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Saturn in fiction

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Image of Saturn that emphasizes the rings
The visual appeal of therings of Saturnmakes the planet a popular location in fiction.[1]

Saturnhas made appearances in fiction since the 1752 novelMicromégasbyVoltaire.In the earliest depictions, it was portrayed as having a solid surface rather thanits actual gaseous composition.In many of these works, the planet is inhabited byaliensthat are usually portrayed as being more advanced than humans. In modernscience fiction,theSaturnian atmospheresometimes hostsfloating settlements.The planet is occasionally visited by humans andits ringsare sometimesmined for resources.

Themoons of Saturnhave been depicted in a large number of stories, especiallyTitanwith itsEarth-like environmentsuggesting the possibility ofcolonization by humansand alien lifeforms living there. A recurring theme has been depicting Titanian lifeforms as slug-like.

Saturn[edit]

Early depictions – solid[edit]

In all of these stories, one can discern no general image of the planet, except for the usual tendency to suspect its inhabitants are more advanced than humans.

Gary Westfahl,Science Fiction Literature through History: An Encyclopedia,"Saturn" entry[2]

For a long time, Saturn was incorrectly believed to be asolid planetcapable of hosting life on its surface.[2]The earliest depiction of Saturn in fiction was in the 1752 novelMicromégasbyVoltaire,wherein analienfromSiriusvisits the planet and meets one of its inhabitants before both travel to Earth.[3][4][5]The inhabitants of Saturn have been portrayed in several different works since then, such as inHumphry Davy's 1830 novelConsolations in Traveland the anonymously published 1873 novelA Narrative of the Travels and Adventures of Paul Aermont among the Planets.[2][4][6]They are occasionally portrayed as warlike yet benevolent, as in the 1935 short story "The Fall of Mercury"byLeslie F. Stonewhere they aid humanity in a war againstMercuryand the 1933 short story "The Men without Shadows"byStanton A. Coblentzwhere they come to Earth as conquerors in order to turn it into autopia.[2][7]In other works, they are evil, such as inClifton B. Kruse's 1935 short story "Menace from Saturn"and its 1936 sequel"The Drums".[2]In the 1890 novelThe AuroraphonebyCyrus ColeSaturnians face arobot uprising,and in the 1900 novelThe Kite TrustbyLebbeus H. Rogersthey built theEgyptian pyramids.[2][5][8]

An illustration from A Journey in Other Worlds
Characters on the surface of Saturn inA Journey in Other Worlds,with the rings visible in the sky

Saturnians are typically depicted as more advanced than the people of Earth,[2]including in the 1886 novelA Romance of Two WorldsbyMarie Corelliand the 1894 novelA Journey in Other WorldsbyJohn Jacob Astor IV;in both stories they resolvetheologicalquestions.[4][5][9]Exceptions to this general trend include the 1886 novelAleriel, or A Voyage to Other WorldsbyW. S. Lach-Szyrmawhere the planet'secosphereis dominated byfungiandinvertebratesand the 1901 novelA Honeymoon in SpacebyGeorge Griffithwhere it is populated by seaweed, reptiles, and primitivehumanoids.[5][10]Saturn is also sometimes portrayed as devoid of life, as in the 1936 short story "Mad Robot"byRaymond Z. Gallun.[2]Humanity takes refuge on Saturn in the 1935 short story "Earth Rehabilitators, Consolidated"byHenry J. Kostkos,[5]and the first crewed voyage to Saturn by humans is depicted in the 1941 short story "Man of the Stars"bySam Moskowitz.[2]

Later depictions – gaseous[edit]

Once it was established that Saturn is agaseous planet,most works depicting such an environment were instead set onJupiter.[2]Nevertheless, Saturn remains a popular setting in modernscience fictionfor several reasons includingits atmospherebeing abundant with sought-afterhelium-3andits magnetospherenot producing as intense radiation asthat of Jupiter.[1]Humans live infloating citiesin Saturn's atmosphere in the 1976 novelFloating WorldsbyCecelia Hollandand the 1991 novelThe Clouds of SaturnbyMichael McCollum.[3][4]A voyage into the atmosphere is depicted in the 1985 short story "Dreadsong"byRoger Zelazny,[5]and aliens are depicted as living in the atmosphere in the 1997 novelSaturn RukhbyRobert L. Forward.[3]In the 1996–1999The Night's Dawn TrilogybyPeter F. Hamilton,Saturn is a place wherebiological spaceshipsare created.[1]Both Saturn and its largest moon Titan are visited inBen Bova'sGrand Tourseries in the 2003 novelSaturnand the 2006 novelTitan,respectively.[1][4]

In cinema, Saturn is visited by means of a recoveredalien spacecraftin the 1968 filmThe Bamboo Saucer,[4][11]serves as the destination for anature reservecontainingpost-apocalypticEarth's remaining plant life in the 1972 filmSilent Running,[1][12]and is devoured byGalactusin the 2007 filmFantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.[1]The planet has also been featured in severalcomic books;theDCheroJemmis from Saturn, and the evilKronansinMarvel'sThorcomics have a base there.[2]Saturn appears as a major location in therole-playing gamesJovian Chronicles,Transhuman Space,andEclipse Phase,as well as the video gamesSystem ShockandDead Space 2.[1]

Rings[edit]

Therings of Saturnaremined for resourcesin several works; they are a source of ice inIsaac Asimov's 1952 short story "The Martian Way"and the 1981 short story"The Iceworm Special"byJoe Martino,and provide raw material for a weapon in the 1935 short story "Menace from Saturn" by Clifton B. Kruse.[4][5]One of the rings is painted red by a religious group in the 1977 short story "Equinoctial"byJohn Varley,while another faction seeks to undo the colour change.[4][13]In Asimov's 1986 novelFoundation and Earth,the rings allow for positive identification of theSolar Systemin thefar future.[4]Owing to the aesthetic appearance of the rings, the vicinity of Saturn is a popular setting for spacecraft in visual media.[1]

Moons[edit]

Saturn's moons,especiallyTitan,have generally received more attention from writers than the planet itself.[2][4][5]The satellite system hides alarge circularsentientartificial worldin John Varley's 1979–1984Gaeatrilogythat begins with the novelTitan.[4][5][14][15]

Titan[edit]

Refer to caption
March 1951 cover ofAvon Fantasy Reader,featuringStanley G. Weinbaum's "Flight on Titan"(here under the variant title" A Man, A Maid, and Saturn's Temptation ") and its telepathic Titanian threadworm

As a comparativelyEarth-like world,Titan has attracted attention from writers as a place that could becolonized by humansand inhabited by extraterrestrial life.[5]Early depictions of native inhabitants of the moon appear in the form of giantprotozoainBob Olsen's 1932 short story "Captain Brink of the Space Marines"and enormous thinking spiders inEdwin K. Sloat's 1932 short story "Loot of the Void".[2][5]Stanley G. Weinbaum's 1935 short story "Flight on Titan"featurestelepathicthreadworms,the first appearance of what would later become a recurring image of Titanian life as similar to terrestrial slugs.[2][4][5][14][16]The 1941 novelSojarr of TitanbyManly Wade Wellmantells the tale of a human child who grows up orphaned on Titan, inspired byEdgar Rice Burroughs'Tarzanbooks.[2][17][18]

Titan became more popular as a setting for science fiction stories in the 1950s as advances inplanetary sciencerevealed the harsh conditions ofMarsandVenus.[14]The 1951 novelThe Puppet MastersbyRobert A. Heinleintells the story of analien invasionby parasiticmind-controlling"slugs" from Titan that can be defeated only by a plague from thejungles of Venus,[14]and slug-like aliens from Titan exert indirect influence on humans on Earth by having them play games in the 1963 novelThe Game-Players of TitanbyPhilip K. Dick.[2][14]Thecolonization of Titanis depicted in the 1954 novelTrouble on TitanbyAlan E. Nourse,[3][4][5]the 1961 short story "Saturn Rising"byArthur C. Clarkedepicts efforts to attracttouriststo the moon,[2][5]and the 1975 novelImperial Earthby Clarke portrays aclonewho lives on a Titan colony and journeys to Earth.[2][4][19]The 1959 novelThe Sirens of TitanbyKurt Vonnegutis asatirewherein humans are manipulated into journeying to Titan to aid aTralfamadorianstranded there,[2][20][21]and the moon is inhabited by an alien lifeform who travelled to theSolar Systemto communicate with the Sun in the 1977 novelIf the Stars are GodsbyGregory BenfordandGordon Eklund.[4][5][22]

Theflybys of the Saturnian systemby theVoyagerprobes in 1980 and 1981 revealed thatTitan's atmosphere—already known to be thick andmethane-rich—was opaque, preventing any observations of (or indeed,from) the surface. Following this, science fiction writers' interest waned, and Titan was more often portrayed as one location among many in theouter Solar Systemrather than being the primary focus.[14]Theterraformingof Titan appears as a background element in stories such asKim Stanley Robinson's 1985 novelThe Memory of Whitenessand his 1996 novelBlue Mars,while a previously terraformed Titan that has reverted to its natural state appears inStephen Baxter's 1994 novelRing.[14]A voyage to Titan is portrayed in the 1997hard science fictionnovelTitanby Baxter.[1][3][4]

Other moons[edit]

Tethysis inhabited byintelligent lifein the 1934 short story "A Matter of Size"byHarry Bates.[2]Rheais colonized by humans in the 1956 novelThe Stars My DestinationbyAlfred Bester.[4]The 1954 novelThe Secret of Saturn's RingsbyDonald A. Wollheimand the 1958 novelLucky Starr and the Rings of Saturnby Isaac Asimov are both set partially onMimas.[2]Iapetusis the site of an alien artefact in Arthur C. Clarke's 1968 novel2001: A Space Odyssey(the film versionfrom the same year instead uses Jupiter), a voyage to the moon is depicted inPoul Anderson's 1981 short story "The Saturn Game",andfirst contactwith an alien species happens there in the 1986 novelSaturnaliabyGrant Callin.[2][4][23]In the 2005 novelPushing IcebyAlastair Reynolds,Janusis revealed to be an alien spacecraft.[1]Following the discovery ofliquid waterbeneath the surface ofEnceladus,the moon featured in the 2016 short story "The Water Walls of Enceladus"byMercurio D. Rivera.[2]

See also[edit]

A photomontage of the eight planets and the MoonNeptune in fictionUranus in fictionSaturn in fictionJupiter in fictionMars in fictionEarth in science fictionMoon in science fictionVenus in fictionMercury in fiction
Clicking on a planet leads to the article about its depiction in fiction.

References[edit]

  1. ^abcdefghijCaryad; Römer, Thomas; Zingsem, Vera (2014)."Der Herr der Ringe"[The Lord of the Rings].Wanderer am Himmel: Die Welt der Planeten in Astronomie und Mythologie[Wanderers in the Sky: The World of the Planets in Astronomy and Mythology] (in German). Springer-Verlag. pp. 228–230.doi:10.1007/978-3-642-55343-1_11.ISBN978-3-642-55343-1.
  2. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwWestfahl, Gary(2021)."Saturn".Science Fiction Literature through History: An Encyclopedia.ABC-CLIO. pp. 553–555.ISBN978-1-4408-6617-3.
  3. ^abcdeMcKinney, Richard L. (2005)."Jupiter and the Outer Planets".InWestfahl, Gary(ed.).The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Themes, Works, and Wonders.Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 449.ISBN978-0-313-32951-7.The earliest fiction featuring Saturn is probably Voltaire'sMicromégas(1750). Much later, Saturn is central in Poul Anderson's "The Saturn Game" (1981) and Michael A. McCollum'sThe Clouds of Saturn(1991), where human cities float in Saturn's atmosphere. The planet's atmosphere is also the home of the two-brained, four-kilometer-wide creatures of Robert F. Forward'sSaturn Rukh(1997). Saturn's largest satellite, Titan—interesting because of its thick atmosphere—is colonized in Alan E Nourse's 1954 juvenile novel,Trouble on Titan,while Stephen Baxter'sTitan(1997) is about a space mission to the satellite.
  4. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrLangford, David;Stableford, Brian(2021)."Outer Planets".InClute, John;Langford, David;Sleight, Graham(eds.).The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction(4th ed.).Retrieved2021-12-17.
  5. ^abcdefghijklmnoStableford, Brian(2006)."Saturn".Science Fact and Science Fiction: An Encyclopedia.Taylor & Francis. pp. 458–459.ISBN978-0-415-97460-8.
  6. ^Clute, John(2022)."Aermont, Paul".InClute, John;Langford, David;Sleight, Graham(eds.).The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction(4th ed.).Retrieved2023-12-25.
  7. ^Westfahl, Gary(2021)."Mercury".Science Fiction Literature through History: An Encyclopedia.ABC-CLIO. pp. 442–444.ISBN978-1-4408-6617-3.
  8. ^Nicholls, Peter;Clute, John(2022)."Cole, Cyrus".InClute, John;Langford, David;Sleight, Graham(eds.).The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction(4th ed.).Retrieved2023-12-25.
  9. ^Clute, John(2022)."Astor, John Jacob".InClute, John;Langford, David;Sleight, Graham(eds.).The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction(4th ed.).Retrieved2023-12-23.
  10. ^
  11. ^Stevens, Geoffrey (2017)."Bamboo Saucer, The".InClute, John;Langford, David;Sleight, Graham(eds.).The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction(4th ed.).Retrieved2021-12-17.
  12. ^Nicholls, Peter;Brosnan, John(2022)."Silent Running".InClute, John;Langford, David;Sleight, Graham(eds.).The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction(4th ed.).Retrieved2022-12-18.
  13. ^Clark, Stephen R. L.(2008).How to Live Forever: Science Fiction and Philosophy.Routledge.ISBN978-1-134-80006-3.one army of plant-human symbiotes are painting the rings of Saturn red, as a triumphant monument to human energy, while another as eagerly removes the paint
  14. ^abcdefgBaxter, Stephen(Autumn 1997). "Under Titan's Green Sky: Titan in Science Fiction and Science".Foundation.No. 71.Science Fiction Foundation.pp. 5–18.ISSN0306-4964.
  15. ^Clute, John(2022)."Varley, John".InClute, John;Langford, David;Sleight, Graham(eds.).The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction(4th ed.).Retrieved2023-02-10.
  16. ^Bleiler, Everett Franklin;Bleiler, Richard(1998)."Weinbaum, Stanley G[rauman] (1902–1935)".Science-fiction: The Gernsback Years: a Complete Coverage of the Genre Magazines... from 1926 Through 1936.Kent State University Press. p. 482.ISBN978-0-87338-604-3.
  17. ^Ashley, Mike(2000)."The Golden Age".The Time Machines. The Story of the Science-Fiction Pulp Magazines from the Beginning to 1950.History of the Science Fiction Magazine. Liverpool University Press. p. 138.ISBN978-0-85323-855-3.
  18. ^Clute, John;Langford, David(2024)."Wellman, Manly Wade".InClute, John;Langford, David;Sleight, Graham(eds.).The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction(4th ed.).Retrieved2024-02-03.
  19. ^Samuelson, David N. (1999)."Sir Arthur C. Clarke".InBleiler, Richard(ed.).Science Fiction Writers: Critical Studies of the Major Authors from the Early Nineteenth Century to the Present Day.Revision and update byGary Westfahl(2nd ed.). New York:Charles Scribner's Sons.p. 209.ISBN0-684-80593-6.OCLC40460120.
  20. ^Stableford, Brian;Clute, John(2023)."Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr".InClute, John;Langford, David;Sleight, Graham(eds.).The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction(4th ed.).Retrieved2023-12-25.
  21. ^Elkins, Charles L. (1999)."Kurt Vonnegut".InBleiler, Richard(ed.).Science Fiction Writers: Critical Studies of the Major Authors from the Early Nineteenth Century to the Present Day(2nd ed.). New York:Charles Scribner's Sons.pp. 855–856.ISBN0-684-80593-6.OCLC40460120.
  22. ^Stableford, Brian(1999)."Gregory Benford".InBleiler, Richard(ed.).Science Fiction Writers: Critical Studies of the Major Authors from the Early Nineteenth Century to the Present Day(2nd ed.). New York:Charles Scribner's Sons.pp. 59–60.ISBN0-684-80593-6.OCLC40460120.
  23. ^Clute, John(2022)."Callin, Grant".InClute, John;Langford, David;Sleight, Graham(eds.).The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction(4th ed.).Retrieved2022-12-17.

Further reading[edit]

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