The Reality of Science Fiction: Comparing Clarke to Cruise
Modern science fiction films often regard alien visitors as hostile conquerors. From the destructive Martians in War of the Worlds to the White House-blasting invaders in Independence Day, alien species are shown as destructive and ruthless. But unlike their modern counterparts, the aliens in Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End peacefully unify the world instead of destroying it. The Overlords are more convincing than modern science fiction invaders because they work to earn the respect of humanity and wish to further man's evolution.
Unlike alien invaders in films like War of the Worlds, the Overlords subtly exert their power to earn humanity's respect. When a major power fires a nuclear missile at Karellan's ship, the Supervisor does not take any action to shoot it down. Instead, the world bears witness to the Overlords technical superiority when Karellan's ship emerges unscathed. Knowing that their mightiest weapon is useless against the Overlords, humanity learns to respect their authority. But technological intimidation is not the only method employed by the demon-looking creatures. Karellan does not punish the belligerent nation, instead he "ignored them contemptuously, leaving them to worry over a vengeance that never came" (Clarke 14). By refusing to take action, Karellan's decision was "a more effective, and more demoralizing treatment than any punitive action could have been" (Clarke 14). As the offending government collapses, humanity understands that no means of force will drive the Overlords from Earth. Begrudgingly they accept the Overlords presence. The same cannot be said for the invaders in War of the Worlds though. In the film version of H.G. Wells' novel starring Tom Cruise, alien creatures come to Earth with the purpose of destroying humanity. While the film does not explain the aliens' motivations, they don't make any effort to contact humanity - instead they attack with no reason and encounter military resistance. For an intelligent race with space-faring capability to attack Earth seems far-fetched - more likely an alien visit would be less destructive.
It would be more logical for a race with superior technology and intelligence to visit Earth for altruistic reasons rather than destroying humanity. The Overlords serve to protect mankind, not destroy it like the aliens in modern studio films do. Instead of subjugating the human race, the Overlords act more like parents, gently settling man's conflicts. To protect man from himself, the Overlords facilitate the elimination of war, poverty, and crime. But because the Overlords do not use force to improve the world, most men are "only dimly aware that their steadily rising standards of living were due to the Overlords" (Clarke 22). Ironically, the Overlords are only the catalysts for the unified Earth - the world's nations draft the World State charter not the Overlords themselves. If the Overlords crafted their own charter, many people would oppose it. But since the charter is man-made, the World State is considered a product of human evolution, rather than Overlord intervention. The Overlords serve as midwives, helping humans reach a higher plain of existence, not as conquerors bent on mankind's destruction. Because humans are capable of joining the Overmind, the Overlords protect Man from following an evolutionary path that results in "a cul-de-sac from which [the Overlords] could never escape" (Clarke 223). Clarke's novel explains that a species like the Overlords with minds "ten - perhaps a hundred - times as powerful as men's" (Clarke 223), would not come to Earth to subjugate humanity, but to help it. With their technology the Overlords observed human history for thousands of years, much like the aliens in War of the Worlds did. But unlike Overlords, the latter attacked the planet instead of helping man achieve higher goals. While this situation is perfect for action films, civilizations that can watch another planet evolve for millennia could neutralize threats long before they became a problem. It would make sense that an advanced alien species like the Overlords would be more concerned with humanity's evolution than its destruction. Through their careful tending of humanity, the Overlords correctly fulfill Rikki Stormgren's prediction that:
When the two races met again, the Overlords would have won the trust and friendship of mankind, and not even the shock of recognition could undo that work. They would go together into the future, and the unknown tragedy that must have darkened that past would be lost forever down the dim corridors of pre-historic time. (Clarke 65).
Similarly, short stories like J.G. Ballard's Billennium and Gene Wolfe's How the Whip Came Back provide more realistic situations than those in the modern cinema. Instead of employing extravagant plots involving clone armies and human-producing factories, Ballard says that overcrowding is due to a decades long "3 per cent annual increase" (292) in Earth's population. Wolfe's story also uses plausible situations - the return of slavery in the United States is the result of a "financial crisis" (Wolfe 393) rather than the work of a totalitarian government. The stories also offer endings that, while in the cinema would be unacceptable, are more realistic. In War of the Worlds, Tom Cruise's character is able to get on with life once the aliens mysteriously die off. But in How the Whip Came Back, Miss Bushnan prefers to vote yes for slavery so that her ex-husband could wear shackles "made at Tiffany's" (Wolfe 399). These short stories take into account human psychology, creating plots that are more realistic - unlike most sci-fi films manufactured for financial success.
895 words, 4 pages
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