Why is the concept of space colonizations growing so rapidly in popularity? In fact, many people wish for it to be more than a concept, supporting the possibility of it becoming a palpable reality. Unfortunately, for a variety of biological and economic reasons, humankind still has ways to go before we can even begin seriously considering trading Earth for another planet as our home.
Starting from the dire conditions of the other planets that make them incapable of sustaining life and ending with the massive costs that such a bold move would involve, space colonization can only remain at the stage of fiction for now. That doesn’t make it any less fascinating. To see what we’re talking about, here are 5 Fictional Ideas For Space Colonizations.
#1 Elysium, 2013
Image Courtesy of TriStar Pictures
In the year 2154, humanity is divided into two social classes which determine which planet is their residence. The wealthy live on Elysium, a man-made space station adapted to meet the needs and requirements of everybody. The rest got the short end of the stick, as they are stuck living on an overpopulated Earth where every day is a struggle for survival.
Protagonist Max wishes to travel to Elysium and get access to a facility that can help him heal from the radiation exposal that is rapidly killing him. In doing so, he gets involved in a high-level plan coordinated by the Secretary of Defense from Elysium, Delacourt. The concept of Elysium is incredibly fascinating simply because it bitter-sweetly points to a distant future where social classes still dominate society, and the working class is nothing but pawns in the games of higher-ups.
#2 Red Planet, 2000
Image Courtesy of Warner Bros.
In 2055, Earth is slowly fading, being unable to provide humanity with food and other materials necessary for survival. With the intention of space colonization in mind as the best option, a team of scientist-technicians is sent to Mars, considered to be the only environment good enough to be considered for a change of planets.
Rather than exhibiting to audiences a planet or station that’s already been colonized, Red Planet dives into the first steps of colonization. With the team of scientists getting stranded on Mars, it showcases the effects of an environment that are not human-friendly on people that are already struggling to survive and overcome their ethnic and ideological differences.
#3 Interstellar, 2014
Image Courtesy of Paramount Pictures & Warner Bros.
Christopher Nolan directed the critically acclaimed Interstellar, which tells the story of an Earth riddled by famine and storms and a crew who must journey in a rip in space and time in order to find a planet that can be inhabited by humans. Traveling where no other man has even ventured before, pilot Coop is ultimately faced with the difficult decision of choosing between seeing his children again or saving humanity from the decaying Earth.
#4 “The Mars Trilogy” by Kim Stanley Robinson
Image Courtesy of Spectra/Bantam Dell/Random House
You couldn’t possibly go wrong with this Stanley Robinson franchise, whose entire premise is centered on space colonization. After Earth is no longer inhabitable by humans (again), interplanetary spacecraft Ares delivers a group of one hundred people to Mars, with the sole intention of making it able to sustain human life.
The trilogy is composed of the books Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars, and it has a plot spanning over two hundred years, which features a variety of characters that live both in a pre-colonization and post-colonization setting. From technological and egalitarian advances to the issue of terraforming that split the characters in Red Mars, there are numerous issues that can keep a reader occupied.
#5 “Tunnel in the Sky” by Robert A. Heinlein
Image Courtesy of Scribner’s
The book depicts a society where the invention of teleportation is the key to the Earth’s overpopulation. Through the use of the device called the “Ramsbothan jump,” excess parts of the population are sent to colonize other planets, with no means of returning. The story follows Rod Walker, a high school studied who aspires to become a great professional colonist. In order to graduate and earn his title, he must undergo a final test which involves teleportation to a random planet that he must survive on for ten days.
Things get gravely complicated when he meets up with the other students, together realizing that they are stranded. Forced by circumstances, the students decide to start their own colony, and they have to struggle both with survival and with trying to get along.