Thursday, 17 April 2025

Alien Contacts

In some fictional futures, young people are familiar with aliens. James Ching befriends the Wodenite, Axor, who studies on Earth. Nat Falkayn grows up with Ythrians visiting his father and grandfather. Tabitha Falkayn is brought up by Ythrians. Diana Crowfeather grows up with Tigeries, land Starkadians.

In Robert Heinlein's Starman Jones, Max Jones sees his first extraterrestrial when he goes to Earthport.

When Poul Anderson's Chee Lan knocks over an alien ambassador, this reminds us of the inter-species diplomacy in Heinlein's The Star Beast.

This is shorter than I had intended for reasons of haste. Poul Anderson's Technic History and Heinlein's juveniles remain fertile fields for comparisons.

Ad astra.

Addenda, later the same day (second thoughts department): Jimmy Ching sees a blue-skinned Alfzarian on the bus. Diana Crowfeather hears marines bad-mouthing "Merseian bastards" and homes in on a Wodenite when she sees one newly arrived on Imhotep.

Truly a multi-species universe. At least, theirs is. Maybe ours also.

3 comments:

S.M. Stirling said...

Well, they've found evidence of life in the atmosphere of a planet about 100 light-years from Earth, just recently.

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Yes, I saw a headline. First contact in our lifetimes would be world-changing.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Mr. Stirling and Paul!

Mr. Stirling! That was exciting and wonderful, what you said! I looked up some articles about K2-18b, and it certainly sounds hopeful, signs of possible being discovered on that world 124 light years from us! But it needs to be repeatedly verified before K2-18b can be said to have life.

With the Technic hyperdrive human explorers could get there in about ten days. (Wistful sigh)

Paul! I would have joined in bad mouthing those Merseians! The Roidhunate was no friend of the Empire and the human race.

Btw, Diana Crowfeather overheard a Marine and a Navy man/rating.

Ad astra! Sean