This Sunday, as everyone knows, marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. So it seems fitting that we here at Channel 37 should commemmorate the moment by taking a look at the long, rich history of shipwreck stories in science fiction — a genre that, naturally, abounds in spaceships:
- Shipwreck by Charles Logan
- Ummmm . . .
- [*sound of crickets chirping*]
And even that one is more of a Robinson Crusoe-type story than a shipwreck. (Not to mention Robinson Crusoe on Mars, which is actually a pretty good movie.) So what’s that all about? Since the 1930s, science fiction has been awash in spaceships of every conceivable type, size, and capability. And there has been no shortage of accidents, from asteroid collisions to warp core breaches. But in terms of your classic shipwreck story, combining chivalry and self-sacrifice with survival instincts and tick-tock suspense, we have precious little — as far as I can tell.
The theme song was more horror film than science fiction.
What is it about science fiction that hasn’t lent itself to the disaster genre? Is it that we just have too much faith in our ships? Are they — to authors, readers, and crew alike — unsinkable? Is it that the focus on the stories of survival are too “character-centric” and not enough about science-y things?
You wouldn't dare.
Maybe it’s time we set our science-fictional sights on a classic story of spaceshipwreck?
Great post. I have a present for you guys. You have to share it. But I haven’t finished reading it yet.
There’s a lot of grist for the mill in that. Would Enemy Mine qualify?
IIRC, Enemy Mine was more like a “castaway” story, along the lines of Logan’s novel. Most of the action takes place after the action of the actual wrecking-of-the-ship part. But it’s been a long time since I’ve seen the movie (never read the novella), so I may be wrong about the relative emphasis . . .
Shh! Don’t tell anyone. But I have inside info that a Shipwreck story will be starting on Channel 37 starting May 22nd!. Just before Balticon!
The very first Star Trek pilot “The Cage” was a shipwreck story.
“The Stars My Destination” was a shipwreck story.
There are probably more in sci-fi literature than in video.
“Forbidden Planet” was somewhat of a shipwreck story.
Thanks for your comment, and sorry for the delay in responding! Maybe I’m splitting hairs by differentiating between “shipwreck” and “castaway” stories, but I would put those examples in the latter category because the action is all, or mostly, taking place after the shipboard accident that strands the protagonists. (And of course they’re all terrific stories in their own right!)
I’m thinking more about the stories of survival during a space accident. Given the perils of depressurization, power failure, corrosive or radioactive fuels, exposure to solar radiation, etc., there’s a lot of exciting things for a protagonist to deal with in the middle of a catastrophe!
Do you regard Edgar Alan Poe’s “A descent into the maelstrom” as scifi? If so, it is an early example.
I’d agree that Poe’s work could fall into the broad “speculative fiction” category, so sure! That story is more of what I have in mind, since it takes place on the ship trapped in the whirlpool. Now we just need someone to update the story to a spaceship trapped in the Antares Maelstrom . . .