The Star (short story)
Encyclopedia
"The Star" is a science fiction short story by English writer Arthur C. Clarke
. It appeared in the science fiction magazine Infinity Science Fiction in 1955 and won the Hugo award
in 1956. The story was also published as "Star of Bethlehem". It is collected in The Other Side of the Sky
.
. Their chief astrophysicist, a Jesuit priest, is suffering from a deep crisis of faith, triggered by some undisclosed event during the journey.
As the story unfolds, the reader learns that the destroyed planet's culture was very similar to Earth's. Recognizing several generations in advance that their sun would soon explode, and with no means of interstellar travel to save themselves, the doomed people spent their final years building a vault on the outermost planet in their solar system, whose Pluto-like orbit was distant enough to survive the supernova. In the vault, they placed a complete record of their history, culture, achievements, and philosophy, hoping that it would someday be found so that their existence would not have been in vain. The Earth explorers, particularly the astrophysicist-priest, were deeply moved by these artifacts, and they found themselves identifying closely with the dead race's peaceful, human-like culture and the profound grace they exhibited in the face of their cruel fate.
The final paragraph of "The Star" reveals the source of the priest's pain. Determining the exact year of the long-ago supernova and the star system's distance from Earth, he calculated the date the emitted light from the explosion reached Earth, proving that the cataclysm that destroyed the peaceful planet was the same star
that heralded the birth of Jesus
. The scientist's faith is shaken because of the apparent capriciousness of God:
of the first revival of The Twilight Zone
. Although the original story ended on a negative note, this version had a more upbeat ending, as the ship's Captain reminds the scientist that the planet's population knew that they were about to die and were prepared for it, and had celebrated the fact that their deaths would bring light to a new civilization - humanity.
, one of five gamma ray bursts detected by the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission satellite within the 24-hour period around Clarke's own death.
Arthur C. Clarke
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
. It appeared in the science fiction magazine Infinity Science Fiction in 1955 and won the Hugo award
Hugo Award
The Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
in 1956. The story was also published as "Star of Bethlehem". It is collected in The Other Side of the Sky
The Other Side of the Sky
For the Memoir by Farah Ahmedi, See The Other Side of the Sky: A MemoirThe Other Side of the Sky is a collection of short stories by science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke originally published in 1958...
.
Plot summary
"The Star" is the story of a group of space explorers from Earth returning from an expedition to a remote star system, where they discovered the remnants of an advanced civilization destroyed when their sun went supernovaSupernova
A supernova is a stellar explosion that is more energetic than a nova. It is pronounced with the plural supernovae or supernovas. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months...
. Their chief astrophysicist, a Jesuit priest, is suffering from a deep crisis of faith, triggered by some undisclosed event during the journey.
As the story unfolds, the reader learns that the destroyed planet's culture was very similar to Earth's. Recognizing several generations in advance that their sun would soon explode, and with no means of interstellar travel to save themselves, the doomed people spent their final years building a vault on the outermost planet in their solar system, whose Pluto-like orbit was distant enough to survive the supernova. In the vault, they placed a complete record of their history, culture, achievements, and philosophy, hoping that it would someday be found so that their existence would not have been in vain. The Earth explorers, particularly the astrophysicist-priest, were deeply moved by these artifacts, and they found themselves identifying closely with the dead race's peaceful, human-like culture and the profound grace they exhibited in the face of their cruel fate.
The final paragraph of "The Star" reveals the source of the priest's pain. Determining the exact year of the long-ago supernova and the star system's distance from Earth, he calculated the date the emitted light from the explosion reached Earth, proving that the cataclysm that destroyed the peaceful planet was the same star
Star of Bethlehem
In Christian tradition, the Star of Bethlehem, also called the Christmas Star, revealed the birth of Jesus to the magi, or "wise men", and later led them to Bethlehem. The star appears in the nativity story of the Gospel of Matthew, where magi "from the east" are inspired by the star to travel to...
that heralded the birth of Jesus
Child Jesus
The Child Jesus represents Jesus from his Nativity to age 12. At 13 he was considered to be adult, in accordance with the Jewish custom of his time, and that of most Christian cultures until recent centuries.The Child Jesus is frequently depicted in art, from around the third or fourth century...
. The scientist's faith is shaken because of the apparent capriciousness of God:
Adaptations
The story was later dramatized as a Christmas episodeThe Star (The Twilight Zone)
"The Star" is the third and final segment of the thirteenth episode from the first season of the television series The New Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:...
of the first revival of The Twilight Zone
The New Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is the first of two revivals of Rod Serling's acclaimed 1950/60s television series of the same name. It ran for two seasons on CBS before producing a final season for syndication.-Series history:...
. Although the original story ended on a negative note, this version had a more upbeat ending, as the ship's Captain reminds the scientist that the planet's population knew that they were about to die and were prepared for it, and had celebrated the fact that their deaths would bring light to a new civilization - humanity.
See also
GRB 080319BGRB 080319B
GRB 080319B was a remarkable gamma-ray burst detected by the Swift satellite at 06:12 UTC on March 19, 2008. The burst set a new record for the farthest object that could be seen with the naked eye; it had a peak apparent magnitude of 5.8 and remained visible to human eyes for approximately 30...
, one of five gamma ray bursts detected by the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Mission satellite within the 24-hour period around Clarke's own death.
External links
- Original text
- Original text alt
- The Star at BestScienceFictionStories.com - short story reviews and resources