rock-ribbed far-right conservative immediately afterward. This happened at just the time he changed wives from a liberal woman, Leslyn, to a rock-ribbed far-right conservative woman, Virginia... I used to brood about it in puzzlement (of course, I never would have dreamed of asking Heinlein - I'm sure he would have refused to answer, and would have done so with the uttermost hostility), and I did come to one conclusion. I would never marry anyone who did not generally agree with my political, social, and philosophical view of life." (from I, Asimov: A Memoir, 1994)

Robert A. Heinlein was born in Butler, Missouri, into a family of seven children. He attended public school in Kansas City and graduated from Central High School in 1924. In 1929 he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, and served in aircraft carriers and destroyers. During this period, he married Leslyn McDonald. In 1934 he was invalided out for tuberculosis. Heinlein started to study physics at the graduate school of U.C.L.A. He left the school without completing his studies and worked in odd jobs in mining and real estate without real success. At the age of thirty-two, he turned his hand to the writing science fiction. Heinlein's first published stories appeared in action-adventure pulp magazine Astounding Science Fiction in 1939. It was edited by John W. Campbell, who has been credited with moving science fiction toward its modern form. Under his influence writers started to examine how technology might affect the everyday life of ordinary people and society in general.

Heinlein never got over his navy discharge. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he tried to enlist but was rejected. During World War II years from 1943 Heinlein published no stories, but worked as an engineer at the Naval Air Experimental Station, Philadelphia. His first novel, ROCKET SHIP GALILEO (1947) paved way to childrens' science fiction. After divorce he married in 1948 Virginia Doris Gerstenfeld. From 1947 to 1959 Heinlein produced sixteen novels.

Heinlein's early works emphasized adventure and were aimed at young readers. In 1959 he received the Boys' Clubs of America Book Award. In these novels Heinlein avoided open didacticism, although his young protagonists learned lessons in courage, tolerance, and military virtues during the course of the story. Often Heinlein's male protagonist has to go through rites of passage - he meets a guru or somebody who has superior wisdom, and after a period of learning he has to earn his place in a group and prove his skills. CITIZEN OF THE GALAXY (1957), dedicated to Fritz Leiber, was actually Oliver Twist in space. In the story a young boy, Thorby, is bought from an inter-galactic slave market by a mysterious beggar, a benefactor, who later turns out to be a secret agent. Thorby learns to speak Finnish and after all kinds of adventures he turns out to be from a wealthy corporate family from the Earth.

In STARSHIP TROOPERS (1959) Heinlein showed his fascination with the glamour of high-tech weaponry. The book earned him again the prestigious Hugo Award. Starship Troopers first appeared in abridged form in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1959. The hero is Juan "Johnnie" Rico, a son of a wealthy merchant who has enlisted in the army to impress the beautiful Carmen. After tough training he joins Rasczack's Roughnecks to battle against the "Bugs", intelligent arthropods. Johnnie's mother is killed in a bombing, Carmen becomes a starship pilot, and their mutual friend Carl dies in a battle in Pluto. Heinlein's militaristic novel attacks corruption and distorted views of democracy - only those willing to sacrifice their lives for the state may govern and vote. The social system of the Bugs represent "total communism", Heinlein's regular publisher, Scribner's refused to publish the book and it eventually appeared under the Putnam imprint. The film adaptation from 1997 played with the themes of fascism and militarism, but the comic book characters did not interest adult movie goers. "Whereas Heinlein's novel was punctuated by quotations from apocryphal books about warfare and social order, the movie has chosen to interpolate into the action a wearisome series of newscasts, media bulletins, and commercial advertisements. These interruptions serve no dramatic or satirical purpose whatsoever; they are merely annoying and, at best, sophomoric in their obvious humor." (from Novels into Film by John C. Tibbets and James M. Welsh, 1997)
From the late 1950s Heinlein started write expressly for adults and deal with such topics as cloning, incest, religion, free love and mysticism. Heinlein's religious views in direct opposition to the literal interpretation of biblical scripture: "The most preposterous notion that H. sapiens has ever dreamed up is that the Lord God of Creation, Shaper and Ruler of all the Universes, wants the saccharine adoration of His creatures, can be swayed by their prayers, and becomes petulant if He does not receive flattery. Yet this absurd fantasy, without a shred of evidence to bolster it, pays all the expenses of the oldest, largest, and least productive industry in all history." (from Time Enough for Love, 1973)

Heinlein's short stories were independent of one another but related in the author's 'Future History: 1951-2600' AD time line. Some of his characters periodically appear in different novels, among the Lazarus Long from METHUSELAH'S CHILDREN (1958). In TIME ENOUGH FOR LOVE (1973) Lazarus has a number of sexual adventures, travels back in time, and has sex with his own mother. "A "pacifist male" is a contradiction in terms. Most self-described "pacifist" are not pacifist; they simple assume false colors. When the wind changes, they hoist the Jolly Roger." (from Time Enough for Love, 1973) The life of Maureen Johnson, Lazarus's mother, is dealt in TO SAIL BEYOND THE SUNSET (1987). Nearly all of Heinlein's work fit into a specific time period within this larger scheme. The idea was later imitated by several writers, with considerable success by Poul Anderson and Larry Niven. Also Isaac Asimov developed similar scheme, and claimed imaginative copyright on the imagined future.

Among Heinlein's best known works is the pre-Hippie STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND, published in 1961. A few years later it was adopted by the 'Peace and Love' generation. This work became the most successful science-fiction novel ever published. The protagonist is Valentine Michael Smith, a child of two members of the first expedition to Mars. He is born there and raised on by brillinatly advanced Martians after humans have died. A second Mars expedition discovers him and Michael comes to Earth without much knowledge of sex. He is shertered and educated by Jubal Harshaw, and old doctor, lawyer, and writer. Helped with psi powers he establishes a new religion and starts his transformation into a Messiah-figure. Michael is eventually killed by a mob, but his disciples, called "water brothers," continue his work. Again, like in many Heinlein's works, a small elite rises above the masses and show the way to future. Stranger in a Strange Land was one of the favorite books of the mass murderer Charles Manson. "When he started his "family" in Berkeley, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, Manson borrowed some of the terminology and ceremonies from the book. It is reported that his followers held water-sharing ceremonies as well as group sex orgies. He referred to his parole officer as "Roger Smith Jubal," after Jubal Harshaw, Mike's mentor. When Mary Theresa Brunner, one of Manson's followers, gave birth to a baby boy in 1968, Manson named the child Valentine Michael Manson." (from Chronology of Twentieth-Century History: Arts & Culture, volume II, ed. by Frank N. Magill, 1998)

GLORY ROAD (1963) has been decades one of Heinlein's most popular books, written in the tradition of Edgar Rice Burroughs's Mars stories. The protagonist is Oscar Gordon who experiences a series of adventures with a beautiful woman, Star, and an old man, Rufo, who have their secrets. MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS (1966) was set in an exploited penal colony, Luna. All dissident and other unfits have been sent there and soon the best brains invents new forms of marriage due to shortage of women. The protagonist has an artificial left arm, or several of them for special purposes. In I WILL FEAR NO EVIL (1971) a dying tycoon, Johann Smith, has his brain transplanted into the body of Eunice, a young black woman. Johann has her body impregnated with his frozen sperm. CAT WHO WALKS THROUGH WALLS (1985) was about alternate histories and time travels. Colonel Colin Campbell, alias Senator Richard Johnson, alias doctor Richard Ames, is a warrior, philosopher, and wanderer, who saves the history and future of multiversum. Also Schrödinger's cat has an important role in the story.

Usually Heinlein spent some three months with his writing and travelled widely for the rest of the time. In 1973 he taught as James V. Forrestal Lecturer at the U.S. Naval Academy. He was awarded the first Grand Master Nebula in 1975. Heinlein was repeatedly voted as 'the best all-time author' in reader's polls held by the magazine Locus in 1973 and 1975. He died on May 8, 1988.

For further reading: World Authors 1900-1950, ed. by M. Seymour-Smith, A.C. Kimmes (1996); The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, ed. by John Clute, Peter Nicholls (1995); Robert A. Heinlein Cyclopedia by N.B.A. Downing (1989); Robert A. Heinlein by L. Stover (1987); Yesterday or Tomorrow? The Work of Robert A. Heinlein by R. Reginald (1984); Robert A. Heinlein by P. Nicholls (1982) Robert A. Heinlein by H.B. Franklin (1980); Robert A. Heinlein, ed. by J.D. Clander and M.H. Greenberg (1978); The Classic Years of Robert. A. Heinlein by G.E. Slusser (1977); Robert A. Heinlein by G.E. Slusser (1977): Heinlein in Dimensions by A. Panshin (1968) - Note: Heinlein's social Darwinist view - 'the survival of the fittiest' - is seen among others in his works The Puppet Masters (1951), Starship Troopers, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. - For further information: The Heinlein Society

Selected works:

LIFE-LINE, 1939 (first short story) - Elämänlanka
THE DISCOVERY OF THE FUTURE, 1941 (address)
ROCKET SHIP GALILEO, 1947
OF WORLDS BEYOND, 1947 (with others)
BEYOND THIS HORIZON, 1948 - Yli-ihmisen aika
SPACE CADET, 1948 - basis for the television series 'Tom Corbett: Space Cadet' - Rakettilaivan kadetti
RED PLANET, 1949
SIXTH COLUMN, 1949 (reissued as THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW) - Seitsemän miehen sota
THE MAN WHO SOLD THE MOON, 1950 - Mies joka myi kuun
FARMER IN THE SKY, 1950
WALDO AND MAGIC, INC., 1950
screenplay: DESTINATION MOON, 1950 - based on Rocket Ship Galileo, with Rip Van Ronkel and James O´Hanlon
THE GREEN HILLS OF EARTH, 1951
BETWEEN PLANETS, 1951
UNIVERSE / ORPHANS OF THE SKY, 1951
THE PUPPET MASTERS, 1951
ed.: TOMORROW, THE STARS, 1952
THE ROLLING STONES / SPACE FAMILY STONE, 1952
REVOLT IN 2100, 1953 - Kapina 2100
STARMAN JONES, 1953
screenplay: PROJECT MOONBASE, 1953
ASSINGMENT IN ETERNITY, 1953
THE STAR BEAST, 1954
TUNNEL IN THE SKY, 1955
DOUBLE STAR, 1956 (Hugo Award) - Panoksena tulevaisuus
TIME FOR THE STARS, 1956
television plays: TOM CORBETT: SPACE CADET, aired from 1951-56
THE DOOR INTO SUMMER, 1957
CITIZEN OF THE GALAXY, 1957 - Galaksin kansalainen
FAMOUS SCIENCE FICTION STORIES, 1957 (with others)
METHUSELAH'S CHILDREN, 1958 - Maan hylkimät
HAVE SPACE SUIT, WILL TRAVEL, 1958
STARSHIP TROOPERS, 1959 (Hugo Award) - film 1997, dir. by Paul Verhoeven, written by Ed Nuemeyer
THE MENACE FROM EARTH, 1959
THE SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL, 1959 (with others)
THE UNPLEASANT PROFESSION OF JONATHAN HOAG, 1959 (reissued as 6 x H)
STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND, 1961 (Hugo Award, complete version in 1991)
PODKAYNE OF MARS, 1963 - Taistelu Venuksessa
GLORY ROAD, 1963
THREE BY HEINLEIN, 1965
THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS, 1966 (Hugo Award) - Kuu on julma
A ROBERT HEINLEIN OMNIBUS, 1966
THE WORLDS OF ROBERT A HEINLEIN, 1966
THE PAST THROUGH TOMORROW, 1967
I WILL FEAR NO EVIL, 1970
TIME ENOUGH FOR LOVE, 1973
THE BEST OF ROBERT A. HEINLEIN, 1973 (2 vols.)
THE NOTEBOOKS OF LAZARUS LONG, 1978
DESTINATION MOON, 1979
TIME ENOUGH FOR LOVE; EXPANDED UNIVERSE, 1980
THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST, 1980
EXPANDED UNIVERSE, 1980
FRIDAY, 1982
preface: HIGH FRONTIER, 1983
JOB: A COMEDY OF JUSTICE, 1984 - Tuomiopäivän komedia
THE CAT WHO WALKS THROUGH WALLS: A COMEDY OF MANNERS, 1985 - Kissa muurin läpi
TO SAIL BEYOND THE SUNSET, 1987
GRUMBLES FROM THE GRAVE, 1990
TRAMP ROYALE, 1992 (travel, book, written between 1953 and 1954)
ROBERT A. HEINLEIN REQUIEM, 1992