4 ms·

I'm not sure I'd call it hard sci-fi along the lines of Lem. The protomolecule has a deeply magical element to it, almost like the One Ring from LotR.

aqme28 6y ago
It's the hard sci-fi equivalent of magical realism. Everything is "accurate" except for this one alien element.
- herodoturtle 6y ago
  Which is a brilliantly entertaining balance imho. I love it.
- herbstein 6y ago
  In other words, it's in the "One Big Lie"-category on Moh's Scale of Science Fiction Hardness[0]. Fair warning, it's a TVTropes thing. [0]: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness
detritus 6y ago
Ijon Tichy's scratching his head, wondering if he's Hard Sci-Fi - as too the Ijon Tichy from ten minutes in the future who's just popped in and started eating the pancakes he'd just finished eating.
- f38zf5vdt 6y ago
  Thanks for the laugh, I needed that. Obviously not the entire body of his work. :)
Gatsky 6y ago
Yes, in some parts it became like Game of Thrones in space, except with protomolecule soldiers instead of the white walkers.
dreamcompiler 6y ago
And what was the planet Solaris if not a somewhat larger version of the protomolecule?
- f38zf5vdt 6y ago
  It depends if we're talking Solaris the movie or the Solaris the book. The book makes it clear that the ocean is reading the minds of the space ship inhabitants somehow and attempting communications with them by recreating familiar objects through neutrinos that they can somehow physically interact with. Subsequently the book is all about an attempt to establish communication with the ocean while at the same time enduring its phantoms, with the end result being that humans are unable to decipher the intentions of the ocean or communicate with it in any way. Expanse is more along the lines of "geopolitics in space" with the protomolecule being a MacGuffin to drive the plot along and create space zombies and wormholes. Which isn't to be derisive, as I find it very entertaining, but I don't feel like it's delving deep into the scientific or philosophical ramifications of first contact.

aqme28 6y ago

It's the hard sci-fi equivalent of magical realism. Everything is "accurate" except for this one alien element.

herodoturtle 6y ago
Which is a brilliantly entertaining balance imho. I love it.
herbstein 6y ago
In other words, it's in the "One Big Lie"-category on Moh's Scale of Science Fiction Hardness[0]. Fair warning, it's a TVTropes thing. [0]: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness

detritus 6y ago

Ijon Tichy's scratching his head, wondering if he's Hard Sci-Fi - as too the Ijon Tichy from ten minutes in the future who's just popped in and started eating the pancakes he'd just finished eating.

f38zf5vdt 6y ago
Thanks for the laugh, I needed that. Obviously not the entire body of his work. :)

Gatsky 6y ago

Yes, in some parts it became like Game of Thrones in space, except with protomolecule soldiers instead of the white walkers.

dreamcompiler 6y ago

And what was the planet Solaris if not a somewhat larger version of the protomolecule?

f38zf5vdt 6y ago
It depends if we're talking Solaris the movie or the Solaris the book. The book makes it clear that the ocean is reading the minds of the space ship inhabitants somehow and attempting communications with them by recreating familiar objects through neutrinos that they can somehow physically interact with. Subsequently the book is all about an attempt to establish communication with the ocean while at the same time enduring its phantoms, with the end result being that humans are unable to decipher the intentions of the ocean or communicate with it in any way. Expanse is more along the lines of "geopolitics in space" with the protomolecule being a MacGuffin to drive the plot along and create space zombies and wormholes. Which isn't to be derisive, as I find it very entertaining, but I don't feel like it's delving deep into the scientific or philosophical ramifications of first contact.