The Tempest
The Tempest launched last week and has been sitting at #1 in New Releases for Hard Science Fiction. It’s an obscure sub-genre, to be sure, but it’s still humbling to see readers are interested in a Shakespearean tragedy in space. I took several sections of dialogue from the original play and worked them into the story, updating the language but retaining the heart and meaning, making this quite a fascinating novel to develop.
The Tempest was written in homage to Shakespeare’s play and the 1950s classic Forbidden Planet, which was also loosely based on Shakespeare.
Forbidden Planet was the first big-budget, science fiction film in Hollywood. It was recorded in color at a time when most contemporary movies were being recorded in black and white. Although the acting, special effects and dialogue are dated by today’s standards, it still stands out as a classic and its influence on the genre has been profound.
The use of matte paintings gave the sound stage a sense of immeasurable size and depth. This set the tone for almost every other scifi movie that would follow, particularly Star Wars and the interior of the Death Star. As there was no actual edge of the stage, there was no need for a railing. Whether this was intentional or an oversight is uncertain, but this too has permeated Star Wars and other science fiction movies—even though it would be insanely dangerous and impractical in real life to have walkways like this with sudden drops.
Although shows like The Expanse have avoided saucer-style spacecraft, they too still follow the pattern of making their spacecraft sleek and streamlined when in space there’s no need for any such constraint. Perhaps the biggest impact of the saucer from Forbidden Planet is seen in the most iconic spacecraft of all time, the USS Enterprise.
When considering various designs, Gene Roddenberry wanted to get away from the saucer but eventually, even he had to admit the futuristic look of a saucer worked well. He finally allowed it to be incorporated into the design (with the addition of a central body and nacelles)
I’m not sure the Independence would have been quite as iconic as the Enterprise.
Even movies and shows that had nothing to do with space still pay homage to the Forbidden Planet.
In the Breaking Bad episode Crawl Space, the sound of the monster’s footsteps in Forbidden Planet is used in the closing scene. In the 1970s classic horror/thriller The Thing, the movie Forbidden Planet is playing in the background on a television within the Antarctic base. Forbidden Planet has had a lasting impact on science fiction.
So if you love compelling science fiction and you’re a fan of the classics, be sure to check out my novel The Tempest and keep an eye out for the various homages woven into the story, referencing both Shakespeare’s play and Forbidden Planet
My next project is Apothecary, which is set in 15th-century London. It asks the question, what would advanced intelligent aliens think of us if they visited while we were still wrapped up in superstitions and barbaric practices, like burning people at the stake? There are a lot of really interesting themes woven into the story, so I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. I hope to release it in January of 2023.
