Wye Not?

Figure 1. Image generated by Gemini.

Part 7 of an outline for a "Contact" television program.

After several months of work with her new multi-band hierion communications receiver Ellie tries to publish a journal article describing the distribution of hierion signals in the universe. The journal where she wants to publish rejects the article since Ellie cannot describe how the receiver works. Ellie has been trying to get Dr. Wye to come to the Moon and help her reverse engineer the receiver.

By this point in time the Inspiration and Atlantis are routinely bringing passengers and supplies to Moon Base Alpha. It has been found that plants grow nicely in the residential complex that holds the replica of Ellie's childhood home. 

Figure 2. Image generated by Gemini.

That building has become part of Ellie's Lunar Observatory and most of her SETI team has moved from New Mexico to the Moon. A dozen participating nations of the International Machine Consortium now are contributing antimatter-powered spacecraft to the Earth-Moon supply line. The first spaceship designed specifically to use the V3 antimatter drive is being constructed by the IMC and it will be used for the first manned mission to Mars.

On Earth, Dr. Wye and Kate Robinson complete their basic analysis of the nanites that they have inactivated by exposing them to powerful magnetic fields. They have discovered a way to re-activate the nanites. 

Figure 3. Image generated by ImageFX.

Critical facilities such as Area 51 and the White House are now routinely swept for the presence of Overseer nanites, although only Dr. Wye is aware of the source of the nanites. Dr. Zelter has changed her identity after Ellie and Palmer identified her as a source of nanites.

Dr. Wye and Kate arrive at Moon Base Alpha. Kate starts trying to duplicate the hierion receiver. 

Figure 4. Image generated by ImageFX.

Dr. Wye becomes active in a team of theoretical physicists who are tying to understand what it means to have different types of hierions. They are trying to find a unified theory of hierions and sedrons. 

Ellie's SETI team is now focused on trying to decode the hierion-based signals that they continue to recieve.

Theodor Schwartz arrives at Moon Base Alpha and he is satisfied that the Moon Base is protected against Overseer nanites. 

Figure 5. Image generated by ImageFX.

Dr. Wye knows that Schwartz is overly optimistic, but as long as she is present and on watch, it will not be possible for Overseer nanites to do much damage to the flowering research projects at Area 51 and Moon Base Alpha. She releases Ellie and Palmer from the control of her own nanites and they are able to discuss the existence of nanites with other people.

Dr. Wye and Hadden have a discussion about the Overseers.

Wye: "Liberating Ellie and the other Earthlings from Overseer nanites was too easy."

Hadden: "After working for 2,500 years towards this goal I don't feel like it was easy."

Wye: "Yes, not easy, but easier than it should have been. I've been watching for evidence of Huaoshy involvement."

Hadden: "The Huaoshy are here?"

Wye: "I have no clear evidence, but I sense a pattern in recent events. I'm tempted to push the envelop."

Hadden: "What do you have in mind?"

Wye: "I could give Kate a few hints that would allow her to understand Ellie's hierion receiver, but it will be best if I let the Earthlings solve this puzzle the hard way."
Hadden: "What is the hard way?"

Wye: "By first understanding sedronic physics. But the theoretical team is not even close to cracking the problem. I'm starting to wonder if any of the Earthlings is capable of imagining the conceptual shape of sedronics."

Hadden: "If Ellie's team can decode the signals-"

Wye: "No, the Earthlings don't have the computational tools for that. Even if I told Ellie how to decode the signals, with their current technology it would take a million years to crack their first signal."

Figure 6. Image generated by Whisk.

Hadden: "Maybe the Overseers have relaxed because they know that the Earthlings are stuck."

Wye: "They know that I'm here."

Hadden: "They detected you?"

Wye: "Not me personally, but they have deduced that someone like me provided you with assistance. And now the news about nanites is sweeping the globe. I really pushed Kate along to solve the puzzle of nanite reactivation. I've given the Earthlings three major advances in using Machine technology...any Overseers noting this rapid progress would know that the Earthlings are getting outside help."

Hadden: Well, Wye, you can fret and worry if you must, but I see no evidence that the Huaoshy have ever concerned themselves with Earth. They have bigger fish to fry. Maybe when we help get the bumbling humans out of the Solar System and to another star system then the Huaoshy might become interested. Until then, I'm not holding my breath.

The above outline for an episode of the "Contact" television program was made back in 2012. I used AI tools to make some images for the story and provided Gemini with my blog posts from 2012 concerning this science fiction story idea. I then asked Gemini....

Me: Gemini, given what you know about my plans from 2012 for a fan-fiction story about Ellie, Dr. Shella Wye and even Carl Sagan himself, how would you begin such an imaginary television series to minimize viewer confusion and maximize dramatic impact?

Alien nanites by Whisk.

 Gemini: To begin such an imaginary television series, minimizing viewer confusion while maximizing dramatic impact, I would propose the following approach for the pilot episode:

Phase 1: Grounding in Familiarity and Introducing Personal Mystery (First 15-20 minutes)

1. Immediate Post-Contact Aftermath:

Scene: Open immediately after Ellie's return from the Machine. Show the chaotic press conference, the public skepticism, and the government's official dismissal of her "experience." This grounds viewers in the familiar aftermath from the film, but hints at underlying tension.

Ellie's Internal Struggle: Focus on Ellie's profound sense of having experienced something extraordinary, contrasted with her inability to provide objective proof. Show her isolated, haunted by the vivid, beautiful memories of her "journey," yet frustrated by the lack of external validation.

Subtle Anomalies: Begin to introduce subtle, inexplicable occurrences from Ellie's perspective. She might experience fleeting moments of déjà vu, recall facts she shouldn't know, or have sensations that don't quite fit. These are the first hints of the "infites" at work, but the viewer (and Ellie) won't know what they are yet.

2. Reintroduction of Key Players with New Layers:

Palmer Joss: Show his continued support for Ellie, but perhaps with a sense of unease about her unshakeable conviction despite the lack of evidence.

Observer Sagan (right) watching Ellie.

  Dr. Shella Wye (Genesaunt/Interventionist): Introduce Dr. Wye early, perhaps as a sympathetic, brilliant scientist who approaches Ellie with an unusual proposition or observation about the Machine's residual energy or the "alien" signal. Her dialogue can be scientifically precise, hinting at "hierion" physics without explicitly defining "sedrons" yet. She subtly pushes Ellie to look beyond the surface.

Dr. Karen Zelter (Observer): Zelter should appear as a highly placed government or scientific oversight figure, seemingly concerned but subtly dismissive or obstructive of Ellie's continued investigations. She is an "Observer" acting to control information flow.

Phase 2: Escalating the Unsettling Reality (Middle 20-25 minutes)

The Fading Signal & The Machine's True Purpose:

Scene: Ellie and her team (perhaps including a new, skeptical but brilliant colleague) investigate the now-silent Vega signal. They find highly anomalous energy signatures or data patterns around the Machine site that don't align with a simple "wormhole" concept.

The "Infite" Revelation (Partial): Through their scientific inquiry, they discover an extremely complex, synthetic microscopic structure – a "nanite" or, as you'd call it, an "infite" – embedded within debris from the Machine or within samples taken from Ellie's vicinity after her experience. Initial analysis reveals it's far beyond human technology, but its function remains a mystery. Ellie might have a moment of intense clarity or a new, inexplicable memory flash when near this infite, hinting at its memory-carrying capability.

  Whispers of Outside Influence: Dr. Wye (the Interventionist) might drop a carefully worded hint about long-standing "unseen hands" guiding human development, framed as a philosophical discussion. Zelter (the Observer) subtly blocks funding or access to critical data.

Phase 3: The Dramatic Hook and New Direction (Final 15-20 minutes)

1. The First Direct Contradiction:

Scene: Ellie attempts to access a specific memory from her "journey" – perhaps a unique detail or a conversation with the alien entity. As she focuses, the "infite" she's unknowingly carrying in her brain attempts to reinforce the false memory.

The Glitch in the Matrix: However, perhaps through a scientific trigger or a moment of extreme stress/focus, a glitch occurs. She sees a fleeting, contradictory image or hears a different voice, a split-second vision of not being in space but somewhere else, perhaps even back in the Machine's chamber, seeing something being "injected" into her. This is a dramatic breaking point.

The O'Seriat Unveiling (Tease): A brief, enigmatic scene could show "Joseph" (the religious fanatic) in a secluded location, not as a fanatic but as a composed individual, morphing slightly or exhibiting unusual behavior, subtly revealing his true Huaoshy nature as o'Seriat, who orchestrated the Machine's destruction for a precise purpose. This scene's context is unclear to the viewer, but it establishes a deeper, manipulative force.

2. Ellie's New Quest:

Realization: Ellie comes to a horrifying, dawning realization: her journey was not real. Her most profound experience was manufactured. The infites were not a gift, but a means of deception.

The New Question: The central question shifts from "Are we alone?" to "Who manipulated me, why, and what are these 'infites' and 'Phari endosymbionts' actually doing inside me?"

  Carl Sagan Tease (Post-Credits/Final Scene): For maximum dramatic impact, the pilot could end with a cryptic, brief scene of Carl Sagan, alive and perhaps in a strange, advanced setting, observing Earth with a detached but knowing expression. He might utter a single, profound line related to observation or the true nature of the universe, setting up his role as an "apprentice Observer" for future episodes.

Minimizing Confusion & Maximizing Impact:

Gradual Information Release: Don't overload the viewer with "Exodemic" lore immediately. The pilot focuses on Ellie's personal journey of doubt and discovery, with the alien factions (Observers, Interventionists) hinted at through their agents (Zelter, Wye) and their subtle influence.

Visual Storytelling: Use compelling visual effects for the "infites" and the "hierion" physics, making the advanced concepts more accessible.

Emotional Core: Keep Ellie's emotional journey – the wonder, the frustration, the dawning horror, and then the renewed determination – at the heart of the narrative. This makes the scientific and metaphysical concepts relatable.

The Twist: The revelation that Ellie's journey was a sophisticated illusion is the ultimate dramatic punch. It subverts expectations and immediately raises the stakes, transforming the series from a first-contact story into a profound conspiracy thriller about control, perception, and hidden truths.

This opening provides a strong hook by dismantling a beloved narrative element and replacing it with a more complex, personal, and scientifically rigorous mystery, perfectly aligning with your interest in advanced nanotechnology, intricate alien agendas, and the potential for technology-assisted telepathy through the "Phari endosymbiont."

Figure 7. Ellie and the infites.

When I started asking Gemini to generate some images to illustrate scenes for this fan-fiction "Contact" television program, I first asked for, "an image depicting a dramatic scene when a glittering cloud of infites is entering into Ellie's head. Include the interior of the 'transport pod' and details such as the electronic video recorder."

I don't think Gemini understood what the interior of the 'transport pod' should look like and Gemini made a cute little video screen (see the image to the right) rather than the wearable video camera that I was expecting.

I asked Claude the same question about how to begin the Contact television show.

Claude: Given your vision of this as humanity's guided transition story, I'd recommend starting the series with a deceptively familiar opening that gradually reveals the deeper reality. Here's how I'd structure the pilot:

Opening: The Familiar Made Strange

Begin exactly where the movie ended - Ellie with her government research grant, ostensibly searching for more alien signals. But show subtle wrongness: equipment behaving oddly, Ellie having inexplicable hunches about where to look, brief moments where she seems to "know" things she shouldn't.

The Hook: Ellie's Medical Crisis

About 15 minutes in, have Ellie collapse during what appears to be routine work. This gives you the medical scanning subplot while creating immediate stakes. When Dr. Zelter finds nothing, but Ellie insists something is wrong with her brain, you've established the central mystery without explaining it.

 The Reveal Structure

Rather than hiding the nanites entirely, show them early but ambiguously. When Ellie has her "vision" of Hadden explaining magnetic memory storage, show brief flashes of microscopic movement in her brain during the MRI. Viewers will wonder: Is this alien technology, advanced human tech, or is Ellie having a breakdown?

Character Introduction Through Action

Introduce Dr. Wye not through exposition but through a scene where she's clearly manipulating government officials to ensure Ellie gets the resources she needs. Show her as mysteriously knowledgeable about technology that shouldn't exist yet.

The Sagan Element

Have Carl Sagan appear as himself - not as an Observer initially, but as a concerned scientist who visits Ellie. He asks probing questions about her experience that suggest he knows more than he's saying. This adds gravitas while setting up the later revelation.

End with Escalation

Lost memories.

 Close the pilot with Ellie making a breakthrough discovery - perhaps detecting the nanites using her new magnetic scanning technique - but then having that memory seemingly erased overnight. She wakes up with notes in her own handwriting that she doesn't remember making.

This approach gives viewers familiar entry points (Ellie's continued search, government intrigue, scientific mystery) while establishing the deeper mythology without overwhelming them. The medical crisis provides immediate drama, while the memory gaps create an unsettling foundation for the larger story.

Would you want to include o'Seriat's shapeshifting in the pilot, or save that revelation for later episodes?

Me: It might be effective to begin the pilot episode with a short scene about the creepy Joseph at an unspecified time in the past when a "nanite cloud" emerges from the original Joseph after a dramatic scene in which he prays for guidance. The cloud will form a duplicate of Joseph. Without explanation, the duplicate immediately kills the original (biological) Joseph. Only much later in the series of episodes would viewers see this brief scene again and understand that the "cloud" represents nanites.

Figure 8. By Whisk using the image from Figure 7.

 Claude: That's a brilliant opening - it immediately establishes an atmosphere of mystery and unease while planting a visual motif that will gain meaning throughout the series.

The Power of This Opening:

Starting with the Joseph scene creates instant intrigue without requiring exposition. Viewers will be asking: What was that cloud? Why did the duplicate kill the original? Is this supernatural, science fiction, or psychological thriller territory? The religious context (Joseph praying) adds another layer of interpretive possibility.

Visual Storytelling:

The nanite cloud gives you a distinctive visual signature that can recur throughout the series. When viewers later see similar clouds around other characters, they'll recognize the pattern before understanding the mechanism. This creates a sense of hidden connections and building dread.

Structural Benefits:

By showing the Joseph incident "at an unspecified time in the past," you're free to reveal later that this connects to the Machine incident from the movie. It also establishes that whatever this phenomenon is, it's been happening for a while - suggesting a larger pattern of intervention.

 The Recontextualization Payoff:

When viewers eventually see this scene again with full knowledge of o'Seriat and the nanite technology, it will reframe everything. They'll realize they were watching an alien take control of a human to destroy the first Machine, and that the entire "religious fanatic" explanation was misdirection.

Transition to Present:

After this unsettling cold open, you could cut to title sequence, then to Ellie in her current situation - perhaps having a nightmare about the Machine incident, or waking up with those mysterious notes. The contrast between the disturbing opening and Ellie's seemingly normal scientific work would create perfect tension.

This approach respects your audience's intelligence while giving them a genuinely mysterious hook that will keep them theorizing throughout the series. How do you envision the visual treatment of the nanite cloud transformation?

Figure 9. By Whisk with Claude's text prompt.

 Me: Visual depiction of the nanites is a serious issue. At my blog, I use AI-generated images to illustrate my stories. Today I asked Google's Gemini LLM to make an image depicting nanites going into the body of Ellie (see the uploaded image). I've never been entirely satisfied with AI-generated images of nanites. Claude, generate a text prompt that I could use with Google's Whisk text-to image software to better depict a dramatic scene when a glittering cloud of infites is entering into Ellie's head. The scene should include the interior of the 'transport pod' and details such as the electronic video recorder.

Claude: Here's a detailed text prompt for Google Whisk to create a more dramatic nanite invasion scene:

"Interior of futuristic transport pod with curved metallic walls and glowing control panels. A woman with shoulder-length brown hair sits in a high-tech restraint chair, her eyes closed in concentration or distress. A shimmering cloud of microscopic particles - like glittering cosmic dust or metallic snow - swirls dramatically around her head and face, with some particles appearing to phase through her skin and skull. The nanites should look like tiny points of silver and blue light, creating luminous trails as they move. 

Avian alien by Whisk.

 In the foreground, show an electronic video recording device with visible LED indicators and a small screen displaying static or interference patterns. The pod's interior lighting should be dim blue-white with dramatic shadows, creating a tense, sci-fi atmosphere. The nanite cloud should appear both beautiful and ominous, with some particles forming spiral patterns as they penetrate her temples and forehead. Include details like padded restraint straps, instrument panels with readouts, and the curved pod walls reflecting the ethereal light from the nanite swarm."

This prompt emphasizes the dramatic lighting, the specific technical elements you want (pod interior, video recorder), and describes the nanites as both visually striking and purposeful in their movement. The key is making them look less like random sparkles and more like an organized, intelligent swarm with intent.

Would you like me to adjust any specific visual elements or add more technical details about the pod's interior?

Figure 10. By Whisk; Claude's prompt & my tweaks.

 Me: Claude, modify your suggested text prompt to include these visual features: the transport pod's interior is the inside of a spherical transport pod with the only interior contents being a restraint chair for Ellie, Ellie and  a small wearable video camera/recorder attached to her head. The interior walls appear to be some dark colored, futuristic composite material. Above the headrest of the chair is an array of LED lights. There are NO computers or display panels inside the pod. 

Claude: Interior of a spherical transport pod with curved dark composite walls made of futuristic carbon-fiber-like material. A woman with shoulder-length brown hair sits in a single high-tech restraint chair positioned in the center of the sphere, her eyes closed in concentration or distress. A small wearable video camera/recorder is attached to her head like a headset or helmet cam. Above the headrest of her chair, an array of bright LED lights creates dramatic illumination. A shimmering cloud of microscopic particles - like glittering cosmic dust or metallic snow - swirls dramatically around her head and face, with some particles appearing to phase through her skin and skull. The nanites should look like tiny points of silver and blue light, creating luminous trails as they move in spiral patterns as they penetrate her temples and forehead. The pod's interior is minimalist and empty except for the chair and LED array, with the dark composite walls reflecting the ethereal light from the nanite swarm and LED lights above. The atmosphere should be tense and sci-fi, with the nanite cloud appearing both beautiful and ominous as it invades her mind.

 I made some changes to Claude's text prompt and Whisk generated the image shown in Figure 10. Whisk never understood what I meant by a small camera, even when I specified, "The camera/recorder is the size of a small writing pen and is held to the side of her head".

Next: Part 3 of "Someday Mars".

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The Vocal Apparatus

Robots in the Ekcolir Reality.

 At the end of my previous blog post, I commented on the 1952 story "Robot---Unwanted". In search of other science fiction by Daniel Keyes, I ended up in the May 1952 issue of Marvel Science Fiction where "Precedent" was published. "Precedent" is another robot story by Keyes which I will discuss on this page, below.

The lead article in that May 1952 issue of Marvel Science Fiction was "She Knew the Face of Evil" by Robert Moore Williams, which is a story about telepathic humans. I'm a sucker for stories about telepathy, so I got distracted by Mr. Williams. I noticed that Williams had published "Robots Return" in the September 1938 issue of Astounding Science-Fiction. I'm a fan of science fiction stories about robots and I'm always looking for old Sci Fi stories that might have influenced Isaac Asimov and his stories about positronic robots.

Figure 1. Rocketry research in the Ekcolir Reality.

 

Science in the Ekcolir Reality.

I have not been able to learn very much about Robert Moore Williams. According to Wikipedia, he had a degree in journalism and so it is not surprising that reporters sometimes appeared in his stories. For example, in the June 1939 issue of Amazing Stories was "Lundstret's Invention" which begins with a newspaper reporter who is trying to get the "scoop" on a secretive man who has built a rocket. 

The Secret History of Rocket Science. The reporter calls upon a rocket experimenter named Langley to help confirm the suspicion that a functioning rocket exists. On the second page of "Lundstret's Invention", the reporter is dead and now Langley has to worry that sophisticated rocket technology will fall into the hands of Nazi Germany.

Virginity in the Ekcolir Reality.

 Rocket Science. As shown in Figure 1, the European rocket scientist Lundstret, after being held in a concentration camp for a year, has come to America and built a rocket that flies by means of some Hi Tek™ light beams. To prevent his rocket technology from falling into Evil™ hands, Lundstret sends his test rocket into outer space. The End.

Robert Moore Williams took his readers to the Moon in a story called "The World of Reluctant Virgins": a rocket lands on the Moon in the year 1955. Elon Musk John Holden has financed the construction of a rocket which lands on the Moon. Almost immediately Holden sees an inscription on a nearby cliff face (see Figure 2).

I love the idea that people could have reached the Moon long ago, but how? As told by Williams, the Moon was colonized in the distant past, but sadly no details are given to we readers. 😔

Fig. 2. interior art for "The World of Reluctant Virgins"

 Capes on the Moon. "The World of Reluctant Virgins" by Robert Moore Williams was published in the November 1950 issue of Amazing Stories. Long, long ago, some mysterious Moon colonists dug out vast caverns underground where they built and lived in cites, apparently eating fungus. Yummy. Then those ancient colonists tried to develop a means to attain immortality. They did succeed in greatly prolonging their lives, but in the process they became sterile. Eventually, those residents of the Moon all died off. We never learn much about those long-lost colonists, and I imagine that maybe they were aliens from a distant exoplanet.

Fig 3. Dozens of questions and answers.

 Green Stuff. Then in 1887, a small group of humans traveled to the Moon and discovered the underground caverns. If the first rocket to the Moon arrived in 1955, then you must be wondering... How did people reach the Moon in 1887? The explanation provided for that mystery is shown in the image to the left (Figure 3). Almost as soon as the rocket lands in 1955, a dude named Stinson shows up and provides a big info dump of exposition. The problem is, we can't trust anything that Stinson says. 😞

inside the Moon in the Ekcolir Reality

 Telepathic Ovaries. One of the crew members who arrives onboard the rocket is a woman (Jane Tovara). Jane senses that something is wrong on the Moon. Apparently all women have telepathic ovaries that warn them when they are being sterilized. The sterilization process has something to do with the funky blue light sources inside the underground cities of the Moon. 🔵

Finally, Thaddeus Juvenal, the inventor of the "green stuff" (Figure 3) shows up with the rest of the "men and their wives" who reached the Moon in 1887. They try to hijack the rocket (I guess they were tired of eating nothing but fungus for the past 68 years). The story ends with the idea that older Earthlings will flock to the Moon caverns so as to attain longevity. Sadly, there is no evidence for virgins on the Moon. 😕 "The World of Reluctant Virgins" is fairly jumbled and non-nonsensical, so I have to wonder if it was brutally edited before publication. 

Alien visitors reach Earth in 1875 (watch).

On October 21, 1966 television's The Wild Wild West delivered an episode called "The Night of the Flying Pie Plate". Over on NBC that week, it was "What Are Little Girls Made Of?". In neither show are things as they first appear. For the Star Trek episode, exoplanet archeologist Dr. Roger Korby has been turned into an android. In "The Night of the Flying Pie Plate" viewers were shown a pink blob of light falling from the sky to Earth and the gold-prospecting residents of an Arizona town are made to believe that an alien spaceship has landed. If this is evidence of spaceships in 1875, then why shouldn't Thaddeus Juvenal have gone to the Moon in 1887?

Telepathic sisters from Venus in the wild west.

 Crab Apple Pie. As Scotty might have said, "They're green!" Three women with their faces painted green step out of the pink spaceship and explain that they have run out of fuel. In an amazing stroke of technological foresight, their spaceship is powered by gold and Jim West has just ridden into town with a million dollars worth of gold dust. The Bad Guys™ try to make off with all the gold in town, but Jim West foils the alien plan.

Georgia in the Ekcolir Reality.

I've seen a broad assortment of westerns, fantasy and science fiction stories attributed to Robert Moore Williams. I suppose most writers who were trying to make a living by publishing pulp magazine stories in the 1940s felt a need to branch out into multiple genres. 

 How to Stop a Man from Drinking. I don't generally read fantasy stories, but as an example of a fantasy story by Williams I looked at "The Reformation of Joseph Reed" in the December 1941 issue of Fantastic Adventures. I was motivated to read "The Reformation of Joseph Reed" because I've long wondered about the origins of Isaac Asimov's demon-like character Azazel and I have to wonder if Asimov read "The Reformation of Joseph Reed" and was charmed by the demons.

interior art for
"The Reformation
of Joseph Reed"

"The Reformation of Joseph Reed" features a pint-sized demon named Georgia (Joe buys Georgia from a mysterious dwarf for $2.00) who turns around the life of down-on-his-luck reporter Joseph Reed, who drinks too much. With Georgia's help, Joseph captures the city's worst gangster, gets a raise and even gets Janie Rice (she's a redheaded girl with "curves where a girl ought to have them") to marry him. 💕

excerpt from "The Reformation of Joseph Reed"

It turns out that Janie also has her own demon, China Boy, and soon after Joe and Janie move in together, there is the pitter-patter of tiny baby demons around the house. 

China Boy in the Ekcolir Reality

You might question the wisdom of bringing demons into your home, but relax.... Georgia purrs whenever Joe pats her head.

 However, Georgia has a magical tail that can reduce a big tough gangster to tears. Similarly, China can whip Joe into shape. With China and Georgia around, Joe gives up drinking and becomes a model husband.

Mr. If (image source)

I have a problem with fantasy stories: I never know what the rules are. In "The Reformation of Joseph Reed", some people can see the demons and some can't. Also unexplained is why it is that Joe and Janie are able to get demons from the mysterious dwarf who comes to town selling demons. I suppose the answer is: plot. "The Reformation of Joseph Reed" reminds me of a story by Asimov called "What if".

robots in the Ekcolir Reality

I'm fine with wish fulfillment stories, but often they are simply too magical as the author allows the protagonist to effortlessly move ahead from success to success. Are fantasy stories more prone to this problem than science fiction stories simply because there are fewer rules and constraints?

Before moving on from fantasy-land and Fantastic Adventures magazine, I read "Sidney, the Screwloose Robot" by William Peter McGivern which was published in the June 1941 issue. Apparently McGivern worked as a reporter in Philadelphia and judging from "Sidney, the Screwloose Robot", he had a very naive view of science and engineering.  In any case, this seems to be a joke story about a lazy and drunken robot. 🛢+🤖

Yes, Sidney can get drunk by drinking oil. During the months that it took to build Sidney, bills mounted and if Sidney can't be a productive working robot, then all is lost for his cash-strapped builders. 

Sydney at the junk yard.

For a brief time, Nancy, a cute redhead, is able to get Sidney to stop drinking and do some work, but then the robot reverts to his natural laziness. In the end, Sidney gets to sit in front of a junk yard, acting as a novelty display piece and never having to do any work. It is heaven for Sidney. "Sidney, the Screwloose Robot" robot reminds me of Asimov's story "Reason" which was published in April 1941.

Rewbarb Rides Again.

 Sentient Radio. The editor of Fantastic Adventures, Ray Palmer, must have enjoyed McGivern's goofy stories about fantasy technology gone bad. In the December 1941 issue there were two stories by McGivern. In "Rewbarb's Remarkable Radio", Mr. Rewbarb's radio suddenly begins speaking and complaining about all of the awful things it has heard, both on the air and inside Rewbarb's house.

Pyramid Power. The second story was "People of the Pyramids" and appeared under the fake name P. F. Costello. This story could have been called Indiana Jones and the Lost Pyramid.

Pyramids in the Ekcolir Reality.

In "People of the Pyramids" there is no Indiana Jones, but Neal Kirby must pretend to be an archeologist and save the fetching Jane Manners (she's the daughter of the real archeologist in the story).

Desert Adventure. There is a lost civilization out in the desert. To escape their war-like neighbors, they hide behind an invisibility screen. They live underground, below a pyramid.

Brought to the big screen in the Ekcolir Reality.

in an alternate Reality

Maybe in some alternate Reality, such as the Ekcolir Reality, there could have been an alternate version of this story in which Jane Manners was an archeologist and the star of a movie about discovering a lost civilization out in the Sahara desert. Since I prefer science fiction stories, why not imagine that space aliens provided the invisibility screen?

I've never seen Stargate Origins or any of the Stargate shows. I wonder if they could be viewed as developing the same kind of "lost civilization" plot that McGivern created for "People of the Pyramids".

In the March 1941 issue of Fantastic Adventures there was an autobiographical essay by McGivern. That essay was written comically and provides little factual information about McGivern. 

Menace of the Thought Robot!

In that March 1941 issue were three stories by David Wright O'Brien including "The Thought Robot". Roy and Mike have built a telepathic robot, but they can't figure out how to control it. The robot seems to be tuned into subconscious thoughts.

Mary - damsel in distress

The plot of "The Thought Robot" is very similar to that of Forbidden Planet. Beware the horrid thoughts that lurk in the human subconscious! Along for the ride is Miss Mary, the third leg of a love triangle with Roy and Mike. 💕 Both inventors are hot for Mary. Can the evil-doing thought robot be controlled? Can Mary be saved? Who will end up with Mary, Roy or Mike?

Fish Men of Venus.

The cover story for that March 1941 issue was "Slaves of the Fish Men" by Edgar Rice Burroughs. With Burroughs having "used up" all of the planets such as Mars and Venus for his planetary adventures, other writers such as Ray Cummings (see his "Onslaught of the Druid Girls", below) had to go the extra mile to find new locations for their adventures. For "Onslaught of the Druid Girls", Cummings invented a second moon for Earth.

I could not bring myself to read "Slaves of the Fish Men", but I confess having some curiosity about how the fish men of Venus could have kept human slave girls under water. With stories such as "Slaves of the Fish Men" being published in 1941, I guess I can understand why a young Isaac Asimov wrote his own adventure story set on on Venus.

interior art for "The Floating Robot"

In the January 1941 issue of Fantastic Adventures, was "The Dynamouse" by McGivern, but the cover story was "The Floating Robot" by David Wright O'Brien. I'm surprised by how many silly robot stories there were in this fantasy magazine. 

tormented by the radio robot!

 Terror of the Radio Robot. In "The Floating Robot", Sally has a magical voice that summons the titular floating robot (Yolan) from an alternate dimension, the world of radio waves. After much travail, with Yolan threatening to kill Sally, she screams and Yolan is sent back to his parallel universe.

how do you keep a mouse from exploding?

Judging from the letters column in Fantastic Adventures, "The Dynamouse" was a popular story. It features a mouse, Nelie, inside Professor Waldo's laboratory. Nelie eats uranium. Now the city of Chicago is in danger of being destroyed by a nuclear mouse explosion.

Before moving on from Fantastic Adventures, I must note that the June 1941 issue of Fantastic Adventures had as its lead story "Onslaught of the Druid Girls" by Ray Cummings. There was also a biographical article about Cummings which says, "Mr. Cummings is reticent in talking about himself".   

fantastic biography

 "Onslaught of the Druid Girls" features an inhabited second moon for Earth, Zonara, perpetually hidden by it magical atmosphere that does strange things to light. If you read "Onslaught of the Druid Girls", also read this.

Aurita, Druid Princess of Zonara.

Lee Blaine builds a spaceship using anti-gravity technology and goes off to visit Zonara. Bad News. His spaceship crashes and he's stranded on Zonara. Good News. He instantly meets Aurita, one of the Virgins of Dreen. Worse News. Aurita and Lee must escape from an evil Nonite. Better News. The Virgins of Dreen can fly by riding on Aerites, giant birds. 

The city of Dreen is in the tops of trees in the forest of Zonara. The plot of "Onslaught of the Druid Girls" is very similar to that of "The Cloud Minders", an episode of Star Trek. The Nonites are in a similar social situation as the Troglytes.

 Flying Virgins of Zonora. After an army of flying Virgins win a big battle against evil forces, Lee and Aurita can settle down together and rule the moon Zonara.💕

cover art by Harold W. McCauley

Hi Tek™ Vibrators. There are some technological wonders on Zonara that exist in some hybrid zone between magic and science. Aurita's brother, Raalt, has a laboratory at Castle-Cliff where he is perfecting a magic vibration-beam that is intended to "greatly benefit the Virgins" because it can defend Dreen against the evil ground-dwelling Nonites who often kidnap Virgins.

Aurita's image in a crystal.

 Hi Tek™ Crystals. Also, there are magic crystals that can capture a person's image like a photograph (see the image to the left).

 Fantasy Mush. In the September 1938 issue of Astounding Science-Fiction was letter from Isaac Asimov in which he welcomed the inclusion of some fantasy stories inside Astounding. However, he also added his voice to those who had expressed opposition to the inclusion of romantic "mush" and virgins in the pages of Astounding. 

featuring "Robots Return"

 Vocal Apparatus. In that September 1938 issue of Astounding was "Robots Return" by Robert Moore Williams, a story that was later re-published in several anthologies. A group of robots is searching for their mysterious origin. Arriving on Earth, with its ancient cities, all in ruins, the robots also puzzle over the mystery of why it is they can speak, but usually they simply communicate via radio signals. They are rather disgusted by the idea that living biological creatures might have once created the first robots 8,000 years previously. The animals of Earth were all killed off by a biological plague, but humans sent robots out into space. There is mention of an attempt to preserve some humans in suspended animation, but we reader see no evidence that any humans survived.

It is easy to imagine Lucas having read "Robots Return" at the age of 19 and then nearly 30 years later drawing on memories of that old story to craft the Star Trek episode that was called "The Changeling".

Figure 4

 Flying Robots. I've always been puzzled by Nomad's ability to float. As depicted in the interior art for "Robots Return" by Charles Schneeman (Figure 4), the robots can fly. They are powered by atomic energy and they have the ability to control gravity. While exploring the ruins of Earth, they find elevators and conclude that the residents of Earth were primitive and lacked the ability to cancel gravity and fly through the air.

image source

In "Robots Return", there is a scene featuring an ancient crumbling statue on Earth that is pointing towards the sky. That scene imagined by Williams may have inspired Asimov to include a similar scene in Foundation and Earth. See the Michael Whelan cover art that is shown to the left. I wonder if "Robots Return" helped to inspire Asimov's 1943 story "Death Sentence".

Reprogramming: the fate of androids in the Ekcolir Reality.

 Androids. After being distracted by Williams, McGiven and O'Brien, I finally was able to read "Precedent" by Daniel Keyes in the May 1952 issue of Marvel Science Fiction.

At the end of my previous blog post I mentioned the Daniel Keyes story "Robot---Unwanted" from the June 1952 issue of Other Worlds Science Stories. In that story, readers see the travails of the first "free robot". In "Precedent", the story begins with lamentations from two "freed androids", one of them quite drunk.

android worries

 Discrimination. The freed androids live in segregated android settlements and they have to wear an "A" on their clothing. There are only a few saloons that are open to the androids who are "second class citizens"

 Earth-Venus War. Earth's androids are being re-programmed so that they can fight in the war against Venus. Some androids, originally programmed so as to be unable to kill others, are killing themselves to avoid being sent off to war.

Ellen has a plan.

 Mush. You might wonder why "Precedent" ended up in a magazine like Marvel Science Fiction and not Astounding. I'll blame it on "mush" 💕. At the center of "Precedent" is the precedent-setting android, Laedo, who has a human girlfriend, Ellen. Laedo dreads being reprogrammed to have the ability to hate, but Ellen thinks Laedo will also gain the capacity to love her.

neofuturism

 Is It Sci Fi? You'll have to read "Precedent" in order to see how Keyes ends the story. The androids in "Precedent" seem to be biological constructs, not computerized robots. These androids eat food and can get drunk and in order to give Laedo the capacity to experience hate, a doctor operates on Laedo while he is under the effects of an anesthetic. I suspect that Keyes was imagining his androids as artificial life-forms along the lines of the robots in Karel Čapek's play "R.U.R.". As a science fiction fan, I find "Precedent" a source of frustration. There is no description of how or why these androids were constructed or how their emotions can be altered during a brief operation. I can't stop myself from thinking that in writing "Precedent" Keyes was working in the literary tradition of stories such as Frankenstein and Pinocchio.

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