Richard Matheson, A Science Fiction Icon

Author Richard Matheson died on June 28, 2013. He was 87. According to Time, he wrote 28 novels, 88 short stories and dozens of movie and TV scripts.

Coincidentally, I read Button, Button for the first time a week prior to his death. I confess had I not read the short story, I wouldn’t have recognized the name Richard Matheson.

After some research, I discovered Matheson wrote scripts for some of my favorite movies and television shows. He created the script for director StevenSpielberg’s 1971 television movie, Duel. He also wrote the scripts for:

   Star Trek, The Enemy Within (1966, Season 1, Episode 5)

   The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)

Time reports Matheson’s 1954 horror novel I Am Legend inspired the movies Omega Man (starring Charlton Heston, 1971) and I Am Legend (starring Will Smith, 2007). These are all movies and television episodes that I really enjoyed and I had no idea Matheson wrote them.

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Button, Button, first published in Playboy in 1971, is the story of a young New York City housewife given a box with a button on top. To earn $50,000, all she needs to do is push the button and someone she does not know will die. She and her husband agonize if the button should be depressed. (SPOILER ALERT – if you don’t want to know how the story ends jump to the next paragraph) …………… The wife pushes the button and the husband dies. She is told, “Did you really know your husband?” Hated the ending … it seems like an easy out. But maybe in 1971, this ending was a shocker. Perhaps people still lived in a time where the thought of not “knowing” one’s spouse was inconceivable.

I decided to compare the short story to its modern-day movie counterpart, The Box.

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The Box, a 2009 movie starring Cameron Diaz, doing a very poor Southern accent, and James Marsden, is based on Button, Button. In this version, the couple lives in Virginia and are offered $1 million to push the button. A box, a pile of money, a young couple, and the potential death of an unknown are the only things The Box has in common with Button, Button. I thought The Box was hard to follow (SPOILER ALERT – if you don’t want to know how the story ends jump to the next paragraph) …………… … I think the box giver in this story is a demon of some sort who is collecting information about humans for his employers (it has been suggested that the employers are aliens). The recipients of the box are the lab rats in an experiment to see if humans will push the button.

He wrote over a 140 books, screen plays and short stories. The Daily Mail considers Matheson a legendary sci-fi writer. I didn’t like Button, Button or The Box but based on what I’ve learned about him, I plan to read some of his works.

What do you think; does anyone else have a desire to read Matheson? Matheson fans, what is your favorite tale? Where should I start?

Commercialization of Superman

On June 15^th, I saw Man of Steel on its opening weekend. This is an uncommon occurrence for me. I rarely see a movie the first or second day it hits the theaters. Honestly, I usually wait until a movie is out in Redbox because I don’t think most movies are worth $10 to $14. The only other movies I have seen opening weekend are the two rebooted Star Trek flicks, Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness.

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I enjoyed the Superman reboot. I think director Zack Snyder did a credible job recreating the mythos that is the Man of Steel I remember from my childhood. This is probably because he has been a Superman fan for a number of years. According to Kryptonsite.com, Snyder is a fan of the series, Smallville which ran on the WB from 2001 through 2011. “Smallville, by itself, quietly has kept Superman in the consciousness …” states Snyder.

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The movie is good; the villain is General Zod … and judging from the fight scenes, which are … epic, it’s obvious we live in a video game era. They are hectic, building razing, no way you are going to pick up everything in single viewing, affairs. It’s funny, though; I couldn’t help but wonder what was happening to all the people who lived and worked in the buildings that were being trashed. I know, suspend belief.

What I can’t believe is the number of products that are woven into this flick. According to Businessweek.com, over 100 companies paid a total of almost $160 million for embedded products.

I know product placement is not a new concept. Mirriad.com reports that in 1896, directors Auguste and Louis Lumière inserted the logo of Sunlight Soap into their movie, Parade of the 8^th Battalion, in exchange for publicity and distribution help.

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But, there are scenes in  Superman when I felt the selling of products interfered with the viewing. In the first two mega-fight scenes, I saw obvious pimping of IHOP and Sears. The second fight ended with Superman standing amidst huge piles of rubble, and the background exhibits the perfectly preserved marque of Sears. Hell, I was in Sears this past Sunday and noted their Sears’ special edition Superman comic book.

As I mentioned earlier, I did like the movie and I understand the importance of product placement, but when does it take precedence over the film?

Does anyone else share my distaste for the blatant insertion of commercials into movies?

Billion Dollar Baby

A dollar bill is 6.14 inches long and .0043 inches thick. If you were to lay four billion of them end-to-end they’d stretch around the earth nine and one half times. A stack of four billion ones would be over 271 miles high.

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$4.05 billion; that’s the amount, in cash and stocks, that The Walt Disney Company paid George Lucas for Lucasfilm. When I sat in a theater in 1977 and watched Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope I never dreamed the franchise would be worth such a vast sum; heck, I never dreamed there’d be a franchise.

Back then, people compared Star Wars to the, then, defunct Star Trek franchise. They said the special effects in Star Wars far outshined those from the 1960s series.

Seriously? Being a fan of Captain Kirk, et al, I was offended. Movie and television technology had dramatically advanced in the decade after Star Trek ended. What did people expect? of course the special effects were going to be more … special.

According to ABCnews.com, Disney also announced that in 2015 they will release Episode VII. That is awesome! Lucas had decided that he was done with Star Wars movies after Episode III so I think that with the backing of Disney Studios there’s a chance we may see Episodes VII through IX.

Does anyone else share my rejuvenated Star Wars excitement?

Red Shirts

According to Infoplease.com, in college sports a red shirt is an athlete who did not play in any games (at the coach's request), or was seriously injured during their first season. The "red-shirt" designation means that that season will not count against the player's four years of NCAA eligibility, allowing them to play four full seasons.

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Anyone who has watched the original Star Trek series (1966 – 1969) knows that a red shirt character is usually the first one to die. The term “red shirt” has become so ingrained in my family’s lexicon that when we watch a TV program we attempt to identify the designated red shirt.

I found an interesting article at Wired.com that reported being a "Red Shirt" on the USS Enterprise NCC-1701 was one of the most dangerous jobs in any (imaginary) military. According to Wired.com 13.7% of Kirk’s crew died during their three-year televised mission; 73% of the deaths were Red Shirts.

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I knew that the "Red Shirt" was the first to go. It’s reassuring to know that there is statistical evidence to back up what I knew intuitively.

Star Trek Tech Comes to Life

In last week’s posting I reiterated my fondness for Star Trek (in case the picture of me between a Vulcan and a Starfleet officer wasn’t clue enough). Gene Roddenberry’s creation was prophetic in many ways. I know that Star Trek-like technology is in use today and has been covered ad nauseum but indulge my whimsy.

• The sliding door: In the 60s a door that opened as you approached it was not commonplace.
• The communicator: Flip open and talk. It’s a bit of a stretch but it certainly seems like a precursor to a flip phone.

Then there’s the tricorder: In Star Trek lore a tricorder is a handheld device used to gather and analyze information. There are two types of tricorder: the medical tricorder and the engineering tricorder.

When I was a kid, my friends and I made our own Star Trek props. One friend took six of his father’s LPs (long playing, 33 RPM records), painted them gold and used them as transporter pads. I was not nearly as inventive (plus, my father would not have been as understanding as my friend’s dad). My contribution was a block of wood tricorder, painted black with numbers and a screen drawn on it that fit in my hand.

We may not be close to a working transporter, but tricorders may be in our future.

According to Gizmag.com, Scanadu, a tech company based at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California, is developing a medical tricorder that will be able to measure vital statistics such as blood pressure, pulmonary function, and body temperature.

DVICE reports that Peter Jansen, a postdoc in a lab for "Engineering Non-Traditional Sensors" at the University of Arizona, has developed (from scratch) a perfectly functional Star Trek-style Tricorder. It's a portable sensor system and can measure ambient temperature, humidity, air pressure, magnetic fields, surface temperatures, colors, ambient light level, ambient polarization, acceleration, direction and distance (ultrasonically). It also has a GPS receiver. Jansen has made the plans available so anyone can build it.



Wow! Now this is cool! Do you think there’s a functioning biobed on the horizon?

The Lost Script

I’m a fan of Star Trek, especially the original series, which aired from 1966 to 1969 on NBC.

Forty plus years ago, when I was in seventh or eighth grade, I read a book about the origins of the original Star Trek series. Sadly, I do not recall the name of the text nor do I remember the author’s moniker. I do remember it was a paperback with a dark cover. Some of the book’s details have stayed with me.

Here are a few things of interest that I recall:

· The US Navy was intrigued by the layout of the Enterprise’s bridge and its potential use aboard US warships.
· During filming of the show at Desilu Studios, the use of the bathroom was prohibited because the sound of the toilet flushing got picked up by microphones.
· Gene Roddenberry presented the Star Trek concept to CBS prior to NBC. Supposedly, after completing his pitch, CBS told him no thank you because they were planning a space show of their own, Lost in Space. Reportedly, Roddenberry became upset when CBS used some of his Star Trek ideas in Lost in Space.

Interestingly, CBS Studios, Inc owns the rights to the Star Trek franchise.

I found out that a new version of the 1960s series persists. Original episodes of Star Trek featuring Kirk, Spock, et al are available at phase2trek.com (Star Trek Phase II). The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 is played by amateur actors. Everything Star Trek is protected by copyright but CBS Studios, Inc allows the Star Trek Phase II site to exist because there is no profit derived from the material presented on the site.

Star Trek Phase II has some pedigree. Episodes have been written by the likes of Dorothy Fontana, a television writer since 1960 and former story editor for Star Trek. Some episodes have even featured appearances from original cast members.

But, CBS strikes. According to Thomas Vinciguerra of The New York Times, CBS squashed the use of a previously unused Star Trek script, “He Walked Among Us”, written by Norman Spinrad. Spinrad had donated his copy of the script to California State University, Fullerton.

The folks at Star Trek Phase II learned of the script and planned to run with it. CBS invoked their proprietary rights and squashed production of the script. J. Alec West of Star Trek Phase II wrote that, “Since Star Trek is a CBS/Paramount property, Phase II has agreed not to shoot it.”

Maybe CBS has plans for the script. Could it be used as the basis for a new Star Trek movie? I can only hope.
Does anyone want to see “He Walked Among Us” on the big screen?

Geek Themed Spaces

What kid doesn’t want to decorate their bedroom in the theme of their choosing?  When I was a young'un I papered one wall of my bedroom with the Sunday comics.  I painstakingly removed the comic strips from the newspaper, prepped the wall and used wallpaper paste to permanently attach the funnies to the wall.  I had understanding parents.

In high school my chemistry instructor informed the class his son had taken six of his LPs, painted them gold and made himself transporter pads.

But I think I found the ultimate geek.  The other day I came across a story about Tony Alleyne who resides in a one room apartment in Hinckley, Leicestershire, England.  He has converted his apartment into a replica of the bridge of Star Trek’s Starship Voyager.  He estimates that he spent about $150K.  Unfortunately for him, his ex-wife owns the apartment and she wants to sell it.  But it is awesome nonetheless!

The following are five themed living spaces that I found intriguing.

1.   Tony Alleyne’s Voyager apartment

2.  The ULTIMATE Star Wars Themed Home.

Collector Cho Woong has turned his apartment into a Star Wars shrine.  He has an impressive collection of Star Wars memorabilia in every room of his abode; even the bathroom.

3.   Jules’ Undersea Lodge

Key Largo, Florida is the home of the Jules’ Undersea Lodge.  Located at the Key Largo Undersea Park, this hotel affords guests the opportunity to eat, sleep and live underwater in hotel-like comfort.

4.   Star Wars Tours in Tunisia

Visit the place that was Luke Skywalker’s home, Tatooine.  When the Star Wars filmmakers finished filming, they left all manner of Star Wars memorabilia, including Skywalker’s home.

5.   World’s First Hobbit Motel

Think the Hobbits had it made?  There’s a Hobbit motel in Waitomo, New Zealand.  Each unit has a shower, kitchen and can accommodate 6 people.

So what do you think, ready to redecorate?

Marines in Sci-Fi

Thursday, November 10^th was the 236^th anniversary of the founding of the United States Marine Corps.  Though it’s been several years since I was an active duty member of the Corps, I still carry that esprit de corps.  Many countries have had a military organization designated as Marines but there’s only one United States Marine Corps.

Once a Marine, always a Marine.

I remember when I enlisted, people thought I was crazy.  One of my brothers, a Vietnam era Navy veteran actually told me he’d rather have a sister in a brothel then a brother in the Marine Corps.  Nice!  Others thought that the boot camp drill instructors would beat my ass on a daily basis because of my temperament.

I will admit, the day I left for Paris Island, I was scared.  What the hell was I thinking?  The farthest I’d ever been from home was a three day school fieldtrip to Fort Ticonderoga.

I was only 19 and had been working as a Pension Trust Analyst at a large insurance company when I decided to join.  I was bored to tears so I figured, why not.  It’s not as if I gave it a whole lot of thought.  Hell, the reason I chose the USMC was because their dress uniforms were sharper than those of the other military branches.

I never said I made an informed decision.

I think joining the Marines was hardest on my mother.  One of my brothers recalled a time when a Marine recruiter called the house sometime during my Junior or Senior year of high school.

Recruiter:  May I speak with Derek, please.

Mom:  May I ask who’s calling?

Recruiter:  Staff Sergeant Somebody.  I’m a Marine Corps recruiter.

Mom:  Did he enlist?

Recruiter:  No, Ma’am.

Mom:  I’ll kill him if he did.

Click.

Needless to say, I never got another call.  To be fair, Mom had already endured the military service of three sons; each of whom served in or around Vietnam.  (She actually had someone tell her that if one of her boys was lost during the war, at least she had four others.)  Her lack of objectivity was understandable.

She had this little American flag lapel pin that she wore every day I was on active duty.  It is the same pin she donned when each of my older brothers was on active duty.

I make light of my motivation for enlisting in the Marines, but ultimately, it was an experience that shaped my character.  I learned the value of teamwork, I visited places I would never have and I met people who were very different from me.  It was a time in my life that I would gladly repeat.

Why this trip down memory lane?  I started to ponder the presence of Marines in fiction, particularly Science Fiction.  I’m most familiar with the Marines in the television series Enterprise and the most recent incarnation of Battlestar Galactica, as well as the Space Marines in the movies Aliens and Starship Troopers.

My own science fiction novel, Refuge, currently in revision, has a contingent of Marines.

Why are Marines such interesting combatants for Science Fiction writers?  I think it has to do with the mystique surrounding the Corps.  I believe there is an aura of, dare I say it, invincibility that makes the Marines an ideal and integral part of many science fiction campaigns.  And, there seems to be one constant … they are dangerous sumofabitches.

There’s a perception, by civilians at least, that a Marine is a rough, tough warrior who can be called to action at a moment’s notice.  When I was in boot camp, we were always told we were the President’s Own and did not require a declaration of war for deployment.

Maybe the mystique is greater because there are fewer Marines then sailors or airmen/women or soldiers.  The number of active duty Marines is less than any of the other branches of the military.

Writers are able to build upon an established, recognized brand.  Most people who aren’t living under a rock have a notion of what a Marine is and does.  A writer has readymade base from which to build; they need only add the weapons and armor.

For me, it was a matter of using what I knew – the readymade brand.  What do you think?

My First Blog Entry

My first blog entry, wow.  I ask myself, who wants to read what I have to write?  I don't have an answer so I'm going to forge ahead.

I’ve done some blog research (I emphasize “some”) and there are a lot of them out there.  Holy smokes!  There are opinions about everything and as my Drill Instructor used to always say, “Opinions are like –” … maybe I won’t go there, but you get the drift.

Obviously I have a geeky side, as the “Star Trek Live” picture should indicate.  I’ve worked in the aerospace industry, specifically space related systems, for a number of years and I had never visited the Kennedy Space Center.  I’ve been to Orlando numerous times, which is but a stone’s throw from Cape Canaveral.  Go figure.

So, finally, in April of this past year I made the trek.  And I enjoyed it; a piece of American history.  I only hope that it doesn’t die before we launch the next gen of space craft.

I know there are people who wonder why the need to travel into space.  Granted, I’m biased, since I owe my home and car to the space industry.  But from my perspective, the benefits have been worth the time and money.  The innovations that are a direct result of the space program are many.  Just Google space program inventions, you’ll see what I mean.

I have a wide range of interests, foremost being science fiction, so I suspect most of my posts will relate to this genre.  I’m a fan of “Star Trek” (all of them, even Enterprise, though I admit I didn’t really care for Star Trek: The Motion Picture) and “Star Gate,” especially “SG1.”

I just finished watching Green Lantern.  I liked it; I think a sequel has potential.  But then … I’m not a purist.  I thought Abrams did a terrific job with Star Trek (2009), I don’t see anything wrong with referring to science fiction as sci-fi and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the DH (though a DH should never be MVP; but that’s another argument).

See you next week, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.