- This topic has 6 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 4 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
Now that this thread is up, here is my treatise about [u]Alpha[/u]. A cleaned-up version of something a few of you have already read, with some additional thoughts. Sorry for the length – sometimes it’s best just to let things out, you know?
[spoiler]This is a story full of –isms. Determinism, Solipsism, Pre-determinism, Greek Humanism (know thyself), Rationalism, Agathism, and probably a lot of others, including maybe even Optimism.
When I could manage to set it aside, Alpha had me going back to [u]Born for Adversity[/u], [u]Shepherd Moon[/u], and [u]Survival [/u]at least, as well as Googling “susurra” . Clever name, that. Mateo, thanks for the heads up re: reading the [u]Survival [/u]epilogue again. I did, and it made much more sense, perhaps even more after finishing [u]Alpha[/u]. In fact, one could read that passage now with slightly different inflections in Susurra’s tone. Would she have rescued Bergman if she knew that he contained part of a MUF? I suppose that all depends on how much the MUFs are able to discern each others’ thoughts. Was that her sole motivation, in fact, in that he was then eventually delivered to NotMike for the latter’s use in trying to sway Koenig? Or, did she see an opportunity when she found what he was hosting? Could she have actually saved Yendys, and was this a way of breaking Bergman down? Victor noted that NotMike came to him when he was in the depths of despair – did Susurra finagle that?
As I read and reread these novels, I wonder how much research there was in the character development, and from what sources. Not that there wasn’t research – of course! I don’t mean to imply that by any means. For example, in the transcription of “Breakaway”, Victor tells Helena about John being orphaned young, and how he had such a difficult life. Of course, that was never filmed, or if it was, it was left on the cutting room floor, as they say. Likewise, her father’s death was never mentioned on film, though it was in the transcriptions and, apparently, early scripts. So, I’m figuring your canon is not just the 48 episodes, but early drafts or authors’ prerogatives, working with unfinished scripts, or extrapolation. I can accept that.
[u][b]Alpha [/b][/u]and [u][b]Born for Adversity[/b][/u]: I was struck when Koenig mentioned to Helena that Victor would have known how to solve their crisis [i]du jour[/i]. In fact, I even mentioned it as a minor criticism. After the period following “The Lambda Variance”, I had thought Koenig was better or at least heading in that direction. (I would really like to know Powys’ position on timing i.e., what span of time are we talking? The Omnibus was conspicuously devoid of dates/status reports ). Now, however, that comment makes sense. Koenig needs a father. I should have been able to see this after reading Helena’s thoughts about his grieving period for Victor only recently coming to a close.
[u][b]Alpha [/b][/u]– [u][b]Omega [/b][/u]– [u][b]Shepherd Moon[/b][/u]: After reading “Spider’s Web”, I went back to “Dead End” and “Futility.” “Dead End” is an intriguing story, but I no longer believe that Powys does anything haphazardly. In fact, it was so obviously a test, yet we were not sure for what purpose. They knew it was a test, yet they were frustrated by not knowing what they were supposed to do to pass (did they pass?). My best guess is that it was not only a test to see how much sway authority held, but what would happen when survival was at stake? How strong is the survival instinct versus rationality? How open are they to manipulation? How did that confusion and frustration affect their reasoning? They also induced some pretty intense paranoia in those remaining on Alpha. At first, I thought the plot in this story was a bit too close to Rogue Planet, but in retrospect, I see it as fitting in nicely with the Powysverse.
Likewise, “Futility” could stand on its own as an episode, with a sort of, “Golly, that was weird,” ending. However, was it Good Mike manipulating them into destroying themselves? What were those shadowy figures? Could not have been the dragons, because they are accompanied by wind and screeching. Arkadians seem to pop in and out at inconvenient moments. Most likely, it was them, if indeed it was something to which we have already been introduced. But why just watch? To make sure everything went to plan? To gauge their reactions? To find weak links? To observe if they trusted themselves as human beings more than they trusted what they were being told by instruments or evidence?
[b]Koenig – (Determinism -> ? )[/b] “Hey – What took you so long?” (“The Exiles “… 🙂 ) To get the story moving along I suppose he had to be back quickly. Lousy childhood. We got an early glimpse of Johnny when he was trying to get his football back in [u]Resurrection[/u]. Even then he would not back down from a fight against really high odds. No wonder he is afraid of anything that is out of his control (mom was demanding and unpredictable). No wonder he’s confused when Helena apparently is disloyal to the child he fathered (one of his “buttons”). No wonder AltKoenig hates AltHelena – she became his mother. All-in-all, a very touching scene with his father. We know from the “Breakaway” novelization that his made his own way through the world, now we know he did it carrying a lot of baggage. Interestingly, in that same conversation that Victor is having with Helena in the novelization, he points out that John may be hiding from something on Alpha, like she is. Victor’s got their numbers.
Again, the story pivots on him and who is willing to trust, but his trust is not at all easy to earn, plus he’s been burned already. There must have been some scintilla of doubt in his mind, perhaps more than that, considering he realized at some point he was used by Arra. He demonstrates that he trusts forthrightness, even if it is truth that he doesn’t want to hear. He is more than just practical, and this is what causes so much conflict with those who are led more by their hearts. Ultimately, it is his deep-seeded belief in himself that allows him to be used as bait, but without that last manipulation, everything would have been for naught. These novels have me going back to watch the episodes, and in “War Games”, Koenig is so very resolute about his faith in the human spirit and in humanity’s ability – and even its right – to survive.
As far as not turning into the AltKoenig – what was it about the situation that changed him? Was it simply the discussion with his father arranged by Good Mike, or something more? Did he realize that he is not an island, and that it will be OK for him to take a break when his child is born? Did he realize that isolation – either self-imposed or by virtue of his position – will lead to self-destructive behavior? Was it in coming to peace with his past (and potential future) that allowed him to come to peace with his present? I still haven’t decided what I think about this.
[b]Helena (Pre-determinism -> empahy)[/b] – [i]Whoa[/i]. Quite a lot to say about her. Was Sally Martin right? Or just major hormone overload? I think Helena’s personality has been well established at this point. There was a significant amount of narrative devoted to it at the beginning of [u]The Forsaken[/u], where we are told that she has very deep feelings, in fact, and yet she closes them off. Well, starting from the novelization of “Breakaway”, for that matter, we are told that. One advantage to reading the more recent four books so quickly is that there are little things that you haven’t forgotten about yet. The emphasis put on Helena’s iron grip of her emotions is one of those things. Clinical detachment, the mask she puts on for the world, allowing her to do a difficult job in the most trying of circumstances – the hallmark of every good doctor she’s known. However, she has allowed this to filter into the rest of world. It worked well for treating dying patients – it must also work well for dealing with dying loved ones. The litany of people she has lost is significant: Her father (for which she feels responsible), Lee Russell (twice, even though she most probably realizes it really wasn’t him in “Matter of Life and Death”), Victor (they had to be close – see the end of [u]Survival[/u]), Koenig (multiple times in multiple scenarios), then there is Jackie Crawford, and finally, at the end of Alpha, Bob Matthias. (In fact, she tried to push bravely past that last one, but Victor wouldn’t let her, and she actually [i]sobbed[/i]. She must be loosening up! Good ol’ Victor.)
The bad part about having an iron grip on things is that if you don’t prevent them from rusting, they are frozen in place. Shutting out bad feelings or putting up a wall to prevent from being hurt will eventually lead to the good feelings being shut out. I was going to write that you can’t get your head chopped off if you don’t stick your neck out. However – this is not true. She doesn’t stick her neck out, emotionally, at least as she allows others to see, and yet she still gets hurt. At the same time, though, she deprives herself of the small rewards she talks with Koenig about.
When I read “Remembering Julia”, it struck me as odd that Helena would sort of take off and isolate herself, going to look at the report about Lee’s death. Almost a dereliction of duty. However, Stephan Jansen also writes that Helena, essentially, never allowed herself to grieve over her loss – she is still holding on to a tenuous thread. The catharsis of trying to talk Julia out of her suicide (even though ultimately that didn’t work – it was still JK that saved her), was the beginning of the healing process that allowed her to become involved with JK. In the meantime, though, we are given a glimpse into a woman’s psyche that clings very tightly to things she knows rationally are not real, because she is so afraid of letting them go. How deep that cut, that she would risk another’s life (Julia’s) for the selfish reason that she didn’t want to deal with the grief over the loss of a spouse. In fact, she takes things, which are ultimately out of her control, personally. Her statement in Omega: “He would do this…Go off and die right now,” suggests that although she is “better” than she was, she still has a ways to go, emotionally.
The book of poetry she is reading towards the end – [u]The Small Verities[/u] – those things which remain constant and immutable. These include love and the closeness of a family at the end of a crappy day; they are the little things that make life worth living. Perhaps she is on the road to full recovery at this point. I am reminded of the song from [i]Jesus Christ, Superstar [/i] which Mary Magdalene sings to Christ, telling Him to relax and sleep and let the world turn without Him for a change. She just doesn’t get it; much like Helena just doesn’t get it. She just tells him to take it easy and everything will be alright. Will she now appreciate his situation and not simply tell him to take a vacation? The Sea of Tranquility is hardly a beach resort. She needs to open herself to him for his solace, and for hers. I don’t think AltHelena got that far – she set up her defenses so impenetrably that they became offences. Will they now stop and smell the roses planted at the end of “Fallen Star”?
Would I defend my son to the death? You bet I would. Does it dishearten me when the two people I love most in this world argue? You bet it does. What’s more – they argue a lot, simply because they are so alike, but neither one of them sees that. Does that cause me grief? You betcha – and the only thing they really argue about is practicing the piano and how much PS3 time should be allowed. Hardly universe-threatening issues. Does it bother me sometimes that I brought the child into the world that causes my husband such grief – yes, it does. How much more so, then, for Helena who has only recently found out about her pregnancy, a pregnancy which may have been hard won at that? The situation throws her off balance enough so it causes her to actually consider abortion. That thought itself actually borders on irrationality.
Piloting an Eagle? Way cool. Duping her son? Not so much, but had to be done.
[b]Koenig/Helena – (Solipsism – > Optimism (?) )[/b] Victor noted they’re not married and that’s sort of odd, in the Y3 world, considering they seem to have a not-only-will-I-kill-for-you-I-would-die-for-you relationship (“One Moment of Humanity”, “Journey to Where”, “The Immunity Syndrome”, “Brian the Brain”, and even “War Games” and [u]Resurrection[/u]). Of course, they are co-habitating , so there is some level of significant commitment, but not that final seal that says YES, this is it. Perhaps, away from the conventions of Earth, they do not feel the need for such formalities. However, as portrayed in [u]Alpha[/u], it makes perfect sense. Koenig did not have the best role model for married parents (!!!), and although he loved her, the differences between him and his first wife led to an estrangement before she was killed. Is guilt preventing him from marrying Helena – a sense that the same thing might happen, either the estrangement, or the death, or that he might drive her away? He tells Maya in “Rules of Luton” that Helena is like Jean. Does that itself scare him at some level?
Despite her apparent warmth, Helena still keeps JK at arm’s length. Her embrace of him upon his return is [i][b]full of love and rage…?[/b][/i] He tells her his potential last thoughts were of her, and she says [i][b]that’s nice…?[/b][/i] Even after they leave the Rec Center, he holds her [i][b]for as long as she permits…?[/b][/i] It seems to me that he is more willing to give himself over to her than she is to him. His recollection of their first kiss – that she is reluctant and perhaps afraid. Yes, I think that was an accurate observation. They are both afraid, but of different things. At the end, she tells Koenig that they don’t have to think alike to be in love. Was that what was really bothering him? Had he expected unqualified loyalty? Did he actually have it, and not realize it – those off-page conversations she was having with Robert? Are they going to communicate any better, now? Let’s hope so – sparks are pretty and fun to look at; conflagrations are not.
There is some weird conflict in Helena with their child. In “Fallen Star”, as well as the above-mentioned passage in [u]The Forsaken[/u] , and a new little blurb at the beginning of “The Exiles” in the Omnibus, define Helena’s position on having (a) child(ren). She anticipates a family with Koenig, and Jackie Crawford apparently meant a tremendous amount to her. Why did he mean so much? Because he represented hope? Because she delivered him? Because he was the child she might never have? (Note: She apparently has one heck of a snooze alarm on her biological clock, which makes me believe this pregnancy was not so easy, or they had given up.) She is protective of the one she’s carrying from the start – worrying that she is leading herself down a path and bringing an unwilling, or helpless, participant with her. Yet, she accepts adult Robert as her son, even though she did not bear him. She can’t accept that the future from which he came is not their future, even though it is obvious. Therefore, her irrationality, or [i]im[/i]practicality, only makes sense in the context of perception being more important than reality. She is clinging to him, like his presence is the only thing that can anchor her through this – but it’s not real, any more than a dream is. She is living and acting on an ideal, or [b]idea[/b], rather than what is. She is, therefore, terrified of his leaving her, and may see Koenig as the instrument to Robert’s leaving. (See also the scene from the alternate timeline – this is exactly what she accuses him of.)
Her response to Koenig, “But he’s my son,” could be interpreted in a few ways, depending upon her tone or inflections. If she said it in a small, thin voice, it would indicate her resolve about the situation was wavering. If said more firmly, it is a challenge to him, and an exacerbation of the situation. Was she sad? Was she confused? Did she see his going back as one more loss – oops!, better not start loving him, Helena. It’s just going to stab you in the heart again. The snag is, it’s not her son. Perhaps genetically, it is, but she herself had no hand in raising him or making him who he is.
Koenig, however, is very firmly rooted in the present. His loyalty – as stated in the book – is to the unborn child. The other person is a theory. However, he felt strongly at the end; it wasn’t a theoretical child he lost. For him, that dream became real, once he realized how to accept it. Because it was his loyalty to his unborn child that mattered to him, he saw Helena as an uncaring mother, though she wasn’t. Neither one was seeing things very clearly at this point.
[b]Victor – (Optimism, always, with a touch of Epistemolgy)[/b] – Any Time, Any Place, he is the father of Moonbase Alpha, just as Remur noted in Survival. Not much development in him, outside of the effect he had on Koenig. And it wasn’t just what he said to JK, or counseled him about. It seems just his very presence is comforting. Using him to leverage Koenig? Hah! – busted!
[b]Alterverse –(Pessimism, Cynicism, all-round Nasty-ism, from JK’s perspective)[/b] – Life’s a bitch and then you don’t marry one, to paraphrase a bumper sticker. In the parallel universe, Koenig and Helena run antiparallel to their other selves, and to each other. Maybe – they have also had an extra 30 odd years to grow apart. Koenig was bothered that AltRobert had not been named Victor, though Victor had not returned in the alterverse. However, I cannot recall Victor even being mentioned in the alterverse. Let me say at this point that the scene in the alterverse was masterfully written. I really thought it was [i]our [/i]Alpha until AltMathias touched his beard. And Koenig was actually relieved to die!
Anyway, if Bergman was never present in the other universe, it would explain Koenig’s downward spiral into cynicism. Not only did he lose his father, but because the events in [u]Omega[/u]/[u]Alpha [/u]never take place, he was never able to reconcile his feelings with his father. Further, Bergman was never there as a surrogate. (Please let me know if I missed something so I can reevaluate my theory.)
[b]Robert Koenig –[/b] Poor fellow thinks he’s a withdrawal from a gene bank. As certain that he is doing what is right as Koenig is. He, too, is the child that is convinced to do something unwittingly, because he doesn’t know any better, just as they speculated the brell/child was. Almost childlike excitement when he told Koenig about having the alien attack force on the run. Trying to live up to an ideal, much as his father did, and perhaps never getting the pat on the back for doing a good job, much as his father longed to know [i]his [/i]father was proud of him. Carrying the weight of the moon on his shoulders, too, and eating him up along the way. Sorry, kid, Mom and Dad still overshadow you, regardless of the space/time continuum.
[b]MUFs – (Agathism)[/b] – How long have they been at this, with respect to maneuvering and interfering in the Alphan’s lives? Or is this a sort of Whovian version of time – “People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but *actually* from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint – it’s more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly… time-y wimey… stuff.” (the Doctor, in “Blink”) Did NotMike see that things were not going well at the end of [u]Omega[/u], go back in time and muck up events leading to a Koenig family(ies) – all 4 of them, elder and younger – that would act like it(they) did? How many other potential MUFs might have been interspersed in Y1 and Y2? The [u]Alpha [/u]appendix – “The Strange Case of …” reminded me of Ted Clifford and then Helena in (that paragon of episodes) “Ring Around the Moon.” The being in “The Immunity Syndrome” (TIS) – originally titled the “Face of Eden” – says to Koenig, “…I am I.” Not only is this how God has defined himself (I Am that I Am – Yahweh to Moses when asked for His name), but this is how the “gods” define themselves at the beginning of Alpha (I am I. We are we.) The being in TIS longed to communicate, and was perhaps driven mad by his loneliness, just as Susurra was, and just as that fragment of Penya, another being like Susurra, was, near the end of Survival. Another hint that the being in TIS was a MUF? No-one shall see the face of God and live; no one shall see the face of a god and live, hence the Jiffy-Pop suit.
[b]Supporting cast –[/b] Indispensible, because you can’t have a colorful canvas without them. Ariana? Carter will make a great father ([i]cf[/i], “Mark of Archanon”), especially since she seems to have such spirit. She probably doesn’t realize Australia is referred to as Oz, which, naturally, makes her comment amusing to us earthlings.
I did not quibble about determining sex before 14 weeks gestation at the beginning of [u]Omega[/u]. (I am willing to concede their scanning equipment or whatever other tests she may have done are different from ours. I don’t have a laser after all – do you…? Different technology), but I also will not quibble about a fetus smiling if taken in the following context: Bill mentioned the words “god” and “gods” enough for me to notice. If I were ignorant of other things in the S:19 world, and potential Powys projects, it would not give me pause. However, I cannot help but wonder.
[/spoiler]
-Pat. (love the spoiler emotes)
One reader writes…
[spoiler]”The bad part about having an iron grip on things is that if you don’t prevent them from rusting, they are frozen in place. Shutting out bad feelings or putting up a wall to prevent from being hurt will eventually lead to the good feelings being shut out. I was going to write that you can’t get your head chopped off if you don’t stick your neck out. However – this is not true. She doesn’t stick her neck out, emotionally, at least as she allows others to see, and yet she still gets hurt. At the same time, though, she deprives herself of the small rewards she talks with Koenig about. ”
I’ve gotta say at this point that one of the great pleasures of having worked on these Space:1999 books is the amazing insight into my work that many readers have offered over the years, and PatS is almost psychic in that department.
Without going into much here (that’s the job of the readers!), I did want to jump in and comment on the brief passage from Pat’s analysis quoted above just because I find one thing really interesting. The observation above, primarily about Helena Russell, might just as well be describing Susurra. Poor Susurra chose safety a long, long time ago. Susurra had a false intimacy with the Leira, was “herself” a false self. She had no genuine loyalty to the Leira. And “she” denied herself a meaningful existence — she was so close to being content in our universe, but could never truly embrace her new home — she was locked in the past. She is probably the most tragic of the MUFs, hedging her bets, getting her “narcissistic supply” as it were, but couldn’t really be alive.
Helena’s got some issues. But Susurra is a representation of those issues taken out to the furthest extreme, the ultimate wolf in sheep’s clothing. At least to this reader. She is the opposite of the Alphans — while she adapted a long time ago to hide, her adaptation ended there. The Alphans are still growing, still becoming who they are. Susurra couldn’t do that.[/spoiler]
I’m planning on wrapping up the Omega Diary soon (I always promised a final post) — for anyone who wants their questions answered in that final post, get them in soon. You can post them here or you can submit them through http://www.williamlatham.net.
By the way, had a great conversation with Ellen Lindow this past week — sounds like her anticipated Prodigal Moon contribution will be worth the wait!
Aw, shucks, Bill. Your stuff is fun to read and provides just enough unanswered questions to keep a person wanting more, without being abstruse. BTW, Mary’s Monster is coming to Yellowstone w/ us. I shall sit by a lake and read it. Without having read a word of it yet, I just get the feeling that that setting will be most apropos.
Anyhow, my question is, what’s the deal with the epilogue in [u]Alpha[/u]? I won’t ask a more specific question; general questions lets the answerer lead the discussion where he wants it to go. B)
-Pat.
[b]blatham wrote:[/b]
[quote][spoiler]…The observation above, primarily about Helena Russell, might just as well be describing Susurra. Poor Susurra chose safety a long, long time ago. Susurra had a false intimacy with the Leira, was “herself” a false self. She had no genuine loyalty to the Leira. And “she” denied herself a meaningful existence — she was so close to being content in our universe, but could never truly embrace her new home — she was locked in the past. She is probably the most tragic of the MUFs, hedging her bets, getting her “narcissistic supply” as it were, but couldn’t really be alive.
Helena’s got some issues. But Susurra is a representation of those issues taken out to the furthest extreme, the ultimate wolf in sheep’s clothing. At least to this reader. She is the opposite of the Alphans — while she adapted a long time ago to hide, her adaptation ended there. The Alphans are still growing, still becoming who they are. Susurra couldn’t do that.[/spoiler]
[/quote]
Was this something you intended, or did it evolve as such?
Inquiring minds want to know! :blink:
-P.
Epilogue in Alpha you say? I’m guessing you mean the part not written by our favorite professor.
[spoiler]At the very beginning of Alpha is a somewhat obscure nod to 2001 — on primitive people hearing voices, providing soothing sleep…making them “rested”. So the epilogue ties that up, coming not long after a closeup of a baby, another obscure nod to 2001 at the end of the novel.
The unanswered question of how the Atherian Rift was contained, along with a link back to how the MUFs actually communicated with people (when they weren’t using dead Alphans), and you ultimately get a very un-MUFlike dialogue that ultimately reveals MUFs, two of them, who finally discovered intimacy. The close connection — that’s what both books are all about. Bridging the distances, bridging the boundaries. Susurra couldn’t do it, BadMike had no interest in doing it, and GoodMike finally found intimacy with human beings (perhaps permanently…). But the two MUFs holding the Atherican Rift together — they found intimacy with each other.[/spoiler]
Ah – OK. That makes things clearer. Thanks for the insight. I found the passage very poetic, and it almost mirrored some other relationships that that are portrayed (but I won’t belabor that point).
Of course, then there is the whole hieroglyphic/Space Brain thingy that it brings to mind, too. What we’ve got there is a failure to communicate, as I recall.
I’m thinking I’ve got to reread with some of these now elucidated points. Then, I can smack my forehead and say,”Duh!”
-P.
Intentional or not?
[spoiler]If you think about it, motherhood and fatherhood are major issues in Omega and Alpha. While the fatherhood issues are conscious, since much of the story comes from Koenig’s perspective, the motherhood issues are by design a little bit more subliminal (partly because JK’s mother issues have been the thorn in his side and we as readers had to found out about it as Koenig did). Susurra is definitely a mother-like character, and if you think about it, Eroca and Koenig both have very similar experiences in the “maternal betrayal” department. There are many character parallels in Omega and Alpha. I’m a big movie score buff. The concept of the leitmotif in music (think “Peter and the Wolf”) where characters have their theme music filtered into my writing years ago, and I love playing with parallel melodies where the melody in one character can be paralleled in another, but at some point will deviate, making their differences come into stark contrast. Koenig and Eroca have similar character arcs, but Eroca leaves her people while Koenig stays with his. They come to very different decisions from their moment of disillusionment, but if you think about it, Koenig’s mother issues happened years before — Eroca’s happened during Alpha.
To answer the question, was it intentional — did I say to myself that I wanted Susurra and Helena to be parallel characters (if I’m answering the right question)? Probably not — but I knew that both Helena and Susurra were maternal characters and both of them were withholding parts of themselves, or hiding parts of themselves. Their inability to be open to the universe was happening in separate plot threads, so chances are, this was total luck. I think that’s what struck me about Pat’s analysis — I was reading about Helena and thought — hey, that could be Susurra, too. Which made for a cool experience for this author. A lot of times, I’m learning about these books from you.[/spoiler]
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.