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Journal by E_NOENT

Just some preliminary notes. I need to flesh out some more of this, but I also need to work...

How would history have changed if "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (also released in 1977) had managed to get a similar foothold in the public imagination?

Lacking the flash and the toy merchandising juggernaut of Lucasfilm/Kenner, "Close Encounters" has largely, and perhaps undeservedly, been forgotten.

The movie encouraged us to look beyond our planet--to look to the cosmos--for the possibility of intelligent, benign life forms. Surely such a fascination was beneficial to humanity, and we all enjoyed an increased interest in space exploration and all things NASA*. "Are we alone?" was a very common discussion at the time, and that was a helpful conversation as it encouraged the general public's interest in science and the possibility of space travel. Exciting news from the SETI project (the "Wow!" signal in mid-1977) and the first test flights of the Space Shuttle Enterprise raised everyone's collective interest in what was going on--and what could go on--beyond our atmosphere.

The "Star Wars" series is certainly good entertainment, but its special-effects glitz and strident militarism tend to eclipse the types of difficult questions a movie like "Close Encounters" asked, and we're all the poorer as a result. Science fiction is in the Star Wars world, something separate and compartmentalized from our reality. The fairy tale world it offers is but a compelling escape, as the real thrust of the narrative isn't the possibilities offered by space technology. Its pride of place in our culture has, unfortunately, reflects (or forms) our collective imagination to the point where we are at best, indifferent to interstellar travel.

Perhaps 1977 was a nodal year, a time in which popular culture essentially chose between two different ways of understanding science fiction and our interplanetary future. The decade following its 1977 release would see the rise of Regan/Thatcher, the demise of Skylab and the Space Shuttle, and the appropriation of the word "Star Wars" to identify a dubious missile defense platform.

And lots of movie-themed toys and sequels.

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* Western culture was saturated with this fascination. One example: ELO's "Out of the Blue" album also came out in 1977, with its, uh, unforgettable space opera cover. Definitely a sign of the times.

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  • (Score: 2) by E_NOENT on Tuesday January 12 2016, @01:39PM

    by E_NOENT (630) on Tuesday January 12 2016, @01:39PM (#288621) Journal

    Thanks, this looks pretty interesting. Seems like it (like other good Sci Fi) makes some interesting commentary on current issues as well.

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