Thursday 16 July 2015

The Previous Post

On reflection, I am quite impressed with that previous, hastily composed, post. First, it presents four clear examples of what I had in mind, a story that ends as another begins. Secondly, the four examples cover three basic kinds of travel in science fiction - across space, through time and between timelines. Thirdly, each example is a classic of its kind.

Everyone understands what we mean when we say that a Star Trek film ends as Kirk and his crew begin a new mission in the Enterprise. Poul Anderson fans also understand when we say that a Polesotechnic League novel ends as Falkayn and his crew begin a new mission in the Muddlin' Through. Further, we recognize that the latter is like the former but considerably better.

An equally iconic case is a Doctor Who film ending as a new Roman adventure begins. And SM Stirling uses a sabre tooth as the iconic symbol of a new timeline as yet unaffected by human interventions. Since John Rolfe had imported dangerous African and Asian animals to his pre-Columbian North America, it is understandable that he laughs when he sees a Gate opening onto a world with long grass and a sabre tooth eating a giant sloth.

Although showing the beginning of a new adventure seems to be a good way to conclude a work of fiction, I cannot think of many other examples of this kind of ending...?

1 comment:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I never really cared for either the Star Trek or Star Wars movies. Because they seem so thin and shallow to me after reading the works of Anderson, Asimov (at his best), Bradbury, Clark, Heinlein, Norton, etc., as a boy.

Sean