The Influence of the OSS

by Dylan
(Illinois, Wisconsin)

There is nothing new under the sun- or orbiting it, in this case. Listen, if you will, as I briefly describe a character and then think to yourself whom that character might be.

Our antihero is a smuggler who adventures through space with his alien partner, who happens to be from a jungle planet. He's a shoot first, ask questions later kind of guy, but he always ends up doing the right thing in the end, if reluctantly. He keeps his trusty blaster within arm's reach at all times. His ship may not look like much, but it's fast and will get the pilot out of a jam when needed.

If you are anything like most people, this describes Han Solo, the iconic space cowboy of Star Wars. But in fact, I was describing Northwest Smith, a character created by a woman named C.L. Moore in 1933.

I've only read one of Moore's Northwest Smith tales, but I'm looking to purchase a collection of them soon. However, it got me thinking about how much later sci-fi might owe to the OSS. Star Trek's Trouble with Tribbles comes to mind, being a blatant retelling of the "flat cat" incident in Robert Heinlein's "The Rolling Stones".

A more recent example is the videogame "Destiny" published by the developer Bungie. The world this game depicts is a tribute to the Solar System of old: Venus is a jungle planet, Mars a dying world covered in ruins, the moon is riddled with catacombs and inhabited by an insectoid race. The planets were Terraformed by a fallen human empire and the aliens come from interstellar space, but the hand of the OSS is clearly seen. (One could even, if one is being forgiving, qualify the story of this game as OSS fiction proper - sure, the habitability of the worlds was brought about artificially and the aliens aren't native, but the spirit of the OSS is alive in this modern story, and that could be enough if one wanted it to be.)

So I put it to you, fellow readers. Where else can the influence of the OSS be found in more recent culture? Plot points, characters, settings that seem familiar?

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Mar 23, 2016
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Thanks!
by: Dylan

Usually I try to read over them myself before posting, but sometimes I like to sneak these at work and am therefore constrained for time. I appreciate you giving them a look-over!

[note from Zendexor: I deduce that you are not working for an OSS publisher - else you could ask your boss for a raise due to the extra work...]

Mar 23, 2016
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Typo corrected
by: Zendexor

Done! Weird how the brain overlooks things. I aim to edit all comments carefully but I missed that error. However, perhaps that's because our brains edit what we see and that could be all to the good, e.g. if we could go to Mars and see Barsoom instead!

Mar 23, 2016
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whoops!
by: Dylan

I just realized I put two "who"s in the first sentence of my description of Northwest Smith! Any chance you could correct that, Zendexor?

Mar 12, 2016
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moving etc
by: Zendexor

Thanks Dylan for your good wishes re the move; it's proceeding satisfactorily except that the powers that be are taking their time over connecting me to the Net (this is being written while sipping coffee at the local pub). You are already helping by your articles which help to keep the site going! - they score highly on the page-view stats. I expect it's only a matter of time before one of them reaches first place on the monthly page-winners.

I admit to some past disappointment re the Northwest Smith stories. "Shambleau" was the first I read, and seemed dramatically good, but then I read several more which all seemed to have the same theme of energy-vampires, while neglecting the portrayal of the background OSS civilizations.

However, I reckon it may be time (decades later) for a reassessment. Especially as I never did read all of them properly.

Mar 11, 2016
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Congrats!
by: Dylan

Congrats on the move, Zendexor! Good luck with the unpacking, that can be quite a task. Would that I could help!

I look forward to reading your Northwest Smith page, when it comes down the pipeline. Especially as the stories of his adventures are on my to-read list.

I wonder if one could trace the story of the movie "Star Trek" (2009) to the story of "Space Cadet" by Robert Heinlein. Both involve a young man from Iowa who enlists with a psuedo-military organization, trains at an academy, and has an adventure that forces him to adopt responsibility and come into his own.

"The Martian" by Andy Weir was a fantastic book and a well-made movie that shares a premise with Rex Gordon's "No Man Friday", although this is most likely coincidence. The story of the castaway is pretty universal and it's not surprising that it's been adapted for science fiction more than once, even if both stories are on Mars.

Mar 11, 2016
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OSS archetypes irresistible
by: Zendexor

Dylan may have opened up a vast field of investigation here. And apropos of Northwest Smith: the site ideally ought to have a page devoted to that character and his worlds. It's on the to-do list, though quite a way down... (But note there is already some discussion of one of the tales, on the Ancient Inhabited Moon page.)

Incidentally, I was a day late in accessing this contribution, because I have just moved house, and am not yet on-line (this is being typed in a pub via pub wi-fi). My apologies for the disruption to normal service!

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