Jews in Space: The Beginning of Sci-Fi Race

Back to basics.

“Jews in Space” is one of the most influential articles about science fiction that I’ve ever come across. Now, here’s the thing.

Good luck with finding the “patient zero.” I mean, the very first article published. If you’re DYOR, then you’re going to stumble upon some version of it. Just like I did with this one.

As you can see, every SFan paid homage to a bunch of iconic authors. Talking about luck. You really need it when googling “jews in space” not to misdirect you down some wild rabbit holes. Other than that, you’ll be fine, and you’ll appreciate revisiting the classics you grew up with.

To tell you the truth, I couldn’t care less about my favorite authors’ ethnicity, religion, background, and stuff. I enjoy and find inspiration in art. Especially when it comes to science fiction. That’s daydreaming on steroids. Yet, I couldn’t help fully accepting the rationale of the “Jews in Space” point (argument, or whatever) and give credit where (and whom) credit is due.

Gimme Five At The Top of Your Head

It’s really fascinating when you think about it. There’s a huge and undeniable percentage of the most influential SF authors who paved our way to the stars with their words and who also happened to share the same origin. We can go fully conspiratorial mode here and blame it on influence, money, special ties, but that’s ridiculous. The ideas are just like life, I mean nature.

So, here are my childhood heroes and my version of “Jews in Space:”

Isaac Asimov

It’s easy to get carried away when you’re reading Isaac Asimov’s “Foundation.” Before I even knew what I was doing, I found my short SF stories knocking at Asimov’s Science Fiction magazine doors. If I were published there, then you probably wouldn’t be able to read my stuff here. Lucky you. Lucky me.

Back in the day, the writer’s guidelines were strict: No swords! No dragons! Well…

Just forget about it like I did. Moving on.

Frank Herbert

The first “Dune” in the series was mindblowing. The second one, also. I think I kinda lost it after book #3. Regardless, the “damage” was already done. I became one of the Children of Dune who refused to grow up and kept asking WTF happened to Jodorowsky’s Dune.

I’ll always have a soft spot for my neighbor, Dino De Laurentis. Don’t you dare roll your eyes at Dune 1984 because if it hadn’t been for De Laurentiis and his movie extravagances, we wouldn’t have Conan and Flesh Gordon. Case closed. BTW, Elon Musk approves of my choice. Kinda.

Philip K. Dick

I laugh at my childish attempts to copy his writing style. Philip K. Dick’s raw and unpolished ideas were so ahead of his time. At least I know it’s a pleonasm and not an oxymoron. There’s no other way to put it. Just revisit “Blade Runner” and “Minority Report.” Arguably the most ecranized (adapted) science fiction author of all time.

Stanislaw Lem

Andrei Tarkovsky got it right before I was born in 1972. His adaptation of “Solaris” is a work of art that has stood the test of time. To Mr. Clooney, I appreciate the effort, but stick to Ocean’s this and that.

Brothers Strugatsky

It’s “Hard To Be A God.” It’s easy to use the cover of their book for my story. It’s impossible to adapt it. I mean, people have tried. The original black-and-white Russian version stuck in my mind as the most faithful one.

Were Brothers Strugatsky Soviet, Russian, or Jewish authors? Who gives a funk, for cereals? They don’t even belong to our world, but to the stars themselves. The same is true for any science fiction writer, even the ones not going too deep into the futuristic (tech) details.

Feel free to explore and come up with your “Jews in Space” version. Just make sure you aren’t using Reddit as your starting (launch) point. Just sayin’. Just sayin’.