Lensman series: Difference between revisions

The '''''Lensman'' series''' is a series of [[science fiction]] novels by American author [[E. E. Smith|E. E. "Doc" Smith]]. It was a runner-up for the 1966 [[Hugo award]] for Best All-Time Series, losing to the [[Foundation (book series)|''Foundation'' series]] by [[Isaac Asimov]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Hugo1966.html |title=1966 Hugo Awards|access-date=March 18, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070224034626/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Hugo1966.html |archive-date=February 24, 2007}}</ref>

Although the Eddorians have developed mental powers almost equal to those of the Arisians, they rely instead for the most part on physical power, which camehas come to be exercised on their behalf by a hierarchy of underling races. They see the many races in the universe, with which the Arisians were intending to build a peaceful civilization, as fodder for their power- drive.

The Arisians detect the Eddorians' invasion of our universe and realize that theythe two races are too evenly matched for either to destroy the other without being destroyed themselves. The Eddorians do not detect the Arisians, who begin a covert breeding program on every world that can produce intelligent life, with particular emphasis on the four planets: Earth (Tellus), Velantia III, Rigel IV, and Palain VII, in the hope of creating a race that is capable of destroying the Eddorians.

The second book, ''First Lensman'', concerns the early formation of the [[Galactic Patrol]] and the first Lens, given to First Lensman Virgil Samms of "Tellus" (Earth). Samms and Roderick Kinnison are members of the two breeding lines and they are both natural leaders, intelligent, forceful, and capable. The Arisians make it known that, if, Samms, the head of the Triplanetary Service, visits the Arisian planetary system he will be given the tool he needs to build the Galactic Patrol. That tool is the ''Lens''. The Arisians further promise him that no entity unworthy of the Lens will ever be permitted to wear it, but that he and his successors will have to discover for themselves most of its abilities.

Centuries pass, and eventually the final generations of the breeding program are born. On each of the four "best" planets, a single individual realizes the limits of his Arisian training and perceives the need to return to seek "second stage" training, which, it is later shown, to include the ability to slay by mental force alone; a "sense of perception" which allows seeing by direct awareness without the use of the visual sense; the ability to control minds undetectably, including the ability to alter memories untraceably; the ability to perfectly split attention in order to perform multiple tasks with simultaneous focus on each; and the ability to better integrate their minds for superior thinking.

As the breeding program nears its conclusion, humans are selected as the best choice; at the same time, the breeding programs of the other three planets are terminated, and their penultimates never meet their planned mates. Kimball Kinnison meets and marries the product of the complementary human breeding program, Clarissa MacDougall. She is a beautiful, curvaceous, red-haired nurse, who eventually becomes the first human female to receive her own Lens. Their children, a boy and two pairs of [[fraternal twin]] sisters, grow up to be the five Children of the Lens. In their breeding, "almost every strain of weakness in humanity is finally removed". They are born already possessing the powers taught to second-stage Lensmen. They are the only beings of Civilization ever to see Arisia as it truly is, and the only individuals developed over all the existence of billions of years able finally to penetrate the Eddorians' defense screens.

TheExcept seriesfor wasthe serializedtwo inprequel magazinesnovels, (allthe but thestories first twoappeared novelsas were first serializedserials in ''[[Analog Science Fiction and Fact|Astounding Science Fiction]]'', almost all of which were serialized under the editorship of [[John W. Campbell]]). beforeThey were beinglater collected and reworked into the better-known series of books. The complete series in internalnarrative sequence with original publication dates is as follows.

#''[[Triplanetary (novel)|Triplanetary]]'' (1948, originally published in four parts, January–April 1934, in ''[[Amazing Stories]]'')

:''[[The Vortex Blaster]]'' (1960, publishedrepublished with the titleas ''Masters of the Vortex'' in 1968)

I shan't repeat it; it is not my story. Possibly somewhere there is a manuscript—I ''hope'' so! All I will say is that the ending develops by inescapable logic from clues in ''Children of the Lens''.<ref>{{Citationcite book |last1=Heinlein |first1=Robert A. |title=Expanded Universe, The New Worlds of Robert A. Heinlein needed|date=February1980 2016|publisher=Ace Books |isbn=978-0441218837}}</ref>

{{nihongo|''Lensman: Secret of the Lens''|SF新世紀レンズマン|SF Shinseiki Renzuman}} is a 1984 Japanese animated film based on the Lensman novels. The movie is a loose adaptation of the series. It was dubbed by [[Harmony Gold USA|Harmony Gold]] in 1988. This was re-dubbed by [[Streamline Pictures]] in 1990 with somemost of the same voice actors.

Both the 1984 long-running theatrical animation and the animated TV Seriesseries were adapted into [[manga]]. The movie's adaptation was created by Moribi Murano and divided into three volumes. The TV series adaptation by [[Mitsuru Miura]] was serialized in ''[[Weekly Shonen Magazine]]'' and then reprinted in three [[tankoubon]] pocket volumes.<ref>[http://letsanime.blogspot.fr/2016/03/i-promise-never-to-lower-standard-of.html SF New Century Lensman review by Dave Merrill at the "Let's anime" website]</ref> No English translation of these two manga has been published so far.

Initially, [[Eternity Comics|Eternity]]'s ''Lensman'' comics run consisted almost entirely of adaptations of the ''Lensman'' TV episodes., However,but they also began writing additional material.

* '''''Lensman: The Secret of the Lens'''''

: Six issues, written by Paul O'Conner, drawn by Tim Eldred, ink by Paul Young, cover art by [[Jason Waltrip]].

* '''''Lensman: War of the Galaxies'''''

* '''''Lensman: Galactic Patrol'''''

In 2008, Ron Howard's [[Imagine Entertainment]] and [[Universal Pictures]] began negotiations with the author's estate for rights to film the Lensman series. The negotiations were for an 18-month renewable option.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=47233 |title=SCI FI Wire &#124; The News Service of the SCI FI Channel &#124; SCIFI.COM |date=2008-01-13 |access-date=2016-02-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080113140449/http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=0&id=47233 |archive-date=January 13, 2008 }}</ref> At the WonderCon convention in San Francisco in February 2008, [[J. Michael Straczynski]], the creator of ''[[Babylon 5]]'', confirmed that Howard had acquired the rights and also hinted that he was involved in the project.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=12669 |title=WonderCon: Spotlight on Straczynski |publisher=[[Comic Book Resources]] |date=2008-02-24 |access-date=2016-02-28}}</ref> OnAlthough 17 June 2008, Straczynski wrote that he had begunthe work on the project. began that June,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-17719 |title=JMSNews |publisher=JMSNews |date=1994-08-19 |access-date=2016-02-28}}</ref> OnStraczynski 2later Aprilwrote 2014,in StraczynskiApril wrote2014 that Universal had scrapped the project, citing excessive cost, and that the rights had reverted to the estate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://features.slashdot.org/story/14/04/02/1310250/interviews-j-michael-straczynski-answers-your-questions |title=Interviews: J. Michael Straczynski Answers Your Questions - Slashdot |publisher=Features.slashdot.org |date=2014-04-02 |access-date=2016-02-28}}</ref>

The series has been adapted into the board wargames ''[[Lensman (game)|Lensman]]'' and ''[[Triplanetary]]''. The first of these was designed by Philip N. Pritchard.{{citation needed|date=February 2015}}

In the [[DC Comics]] universe, the [[Green Lantern Corps]] bears many parallels to the Lensmen, though the original editor (Julius Schwartz) denied any connection.<ref name="Denial">{{Cite news | last=Thomas | first=Roy | title=The Lensman Connection | periodical=Alter Ego | volume=3 | issue=#10 | year=2001 | page=24 }}</ref> Later writers would add characters that directly referenced the Lensman series, such as the extraterrestrial Green Lanterns [[Arisia Rrab|Arisia]] and [[List of Green Lanterns#Eddore|Eddore]].

In [[Robert Heinlein]]'s ''[[The Number of the Beast (novel)|The Number of the Beast]]'', the protagonists encounter a Lensman. The novel's alternate version, ''[[The Number of the Beast (novel)#The Pursuit of the Pankera|The Pursuit of the Pankera]]'', has an extended version of the Lensman sequence.

* [[Wolf–Lundmark–Melotte]] - a galaxy which may be the "Second Galaxy" mentioned in the series.

*{{cite book | first=Robert | last=Heinlein | date=1980 | title=Expanded Universe | publisher=[[Ace Books]] | location=New York | isbn=0-441-21888-1 }}

* {{Gutenberg|no=32706|name=Triplanetary}} (Firstfirst book of the ''Lensman'' series, rewritten from the pre-Lensman serial version)