323 Winter 2018
Editor
Chris Pak SFRA King's Digital Lab, King's College A publicationRe of the Scienceview Fiction Research Association London, Virginia Woolf Building, 22 Kingsway, London, WC2B 6LE. [email protected] In this issue Nonfiction Editor SFRA Review Business Dominick Grace Passing the Baton...... 2 Brescia University College, 1285 Western Rd, London ON, N6G 3R4, Canada. SFRA Business Phone: 519-432-8353 ext. 28244. [email protected] It’s Never Too Early to Think About Running!...... 2 “The Future of Labor”...... 3 Assistant Nonfiction Editor A Glance Behind the Support A New Scholar Grant...... 4 Kevin Pinkham Handmaids, Androids and Sex Dolls: New Perspectives on Women and College of Arts and Sciences, Ny- Gender in Modern SF...... 4 ack College, 1 South Boulevard, Nyack, NY 10960. Phone: 845-675-4526845-675- Feature 101 4526. [email protected] The Manifestation of Manichaeism in Star Trek’s Nanotechnology...... 8
Fiction Editor Nonfiction Reviews Jeremy Brett The Perversity of Things: Hugo Gernsback on Media, Tinkering, and Sci- Cushing Memorial Library and Archives, Texas A&M University, entifiction...... 14 Cushing Memorial Library & Batman, Superman, and Philosophy: Badass or Boyscout?...... 15 Archives, 5000 TAMU College ...... 17 Station, TX 77843. The Oxford Handbook of Science Fiction [email protected] The World According to Star Wars...... 19
Media Editor Fiction Reviews Leimar Garcia-Siino The Collected Stories of Ray Bradbury: A Critical Edition, Volume 2, Atlantic University College, 1943–1944; and Volume 3: 1944–1945...... 21 Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, USA. [email protected] Media Reviews Submissions Doctor Who, “Twice Upon a Time”...... 23 The SFRA Review encourages sub- missions of reviews, review essays Blade Runner 2049...... 25 that cover several related texts, inter- Wonder Woman...... 27 views, and feature articles. Submis- sion guidelines are available at http:// www.sfra.org/ or by inquiry to the ap- propriate editor. All submitters must Announcements be current SFRA members. Contact Call for Papers—Conference...... 31 the Editors for other submissions or Call for Papers—Articles...... 34 for correspondence. The SFRA Review (ISSN 1068-395X) is published four times a year by the Science Fiction Research Association (SFRA). Individual issues are not for sale; however, all issues after 256 are published to SFRA’s Website (http:// www.sfra.org/). PB SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 1 SFRA Review Business Review, I shall be available to support you during the period of transition and beyond. In the meantime, enjoy this issue! EDITOR'S MESSAGE Passing the Baton SFRA Business Chris Pak PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE EACH YEAR brings something new to the SFRA. It’s Never Too Early to Think of the EC and information about the organisation ofAlong forthcoming with some SFRA modifications conferences, to the Keren constitution Omry About Running! discusses some of these changes in her column. Keren Omry We also have an announcement for our annual SFRA conference, this year to be held at Marquette 2017 HAS LEFT the building and, between us, good University, Wisconsin, under the auspices of our vice-president Gerry Canavan and Peter Sands. gets underway we at the SFRA EC are busy as ever. Gerry discusses the forthcoming conference in his Katherineriddance. AsBishop, the newwho yearjoined flexes us last its musclesyear as Web and column, while details for submitting proposals for Director, has hit the ground running and has been the event can be found in the annoucements section working closely with the executive committee to of this issue. and painlessly. If you have not yet renewed your began with Joy Hancock as our inaugural recipient. membership,get membership now renewalsis as good streamlineda time as any! efficiently Last year our first Support a New Scholar Award In addition, as we lend support to the current the past year, and passes the baton to this year’s conference organizers, we have started considering awardee,In this issue Emily Hancock Cox, whoreflects discusses on her experienceher research over in bids for conference locations for the coming year or the article “Handmaids, Androids and Sex Dolls: New two. We’ve got a few juicy options on the table so be Perspectives on Women and Gender in Modern SF.” sure to keep the end of June open for the next few We also have a Feature 101 article by Victor Grech, years. If you think you may be interested in hosting entitled “The Manifestation of Manichaeism in Star an SFRA conference in the near or distant future Trek’s Nanotechnology.” Alongside these pieces please do contact me or anyone else from the EC. This is a good time to thank the current conference and media reviews, with discussions of The Oxford organizers again who are working tirelessly to Handbookwe have our of Science regular Fiction series, volumes of non-fiction, 2 and 3 fictionof The Collected Stories of Ray Bradbury, Wonder Woman The call for papers should be distributed soon and and more. Ifinalize am eager details welcome for the Futureall of youof Labor at Marquette in Milwaukee. this I also have an announcement to make. After four summer. years of editing the SFRA Review, I have made the decision to step back and pass on the editorship. been an absolutely stellar editor for the SFRA Review This will not be my last issue as I shall assist in forIt fouris a yearyears in now flux has for decidedthe SFRA. to Chrismove Pak,on. Although who has we lament his loss, it is a well-deserved respite, and farewell for a future column. We shall, however, be so we are currently seeking someone (or someones) lookingsmoothing for thesomeone transition, who wouldso I shall like save to take my overofficial at who would consider taking up the role. His won’t be the helm and to continue guiding and shaping the an easy act to follow but as I trust you will see, it is a publication to our needs. With that in mind, should gratifying and exciting challenge. Please contact me, you be interested in taking on this rewarding role, or Chris, or anyone else from the EC if you would like to if you have any questions, please do get in touch with be considered. Furthermore, we’d like to re-welcome myself or with a member of the EC. If you do feel that Pawel Frelik who has agreed to resume a role of yore you would like to take on editorship of the SFRA and serve as the Immediate Past President, and to
2 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 3 take this opportunity to thank Craig Jacobson for all The conference will be held Sunday, July 1 through he has done for the Association over the years. This Wednesday, July 4 at Marquette; the theme is “The year, as per the new bylaws, we’ll also see a change Future of Labor,” with keynotes from Peter Frase in our Vice President and Treasurer positions. It’s (Four Futures) and Rebekah Sheldon (The Child to never too early to think about running! Finally, we Come). See the full CFP for more details; of course want to congratulate Emily Cox, our latest New Scholar Grant recipient. If you don’t already know to the theme as well. We are also continuing the her, you’ll meet her in this issue of the SFRA Review. we welcome proposals that don’t speak specifically So, a new year, new people, new tidings. May it be a speculative and a successful one for all! daytradition of the of conference, doing some including programming workshops specifically and roundtablesdirected at for early-career graduate students researchers and recent the PhDs; first more details on that to come. Any questions concerning the conference, VICE-PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE logistical or otherwise, can be sent to the conference email address, [email protected], or to “The Future of Labor” the conference’s local organizers, Gerry Canavan Gerry Canavan (Marquette University, gerry.canavan@marquette. edu) and Peter Sands (UWM, [email protected]). BY NOW the CFP for SFRA 2018 has gone out, but I’m hoping to organize some sort of roundtable I wanted to reiterate how excited I am that the upcoming conference will be held at my home The Last Jedi and (gulp) Solo, so if you have interest specifically devoted to “The State of Star Wars” after university in Milwaukee. Milwaukee’s a great in participating in that please let me know. In the place, especially in the summer—I’m really eager meantime, send us your abstracts, and watch for to welcome you all here, and share with you some more details about the conference and other events of the things I love about Marquette (including the shortly! Tolkien collection).
2 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 3 A Glance Behind the Support A many fascinating panels at the conference. In November 2017, I successfully defended my New Scholar Grant dissertation project equipped with the compelling Joy Hancock knowledge that I received at the SFRA conference. The defense discussion was particularly lively and WHEN LOOKING BACK on my scholarly involvement engaging due to the application of both theoretical with SF studies throughout my graduate career, the posthumanism and material ecocriticism to right- words of speculative author Douglas Adams come to wing 1920s German SF. I am now employed as a mind: “I may not have gone where I intended to go, part-time German faculty member at a small liberal but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.” I arts college in Tennessee and have discontinued never set out to write about the SF genre in the early my scholarly engagement with SF for the time stages of my dissertation project and in fact had being. My participation in SF discourse might be never considered it. However, my research on early temporarily suspended, but my gratitude to the 20th century European utopian and apocalyptic SFRA continues for the generous bestowal of this literature led me to discover the technischer fantastic opportunity. Zukunftsroman, or technical utopian novel, one of the earliest forms of German SF. My interest in the genre blossomed from there. About three years into my research and writing, I came across the SFRA’s Handmaids, Androids and Sex website and decided to apply for the Support A New Scholar grant to enrich my dissertation completion Dolls: New Perspectives on experience. Women and Gender in Modern When I received the news that I had been selected for the graduate-level grant, I felt that my SF dissertation would develop in new and fascinating Emily Cox ways thanks to the resources made available by my SFRA membership. I was certainly not SINCE I STARTED my Ph.D. project on gender and included the reception of the Science Fiction Studies gender theory have become increasingly dominant in anddisappointed. Extrapolation One journals, of the both grant’s of which major expanded benefits thescience mainstream. fiction, more While than sexual four harassment, years ago, both abortion, sf and my scholarly understanding of SF and its many feminism and transgender activism have become subgenres. I also had the privilege of publishing a increasingly prominent in news and social media, at short summary of my dissertation project in the Fall the same time, a growing cultural fascination with 2016 edition of the SFRA Review, which challenged me to formulate a concise representation of my more excitingly, popular sf franchises are channelling work. The article propelled me forward at a critical thesf and current fantasy feminist has emerged and gender within discussion film and while TV. Even also point in my research and later formed the basis for promoting strong and nuanced female characters my dissertation abstract. within a genre which has for so long been dominated Even more advantageous than access to the by male writers catering to an almost exclusively scholarly journals and the publishing opportunity male audience and male gaze. Yet we are currently afforded by the grant, however, was my participation experiencing two simultaneous cultural shifts: one in the SFRA’s annual conference in June 2017. I has liberated sf and fantasy from the B-movie and traveled to Riverside, California to participate in the cult-classic side lines to mainstream, big budget “Unknown Pasts / Unseen Futures” conference as fame; at the same time women in sf are no longer I neared the end stages of my dissertation project. Throughout the entire writing process, I had been Princess Leia is now General Organa, the memory of faced with the question of an appropriate theoretical herconfined gold bikini to the nowrole ofeclipsed shrill damsel by her inuse silver of its spandex. chain to framework for my analysis of interwar German SF. strangle her captor, Jabba the Hutt. Meanwhile, the I at last discovered how to apply theory to both Star Wars franchise celebrates its new, fully-clothed historical and current SF works while attending the 4 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 5 heroines, Rey the Jedi, Rose the Mechanic and Vice- of politically and culturally established oppositions Admiral Holdo the femininely dressed saviour with can be valuably combined with feminist theory as a silver bangles and purple hair who goes down with means of examining gender. the ship in The Last Jedi (Martine). Feminist scholarship has historically examined From Hulu’s recent TV sensation The Handmaid’s gender from a fundamentally binary perspective, Tale, based on Margaret Atwood’s feminist dystopia which recognises gender as feeding into similar Jessica codes of hierarchical domination such as self and Jones, to Game of Thrones, popular sf is so inundated other, identity and difference, master and slave. For withof the asame range name, of powerfulto Netflix’s and Marvel nuanced series female example, there is a strong tradition within feminist characters that there are almost too many to name. discourse of applying the Marxist and Foucauldian Action blockbusters are also beginning to follow ideas, founded on an oppositional conceptualisation suit: we live in a time where feminism and genre of power and domination, to the political and social position of women: thus framing women as an ‘other’. of mainstream media while the Wonder Woman However, what makes Agamben’s philosophy highly moviefiction grosseshave combined more than to formBatman a significant Verses Superman portion. valuable, and in many ways unique is that, for him, While my Ph.D. focussed on examples of second- such oppositional categories like master and slave are not truly opposing: ‘the example is excluded from the rule not because it does not belong to the normal Iwave used influenced to believe wasfeminist a largely sf I have overlooked watched sub-genre as those case but, on the contrary, because it exhibits its andsame onto feminist the bigideas and have small flown screens. off the As pages academics, of what belonging to it’ (Agamben 2009, 24). For Agamben, all how can we make the most of this cultural moment such dichotomies inevitably bleed into one another in order to further our exploration of both gender so that one will have some qualities of the other and sf? and vice versa (Agamben 2009, 24). A particularly In my dissertation I argued that sf is an ideal place provocative and famous example of how Agamben to examine the nature of gender as a fundamental theorises established categories held in opposition biopolitical construct that in recent years has shown is that of totalitarianism and democracy which he that it is possible to imagine gender not as something views as two sides of the same coin, held in a state of
where masculine and feminine are not categories that reveals both categories contains qualities of the restrictedessential orto fixed male but and rather female as fluidrespectively. and dynamic, Since indistinction: a specific kind of unstable opposition state of exception is a device that must ultimately indeed only culturally necessarily related through articulateother and and are inhold fact together difficult tothe distinguish: two aspects ‘[t]he of heteronormativeJudith Butler first standards, argued that we sexhave and now gender reached are a the juridico-political machine by instituting a point where it is popularly accepted as a distinct and threshold of undecidability likely possibility that there is nothing biologically (Agamben 2005, 86). Though Agamben has done no inherent, psychologically determined or in any between […] life and law’ other way necessarily essential about the gendered law and politics is highly valuable in theorising and positions of men and women. establishingwork on gender gender specifically, as not only his a cultural understanding but also as of In my thesis, through the work of Judith Butler, a fundamentally biopolitical apparatus. Donna Haraway and other feminist thinkers along Sf is historically known for playing with established with the philosophers Giorgio Agamben and Gilles boundaries, satirically admonishing governments, Deleuze, I explored non-essentialist conceptions of questioning political establishments and gender through an analysis of the representation of experimenting with cultural norms. The effectiveness women and gender in sf. I think now, more than ever, of feminist sf during its heyday in the 1970s—the this work is needed as a means of looking at gender ‘new wave’ of sf—is perhaps demonstrative of this. in a non-binary manner that might allow us to Even more so is the current popularity of modern conceive of gender unhindered by deeply entrenched sf shows which explore feminist ideas or questions patriarchal assumptions or even the problematic of gender identity. Where, in my dissertation, I dynamics of identity politics. In my thesis I looked analysed novels such as Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, written in 1985, I now have the opportunity 4 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 5 specifically at how Giorgio Agamben’s understanding of analysing the new hit TV adaptation of the same name and exploring the implications of this new femininity as experienced and performed by actual adaptation for modern conceptualisations of gender expose the horrific qualities of womanhood and and feminism within the context of our current women machines might appear as the climax of historical moment where Agamben’s understanding maleflesh technological and blood women. obsession While combined hyper-sexualised with leering of biopolitics is increasingly useful for considering male gaze this is not all that the gynoid embodies. the phenomenon of gender as a means of social and Consider also the unsettling qualities of those political control as well as an unstable institution female androids examples I mentioned earlier: the whose nature is capable of being exposed. Sf is the evil Maria gynoid from Metropolis, the Caprica Six ideal sphere in which to facilitate that exposure, Cylon in Battlestar Galactica, part of a robot empire particularly because of its increasing cultural intent on the destruction of humankind, or Seven of Nine, a member of a totalitarian race of cyborgs I am currently working on an article which examines known as the ‘Borg’ who are similarly bent on the thesignificance. ways in which As an the extension home or of the my domestic doctoral sphereresearch, as destruction (assimilation) of the human race. The represented in The Handmaid’s Tale and The Stepford Wives is portrayed as unsettling, claustrophobic and threatening. Using Agamben’s philosophy, I horrifyingfemale robot implications does not of merely the male reflect desire patriarchal, to make argue that this depiction reinforces and exposes the robotssexual objectificationof women, or of more women disturbingly, but also exposes to make the institution of the nuclear family and the system of women into robots. This is exactly the nightmarish heteronormativity as a biopolitical power structure male fantasy revealed in Ira Levin’s The Stepford whose successful operation depends on the unpaid Wives, which describes the frightening, eponymous and undervalued domestic labour of women as well town where the women have all been replaced by as their marginalisation within the private sphere androids programmed only to perform domestic of the home, which is necessary for the success of men’s careers in the public sphere. Yet it is not merely the suggestion that men might In addition, one of my chief current research preferchores machinesand sexual to gratification. actual women for their sexual partners that dehumanises women. Rather, the gynoid) both as a popular sf trope as well as an gynoid highlights a far more disturbing fact: that emerginginterests iscommercial the significance enterprise. of the From female Fritz robot Lang’s (or women and the mechanical facsimiles that are Maria robot in Metropolis to the Caprica Six Cylon in the 2004 remake of Battlestar Gallactica to Seven of (remember ‘Harmony’) are more alike than we Nine in Star Trek: Voyager to Halo’s Cortana, female mayused feel to replacecomfortable them admitting. in both fictionThe performative and reality machines and/or female cyborgs have remained nature of femininity requires not only a great deal of a pervasive trope within popular sf for decades. pretence, but also a great deal of costume preparation Before sf became more widely consumed the fantasy and bodily alteration. From corsets to modern of the mechanical or simulated woman can be traced waist trainers, false eyelashes and wigs, or makeup as far back as Ovid’s tale of Pygmalion who, having and high heels to breast enlargements and Botox, carved the statute of an ideal woman out of ivory women have a long history of physically adapting prayed to the goddess Venus for it to be brought to their bodies for the pleasure and recognition of life, who granted his wish. However, the fantasy of a constructed woman has translated into industry conditioned to believe that wearing that which as the ‘Harmony’ sex robot, which recently came on men. As Lili Loofbourow argues women are socially para 29) is the only way to remain sexually viable. intelligence that is able to speak, make facial is ‘designed to wrench to bodies’ (Loofbourow, expressionsthe market: aand sex engage “doll” combinedin conversations with an (Kleeman artificial the modern ‘photoshop’ ready trend in makeup, and Tait). With further ‘enhancements,’ photo-filters and The female robot can be viewed as an expression of through seem to bring women ever closer to an femininity at its most nightmarish extreme, a symbol these modifications that women put themselves and blood women in sf are becoming more and more nightmarish quality of the gynoid that allows it to authenticapproximation in terms of a of living their doll. portrayal, While actualfictional women flesh of objectification and sexualisation. Yet it is the very 6 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 7 of the real world are drawn ever closer to the sphere ---. 2009. The Signature of All Things: On Method. of the female automaton and the Harmony doll. Trans. Luca D’Isanto and Kevin Attell. New York: I believe that the Support a New Scholar Award Zone Books. and my SFRA membership will help me to further Butler, Judith. 2007. Gender Trouble. New York: Rout- explore the research interests outlined in this article ledge. and to share my work with other sf scholars. I am Kleeman, Jenny and Michael Tait. ‘Rise of the Sex particularly excited to attend the SFRA conference Robots – Video.’ The Guardian. 27th April 2017. where I hope to present a paper and share my ideas Works Cited The Week> [accessed. January, 30th2018. January 6 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 7 Feature 101 data. I fell asleep. And when I woke up I saw the container had been left open. It’s just a The Manifestation of science project. [...] They’re really harmless Manichaeism in Star Trek’s [...] they’re equipped with only the most basic Nanotechnology skills. [...] I think I’ve made a horrible mistake. [...] I always get an A. (Kolbe, “Evolution”) Victor Grech Frankenstein’ (Kolbe, “Evolution”). Indeed, this accidentTo which has his unintended confidante consequences replies ‘so did since Doctor the nanites multiply and infest the ship’s computer with and utilisation of structures ranging in size between the crew left ‘dealing with a potential breakdown of NANOTECHNOLOGY is defined as the study, creation 1 nanometer and 100 nanometers. A small example the main computer’ (Kolbe, “Evolution”). Indeed, it will facilitate the understanding of the scales involved. is almost as if ‘someone had climbed in there and It would require eight hundred 100 nanometer started taking it apart’ (Kolbe, “Evolution”). Captain particles laid side by side in order to match the Picard muses ‘I can’t get the story of Gulliver out width of a single human hair. Nanotechnology in of my head. Overpowered by Lilliputians’ (Kolbe, Star Trek has been used by both the Federation and “Evolution”). the Borg, humanity’s ‘most lethal enemy’ (Frakes, First Contact). Manichaeism is a dualistic philosophy that recognizes the universe as being divided by themselves’It transpires (Kolbe, that ‘these “Evolution”). are not ordinary Their nanitesevolution [...] principles that are either intrinsically good or evil. couldthey have even evolved potentially [...] able result to mechanically in a Kurzweilian replicate This article will demonstrate that the utilisation of singularity since ‘it is conceivable that with each nanotechnology by these two Star Trek groupings new generation they enhance their own design. reveals the Manichean nature of the struggle between The rate of evolution would be extraordinary’ the benevolent Federation and the hegemonic Borg. (Kolbe, “Evolution”). The emergent property of sentience is therefore manifest since ‘these nanites The Federation are now working with a new collective intelligence. The Federation uses ‘nanites. Tiny machines built Operating together. Teaching each other skills’ from the atom up. Designed to have exposure only (Kolbe, “Evolution”). to the inside of nucleii during cellular surgeries. The malfunctioning computer jeopardises an functioning state’ (Frakes, First Contact). They in charge is scornful of all of hypotheses related Until then, they are kept tightly confined in a non- are effectively ‘little tiny robots with gigabytes of toimportant nanite sentience. scientific ‘Oh experiment really. I’m and sorry the but scientist this is mechanical computer memory. They’re designed to nonsense. You can’t have a civilisation of computer chips. They’re made in a plant in Dakar, Senegal. I’ve First Contact). watched the construction’ (Kolbe, “Evolution”). enter living cells and conduct repairs [...] supposed An ensign on the Enterprise wreaks havoc when The crew disagree and Captain Picard points out to remain confined to the lab’ (Frakes, that ‘we cannot exterminate something that may or Genetics. It’s on nanotechnology. I’ve been studying ‘working on [his] final project for Advanced the nanites we have in the Sickbay genetic supplies’ If things get worse, we’ll use stronger measures’ (Kolbe, “Evolution”). He accidentally releases two of (Kolbe,may not “Evolution”). be intelligent [...] try to remove them safely. them. The experiment was designed to experiment The scientist becomes desperate and exposes the on the synergistic ways in which ‘they would interact computer core to a ‘high level gamma radiation’ and function in tandem. You see, in my experiment, (Kolbe, “Evolution”) burst, cognisant of the fact I had proposed a theory that by working together that this would kill the nanites within the core. they could combine their skills and increase their usefulness. It was working.’ However, he gases, proving ‘that the nanites do have a collective intelligence’The nanites retaliate,(Kolbe, “Evolution”). flooding the The ship scientist with toxic is 8 SFRAwas pullingReview 323an Winterall-nighter 2018 to collect my final confined to his quarters and the nanites attack him SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 9 there with an energy bolt. results in the The Enterprise with the nanites and explain that they ‘try to co-exist peacefully’ with crew other finally beings. manage ‘We tomisinterpreted communicate your actions as an attack on us’ (Kolbe, “Evolution”). abilitydestruction to act of independently the individual ofand the the collective self. [...] An interesting dialog takes place: mind.[t]he Borg That destroy alteration freedom is allegedly of choice, worse and than any death for the individual involved. (Consalvo Nanites: We were seeking raw materials for 193) our replicating process. Picard: Yes, but you endangered this vessel The Borg were originally purely biological beings, in which we all travel. You nearly killed a crewmember. both to attain perfection’ (Frakes, First Contact), a Nanites: We meant no harm. We were who ‘evolved to include the synthetic. Now [...] use exploring. of centuries’ (Bowman, “Q Who”). They ‘constitute Picard: I understand. We are also explorers. aprocess relentless that inhuman has been tide ‘developing that threatens for [...] to thousands violently We mean no harm to any other living creature. overwhelm every species by assimilating all both sides. Let’s agree to end it here and now. their élan vital and incorporating them as part of a [...] This conflict was started by mistakes on hiveindividual mind’ (Grech beings 13). into This the is Borg indisputably collective, the stifling most assist your continued survival. terrifying aspect of the Borg Collective. [...] I pledge we will do everything possible to The Collective avidly assimilate all technologies in evolved beyond any need for your assistance. its search for perfection, including nanotechnology Nanites: We agree. [...] Thank you, but we have which is central to the assimilation process whereby require relocation. (Kolbe, “Evolution”) individuals are integrated into the Collective. This vessel has become too confining. We Individuals inducted into the collective develop The scientist also apologises: ‘assimilation tubules’ in their hands in order to assimilate new members into the Collective. I deeply regret the incident. I am a scientist on an important mission. Your colleagues’ Borg assimilation process. Once inside the skin, they exploration of the core memory put our releaseThese a injectionseries of nanoprobes tubules are into the the first bloodstream. step in the mission at risk. I was only trying to protect a lifetime of work from being destroyed. I am at your mercy. (Kolbe, “Evolution”) [...] The tubules are capable of penetrating any known bealloy attacked or energy by the field. nanoprobes Which means is the our victim’s battle blood. must The nanites then reconstruct the computer core, the be waged inside the body itself. The first tissue to experiment takes place successfully and the nanites over the blood-cell functions like a virus (Livingston, are relocated to an empty planet, a ‘new home of the “Scorpion”).Assimilation is almost instantaneous. [...] They take nanite civilisation’ (Kolbe, “Evolution”). Moreover, ‘the Borg gain knowledge through Nanites were also used for forensic purposes, assimilation. What they can’t assimilate, they helping to identify a murderer’s DNA in a fatal can’t understand’ (Livingston, “Scorpion”). Each head wound (Bole, “Meld”). Other members of the Borg drone contains approximately 3.6 million Federation are also peripherally mentioned as nanoprobes (Kroeker, “Inside Man”) and each drone’s having experimented with nanotechnology but little nanoprobes has an exclusive coding sequence. is made of this (Livingston, “Regeneration”). (Biller, “One”). A cure from the assimilation process is virtually impossible (Livingston, “Regeneration”). The ultimate attack on humanity by the Borg The Borg would have involved the widespread release of a The Borg are cyborg drones ruled by a Borg biological weapon on Earth with ‘nanoprobe viruses. Queen in a hive hierarchical structure. The forcible Assimilation would be gradual. By the time they assimilation of an individual into the Borg Collective realised what was happening, half their population 8 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 9 would be drones’ (Bole, “Dark Frontier”). Thus, things on a small scale. (Feynman, "There's nanotechnology is subverted and integrated into ‘the Plenty of Room at the Bottom") extreme embracement of the “prosthetic impulse,” Manichaeism is ubiquitous in Star Trek, manifest Borg nanoprobes have also been used by the both inexplicitly and implicitly as a binary structural Federation[...] Star Trek’s as “Borg”’an offensive (Grech, “Pinocchio”weapon (Livingston 11). opposition between good and evil. Cyborgs and “Scorpion”), or as a defensive weapon in order to androids have been shown to directly manifest disable organic circuitry (Kretchmer, “Warhead”). Manichean tensions, as was demonstrated in an They can also be used to cure disease, and with earlier article (Grech, “Pinocchio”) which analysed limitations, even reverse death. This is because the struggle between the Enterprise’s android ‘the Borg have assimilated species with far greater medical knowledge than your own’ Federation. in effect manifesting a Pinocchio syndrome, and the Borgsecond Queen officer, who Data epitomises who wished the “prosthetic to become impulse” human, (Smith and Morra 4). ‘The Borg contain biological components, and Data does not. It is almost ironic dronesIf the deceased’sas much as neuralseventy pathways three hours are after [...] intact [...] we are capable of reactivating the Borg’s ideal of perfection through the fusion of are used to reverse cellular necrosis, while thethat biological Data, a completely and mechanical’ artificial (Grech, being, “Pinocchio” repudiates thewhat cerebral you would cortex call is stimulated death. [...] with Nanoprobes a neuro- 13). Thus, on the macro level, the eternal struggle electric isopulse. (Kroeker, “Mortal Coil”) of good against evil is manifested by machines and machine-like beings. This is achieved by ‘seventy micrograms of The episodes depicted in this article have shown that this Manichean dualism is also present on for any cellular degradation’ (Kroeker, “Mortal the nanotechnology scale, with good represented Coil”).nanoprobes More mundanely, [...]. The nanoprobes nanoprobes will may compensate be used to by the United Federation of Planets and nanites, remove intoxicating products from the bloodstream and evil represented by the Borg, along with their (McNeill, “Someone to Watch Over Me”). nanoprobes. For all of these reasons, Borg nanoprobes are The Federation comprises an interstellar polity extremely expensive on the open market and indeed, within this galaxy and is run on federal lines, with a group of Ferengi traders perpetrate an elaborate over 150 member planets and several thousand scheme in order to get their hands on a former Borg colonies spread across 8000 light years. It ‘is drone and her nanoprobes, to the extent of being best described as a liberal, post-capitalist, almost Voyager crew (Kroeker, perfectly socialist utopian democracy that embraces “Inside Man”). Ironically, it was once suggested that a constitutional republic’ (Grech, “Philosophy”). ready to sacrifice the entire Indeed, ‘the acquisition of wealth is no longer the against the Borg (Bole, “The Best of Both Worlds, driving force in our lives. We work to better ourselves PartFederation II”). nanites could be modified and used and the rest of humanity’ (Frakes, First Contact). The benign Federation is promoted as a grouping that humanity should evolve into, having been Disussion seeded by an enlightened group of ‘humanitarians Nanotechnology was introduced and popularised and statesmen, and they had a dream. A dream that by Richard Feynman in his seminal paper “There’s became a reality and spread throughout the stars’ Plenty of Room at the Bottom:” (Wallerstein, “Whom Gods Destroy”). The Federation is epitomised by Captain Picard who ‘is arguably a symbol, a synecdoche for the has been done, but in which an enormous Star Trek gesamtkunstwerk and for the entire genre’ I would like to describe a field, in which little (Grech, “Picard” 20). The captain and the Federation would have an enormous number of technical that he represents tend applications.amount can What be done I want in to principle. talk about [...] is the [I]t problem of manipulating and controlling to pursue the Kantian categorical imperative 10 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 11 with its two essential precepts: that one system that utilises medical machines at the nano should act only according to that maxim by scale. which one can also will that it would become Borg nanoprobes go further since they are a universal law, and that one should treat mindless servants of the Collective that assimilate humanity never simply as a means, but individuals into the hive, thus making them large always as an end. (Grech, “Picard” 22) versions of themselves, equally mindless cogs in a larger machine, producing ‘ultimate Marcusians’ Indeed, Picard upholds the tenets of the Federation (Grech, “Pinocchio” 14), as aptly summarised by which lives ‘in peace with full exercise of individual Herbert Marcuse: rights. The need to resort to violence and force has long since passed’ (Taylor, “Let That Be Your Last performance is an action only insofar as emerging intelligence and sentience displayed by the it[T]he is the efficient proper individual reaction isto the the one objective whose nanites.Battlefield”), Despite as witnessedthe threat to by the his Enterprise approach and to theits requirements of the apparatus, and his thousand-strong crew, the nanites are treated with respect and compassion. This demonstrates an open adequate means for reaching a goal which he mind that is capable of embracing non-biological life. didliberty not is set. confined (Marcuse to the 142) selection of the most Aliens that are not chemical systems capable This is clearly different to the Federation approach: of Darwinian evolution are easily conceivable. ‘we don’t assimilate, we investigate’ (Livingston, “Scorpion”). These episodes also have a shared trope, the demonstration of potentially dangerous their[…] The Darwinian nanites thatevolution infected is thenot Enterprisetied to an consequences of untrammelled and unregulated informationalcomputer […] aremolecule, informational like DNA. in essence;(Benner 674) warning of the potential Faustian consequences of suchscientific tendencies’ inquiry, (Grech, with “Pinocchio” the narratives 11). ‘used as a The Borg approach is radically opposed to the Scientists have also expressed concern with Federation stance. This is evident in their initial potentially Frankensteinian hubris, and have greeting to all and sundry. ‘We are the Borg. Lower questioned the wisdom of unlimited research into your shields and surrender your ships. We will add the natural sciences and only one such individual your biological and technological distinctiveness will be quoted. Martin Rees, ex-Astronomer Royal to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. has noted that Resistance is futile’ (Frakes, First Contact). This uncompromising horde is amoral, ‘the Science is advancing faster than ever, ultimate users’ (Bowman, “Q Who”). The Collective and on a broader front: bio-, cyber- and threatens the ‘individual’s self actualization (and nanotechnology all offer exhilarating (Grech, “Pinocchio” 13). Borg nanoprobes are science can have unintended consequences; theindeed, basic selfhood tools utilised itself) forfor the the gain purpose of the ofcollective’ forcible itprospects; empowers [...]. individuals But there to is perpetrate a dark side: acts new of assimilation into the Collective. This hegemonising megaterror; even innocent errors could be technique is reminiscent of the theme popularised catastrophic. (Rees, Our Final Hour vii) by Greg Bear in “Blood Music,” wherein biologically engineered computers based on human blood lymphocytes multiply and evolve inside their creator, Our altering their own DNA and achieving sentience. FinalThis isHour because 13). While ‘[s]cientists nanotechnology are often blind‘is likely to the to They communicate with their creator, take over his transformramifications medicine, of their computers, own discoveries’ surveillance, (Rees, and brain and body and proceed to assimilate the planet. other practical areas,’ it also implies the potential for the creation of asThis an expandable short story and was programmable the first major computational account of an “assembler” that could grab single atoms, nanotechnology in science fiction, portraying DNA 10 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 11 shifting them around and assem-bling them 22–36. one by one into machines with components Consalvo, Mia. “Borg Babes, Drones, and the Collec- no bigger than molecules. These techniques tive: Reading Gender and the Body in Star Trek.” will allow computer processors to be a Women’s Studies in Communication 27.2 (2004). thousand times smaller, and information to Grech, Victor. “The Pinocchio Syndrome and the be stored in memories a billion times more Prosthetic Impulse in Science Fiction.” New York compact than the best we have today. Indeed, Review of Science Fiction 24.8:11–15. human brains may be augmented by implants Grech, Victor. “Star Trek’s Picard: Humanity’s Con- of computers. Nanomachines could have as science.” New York Review of Science Fiction intricate a molecular structure as viruses and 25.6:20–23. living cells, and display even more variety; Grech, Victor. “Philosophies of Star Trek—the Ethical they could carry out manufacturing tasks; and Moral Underpinnings of the United Federa- they could crawl around inside our bodies tion of Planets.” Ad Astra—in press. observing and taking measurements, or even Bear, Greg. “Blood Music.” Analog Science Fiction/Sci- performing microsurgery. (Rees, Our Final ence Fact, June 1983. Hour 17) Smith, Marquard and Joanne Morra. The Prosthetic Impulse. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2006. However, this could result in a ‘catastrophic “release”’ (Rees, Our Final Hour Filmography the abovementioned Trek episodes. For this reason, Star Trek: First Contact. Dir. Jonathan Frakes. Para- it has been suggested that82), ‘thereas exemplified should be by a bothban on of mount. 1996. developing nanomachines that can reproduce in a “Evolution.” Dir. Winrich Kolbe. Star Trek: The Next natural environment’ (82) lest we risk ‘triggering Generation. Paramount. September 1989. utter disaster’ (4). “Meld.” Dir. Cliff Bole. Star Trek: Voyager. Paramount. Star Trek therefore uses nanotechnology not only February 1996. to portray yet another Manichean duality, but also “Regeneration.” Dir. David Livingston. Star Trek: En- to highlight the potential unintended consequences terprise. Paramount. May 2003. of unconsidered actions and completely unfettered “Q Who.” Dir. Rob Bowman. Star Trek: The Next Gen- research. eration. Paramount. May 1989. “Scorpion.” Dir. David Livingston. Star Trek: Voyager. Paramount. May 1997. WORKS CITED “Inside Man.” Dir. Allan Kroeker. Star Trek: Voyager. Paramount. November 2000. Secondary Texts “One.” Dir. Kenneth Biller. Star Trek: Voyager. Para- Benner, Steven A., Alonso Ricardo, and Matthew A. mount. May 1998. Carrigan. “Is There a Common Chemical Model for “Dark Frontier.” Dir. Pt 1: Cliff Bole. Star Trek: Voy- Life in the Universe?” Current opinion in Chemical ager. Paramount. February 1999. Biology 8.6 (2004): 672–689. “Warhead.” Dir. John T. Kretchmer. Star Trek: Voyag- Berube, David M. “Star Trek Episodes Involving Nan- er. Paramount. May 1999. otechnology.” Encyclopedia of Nanoscience and “Mortal Coil.” Dir. Allan Kroeker. Star Trek: Voyager. Society. Ed. David H. Guston. Thousand Oaks, CA: Paramount. December 1997. SAGE Publications, Inc., 2010. 737–39. “Someone to Watch Over Me.” Dir. Robert Duncan Marcuse, Herbert. “Some Social Implications of Mod- McNeill. Star Trek: Voyager. Paramount. April ern Technology.” The Essential Frankfurt School 1999. Reader. Ed. A. Arato & E. Gebhart. New York: Uri- “Inside Man.” Dir. Allan Kroeker. Star Trek: Voyager. zen Books, 1978. Paramount. November 2000. Rees Martin. Our Final Hour: A Scientist’s Warning. “The Best of Both Worlds: Part II.” Dir. Cliff Bole. Star New York: Basic Books, 2003. Trek: The Next Generation. Paramount. Septem- Feynman, Richard P. “There’s Plenty of Room at the ber 1990. Bottom.” Engineering and Science 23.5 (1960): “Whom Gods Destroy.” Dir. Herb Wallerstein. Star 12 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 13 Trek: The Original Series. Paramount. January 1969. Star Trek: The Original Series. Paramount. Janu- “Letary That 1969. Be Your Last Battlefield.” Dir. Jud Taylor. 12 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 13 Nonfiction Reviews “Television,” four essays all written well before the true popular advent of that technology; “Sound,” four The Perversity of Things: Hugo “Selected Fiction,” which includes three very short storiesarticles and on soundan excerpt technologies; from Gernsback’s “Scientifiction”; 1911 novel and Gernsback on Media, Tinkering, Ralph 124C41+ and Scientifiction by far, with eighteen essays, and the one of interest to most genre . scholars.“Scientifiction” It includes is the largestseveral sectionpieces Cait Coker that have received scholarly attention before, such as “10,000 Years Hence” (1922) and “How to Write Grant Wythoff, ed. The Perversity of Things: Hugo ‘Science’ Stories” (1930), as well as several editorials Gernsback on Media, Tinkering, and Scientifiction. and introductions from throughout the run of Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, Amazing Stories 2016. Paperback, 400 pages, $35.00, ISBN 978-1- 5179-0085-4. Kindle ASIN: B01MT1JOWW. scientifiction —including the first issue in 1926, in muchwhich of he twentieth lays out the century’s magazine’s engagement mission and with defines genre Order option(s): Paper | Hard | Kindle as “a romance, itself, cleverly a term weaving that would into and come around to define the THE PERVERSITY OF THINGS: Hugo Gernsback on would be used often by Gernsback and his followers, Media, Tinkering, and Scientifiction collects nearly itstory, would a scientifichave a greater thread” publishing (287). Though usage the afterlife term eighty essays and excerpts from Gernsback’s career, in the fanzines than it would in conventional mass- market publications, an aspect that is unfortunately aroundalmost allthe of science which areand nonfictiontechnology (there of radio are and five “Reasonableness in Science Fiction” (1932), a engineering.fiction pieces Grant included), Wythoff and presents most of these which selections, revolve shortneglected essay here. originally The finalpublished piece alongside presented John is onW. dating from 1905 to 1932, and supplies dual Tables Campbell’s story “Space Rays” in Wonder Stories. of Contents, one divided by topic and the other by In it Gernsback complains about the lack of science chronology, with the stated aim to be representative of Gernsback’s extensive career, oeuvre, and interests. While the texts presented here are accompanied by in contemporary science fiction, in which authors images from the original publications or related (354).“do not While hesitate this is to a complaint throw scientific that has plausibility seemingly materials along with Wythoff’s extensive footnotes, overboard… and often goes the fairy tale one better” an electronic edition available online is promised later this year, which will include full issues of never left the field, it perhaps speaks volumes that the publications the selections are drawn from to GernsbackWythoff’s uses emphasis the term throughout “science the fiction” collection instead is on of further contextualize them. Altogether, Perversity media“scientifiction” and technology to comment rather on than publishing on literary trends. history pulls together a useful collection of rare material and analysis, a different perspective on science that will be of interest to a variety of scholars, both those with conventional interests in Gernsback saturated with media criticism at the expense of as genre pioneer and those interested in the less- literaryfiction history criticism. and Indeed, studies at when times it seemshe seems we areto seek often a often considered topic of Gernsback as inventor and technology writer. literary history, as when he states that “Unfortunately, The sections and topics presented include provocative stance against science fiction studies as “Tinkering,” which includes short “do-it-yourself” has been to dismiss the Gernsback magazines pieces on radio and similar equipment; “History and asthe embarrassingly prevailing approach simplistic, in science tasteless, fiction and studies even Theory of Media,” which is as much about popular detrimental to the eventual emergence of a mature science as it is the dissemination of media-as-radio; “Broadcast Regulation,” a series of pieces revolving around the U.S. national suspension of radio during literature. … The overwhelming attention that many WWI; “Wireless,” pieces on radio and telephones; Gernsback’sscience fiction literary critics give,quality to thisthat day, often to thecarries low rateswith he paid his writers … leads to a misplaced derision of 14 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 15 it an explicit disgust at his perceived character” (8– SINCE 2000, Open Court’s Popular Culture and 9). While perhaps certain criticisms to the limits of Philosophy series has been publishing works with the aim of examining “television programs, hit sighted to remove considerations of literary history movies, books, video games or trends” through the andScience criticism Fiction toStudies better as achampion field are valid,media it ishistory, short- lens of philosophical speculation (opencourtbooks. nor can Hugo Gernsback’s legacy be altogether com). Aimed at a general readership, the series has examined if we choose to ignore the problematic seen the appearance of a staggering array of volumes aspects of his business ventures. Further, noting devoted to topics as diverse as manga, the Red Sox, production costs—including paying, or not paying, Breaking Bad, Louis C.K., Jeopardy!, Harley-Davidson one’s authors—is a not unusual aspect of publishing motorbikes, and the Beatles. histories, which illuminates both the production and Batman, Superman, and Philosophy is the hundredth the reception of texts. No text is created or presented entry in the series. As with each of its forerunners, it in isolation, and viewing it holistically gives scholars takes the form of a series of short essays by different the best chance of contextualizing it correctly. While contributors, each of whom examines the clash this practice is something of a standard in literary between these legendary DC superheroes from a study, the same should hold true for media study, different philosophical (or, in some cases, personal and it is not, as Wythoff would have it, unnecessary or insulting to the dead author. into sections, with each section broadly supportive of The Perversity of Things: Hugo Gernsback on Media, oneor fictional) character perspective. or the other. These Hence, essays Superman are arranged “wins” Tinkering, and Scientifiction will be of interest to scholars in media and technology history as well as Science Fiction Studies generally and Hugo Analysis.”the first section of the work, Batman the second, andIt isso not on, withalways a final clear section which devoted of the two to “Post-Fight aspects of Gernsback does neglect his science and technology the work—the superheroes or the philosophy—is to Gernsback specifically. Most genre scholarship on be given precedence. In some essays, the emphasis and this collection remedies that oversight, in is clearly on philosophy, with Batman and Superman additionwriting into providing favor of his easier literary access influence to a number as editor, of his merely providing useful examples of different writings. Wythoff’s extensive commentaries through philosophical systems in action. Some of these are engaging and well-written: Ben Springett’s two these texts, especially as they often function as essays on Darwinism and transhumanism are good minifootnotes bibliographic are definitely overviews of interest to scholarship in illuminating on examples of this. By contrast, other essays put the Gernsback. The cost of the paperback edition is not emphasis on the superheroes, with philosophy prohibitive, making it available for purchase by both scholars (including advanced undergraduates) and may be better understood. Of the two formats, this casual readers with an interest in the topic. latterproviding is the theoretical more stimulating. tools by A good which example these figures of this can be seen in a comparison between A.G. Holdier’s and Patrick J. Reider’s contributions. Both of these writers interpret the characters of Batman and Superman using a variety of Nietzschean notions. Batman, Superman, and But whereas Holdier’s essay has a clear didactic Philosophy: Badass or Boyscout? purpose, drawing upon various characteristics of the superheroes in order to demonstrate Nietzsche’s Thomas Connolly notion of the “will to power,” Reider’s focus is more clearly on the characters themselves. Deploying Nicolas Michaud, ed. Batman, Superman, and Philoso- Nietzsche’s conception of morality in support of . Chicago, IL: Open Court, phy: Badass or Boyscout? his analysis of the characters—rather than vice 2016. Paperback, x + 289 pages, $19.95, ISBN versa—Reider makes a convincing argument for 978-0-8126-9918-0. Kindle ASIN: B01I8S305C. Batman as an “aristocratic lord” and Superman as demonstrative of Nietzsche’s “slave morality,” Paper | Kindle Order option(s): desiring to relinquish his heroic responsibilities to a 14 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 15 “superior” being (79–83). general, informal, energetic, and fast-paced (indeed, Reider’s contribution, with its close familiarity one contributor even dismisses “academic jargon” with the characters, stands out in the volume—by as “green kryptonite to good writing” (101)). The contrast, many of the essays engage with the titular clearest example of this approach can be seen in devoted to analysing the relationship between two Jack Napier in which he lambasts both Batman and iconicfigures comic only bookin broad superheroes—each strokes. Indeed, offor whom a collection boasts Supermanthe final essay for oftheir the ostensiblecollection, anself-obsession, unusual piece and by a variety of media—it is surprising how little sense over eight decades of fictional history, spread across the reader for their hypocrisy in offloading their own emerges from the essays. Many contributors instead tomoral the anxietiesrest of us ontothat fictionalwe can indulge characters: our egos“They while [the takeof the the complexity relationship and between depth of Superman these figures and actuallyBatman failingtwo superheroes] to do the things both standthat we as really shining believe examples are to represent an assortment of opposing archetypes, right” (274). Napier chastises the reader for failing to such that the dichotomy “Superman/Batman” can be combat such injustices as “the treatment of children understood to equate with, for example, “universal/ in sweatshops, torturing animals for food and particular,” “global/local,” “light/dark” “bad/good” fun, racism, sexism, the treatment of the disabled, (in the Nietzschean understanding of these terms), carpet-bombing civilians, mistreatment of clowns, “non-human/human,” “biological/technological,” whatever” (273). “You really could do something and so on. Indeed, even editor Nicolas Michaud— about it,” he writes, before insisting that the real in an essay titled “Gods Are Overrated,” one of his heroes are not of the super variety, but ordinary two contributions to the volume—has little to say about the actual characters themselves. Although It is a daring and subversive conclusion to the the essay makes some reference to Superman, the volume—yetpeople fighting also against a strangeinjustice one,(273). given that it character is here mostly treated as a stand-in for God, explicitly criticises, and attempts to undercut the and Michaud is more concerned with theological relevance of, all the essays that have preceded it. More broadly, Napier’s concluding essay highlights Of course, deploying relatable and familiar the feeling, pervasive throughout the volume, that charactersexploration to than explore with athe variety comic-book of philosophical figure. and neither contributors nor editor are ultimately clear moral problems can be an instructive model, and what purpose the volume is intended to serve—are we to use these characters as guides in developing some engaging and informative essays here. It also philosophical approaches to life, use philosophy to readers less versed in philosophical thought will find understand the characters, or (as Napier appears to characters themselves that may disappoint comic- suggest) dismiss both as escapist fantasies? By the bookleads, fans. however, The mostto a superficial commonly engagement discussed iterations with the close of the volume, this question remains mostly of the characters are those featured in recent unanswered. Hollywood adaptations: the Batman of Christopher Overall, then, Batman, Superman, and Philosophy Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy (2005–2011), and the offers a colourful, if inconsistent, introduction to some key philosophical ideas, and for that reason in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel (2013). This reliance on will be of value to the general reader looking to learn recentSuperman movie of the appearances DC Extended of the Universe, characters first featuredperhaps more about philosophical thought. Those seeking a indicates a lack of in-depth knowledge regarding more comprehensive or in-depth examination of the complex histories of the characters themselves. these two iconic characters, however, may need to On the whole, the volume may have been better look elsewhere. served by incorporating more detailed reference to ground the various arguments in the mythos of the charactersspecific comic-book and offset story the “hands-off” arcs, which approach would better that marks many contributors’ engagements with their subject. The style in which the essays are written is, in 16 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 17 The Oxford Handbook of Science library’s reference section; the price point, however, seems intimidatingly high for individuals. Many Fiction of the chapters should prove helpful in orienting T. S. Miller theoretical developments and important primary students new to the study of science fiction to major Rob Latham, ed. The Oxford Handbook of Science Fiction. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, their conceptual clarity are the opening chapter by texts in the field: of particular use to students for 2014. Hardcover, xx+620 pages, $150.00, ISBN Brooks Landon on “Extrapolation and Speculation”; 978-0-1998-3884-4. Kindle ASIN: B00NHWZ6F2. Lisa Yaszek’s contribution on “Feminism”; and De Witt Douglas Kilgore’s chapter on “Afrofuturism.” Order option(s): Hard | Kindle Yet the collection is not aimed exclusively or perhaps even primarily at students, and necessarily WE LIVE IN AN AGE of frenetically paced academic contradicts itself on foundational points by including publishing not wanting for companions and multiple understandings of what “science fiction” has been well served by such compendious volumes learn a great deal from exploring the book’s diverse is and means. All scholars of science fiction will ashandbooks James and of Mendlesohn's all kinds, and Cambridge science fiction Companion studies contents, in spite and likely because of the fact that to Science Fiction (2003); Seed’s A Companion to not even the scholars represented in it agree very Science Fiction (2005); and The Routledge Companion often with one other. to Science Fiction (2009), edited by Bould, Butler, Latham’s substantial introduction is an important Roberts, and Vint—not to mention the more piece of critical writing in itself, offering a cogent— specialized volumes that have also begun to appear. if also unabashedly agenda-driven—disciplinary The Oxford Handbook of Science Fiction thus enters history of SF studies that begins with the following studies as a discipline has continued to change for much of its early history as an academic discipline assessment: “The problem for science fiction studies ata crowdedsuch a rate field, even but over the the nature last offew science years fictionthat a involved determining the nature and boundaries of new handbook such as this one can usefully aim its putative object, deciding what counts as science to complement and extend rather than replace or surpass its worthy predecessors. Such publications that the double marginalization of the study of SF in fiction” (1, emphasis in original). Latham points out also serve as a kind of snapshot of the state of the nonprint media unfortunately generated discourses studies, a separation that has only recently been field, and, if we take the book for a synoptic image distinct from the mainstream of science fiction longer.of science A book fiction reviewer studies, faces we might a daunting begin prospect to wonder in this volume, Latham glibly but also quite seriously bridged. In articulating the more specific objects of attemptingif “the field” to evendo justice represents to over a 600 singular pages thingauthored any remarks that “the problem today is to determine by 44 different contributors in a brief review, but the what does not count task faced by those contributors seems many orders that his handbook aims “to descry the historical and cultural contours of SFas sciencein the wake fiction,” of technoculture and explains studies,” further “showing how SF’s unique history of magnitude more difficult: namely, compressing and subcultural identity have been constructed scholars,hundreds and of yearsfans into of science a single fiction’s book promising history and to in ongoing dialogue with popular discourses of makethe works sense of of countless it all. Editor authors, Rob artists,Latham’s filmmakers, approach science and technology” (5). To this end, Latham has been to emphasize the interdisciplinary, trans- has eschewed more usual attempts to mirror the medial, and cultural studies dimensions of science periodization of SF in the order of the chapters, and has instead chosen to organize the volume into four neglecting—the literary. As one should expect thematic sections of eleven essays each: “Science fromfiction such studies a distinguished while decentering—but press, editor, and hardlyroster Fiction as Genre”; “Science Fiction as Medium”; of contributors, The Oxford Handbook of Science “Science Fiction as Culture”; and “Science Fiction as Fiction succeeds admirably on its own terms, and Worldview.” This structure obviously results in some would be an invaluable addition to any university potential overlap, and several essays could probably 16 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 17 with the editorial boards of its leading journals thesefit just porous as comfortably groupings in lends other itself sections: well tothis the in newfact contributeprolific luminaries chapters to of this SF handbook, scholarship but the associated highest broadermay be aunderstanding feature and not of aSF bug, that as Latham the flexibility wishes toof proportion of names unfamiliar to me appears in communicate. In Latham’s argument SF does much this section, precisely because Latham has traveled more than traverse different media, but indeed an assortment of disciplines beyond literary and Hollinger’s chapter “Genre vs. Mode” perhaps most cinemafar afield studies. to engage Finally, scholars while I would working have on liked SF to in clearlycrosses, articulates shapes, and a comparable defines subcultures; theoretical Veronicaposition have seen a dedicated chapter on SF theater that did on the increasing inseparability of SF from other not restrict itself to performance art—because to my contemporary cultural phenomena. Readers may knowledge no satisfactory overview of a fascinating disagree with Latham that SF has become “less yet frustratingly ephemeral phenomenon yet a genre than a way of being in the world,” but the exists—one can hardly complain about the breadth intellectual vitality and richness of this book are of coverage and depth of insight on display in these testament to how productive it can be to understand chapters. Scholars wishing to acquaint themselves it in this more capacious way (6). with SF media of all kinds—and, perhaps more Part I constitutes perhaps the most conventional importantly, the disciplinary milieus of media studies section for such a handbook, and includes several of various kinds—will gain much from this section invaluable overviews of issues bearing on the study of SF literature. Especially useful are Arthur An incisive chapter by Sherryl Vint on “The Culture B. Evans on “Histories” and Gary K. Wolfe on ofthat Science” it is difficult opens to Partfind elsewhereIII, the section in SF scholarship.of the book “Literary Movements” as essential accounts of the most dedicated to a strongly cultural studies-based as these chapters do the genre’s interpenetration wayshistoriography the traditional of both periodization science fiction or “development” and science withapproach aspects to of genre culture science such as fiction, military emphasizing culture and fiction studies itself, which both challenge in different place. Scholars interested in the intersections of cyberculture and automation; countercultural of SF by revisiting the concept of periods in the first the space race; scientific discourse itself, including triospeculative of chapters fiction touching more generally on the subject, and mainstream “Literary theand essays new religiousin Part IV movements; do not differ and fundamentally finally body Scienceliterary Fiction” fiction will(Joan be Gordon); particularly “Slipstream” happy to(Victora see a frommodification those in and Part steampunk III, but often aesthetics. consider Many more of de Zwaan); and “The Fantastic” (Brian Attebery). At the other end of the spectrum of traditional including futurology and posthumanism; respectability, scholars of fan studies will likewise libertarianismspecifically philosophical and anarchism; or intellectual and other forms cultures, of be glad to see Farah Mendlesohn giving “Fandom” utopianism. This section also collects the volume’s equivalent shrift, a harbinger of the further cultural overviews of particular area studies such as explorations to come in the book’s third section. “Colonialism and Postcolonialism” (John Rieder) But it is the second cluster of eleven essays— and the aforementioned chapters on feminism and “Science Fiction as Medium”—that apotheosizes Afrofuturism; Patricia Melzer’s piece on “Sexuality” the decentering of literature in this book’s version and, among other things, LGBT fan cultures appears in the preceding section. Though I describe these and probably unprecedented range of media forms. particular pieces as overviews, even the more Twoof science fairly fictionconventional studies, chapters covering on an“Film” impressive (Mark general-interest essays largely bear out Latham’s Bould) and “Radio and Television” (J. P. Telotte) open warning in his introduction that the handbook’s the section, which then moves through comics, the chapters intend to be “more argumentative than visual arts more generally, digital narrative, video expository” (6). Accordingly, I can imagine a games, and music, only to conclude with unexpected beginning undergraduate who might be disoriented but captivating chapters on “Performance Art” and disappointed to learn that this is a handbook (Steve Dixon); “Architecture” (Nic Clear); and even that does not hold one’s hand, as it were, but other “Theme Parks” (Leonie Cooper). Many of the most 18 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 19 readers will likely be delighted to find such superb and sophisticated work seemingly collected under his book in my MBA class in “Law, Ethics and Public the aegis of “yet another companion volume.” Policy.” He applied his ideas as Administrator of the For just one example of how the stimulating and wide-ranging essays in the latter half of the book Obama Administration from 2009 to 2012. I used typically proceed, Part III concludes with a short hisOffice earlier of Administrative book Republic.com and Regulatory (Princeton: Affairs 2001) in the in but engaging chapter by Elizabeth Guffey and Kate conjunction with Frederik Pohl’s The Years of the City C. Lemay titled “Retrofuturism and Steampunk.” in teaching an honors seminar in law and literature. choose to remember our anticipations of the future,The authors and excavate define the “retrofuturism” iconography of as “futurism” how we thinkingHe is, in short,about anpublic impressive policy. Butand apartinfluential from scholara 1999 and other manifestations of a “retro” aesthetics in bookwho influencedabout clones me inco-authored my research, with teaching his former and order to argue that both steampunk and the wider partner Martha Nussbaum, I had not seen evidence phenomenon of retrofuturism negotiate “a present he was a fan or critic of topics related to Science longing for a historical past” (439). In similar Fiction. fashion, the handbook as a whole emphasizes the So when I saw he had written a book about Star reasons for its success, and its impact on society, I theyhistorical generate specificity and take and inspiration cultural complexityfrom in turn. of wasWars—the intrigued. phenomenon, He writes as the a scholar, films but as text,also as the a Thisboth chapterscience proceedsfictions and not theas amoods rote survey and moments of major fan and a father, and his knowledge of Star Wars is steampunk works as we might expect, but becomes informed by his reading in the works of others— an interdisciplinary cultural history of these two in particular Michael Kaminiski, The Secret History linked phenomena; as such, it is representative of of Star Wars (2008), Chris Taylor, How Star Wars Conquered the Universe (2015, revised ed.), the books the companion volume at a time when such works continuethis volume’s to proliferate larger efforts beyond to redefinethe apparent the role need of ed., George Lucas: Interviews (1999). He explains for them. In other words, The Oxford Handbook by J. W. Rinzler on the original films, and Sally Kline, of Science Fiction manages to carve out a new and became interested in writing about Star Wars only afterthat he being saw persuadedthe original to film introduce when it it came to his out, young but innovativenecessary spaceand inviting for itself ways. largely by redefining the space of science fiction and science fiction studies in relationshipson, and this of reflectsfathers and one sons. of the major themes in hisThe treatment book is ofdivided the films into and ten their “Episodes” creator: that the explore the themes he says George Lucas borrowed from Joseph Campbell in creating “A New Hope” The World According to Star Wars and its sequels and prequels, while examining why Bruce Lindsley Rockwood the various explanations for its subsequent success (wasthe original it “awesome, film was well-timed, “expected” or tojust be very a flop lucky?” and Cass R. Sunstein, The World According to Star Wars. (39) is the theme of his “Episode III.”) As others New York, N.Y.: Dey Street Books.-William Mor- have noted (see A.O. Scott, “Help Me, Obi-Wan row/HarperCollins, 2016. Hardback, 223 pages, Kenobi,” NY Times, June 9, 2016), it is a short book $21.99, ISBN 978-0-06-248422-2. completely, sometimes with insight and often with Order option(s): Hard | Audiobook | CD expressionsand tackles manyof his themespersonal very preferences briefly rather which than not every reader will share. For example, “Episode IV” CASS SUNSTEIN is a well-known legal scholar who co- is “Thirteen Ways of Looking at Star Wars” which authored Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, includes possible Christian, Oedipal, Feminist, Wealth, and Happiness (Yale, 2008) with Richard Jeffersonian (rebellion against tyranny), behavioral Thaler, which incorporated behavioral economics economics, Buddhist and other real or hypothetical in assessing business, legal and public policy. I used 18 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 19 approaches to interpreting the themes of the films in just 25 pages, concluding with the idea that none see patterns in an attempt to predict the future, while of these possible “conspiracy theories” hold water, missing what is right in front of them. He cites the quoting Alan Moore (author of The Watchmen) that case of assigning students to count basketballs being “the world is rudderless.” (87-88) “Episode VI” explores the case for freedom of you see the Gorilla?” which invariably most of them missedpassed in(168). a short Star film, Wars and, thenhe argues, asking themis a “modern “and did choice that Sunstein finds central to many of the insisting that redemption is always possible, that major events of the films, while “Episode VII” uses anyonemyth [. .can .] both be forgiven, a spiritual and quest that andfreedom a psychodrama, is never an tothe recent films andto explore contemporary the fall ofpolitical empires history and the (the roles rise illusion” (176). of Naziresistance Germany, fighters collapse (or terrorists) of the USSR, with and references the Arab Sunstein’s scholarship often manifests as the work Spring). He introduces the reader to concepts he of a political liberal seeking to reach out to libertarian uses in his academic work on behavioral economics, conservatives—hoping to bridge partisan gaps much including loss aversion, reputational cascades and as his political mentor Barack Obama. The World group polarization. For instance, he notes that “What According to Star Wars behavioral scientists have shown is that human this pattern. He discussed it at the libertarian Cato beings suffer from predictable biases,” citing Daniel Institute, and the American can Enterprise be viewed Institute as fitting as Kahneman, author of Thinking, Fast and Slow: “to well. For the general reader interested in Star Wars, many people, he’s a real-world Yoda” (74). the book provides a concise and useful overview “Episode VIII” is perhaps the strongest chapter, of the many themes and controversies about this with an explanation of constitutional interpretation continuing cultural phenomenon (including the as a chain-novel, citing the work of the late Ronald Dworkin and explicating in a manner intelligible quotes). Academics who have followed his career to the lay reader the problems of constitutional maynovelizations be enticed ofto consider the films the which possibilities he sometimes available “originalism” in American jurisprudence. Supreme in reaching out to a wider audience for their concepts by applying them to the stories contained in the saga. like George Lucas, J.J. Abrams, and creators of Court Justices, he argues, are a lot like film makers: may learn something useful that will make them narratives while writing new chapters in the betterScience citizens fiction fansas well that as pick fans. up Sunstein this book worked on a whim for saga,subsequent Justices films, rely on who precedent must build but must on the “make prior a President Obama, who for many Americans and the judgment about what makes it shine most brightly” wider world represented “A New Hope.” President (147). The book concludes with an assessment of the only hope for the political “Return of the Jedi” in the mythology of “the force” as an example of humanity’s nearTrump future reflects (Elizabeth “The Empire Warren Strikes as Leia Back.”Organa?). We can search for God or magic and the human tendency to 20 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 21 Fiction Reviews publications for which Bradbury was paid. first volume (published in fanzines), “professional” The Collected Stories of Ray structure and process of the edition. When I began makingIn that notes first review, on Volume I was concerned2, I looked mainlymore carefully with the Bradbury: A Critical Edition, at the “Chronological Catalog” contained in all Volume 2, 1943–1944; and three volumes, and noticed that the “Compositional Sequence” in Volume 2 began with a repetition of the Volume 3: 1944–1945 last ten entries in the catalog for Volume 1—which Bruce A. Beatie included, in fact, the last eight published stories in Volume 1; the Catalog in Volume 3 also overlaps with Volumes 2 and 4. In all three Catalogs, the The Collected Stories of Ray Bradbury: A Critical titles of stories reprinted in these volumes appear Edition, Volume 2, 1943–1944; and Volume 3: in bold print. The pages of the Catalogs have two 1944–1945, Jonathan R. Eller, General Editor and Textual Editor. Kent, OH: Kent State University parallel columns: a “Compositional Sequence” on Press. Vol. 2: 2014. 495 pages, cloth, $75.00. ISBN the right, and a “Publication Sequence” on the left; 978-1-606351956. Vol. 3: 2017. 493 pages, cloth, horizontal markers separate years. Story titles in the $75.00. ISBN 978-1-60635-302-8. “Composition” column provide dates of composition unpublished, data about submissions is sometimes Order option(s) Vol 2: Hard given.and dates Many and of the locations unpublished of first texts publication; survive in if Order option(s) Vol 3: Hard a photocopy survives in the Albright Collection—a privateBradbury’s collection files; for held some by Bradbury’s the chronology long-time notes friend that of Bradbury’s stories appeared in SFRA Review in SummerWHEN MY 2011 REVIEW, Ray ofBradbury the first volumewas 91; of by this the edition time and principal bibliographer Donn Albright. If only a Volume 2 appeared in 2014, Bradbury had passed title (presumably from Bradbury’s careful logs) but away (June 5, 2012) and William Touponce, the no text survived, the entry notes “unlocated.” Titles General Editor of the series, had retired. As I began in the “Publication” column provide date and place this review in September 2017, Toupence had also died (in June 2017), and Jonathan Eller is now both Because of the overlaps, I decided to compile a of first publication. the general and the textual editor of the series. In that spreadsheet summarizing the information of all 2011 review I speculated that, based on the 17 pages three Catalogs thus far and ordered by titles and per story in vol. 1 and Eller’s note that Bradbury had dates of composition. This combined index to the published “nearly 450 distinct stories,” the total Catalogs lists 171 stories for which a text exist, plus length of the critical edition may reach some 7,650 16 stories whose text is “unlocated.” The overlap pages, or a total of 14 volumes the size of vol. 1. Eller with Volume 4 allows inclusion in the “Publication” is now 65; I hope that he will be able to complete this column of titles composed before April 1945. massive project. All three volumes include an “Appendix B: Summary The next two volumes, the focus of this review, have virtually the same format as Volume 1, and so I volume the 35 summaries were apparently compiled of Bradbury’s Unpublished Fiction.” In the first will not repeat the general description in my earlier by Toupence; the introductory paragraph is signed review. Volume 2 includes 25 additional stories, “WFT.” Volumes 2 and 3 contain, respectively, eight from “The Sea Shell” (completed April 27, 1943), to “The Jar” (April 7, 1944). Volume 3 adds 22 stories, that Touponce wrote these summaries before his and five summaries; though unsigned, I suspect from “Ýesterday I Lived!,” written in March 1944 and retirement, and that we should expect no more in later volumes. The “Bradbury Chronology” in Volume Black Ferris,” begun in March 1945. All 79 stories 2 adds the years 2010–2013 to the one contained originally titled “No Phones, Private Coffin,” to “The in Volume 1, and Volume 3 carries the chronology from nine “Selected Amateur Publications” in the through 2016. reprinted in these first three volumes are, apart My earlier review devoted a single sentence to 20 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 21 Touponce’s “Introduction.” Eller’s introductions to Apart from the stories themselves, the most volumes 2 and 3 merit more comment. The title of the interesting parts of the two volumes are the introduction to Volume 2, “Disputed Passage,” comes “Chronological Catalogs” discussed above, and the (in slightly edited form) from an epigraphic Walt “Textual Apparatus” sections, which follow the Whitman poem: “Have you not learned great lessons pattern I described in the 2011 review. Returning to from those who braced themselves against you, and the printing history of “The Million Year Picnic”: in the conclusion of that introductory narrative, Eller this choice when he describes Bradbury’s “disputed notes that the story “represents a departure from passagedisputed through the passage the frenetic with you?” wartime (xiii). worldEller clarifies of pulp had written, and would continue for a long time to the predictable kind of science fiction stories he fromfiction…” Henry (xxiii). Kuttner The and “great from lessons,”Leigh Brackett. he argues, The evidencecame from of Bradbury’shis passage first comes agent in Juliusthe 1943 Schwartz, story write…. It was the first tale to carry the very distinct “The Million Year Picnic,” which Eller calls “one of Bradbury stamp of ordinary Earth people redefining Bradbury’s earliest anticipations of his role as a example(and reaffirming) from Volume their 3 humanityis “The Invisible within theBoy,” silent one Space Age visionary” (xxiii). We know the story best ofcanals… those child-centered of a dead Martian stories civilization” mentioned (383).above. AnIts as the concluding entry in Bradbury’s The Martian initial publication in Mademoiselle served Eller as Chronicles, which Eller’s “Textual Apparatus” notes copy text for this edition, but he notes that Bradbury has gone “through eighteen editions and more than included “an extensively revised version” when it a hundred reprints” (392), as well as inclusion as a appeared in Bradbury’s fourth book, The Golden story in many anthologies. The “Historical Collation: Apples of the Sun (1953); the nine pages of collation Post-Copy-Text Substantives” (394–404) shows all show all of those revisions. the changes from the copy text included here (from Planet Stories series have taken us through 19 unpublished stories publications. writtenThe first between three October volumes 1935 of this(when superbly Bradbury edited was The introduction, Summer to the 1946) third in allvolume significant is entitled later 15) and the end of 1937, and through an additional “The Tyranny of Words.” “By the spring of 1944,” 28 stories written in 1937–1938 (some of them Eller begins, Bradbury’s “rising reputation balanced published in fanzines—Volume 1 contains the annotated texts of nine of these stories). Bradbury’s a vision of achieving an enduring legacy as a master storytelleron the threshold who had of a transcended dream. The dreamgenre boundaries”itself was … written in January of 1941 with Harry Hasse and (xiii). Eller’s concise discussion of the 1944–1945 publishedfirst professional the following story November was “The in Pendulum,” Super Science co- Stories. Of the 148 stories written (and for which the pulps (he had eight stories in pulp detective texts or titles survive) between that and “The Black stories chronicles Bradbury’sWeird Tales , fight and tothree move in Planet out of Ferris,” (written in March 1945, and the last story Stories) into more mainstream journals (one each of Volume 3), this series takes us through the 70 magazines,in Charm, Macleans five in , and Mademoiselle), through an stories for which Bradbury earned money. Most of intensive reading program urged on him by Brackett these appeared in sf, fantasy, and detective pulps, and Kuttner. By the end of the year, he had taken four but by the end of March 1945 Bradbury had sold of his child-centered stories (two completed earlier four stories in “major market magazines” (xxviii). in 1944, and two new stories) and sent “all four of them off to the slick magazines; together they would stories which Bradbury made part of novels. Volume 4,The which first onethree may volumes hope for have soon, included will doubtless a number show of further steps in that process. become his first four sales to the major market magazines …” (xxviii). 22 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 23 Media Reviews idea as well: David Bradley steps into the role of the Firstfitting, Doctor, then, bringingthat “Twice the Upon Twelfth a Time” Doctor takes face upto facethis Doctor Who, “Twice Upon a Time” with his original, oldest self. As both Doctors resist Heather McHale their oncoming regenerations, the Twelfth Doctor gets a clear look at his own past, which casts his present self into sharp relief. “Twice Upon a Time.” Doctor Who. Written by Steven Moffat, directed by Rachel Talalay, BBC Studios As though to underscore this message, “Twice Wales, 2017. Upon a Time” also revisits Rusty, the “good Dalek” from “Into the Dalek” (2014). Although it may initially seem like an idiosyncratic choice, Rusty’s Order option(s): Blu-Ray | DVD presence makes perfect thematic sense, as “Into the “Twice Upon a Time,” though it’s the last episode for Dalek” explores the role of experience and memory Peter Capaldi, isn’t primarily a wrap-up of the Twelfth for shaping one’s choices. In that story, Clara and the Doctor reawaken some suppressed memories of Series 10, accomplished that task quite effectively. in Rusty’s data bank, reviving his experiences so Doctor’s story. “The Doctor Falls,” the final episode that he can be open to learning, reason, and change. Rusty’s ability to learn and believe new things is of the most deeply held preoccupations of Doctor due to an error—most Daleks are not capable of WhoInstead, in the “Twice Steven Upon Moffat a Time” era: is memory, a reflection change, on some and the persistence of the self. it. But the Doctor explains that Rusty’s memory of watching the creation of a star is a fundamental, Moffat, who took over as showrunner of Doctor crucial part of what opened up the Dalek’s thought Who in 2010, has long used the show as a vehicle for examining those ideas. In Series 5, for example process. Restoring those suppressed memories will (featuring Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor), ‘expand its consciousness, to consider things beyond the show undertakes an extended examination of its natural terms of reference,’ leaving it ‘open again’ the role of memory in the development of the self, so that the Doctor can reason with it. using memory as a central plot point and engaging The Doctor undergoes this process himself in in substantial, frequent metacommentary about its “Twice Upon a Time.” He’s forced to confront his own former self, as well as several of his companions (in Amy Pond’s ability to remember the things that the form presented by Testimony). He must examine she’ssignificance. experienced. The finale The ofDoctor season manages 5 revolves to aroundrescue his own memories—and assess how deeply he has the rest of the world—using the TARDIS to “reboot already changed—before he can be “open” enough the universe”—but he needs Amy to remember him to consider changing his mind about whether in order for him to be restored. Those memories are to regenerate. The plot, which draws in frozen submerged, inaccessible to her conscious mind. But moments of time, an unknown World War I captain, as the Doctor says to her, ‘Nothing is ever forgotten, and a sinister woman apparently made of glass, is not really.’ The richness of her experience saves the incidental: this story focuses on the Doctor’s own day. This idea of memory as a core element of the evolution, both past and future. self crops up in many other stories of Moffat’s era: The depiction of the First Doctor in “Twice Upon “A Christmas Carol,” “The Rebel Flesh”/“The Almost a Time” isn’t entirely fair; it overplays his sexist People,” and “The Girl Who Waited,” among others. attitudes considerably, and that’s bound to annoy And the threat of the loss of memory—a tragic Hartnell fans. While it’s true that the First Doctor possibility that the viewer will remember from the was sometimes patronizing toward his companions, end of Donna Noble’s story in Series 4—hangs over perhaps especially the female ones, he was almost both “Hell Bent” and “The Pilot.” always the most progressive person in the room. As a result, his remarks in “Twice Upon a Time” At the same time, Capaldi’s tenure on Doctor Who has often focused on the question of his identity, about Polly dusting the TARDIS, for example, ring questioning whether the Doctor is a good man and whether he’s even the same man he used to be. It’s First Doctor would have asserted that all ladies are ‘madefalse. It’s of glass,difficult in ato way.’ imagine Granted, a context the dialogue in which does the 22 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 23 try to draw on the material of the First Doctor era. and the injured German soldier, and adds, ‘Never His reference to Polly dusting, for example, draws on Barbara Wright’s remark in “The Web Planet” This assertion echoes Donna Noble’s pleas in “The (1965) that she’s going to have ‘a jolly good spring Fireshurts—a of Pompeii” couple fewer (‘Just dead save people someone,’ on the she battlefield.’ begs) and clean’ in the TARDIS. But it’s hardly fair to imply that demonstrates that he has learned from her. the Doctor treated his female companions like staff, Doctor Who scholars, as well as scholars of as no one ever expected or asked Barbara to tidy up. Similarly, while Barbara once complains to Susan, episode, as embattled as the show has sometimes ‘I do wish Ian wouldn’t treat us like Dresden china’ beentelevision about at gender. large, willIt is, findperhaps, plenty more to explore disappointing in this (“Keys of Marinus,” 1964), she doesn’t accuse the than surprising that the story so directly addresses Doctor of the same kind of patronizing behavior. Even questions of gender and sexism while ignoring race the one jarring line directly lifted from Hartnell’s altogether. Although the Doctor has discussed race own dialogue, the odd “smack-bottom” remark, several times during Bill’s tenure as companion— plays very differently when it’s spoken to Bill, an as, for example, when he declared that ‘history’s a adult woman the Doctor hardly knows, instead of to whitewash’ in “Thin Ice”—even the most forgiving critic has to acknowledge that Doctor Who has been Despite this inconsistency, “Twice Upon a Time” slow to address race, even in the new series, and doeshis own show fifteen-year-old that the First Doctor granddaughter. is sharp and insightful, “Twice Upon a Time” isn’t breaking any new ground and the mischaracterization serves an important narrative purpose: it’s a textual answer to the kinds to witness the First Doctor’s initially dismissive of sexist claptrap that have sometimes been trotted treatmentin that regard. of Bill Indeed, and not at read some that moments behavior it’s as difficult racially out about the show. This structure allows the script to voice many of the stereotypes that have haunted that he’s equating her with the blonde, white Polly. Doctor Who fandom—the idea that a man may be a Still,inflected, it’s logical even enough if the dialogueto focus on clearly gender, establishes with the Doctor, but a woman would necessarily be a nurse, for example—and then dismiss them. The Twelfth Doctor, the most current and therefore presumably ownfirst historyfemale Doctorrich enough waiting for indetailed the wings, study. and most the most enlightened incarnation of our hero, scholarsIn terms will of simplefind the enjoyment, episode’s “Twiceengagement Upon witha Time” its refuses to countenance any of those attitudes, which delivers: it’s fun to watch, and it’s never boring. Even makes “Twice Upon a Time” a manifesto of sorts. The if the dialogue doesn’t always deliver a recognizable episode says, from beginning to end, that things and First Doctor, David Bradley’s performance certainly people change, and that Doctor Who will not accept does. His grasp of Hartnell’s mannerisms—not just any of those sexist ideas—if, indeed, it ever did. It’s the iconic and possibly overplayed holding of his disappointing for some classic-era fans, perhaps, to lapels, but more subtle elements, such as the way make those statements at the expense of the First that Hartnell uses his eyes to survey a room without Doctor, particularly because he was considerably turning his head—allows him to inhabit the role more progressive than some of the later incarnations naturally, rather than providing an imitation or a (for my money, the nadir of gender politics on the caricature. He wears Hartnell’s quirky costume show is probably in the 1980s, not in the 1960s). effortlessly, and he delivers the most commanding Nonetheless, it’s an important statement for the lines in the script with wonderfully authentic authority (‘Oh, for heaven’s sake, will you put that female Doctor. ridiculous buzzing toy away and look at the woman!’). showIn general, to make, the as Christmas the viewers special prepare juxtaposes for their these first Any review of this story must weigh in on Jodie two incarnations of the Doctor to show how much of course there isn’t enough material to draw any real emphasizes the role the companions have played conclusionsWhitaker’s first about moments what kind onscreen of Doctor as the she’s Doctor, likely but inhe the has Doctor’s changed. evolution. More specifically, When the thisFirst episodeDoctor to be. It is possible to say, however—as though we observes that the Twelfth Doctor has saved the had any doubt—that she’s still an inveterate button- Captain’s life, the Twelfth Doctor agrees that he pusher. While it’s too early to make judgments about rescued (at least temporarily) both the Captain the Thirteenth Doctor, this story does an admirable 24 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 25 job of setting the stage for her. As the show prepares That’s all we get in an opening crawl (like those to enter a new era (with a new showrunner, star, in Star Wars rather than the pop-up titles in the supporting cast, writing team, and composer), original Blade Runner) in the 2017 sequel to the “Twice Upon a Time” explores how profoundly the 1982 classic, and it’s sketchy. So sketchy, in fact, that Doctor has changed over the history of the show, but insists that the Doctor remains essentially the same person. The Twelfth Doctor’s initial refusal weredirector made Denis available Villeneuve online authorized before the three movie; “official” links to regenerate will presumably resonate for viewers tomini-prequel them can nowshort be films found to fillin thein the Wikipedia details, whichentry who are uncertain about the casting of a female for Blade Runner 2049 itself. But even as late as mid-January 2018, only 275,000 people had viewed argument in favor of embracing change, assuring them online, so the millions who saw the movie had viewersDoctor, and that “Twice no matter Upon how a Time” different makes the a show definitive may nothing to go on but the crawl and the opening scene look when it returns in 2018, the Doctor will still be of K (himself an older replicant, not one of the new the Doctor. breed) tracking down and taking out Sapper Morton. In Blade Runner, there was a sense of immersion in a real world of the future, the workings of which were gradually revealed through the story of Rick Deckard. In Blade Runner 2049, there are scattered Blade Runner 2049 glimpses of that world 30 years later, but they don’t John J. Pierce Deckard and Rachael’s child. Only in two of the short Blade Runner 2049, Dir. Villeneuve, Perf. Ryan Gos- add upBlade to anythingRunner Black but Out the 2022 final (anime) revelation and about2036: ling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hooks, Nexus Dawn, do we get the real background of what Robin Wright, Mackenzie Davis, Carla Juri, Lennie hasfilms, become of Los Angeles, the rest of the world and James, Dave Bautista, Jared Leto. the replicant industry. In the third, 2048: Nowhere to Run, we learn why K was out to retire Morton in Order option(s): Amazon | Blu-Ray | DVD | 4k was shown to fans at Comic-Con before release of the SO HERE WE ARE in 2049, 30 years after the events movie,the first and place. posted A timeline, online apparentlyby Jason Kottke based of on Kottke. them, of Blade Runner. org It seems that in 2022, the West Coast was hit by the Replicants are bioengineered humans, Blackout,, “home an of EMP fine (electro-magnetichypertext products.” pulse) set off by designed by Tyrell Corporation for use off- an atmospheric nuclear blast over Los Angeles that world. Their enhanced strength made them shut down cities for weeks and corrupted destroyed ideal slave labor. electronic data over most of the United States. That After a series of violent rebellions, their helps explains why (although it develops that there’s manufacture became prohibited and Tyrell Corp went bankrupt. to Rachael—who died in childbirth and whose son The collapse of ecosystems in the mid-2020s hemore believes to it) it’shimself so hard to be.for KThe to EMPfind leadsalso touchedrelating led to the rise of the industrialist Niander Wallace, whose mastery of synthetic farming also devastates agriculture, leading to a dire food averted famine. shortage.off a global Well, financial that explains and trade why we crash. see what’s Somehow left of it Wallace acquired the remains of Tyrell Corp farmland, now devoted to synthetic food production, and created a new line of replicants who obey. but it doesn’t explain a lot else. Why, for example, is Many older model replicants—Nexus 8s with Los Angeles still a thriving metropolis, whereas just open-ended lifespans—survived. They are outside it is a devastated cityscape that looks far hunted down and “retired.” Those that hunt them still go by the name... the city—and why is that dead city the location of Blade Runner. anworse orphanage than Mosul that plays after such the 2016−2017a key role in Battlethe plot? for Blade Runner was an impressive example of what 24 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 25 Terminator, model replicants” 27 years after that backlash and called “exposition on the run.” One example there: whenJames Kyle Cameron, Reese, regardinga man sent the from first the future to A database of “registered replicants” is destroyed in protect Sarah Connor, sees construction machines the subsequent hunt? And how are they identified? at work, they remind him of hunter-killer machines the hunting continues. of the future. In Blade Runner, we learned about thatYet short in Blade film toRunner preclude, Deckard further and hunting, other and blade yet the nature of replicants and the future city and the runners didn’t seem to have a register; they had to culture behind them through the story. Remember use the Voigt-Kampff test to identify replicants by the teeming streets of Los Angeles, businesses their lack of real emotions. No mention of that in the like Animal Row and the Tyrell subcontractors, sequel, and in any case it is clear that replicants do supporting characters like Tyrell himself and have emotions (so did Batty and Pris and even Leon J.F. Sebastian as well as the iconic replicants Roy in the original, if you count rage.). In 2048: Nowhere Batty and Pris? But there is a little of that in Blade to Run, we learn that Sapper Morton can feel moral Runner 2049. None of the characters are particularly outrage—he gives himself away by using his super- memorable, even the older but hardly wiser Rick strength to kill most of the thugs intent on raping Deckard; they are there as players in the mystery a young human woman and her mother. Was he a plot: Retirement, they wrote. member of the freedom movement that surfaces “They” include Hampton Fancher, lead writer later in movie (its founding is referenced in Black for the original Blade Runner as well as the sequel; Out 2022)? More important, would such a movement behind him, Ridley Scott as producer and chief world- have any more hope of success than, say, the Chinese builder. Villeneuve’s role was more idiosyncratic, freedom movement at Tiananmen Square? And of which more later. Scott had second and third should we admire it unequivocally in any case? It has thoughts about his Blade Runner, as witness his saved Deckard’s child, but wants K to kill Deckard Director’s Cut (1991) and Final Cut (2007). It may himself “for the greater good.” be ironic that only in the voiceover in the 1982 Some of the background in Blade Runner 2049 is theatrical release, giving Rachael an extended life in deliberately revisionist, and this is where Villeneuve order to offer a romantic happy ending for her and comes in. The advertising in Los Angeles in 2049 Deckard, was there any indication that there might be includes some for the Soviet Union. “I went back to replicants with “open-ended lifespans”—something the Philip K. Dick novel and explored the geopolitics Tyrell seemed to rule out in his fatal encounter with of the book,” he explained in an interview with Time. Batty. Yet that became the premise of the sequel, “In the book, the U.S.S.R. was still present. I thought and the basis of the idea that Deckard himself was that it would be interesting to think—what if the such a replicant. Whether this was a good idea or a U.S.S.R was still alive?” Given that Los Angeles in bad idea may not be relevant here, however excited 2017–18 looks nothing like Scott’s version of 2019 fans and critics may be about it. But as an exercise makes it appealing to imagine both Blade Runner in cinematic world-building as well as storytelling, movies as taking place in an alternate history, or Blade Runner 2049 alterative alternate histories. Does that make the The only time we meet Wallace, for example, it is for new movie a reboot as opposed to a sequel? K to learn that he wants suffers the obvious secret of flaws. replicant sexual As for the mystery as opposed to the history, Blade reproduction to increase the output of replicants Runner 2049 works well: it’s all about following (presumably the safe kind, demonstrated in 2036: Nexus Dawn, where one commits suicide on demand) what the clues really are. And while the violence for shipment to the colonies. Yet Tyrell never seemed the clues, and as an sf mystery about figuring out to have any trouble meeting that demand with the Deckard’sof the climax child, is and by theleads Hollywood to a reunion book, of sorts—is the final discovery could lead to a new war between humans aresolution—where winner. we learn what finally became of andartificially replicants. produced But isn’tkind. thereK’s superior one already, Joshi fears with the K The sequel can be studied from a number of and others hunting down replicants who survived viewpoints. The most obvious is the issue of human the earlier backlash by humans, alluded to in Black and Other: K’s holographic girlfriend Joi is a novel Out 2022? How many are left of the “Many older Other; their relationship is an absurdist variation of 26 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 27 that of Deckard and Rachael in the original movie. But Wonder Woman the issues concerning world creation and exposition deserve at least as much attention, and relate to the John J. Pierce human and Other theme; it makes a big difference whether Deckard himself (as Scott now has it, Wonder Woman, Dir. Patty Jenkins, Perf. Gil Gadot, although it isn’t made explicit in the new movie) is Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David a replicant: was his relationship with Rachael one of Thewlis, Connie Nelson, Elena Anaya, Warner human and Other, or only Other and Other? And how Brothers 2017. to cooperative replicants like K and their human supervisors truly feel about each other? What is Order option(s): Amazon | Blu-Ray | DVD | 3D | 4k the legal status of Dr. Ana Stelline, the daughter of Deckard and Rachael? THOSE UNFAMILIAR with comic books and movies One thing I missed was Vangelis. His score for Blade based on them can raise all sorts of quibbles about Runner was magical. The Hans Zimmer-Benjamin Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman, in which the iconic superheroine tries to change the course of World be the in thing these days for soundtracks to be loud. War I, ends up in combat with the God of War, and ButWallfisch while music Blade for Runner the sequel 2049 is worksonly loud. as Ita seemsmystery to learns something about humanity. Yet it stands up as a classic of its genre, and not just because it was a hit. “immersive fantasy” make it disappointing compared tostory, the itsoriginal flaws Bladeas what Runner Farah. We Mendlesohn are shown has too called little, 75-year plus history of superhero comics and the and not even told crucial details that are relegated to Though hardly the stuff of sf, the film is part of the because it is directed by a woman as well as centered more recent history of films inspired by them. And the short films. on a heroine, there has been considerable debate over whether it is “really” a breakthrough for women WORKS CITED in Hollywood, with a number of voices raised against it. Dibdin, Emma. “Is Blade Runner’s Deckard a Repli- Among them were Kyle Killian (“Diana is a warrior, but she is also presented as being as sexy as the Spy, 15 Dec. 2014, www.digitalspy.com/movies/ day is long”) and Theresa Harold (“Let’s start with blade-runner/news/a616639/is-blade-runners-cant? Ridley Scott’s Definitive Answer”. Digital Themyscira, a feminist utopia that consists purely of Victoria’s Secret Angels”), who both thought answer/#~oYOhQbdmEOioE2, Accessed 22 Jan. the movie reduced its heroine to a sex object. But 2018.deckard-a-replicant-ridley-scotts-definitive- Jenkins begged to differ with such criticisms: “I, as a Jenkins, Nash. “Director Denis Villeneuve Proved to Us He Loves Blade Runner More Than Anybody”. badass, and look great at the same time,” she told Time.com, 3 Oct. 2017, time.com/4964530/ woman, want Wonder .Woman And in to be hot as hell, fight, blade-runner-denis-villeneuve-interview/, Ac- Entertainment Weekly The New York Times Gal Gadot added: “She has no gender boundaries. cessed 22 Jan. 2018. To her, everyone is equal.” And the most prominent Kottke, Jason. “The Blade Runner 2049 Backstory”. champion of Wonder Woman was and still is Gloria Kottke.org, 30 Aug. 2017, kottke.org/17/08/the- Steinem, who put her on the cover of as part of a blade-runner-2049-backstory, Accessed 22 Jan. Ms campaign to get DC Comics to restore the heroine’s 2018. lost powers. Asked by whether she liked Williamson, Andy. “AFI’s The Directors: James Cam- Vanity Fair the new movie, she said: “Yes. I thought it was very eron”. The Wordslinger, 28 Mar. 2008, theword- good. It made her Amazon origin story clear; she , was stopping war, not perpetuating it; her strength Accessed 22 Jan. 2018. slinger.com/afis-the-directors-james-cameron/ was communicating in 200 languages; and she was exploring and learning without giving up her uniqueness.” Despite the nay-saying in some quarters, 26 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 27 Wonder Woman can be seen a feminist triumph—a born on the planet Krypton—but he looks (and as blockbuster directed by a woman in a genre where Clark Kent acts like an ordinary Earthman, and in some versions of his saga he even has a relationship lead not only to sequels and other movies about with Lois Lane. Larry Niven ridiculed that idea in superheroinessome films by menbut to have greater been flops,opportunities and sure for to “Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex.” Where the story women generally on the big and small screens. demands it, a superhero or superheroine story can It was long overdue, after generations of male dispense with everyday plausibility. Nobody seems to think it odd, for example, that Few if any other movies have taken so long to reach Steve has brought a woman to the trenches, nor do thedomination screen; theof the Wikipedia superhero entry comic details book a and number film. the soldiers seem awed when Diana does her stuff. of false starts since 1996; during which time the It’s the same when she liberates a Belgian village DC Comics heroine has changed a lot—in 2011, from the Germans—the villagers dance for joy, and she was rebooted as an actual goddess, daughter of Steve gives her a dancing lesson. Yet none of the Zeus, rather than an ordinary Amazon formed from Belgians seem to react as one would expect them to clay and given life by the Greek and Roman gods. the advent of an actual goddess with superhuman It is the new version that Jenkins embraces (with strength and agility. When she later crashes a a screenplay by Allan Heinberg, but based on her German party, taking the place of a German woman, concept)—only with Diana herself being unaware of nobody notices the sword poking out the back of the it until the very end. stolen dress she’s wearing (She has already shown But the new version of Diana (Gadot, who seems she knows foreign languages, but Jenkins should born for the role in both her beauty and the aura she have taken a lead from Judgment at Nuremberg, and projects—and is nothing like Lynda Carter in the old TV series) is still born and raised in Themyscira, shift into English). the hidden island where there aren’t any men but had One the of people the Germans there speakis General German Erich at Ludendorff first, then where women are masters of combat just in case (Huston), who in real life was the supreme commander of German forces—after the war, he When World War I Germans discover the island, in promoted the stab-in-the-back legend of Germany’s pursuitthey need of tothe fight—only American spywith Steve just swordsTrevor (Pine),and bows. we defeat, and allied himself with Hitler although he later turned against him. He even wrote a book the invaders armed with automatic weapons and kill called Total War, in which he argued that the entire themare asked to the to last believe man, whilethat the suffering Amazons only can one outfight fatality physical and moral forces of the nation should be themselves—they can even shoot three arrows at a mobilized, because, according to him, peace was time and unerringly hit three invaders. merely an interval between wars. Diana believes When Diana ventures forth with Steve into our him to be Ares, as well she might. Only she’s wrong. world, hoping to stop World War I by taking out Ares, What’s right about the movie, what redeems it from the god of war, there is the same disconnect. She is the failures of other superhero movies, is what armed only with a sword (supposedly meant for happens next. Ares) and shield. As in the comics, she has bracelets— Most superhero movies are blatant and even but in the comics, she faced only ordinary gunmen. trivial issues—as in Batman v Superman. Wonder Hereupgraded she can to gauntlets lead a charge here—that across can No deflectMan’s Landbullets, in Womancynical ,exercises by contrast, in nothing is about but fighting,something—about often over human nature, about good and evil, about the forces possibly move her arms fast enough, or protect her of darkness and the power of love. It is a spectacle, lowerface of body torrential and her machine legs beyond gun the fire—how gauntlets’ can reach? she of course, but it works as a spectacle, for all its It’s the same in a later battle to take out the base implausibilities, because it believes in itself. where the Germans are producing a new poison gas Diana has believed that Ares alone is responsible that could kill millions and win the war for them. for the evils of mankind, but she is in for a rude Yet such incredulities are the basic stuff of superhero awakening when she confronts the true God of War—a seemingly meek British diplomat named is superpowered and invulnerable because he was Patrick Morgan (Thewlis). In a twist related to the comics and movies. Superman, the first superhero, 28 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 29 new mythology of the movie, he is Diana’s half- met and found comfort with Steve, who declares his brother. But what is more important is that in his love just before he must part from her—to hijack human guise Morgan, unlike Ludendorff, is a man a German bomber, loaded with poison gas, that is of words rather than action. And it is such men of about to take off for London. He must destroy that words, rather than the men of action, who have led plane, and its cargo, at the cost of his own life, to save us into the darkness. Wars began as mere exercises his people. Greater love hath no man. in plunder. It was the men of words who turned war Yet Steve isn’t alone; he has recruited old friends, and oppression into causes. It was they who created no longer in the military themselves, to help him and ultra-nationalism, religious fanaticism, racism, Diana with their mission. They are comic types, but fascism, communism and all other isms that have good men and true—the salt of the earth. And we plagued us through the ages and seem to be reaching have already seen others, like the Belgian villagers, a climax in our time. To the extent that they have taking joy in the ordinary things of life. such beliefs at all, the Ludendorffs of the world feed off the Morgans, to come. But in a sense, that is an anti-climax; it has In A Criminal History of Mankind (1984), Colin to Therebe built is still up theinto final a more reckoning conventional with Morgan/Ares superhero Wilson makes the case that the wars, mass murders battle by giving him a monster suit that conceals— and terrorist outrages of our times do not grow out for a time—the nebbish face of Diana’s adversary. of ordinary crimes like rape and robbery motivated The real culmination of the story has come with the only by the desire to get something for nothing, but are rather “the outcome of a twisted kind of idealism, a token of his love—his wristwatch, which she has an attempt to create a ‘better world’”: alwaysfinal parting thought between rather silly.her and Only Steve, she doesn’t who gives think her so now; it has become precious to her. The frightening thing about the members Sentimental, sure. But perhaps sentimental values of the Japanese Red Brigade who machine- are the only true values, as opposed to the sundry gunned passengers at Lod airport, or the causes that contend for our souls but threaten to Italian terrorists who burst into a university turn us into moralistic automatons. Diana knows classroom and shot the professor in the legs— this, at the end: alleging that he was teaching his students ‘bourgeois values’—is that they were not I used to want to save the world, to end criminal lunatics but sincere idealists. When war and bring peace to mankind. But then I we realise this we recognise that criminality glimpsed the darkness that lives within their is not the reckless aberration of a few moral light. I learnt that inside every one of them delinquents but an inevitable consequence there will always be both. The choice each must make for themselves - something no side’ of our capacity for creativity. The worst hero will ever defeat. And now I know... that crimesof the developmentare not committed of intelligence, by evil degenerates, the ‘flip only love can truly save the world. but by decent and intelligent people taking ‘pragmatic’ decisions. ruminations on human history, in Justice League— That’s an issue that, like the feminist debate, might whereThere Gadot isn’t as roomWonder for Woman such has reflections, to share the or be raised in the classroom as well as among fans. stage with Superman and Batman in epic battle with But what makes it dramatic is how Morgan uses a gang of alien “parademons” out to destroy Earth’s the power of words to intimidate Diana as they are ecology. But can hope to see her in another stand- about to do battle. “Just look around you”, he tells alone movie in which she can speak and act from her her. “Look at what they are, what they have made own soul. themselves: They don’t deserve your protection.” She seems helpless to gainsay him, and yet she does: “You were right about them—but they are so much WORKS CITED more.” She knows we are so much more because she has Desta, Yohana. “How Gloria Steinem Saved Wonder 28 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 29 Woman”. Vanity Fair, 10 Oct. 2017, www.vanity- 22 Jan. 2018. fair.com/hollywood/2017/10/gloria-steinem- Niven, Larry. “Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex”. All wonder-woman, Accessed 22 Jan. 2018. the Myriad Ways, 1971. Harold, Theresa. “Why Wonder Woman Isn’t the Sperling, Nicole. “Wonder Woman: Gal Gadot, Feminist Fantasy We’ve Been Told It Is”. Metro. Robin Wright, Connie Nielsen First Look”. En- co.uk, 24 Jun. 2017, metro.co.uk/2017/06/24/ tertainment Weekly. 15 Jul. 2016, ew.com/ar- why-wonder-woman-isnt-the-feminist-fantasy- ticle/2016/07/15/wonder-woman-gal-gadot- weve-been-told-it-is-6731062/#ixzz4sI1piwau. interview/. Accessed 22 Jan. 2018. Accessed 22 Jan. 2018. Sulcas, Roslyn. “Can Gal Gadot Make Wonder Wom- Killian, Kyle. “How Wonder Woman Is and Isn’t a an a Hero for Our Time?”. New York Times, 4 Feminist Superheroine Movie”. Psychology Today, May 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/05/04/ 19 Jun. 2017, www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ movies/wonder-woman-dc-comics-gal-gadot. intersections/201706/how-wonder-woman-is- html?mcubz=3. Accessed 22 Jan. 2018. and-isnt-feminist-superheroine-movie. Accessed 30 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 31 Announcements • genetic manipulation, computer prosthesis, and other modes of cognitive enhancement; Call for Papers—Conference • brainhacks; games, gamificiation, and other Title: SCIENCE FICTION RESEARCH ASSOCIATION • universal basic income and other modes ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2018 of postcapitalism; Conference Theme: The Future of Labor • Deadline: 30 March, 2018 utopian, dystopian, and otherwise; the politics of artificial intelligence, Contact: [email protected] • representations of nonhuman, robotic, Dates: Sunday 1st–Wednesday 4th July, 2018 labor across the last two centuries of artificially intelligent, and postcapitalist KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Peter Frase (author of Four Futures) science fiction texts. Rebekah Sheldon (author of The Child to Come) Of course we also welcome papers on topics The Science Fiction Research Association invites relevant to science fiction research broadly conceived proposals for its 2018 annual conference, to be held theme. that are not specifically related to the conference on the campus of Marquette University in Milwaukee, Graduate students are encouraged to apply and WI. In keeping with Milwaukee’s long history as a attend; as with previous SFRA conferences, the site of labor activism and union struggle, including the famous Bay View Massacre of protestors striking roundtables and workshops devoted to targeted at first day of conference programming will include for the eight-hour-workday and the longest Socialist early-career teachers and researchers working in mayoral tenure in US history—as well as ongoing SF studies and in the study of popular culture more and increasingly urgent global concerns about the generally. autonomous robots—the overarching theme of SFRA Submission: 300-500 word abstracts should be sent 2018rise of will machine be “The learning, Future ofartificial Labor.” intelligence,When machines and to [email protected] by March 30, 2018. cannot match, and perhaps can no longer even 2018. We also welcome submission of preconstituted Notification of acceptance will occur by April 15, understand—whatthink and work—at will speeds become and ofefficiencies human beings? humans panels and roundtables. Possible subtopics might include: Questions concerning the call for papers can be directed to [email protected] with the • subject line “CFP QUESTION,” or to the conference’s and algorithmic culture; local organizers, Gerry Canavan (Marquette • theartificial rise of intelligence, the machines; machine automation learning, and University, [email protected]) and labor; Peter Sands (UWM, [email protected]). • the Singularity; • drone warfare; • automated and robotic care labor; Title: Worlding SF: Building, Inhabiting, and • the gig economy and hyperexploitiation; Understanding Science Fiction Universes • hyperexploitation and technology in the Deadline: 16th February 2018 academy; Contact: [email protected] • automation and the digital economy; Dates: 6–8 December 2018 • automation and the environment, especially climate change; Everything is (in) a world. • automation and disability; • automation and race, gender, sexuality, and class; Martin Heidegger remarked in his 1950 essay “The “To be a work [of art] means: to set up a world,” • nonhuman labor and nonhuman laborers; Origin of the Work of Art” (2002, 22). Tellingly, some 30 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 31 four decades later, Carl Malmgren suggested that “the these three thematic clusters—(a) world-building, generic distinctiveness of sf lies not in its story but in its world” (1991, 7). Both Malmgren and Heidegger worlds (both from the characters’ and readers’/ viewers’/players’/fans’(b) processes and practices points ofof view), being inand fictional (c) the seemingly naturalized subtextual messages these plausiblehave a point—fiction, worlds than andtelling more convincing specifically stories. science In fantastic visions communicate (or sometimes even responsefiction, is to generally the effects more and challenges interested of intransmedia creating self-consciously address). Accordingly, we would convergence, Istvan Csicsery-Ronay has more like to invite interested scholars to submit panel proposals and/or abstracts for individual papers on the relationships in the narrative, even when the topics that may include, but are by no means limited actionrecently is remarked full of dramatic that world-building movement” “determine[s] (2008, 82). to: Accordingly, everything is (happening) in a world, a (more or less) coherent and cohesive world. • (transmedia) storytelling and world- Following Heidegger’s elaborations in Being and building (establishing coherence, Time (1927), one may argue that entering such a explaining contradictions, embracing fantastic world means being thrown into it, as the contradictions, world-building beyond reader/viewer/player must learn to navigate the storytelling, etc.) • the (im)mutability of sf worlds (retconning the operating principles of itsfictional relation world to the and world to understand (2010, 169–73). its underlying As such, established universes) Heidegger’srules. This “thrownness”approach opens defines up ways the subjectto begin and to • world-building and philosophy understand the ways in which we become immersed • human and nonhuman agents’ being-in- in—and engaged with—sf universes. In the aforementioned essay “The Origin of the Work • worlds as characters in their own right • engagingthe-(fictional) with world sf storyworlds/universes (e.g. fan culture, but also popular culture Neitherof Art,” Heidegger is world stressesa merely that imaginary “[w]orld isframework.” not a mere “Worldscollection world,” of the hethings concludes, [...] that meaning are present that at we hand. are their fans) subject to worlding “as long as the paths of birth and • movementrepresentations (and/or of specific the lack sf thereof) worlds andin/ of sf worlds 23; italics in original). Similar to the ways in which • (overcoming) marginalization in sf worlds thedeath previous [...] keep paragraph us transported condenses into being” Heidegger’s (2002, (race, class, gender, sexuality, species) • non-western conceptualizations of sf 260) Heidegger’s notion of “worlding,” suggesting worlds (e.g. indigenous cosmologies) thatconcepts, the “worlding” Gayatri Spivak of any has text“vulgariz[ed carries ideological ...]” (1985, • sf worlds and the “real” world baggage—political messages that simultaneously Confirmed keynote speakers: seek to erase themselves. Heidegger himself, for • Mark Bould (University of the West of example,nat- uralize denied specific nonhuman concepts agents and the always-already capability of England, Bristol, United Kingdom) worlding, stating that “plants and animals have no • Gerry Canavan (Marquette University, United States) which they have been put” (2002, 23). As a result, • Pawel Frelik (Maria Curie-Sklodowska buildingworld; they worlds belong seems [...] to theto [...]necessitate environment creating into University, Lublin, Poland) hierarchies, which lead to processes of oppression and marginalization—from the colonial subtexts of Submission: We have two separate deadlines canonical texts Spivak uncovered and the feminist sf of Ursula K. Le Guin, Joanna Russ, and Octavia Butler line, please submit only your panel proposals (i.e., to afrofuturism and visions of the future in which 300–500-wordfor panel and paperpitches proposals. for your Forpanels). the first You dead-may, Earth liberates itself from human dominance. of course, already recruit scholars for your panels The conference “Worlding SF” seeks to explore and include a tentative list of speakers; however, 32 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 33 individual paper abstracts (no matter whether ignorance.” (Edward O. Wilson, Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight track) will be due at a later point. for Life) submitted for the open track or for a specific panel/ Timeline: Myth and fantasy have always been forms of collective Deadline for panel proposals: January 31, 2018 dreaming. They offer metaphorical grounding in Acceptance of panel proposals: February 16, 2018 existing reality but inspire imagination to conceive Deadline for paper abstracts: April 15, 2018 of a world that is different. Humanity has used myth and fantasy as vehicles for exploring the notions Panel proposals should be emailed to contact@ of heroism, group identity, power and destiny; for worlding-sf.com; for individual paper abstracts, asking questions about the meaning of life, ethics, please use the submission form on the conference and happiness; for expressing social criticism and website (www.worlding-sf.com), which will be speculating about the supernatural. What do these online from February 20 to April 15. questions mean at a time when human activity has Limited funding for independent scholars and been altering the planet in game-changing ways? graduate students may be available. In order to create How can myth and fantasy be used for hopeful a more inclusive environment for international dreaming that is not escapist? Can they point a way scholars who may have funding, scheduling, and/ to restoring the connection with the natural rather or travel issues, the conference will feature a Skype than the supernatural? Can they articulate a vision track. We expect papers to be presented live (and of non-anthropocentric life, in which humans are not to be pre-recorded), however. part of rather than rulers of the biosphere? Organizers: Stefan "Steve" Rabitsch, Michael Fuchs, This conference aims to explore the challenges and Stefan Brandt (University of Graz) and opportunities for myth and fantasy that A volume based on selected conference papers have arisen out of highly contested debates over will be published with the University of Wales Press’ climate change, pollution, habitat extinction, mass New Dimensions in Science Fiction series, edited pauperization and migrations, and other effects of global capitalism’s assault on the natural and human distributed by the University of Chicago Press in world—an assault otherwise known as “growth and Northby Paweł America.) Frelik and Patrick B. Sharp. (FYI: UWP is development.” If myth and fantasy remain relevant If you have any questions, please drop us an email vehicles for hopeful dreaming, how do they operate at [email protected]. in the Anthropocene? Do they accept, ignore, or challenge the Anthropocene’s assumptions? Whose visions of change do they express or sanction and Title: Fantasy and Myth in the Anthropocene whose visions do they exclude? Most of all, can Deadline: 28th February 2018 fantasy and myth help us rethink what it means to Contact: [email protected] be human at the time Amitav Gosh has dubbed “The Dates: 3–5 October 2018 Great Derangement”? We invite scholars, graduate students, artists “The relationship between myth and fantasy is a the humanities, education, and social sciences. We many meanings and applications that they can be alsoand independentwelcome submissions researchers from allundergraduate fields across particularly convolutedsynonyms one. ... [B]oth or direct words contraries.” have so students. Proposals may range, but are not limited (Brian Attebery, Stories about Stories) and game studies, cognitive science, art, religious “The Anthropocene is a belief that humanity has studies,to, comparative philosophy, literary education, studies, popular linguistics, culture, film already changed the living world beyond repair broad spectrum, we invite participants to examine, completely overtaken and ruled by humanity. ... interpretmusic, material and explore culture, the and various related aspects fields. Across of fantasy this Like most... [and mistaken that] thephilosophies, destiny of thethe Anthropoceneplanet is to be and myth in the Anthropocene. Presentations on the worldview is largely a product of well-intentioned theme are encouraged but not required. 32 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 33 Relevant topics may include: for the keynotes, all conference presentations will have to be delivered in 20 minutes. Conference • The Anthropocene as represented in Registration fee, payable by April 30, is €65. Authors fantasy, including fantasy art of selected presentations may be invited to submit • How fantasy engages with, or avoids their essays for a peer-reviewed collection. the Anthropocene’s moral, ethical, and political challenges • Anthropocene as a myth or myths for the Anthropocene • Myth and fantasy on stories about Call for Papers—Articles humanity’s ultimate triumph or inevitable end Title: CFP: Gothic Nature: New Directions in Ecohorror • Magical beliefs about the Anthropocene and the Ecogothic • Science and Fake News about the Completed Chapter Deadline: 15th April 2018 Anthropocene as part of the fantasy Contact: [email protected] spectrum • Indigenous and global fantasy vs the “Horror is becoming the environmental norm.” — Anthropocene Sara L. Crosby • Fantasy, myth, and new humanism (or posthumanism) • Fantasy as a modern form of mythmaking • Fantasy, ecopoetics, and the ethos of fears.Gothic Wood and horrorargues that fictions horror have is ‘the long struggle functioned for “greenness” recognitionas vivid reflections of all that ofour contemporary society represses cultural or • Films, cartoons, video games, oppresses’, and Newman puts forward the idea that picturebooks, comics, graphic novels it ‘actively eliminates and exorcises our fears by and other (multimodal) formats as allowing them to be relegated to the imaginary realm representing the new(?) relationship between humans and nature has become a locus of those fears for many people, • Ecocritical and/or Anthropocene readings andof fiction’. this journal Now, seeks more to than investigate ever, the the environment wide range of myth and fantasy • Fantasy, myth, and the apocalypse darker side of nature. • Fantasy of survival or resetting of the ofAs Gothic- we inch and ever horror-inflected closer toward texts an thatanthropogenic tackle the current civilization • Work of Ursula K Le Guin, N. K. Jemisin, attention. In 2009, Simon C. Estok highlighted the and other writers dealing with the importanceecological crisis, of ‘ecophobia’ this type ofin fiction representations demands ourof Anthropocene nature, emphasising the need for ecocriticism to acknowledge the ‘irrational and groundless hatred of Presentations need not be limited to the above topics the natural world’ present in contemporary society. or one mode of delivery. We encourage prospective Tom J. Hillard responded to Estok’s call ‘to talk participants to submit proposals for papers, panels, forums, workshops, multimedia events or propose and recognizable discourse’, suggesting that ‘we new presentation formats. If unsure, direct questions needabout look how no fear further of the than natural the richworld and is varieda definable vein [email protected]). of critical approaches used to investigate fear in literature.’ What happens, he asks, ‘when we bring Submission:to Tereza Dědinová Proposals ( may be submitted in English, Czech or Slovak. Send an abstract of no more than bear on writing about nature?’ 500 words accompanied by a short biographical theGothic critical Nature tools seeks associated to address with Gothic this fictionquestion, to note to [email protected]. The deadline for interrogating the place of non-human nature in proposal submissions is February 28, 2018. Authors horror and the Gothic today, and showcasing the most exciting and innovative research currently 34 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 35 will be notified of acceptance by March 15. Except interested for our inaugural issue in articles which being conducted in the field. We are especially traditionally considered the purview of religion, and discern the distinctions between ‘ecohorror’ askingScience questions fiction about wanders the ordering perennially of the in universe, realms andaddress ‘ecogothic’. ecocritical We welcometheory and academic endeavour articles to define from the nature of existence, and the proper basis for a variety of different subject backgrounds, as well as human (and non-human) relations. When the interdisciplinary work. Subjects may include, but are by no means limited toward imagining societies shaped by distinct sets to: ofspeculative values, often force those of systems science of fiction value are is or directed could be understood to be religious. This Special Issue • Ecohorror and the ecogothic: theory and of Religions journal will explore the ways science distinctions • Ecocriticism and horror literature/media are either explicitly or implicitly religious, both in • Ecocriticism and Gothic literature/media recastingfiction constructs received religious social systems forms, and of meaning in imagining that • Gothic nature/ecophobia new forms of its own. What wider social assumptions • Global ecohorror/global ecogothic are being rehearsed when the crew on Battlestar • Environmental activism and horror/the Gothic we all”? Or when any imagined community functions • Human nature vs. nonhuman nature accordingGalactica joins to shared in the (orritualized at least affirmation enforced) general“So say • Rural Gothic principles that take on the power of religious norms? • Landscapes of fear • Legends of haunted nature/Gothic nature recalibration, or rejection might be at work in and mythology resistanceWhat religiously to those motivated social processesfoundations? of refinement, Our focus • Monsters in nature/natural spectres will be on the issues—aesthetic, ethical, spiritual, • Climate change and Gothic nature • Environmental apocalypse social frameworks for answering the religious • Animal horror questionpractical—raised “How shall by we science live?” fictionand its asconcomitant, it invents • Gothic nature in art through the ages “How shall we not live.” Articles addressing science Submission: If you are interested in submitting a and television, are welcome. Information about the piece for our inaugural issue, please send an article journalfiction and in any the special form, includingissue is available written here: texts, http:// film of 6-8,000 words, using Harvard referencing, along www.mdpi.com/journal/religions/special_issues/ with a brief biography to gothicnaturetcd@gmail. . com by April 15th, 2018. Our current editorial board includes Dr Elizabeth Submission:sciencefiction Manuscripts should be submitted Parker, Emily Bourke, Dr Bernie Murphy, Professor online at www.mdpi.com by registering (https:// Simon C. Estok, Professor Andrew Smith, Professor susy.mdpi.com/user/register) and logging in Dawn Keetley, and Dr Stacy Alaimo. (https://susy.mdpi.com/user/login). Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published Title: So Say We All: Religion and Society in Science continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and Fiction (Special Issue of Religions journal) will be listed together on the special issue website. Completed Chapter Deadline: 1st August 2018 The “article processing charge” for this issue will be Contact: James Thrall ([email protected]) waived or covered by a grant. 34 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 35 Science Fiction Research Association www.sfra.org The Science Fiction Research Association is the oldest professional organization for the study of science fiction and fantasy literature and film. Founded in 1970, the SFRA was organized to improve classroom teaching; to encourage and assist scholarship; and to evalu- ate and publicize new books and magazines dealing with fantastic literature and film, teaching methods and materials, and allied media performances. Among the membership are people from many countries—students, teachers, professors, librarians, futurologists, readers, authors, booksellers, editors, publishers, archivists, and scholars in many disciplines. Academic affiliation is not a requirement for mem- bership. Visit the SFRA Website at www.sfra.org. For a membership application, contact the SFRA Treasurer or see the Website. SFRA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President Immediate Past President Vice President Keren Omry Paweł Frelik Gerry Canavan Dept. of English Language & Literature Dept. of American Literature and Culture English Dept. Room 1607, Eshkol Tower Maria Curie-Sklodowska University Marquette Hall 244 University of Haifa, Pl. Marii Curie-Sklodowskiej 4 Marquette University Mount Carmel, Haifa 3190501 Lublin 20-031, Poland Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881 [email protected] Paweł[email protected] [email protected] Secretary Treasurer Jenni G. Halpin David Higgins Savannah State University, Depart- Inver Hills Community College ment of English, Languages, and 2500 80th Street East Cultures (20029), 3219 College Inver Grove Heights, MN 55076 Street, Savannah, Ga 31404 [email protected] [email protected] SFRA Standard Membership Benefits SFRA Optional Membership Benefits SFRA Review Foundation Four issues per year. This newsletter/journal surveys the field (Discounted subscription rates for members) of science fiction scholarship, including extensive reviews Three issues per year. British scholarly journal, with critical, of fiction and nonfiction books and media, review articles, historical, and bibliographical articles, reviews, and letters. and listings of new and forthcoming books. The Review also Add to dues: $36 (seamail); $43 (airmail). posts news about SFRA internal affairs, calls for papers, and updates on works in progress. Science Fiction Film and Television Three issues per year. Critial works and reviews. Add to dues: SFRA Annual Directory $59 (e-issue only); $73 (airmail). One issue per year. Members’ names, contact information, and areas of interest. Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts Four issues per year. Scholarly journal, with critical and bibli- SFRA Listserv ographical articles and reviews. Add to dues: $40/1 year (US); Ongoing. The SFRA listserv allows members to discuss $50/1 year (international); $100/3 years. topics and news of interest to the SF community, and to query the collective knowledge of the membership. Femspec To join the listserv or obtain further information, visit Critical and creative works. Add to dues: $50 (US); $95 (US wiz.cath.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/sfra-l. institutional); $60 (international); $105 (international insti- tutional). Extrapolation Three issues per year. The oldest scholarly journal in the field, with critical, historical, and bibliographical articles, book re- views, letters, occasional special topic issues, and annual in- dex. Science Fiction Studies Three issues per year. This scholarly journal includes criti- cal, historical, and bibliographical articles, review articles, reviews, notes, letters, international coverage, and annual index. 36 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 SFRA Review 323 Winter 2018 PB