SPACE OPERA AND THE NEW FRONTIER
This book by Alfred Bester expresses the theme of the power of imagination and shows how inner beliefs and feelings can become reality. Gully, the main character in the book, reminds me of Bilbo Baggins in the Hobbit. Gully had very little ambition, no dreams, no imagination, and very little confidence. These characters were very similar to Bilbo. As the story progresses, Gully just like Bilbo, finds a purpose in life, strength, and courage. Both characters are on a heroic journey with Bilbo and his quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom and Gully with his obsession to pursue the crew of a ship that left him to die and marooned in space.
Gully's quest turns into an adventure story through space. I see him as someone who went from being a hero to a villain. He transforms into a totally different character by being abandoned and betrayed. I believe Gully becomes a bad guy because he was wronged and motivated by revenge. He puts himself in the position of being the most wanted man in the galaxy. I see him as a person warped on revenge who eventually finds his way back and develops a conscience.
On the Spiritual Level, Gully continues to see a mysterious "Burning Man" image which flickers in and out of existence like a candle flame. This image I believe represents him and his temper and desire for revenge. The story also reveals a cult who tattooed Gully's face with a mask of a tiger. At one point, a love story aspect with Gully emerges. He falls in love with someone who he really can't have, Olivia, because she is the daughter of his arch nemisis.
This story seems to be a predecessor to the genre of Cyberpunk because the setting was in the future and it focused on high tech and the low life aspects of society. It explored jaunting which was a personal teleportation across miles. It also revealed a dark, unfriendly world. This book had a little of several genres, Heroic Journey, Adventure Story, Spiritual Encounter, and Cyberpunk. I liked this book very much. It had a lot of action, suspense, and futuristic vision. Space Opera is my favorite genre of Science Fiction.
Movie: SERENITY (2005)
This movie focuses on the genre of action, and adventure, fantasy and space opera. The movie time frame is set in the year 2517. Serenity is a spaceship whose crew live their lives smuggling and cargo-running. This group of renegades are on the run in outer space. The action and adventure build in this movie as the crew faces a league of rebels, the Reavers who have violent behavior and the work they obtain from criminal activities like smuggling and stealing to offer transport to travelers. The ship's captain, Mal, reminds me of Han Solo, but with a little less cynical attitude.
One of the parts of the movie that I found interesting was the list of passengers aboard the Serenity. The professional companion was understandable, but the holy man and the teenage girl who has psychic powers seemed to conflict. It becomes quite interesting when the Alliance forces become hot on the track of the Serenity in order to recapture the young psychic girl. The characters in the movie act like cowboys from the old west and their fight against the bad guys. This movie represents Space Opera because it was set far in the future, the adventure is mainly set in space, and involves conflict between opponents possessing powerful abilities. Serenity, in my opinion, was a combination of Star Trek and Star Wars, but with a slightly renegade twist. I enjoyed watching this movie.
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