Interstellar

Travel in
the New
Science
Fiction
Jason D. Batt
100YSS 2014 Public Symposium
19 September 2014
@jdanielbatt

The future of humanity in space is not guaranteed. Great cultures have

arisen in the past, set their sites on great and, from their perspective,
inevitable goals, and failed. Science fiction literature has been a guide
post for space exploration from the early days. Much has changed since
Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov wrote. Our political and international
world is different. Our technology has branched into different and
unforeseen areas. With the current technological expansion in view, what
do todays science fiction writers say about interstellar exploration? What
pitfalls do they see? What is the roadmap they present now? What
challenges do they show? Is there an agreement upon the timeline? What
technology shows promise? What dangers do they predict out there? The
presentation will present a survey in review of current science fiction on
the topic of interstellar exploration. The foundation for this has arrived
from serving as judge of the Lifeboat to the Stars literary award for
science fiction literature focusing on interstellar efforts. This award was
presented at the 2013 Campbell Conference.

Daniel Abraham:

No, I dont think interstellar travel, space empires, etc. are at best
science fantasy any more than they ever were. Or, putting it the other
way, they havent become any less likely, in the recent past. Theyve
always been the stuff of fantasy. That didnt used to be a problem.
The thing that has changed, I think, is the requirement that science
fiction be somehow rigorous to be taken seriously. When I look back at
the classic science fiction that I grew up with, a lot of it didnt pass the
sniff test. Larry Niven had teleportation, giant alien cat warriors, and
humans eugenically bred for their luck. Arthur Clarke had God turning
out the stars. Herbert had giant freaking worms digging through a
desert rich in psychoactive space fuel. Unsophisticated as I was, I
didnt see anything wrong with that. Still dont.
I see two things happening with the genre. The first is that its
becoming the primary idiom of pop culture. The second is that, in
response to that, there is a narrower and narrower definition of real
science fiction which uses terms like science fantasy to exclude
work which isnt somehow pure enough. I think that theres a real risk
of science fiction going the way of jazz music and poetry in which it
becomes a more and more sophisticated, narrow, and inaccessible

form dedicated to meeting the standards of a smaller and

JAMES BLODGETT:

Humanity could use fresh inspiration for space travel. The

public and even the science fiction field seem discouraged with
space after initial enthusiasm. Folks in 1940 and 1960 could
extrapolate from the Wright Brothers airplane to the airliner
and later the jetliner, amazing progress which took only a few
years. The discovery of atomic power suggested miracles to
come. This progress was plausibly extrapolated to predict
amazing progress in the near future, the near future of 1960.
Subsequent space developments have been underwhelming. It
is no surprise that science fiction has shifted from space opera
to dystopia. However, there are new plausible visions that
could lead to amazing developments in space, a space-based
form of singularity. The nanotech and artificial intelligence
versions of the singularity can also suggest ways to get us into
space. There are several types of existential risk that have
prompted folks like Hawking to think that we had better get
going into space, making the point that space travel is
existentially important. We are on the cusp; with
disorganization and bad luck we may never develop space and
we may go extinct; with focused work and good luck we may
see an exponential future in space that can produce amazing

Takeaways

100YSS is an exercise in applied Science Fiction

Science fiction has its roots in fear and wonder, legend and
mythology,
exploration and reflection.
Science Fiction does not provide a roadmap to future
developments
First and foremost, Science Fiction accepts the fact and
inevitability of change.
Science fiction and innovation exist in a circle of influence,
mutually dependent
upon each other.
It may be the case that the future worlds and infinite possibilities
projected in
science fiction can be used to inspire viewers to pursue work
that will make those
possibilities or ones like them, real.
The are ways to read science fiction that could be negative /
dangerous.
Reality is a mess and science fiction is developed and influences
within that me
Science fiction does get it wrong

Science
Fiction does
not provide
a hard
roadmap to
future
developmen

What does Science Fiction do?

First and foremost, it accepts the fact and inevitability of
change.
Frame dilemmas and puzzles that could arise
Play out possible consequences of future innovation
Normalize and/or make desirable certain technology
Suggest paths to innovation
Inspire invention
Reflects the speculative thinking of a generation
Create a mindset that leads to innovation (if not able to
predict it exactly)

The Extraordinary
the roots of what we now call science
fiction are found in the fantastic
Voyage

voyages of the Andient Greek novel;

and I use the Vernean phrase voyages
extraordinaires . . . especially voyages
to other planets.
Adam Roberts The History of Science
Fiction

The Extraordinary
Stories of journeying through space
Voyage
form the core of the genre . . . Are the

trunk, as it were, from which the

various other modes of SF branch off.
Adam Roberts The History of Science
Fiction

Why this review?

Not as a roadmap
As a literary review to analyze how writers are
grappling
with interstellar now
Looking at Science Fiction in the age of the actual
interstellar mission/organization
Looking at interstellar fiction as a sub-genre:
Has it been abandoned? How has it changed?
Gleaning for unique thoughts
Sifting for commonality of thought; as a reflection
of the
culture as a whole

Contemporary Science
Fiction
(Todays Writers)
Books published in the 21st Century (since
2000);
with a focus on works since 2010.
Avoidance of works with IPs and
previously
published sources prior to 2000.
Focused on travel between planets within
our
dimension. Avoided works that focused on
travel

Fictional Approaches to
Interstellar
Astronomical distances and the impossibility of faster-thanlight travel pose a challenge to most science-fiction
authors. They can be dealt with in several ways:
accept them as such (hibernation, slow boats,
generation ships,
time dilation - the crew will perceive the distance as
much shorter and
thus flight time will be short from their perspective),
find a way to move faster than light (warp drive),
"fold" space to achieve
instantaneous translation (e.g. the Dune universe's
Holtzman effect),
access some sort of shortcut (wormholes),
or sidestep the problem in an alternate space:

Interstellar
Methods
FTL: Faster than light
Warp
Hyperspace
Fixed point
Jump
Wormhole (stargate)
STL: Slower than Light
Generation Ship
Unique Approaches

Acquisition of
Method
Human-developed
Alien-developed
Other

Crew
Normal Humans
Enhanced (Bio / Tech)
Aliens
Robotic
AIs
Seed Colony /
Embryonic

Commonwealth
Series

Peter Hamilton

The Lost Fleet series

The Creative Fire

Jack Campbell
Brenda Cooper

Shattering
Star Soup

Steven Utley
Chris Willrich

Expanse Series
Eon Series

James S. A.
Corey
Greg Bear

In the Lions Mouth

Earthbound

Michael Flynn
Joe Haldeman

Ancillary Justice
Neptunes Brood

Anne Leckie
Charles Stross

Outer Diverse

Nina Munteanu

Lockstep

Karl Shroeder

The Sparrow

Mary Doria
Russell

Karl Shroeder
Gene Wolfe

Embassytown
Odyssey One series

China Mievelle
Evan Currie

On the Steel Breeze

Alastair
Reynolds

Ashes of Candesce
Home Fires
Count to a Trillion

Peter Hamilton

Vattas War series

Fortunes Pawn / Paradox
series

Elizabeth Moon

Great North Road

John C. Wright
Kevin J.
Anderson
Michael Bishop

Diving series

Rachel Bach
Kristine Kathryne
Rusch

A Country for Old Men

Overtaken

Ben Bova
Karl Bunker

Pushing Ice
Confederation series

Alastair Reynolds
Tanya Huf

Scattered Along the River of

Heaven

Aliette de
Bodard

Polity series
Grand Central Arena

Neal Asher
Ryk E. Spoor

Connoisseurs of the Ecentric

Against Eternity

Jetse de Vries
David Farland

The Taken Trilogy

Spin Trilogy

Alan Dean Foster

Robert Carles Wilson

Lesser Beings
It Pays to Read the Safety Cards

Charles E
Gannon
RWW Greene

Dread Empires Fall Trilogy Walter Jon Williams

Other Systems

Elizabeth
Guizzetti

Eve Online

Battlestar Galactica
Sins of a Solar
Empire
Sword of the Stars
Halo series
The Light of Other
Days

Clarke & Baxter

Palimpsest

Charles Stross

Farscape
House of Suns

Alastair
Reynolds

The Algebraist
Olds Man War

Iain M. Banks
John Scalzi

Revelation Space
Existence

Alastair
Reynolds
David Brin

Colony

Rob Grant

Ascension
Firefly
Kovacs series

Joss Whedon
Richard
Morgan

A Delicate Balance
Twenty Lights to The Land of
Snow

Transcript of Interaction Between

Astronaut Mike Scudderman and
the OnStar Hands-Free A.I. Crash
Advisor
Grady Hendrix
The Big Ship and the Wise Old
Owl
Sara A Hoyt
Choices
Les Johnson
The Old Equations

Jake Kerr

The Waves
Design Flaw

Ken Liu
Louise Marley

Lucy
Waiting at the Altar

Jack McDevitt
Jack McDevitt

Noumenon

Robert Reed

Kop series

Warren Hammond

Web Shifter series

Trader Pact series

Julie Czerneda
Julie Czerneda

Light Trilogy
Blindsight

M. John Harrison
Peter Watts

The Future Happens Twice Matt Brown

It's Always Spring Break
Raven C. S.
Somewhere in the Galaxy" McCracken
Interstellar
Mass Efect

Christopher Nolan
Casey Hudson

THE WORKS:
85 Distinct Pieces
46 novels (and/or series)
series were given one entry (i.e. Bowl of Heaven and Shipstar by
Benford /Niven)

25 short stories (primarily after

2010)
5 TV shows
1 Film
6 Video Games
1 Novella

RESULTS:
39 use FTL (46%)
40 use STL (47%)
Of those 40 STL,
21 are Generation Ships

Of the 39 FTL:
0 stories employing Warp
12 use Hyperspace
5 use fixed-point jumps
9 total using a jump-based
technology // I had to add an entry
to my original set of propulsion
method: Fixed point Jumps
10 use wormhole
3 uniques (unclassifiables)

Acquisition of Interstellar:
In 51, humans develop the
capability for interstellar
ourselves
Yet, in 15 we receive the tech
as a gift from the aliens
The others are nondescript

IN NOVELS ALONE:
59% use FTL (27)
39% use STL (18)
7 generation ships (16%)
6 Hyperspace (13%)
3 Fixed (7%)
6 Jumps (13%)
6 Wormholes (13%)

SHORT STORIES
6 use FTL (18%)
18 use STL (72%)
11 Generation Ships
(44%)
1 Hyperspace
The other five are nonexplanatory

REPEATED THEMES:
Older generation ship overtaken by newer, faster ship
Winner of the Lifeboat to the Stars Award: Andersons The
Tortoise and the Hare and Overtaken by Karl Bunker
Warp is not used.
The fantastical, unexplainable hyperspace is far-more often
employed (12 used; the most called upon of all FTL methods)
Jumps are employed . . . This was a category I had to add.
The gift of the gods:
Aliens so far removed from us . . . Interstellar acquired from them
Coreys Expanse Series: advanced fusion drive for interplanetary,
extra-terrestially created wormhole device for interstellar// STL at
first, discovery of Wormhole in third book

REPEATED THEMES:
Yet, more often than not, humans develop FTL
or STL to the stars on their own. 51 of the 85
show this.
Short fiction tended to focus on characterinteraction and life on GENERATION SHIPS; a
theme that isnt repeated oft in the longer
form works.
STL (solar system locked) at first; FTL or
interstellar capabilities at the end:
Expanse Series, Charles Stross Neptunes
Brood, Alastair Reynolds Blue Remembered
Earth and On the Steel Breeze

UNIQUE AND MENTIONABLE APPROACHES & CONCEPTS:

Scalzis SKIP DRIVE
Greg Bears Eon series: THE WAY
Neal Ashers Polity series uses RUNCIBLES for instantaneous
transport
(a nonsense name)
Karl Shroeders Lockstep: STL ships, FTL transmissions of data,
including personalities. // All human settlements participating in the
shared culture agree to go into periodic long cold sleeps even if they
are not travelling. By making the interstellar trip during these
periods of shared cold sleep people in different star systems can
travel effectively "overnight". That means you can do trade with
other star systems and still have your family and friends alive when
you come back home.
Brins Existence probes with copied AIs scour/seed the galaxy.
Both FTL / Biologically-based interstellar is simply impossible.

UNIQUE AND MENTIONABLE APPROACHES &

CONCEPTS:
There is a generation ship in Corey's Expanse series
built by the Mormons but never released.
Alastair Reynolds Blue Remembered Earth and On the
Steel Breeze; African-nations develop true solar system
colonization
Alastair Reynolds House of Suns: a galactic civilization
of STL capabilities (also interesting concept: the
absence the Andromeda Galaxy has disappeared);
planet-based societies are short-lived; Consequently,
the most powerful entities in the galaxy are the
"Lines"familial organisations made of cloned
"shatterlings". The Lines do not inhabit planets, but
instead travel through space, holding reunions after
they've performed a "circuit" of the galaxy; something

NEXT STEPS:
Compare this to the previous generations/ages
Add the suggested elements from the Lifeboat
Foundation Bibliographic Survey:
Trip Focus (how much is the story about the trip, how
much of the story is about trip technology, plausibility,
believability, imagination, motivational)
Story Mood
Time Frame
Political System
Violation of construct
Clarity of storytelling
Transport: power source, propulsion method, mission
type, crew conditions, tech/astronomy assumptions,
destination, crew composition, extra-solar life, source of
star transport tech,

Recommended Reads:
A Thousand Points of Light . . . The
search for the next incarnation of the Dalai
Lama on a starship
Brins Existence
Reynolds Blue Remembered Earth
"Lucy" by Jack McDevitt
The Expanse series by Corey. Space Opera
constrained to our solar system. Both
operatic and tangible.

Thanks to the R/PRINTSF SubReddit

Specifically:
Starpilotsix, superkuh, sigkircheis,
fritz_freiheit, escielenn,
gonzoforpresident,
systemstheorist, strolls,
twistytwisty, weezer3989,
miloshvu