Jupiter in fiction 4278905 223149304 2008-07-02T19:58:17Z Lightbot 7178666 Units/dates/other '''[[Jupiter]]''', the largest planet in the [[solar system]], is a popular backdrop for [[science fiction]] stories and films. Although Jupiter is now known to have no solid surface one could land on, and has long been known to have an atmosphere, temperature, and high gravity hostile to human life, some earlier works of science fiction used Jupiter itself as a location for stories. More commonly, the Jovian system, including both the space around Jupiter and its very extensive [[Jupiter's moons in fiction|system of moons]], is used as a setting. <!-- Notes: Please keep this list in increasing chronological order. Several Robert A. Heinlein works are described under Ganymede in the Jupiter's moons in fiction article. --> ==On Jupiter== ===Written works=== * In [[Voltaire]]'s ''[[Micromégas]]'' (1752), the eponymous hero and his Saturnian companion stop on Jupiter for a year, where they "learned some very remarkable secrets". * In [[Clifford D. Simak]]'s ''[[City (Clifford D. Simak novel)|City]]'' stories (1952), most of mankind is eventually voluntarily transformed into creatures able to survive on Jupiter without life support. In this new form, Jupiter appears as a paradise. * In [[Isaac Asimov]]'s ''[[Victory Unintentional]]'' (1942), human colonists on [[Ganymede (moon)|Ganymede]] send three extremely powerful and durable robots to explore the surface of Jupiter and contact the [[Jovian (fiction)|Jovians]]. * In Isaac Asimov's ''Buy Jupiter'' (1958), aliens purchase Jupiter to use as a giant billboard advertising their products to passing trade ships. * [[Arthur C. Clarke]]'s [[novella]] ''[[A Meeting with Medusa]]'' (1972) depicts a journey into the depths of Jupiter's atmosphere, where vast, city-sized [[Atmospheric beast|floating life-forms]] have evolved. This is similar to a scene in ''2010''. * In [[Donald Moffitt]]'s ''[[The Jupiter Theft]]'' (1977) novel, a Chinese-American [[Jupiter]] mission is diverted to investigate five immense alien spacecraft headed towards Earth from the direction of [[Cygnus X-1]]. The survivors of the captured Jupiter Mission discover their true purpose in appearing in the Solar System is to raid our solar system of a Jupiter-mass planets to use as fuel. In taking Jupiter, the aliens leave behind the burnt-out husk of their prior Jovian type fuel planet, which remains as the central core of a new mini-solar system in the past location of Jupiter. * In [[Piers Anthony]]'s ''[[Bio of a Space Tyrant|Bio of A Space Tyrant]]'' series (1983&ndash;2001), Jupiter is rendered into an analogue of [[North America]]. The moons are the Caribbean (and possibly [[Central America]] as well), Jupiter itself is inhabited by floating cities in its atmosphere to represent the [[United States]], and the Red Spot represents [[Mexico]]. * In [[Ken MacLeod]]'s ''[[Fall Revolution]]'' series <!--- 1995–1999 --->(and more particularly, in ''The Cassini Division'' (1998) instalment of that series), Jupiter has been converted by [[Transhumanism|transhumanist]]s into a habitat for [[Posthuman (Human evolution)|post-human]] [[Mind uploading|uploads]] known as the Jovians, while the Solar Union (an [[Solar System#Inner Solar System|inner system]] [[Socialism|socialist]] collective) and New Mars (a [[Capitalism|capitalist]] [[Extrasolar planet|extrasolar]] colony) consider whether to attack the civilisation, which they perceive to be potentially threatening. * [[Ben Bova]]'s novel ''[[Jupiter (novel)|Jupiter]]'' (2001) also features a journey into Jupiter's clouds, storms, and the liquid stage of its atmosphere for the discovery of intelligent life there. See also: [[Grand Tour (novel series)]]. * The [[Timothy Zahn]] novel ''Manta's Gift'' (2002) is set on Jupiter, home of the Qanska, intelligent lifeforms who dwell amid the layered atmosphere of the planet's equator. The brain of a quadriplegic human is transplanted into an embryonic Qanska, resulting in a transfer of human consciousness to a different species. ===Comics and manga=== * In the [[Battle Angel]] [[manga]] series by [[Yukito Kishiro]], Jupiter has been colonized by man and is now in the process of having a large artificial surface built over the clouds, having consumed all but a few of its' moons for raw materials. The Jupiter Union, as they are known, are in conflict over control of the [[solar system]] with [[Venus]], [[Mars]] and [[Earth]]. ===Film, TV and radio=== * ''[[Space Patrol (1962)|Space Patrol]]'' (1962), puppet television series. * ''The Swamps of Jupiter'' episode. Captain Dart and his crew are sent to investigate the loss of contact with a scientific base on Jupiter and encounter Martian fur trappers who are killing the local [[Loomi]] creatures for their heat-retaining skins. * ''The Walking Lake of Jupiter'' episode. Scientists Dr Brown and Dr Smith discover that water from a Jovian lake has the power to cause inanimate objects to move as if with a life of their own. Dart arrives to witness the phenomenon. and ends up on the trail of the unfortunate Dr Brown, whose spacesuit has become energised by the Jovian water. * On 1 April 1976, on [[BBC Radio 2]], the astronomer [[Patrick Moore]] announced the existence of the ''[[Jovian-Plutonian gravitational effect]]'', a spectacular [[April Fools' Day]] astronomical hoax ===Games=== * The children's game ''Scholastic's The Magic School Bus: Space Exploration Game'' for the Sega Genesis (1995) features an exploration of the planet Jupiter to find Ms. Frizzle. Players take pictures of the Planet, its features and moons, and other various objects on the way. They then land the bus and search for Ms. Frizzle in the atmosphere of Jupiter. The expedition ends with a picture puzzle and card matchup which both have major points/features of Jupiter and the surrounding system. ==Jovian system== :''See also [[Jupiter's moons in fiction]].'' ===Written works=== * In [[Arthur C. Clarke]]'s ''[[The Space Odyssey series|Space Odyssey]]'' series<!--- (1948–1997) --->, Jupiter is a major location. In the [[2001: A Space Odyssey (novel)|novel]] upon which the film ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'' (1968) was based, the spaceship [[Discovery One]] flies by it on its way to Saturn. In the sequel novel ''[[2010: Odyssey Two]]'' Jupiter was renamed [[Lucifer]] after its transformation into Earth's second sun, by fictional technology increasing the density of its core (see also TV/Films). In both ''2010'' and ''[[2061: Odyssey Three]]'', the core of the planet is made of solid diamond. Jupiter system is also the theater of much action in ''[[3001: The Final Odyssey]]''. * Jupiter is an important location in ''[[The Night's Dawn Trilogy]]'' (1996&ndash;1999) by [[Peter F. Hamilton]]. This is where the first [[Bitek]] habitat was germinated and [[Edenism]] began. ===Film and TV=== * In the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' (1963 to date) story "[[Revenge of the Cybermen]]", Jupiter is the setting for the Nerva Beacon, a fictional space station that monitors its fictional new moon (Voga - the Planet of Gold) which once more brings the [[Cyberman|Cybermen]] into our Solar System. * In the ''[[Star Trek]]'' universe (1966&ndash;...), Jupiter is home to Jupiter Station. * Jupiter is the setting of [[Stanley Kubrick]]'s classic film ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'' (1968), although the novel of the same name by Sir [[Arthur C. Clarke]] is set in the Saturnian system instead. In both the book and the film of the sequel, ''[[2010: Odyssey Two]]'' (1984), fictional technology converts Jupiter into a star by increasing the density of its core. * In the 2001 absurdist film ''[[American Astronaut|The American Astronaut]]'' Samuel Curtis meets with the owner of Jupiter to exchange The Girl in a Wallet for The Boy Who Actually Saw a Woman's Breast. ===Animation=== * The anime ''[[Planetes]]'' (2003) features a planned seven year trip to explore Jupiter and its moons, using a ship powered by a Tandem Mirror Engine. * One episode of ''[[Ellen's Acres]]'', entitled "Jumpin' Jupiter", features Ellen travelling to said planet. ===Games=== * The role-playing game ''[[Jovian Chronicles]]'' (1992) features a solar nation, the [[Jovian Confederacy]], in a series of [[space colony]] cylinders called "Gray Viarium" colonies around Jupiter. * The [[PlayStation 2]] [[video game]] ''[[Zone of the Enders]]'' (2001) takes place in a colony orbiting Jupiter. * In the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) ''[[Earth and Beyond]]'' (2002), the Jupiter system is colonized by the explorer race of the Jenquai. Jove City rests in orbit around Jupiter, and was the second most populated station in the known galaxy before being devastated by the Progen Warriors. * In the PC Game Nexus: The Jupiter Incident, the game begins with several missions situated around Jupiter and its moons. ==Other mentions of Jupiter== ===Written works=== * In [[Jules Verne]]'s ''Hector Servadac'' (''[[Off On A Comet]]'' (1877)), the comet Gallia approaches Jupiter at its aphelion, and the protagonists worry « that the comet, being irresistibly attracted, might be drawn on to the very surface of the planet, and there annihilated » <sup>[http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/Jules_Verne/Off_on_a_Comet/Book_II_Jupiter_Somewhat_Close_p1.html]</sup>. *In [[C. S. Lewis]]'s novel ''[[That Hideous Strength]]'' (1945), Glund, the [[Oyarsa]] of Jupiter, is the last of the five major Oyéresu to descend upon St. Anne's. Like the other Oyéresu, his characteristics are reminiscent of the mythology surrounding his planet; his presence immediately fills everyone in the house with a sense of lordly festivity, in obvious reference to "the jovial spirit". * [[Larry Niven]]'s ''[[A World Out of Time]]'' (1976) tells the story of a man who died in the 1970s who is awoken from [[Cryopreservation|cryonic]] suspended animation, hijacks the ship and visits the galactic central core and a vast [[black hole]]. When he returns, at least 4 million years have passed due to [[Theory of relativity|relativity]] effects, the sun has undergone a transformation into a [[red giant]], and the Earth has been moved into orbit around Jupiter. * [[Milton William Cooper]]'s book ''[[Behold a Pale Horse]]'' (1991) described a secret plan of the [[Illuminati]] to detonate the planet by means of the [[Cassini-Huygens]] space probe. === Comics and manga === * In the ''[[Dragon Ball Z]]'' [[manga]] series created by [[Akira Toriyama]], Bulma Briefs and Earth Kami assistant Mr. Popo reach Jupiter in less than a minute using Kami's spaceship, which they needed to reach the Planet Namek, which was impossible to reach with the technology available at that moment in the series. One month later Bulma's father completes a spaceship model capable of making the journey. * In the [[Marvel Comics]] title [[Guardians of the Galaxy]], [[Charlie-27]] is the last survivor of a colony on Jupiter in the 31st century. His people were engineered to have 11 times the mass of an average human to withstand the higher gravity of Jupiter. The Jovians lived on giant anti-gravity ships in Jupiter's atmosphere. * In the "[[Martian Successor Nadesico]]" Anime Series created by [[Kia Asamiya]], the evil race known as the 'Jovian Lizards' were claimed to be from Jupiter. Late in the series, it is discovered that the Jovians are humans exiled from Mars, returned to take revenge upon Earth, and the people that exiled them. === Films and television === * In the series ''[[Red Dwarf]]'', the titular ship belongs to the Jupiter Mining Corporation, and there are many references to Jupiter and its moons (for example [[Arnold Rimmer]] is originally from [[Io (moon)|Io]]). * In [[Men in Black (film)|Men in Black]], when Agent J comments he used to think one of his teachers was from Venus, Agent K tells him that J's former teacher is actually from one of Jupiter's moons. * In the series ''[[Stargate SG-1]]'', in the episode entitled, "[[2010 (Stargate SG-1)|2010]]", the [[Aschen characters in Stargate|Aschen]] intend to turn Jupiter into a second sun. Note that the titles of the two episodes in which the Aschen appear (2010 and 2001, in the order that the two episodes aired) make clear that this is indeed a reference to the seminal Space Odyssey series by Arthur C. Clarke. ===Animation=== * In the anime ''[[Gunbuster]]'' (1988), Jupiter is used to create the [[Buster Machine III|Black Hole Bomb]], a massive weapon larger than a small planet, and capable of destroying part of a galaxy. (In fact, a Jupiter-mass black hole would be barely [[Schwarzschild radius|6 m across]], and no more of a threat to the Galaxy than it is right now) * In the TV show ''[[Futurama]]'' the planet is revealed to smell like strawberries, an out-of-order monolith from ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'' is in orbit around it, and Amy mentions Jupiter State University. * On an episode of [[Aqua Teen Hunger Force]], Shake sells Meatwad to a circus run by Randy the Astonishing, the Prince of Jupiter sent to infiltrate the human [[gene pool]] and enslave the planet. * In ''[[The Batman (TV series)|The Batman]]'' episode "Q & A", it is revealed that Cluemaster/Artie Brown's motive included losing a game show in which the question was "Name all 13 moons of Jupiter in order of date of discovery." He starts with [[Europa (moon)|Europa]], and ends by saying [[Lysithea (moon)|Lysithea]] was discovered in 1937, and the announcer says it was really discovered in 1938. The latter is correct. * In the anime ''[[Heroic Age (anime)|Heroic Age]]'', Jupiter is destroyed when a high-powered energy gun is used to knock the moon [[Io (moon)|Io]] out of orbit. Io plummets into the atmosphere and ignites it, and intervention by the Silver and Bronze fleets leads to a cataclysmic explosion. === Games === * In the [[shoot 'em up]] [[Darius II (arcade game)]] developed by Taito, the final level has the player encroach Jupiter's atmosphere where the final boss of the chosen zone awaits. * In the [[Sega Saturn]] [[shoot 'em up]] [[Metal Black (video game)]], the player eventually flies closer toward Jupiter and its asteroid fields where a large boss awaits and a battle ensues near the [[Great Red Spot]]. * In the obscure Sega Saturn [[shoot 'em up]] [[Shienryu]], one of the enemy's headquarters is established along the asteroids over Jupiter, wherein the planet can be clearly seen upon nearing the base. ==See also== * [[Jovian (fiction)|Jovian]], for examples of natives of Jupiter in fiction {{Astronomical locations in fiction}} <!--Categories--> [[Category:Jupiter in fiction| ]] [[Category:Planets in fiction]] [[Category:Science fiction themes]] <!--Other languages--> [[it:Giove nella fantascienza]]