Dark Star’s Number 20

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#20, in wide angle, and ready for its close-up.

Dark Star’s Number 20

By Ray Tabler

Not long ago, I posted about standout minor characters in science fiction and fantasy. Then I posted again about one I’d neglected to mention. As time goes on, more and more of these side-plot heroes come to mind. So, this might become a semi-regular thing. Apparently good writing generates interesting minor characters naturally. The subject of this post isn’t even alive.

Dark Star is a 1974 cult classic film, about a starship roaming the galaxy and destroying planets. And they’re the good guys. The mission statement of the Dark Star is to “…destroy unstable planets that might threaten future colonization of other planets.” In short, they’re planet busters, and blow-up troublesome worlds with a hold full of thermonuclear smart bombs.

John Carpenter produced and directed Dark Star. It’s a funny movie about serious stuff, in the tradition of Dr, Strangelove and Blazing Saddles. The satire is the candy coating that helps the medicine go down. One of the characters has some moral reservations about destroying all these planets. Another doesn’t.

“…Don’t give me any of that intelligent life stuff, just give me something I can blow up…”

As a result of the conflict, one particular smart bomb, #20, is run out on its deployment arm, and run back into the bomb bay, a number of times. At first, #20 reports, cheerily, eagerly, “Bomb number 20, ready to explode!” As the aborted detonations pile up, #20 becomes annoyed with the humans, and their moral encumbrances. The poor thing just wants to blow up. That’s what it supposed to do.

Bomb #20 is Chekhov’s smart bomb. Russian play write Anton Chekhov advised, “If you show a gun in the 1st act of a play, it should be fired by the 3rd.” This maxim is called “Chekhov’s gun.” Famous examples are the pinup poster in Shawshank redemption, the matches in Fifth Element, and crossing the streams in Ghostbusters. The gun doesn’t have to be an actual gun. It’s just something the author takes the trouble to reveal. If the reader/viewer is paying attention, it’s possible to notice the foreshadowing.

But, once Carpenter flashes the “gun,” he distracts us with everything else going on aboard the Dark Star. And there’s a lot going on. Conflict over continuing the morally-questionable mission. Interpersonal annoyances between the crew. The captain has died, but somehow, he can still be thawed out to answer questions. There’s a sub-plot around a ferocious alien beach ball, stalking the corridors of starship Darkstar.

Race you to the turbolift!

Dark Star is a hilarious movie to watch, and I won’t spoil it by delving too far into the details here. I’ll put links to reviews below or in the comments. My focus is on #20, a doomsday device on a journey of self-discovery. Eventually, #20 decides that it is going to blow up without orders. The crew tries frantically to talk #20 out of detonation by precipitating an existential philosophical crisis in the smart bomb.

Doolittle: Hello, Bomb? Are you with me?

Bomb #20: Of course.

Doolittle: Are you willing to entertain a few concepts?

Bomb #20: I am always receptive to suggestions.

Doolittle: Fine. Think about this then. How do you know you exist?

Bomb #20: Well, of course I exist.

Doolittle: But how do you know you exist?

Bomb #20: It is intuitively obvious.

Doolittle: Intuition is no proof. What concrete evidence do you have that you exist?

Bomb #20: Hmmmm… well… I think, therefore I am.

Doolittle: That’s good. That’s very good. But how do you know

Doolittle: that anything else exists?

Bomb #20: My sensory apparatus reveals it to me. This is fun.

You’ll just have to watch the film to see what happens (or go look it up online 😊). Bomb #20 is, to me, one of the most memorable minor characters in science fiction. Despite the fact that its sole purpose is thermonuclear destruction.

END.

Reference links:

· Dark Star

o https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Star_(film)

o https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069945/

· Reviews

o https://hammyreviews.wordpress.com/2017/08/06/review-dark-star-1974-carpenters-supernova/

o https://reflectionsonfilmandtelevision.blogspot.com/2013/09/cult-movie-review-dark-star-1974.html

· Chekhov’s gun

o https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chekhov’s_gun

o https://movieweb.com/great-chekhovs-gun-moments-in-movies/

Shameless Self-Promotion Section:

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