Issue 16 - July 1996

At the date of this editorial there are 35 members of the SF SIG, which makes it quite a large special interest group by Mensa standards. It is a large enough number to provide a reasonable impression of the interests of today's SF fans generally - or at least the intelligent ones with Internet access. Judging from the interests stated on their applications for membership of the SF SIG, over half of respondents are Trekkies - not a surprising result given the phenomenal popularity of the Star Trek industry. Although in my opinion the original series was frequently dicey, with clichéd scripts and unimaginative settings, its characters bore it through three seasons and seven movies. Subsequent Trek series have built on its strengths and overcome many of its deficiencies.

The next most popular SF interest is Golden Age written science fiction, a favourite of almost 40% of respondents. The most popular author mentioned is Isaac Asimov, a former Honourary Vice President of Mensa, whom 11 respondents name. Although more SF is written today than it was in the Golden Age, the quality of much of the early literature continues to impress today's readers. Despite the progress SF has recently made, Golden Age novels and stories are often simply more enjoyable to read than their modern counterparts.

Hopefully this issue will satisfy both camps. The feature article is an interview with "Shred" from the Sci-Fi Channel, and we also have part 2 of the Doctor Who/Star Trek: The Next Generation serial Of Kings and Pawns. The Fiction Archives return after a recess of several months with a review of L Ron Hubbard's doorstopper Battlefield Earth, as does the Coolest 10 SF Sites column. Please email your comments and contributions to the editor.

Contents

Fiction Archives: Battlefield Earth by L Ron Hubbard

Coolest 10 SF Sites #4

Interview with Shred from the Sci-Fi Channel

Serial: Of Kings and Pawns, part 2 by Kevin Karmann

Fiction Archives: Battlefield Earth by L Ron Hubbard

There's one thing worse than an over-hyped author, and that's a self-over-hyped author. The late L Ron Hubbard falls into the latter class, thanks to the efforts of the Scientology industry to promote his fiction alongside his non-fiction works. Hubbard (who once declared that the best way to get rich would be to start your own religion, and who later proceeded to do exactly that*) continues to attract devotion and hatred in about equal measures. Nevertheless, his services to science fiction should not be underrated. As one of the pioneers of the genre during the Golden Age he influenced many of SF's greatest authors, and his Writers of the Future competition continues to encourage new authors today.

After many years devoted to Scientology and Dianetics, Hubbard's fiction renaissance arrived with his 1982 epic, Battlefield Earth. It is a sprawling tale that begins on Earth in the year 3000, after a millennium of occupation by the alien Psychlos and their Intergalactic Mining Company. The Psychlos (who have green blood, and names like "Zzt", "Terl" and "Snit") have exterminated almost the entire population of the planet with poison gas, and are plundering its mineral wealth. Our hero, Jonnie Goodboy Tyler, lives in a mountain village which has regressed to barbarism, and whose only knowledge of the invaders lies in legends of "monsters" in the plains. With the villagers ailing from an unknown cause, Jonnie sets out on horseback to explore such wild unknowns as the ruined city of Denver.

Jonnie sat his horse in the middle of what must have been the main path of the "great village." He frowned, straining to comprehend the building of such a place. Many men? But how could they reach so high?

Jonnie is soon captured by a megalomanical Psychlo, who trains him in Psychlo language and technology, to enable him to mine gold from an area dangerous to Psychlos. To assist in the mining project a tribe of Scots is recruited from the Scottish highlands. Jonnie and the Scots waste no time in plotting the overthrow of the planet's conquerors.

"If we miss," Robert the Fox repeatedly told them, "and slip up on the tiniest detail, those plains out there will once again be crawling with trans-shipped Psychlo tanks and the sky studded with battle planes. The home planet of the Psychlos would retaliate with ferocity. We would have no course open save to withdraw into the old military base and probably perish of asphyxiation when they resort to gas.

After an initial victory, the rejuvenated human race still have to overcome treachery from within, continued Psychlo plotting, and visitors from several other aggressive alien civilisations. In the course of these dramas Battlefield Earth moves from war story to political thriller to sci-fi to comedy and back again several times.

The spacecraft Aknar II rode in orbit four hundred twenty-one miles above the planet Earth.
The small gray man sat in a small gray office in the ship. He was looking at small gray instruments.
He was only partly finished with a critical analysis and he was not even vaguely satisfied with it.
A bottle of pills sat on his desk, pills for indigestion.

To call Hubbard's writing style pulpy is an understatement. Suffice to say that his writing contains millions of examples of hyperbole, a list of cliches as long as your arm, and exclamation marks aplenty! After his death, the publishers of his "dekology" Mission Earth tried to pass off the same writing style as satire, but this is a unlikely excuse. Hubbard simply never learned - or never wanted - to write other than low-brow "boys' own" adventure fiction, and his legacy is best appreciated once this fact is understood.

Battlefield Earth is a very entertaining read.

Six needle-like craft were coming down like arrows.
Clearly, using Psychlo, Jonnie said, "Six new hornets from above!" That would warn Stormalong.
There was Glencannon. Streaking along at about one hundred thousand feet, flat-out, heading for the minesite. Where was his escort? He should have an escort. No sign of them!
Four needles were shooting along behind Glencannon. Occasionally a long-range flash of fire laced out from them.
There went Stormalong!

Although Battlefield Earth is an enjoyable novel, it could not be called an inventive one. The situations contrived by Hubbard are standard fare of war and espionage novels - including many of Hubbard's own non-science fiction works. The technology of the novel is not particularly exciting either, apart from a variation on the standard force-field, and an interesting (if dubious) propulsion system for aeroplanes. There are even some short-sighted lapses in predicting Earth's own near-future technology; for instance, before Earth fell to the Psychlos, its public libraries were still using card catalogues.

Another fault lies in the latter third of the book, which introduces too many new aliens to whom the first two thirds of the book had given us no introduction. This suggests bad planning by Hubbard, who may have been too intent on writing "the biggest sf novel ever in terms of length" (as he boasts in the Introduction) to worry about narrative flow. One alien invasion should have been enough for this particular tale.

Nonetheless Battlefield Earth is a good book for those who like an old-fashioned invasion story, with all the twists, turns and subterfuge of a spy novel. As long as you don't look for deeper meanings or demand elegance of expression, you'll keep turning the pages and come away from Battlefield Earth with a smile on your face.

* Ed: I am now reliably informed the attribution of this statement to L Ron is actually rhetorical.

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Coolest 10 SF Sites #4

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Interview with Shred from the Sci-Fi Channel

"Shred" is the Webmaster of The Dominion, the popular Web site of the Sci-Fi Channel. Shred recently spoke with Ibn Qirtaiba about science fiction television and the Internet, amongst other topics.

IQ: Tell me a little about the history of the Sci-Fi Channel.

SR: Sci-Fi Channel was launched in the U.S. in September 1992. Presently, we reach 30 million homes across the U.S. We also have "versions" of our channel available in Europe and Southern Africa. Since shows and movies are syndicated by nation, the feeds we run in Europe and Africa differ substantially from our U.S. feed. And our sister channel, the USA Network, runs a spanish and portuguese network in Latin America that features a day of "sci-fi" programming, Sabados de Sci-Fi.

IQ: The phrase "Sci-Fi" has derogatory connotations to some fans, who consider that it implies "B grade" of media science fiction and "pulp" of written science fiction. On the other hand these are just the kinds of science fiction that other fans love. Was this a consideration present in the minds of the Sci-Fi Channel's staff when they chose its name?

SR: It certainly was. "Naming" is a very important issue for many sub-cultures (and I use the prefix "sub" simply to denote a group within the main "culture," not as a reflection of its quality in relation to that culture). "Sci-Fi" versus "SF," "trekkie" versus "trekker"...it's part of an on-going process by which some members of the genre community seek to distinguish themselves from those seen as "lesser" fans. This isn't an argument in which we wanted to get involved. For the general public, the name of the genre is "sci-fi" (rhymes with "hi-fi," not "skiffy") and we wanted to name the channel in a way that would allow most people to instantly identify us and understand who we were. If we'd called ourselves "SFTV" or "The Speculative Fiction Network" we would've confused a lot of people. Interestingly, Harlan Ellison, a frequent commentator on our program Sci-Fi Buzz, still refuses to say the name of our channel on the air!

Speaking of names, people often ask why we show non-sci-fi programs like Forever Knight or Beauty And The Beast. While it's true that our name is "The Sci-Fi Channel," we think of our genre as sci-fi, fantasy, horror and even a little sci-fact. While this may offend some purists, we feel there is enough overlap in interest among the fans of those genres to justify the inclusion of that kind of programming on our channel.

IQ: Who came up with the idea of establishing The Dominion as the Sci-Fi Channel's extension on the World Wide Web? What is the significance of the name?

SR: Sci-Fi Channel had long had a presence on Prodigy and America On-Line. In fact, we were one of the first cable networks to reach out to the on-line community. When the World Wide Web arrived, we felt it was only natural to move our efforts into that environment. So we were one of the first networks - cable or otherwise - to launch a Website.

We bounced around a lot of ideas for the name and The Dominion just sounded the most cool. Also, it specifically isn't linked to Sci-Fi Channel. We wanted The Dominion to be more than just information about the channel. Our goal was to make The Dominion the place on the Web to go for science fiction, offering information about books, games, shows and movies that may have nothing to do with Sci-Fi Channel or may even compete with Sci-Fi. Thus, we selected a name that was not specifically tied to the name of our network.

IQ: The Internet and science fiction have had quite a long history together. How did you first become involved with each?

SR: Who, me? Well, I think all of us here at Sci-Fi Channel and The Dominion became involved with science fiction the usual way: sometime between the ages of 8 and 14 we saw, heard or read something that enraptured us, opened our minds to new ways of thinking, invited us to look at what is through the lens of what might be. But beyond that, I think everyone is a science fiction fan to some extent or another. Something like, what, six of the top ten grossing films in the U.S. have been science fiction films. That can't be a coincidence.

There's always been a natural connection between science fiction fans and technology, too. While not all SF fans seek to surround themselves with the latest gadgets, most are not afraid when something new comes along. Those of us who work on The Dominion were exposed to the Internet at work or in school and have gravitated towards it at as medium for creative expression.

And you're quite right - science fiction and the Internet have long been closely related. That's why we decided to make our website a science fiction website, not just a Sci-Fi Channel one. With all of the resources available to our network, we would've been passing up a golden opportunity to give something back to the science fiction community if we made our Website merely promotional.

IQ: With the imminent arrival of the much-hyped Information Superhighway, is it possible that the Sci-Fi Channel might employ on-line services not merely to promote its programming, but to deliver it, through video-on-demand?

SR: I have to disagree with the implication that our on-line service has been created "merely to promote [our] programming." Come to our website and you'll see that Sci-Fi listings and promotion are only a fraction of our content. But I won't go making speeches here. Visit The Dominion and see for yourself.

As for your question, the answer is...sort of. Sci-Fi Channel is dedicated to exploring the possibilities of broadband and narrowband convergence, utilizing the assets of each medium to create a new kind of programming that will take advantage of the best of both media. This is very different, conceptually, from simply rerouting our feed from cable boxes to modems. While it's novel to see TV shows on your computer screen, it's a lot more enjoyable to see them on your TV set. Simply repurposing TV programming for the internet isn't something that really excites us.

Since the launch of our website (and the creation of USA/Networks' New Tech Department), we have begun experimenting with this idea of convergence, little by little. Our first big experiment was The Prisoner On-Line Chat. During the Summer '95, we ran a live chat during our presentation of The Prisoner. The image was reduced slightly and on-line chat, one post at a time, was run beneath the image. We did this for all 17 episodes of The Prisoner. It was a lot of fun. We learned quite a bit about the strengths and weaknesses of running chat on TV. The best part, actually, was the chatting that went on during and about the commercials which, needless to say, we could not put on air!

Another experiment we've done worked in the opposite direction. In celebration of our first anniversary on-line, we created a CUSeeMe reflector that was broadcasting our channel over the Internet. Anyone could connect, but they were only able to connect for 2 minutes at a time. The image quality was pretty poor (small screen, black and white, functionally only about 4 frames per second on most connections) but it was something we believe hadn't been done before. And the response was quite favorable. CUSeeMe won't be replacing anyone's 27" TV anytime soon, though.

We anticipate more experiments of this nature, both on-air and on-line, in the near future.

IQ: What are the future plans of the Sci-Fi Channel? Is there any prospect of it reaching Australia?

SR: Anything's possible. I know that we're currently looking into expanding Sci-Fi into a number of new markets, including some in the Pacific. But I don't know what our specific plans for Australia might be.

Our general plans are to continue to grow. We'll be launching a number of new information-based series in the coming year and hope to create an original dramatic series within the next year. In the U.S., we've announced that we'll be acquiring a dual-feed in September 1997 which will allow us to open up some of our programming schedule - right now, we need to repeat our prime-time shows, once for the East coast and again for the West coast. And we're eagerly anticipating September 1998, at which time we'll be able to begin airing the original Star Trek series, uncut. I don't believe it has aired uncut on U.S. television since its initial run.

IQ: What are the most popular programs screening on the Sci-Fi Channel? What are your favourites, whether screening at the moment or not?

SR: Right now, I only have access to our U.S. ratings so I can only speak for U.S. viewers. Generally, movies are among the most popular things we run. In terms of series, Twilight Zone and Kolchak: The Night Stalker have both been quite popular.

Currently, the favorites around the office include X-Files and Babylon 5 (neither airing on Sci-Fi) as well as The Prisoner, Kolchak, U.F.O. and the Star Treks.

IQ: Are the executives of the Sci-Fi Channel fans themselves, or is science fiction just a market niche for them, like talk shows or home shopping?

SR: Most of the executives here are true fans of the genre. But, as this is a business, they often have to act like TV professionals and make business decisions to which their fan-selves might object. It's a tough balance to maintain, believe me. But it would be impossible to program a successful science fiction channel if you didn't have people working for it who know the genre and have been lifelong fans. And this really shows through in our special events: uncut Twilight Zone marathons, airing the "lost" pilot to Lost In Space, having James Cameron host the letterboxed director's cut of The Abyss and many others (too many to list, really).

IQ: How do you think television and film science fiction compare with modern written science fiction?

SR: About the same way that film westerns compare with written ones.

Different media, different levels of audience involvement, different "consumption" patterns, different production and distribution costs, different means of conveying information...really, it's like comparing apples and oranges.

IQ: What are the sites gracing your bookmark list, or any other favourite sites?

SR: We point to a lot of terrific genre and media sites in our "Orbit" links section. Some of the ones that are both well-designed and very useful include:

• The Outer Limits
• The Internet Movie Database - a must
• TV Net

These are just cool in their own right:

• The Live Artificial Life page (especially the "morph" section)
• Spectacle (especially "Consciousness")
• NrrdGrrl!
• Inward Vessels (beautiful images, disturbing content - especially The Electric Posters)

And these we liked so much we invited them to join The Dominion:

• Science Fiction Weekly
• The Bionic Page

Ibn Qirtaiba thanks Shred for his time.

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Serial: Of Kings and Pawns, part 2 © 1994 Kevin Karmann

Last time, on Star Trek: The Next Generation: Just as Data announces his victory over Worf in a game of three dimensional chess, both are called to the bridge as a temporal distortion is detected outside. A second temporal distortion is then detected on the bridge as a blue police box materialises in the middle of it. And now, the continuation...

[Beginning of Act I]

(Credits are shown. The episode title "Of Kings and Pawns," appears.)

Data: (Getting up and walking over to the TARDIS) "Intriguing. it appears to be a box that was used on ancient Earth in the 20th century to contact authorities. Specifically, it fits the description of what was used in Britain, called a 'police phone booth.'"

(The door to the TARDIS opens to reveal the Sylvester McCoy Doctor and Ace.)

Doctor: "A police box." (Data stares at him, perplexed.) "They were called police boxes, in 20th century Britain."

Picard: "What do you think you are doing on my bridge?"

Doctor: "Right now, standing, actually. Oh...you mean why am I here...? It seems you are transporting an old foe of mine. You know him as Diplomat Strame, but he is, actually, universally known, at least in my universe, as the Master."

(Worf walks down from his position and joins Picard and Data in front of the Doctor and Ace. He holds a tricorder, which he is eyeing cautiously.)

Picard: "You are asking me to believe that Diplomat Strame is a criminal? I assure you he has been..." (He is interrupted by Worf.)

Worf: "Captain! I have detected an unidentified explosive..." (He points the tricorder at Ace's backpack.) "There!"

Doctor: "Ace, have you been making nitro-9 again?"

Ace: (Looking down slightly) "Yes, Professor. But, you never can be too careful..."

Worf: (leaning over Ace and slightly growling) "No, you cannot."

Doctor: "You'd best give the backpack to him."

Ace: "But, Professor..." (Picard and the Doctor stare at her, while Worf growls a bit more.) "Oh well." (She takes it off and hands it to Worf.)

Doctor: (Turning back to Picard) "I apologize. I hope this does not affect my case. I realize what I'm saying sounds strange, but please give me a chance to be heard."

Picard: "I shall. Mr. Worf, have all senior officers report to the main conference room immediately."

(The scene shifts to the conference room, apparently several minutes later. Picard, Data, Worf, Crusher, Geordi, and Riker are sitting at their usual places. The Doctor and Ace, who is looking a little down, are sitting at the far end of the table. The door opens and Troi walks in.)

Picard: "Ah, Counsellor. I'd like you to meet the Doctor and Ace..." (Troi shakes hands with the Doctor.) "I don't believe you ever did tell us anything beyond the title of 'Doctor.'"

Doctor: "Anything else is not necessary. I am simply the Doctor."

Troi: (She sits.) "I just came from seeing Diplomat Strame."

Picard: "He is the reason I have called this conference, Counsellor. It would seem the Doctor, here, has some information he'd like us to be aware of."

Doctor: "Yes. The man known as Strame is really known as the Master. He is, among other things, a master of disguise, as well as a threat to this entire universe."

Picard: "This universe?"

Doctor: "There are many possible universes, of course. In fact, the Master and I are here from an entirely different version of what you would call reality."

Riker: "The diplomat's people, the Larians are very private, but all he has ever promised is to bring peace to Taurus XIII and sway them toward peace with the Federation, instead of the Romulans, who the Taurusians have been leaning towards of late."

Doctor: "I assure you Commander, his intentions are not honorable. Also, his people are my people. We are both Time Lords."

Crusher: "When he came aboard I performed a thorough physical on him and he does appear to be a Larian. Of course, we have never come into actual physical contact with a Larian before that."

Picard: "And, therefore, we have no records of what a Larian physiology would be like?"

Crusher: "Other than the records that Diplomat Strame brought with him, no. They haven't even allowed us to see their physical appearance until now."

Picard: "Mr. Data, have there been any sensor scans of the Larians?"

Data: "None that have been successful, sir. Even during the first contact 28.4 years ago, they maintained a sensor dampening shield that could not be penetrated. It was maintained in a fashion that resembled a Romulan cloaking device. However, it only masks the readings of the interior of the ship and not the ship itself. In fact, the only contact that was allowed during the first 14 years and 3 months afterward was by a system of sounds, similar to old Earth Morse Code."

Picard: "Counsellor, you were just with the Diplomat. What did you sense?"

Troi: "The only feeling I was able to discern was one of peace. He really believes he can help the Taurusians."

Doctor: "However, as your own evidence attests, nothing is known of the Larians. There is no evidence that the Larians even exists."

Picard: "You are not suggesting that Diplomat Strame made up an entire race, are you?"

Doctor: "I would not put it past him."

Crusher: "You said your physiology should be similar to that of Diplomat Strame. Would you be willing to test that?"

Doctor: "I don't see why not."

Picard: "Very well, make it so."

(Crusher, the Doctor, and Ace leave.)

Picard: "Counsellor?"

Troi: "He seems to be confident that Diplomat Strame is who he thinks he is. But there is something else. He seems to be hiding something. I even sense something...disturbing about him."

Riker: "And the girl?"

Troi: "Other than the fact that she is a little depressed, I could sense nothing else from her."

Riker: "It seems as though neither one can be trusted right now."

Picard: "Considering our past experiences with time travellers, Number One, that's a fair assumption."

Geordi: "Captain, with Data's help I may be able to find a way to break through the Larian cloaking device next time we encounter it."

Picard: "Very well, dismissed."

(Everyone begins to leave, except Troi, who turns around as she reaches the door.)

Picard: (He Straightens his tunic [the "Picard Maneuver"] as he stands) "Yes, Counsellor?"

Troi: "When I was talking to the diplomat, he demonstrated a tradition among his people that is common among races that value honesty - he stressed the importance of eye contact."

Picard: "And you feel that he is truthful?"

Troi: "Yes, I do." (She leaves)

(The scene changes to a personal quarters on the Enterprise. The shadowed figure of a man can be seen on one side of the room. The door chime sounds.)

Man: "Come."

(Troi walks in.)

Troi: "He has arrived, as you suspected."

Man: "Yes, I thought he would. And Captain Picard?"

Troi: "He is suspicious of both you and the Doctor."

Man: "Then that will have to be corrected." (Stands up and walks out of the shadows, revealing the Anthony Ainley Master.)

[End of Act I]