Philip Levins: On Ascension

"This was secretly launched by President Kennedy soon after the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The real Orion Project had begun in the Fifties, but was killed in 1963 when Kennedy saw the mock-up of the Orion spacecraft, because it terrified him.

It looked like the Death Star.

It was a military project that had been designed to stay in orbit over the Soviet Union and destroy them at a moment’s notice.

After the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy killed the project.

But in this fictional narrative, it’s intended to be a life-well for humanity.

If we kill everyone on Earth, these people and their descendants will make sure humanity survives."

 

-Writer Philip Levins, SciFiNow Online-

 

 

Ascension may be an imperfect bit of science fiction, but it does offer a fairly intriguing alternate reality story within the generation ship subgenre. Within it are a host of interesting science fiction ideas that give pause for reflection even if execution isn't perfect as an entertainment. Be sure to visit a full review of our three part analysis of Ascension here.