I have a Cultural Question for you, that I'm kind of curious about, and I hope you won't be offended, it's just that I'm curious.
I was looking at the Space: 1999 episode "Voyager's Return" the other day, and that's an episode that took me a long time to understand because it shows a big gulf between British and American Folks.
The character of Ernst Queller is a German Rocket Scientist. His "Queller Drive" is a dangerous, radioactive rocket motor that can travel between stars, but a programming error caused it to malfunction and it caused an industrial accident that killed 200+ people.
Because of this Queller is a *Hated* man. He changed his name to Linden and hid, but any time his name is mentioned, the characters fairly spit in disgust. Koenig has to keep ihis presence on the base hushed up to stop him from being lynched. When one tech figures out who he is, he beats him savagely, putting him in the hospital and nearly killing him. When Dr. Russell finds out who he is, she acts like she doesn't want to treat him. Koenig looks at the attempted murder and just shrugs.
A tragic programming error has turned the normally likable crew into a mob that's just barely this side of a bloodthirsty lynch mob.
Even when Queller sacrifices his own life to save everyone, people are unmoved that he saved their lives.
To me, this made the Alphans Very unsympathetic characters.
It wasn't until years and years later that I realized: Queller wasn't just any old German Rocket Scientist. He was a stand-in for Dr. Werner von Braun.
Now, Dr. von Braun has a very different history in England and in the USA.
In the USA, he's the great scientist who built the Amazing Apollo Program and put men on the moon!
In England, he's the Nazi scientist who built the V-2 rocket and bombed London.
*THAT* was when I started to understand what was going on in the show.
So, I guess my question is this: "Voyager's Return" was filmed 30 years after WWII ended. It's now nearly 50 years since "Voyager's Return" was filmed.
What is the impression of von Braun in England now? Was he really hated that much 30 years after the war? Is he still hated that much 80 years after the war?
As far as I'm aware Werner Von Braun certainly isn't hated in the UK. As someone who followed the Space Race in the sixties, I simply see his development of the V-2's, in spite of their terrible use by others, were all down to his obsession with rocketry.
In spite of his role with the Nazies in WW2, it was America who took him in, which without his knowledge and drive they might possibly have lost the race to the Moon. So , I'd say he's seen more of a pioneer.
I personally don't see the Voyagers Return story as revealing a gulf between British and American viewers, it's honestly never occurred to me. To me it's more about the feelings of guilt and angst in scientists who'd found themselves by accident or design working on projects that were responsible for mass destruction, which invariably comes back to haunt them.
I am not, nor have ever been, aware of any great hatred of Von Braun in the UK by my or my parents generations, though there was probably some suspicion from them back then in the 50s or 60s. I see Queller as a cypher for Oppenheimer, rather than Von Braun.
And oddly enough, it was 23 years ago today I started working in my current job, messing around with aircraft.
ReplyDeleteHappy anniversary, Bill. I hope the aircraft have a better safety record than the Eagles! ; )
DeleteGood Morning Folks,
ReplyDeleteI have a Cultural Question for you, that I'm kind of curious about, and I hope you won't be offended, it's just that I'm curious.
I was looking at the Space: 1999 episode "Voyager's Return" the other day, and that's an episode that took me a long time to understand because it shows a big gulf between British and American Folks.
The character of Ernst Queller is a German Rocket Scientist. His "Queller Drive" is a dangerous, radioactive rocket motor that can travel between stars, but a programming error caused it to malfunction and it caused an industrial accident that killed 200+ people.
Because of this Queller is a *Hated* man. He changed his name to Linden and hid, but any time his name is mentioned, the characters fairly spit in disgust. Koenig has to keep ihis presence on the base hushed up to stop him from being lynched. When one tech figures out who he is, he beats him savagely, putting him in the hospital and nearly killing him. When Dr. Russell finds out who he is, she acts like she doesn't want to treat him. Koenig looks at the attempted murder and just shrugs.
A tragic programming error has turned the normally likable crew into a mob that's just barely this side of a bloodthirsty lynch mob.
Even when Queller sacrifices his own life to save everyone, people are unmoved that he saved their lives.
To me, this made the Alphans Very unsympathetic characters.
It wasn't until years and years later that I realized:
Queller wasn't just any old German Rocket Scientist. He was a stand-in for Dr. Werner von Braun.
Now, Dr. von Braun has a very different history in England and in the USA.
In the USA, he's the great scientist who built the Amazing Apollo Program and put men on the moon!
In England, he's the Nazi scientist who built the V-2 rocket and bombed London.
*THAT* was when I started to understand what was going on in the show.
So, I guess my question is this: "Voyager's Return" was filmed 30 years after WWII ended.
It's now nearly 50 years since "Voyager's Return" was filmed.
What is the impression of von Braun in England now? Was he really hated that much 30 years after the war? Is he still hated that much 80 years after the war?
What do you think?
You raise some interesting points, Scott.
DeleteAs far as I'm aware Werner Von Braun certainly isn't hated in the UK. As someone who followed the Space Race in the sixties, I simply see his development of the V-2's, in spite of their terrible use by others, were all down to his obsession with rocketry.
In spite of his role with the Nazies in WW2, it was America who took him in, which without his knowledge and
drive they might possibly have lost the race to the Moon.
So , I'd say he's seen more of a pioneer.
I personally don't see the Voyagers Return story as revealing a gulf between British and American viewers, it's honestly never occurred to me. To me it's more about the feelings of guilt and angst in scientists who'd found themselves by accident or design working on projects that were responsible for mass destruction, which invariably comes back to haunt them.
I am not, nor have ever been, aware of any great hatred of Von Braun in the UK by my or my parents generations, though there was probably some suspicion from them back then in the 50s or 60s.
ReplyDeleteI see Queller as a cypher for Oppenheimer, rather than Von Braun.