Space science fiction and I have a long-standing, questionable relationship. Outer space never has interested me, so the idea of hurtling through it in an enclosed craft with the same people day after day holds no appeal. It sounds too much like floating around in a dormitory that you could never leave. There also seem to be too many academies, fleets, etc. sending people out on missions and giving them ranks and titles. Send chatters on a mission, and mission threatens to overshadow the characters, and if I can’t care about the people, the story has lost me.
Some of Buddy Holly is Alive on Ganymede took place in outer space, but I couldn’t resist that title. Buddy Holly never sold out or lost his pop-perfect edge. He didn’t live long enough to disappoint. I loved the idea of Buddy Holly, always twenty-two, always the epitome of nerdly-cute, out there playing like nobody else ever could. When I read the book, I knew that it was about the narrator, his mother, and music. If space travel and aliens could let that happen, I allowed it. I’m told that this book is called “Speculative Fiction”, and that’s okay with me.
For someone who does not like most time-and-space science fiction, I’ve got a better vocabulary than I want to have. Like many people I know, I remember happily sitting on the floor and watching Star Trek; I know most of the crew by name, shirt-color and endearing little quirk. I know what Babylon Five was, and even looked forward to weekly episodes before its purpose made itself clear. Once it went from being character-driven stories that happened to have aliens in them to a full on war with The Shadows, I left it like a burning building. Don’t even talk to me about Battlestar Gallactica, I flatly refuse to even look at it. I’m not even comfortable with knowing what a Cylon is. It may be a good program; but it smacks of a military space-opera, and there is nothing I like about that.
In case you’re wondering, yes, I did like the new Star Trek movie. I still hate Jim Kirk, still love Scotty, and I will always suspect Spock has the best sense of humor. The director didn’t rebuild the characters, but understood that he had to give the audience people they could care about because they already did. The characters have to make sense. Humor is important in this movie, and what the audience knows already makes it funny, When Spock started talking about red matter, I didn’t mind not understanding a word he said. At this movie, I enjoyed owning my inner geek.
I thought the characters were younger than they actually are. I think I’m so used to the actors trying to play younger characters that I’d actually started believing them. It could also be that twenty-five is younger than it used to be.
Some of Buddy Holly is Alive on Ganymede took place in outer space, but I couldn’t resist that title. Buddy Holly never sold out or lost his pop-perfect edge. He didn’t live long enough to disappoint. I loved the idea of Buddy Holly, always twenty-two, always the epitome of nerdly-cute, out there playing like nobody else ever could. When I read the book, I knew that it was about the narrator, his mother, and music. If space travel and aliens could let that happen, I allowed it. I’m told that this book is called “Speculative Fiction”, and that’s okay with me.
For someone who does not like most time-and-space science fiction, I’ve got a better vocabulary than I want to have. Like many people I know, I remember happily sitting on the floor and watching Star Trek; I know most of the crew by name, shirt-color and endearing little quirk. I know what Babylon Five was, and even looked forward to weekly episodes before its purpose made itself clear. Once it went from being character-driven stories that happened to have aliens in them to a full on war with The Shadows, I left it like a burning building. Don’t even talk to me about Battlestar Gallactica, I flatly refuse to even look at it. I’m not even comfortable with knowing what a Cylon is. It may be a good program; but it smacks of a military space-opera, and there is nothing I like about that.
In case you’re wondering, yes, I did like the new Star Trek movie. I still hate Jim Kirk, still love Scotty, and I will always suspect Spock has the best sense of humor. The director didn’t rebuild the characters, but understood that he had to give the audience people they could care about because they already did. The characters have to make sense. Humor is important in this movie, and what the audience knows already makes it funny, When Spock started talking about red matter, I didn’t mind not understanding a word he said. At this movie, I enjoyed owning my inner geek.
I thought the characters were younger than they actually are. I think I’m so used to the actors trying to play younger characters that I’d actually started believing them. It could also be that twenty-five is younger than it used to be.
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