In American sf, the supreme symbol of freedom is flight between the stars although, paradoxically, while travelling, interstellar astronauts are usually confined within a metal hull, as Poul Anderson sometimes pointed out. Some fictional characters address this problem. James Blish's Okies fly cities. Anderson's asterites move a hollowed out asteroid with an internal environment and ecology. Dominic Flandry's interstellar speedster is sybaritic.
To make another comparison between space and the sea, James Bond, surveying the interior of a very expensive yacht, comments that the right way to treat the sea is as if it did not exist.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
But one point I would stress is that I would expect space travelers, whether or not interstellar, to have VOLUNTARILY agreed to put up with the inevitable restrictions and confinement of ship life. The ship, and its restrictions, are the MEANS used to achieve desired ENDS.
Sean
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