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But if you want to know the truth, the weirdest thing that has happened has been my discovery that people who attend the conventions are filled with love.
-William Shatner
We have done the impossible, and that makes us mighty.
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Fandom
I'm sure everyone remembers the old SNL skit where William Shatner famously blew up at fans at a convention: "Get a life!"
If not - well, I can't find the original, but it was included in this promo:
The implication, of course, is that sf/fantasy fans are weird: nerds that dress up like their favorite characters.
All I have to say is, have you SEEN football fans?
Science fiction and fantasy are one of the few genres of literature with rabid fans. Oh, there are mystery conventions out there, sure, but for epic fandom, nothing beats a SF/Fantasy con. I was going to attend one this past weekend - RavenCon in Richmond, VA - but decided to save my money for the next leg of Waltz World Tour instead.
Still, I'm a fan. I'll wager that some of you reading this are fans. I'm not as rabid as most - I don't dress up, unless you count my leather trenchcoat, which I swear I wore before reading The Dresden Files.
But our very dorkiness conceals an important fact, here:
We are mighty.
When Star Trek was cancelled, it was fans who, ultimately, brought it back (Shatner was paid to voice Kirk on the Star Trek Animated Series, so for him to do a fan rant was, while understandable, rather rude.)
It was also Trek fans who lobbied to name the first Space Shuttle the Enterprise. (Okay, that kind of backfired, because that particular shuttle never made it into space - it was more of a testing thing).
It was Firefly fans who got Serenity made. We tried to get the rights to that show back from Fox, but Fox didn't want to play ball. Still, here: http://unstoppablesignals.com/hnbf/
I'm sure this is a constant bane to producers and writers, but fans take ownership of a show if it's good enough. Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5, Doctor Who... you name it. Sure, it's possible to go overboard, but in the end, it's love for the writing, love for the genre, that keeps these things coming back.
And then there's fanfiction, which is... well, some of it is excellent. Many shun fanfiction - I don't write it, myself, with a single exception, but the things some people do with other people's characters can be amazing. Maybe it's better to come up with your own characters, sure, but at least it gets people writing. One of the greatest science fiction authors of our time, Greg Bear, started out writing Star Trek novels.
Don't be ashamed of your fandom. Join the Army of Dorkness. Wear your Vulcan ears and Stormtrooper costumes proudly. And remember: you can't stop the signal. |
I don't usually do this, but in tune with the theme of this newsletter, I present to you the all-fanfiction Editor's Picks:
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
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Last time, in "Fantasy Newsletter (March 16, 2011)" , I talked about the need for space exploration and, eventually, colonization.
Becks the Papyrus  :
Interesting newsletter and yes, it is all about survival. However, after watching Wonders of the Universe with Prof Brian Cox and the episode about Time, one day it is all going to die. Nothing will survive. So in the end nobody and nothing will live forever. Maybe the end will result in another Big Bang and it will start all over. Humans will be replaced by a completely different creature. Interesting.
Of course, we're all facing the eventual heat death of the universe, in a paltry few billion years. And one day (long before then) I'm going to die - does that mean I should stop trying to make my life better?
Light  :
I liked this newsleter. It was a little OT, but only a little. You talked about watching the moon walk at a very young age. And later, you mentioned how some people think it was staged. I am a bit older. The moon walk could not have been staged. What we saw on the TV screen, we did not have the technology at that time of fake that. There is not doubt that it was real. And, yes, if we do not settle in other worlds, around other stars, we will surely be doomed one day.
Thank you for your newsletter.
I often wonder at the motivations of the deniers. What are they trying to promote? The only thing I can come up with is a package anti-science agenda, hand in hand with "intelligent design" and global warming denial. I will not stand for it.
Steev the Friction Wizurd :
Regarding the move of the human race into space... I think it's debatable that it would remain "the human race". In other words, when the distances are so far that the travel time is immense, then the separation of a species into two isolated groups usually results in two separate species. At first, I am sure all the humans on scattered planets would feel themselves part of the same galactic human community. But over time they would evolve into separate groups with their own interests. Their historians will tell them they are related to other "human" populations, but their perception will be that the human populations of other planets are "different". The only thing that could prevent that process would be Faster Than Light travel and/or FTL communication systems, both very unlikely unless our current scientific thinking is wrong.
That is, of course, correct. As a species, we continue to evolve, and evolution is a response to environmental and other pressures. But Earth continues to change, too, so who can say that the folks who stay here will be the "baseline?" Doesn't matter - speciation takes a long time, and we gotta do what we gotta do.
Diane :
I love the idea of colonizing other planets. Not so much for the inevitable exploitation, but for the pure scientific exploration and discovery. The idea of learning just how little we actually know is exhilarating! <insert geeky science-girl smile here>
Spot on!
LJPC - the tortoise :
Hi Robert!
I certainly hope a global catastrophe won't send us jetting off to another planet. Not many of us could fit in those little NASA shuttles. But maybe our payments to Russia will come in handy and we can squeeze some people into their rockets. The possibility of a coming global disaster means take time and enjoy yourself now. kick off your shoes, read a good book! 
-- Laura
The idea is you can't save everyone, but you may be able to preserve the species' ability to go on.
bertiebrite hoping for peace :
I am not one who sees the expansion into space with horror or superstition. I see it as an all encompassing probability and necessity. To observe the earth from space shows us how ultimately tiny and inconsequential we are. Perhaps it would be advantageous for more persons to look at this globe from the outer prospects and see this little oasis for what it is. We are small in the universe though not remarkable for life; there are innumerable inhabited planets. The only way we can become bigger is through finding other worlds and exploration. I believe that this will open a whole plethora of employment, education, scientific discovery and most importantly, human compassion once we see that WE are ALL WE HAVE.
Oh, sure, we're "tiny and inconsequential" now. But we don't have to always be. As Oscar Wilde noted, "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
And that's it for me for April - see you next month! Until then,
DREAM ON!!!
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Fantasy: April 13, 2011 Issue [#4338]
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