Who here has read Jules Verne's "The Mysterious Island?" It's the sequel to "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea," about the travels of the fabled submarine "Nautilus." It details the final days of Captain Nemo and it's about the birth and resting place of the Nautilus. It's an excellent book, I would recommend you read them both. The reason I brought this up was because I was watching the movie, "The Mysterious Island" on tv tonight, the version with Patrick Stewart (Captain Picard from "Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Clive Cussler, also one of my favorite authors, wrote about the Nautilus also. He had an ingenious twist on it however, bringing it into the real world of today. I was privileged enough to set foot on several Nautiluses. I was on the ride at Disney, I believe it was in Adventureland, and the vessels resembled the one in the movie, but what would you expect from Disney anyway, their attention to detail is incredible in everything they do. I would like to see that ride upgraded however, I think they could do a lot more with it. And I went through the nuclear submarine Nautilus in New London, CT. Imagine the thrill I felt at being on the actual sub that went to the North Pole! I also read the book detailing the trip by Cmdr. William Anderson, who captained the sub on that voyage.
Anyway, the reason I'm writing about this is because I was reminded once again how much can be accomplished with the imagination. Jules Verne was ahead of his time, he designed helicopters, modern weapons, movies with sound, television and rockets, all of this before 1900.
What happened to these visionaries? Gene Roddenberry was one from this generation, he envisioned starships and matter transporters. Does this mean we will see these things happen someday? Will we travel beyond our galaxy to other worlds? I wish it had happened in my time, although hopefully I will be around for the next 30 or 40 years. Who knows what I'll see?
No comments:
Post a Comment