Netflix’s Latest Hit Continues an Argument Sci-Fi Fans Have Been Having for Decades

Embedded in the narrative DNA of the new Netflix movie Stowaway is one of the most iconic and controversial science-fiction short stories ever published, “The Cold Equations,” by Tom Godwin. Like “The Cold Equations,” Stowaway is the story of a spaceship journey that hits a snag when an additional passenger is discovered onboard. The ship can’t complete its trip with the extra drain on its resources, so somebody has to go out the airlock.

“The Cold Equations” first appeared in the August 1954 edition of Astounding magazine, whose editor, John W. Campbell Jr., played a major role in defining the genre of “hard science fiction”—that is, stories fundamentally concerned with the accurate depiction of science and technology. According to legend, Campbell sent the story back to Godwin several times because the author kept trying to find a way for the characters to wriggle out of the story’s central dilemma and achieve a happy ending. Campbell refused to accept anything but the bleakest conclusion.

An opinion piece grounded in deep ignorance, of the story, the genre, the history of same and the underlying stories long popularity. And there’s this:

“But I think the friend who first told me about “The Cold Equations” put it best when he described the story as an elaborate excuse to toss a girl out the airlock and then feel sorry for yourself afterward. As is sometimes the case with genre fiction, it is a fantasy about being forced to do what you secretly want to do so that you can disclaim your own desires even as you indulge in them. It’s both sadistic, as it lingers over Marilyn’s despair, and masochistic, as it wallows in Barton’s helpless stoicism.”

As Heroic Mulatto put it: “If you read ‘The Cold Equations’ and got ‘snuff film’ out of it, that’s a ‘you’ problem.”


 

YES!

Randy Quaid says he’s ‘seriously considering’ running for governor of California

Randy Quaid may be joining the race for governor of California.

After months of sharp criticism, the state’s current governor, Gavin Newsom, will face a recall election, as it was announced on Monday that the signature threshold to trigger such an election has been met.

Reality star Caitlyn Jenner has already announced her own candidacy for the position, and now, Quaid has said that he’s interested in tossing his hat into the ring.

The “Christmas Vacation” star, 70, took to Twitter on Tuesday to share his thoughts on the matter.

“I’m seriously considering running for governor,” he revealed. “The prosecutorial corruption in California (esp Santa Barbara & the Bell scandal) is rampant; and I promise that if elected I will clean up the District Attorney Offices throughout the state.”

Christmas Vacation star? Way to slight his turn in Independence Day, you bastards.


 

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