Vega in fiction
Encyclopedia
Vega
(Alpha Lyrae), one of the brightest star
s in the night sky, has appeared in many science fiction
stories.
Vega
Vega is the brightest star in the constellation Lyra, the fifth brightest star in the night sky and the second brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere, after Arcturus...
(Alpha Lyrae), one of the brightest star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
s in the night sky, has appeared in many science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
stories.
Literature
- In Lucy Maud MontgomeryLucy Maud MontgomeryLucy Maud Montgomery OBE , called "Maud" by family and friends and publicly known as L.M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a series of novels beginning with Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908. Anne of Green Gables was an immediate success...
's novel Emily of New MoonEmily of New MoonEmily of New Moon is the first in a series of novels by Lucy Maud Montgomery about the development of a writer. It was first published in 1923.-Plot summary:...
(1923), Vega was the favorite star of Emily Starr. In L.M Montgomery's book Emily's Quest of the Emily Series, Vega is a symbol of faithfulness by which the characters swear. - In Isaac AsimovIsaac AsimovIsaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
's Foundation trilogy (1942–1950), Vega is understood to be an important business centre, exporting Vegan tobacco, as well as many other things. It is not quite clear whether the name Vega refers to the planet, the system or an entire province, but considering it was at one place compared to the province of Anacreon, it is most likely the last option. It was the main supplier of the necessary materials and products to Terminus, and Salvor HardinSalvor HardinSalvor Hardin is the first mayor of Terminus, the capital planet of the Foundation in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, and the main protagonist of the second and third parts of Foundation. He is portrayed as a shrewd and ruthless politician, a master manipulator who acts in the interests of the...
considered the threat of being cut off from Vega to be of supreme importance to the Foundation. When TerminusTerminus (planet)Terminus is a fictional planet at the edge of the Galaxy in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series, home of the Foundation .-Position in the universe:Terminus is the sole planet orbiting an isolated star...
, the home planet of FoundationFoundation (novel)Foundation is the first book in Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy . Foundation is a collection of five short stories, which were first published together as a book by Gnome Press in 1951...
, is isolated from the culture and sophistication of the innermost parts of the GalaxyMilky WayThe Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky...
, there is no more "mild Vegan tobacco" available, a fact repeatedly referred to by the characters of the first novel. - In Edmond HamiltonEdmond HamiltonEdmond Moore Hamilton was an American author of science fiction stories and novels during the mid-twentieth century. Born in Youngstown, Ohio, he was raised there and in nearby New Castle, Pennsylvania...
's City at World's End (1951), Government Center on Vega Four is the center of galactic administration. In Battle for the Stars, it is the capital of the Fifth Sector. - In James BlishJames BlishJames Benjamin Blish was an American author of fantasy and science fiction. Blish also wrote literary criticism of science fiction using the pen-name William Atheling, Jr.-Biography:...
's Cities in Flight series (1955–1962), the Vega system is home to a civilization called the Vegan Tyranny, which the Earthmen must defeat before expanding out into the galaxy. (Blish also name-checks the Vegan Tyranny in his adaptation of the Star Trek episode "Tomorrow is YesterdayTomorrow Is Yesterday (TOS episode)"Tomorrow Is Yesterday" is a first-season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. It is episode #19, production #21, first broadcast on January 26, 1967, repeated July 13, 1967, and was remastered in 2006 for syndication broadcast on May 5, 2007. The teleplay was written by D.C...
", though it is not mentioned in the script as filmed.) - In Ivan Efremov's book Andromeda NebulaAndromeda (novel)Andromeda: A Space-Age Tale a.k.a. Andromeda Nebula is a science fiction novel by the Russian writer and paleontologist Ivan Efremov, written and published in 1957. The novel was made into a film in 1967, The Andromeda Nebula- Plot summary :...
(1957), expedition from Earth has visited Vegan system and found it to be lifeless. - In Robert A. HeinleinRobert A. HeinleinRobert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
's novel Have Space Suit—Will Travel (1958), Vega hosts the planet of an advanced civilization which is the local representative and overseer of the Three Galaxies federation, and the curator of humanity after its discovery by the Three Galaxies. - In James H. SchmitzJames H. SchmitzJames Henry Schmitz was an American writer born in Hamburg, Germany of American parents.- Life :Aside from two years at business school in Chicago, Schmitz lived in Germany until 1938, leaving before World War II broke out in Europe in 1939.During World War II, Schmitz served as an aerial...
's Agent of VegaAgent of VegaAgent of Vega is a science fiction novel by James H. Schmitz, 1960. Like the Foundation series, it is a collection of stories that originally appeared separately in magazines. It was republished in 2001 as Agent of Vega & Other Stories....
(1960), humans settled round Vega are building a new and better empire to replace the original fallen Empire of Earth. - In the Perry RhodanPerry RhodanPerry Rhodan is the name of a science fiction series published since 1961 in Germany, as well as the name of the main character. It is a space opera, dealing with several themes of science fiction. Having sold over one billion copies worldwide, it is the most successful science fiction book series...
series, book 5 The Vega Sector, book 6 The Secrets of the Time Vault, and book 7 Fortress of the Six Moons (all 1961), Perry Rhodan and his crew fly to Vega and help the inhabitants of the 8th planet defeat the invaders from "Topsid". In the process they discover artifacts left by a very advanced race from whom they get the secret of immortality. - In Jack VanceJack VanceJohn Holbrook Vance is an American mystery, fantasy and science fiction author. Most of his work has been published under the name Jack Vance. Vance has published 11 mysteries as John Holbrook Vance and 3 as Ellery Queen...
's series, the Demon PrincesDemon PrincesThe Demon Princes is a five-book series of science fiction novels by Jack Vance, which cumulatively relate the story of one Kirth Gersen as he exacts his revenge on five notorious criminals, collectively known as the Demon Princes, who carried his village off into slavery during his childhood...
(1964–1981), Vega is the parent star of the planets Aloysius, Boniface and Cuthbert. Aloysius, in particular, features prominently in the five books. - In Roger ZelaznyRoger ZelaznyRoger Joseph Zelazny was an American writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for his The Chronicles of Amber series...
's book This Immortal (1965), the Vegans are a species of humanoidHumanoidA humanoid is something that has an appearance resembling a human being. The term first appeared in 1912 to refer to fossils which were morphologically similar to, but not identical with, those of the human skeleton. Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it...
aliens who use the Earth as a vacation resort. - In the Vegan series of H. G. Francis's German serial of books and audio plays Commander PerkinsCommander PerkinsCommander Perkins is a German science fiction series by H. G. Francis, published partly as audio plays and partly as a series of novels.-Background:...
(1976–1978), the main opponent alien race is located on Vega and called Vegans. - In Carl SaganCarl SaganCarl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, science popularizer and science communicator in astronomy and natural sciences. He published more than 600 scientific papers and articles and was author, co-author or editor of more than 20 books...
's science fictionScience fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novelNovelA novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ContactContact (novel)Contact is a science fiction novel written by Carl Sagan and published in 1985. It deals with the theme of contact between humanity and a more technologically advanced, extraterrestrial life form. It ranked No. 7 on the 1985 U.S. bestseller list....
(1985), Earth receives a message from an extraterrestrial transmitter array orbiting Vega. - In Robert J. SawyerRobert J. SawyerRobert James Sawyer is a Canadian science fiction writer. He has had 20 novels published, and his short fiction has appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Amazing Stories, On Spec, Nature, and many anthologies. Sawyer has won over forty awards for his fiction, including the Nebula Award ,...
's Quintaglio Ascension TrilogyQuintaglio Ascension TrilogyThe Quintaglio Ascension Trilogy is a series of award-winning novels written by acclaimed Canadian science fiction author, Robert J. Sawyer...
(1992/1993/1994), the Quintaglio homeworld's sun is said to be Vega. - In Greg EganGreg EganGreg Egan is an Australian science fiction author.Egan published his first work in 1983. He specialises in hard science fiction stories with mathematical and quantum ontology themes, including the nature of consciousness...
's short story Wang's CarpetsDiaspora (novel)Diaspora, a hard science fiction novel by the Australian writer Greg Egan, first appeared in print in 1997.-Plot introduction:This novel's setting is a posthuman future, in which transhumanism long ago became the default philosophy embraced by the vast majority of human cultures.The novel began as...
(1997), the Carter-Zimmerman polis encounters alien life at a planet orbiting Vega.
Film and television
- In Star TrekStar TrekStar Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
, there are several references to a human colony situated in the Vega system. In his novelisation of the Original SeriesStar Trek: The Original SeriesStar Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
episode "Tomorrow is Yesterday," James Blish mentions the Vegan Tyranny from his Cities in Flight novels. - The Space: 1999Space: 1999Space: 1999 is a British science-fiction television series that ran for two seasons and originally aired from 1975 to 1977. In the opening episode, nuclear waste from Earth stored on the Moon's far side explodes in a catastrophic accident on 13 September 1999, knocking the Moon out of orbit and...
episode "One Moment of HumanityOne Moment of Humanity"One Moment of Humanity" is the third episode of the second series of Space: 1999 . The screenplay was written by Tony Barwick; the director was Charles Crichton. The original title was 'One Second of Humanity'. The final shooting script is dated 12 February 1976...
" features malevolent androids from Vega. - In Go NagaiGo Nagai, better known by the penname , is a Japanese manga artist and a prolific author of science fiction, fantasy, horror and erotica. He made his professional debut in 1967 with Meakashi Polikichi, but is best known for creating Cutie Honey, Devilman, and Mazinger Z in the 1970s. In 2005, he became a...
's 1975 anime series, UFO Robo Grendizer, Vega is the home system of an aggressive invading interstellar empire. However in episode 52, a narrator states that it takes 3000 light years to travel from Vega to Earth, when in reality Vega is 25 light years away. - In the film SpaceballsSpaceballsSpaceballs is a 1987 American science fiction comedy parody film co-written by, directed by, Mel Brooks and starring Bill Pullman, John Candy, Mel Brooks & Rick Moranis. It also features, Daphne Zuniga, Dick Van Patten, and the voice of Joan Rivers. The film was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on...
, Eagle 5 crashlands on a moon of Vega. - Vega Colony is a location in the US TV series Babylon 5Babylon 5Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
. - In the 1997 film, ContactContact (film)Contact is a 1997 American science fiction drama film adapted from the Carl Sagan novel of the same name and directed by Robert Zemeckis. Both Sagan and wife Ann Druyan wrote the story outline for the film adaptation of Contact....
, a transmission is received from the vicinity of Vega and the protagonist Ellie Arroway is transported there via wormholeWormholeIn physics, a wormhole is a hypothetical topological feature of spacetime that would be, fundamentally, a "shortcut" through spacetime. For a simple visual explanation of a wormhole, consider spacetime visualized as a two-dimensional surface. If this surface is folded along a third dimension, it...
.
Comics
- In the DC ComicsDC ComicsDC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
series Omega MenOmega MenThe Omega Men are a fictional team of extraterrestrial superheroes who have appeared in various comic book series published by DC Comics. They first appeared in Green Lantern #141 , and were created by Marv Wolfman and Joe Staton....
, the Vega star system is where a war among alien races takes place. One of its planets, TamaranTamaranTamaran is a fictional planet in DC Comics, inhabited by Tamaraneans, an extraterrestrial race. The first Tamaranean introduced was Koriand'r, better known as Starfire. The only other named Tamaraneans are Komand'r, Starfire's sister , her younger brother Ryand'r and her parents, Myand'r and Luand'r...
is home to Teen Titan member StarfireStarfire (comics)Starfire is the name of several fictional comic book characters published by DC Comics. The most prominent Starfire is Koriand'r, the fourth character to use that name...
/Princess Koriand'r, who belonged to the royal family that governed her homeworld until her renegade sister BlackfireBlackfireBlackfire is a supervillain that appears in the fictional DC Universe. She is the older sister of the Titans member Starfire and Omega Men member Ryand'r. The character first appears in New Teen Titans #22, and was created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez.-Fictional character biography:Komand'r...
/Komand'r abducted and enslaved her.
- Also in DC Comics, the Green Lantern CorpsGreen Lantern CorpsThe Green Lantern Corps is the name of a fictional intergalactic military/police force appearing in comics published by DC Comics. They patrol the farthest reaches of the DC Universe at the behest of the Guardians, a race of immortals residing on the planet Oa...
does not have jurisdiction in the Vega star system due to a treaty between the Guardians of the UniverseGuardians of the UniverseThe Guardians of the Universe, alternatively known as the Guardians or Oans are a fictional extraterrestrial race in the DC Comics universe. They first appeared in Green Lantern Vol. 2 #1 , and were created by John Broome and Gil Kane. Here they do not reveal their existence to Hal, bringing his...
and Agent Orange. However, one of the new laws of the Green Lantern Corps lifts that restriction.
Games
- In the 1980s1980sFile:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
interactive novelInteractive novelThe interactive novel is a form of web fiction and interactive fiction. While authors of traditional paper-and-ink novels have sometimes tried to give readers the random directionality offered by true hypertexting, this approach was not completely feasible until the development of HTML...
PortalPortal (interactive novel)Portal is a mix between a computer novel and an interactive game. It was published for the Amiga in 1986 by Activision, written by Rob Swigart, produced by Brad Fregger and programmed by Nexa Corporation. Versions for the Macintosh, Commodore 64, Apple II, and the IBM PC were later released...
, the story involves a human migration to Vega. - In the TravellerTraveller (role-playing game)Traveller is a series of related science fiction role-playing games, the first published in 1977 by Game Designers' Workshop and subsequent editions by various companies remaining in print to this day. The game was inspired from such classic science fiction stories as the Dumarest saga series by...
role playing game, a planetary system near Vega is inhabited by alienExtraterrestrial lifeExtraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
s called Vegans. They govern an autonomous region within the ImperiumImperiumImperium is a Latin word which, in a broad sense, translates roughly as 'power to command'. In ancient Rome, different kinds of power or authority were distinguished by different terms. Imperium, referred to the sovereignty of the state over the individual...
several parsecParsecThe parsec is a unit of length used in astronomy. It is about 3.26 light-years, or just under 31 trillion kilometres ....
s large around Vega. - In the Chris Roberts Space simulationSpace simulationA space simulator is a system that tries to replicate or simulate outer space and/or the experience of space flight in a spacecraft as closely and realistically as possible...
game Wing Commander, the story takes place in a region of the galaxy known as the Vega Sector (its sector star is Vega), and the campaign of the Kilrathi War taking place there is known as the Vega Campaign. - In the browser-based game Pirate GalaxyPirate GalaxyPirate Galaxy is a Free-to-play, massively multiplayer online game written in Java in which players operate spaceships, explore various planets, mine minerals from orbit, fight other players and computer enemies in planetary combat...
, Vega is the beginning system for players. A stargateJumpgateIn science fiction, a jump gate is a fictional device able to create a wormhole or portal, allowing fast travel between two points in space...
connects the Vega System to the Antares System. - In the computer game FreeSpace 2FreeSpace 2FreeSpace 2 is a 1999 space combat simulation computer game developed by Volition, Inc. as the sequel to Descent: FreeSpace – The Great War. It was completed ahead of schedule in less than a year, and released to great critical acclaim...
, Vega is a colonized system. The node connecting Vega to Capella was collapsed during the Shivan invasion. - In the computer gamesComputer Games"Computer Games" is a single by New Zealand group, Mi-Sex released in 1979 in Australia and New Zealand and in 1981 throughout Europe. It was the single that launched the band, and was hugely popular, particularly in Australia and New Zealand...
Frontier: Elite II and Frontier: First Encounters, Vega is a tourist trap thanks to the humid jungle planet (named Tracy's Haven) within the system. Tracy's Haven is known for its scenery and for its dangerous wildlife. The system itself is a Federation member. Considering that it is a politically stable system, Vega is remarkably lax in what goods it allows for legal sale. Goods that would normally be banned elsewhere in the Federation (most notably live animals and weapons) can be freely purchased or bought here. Only slavesSlaverySlavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
, narcotics and nerve gas are banned in the Vega system. - In the computer game Escape Velocity by Ambrosia SoftwareAmbrosia SoftwareAmbrosia Software is a predominantly Macintosh software company located in Rochester, New York. Ambrosia produces utilities and games. Its products are distributed as shareware; demo versions can be downloaded and used for up to 30 days....
, the Vega System is the site of a major fuel refinery. - In Escape Velocity NovaEscape Velocity NovaEscape Velocity Nova is a computer game by Ambrosia Software, in collaboration with ATMOS. It is the third game in the Escape Velocity series of space trading & combat games.-History and development:...
, also by Ambrosia, the Vega System features the planet Las Vegas. Unlike its Terran namesake, the planet is quite conservative and austere.