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for sponsoring this video.
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- What's up, Wisecrack, Jared here.
Full disclosure, this video is
brought to you by "Impulse,"
an awesome sci-fi show about
a girl with psychic powers
that is currently available on YouTube.
Stick around for an exclusive interview
with the star of impulse, Maddie Hasson.
The people behind the show dig our work
and reached out to commission us
to make a video that dives deep into
the nerdiest crevices of sci-fi history.
Presented with the
uniquely geeky opportunity
to obsess over tales of aliens
and intergalactic war,
we were beyond excited.
Now, people typically associate sci-fi
with modernity, jet packs, spaceships,
and weird-looking aliens that are
most definitely coming for you.
Generally, sci-fi is traced
to the end of the 19th century
when rapid technological change
inspired a massive
proliferation of stories
featuring tropes like utopias, dystopias,
interplanetary voyages, time travel,
and weird men venturing to the
flaming hot core of the earth,
because, well, how could
that possibly go wrong?
But then there's a far
broader definition of sci-fi
that predates Jules Verne by
approximately two dozen grandmas,
and that's what we're diving into today.
Three fascinating works of
really, really old sci-fi
that are strikingly
relevant to the genre today.
So join us for this Wisecrack edition
on the secret history of sci-fi.
Oh, and of course, spoilers ahead
for three works of sci-fi
you've had centuries to read.
Also, just wanna give another
shout out to "Impulse"
for making this delightful
geek out possible.
It's a pretty great show,
so be sure to check it out.
Story number one, "A
True Story" by Lucian.
Let's travel back to the 2nd century A.D.
to meet one, Lucian of Samosata.
Lucian was a satirist
and traveling orator,
which means he wandered around
trying to entertain crowds with his words.
That is, he was an analog YouTuber.
Along the way, dude concocted
an astonishingly bizarre novel,
ironically called "A True Story,"
which is now considered by some scholars
to be the earliest surviving example
of science fiction in
the Western tradition.
In this faux autobiographical tall tale,
Lucian and Co. set out on an ocean voyage.
When a cyclone sends their
ship flying into the sky,
the crew travel through the cosmos
until they reach the moon.
I know what you're thinking,
did Lucian invent the spaceship?
Anyway, there they stumble upon
an interplanetary space war
between residents of the moon and the sun
over the colonization of
the morning star, Venus.
Keep in mind, and I
cannot stress this enough,
this was written before the
invention of the telescope.
The trippy battle is fought between
a smattering of bizarre creatures
ranging from Lachanopters,
i.e. fowl who have lettuce for wings,
Anemodromians who fly without feathers
and turn into sailboats,
or my personal favorite, Cynobalanians,
or men with dog faces who
ride upon winged acorns,
and, of course, hail
from the planet Dogstar,
which, incidentally, is the name
of Keanu Reeves's
short-lived alt-rock band.
Lucian also meets a species of moon-folk
who have no women, thus
the men are impregnated
and give birth through their calf muscles.
These dudes also have
beards on their knees
and wear clothing made of glass
and live near a big pit that lets them
hear every word spoken on Earth.
During his travels, Lucian also encounters
a city inhabited by living lights,
an island made of cheese, i.e. heaven,
and a city seated upon a mighty great
and round cork inhabited, naturally,
by Phellopodes who have corks for feet.
Now, you might be asking,
who was Lucian's dealer?
And we haven't even gotten to the part
where Lucian and his bros
are swallowed by a whale,
find an entire world living inside it,
and subsequently wage war on fish people,
including the lobster-faced
eel-like Trarychanians
and the half-man half-cat Tritomendetans.
So what makes this science fiction?
I mean, the Bible also features
a dude getting swallowed by a whale,
and nobody calls the book of Jonah sci-fi.
According to scholar Darko Suvin,
what distinguishes sci-fi
from other kinds of fantasy
is what he calls cognitive estrangement.
Essentially, depicting an
alternate version of our world
that is both radically
different and recognizable,
frequently because of some
development in human knowledge.
So while Roman poet Ovid's
"Metamorphoses", circa 8 A.D.,
depicts fantastical elements
like women transforming into amber trees,
it doesn't count as science fiction
because it doesn't engage with any kind
of development in human
knowledge or technology.
So is there any rhyme or reason
to Lucian's wackadoo insanity?
Context might help.
In his time, the world
felt inconceivably large,
and lots of writers, historians,
and explorers made their
fortunes off of travelogues,
or stories that described foreign
lands in extensive detail.
Lucian's life also
coincided with the emergence
of the precursors to modern-day
ethnography, biology, and geography.
This was a time period in which
science was not based on experimentation,
but instead on categorization
and description,
but wily scientists and writers alike
frequently resorted to crazy stories
about the great big unknown,
presumably in hopes of achieving
ancient versions of fame and fortune.
Take Greek historian Herodotus,
who wrote the first work of
history in the Western world.
Because he indiscriminately took testimony
from locals around the world,
he recounted unfounded tales
about furry ants the
size of foxes in Persia,
cedar oil enemas in Ancient Egypt,
and cyclopses fighting griffons
over massive piles of
gold in Northern Europe.
For that accomplishment,
dude has been called
both the father of history
and the father of lies.
Then there was Greek physician
and historian Ctesias,
who wrote about people who were
born old and die young,
and also possessed ears
down to their elbows,
which, honestly, sweet.
Lucian had some major
beef with these people,
calling their inaccuracies
monstrous and intolerable.
In the first paragraph of "A True Story,"
he explicitly notes that he
doth in a comical fashion
glance at these various
writers of untruth.
Basically, Lucian is using
his novel to roast these guys.
Also, the text actually engages with
the protoscientific practices of the time.
It's steeped with descriptions
of each colorful society he discovers,
with a specific emphasis on the materials
that compromise their buildings,
clothing, wings, food, etc.
In this way, Lucian's text
is using fictional scenarios
to lampoon the thinkers of his time,
particularly in the way they
made bold, reckless claims
and mythologized ancient
or far-flung cultures.
Hundreds of years later,
we see sci-fi writers
engaging critically with
the science of their time
by imagining the future
or alternate realities.
Examples range from
George Orwell's "1984,"
which interrogates the surveillance state,
to Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein,"
which responds to the
industrial revolution.
So in some ways, sci-fi continues
to parallel Lucian's social satire
by using a blatantly imaginary world
to reveal greater truths
about our current one.
Ever seen "Black Mirror?"
Story number two, "New
Atlantis" by Francis Bacon.
Fast forward a few
semi-miserable centuries
to around 1623 where we'll
hit Sir Francis Bacon.
A philosopher who also wrote
the early sci-fi work, "New Atlantis."
The story chronicles a
crew of European sailors
who find themselves marooned
in the Pacific Ocean
beside a mysterious island.
In the semi-plotless story,
the narrator tells us all about
the island's weirdly perfect
little society called
Bensalem, or Son of Peace,
a utopia which is, to his relief,
filled with Christian people.
These people seem pretty
lit right off the bat,
curing the ship's sick, housing them,
and inviting them to fancy feasts.
It's not all fun, though.
Bensalem is called by one
resident The Virgin of the World.
That's because it has
strict marriage laws,
like not letting you get married
until a month after you meet,
which seems pretty bare minimum, but okay.
You also can't have sex before marriage,
but there are fancy pools where you can
send a friend to check out your boo naked,
just in case anything funky's goin' on,
which, again, appears to be
Bacon's idea of a utopia.
But stuff gets real interesting
when the narrator talks with
one of this world's big kahunas,
a mysterious man known only as Father.
He reveals that this
utopia is run by a shadowy
but apparently noble organization
dedicated to gaining lots of knowledge
and expanding the human empire.
They have everything from wind engines
to water that prolongs life
to chambers of health that curate the air
to zoos where they experiment
to enlarge, shrink,
and even reanimate animals.
They also have heaters
that imitate the sun,
perfume houses where smells
make you feel like you're eating,
magic houses where you can see
false apparitions and illusions,
and math houses where
you can, uh, do math.
It's pretty clearly a paradise of health
and scientific discovery
with an ever-growing
influx of knowledge from
the merchants of lights,
or folks who sail to foreign countries
to gather books, information,
and experiments which are then carried out
and elaborated on by a
bureaucracy of scientists.
Basically, picture an elite college campus
without any of the sex, drugs,
or atrocious cafeteria food.
At this point, Bacon appears
to have gotten writer's block,
so the story just kind of stops.
Buzzkill.
The sheer imaginative nature of the work
rendered it important to
both scientific thought
and the development of the sci-fi genre.
Even if it's not exactly a page-turner.
Of course, Bacon didn't invent
the concept of a utopia.
Imagining a perfect society dates back
to Plato's "Republic,"
written circa 375 B.C.,
while the actual term utopia comes from
Sir Thomas More's 16th
century book of the same name.
Broadly, a literary utopia is,
according to scholar Northrop Frye,
a speculative myth designed to contain
and provide a vision
for one's social ideas.
Importantly, Frye argues
that a utopian writer
examines his own society,
identifies its significant elements,
and then demonstrates what
that society could manifest as
were those elements
actually fully developed.
Take Francis Bacon, he lived
in a pre-scientific age,
though there were some inklings of ideas
about some inventions he
outlined in the story,
from submarines to
airplanes to microscopes.
However, magic and alchemy
were still widely believed in
and practiced during Bacon's life.
Bacon was familiar with Renaissance magic,
but rejected it,
and instead became a renowned advocate
for a fledgling concept,
the scientific method.
In fact, he included some magical conceits
within "New Atlantis" reframed
as scientific inventions,
such as turning non-metals into metals.
This fits neatly within Clarke's Law,
coined by sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke,
which states, any sufficiently
advanced technology
is indistinguishable from magic.
Anyway, Bacon here took aspects
of his contemporary culture,
i.e. nascent science and ancient magic,
and realized their full potential
as technologically advanced science.
In this way, Bacon conceives of
the greatest mankind could achieve
were it to employ his
methods of rigorous science
instead of shoddy science or magic.
That's what makes Bacon's
utopia so unique and prophetic.
It took elements of a
pre-scientific world,
one where the idea of orderly researchers
in white lab coats and goggles
couldn't have been imagined,
and basically conceived of
a giant research university
where science and technology
was the prime facilitator
of a society's peace,
wellness, and prosperity.
This prospect has been explored
throughout the history of science fiction,
from H.G. Wells early 20th
century "A Modern Utopia,"
which imagines a world where
technology performs all human labor,
to Star Trek's 1960s imaginings
of tablet computers, Google Glass,
and non-invasive diagnostic beds.
Story number three,
"Micromegas" by Voltaire.
The last stop on our tour
of ancient sci-fi genius
brings us to Voltaire,
French Enlightenment man
better known for philosophizing
his little gray wig off
than for being grandfather to sci-fi.
But Voltaire's oft-neglected
story, "Micromegas,"
is actually yet another important
forerunner of the genre.
His work follows the
intergalactic exploits
of his titular character Micromegas,
who we'll fondly call Micro,
a spirited young man who hails
from one of the planets orbiting
the star the star named Sirius,
and is casually 120,000
feet tall, has 1,000 senses,
and can live for over 10 billion years.
After being exiled, much
like Voltaire himself,
Micro sets off for adventure,
visiting Saturn where he befriends a dwarf
who is a meager 6,000 feet
tall with only 72 senses
and 15,000 years to live.
Micro and his pal travel
from planet to planet,
eventually arriving on Earth.
There they eat two mountains for lunch.
They try and fail to find life on Earth
until they notice a whale
the size of Micro's thumb.
Soon they also find a
ship of microscopic humans
who they naturally assume
have no souls or thoughts.
Using a thumbnail as a speaking trumpet,
they talk to the voyagers,
including a group of philosophers,
who teach them about the triumphs
and tragedies of the human race.
Most notably, Micro
learns that some humans
believe the entire universe was
created uniquely for mankind,
which just plain makes him laugh.
The friendly giant offers to write
a philosophical book that
reveals the point of everything.
Upon receiving the manuscript,
the humans find only blank pages.
First and foremost, Voltaire's story
fits solidly in the
science fiction tradition
because it, like the previous works,
engages with the science of its day,
referencing several pre-eminent scientists
who had invented things
like the microscope,
discovered the life cycle of insects,
and first observed bacteria.
While microscopes allowed
us to suddenly discover
the minuscule creatures living among us,
Voltaire asked, if that's
true, what else is true,
and imagined a creature so large
that it made human beings
the seemingly insignificant
microorganisms.
This renders the tiny
philosopher's statement
that the cosmos revolves
around man absurd in context.
Like a bacteria on your thumb
declaring itself the
center of the universe.
In this way, Voltaire
questions some of the science
and philosophy of his time,
which did posit man as
central to a universal plan.
Re-imagining man's place in the universe
remains a pivotal theme in sci-fi,
which questions our significance
by positing outside worlds
that make ours seem small.
Most notably and delightfully,
there's Wisecrack
favorite, "Rick and Morty,"
which, through the introduction
of millions of realities,
forces us to examine whether
anything matters at all.
A paralyzing question that can
definitely make you a bummer to date.
Other examples include
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,"
in which the central character
watches planet Earth be casually destroyed
to make way for an intergalactic bypass,
as well as much as H.P. Lovecraft's work.
Viewed in this way, sci-fi seems
about as modern as the Egyptian pyramids
or resenting your ex.
Thinkers have contemplated
the varying implications of human progress
and technological advancements
as far back as the 2nd century A.D.
What makes these three works
we discussed so special
is that they seem to be in conversation
with many of the modern sci-fi
classics we know and love,
and that's pretty awesome.
Hope you guys enjoyed this mega geek out.
Big shout out again to
"Impulse" for their support,
and definitely go check out their show
using the link in the description.
You can check out the show
for free on YouTube with ads
or skip commercials with Premium.
Thanks again to YouTube Originals
for sponsoring this video.
Also, stick around for
an exclusive interview
with the star of "Impulse,"
Maddie Hasson, starting now.
All right, guys, thanks so
much for stickin' around.
As promised, we have here
the star of "Impulse," Maddie Hasson.
You can check it out on YouTube
using the link in the description.
Maddie, thanks for joining us, how are ya?
- I'm good, how are you?
- Great.
So "Impulse" is both a sci-fi
and a coming-of-age story.
Henrietta has to learn to cope
with these newfound powers
while now navigating a
complicated family life
and being the new kid in town.
So what are some of your
favorite sci-fi works?
- I like movies like
"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."
I liked "Ex Machina."
I like movies that are in the real world,
like how something would
be in the real world.
- Yeah, a lot of emotional movies there.
- Yeah.
So do you have any favorite actors?
- Tilda Swinton, Cate
Blanchett, Michael Shannon.
- Oh, cool, yeah.
These are all people that give
very intense performances.
(laughing)
- That's my theme.
- So what drew you to
the project of "Impulse,"
or, specifically, the
character of Henrietta?
- I really liked Henry, that's
what drew me to "Impulse,"
other than Doug Liman, obviously.
I just liked that she was not likable,
and she was very rough around the edges,
and there was a lot of emotional depth.
- A lot of Henry's arc
is dealing with PTSD.
Did you do any research about
post-traumatic stress disorder
before the project started,
and did anything surprise you about it?
- Yes, I met with a
therapist who meets with
a lot of victims of sexual assault
and deals with PTSD and trauma,
and I spoke to her at length,
did some research on my own,
and spoke to people that I know
who have been assaulted
and deal with PTSD.
Something that, I don't
know if it surprised me,
but I did find it interesting,
that the therapist that I met with told me
is that when you go
through a traumatic event,
such as being assaulted,
it's not necessarily
outwardly emotional in the moment.
You're not necessarily
screaming or crying.
A lot of people say that they disassociate
and leave their body,
and so it's sort of a
blank kind of reaction,
which is obviously, you know,
but I thought that was quite cool
because Henry physically manifests that.
- Has anybody reached out to you
about some of the more serious themes
that the show deals with
and given you any positive reinforcement
about the portrayal and
how it may help people?
- Yeah, people have reached out
and said that it's positive
affected their lives
and said that experience is really similar
to something that I went through,
and I shared this with my parents
and it helped them understand
what happened to me.
In Comic-Con in New York,
there was a reporter who has autism,
and Townes has autism in the show,
and he said it's his favorite show,
and he loves it so much 'cause it makes
autism seem like something
something very positive
and like almost a superpower,
whereas other shows make
it seem like something
that is holding you back in life,
and it meant a lot to him,
and I thought that was really good.
It's really cool when you can see that.
- Yeah.
Can you remember what has
been the most challenging
aspect of this character or this role?
- I think just dealing with the trauma
and the heavy subject matter,
and wanting to get it right,
especially in season one.
I put a lot of pressure on myself
to make sure that it, 'cause
it meant so much to me,
so, yeah, the heavier emotional
stuff has been difficult,
but good, challenging and good.
- Well, I wanna thank you for joining us.
Congratulations on the
show, it's really awesome.
- Thanks.
- You can check out "Impulse" on YouTube.
You can check it out in the
link in the description.
I wanna thank Maddie again for joining us,
thank you so much, Maddie.
- Thank you.
- All right, thanks guys, peace.
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