After watching the TV series, I immediately picked up the original novel to read. Many of the concepts in the novel were not fully clarified due to the constraints of the TV series length, which led to various discussions. This is probably the intended outcome of the producers; the more unclear it is, the more captivating it becomes. However, the ending, plot development, and main themes of the novel are relatively clear. Here, I'll summarize some of the key concepts from the novel.
1. Mechanism of Faster-Than-Light Travel:
In the novel, the structures similar to wormholes in the TV series are referred to as "apertures." These apertures were created by an advanced alien civilization long ago. Unlike wormholes, they don't instantly transport a ship to another location. Instead, they help ships travel at an average speed of around 1000 times the speed of light. Apertures are like entrances to a "highway" for faster travel, while long-distance travel still takes a period of time. However, the original creators of apertures have vanished, leaving humanity to merely learn how to use them without understanding their functioning. To activate an aperture and reach another one, specific and complex instructions called "runes" are needed. Human AI technology can partially decipher the symbols and generate instructions. But due to inaccuracies in AI-generated instructions, deviations occur when traveling through multiple apertures. This is where individuals with a unique intuition, called "syntax runners," correct the instructions and save significant travel time. The protagonist's ship, Suzy, fulfills this role.
2. Local Bubble Concept:
Most of the space in the Milky Way is occupied by interstellar matter (gas and dust). Supernova explosions created "bubbles" in this matter. Our solar system resides in one such bubble, known as the Local Bubble. There are other bubbles outside the Local Bubble, intersecting and connecting with each other. On the other hand, regions with high interstellar matter density create "rifts" where light can't penetrate, resulting in areas like the "Beyond the Aquila Rift." Aperture networks exist only within these bubbles (and more), allowing human travel within the Local Bubble and, in some cases, through connected bubbles. However, leaving the bubble is impossible due to the lack of a "path." It remains impossible to reach another bubble merely by the spaceships. The protagonist's journey to "Beyond the Aquila Rift" takes him to the edge of the Local Bubble, the farthest point humans can reach. Therefore, "Beyond the Aquila Rift" represents a metaphor for "outside time and space," implying no possibility of return.
3. Cause and Consequences of Blue Goose Deviation:
The protagonist's ship deviates from its route due to system bugs in Arkangel and human lack of knowledge about aperture networks. According to Greta, the alien who poses as human, aperture networks once spanned the entire Milky Way. These networks extend even beyond other galaxies. The protagonist's journey unexpectedly takes him to the Large Magellanic Cloud, about 163,000 light-years away from the Milky Way. This journey is unfathomable in terms of distance. The protagonist experiences more than a decade, while about 150 years pass on Earth. The alien spider-like species arrived in the Large Magellanic Cloud unintentionally from another bubble within the Milky Way. They initially faced despair and food shortages but found solace and support through interactions with other stranded species.
Suzy and Ray's Deaths and Alien Spider's Purpose: Suzy and Ray's deaths result from the unauthorized decorations inside their hibernation pods. Although prohibited, these decorations were harmless in the short term but proved fatal over years of travel. Upon arrival in the Large Magellanic Cloud, Suzy and Ray had been dead for over a century, while only the protagonist survived. The spider-like aliens found their way to the Large Magellanic Cloud due to their unintentional departure from another bubble. They formed a community, providing emotional and material support to lost travelers. Their claims about consuming human essence were not true, as they cared for the protagonist's mental well-being without needing to feed on him. Their actions were driven by genuine empathy and the need for companionship.
4. Interpretations of the Novel: The novel can be interpreted in three ways:
a. Regarding Confronting the "Other":
The male protagonist faces emotional issues due to prolonged separation from his wife. From the moment he meets Greta, he unconsciously starts straying from his wife, and under Greta's provocation, he engages with her intimately. The extraterrestrials identify the protagonist's ability to accept the news of his wife's death based on this aspect, and gradually, he accepts the fact of being forever exiled to the extragalactic realm. However, when he discovers that the space station is actually a cranial simulation, especially after the extraterrestrials reveal their true identity to him, he collapses. The extraterrestrials are then compelled to create an illusion for him to return to Earth, to his home, in order to maintain his mental stability. In this context, "straying" seems to be a metaphor for departing from the "familiar environment." The protagonist's "straying" involves not only his wife but also his own race and planet. In this process, he even experiences a "trace of pride." But when he truly encounters completely different, even "indescribable" creatures and environments, his cognition collapses. We often need a bit of the "same" to accommodate and understand the "other." In this narrative, the author creates genuine "extraterrestrial" beings, true "others," which are an existence beyond comprehension. Just as humans are bound to remain within the Local Bubble unless accidents occur, they seem destined not to confront the complete "other." This interpretation presents a pessimistic view of the text.
b. About the Vastness of Time and Space:
The author opts for the concept of "hyperspace travel" rather than "wormholes." The universe isn't folded into adjacent points, and space and time aren't compressed by the speed of spaceship travel; instead, they appear even more expansive. In the face of such vast spans of time and space, the scale of "humanity" (a lifespan of merely a hundred years, speeds of a thousand times the speed of light) appears incredibly tiny. The theme of "time delay" recurs throughout the narrative: because radio waves can't exceed the speed of light, the video messages recorded by the protagonist must be carried by ship entering the aperture to the exit nearest his wife's location for her to receive them, a process that is time-consuming and risky; the decorations in the hibernation chamber are harmless in the short term, yet over decades, they can become lethal; it takes the protagonist over a decade to reach the Large Magellanic Cloud, by which time his wife has been deceased for over a century. Time becomes a tangible, frustrating existence. The humans in the narrative appear to have merely skimmed the surface of conquering time and space; in reality, they are stumbling along a path left by another civilization, groping in the dark. When confronted with time and space, humans are powerless, akin to facing deities. This interpretation presents another pessimistic view of the text.
c. About Inter-Civilizational Communication:
According to the male protagonist, the space beyond the Local Bubble and its associated bubbles is unreachable and unnecessary to reach, as the Local Bubble already offers ample opportunities. Humanity has never ventured "beyond the Aquila Rift," and there's no communication with other civilizations within the Milky Way. From the protagonist's perspective, there's no desire for such communication (due to its impossibility). Yet, when the protagonist truly arrives "Beyond the Aquila Rift," the supposed "unreachable place," he discovers it's a meeting point for various galactic species. There are no devils consuming brains or blood; there's only a group of lost souls seeking warmth from each other. This exchange of civilizations occurs within an "interstellar graveyard," somewhat ironic. However, in this graveyard, mutual assistance is the only means of survival, which also becomes the essence of survival. The material universe is cold and unforgiving, while the spirit possesses warmth. In the author's created world, civilizations don't need to vie for resources, nor do they need to engage in warfare; in fact, they might not even be able to encounter each other. Yet, in the grand scheme of things, they intersect. Their intersection isn't fervent, it lacks romantic tales, but it's warm—warm enough for the faint light of life to continue flickering. This interpretation presents an optimistic view of the text.
P.S. If you still believe, after reading the novel, that the spider-like aliens are devilish creatures feeding on human essence, consider this: They can only capture one or two individuals throughout the year, a single meal, so why would they invest so much effort and resources in caring for the protagonist's psychological well-being and being completely transparent with him? In the end, although the protagonist re-enters the simulation, he finds happiness. It could be argued that this is the best possible outcome "Beyond the Aquila Rift" has to offer.
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