One of my earliest
blogs was titled "A Funny Thing Happened on the way to Dagobah . . . or, How
Science Fiction Got Religion" (read here). Early science fiction writers like
Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clark, and a host of lesser lights depicted the future
in outer space as devoid of religion. In their stories, religion is simply
gone, a relic that has passed off the scene along with mule trains and
triremes. The supreme expression of this assumption was a story by Lester Del
Ray called "Evensong," in which a desperate being is fleeing from
pursuers, finds a planet where he thinks he is safe, but then is captured.
Quoting from that blog: His benevolent
captor tells him he will be taken to a planet where he will be well-treated and
have a nice home. The creature whimpers pathetically, "But I'm God!"
His captor returns, "Yes, but I am Man." The story appeared in Dangerous Visions, edited by Harlan Ellison. You can read it here.
So it
was and still is in some science fiction. But the funny thing that happened was
that science fiction suddenly became laced with religion. This was first
apparent, at least to me, in Star Wars,
where we learned about the Force, met the Jedi (who were rather like Shaolin
monks), and encountered Yoda (whose name sounded like Yoga and who greatly
resembled a Zen master). Religion, banished in the 1950s and 1960s, suddenly made
a rather spectacular comeback.
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| Antigone, from the play |
My
story "Antigone" happily inhabits this new world where to talk about
religion is okay. In my science fiction world-building, various religions
thrive. The Mervogian races worships the "holy light" of the Besrid
nebula. Numerous planets kneel before the Goddess Robinna. Earth, of
course, has transported its religions into space. Some alien races have accepted
earthly religion. The Barzalian and Golorian planetary systems have converted
to Roman Catholicism—the Barzalians expressing the Catholicism of Saint
Francis, the Golorians that of Cortez and the Conquistadors. Other religions
exist in various places. Again, quoting my own writing, The human race … has always had religions. To assume religion will simply
go away because people can fly into space seems a bit specious. And to
assume other civilizations would not have religions is equally specious.
"Antigone"
takes place on a colony planet that is part of the Earth-led Terran Alliance.
In my world, the predominant race of the Terran Alliance, the most populous and
influential, is the Indian race. The most common religion is Hinduism (though
there is a significant "European" minority and all races have equal
status). On Planet Antigone, a cult has grown up that worships the figure of
Antigone. It draws mostly from the European population of the Indian-dominated
planet, but attracts people from all faiths. They have Temples, icons of the
goddess, and many converts. The government is tolerant, but the Thebans (followers
of Antigone, who came from that city) are militant. When the government begins
to develop a grove that Thebans consider sacred, they revolt.
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| Thebans: Antigone worshipers |
Their
revolt is well-planned. They surprise the army, win some initial victories and,
as terrorists often do, take hostages. One of the hostages is Asha, the wife of
Lorac, an army officer who is the main character of the story. She is a
doctor.
The
military counterattacks. They find the followers of Antigone are not
well-trained. They are, however, led by a formidable military commander named Evangeline Müller. After some
fierce fighting, the Terran military manages to surround the main force of
Thebans. A group of commandos infiltrate the camp and find out the Antigone
worshipers are in collusion with a hostile race of beings, the Housali, who
are supplying them with arms. They also find out why many of the Theban
militants claimed to have seen Antigone. The Housali have selected a young
woman to impersonate her. They have done plastic surgery to make her look like images of Antigone. They also give her mind-altering drugs that enable her
to project mental energy that induces a peaceful, ecstatic feelings in anyone
close to her. The Thebans believe their blissful, supernal feelings come from
being near the goddess. They are ready to give up everything and to die for
her.
The Terran military also
finds a Housali ship, with cloaking capabilities, moored in the middle of the
Theban camp. And Lorcan sees the captured Asha. He controls his desire to liberate
her.The Terrans seize the Housali ship and rescue Asha. She is quiet. After a while, Lorac realizes the Housali
have sexually assaulted her.
Using the ship's monitor,
they find the location of Evangeline Müller and capture her. The revolt
dissolved without her leadership. The Terrans also capture the Housali woman
who impersonates Antigone.
The aftermath of the revolt
brings stern retribution. Insurgents are punished with death or imprisonment.
The woman who impersonated Antigone is acquitted of all guilt because the
Housali forced her, a slave, to participate in the ruse. Evangeline Müller is
tried for treason and sentenced to be hanged. Lorac goes to her to tell her
that neither he nor Asha bear her any ill will. She has been told that the
guards who will execute her are planning to conduct the hanging in such a way
that she slowly strangles to death. Lorac knows the soldier assigned to do the
execution. She pleads with him to intervene for her so he will make it quick.
Thinking of all the suffering Müller has caused, and what happened to his
wife, he is reluctant but agrees and successfully intervenes on her part. When
she is executed, she dies instantly. Asha is asked, at the last minute, to participate
in the autopsy that certifies her death.
At the end, he and Asha pay a
tribute to her. They realize how people are caught up in falsity and how all of
us are vulnerable to deception. The ceremony they perform indicates Evangeline
has been forgiven. The planet is renamed Gargi Vachaknu, after a Hindu sage. Worship of Antigone is severely
restricted, though not forbidden.
The story appeared
in Fiction on the Web. Read it here.
For more titles, see my Writer's Page.
Coming soon: the sequel to my vampire novel, Sinfonia: The First Notes on the Lute. Read the first book in the series to prepare you for the second one.
Happy summer.
Happy reading.
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