Moon in art and literature
Encyclopedia
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
has been the subject of many works of art and literature and the inspiration for countless others. It is a motif in the visual arts, the performing arts, poetry, prose and music.
Literary
- John HeywoodJohn HeywoodJohn Heywood was an English writer known for his plays, poems, and collection of proverbs. Although he is best known as a playwright, he was also active as a musician and composer, though no works survive.-Life:...
's Proverbes (1546) commented that "The moon is made of a greene cheese", "greene" meaning "not aged", but was probably being sarcastic. http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a990723a.html - One of the earliest fictional flights to the Moon took place on the pages of Ludovico AriostoLudovico AriostoLudovico Ariosto was an Italian poet. He is best known as the author of the romance epic Orlando Furioso . The poem, a continuation of Matteo Maria Boiardo's Orlando Innamorato, describes the adventures of Charlemagne, Orlando, and the Franks as they battle against the Saracens with diversions...
's well-known ItalianItalian literatureItalian literature is literature written in the Italian language, particularly within Italy. It may also refer to literature written by Italians or in Italy in other languages spoken in Italy, often languages that are closely related to modern Italian....
romanticRomance (genre)As a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance is a style of heroic prose and verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about marvel-filled adventures, often of a knight errant portrayed as...
epic "Orlando furiosoOrlando FuriosoOrlando Furioso is an Italian epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto which has exerted a wide influence on later culture. The earliest version appeared in 1516, although the poem was not published in its complete form until 1532...
" (1516). The protagonist Orlando, having been thwarted in love, goes mad with despair and rampages through Europe and Africa, destroying everything in his path. The English knight Astolfo, seeking to find a cure for Orlando's madness, flies up to the Moon in Elijah's flaming chariot. In this depiction, the Moon is where everything lost on earth is to be found, including Orlando's wits, and Astolfo brings them back in a bottle and makes Orlando sniff them, thus restoring him to sanity. - In the Great Moon HoaxGreat Moon Hoax"The Great Moon Hoax" refers to a series of six articles that were published in the New York Sun beginning on August 25, 1835, about the supposed discovery of life and even civilization on the Moon...
of 1835, a newspaper reporter concocted a series of stories purporting to describe the discovery of life on the Moon, talking of such creatures as winged humanoids and goats. - RoverandomRoverandom"Roverandom" is a novella written by J.R.R. Tolkien, originally told in 1925. It deals with the adventures of a young dog, Rover. In the story, an irritable wizard turns Rover into a toy, and Rover goes to the moon and under the sea in order to find the wizard again to turn him back into a...
by J.R.R. Tolkien was written in 1925 to console his son Michael, then four years old, for the loss of a beloved toy dog. In the story, the dog has flown to the Moon and had a whole series of amusing adventures there. The story was only published posthumously. In addition, Isil and the guidesman TilionTilionIn the high fantasy world of famous English author J. R. R. Tolkien, there was a youth in the world of Middle-earth named Tilion whom the Valar chose from among the Maiar to steer the island of the Moon....
in J. R. R. TolkienJ. R. R. TolkienJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
's fictional Middle-earthMiddle-earthMiddle-earth is the fictional setting of the majority of author J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy writings. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place entirely in Middle-earth, as does much of The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales....
cosmology are based in Tolkien's familiarity with Norse and Gaelic myths of the moon. - Doctor Dolittle in the MoonDoctor Dolittle in the MoonDoctor Dolittle in the Moon was intended to be the last of Hugh Lofting's Doctor Dolittle books, and differs considerably in tone from its predecessors; the stripped down narrative does not have room for any of the sub-plots and tales previously present. Instead there is a growing sense of an...
(1928) was intended to be the last of Hugh LoftingHugh LoftingHugh John Lofting was a British author, trained as a civil engineer, who created the character of Doctor Dolittle — one of the classics of children's literature.-Personal life:...
's Doctor DolittleDoctor DolittleDoctor John Dolittle is the central character of a series of children's books by Hugh Lofting starting with the 1920 The Story of Doctor Dolittle. He is a doctor who shuns human patients in favour of animals, with whom he can speak in their own languages...
books. The Doctor, with his unique ability to communicate with animals, arrived in the Moon on the back of a giant mothMothA moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
and finds a considerably different kind of fauna (for example, Moon insects are far bigger than the local birds), and more startlingly, intelligent plants whose language he learns (as he never did with earthly plants). He also meets the Moon's single human inhabitant, a prehistoric man who has grown into an enormous giant due to lunar foods and conditions (which soon happens to the doctor himself). But it is doubtful whether he would ever be allowed to return to Earth. - In C. S. LewisC. S. LewisClive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast, Ireland...
's That Hideous StrengthThat Hideous StrengthThat Hideous Strength is a 1945 novel by C. S. Lewis, the final book in Lewis's theological science fiction Space Trilogy. The events of this novel follow those of Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra and once again feature the philologist Elwin Ransom...
, the Moon (Sulva) is described as being home to a race of extreme eugenicistsEugenicsEugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
. On the near side, the elite caste seems to have dispensed with organic existence altogether, by some means never clearly described; the only holdouts against this trend are an embattled minority on the far side. The response of the characters to this state of affairs varies according to their status: Professor Filostrato, of the wicked N.I.C.E., considers the Sulvans "[a] great race, further advanced than we", while the ChristianChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
champion Elwin RansomElwin RansomElwin Ransom is the prominent character from C. S. Lewis's Space Trilogy series. He is the main character in the books Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra, which are told almost entirely from his point of view...
describes them as "an accursed people, full of pride and lust". - Goodnight MoonGoodnight MoonGoodnight Moon is an American children's book written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd. It was first published in 1947, and is a highly acclaimed example of a bedtime story. It is about a child saying goodnight to everything around: "Goodnight room. Goodnight moon. Goodnight...
(1947) by Margaret Wise BrownMargaret Wise BrownMargaret Wise Brown was a prolific American author of children's literature, including the books Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny, both illustrated by Clement Hurd.-Biography:...
, illustrated by Clement HurdClement HurdClement G. Hurd was an American illustrator of children's books. He is best known for his collaborations with author Margaret Wise Brown, including Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny...
. - Winter Moon, a poem by Langston HughesLangston HughesJames Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance...
. - Moon PalaceMoon PalaceMoon Palace is a novel written by Paul Auster that was first published in 1989.The novel is set in Manhattan and the U.S. Midwest, and centres on the life of the narrator Marco Stanley Fogg and the two previous generations of his family.- Plot summary:...
(1989) by Paul AusterPaul AusterPaul Benjamin Auster is an American author known for works blending absurdism, existentialism, crime fiction and the search for identity and personal meaning in works such as The New York Trilogy , Moon Palace , The Music of Chance , The Book of Illusions and The Brooklyn Follies...
, one of his best-known and most complicated novels. - Kidnapping of the Moon, a novel of Georgian author, Konstantine GamsakhurdiaKonstantine GamsakhurdiaKonstantine Gamsakhurdia was a Georgian writer and public figure, who, along with Mikheil Javakhishvili, is considered to be one of the most influential Georgian novelists of the 20th century...
. - l'Ennui de la Lune, a short story by Edward Desautels in which the Moon appears as ostensible first-person narrator, http://maximumfiction.wordpress.com/2009/07/30/lennui-de-la-lune/.
Theatre
- The End of the Moon by Laurie AndersonLaurie AndersonLaura Phillips "Laurie" Anderson is an American experimental performance artist, composer and musician who plays violin and keyboards and sings in a variety of experimental music and art rock styles. Initially trained as a sculptor, Anderson did her first performance-art piece in the late 1960s...
is a 90-minute monologue created as part of Anderson's two years as NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
artist-in-residence. It premiered in a two-week run at the Brooklyn Academy of MusicBrooklyn Academy of MusicBrooklyn Academy of Music is a major performing arts venue in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, United States, known as a center for progressive and avant garde performance....
's Harvey Theater in March 2005. - Far Side of the Moon by Robert LepageRobert LepageRobert Lepage, is a playwright, actor, film director, and stage director from Québec City, Québec, and is one of Canada's most honoured theatre artists.- Life and work :...
, a theatre creator/performer from Québec.
Cinema
Excepting its representation in films that are principally science fiction (see below), the depiction of The Moon is a significant element of the following films.- The final scenes of Münchhausen (Germany, 1943, dir. Josef von BákyJosef von BakyJosef von Báky was a Hungarian filmmaker. He was also known as Josef v. Baky and József Baky. He was born in the town of Zombor in the Kingdom of Hungary in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, since 1920 Sombor in Yugoslavia., . He worked as an assistant to Geza von Bolvary.He worked as director or...
) take place on The Moon.
Classical
- The Moonlight SonataPiano Sonata No. 14 (Beethoven)The Piano Sonata No. 14 in C minor "Quasi una fantasia", Op. 27, No. 2, by Ludwig van Beethoven, popularly known as the Moonlight Sonata , was completed in 1801...
(1801) by Ludwig van BeethovenLudwig van BeethovenLudwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
is probably the most widely recognised classical piece commonly called by a lunar title, but the composer never connected it with the moon. The name by which the piece is commonly known is due to the critic Ludwig RellstabLudwig RellstabHeinrich Friedrich Ludwig Rellstab was a German poet and music critic. He was born and died in Berlin. He was the son of the music publisher and composer Johann Carl Friedrich Rellstab....
's comparing the piece to the effect of moonlight on Lake Lucerne, several years after its composition. - Clair de Lune ("Moonlight") by Debussy approaches the fame of the Moonlight Sonata. Debussy also wrote The Terrace for Moonlight.
- Song to the Moon appears in Antonín DvořákAntonín DvorákAntonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
's operaOperaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
RusalkaRusalka (opera)Rusalka is an opera by Antonín Dvořák. The Czech libretto was written by the poet Jaroslav Kvapil based on the fairy tales of Karel Jaromír Erben and Božena Němcová. Rusalka is one of the most successful Czech operas, and represents a cornerstone of the repertoire of Czech opera houses...
(1900). - An den Mond in einer Herbstnacht D.614, and several settings of An den Mond are among Franz SchubertFranz SchubertFranz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
's Lieder set poems with lunar subjects. - Pierrot LunairePierrot LunaireDreimal sieben Gedichte aus Albert Girauds 'Pierrot lunaire' , commonly known simply as Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21 , is a melodrama by Arnold Schoenberg...
, a modernist work by Arnold SchoenbergArnold SchoenbergArnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
, treats the subject of a moon-struck PierrotPierrotPierrot is a stock character of pantomime and Commedia dell'Arte whose origins are in the late 17th-century Italian troupe of players performing in Paris and known as the Comédie-Italienne; the name is a hypocorism of Pierre , via the suffix -ot. His character in postmodern popular culture—in...
. - Imagined OceansImagined OceansReleased in 1998, Imagined Oceans is an album by Welsh composer Karl Jenkins. This work was inspired by thirteen lunar mare for which the tracks are titled. The musical style is similar to Jenkins's Adiemus compositions and each track explores the meaning of its Latin name through various musical...
, a work for voices and instruments by Karl JenkinsKarl Jenkins-Other works:*Adiemus: Live — live versions of Adiemus music*Palladio *Eloise *Imagined Oceans *The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace...
, deals with the various imagined seas of the moon - Less widely known works include
- To the Moonlight by Edward MacDowellEdward MacDowellEdward Alexander MacDowell was an American composer and pianist of the Romantic period. He was best known for his second piano concerto and his piano suites "Woodland Sketches", "Sea Pieces", and "New England Idylls". "Woodland Sketches" includes his most popular short piece, "To a Wild Rose"...
. - Boro Budur in Moonlight by Leopold GodowskyLeopold GodowskyLeopold Godowsky was a famed Polish American pianist, composer, and teacher. One of the most highly regarded performers of his time, he became known for his theories concerning the application of relaxed weight and economy of motion in piano playing, principles later propagated by Godowsky's...
. - Aries Moon (1938) by Dennis Ruff.
- Aria of the Moon by Petr Cvikl.
- Der Mond, fairytale opera by Carl OrffCarl OrffCarl Orff was a 20th-century German composer, best known for his cantata Carmina Burana . In addition to his career as a composer, Orff developed an influential method of music education for children.-Early life:...
.
- To the Moonlight by Edward MacDowell
Jazz
Many jazz standards have been inspired by the moon, some of the most notable examples are:- "Shine On, Harvest MoonShine On, Harvest Moon"Shine On, Harvest Moon" is the name of a popular early-1900s song credited to the married vaudeville team Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth. It was one of a series of moon related Tin Pan Alley songs of the era. The song was debuted by Bayes and Norworth in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1908 to great acclaim...
" (Jack NorworthJack NorworthJack Norworth was a U.S. songwriter, singer and vaudeville performer.Norworth is credited as co-writer of a number of Tin Pan Alley hits. He wrote the lyrics of the song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" in 1908, his most long lasting hit. But it wasn't until 1940 that he actually witnessed a Major...
, Nora BayesNora BayesNora Bayes was a popular American singer, comedienne and actress of the early 20th century.-Early life and career:...
) - "Blue MoonBlue Moon (song)"Blue Moon"'s first crossover recording to rock and roll came from Elvis Presley in 1956. His cover version of the song was included on his self-titled debut album Elvis Presley....
" (Richard RodgersRichard RodgersRichard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
, Lorenz HartLorenz HartLorenz "Larry" Milton Hart was the lyricist half of the famed Broadway songwriting team Rodgers and Hart...
) - "By the Light of the Silvery MoonBy the Light of the Silvery Moon (song)"By The Light of the Silvery Moon" is a popular song. The music was written by Gus Edwards, and the lyrics by Edward Madden. The song was published in 1909 and first performed on stage by Lillian Lorraine. It was one of a series of moon-related Tin Pan Alley songs of the era.The song has been used...
" (Gus EdwardsGus Edwards (songwriter)Gus Edwards was an American songwriter and vaudevillian. He also organised his own theatre companies and was a music publisher.-Early life:...
, Edward MaddenEdward MaddenEdward Madden was an American lyricist.Madden was born in New York City and graduated from Fordham University. After graduation he wrote material for many singers including Fanny Brice and for vaudeville acts...
) - "I Wished on the MoonI Wished on the Moon"I Wished on the Moon" is a song composed by Ralph Rainger, with lyrics by Dorothy Parker, for the The Big Broadcast of 1936. It was introduced by Bing Crosby.-Notable recordings:*Ella Fitzgerald and Gordon Jenkins on Decca, a 1955 release...
" (Dorothy ParkerDorothy ParkerDorothy Parker was an American poet, short story writer, critic and satirist, best known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th century urban foibles....
, Ralph RaingerRalph RaingerRalph Rainger was an American composer of popular music principally for films.-Biography:Born Ralph Reichenthal in New York City, Rainger embarked on a legal career before escaping to Broadway where he became Clifton Webb's accompanist...
) - "Moon SongMoon Song (1932 song)"Moon Song" is a popular and jazz standard song with music by Sam Coslow and lyrics by Arthur Johnston, published in 1932.The song was first introduced in the Paramount movie Hello, Everybody! where it was sung by Kate Smith...
" (Sam CoslowSam CoslowSam Coslow was an American songwriter, singer, film producer, publisher, and market analyst. Coslow was born in New York City. He began writing songs as a teenager...
, Arthur JohnstonArthur Johnston (composer)Arthur Johnston was a composer known for such works as “Mandy, Make Up Your Mind,” "Pennies From Heaven," and many others...
) - "MoondanceMoondance (Van Morrison song)"Moondance" is a popular song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and is the title song on his 1970 album Moondance.Morrison did not release the song as a single until November 1977, seven and a half years after the album was released. It reached the Billboard Hot 100, charting...
" (Van MorrisonVan MorrisonVan Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
) - "Moonlight Becomes YouMoonlight Becomes You (song)Moonlight Becomes You is a popular song, composed by Jimmy Van Heusen with lyrics by Johnny Burke. The song was written for the Paramount Pictures release Road to Morocco and published in 1942 in connection with the film...
" (Johnny BurkeJohnny Burke (lyricist)Johnny Burke was a lyricist, widely regarded as one of the finest writers of popular songs in America between the 1920s and 1950s.-Biography:...
, Jimmy Van Heusen) - "Moonlight in VermontMoonlight in Vermont (song)"Moonlight in Vermont" is a popular song about the U.S. state of Vermont, written by John Blackburn and Karl Suessdorf and published in 1943. The lyrics are unusual in that they do not rhyme...
" (Karl SuessdorfKarl SuessdorfKarl Suessdorf was an American composer, best known for his collaboration with lyricist John Blackburn in composing the jazz standard, "Moonlight in Vermont", which was first recorded in 1943 by Billy Butterfield's Orchestra featuring Margaret Whiting...
, John BlackburnJohn BlackburnJohn Blackburn may refer to:*John Blackburn , Chaplain-General to the British Armed Forces 2000 to 2004*John Blackburn , British novelist*John Blackburn , British politician, MP for Newport 1806–1807...
) - "Moonlight SerenadeMoonlight SerenadeMoonlight Serenade is an album by the American singer-songwriter Carly Simon. It is her 22nd studio album , and her fourth album of pop standards....
" (Glenn MillerGlenn MillerAlton Glenn Miller was an American jazz musician , arranger, composer, and bandleader in the swing era. He was one of the best-selling recording artists from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known "Big Bands"...
, Mitchell ParishMitchell ParishMitchell Parish was an American lyricist.-Early life:Parish was born Michael Hyman Pashelinsky to a Jewish family in Lithuania. His family emigrated to the United States, arriving on February 3, 1901 on the SS Dresden when he was less than a year old...
) - "Polka Dots and MoonbeamsPolka Dots and Moonbeams"Polka Dots and Moonbeams" is a popular song with music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Johnny Burke, published in 1940. It was Frank Sinatra's first hit recorded with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra...
" (Count BasieCount BasieWilliam "Count" Basie was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. Basie led his jazz orchestra almost continuously for nearly 50 years...
) - "Reaching for the MoonReaching for the Moon"Reaching for the Moon" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the 1930 musical film of the same name.In 1930, United Artists prepared this original music film written by Irving Berlin with his music and lyrics...
" (Irving BerlinIrving BerlinIrving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
) - "That Old Devil Moon" (Burton LaneBurton LaneBurton Lane was an American composer and lyricist. His most popular and successful work is the musical Finian's Rainbow, "the score for which Lane will always be most remembered."-Biography:...
, Yip HarburgYip HarburgEdgar Yipsel Harburg , known as E.Y. Harburg or Yip Harburg, was an American popular song lyricist who worked with many well-known composers...
)
The Moon takes on several roles in the lyrics of these songs. In songs such as "Blue Moon
Blue Moon (song)
"Blue Moon"'s first crossover recording to rock and roll came from Elvis Presley in 1956. His cover version of the song was included on his self-titled debut album Elvis Presley....
", "No Moon at All", "Moonlight Serenade
Moonlight Serenade
Moonlight Serenade is an album by the American singer-songwriter Carly Simon. It is her 22nd studio album , and her fourth album of pop standards....
" and "Moonlight in Vermont
Moonlight in Vermont (song)
"Moonlight in Vermont" is a popular song about the U.S. state of Vermont, written by John Blackburn and Karl Suessdorf and published in 1943. The lyrics are unusual in that they do not rhyme...
", the Moon 'frames' or creates the atmosphere of romance that the protagonist finds themselves in.
The Moon is also viewed as an unobtainable object in songs such as "Reaching for the Moon
Reaching for the Moon
"Reaching for the Moon" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin for the 1930 musical film of the same name.In 1930, United Artists prepared this original music film written by Irving Berlin with his music and lyrics...
", "I Wished on the Moon" and "Oh, You Crazy Moon", once again mirroring the situation of the protagonist.
Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
recorded an entire album of songs written about the moon called Moonlight Sinatra
Moonlight Sinatra
Moonlight Sinatra is an album by Frank Sinatra, released in 1966.All of the tracks on the album are centered around the Moon. The tracks were arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle and his orchestra....
, recalling the name of Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
's Moonlight Sonata
Piano Sonata No. 14 (Beethoven)
The Piano Sonata No. 14 in C minor "Quasi una fantasia", Op. 27, No. 2, by Ludwig van Beethoven, popularly known as the Moonlight Sonata , was completed in 1801...
. Six years earlier, Mel Tormé
Mel Tormé
Melvin Howard Tormé , nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician, known for his jazz singing. He was also a jazz composer and arranger, a drummer, an actor in radio, film, and television, and the author of five books...
recorded Swingin' On the Moon
Swingin' On the Moon
Swingin' on the Moon is a 1960 album by Mel Tormé. The Moon is the connecting theme, and every track, but one, contains the word "moon" in the title...
, in a similar concept.
Pop and rock
- "Moonlight ShadowMoonlight Shadow"Moonlight Shadow" is a pop song written and performed by English multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield, released as a single in May 1983 and included in the album Crises of the same year. The vocals were performed by Scottish vocalist Maggie Reilly, who had joined Mike Oldfield in 1980...
" by Mike OldfieldMike OldfieldMichael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
on the 1983 Mike OldfieldMike OldfieldMichael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
' record CrisesCrisesCrises is the eighth record album by Mike Oldfield, released in 1983. Oldfield's well known hit "Moonlight Shadow" appears on the album.- Album analysis :...
. - "You Are the Moon" by The Hush SoundThe Hush SoundThe Hush Sound was an indie quartet originating in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. Initially named "The Hush," the band later changed their name to "The Hush Sound" due to the discovery of a rapper with the same name...
on the 2006 album Like Vines. - "Me and the Moon" by Something CorporateSomething CorporateSomething Corporate is an American rock band from Orange County, California, formed in 1998. Their current line-up includes pianist and vocalist Andrew McMahon, guitarist Josh Partington, bassist Kevin Page and drummer Brian Ireland....
on the 2003 album NorthNorth (Something Corporate album)-Bonus tracks:The Japanese version contained two bonus tracks, "This Broken Heart" and the Björk cover "Unravel," while the British version featured "Unravel" as well as "Watch the Sky."-Personnel:* Andrew McMahon - piano, vocals...
. - I hear a new worldI Hear a New WorldI Hear a New World - an Outer Space Music Fantasy is a concept album devised and composed by Joe Meek and performed by The Blue Men in 1959. It was partially released in 1960 and completely released in 1991 by RPM Records...
(1960) - An Outer Space Music Fantasy by Joe MeekJoe MeekRobert George "Joe" Meek was a pioneering English record producer and songwriter....
about the moon. - Be Careful When They Offer You The Moon (19701970 in music- Events :*January 3**Davy Jones announces he is leaving the Monkees**Former Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett releases his first solo album The Madcap Laughs....
) by Pete AtkinPete AtkinPete Atkin is a British singer-songwriter and radio producer notable for his 1970s musical collaborations with Clive James and for producing the BBC Radio 4 series This Sceptred Isle.-Early life:...
. Clive JamesClive JamesClive James, AM is an Australian author, critic, broadcaster, poet and memoirist, best known for his autobiographical series Unreliable Memoirs, for his chat shows and documentaries on British television and for his prolific journalism...
' lyrics offer lunar metaphors for celebrity. - The Dark Side of the MoonThe Dark Side of the MoonThe Dark Side of the Moon is the eighth studio album by English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, released in March 1973. It built on ideas explored in the band's earlier recordings and live shows, but lacks the extended instrumental excursions that characterised their work following the departure...
(19731973 in music-January–April:*January 9 – Mick Jagger's request for a Japanese visa is rejected on account of a 1969 drug conviction, putting an abrupt end to The Rolling Stones' plans to perform in Japan during their forthcoming tour.*January 14...
), Pink FloydPink FloydPink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
's concept album. - Pink MoonPink MoonPink Moon is the third and final album by English musician Nick Drake. It was recorded at midnight in two separate two-hour sessions, over two days in October 1971, featuring only Nick Drake's vocals and guitar, as well as some piano later overdubbed by Drake on the title track.-Album...
, an album by Nick DrakeNick DrakeNicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician. Though he is best known for his sombre guitar based songs, Drake was also proficient at piano, clarinet and saxophone...
, featuring solo acoustic guitar and lyrics often relating to nighttime. - "Surfer Moon" by Brian WilsonBrian WilsonBrian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
on the 1963 Beach Boys' record Surfer GirlSurfer GirlSurfer Girl is the third studio album by The Beach Boys and their second longplayer in 1963. This was the first album by The Beach Boys for which Brian Wilson was given full production credit, a position Wilson would maintain until the end of the The Smile Sessions in 1967...
. - "To the Moon and BackTo the Moon and Back"To the Moon and Back" is a single by Savage Garden from their debut album Savage Garden. One of the band's most popular songs, it deals with feelings of alienation from the modern world and the desire to find romantic love during adolescence...
" by Australian duo Savage GardenSavage GardenSavage Garden were an Australian pop rock performance and songwriting duo. Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones formed the group in Brisbane, Queensland in 1994...
, about a girl who would do anything including go to the moon and back to get the heart of a man she loves. - "Reflection" by ToolTool (band)Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
, from the album LateralusLateralusLateralus is the third studio album by American rock band Tool. The album was released on May 15, 2001, and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. On August 5, 2003, Lateralus was certified double platinum by the RIAA. On August 30, 2004 the album was certified Silver by the BPI for...
, in which the moon reveals her secret: "As full and bright as I am, this light is not my own." - Trout Mask ReplicaTrout Mask ReplicaTrout Mask Replica is the third album by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, released in June 1969. Produced by Beefheart's friend and former schoolmate Frank Zappa, it was originally released as a double album on Zappa's Straight Records label...
(19691969 in music-Events:Perhaps the two most famous musical events of 1969 were concerts. At a Rolling Stones concert in Altamont, California, a fan was stabbed to death by Hells Angels, a biker gang that had been hired to provide security for the event...
), an album by Captain BeefheartCaptain BeefheartDon Van Vliet January 15, 1941 December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12...
and the Magic Band. The moon plays a role in the lyrics' often pantheistic tendencies, appearing more or less directly in: Frownland, The Dust Blows Forward 'n the Dust Blows Back, Ella Guru, Moonlight on Vermont, Sweet Sweet Bulbs (in the form of the titaness PhoebePhoebe (mythology)In Greek mythology "radiant" Phoebe , was one of the original Titans, who were one set of sons and daughters of Uranus and Gaia. She was traditionally associated with the moon , as in Michael Drayton's Endimion and Phœbe, , the first extended treatment of the Endymion myth in English...
from Greek mythology), When Big Joan Sets Up, Sugar 'n Spikes, and Steal Softly Thru Snow. - Bark at the MoonBark at the Moon- Credits :* Ozzy Osbourne – vocals* Jake E. Lee – guitar* Bob Daisley – bass guitar* Tommy Aldridge – drums* Don Airey – keyboardsProduction* Produced by Ozzy Osbourne, Bob Daisley, and Max Norman* Engineered by Max Norman...
(19831983 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1983.-January-April:*January – ZTT Records is founded.*January 8 – The UK singles chart is tabulated from this week forward by The Gallup Organization...
), the fourth full-length album by Ozzy OsbourneOzzy OsbourneJohn Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
, featuring the song of the same nameBark at the Moon (song)"Bark at the Moon" is a metal song by Ozzy Osbourne. It is the opening track on his 1983 album Bark at the Moon. The song was composed by Jake E. Lee and Bob Daisley; lyrics were written solely by Osbourne. "Bark at the Moon" is a metal song by Ozzy Osbourne. It is the opening track on his 1983...
. - Moon PixMoon PixMoon Pix is the fourth album by American singer-songwriter Cat Power . It was released in September 1998 on Matador Records....
, an album by indie-rock singer Cat PowerCat PowerCharlyn Marie Marshall , also known as Chan Marshall or by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer/songwriter and occasional actress and model. Cat Power was originally the name of Marshall's first band, but has come to refer to her musical projects with various backing bands...
. Several allusions to the moon are made in the songs of this album. - La LuneLa Luna (album)La Luna is a concept album recorded by English soprano Sarah Brightman in 2000. It was released under license by Nemo Studios to Angel Records. The album combines pieces written by classical and modern composers....
, a 2000 album by English soprano Sarah BrightmanSarah BrightmanSarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano, actress, songwriter and dancer. She is famous for possessing a vocal range of over 3 octaves and singing in the whistle register...
. - "Hijo de la LunaHijo de la Luna"Hijo de la Luna" is a song written by José María Cano performed originally by the Spanish band Mecano with lead singer Ana Torroja. It appeared on their 1986 album, Entre el cielo y el suelo and had great success all over the Spanish speaking world, as did the album...
", a song by the 80's Spanish Pop Band MecanoMecanoMecano was a Spanish pop band whose debut coincided with La Movida Madrileña , a sociocultural movement that occurred in Madrid, Spain during the 1980s...
. - the Moon AV, experiment cyberbuskers : existing 100% online, songs with a planetary p.o.v. / Web Video
- The Moon & AntarcticaThe Moon & Antarctica-2004 re-release bonus tracks:Isaac Brock was dissatisfied with the final mix and the album artwork for The Moon & Antarctica following its original 2000 release....
, an album by Modest MouseModest MouseModest Mouse is an American indie rock band formed in 1993 in Issaquah, Washington, by singer/lyricist/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green, and bassist Eric Judy. They are based in Portland, Oregon. Since their 1996 debut album, This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think...
features themes of desolate places like Antarctica and the MoonMoonThe Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more... - "Shame on the MoonShame on the Moon"Shame on the Moon" is the title of a song written by Rodney Crowell and recorded by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band. It was released in December 1982 as the lead single from the album The Distance Glenn Frey joins Seger on background harmony on the song. The song spent four weeks at number two...
" by Bob SegerBob SegerRobert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...
from the album The Distance. - "Walking on the MoonWalking on the Moon"Walking on the Moon" is a 1979 song by The Police, from their second album, Reggatta de Blanc. The song was The Police's second number-one hit single in the United Kingdom. It reached number nine in Australia but did not chart in the United States...
" from The PoliceThe PoliceThe Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
album Reggatta de BlancReggatta de BlancReggatta de Blanc is the second album by The Police, released in 1979. It features the band's first two number 1 hits, "Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon".-Background:...
. - "Mira Luna", a song by Spanish singer Ana BelénAna BelénAna Belén is the artistic name of María del Pilar Cuesta Acosta, a Spanish actress and singer. She was born on 27 May 1951 in Madrid.- Biography :...
. - Moon Colony BloodbathMoon Colony BloodbathMoon Colony Bloodbath, is an EP released while on tour in 2009. It was recorded by John Darnielle and John Vanderslice, with a cover art collage by Michael Pajon...
, a 2009 collaborative album by John VandersliceJohn VandersliceJohn Vanderslice is an American musician and songwriter. Previously a member of the band Mk Ultra, he now records and performs as a solo artist.-Early years:...
and The Mountain GoatsThe Mountain GoatsThe Mountain Goats is an American indie rock band formed in Claremont, CA by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. For many years, the sole member of the Mountain Goats was Darnielle himself, despite the plural moniker....
, loosely based on the concept of the lives of workers on a Lunar organ harvesting colony. - "Ticket to the MoonTicket to the Moon"Ticket To The Moon" is a popular song written by Jeff Lynne and performed by Electric Light Orchestra.It was track four on the album Time and was released as a Double A along with "Here Is The News" in January 1982 , reaching #24 in the UK charts. The song is somewhat reminiscent of their earlier...
"- musical group Electric Light OrchestraElectric Light OrchestraElectric Light Orchestra were a British rock group from Birmingham who released eleven studio albums between 1971 and 1986 and another album in 2001. ELO were formed to accommodate Roy Wood and Jeff Lynne's desire to create modern rock and pop songs with classical overtones...
( TimeTime (Electric Light Orchestra album)Time is a concept album by Electric Light Orchestra released in 1981 through Jet Records. The album tells the story, through its songs and lyrics, about a man from the 1980's finding himself in the year 2095 and trying to come to terms with being unable to return and adjusting to his new...
1981.) - "Man on the MoonMan on the MoonMan on the Moon is a 1999 American biographical film about the American entertainer Andy Kaufman, starring Jim Carrey.The film was directed by Milos Forman and also features Courtney Love, Paul Giamatti and Danny DeVito....
"- musical group SugarSugarSugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
( Copper BlueCopper BlueCopper Blue was the debut album of the US alternative rock band Sugar. It was voted 1992 Album of the Year by the NME. All of the songs were written by guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould, who also co-produced with Lou Giordano. The song "The Slim" is about losing someone to AIDS...
1992.)
Metal
- "The Call of the WintermoonThe Call of the WintermoonThe Call of the Wintermoon is a song by the black metal band Immortal from their album Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism. The song is notable for its music video, in which members of the band run amok in a forest and through the site of an ancient ruin, wearing corpse paint , brandishing various...
" by ImmortalImmortal (band)Immortal is a black metal band from Bergen, Norway, founded in 1990 by current frontman/guitarist Abbath Doom Occulta and former guitarist Demonaz Doom Occulta...
on the album Diabolical Fullmoon MysticismDiabolical Fullmoon Mysticism-Personnel:*Abbath Doom Occulta – bass, vocals*Demonaz Doom Occulta – electric guitar, acoustic guitar*Armagedda – drumsAdditional personnel*Engineered by Eirik Hundvin*Produced by Immortal and Eirik Hundvin*Logo and front cover by J.W.H....
. The Moon encourages a Winterdemon to bathe in frosty winds. - "Moondance" by NightwishNightwishNightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee, Finland. Formed in 1996 by songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former vocalist Tarja Turunen, Nightwish's current line-up has five members, although Tarja has been replaced by Anette Olzon and the...
on the album OceanbornOceanborn-Personnel:Credits for Oceanborn adapted from liner notes.The band*Tarja Turunen - Vocals*Tuomas Holopainen - Keyboards*Emppu Vuorinen - Lead guitar*Sami Vänskä - Bass guitar*Jukka Nevalainen - Drums and PercussionMain Crew...
. - "Full Moon" by RageRage (band)Rage are a German heavy metal band, formed in 1984. They were part of the German heavy/speed/power metal scene to emerge in the early to mid 1980s, along with bands such as Helloween, Running Wild and Blind Guardian.-Background:...
, from the album Speak of the Dead. - "Freezing Moon" by MayhemMayhem (band)Mayhem is a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1984 in Oslo, Norway and regarded as one of the pioneers of the influential Norwegian black metal scene...
from the album De Mysteriis Dom SathanasDe Mysteriis Dom SathanasDe Mysteriis Dom Sathanas is an album by Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. Songwriting began as early as 1987, but due to the suicide of vocalist Dead and murder of guitarist Euronymous , the album's release was delayed until May 1994... - "Swim To The Moon" by Between the Buried and MeBetween the Buried and MeBetween the Buried and Me is an American heavy metal band from Raleigh, North Carolina. They have released a total of five studio albums, as well as a cover album, an EP and a live DVD/CD...
from the album The Great MisdirectThe Great Misdirect-Personnel:Between the Buried and Me*Tommy Giles Rogers – vocals, keyboards*Paul Waggoner – lead guitar, vocals on "Desert of Song"*Dan Briggs – bass*Dustie Waring – rhythm guitar*Blake Richardson – drums, percussionGuest musicians...
Other
- A Grand Day OutA Grand Day OutA Grand Day Out is an award-nominated 1989 animated film directed and animated by Nick Park at Aardman Animations in Bristol. This was the first adventure featuring the eccentric inventor Wallace and his quiet but smart dog Gromit...
, a Wallace & Gromit short film, involves the main characters taking a day trip to the moon in a rocket that Wallace built. In the film, the moon is made of green cheese and is inhabited by what looks like an oven on skis. - the ClangersClangersClangers is a popular British stop-motion animated children's television series of short stories about a family of mouse-like creatures who live on, and in, a small blue planet . They speak in whistles, and eat green soup supplied by the Soup Dragon...
a popular animated series tells of the lives of pink sock-puppet mice living on a moon that looks very similar to our own. - Many cartoons have depicted the moon as being made of cheese.
Early stories
LucianLucian
Lucian of Samosata was a rhetorician and satirist who wrote in the Greek language. He is noted for his witty and scoffing nature.His ethnicity is disputed and is attributed as Assyrian according to Frye and Parpola, and Syrian according to Joseph....
's Icaromenippus and True History
True History
True History or True Story is a travel tale by the Greek-speaking Syrian author Lucian of Samosata, the earliest known fiction about travelling to outer space, alien life-forms and interplanetary warfare. Written in the 2nd century, the novel has been referred to as "the first known text that...
, written in the second century AD, deal with imaginary voyage
Imaginary voyage
Imaginary voyage is a kind of narrative in which utopian or satirical representation is put into a fictional frame of travel account.- History :...
s to the moon such as on a fountain after going past the Pillars of Hercules
Pillars of Hercules
The Pillars of Hercules was the phrase that was applied in Antiquity to the promontories that flank the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. The northern Pillar is the Rock of Gibraltar in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar...
. The theme did not become popular until the seventeenth century, however, when the invention of the telescope
Telescope
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
hastened the popular acceptance of the concept of "a world in the Moon", that is, that the Moon was an inhabitable planet, which might be reached via some sort of aërial carriage. The concept of another world, close to our own and capable of looking down at it from a distance, provided ample scope for satirical comments on the manners of the Earthly world. Among the early stories dealing with this concept are:
- Somnium (1541) by Juan MaldonadoJuan MaldonadoJuan Maldonado was a Spanish Jesuit theologian and exegete.-Life:...
. - The Dream (Somnium)Somnium (Kepler)Somnium is a fantasy written between 1620 and 1630, in Latin, by Johannes Kepler. In the narrative, a student of Tycho Brahe is transported to the Moon by occult forces. It presents a detailed imaginative description of how the earth might look when viewed from the moon, and is considered the...
(1634) by Johannes KeplerJohannes KeplerJohannes Kepler was a German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer. A key figure in the 17th century scientific revolution, he is best known for his eponymous laws of planetary motion, codified by later astronomers, based on his works Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome of Copernican...
(written before 1610, but not published during Kepler's life). An Icelandic voyager is transported to the Moon by aërial demons; an occasion for Kepler to offer some of his astronomical theories in the guise of fiction. - The Man in the MooneThe Man in the MooneThe Man in the Moone is a book by the English divine and bishop Francis Godwin . Apparently written in the late 1620s and published posthumously in 1638 under the pseudonym Domingo Gonsales, it contains the account of a "voyage of utopian discovery"...
(1638) by Francis GodwinFrancis GodwinFrancis Godwin was an English divine, Bishop of Llandaff and of Hereford.-Life:He was the son of Thomas Godwin, Bishop of Bath and Wells, born at Hannington, Northamptonshire...
. A Spaniard flies to the Moon using a contraption pulled by geese. - Voyage dans la Lune (1657) by Cyrano de BergeracCyrano de BergeracHercule-Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac was a French dramatist and duelist. He is now best remembered for the works of fiction which have been woven, often very loosely, around his life story, most notably the 1897 play by Edmond Rostand...
, inspired by Godwin. Cyrano is launched toward the moon by fireworks. - The Consolidator (1705) by Daniel DefoeDaniel DefoeDaniel Defoe , born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain and along with others such as Richardson,...
. Travels between China and the Moon on an engine called The Consolidator (a satire on the Parliament of EnglandParliament of EnglandThe Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
). - A Voyage to Cacklogallinia (1727) by Samuel Brunt
- Syzygies and Lunar Quadratures Aligned to the Meridian of Mérida of the Yucatán by an Anctitone or Inhabitant of the Moon (1775), by Franciscan friar Manuel Antonio de RivasManuel Antonio de RivasManuel Antonio de Rivas was a Franciscan friar in Mérida, a Spanish colonial town on the Yucatán Peninsula. Details of his life are sketchy, though there are court documents that prove that in the 1770s he was accused of heresy...
- Newest Voyage (1784) by Vasily LevshinVasily LevshinVasily Levshin was a Russian writer on various subjects close to Nikolay Novikov's circle.Levshin's utopian novel "Newest Voyage" contains the first Russian flight to the Moon....
. A protagonist flies in a self-constructed winged apparatus. - The improbable adventures of Baron MünchhausenBaron MunchhausenKarl Friedrich Hieronymus, Freiherr von Münchhausen , usually known as Baron Münchhausen in English, was a German nobleman born in Bodenwerder and a famous recounter of tall tales....
(1786) included two voyages to the Moon, and a through depiction of its flora and fauna. - A Voyage to the Moon (1793) by Aratus (the penname of an anonymous British author, not the original Greek scientistAratusAratus was a Greek didactic poet. He is best known today for being quoted in the New Testament. His major extant work is his hexameter poem Phaenomena , the first half of which is a verse setting of a lost work of the same name by Eudoxus of Cnidus. It describes the constellations and other...
) - The Conquest of the Moon (1809) by Washington IrvingWashington IrvingWashington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works...
. An invasion story meant as an allegoryAllegoryAllegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
about treatment of Native AmericansNative Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
by European settlers in AmericaUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. - A Flight to the Moon (1813) by George Fowler.
- Land of Acephals (1824) by Wilhelm KüchelbeckerWilhelm KüchelbeckerWilhelm Küchelbecker was a Russian Romantic poet and Decembrist....
. Flight in a balloon. - A Voyage to the Moon (1827) by George Tucker.
- "The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans PfaallThe Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall"The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe published in the June 1835 issue of the monthly magazine Southern Literary Messenger, and intended by Poe to be a hoax....
" (1835) by Edgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
features a repairer of bellows in RotterdamRotterdamRotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
who creates a giant balloon and an 'air compressor' to allow him to travel to the Moon. - "Recollections of Six Days' Journey in the Moon. By An Aerio-Nautical Man" (1844). Published in the July and August issues of the Southern Literary MessengerSouthern Literary MessengerThe Southern Literary Messenger was a periodical published in Richmond, Virginia, from 1834 until June 1864. Each issue carried a subtitle of "Devoted to Every Department of Literature and the Fine Arts" or some variation and included poetry, fiction, non-fiction, reviews, and historical notes...
. - In Les Exilés de la Terre [Exiled from Earth] (1887), by Paschal GroussetPaschal GroussetJean François Paschal Grousset was a French politician, journalist, translator and science fiction writer. Grousset published under the pseudonyms of André Laurie, Philippe Daryl, Tiburce Moray and Léopold Virey.Grousset was born in Corte, Corsica, and studied medicine before commencing a...
writing as André Laurie, Verne's lesser-known contemporary, a SudanSudanSudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
ese mountain composed of pure ironIronIron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
ore is converted into a huge electro-magnet and catapulted to the Moon where the protagonists have various adventures.
First voyage
The first flight to the Moon was a popular topic of science fiction before the actual landing in 1969.- From the Earth to the MoonFrom the Earth to the MoonFrom the Earth to the Moon is a humorous science fantasy novel by Jules Verne and is one of the earliest entries in that genre. It tells the story of the president of a post-American Civil War gun club in Baltimore, his rival, a Philadelphia maker of armor, and a Frenchman, who build an enormous...
(1865) by Jules VerneJules VerneJules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
in which a projectile is launched from FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and lands in the Pacific OceanPacific OceanThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, not unlike the Apollo Program. - The First Men in The MoonThe First Men in the MoonThe First Men in the Moon is a 1901 scientific romance novel by the English author H. G. Wells. The novel tells the story of a journey to the moon undertaken by the two protagonists, the impoverished businessman Mr Bedford and the brilliant but eccentric scientist Dr. Cavor...
(1901) by H. G. WellsH. G. WellsHerbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
in which a spaceship gets to the moon with the aid of Cavorite -a material which shields out gravity. It is inhabitated by insect-like Selenites who are ruled by a Grand Lunar, and who prevent Cavor from returning to Earth after learning of humanity's warlike nature. - Na srebrnym globie [The Silver Globe] (1903), by Polish writer Jerzy Żuławski in which a first expedition from Earth gives birth to a lunar society. The story was continued in Zwycięzca [The Conqueror] (1910) and Stara Ziemia [The Old Earth] (1911). This so-called Lunar Trilogy was the first modern Polish SF story. It was adapted to the screen as On the Silver GlobeOn the Silver Globe (film)On the Silver Globe is a Polish film released in 1987, directed by Andrzej Żuławski and adapted from a novel by Jerzy Żuławski.-Plot:A group of astronauts leaves Earth to find freedom. Their spaceship crashes on the Earth-like unnamed planet. Astronauts, equipped with video-recording devices,...
by Andrzej Żuławski. - TrendsTrends (Asimov)Trends is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the July 1939 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and was reprinted in The Early Asimov...
is a 1939 short story by Isaac AsimovIsaac AsimovIsaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
in which religious fanatics oppose a fictional first flight to the Moon in the 1970s. - Prelude to SpacePrelude to SpacePrelude to Space is a science fiction novel written by Arthur C. Clarke in 1947. However, it was not until 1951 that the story first appeared in magazine format from World Editions Inc as number three in the series Galaxy Science Fiction...
is a 1951 novel by Arthur C. ClarkeArthur C. ClarkeSir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
recounting the events leading up to a fictional first flight to the Moon in 1978.
Robert A. Heinlein
Robert A. HeinleinRobert A. Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
wrote extensively, prolifically, and inter-connectedly about first voyages and colonization of the Moon, which he most often called Luna.
He also was involved with the films Destination Moon
Destination Moon (film)
Destination Moon is an American science fiction feature film produced by George Pal, who later produced When Worlds Collide, The War of the Worlds, and The Time Machine. Pal commissioned the script by James O'Hanlon and Rip Van Ronkel...
and Project Moonbase
Project Moonbase
Project Moonbase is a black-and-white 1953 science fiction film directed by Richard Talmadge. The film is also known as Project Moon Base and is based on a story by Robert A. Heinlein, who shares screenwriting credit...
.
- "RequiemRequiem (short story)"Requiem" is a short story by Robert A. Heinlein, serving as a sequel to his short science fiction novel, The Man Who Sold the Moon , although it was in fact published several years earlier than that story, in Astounding, January 1940...
" 1940. A lyrical story about Harriman, the man who financed the first Moon landing (see also "The Man Who Sold the Moon", below). - Rocket Ship GalileoRocket Ship GalileoRocket Ship Galileo is a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, published in 1947, about three teenagers who participate in a pioneering flight to the Moon. It was the first in the Heinlein juveniles, a long and successful series of science fiction novels published by Scribner's...
1947. A physicist and several prodigy teenagers convert a sub-orbital rocket ship to reach the moon where they are profoundly surprised and have to act quickly to deal with a malignant menace. - "Columbus Was a DopeColumbus Was a Dope"Columbus Was a Dope" is a science fiction short story by Robert A. Heinlein. It was first published in the May 1947 issue of Startling Stories. It later appeared in two of Heinlein's collections, The Menace from Earth , and Expanded Universe .In the story, bar patrons and a bartender debate...
", as Lyle Monroe, 1947. In a bar on the Moon, a chance encounter reveals both deep and practical attitudes about space exploration. - "The Long WatchThe Long Watch"The Long Watch" is a science fiction short story by Robert A. Heinlein. It is about a military officer who faces a coup d'état by a would-be dictator....
" (aka "Rebellion on the Moon", 1948). An officer in charge of a nuclear arsenal on the Moon makes tough decisions. - "Gentlemen, Be Seated!Gentlemen, Be Seated!"Gentlemen, Be Seated!" is a science fiction short story by Robert A. Heinlein. It was first published in the May 1948 issue of Argosy magazine...
", 1948. A dangerous leak develops in a lunar tunnel and the men devise a unique way to deal with it until a repair can be made. - "The Black Pits of LunaThe Black Pits of Luna"The Black Pits of Luna" is a science fiction short story by Robert A. Heinlein about a Boy Scout on a trip to the moon and his novel way of finding his lost brother...
", 1948. A Boy Scout visits cities on the Moon. - "The Man Who Sold the MoonThe Man Who Sold the MoonThe Man Who Sold the Moon is a science fiction novella by Robert A. Heinlein written in 1949 and published in 1950. A part of his Future History and prequel to "Requiem", it covers events around a fictional first Moon landing, in 1978, and the schemes of Delos D...
", a 1949 short story, first published in 1951. In this story, a prequelPrequelA prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
to "Requiem" (above), events revolve around a fictional first Moon landing in 1978. - "Nothing Ever Happens on the MoonNothing Ever Happens on the Moon"Nothing Ever Happens on the Moon" is a science fiction short story written by Robert A. Heinlein and published in April and May 1949 in Boys' Life, a magazine of the Boy Scouts of America, who jointly hold copyright with Heinlein, dated 1976...
", 1949. - The Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones (novel)The Rolling Stones is a 1952 science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein....
1952. The exceptional Stone family lives on the moon and after extensive background and preparation of their own ship they depart to tour and live in the Solar SystemSolar SystemThe Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
. - "The Menace From EarthThe Menace From Earth"The Menace From Earth" is a science fiction short story by Robert A. Heinlein, first published in 1957.-Plot summary:The "menace" of the title is a beautiful woman tourist who visits the Moon colony and is assigned a young guide named Holly, a 15 year old girl and aspiring starship designer who is...
", 1957. A lunar teenage girl's romance is disrupted by a newcomer. Extensive descriptions, most noteworthy is the muscle-power flying in a huge sealed cavern. - "SearchlightSearchlightA searchlight is an apparatus that combines a bright light source with some form of curved reflector or other optics to project a powerful beam of light of approximately parallel rays in a particular direction, usually constructed so that it can be swiveled about.-Military use:The Royal Navy used...
", 1962. A short-short piece about a rescue on the Moon. - The Moon Is a Harsh MistressThe Moon Is a Harsh MistressThe Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is a 1966 science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein, about a lunar colony's revolt against rule from Earth....
(1966). In this Hugo AwardHugo AwardThe Hugo Awards are given annually for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year. The award is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories, and was officially named the Science Fiction Achievement Awards...
winning novel, the moon is a penal colony, especially for political prisoners and their descendants. They revolt for independence from Earth-based control. The novel discusses issues of sustainability, health, transportation, family organization, artificial intelligence, and political governance. - The Cat Who Walks Through WallsThe Cat Who Walks Through WallsThe Cat Who Walks Through Walls: A Comedy of Manners is a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein published in 1985. Like many of his later novels, it features Lazarus Long and Jubal Harshaw as supporting characters.-Plot summary:...
1985. About a third of the book takes place on a Free Luna that is a continuation of the Luna in The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (TMiaHM above). Free-enterprise is rampant Luna City is called L-City. Hazel Stone from The Rolling Stones and TMiaHM appears. - In passing:
Colonization
Human settlements on the Moon are found in many science fictionScience fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s, short stories
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
and film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s. Not all have the Moon colony itself as central to the plot.
- Lost Paradise (1936) by C. L. MooreC. L. MooreCatherine Lucille Moore was an American science fiction and fantasy writer, as C. L. Moore. She was one of the first women to write in the genre, and paved the way for many other female writers in speculative fiction....
. This Northwest SmithNorthwest SmithNorthwest Smith is a fictional character, and the hero of a series of stories by science fiction writer C. L. Moore.- Story setting :Smith is a spaceship pilot and smuggler who lives in an undisclosed future time when humanity has colonized the solar system....
story tells how the once-fertile Moon became an airless wasteland. - EarthlightEarthlightEarthlight is a science fiction novel by British writer Arthur C. Clarke, published in 1955. It is an expansion to novel length of a short story that he had published four years earlier.-Overview:...
(1955) by Arthur C. ClarkeArthur C. ClarkeSir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
. A settlement on the Moon becomes caught in the crossfire of a war between Earth and a federation of Mars and Venus. - The Trouble With Tycho (1960) by Clifford D. SimakClifford D. SimakClifford Donald Simak was an American science fiction writer. He was honored by fans with three Hugo awards and by colleagues with one Nebula award and was named the third Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 1977.-Biography:Clifford Donald Simak was born in...
. A young lunar prospector seeks to find a lost expedition to the Moon. - A Fall of MoondustA Fall of MoondustA Fall of Moondust is a hard science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke, first published in 1961. It was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Novel, and was the first science fiction novel selected to become a Reader's Digest Condensed Book....
(1961) by Arthur C. ClarkeArthur C. ClarkeSir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
. A lunar dust boat full of tourists sinks into a sea of Moon dust. - The Matthew LooneyMatthew LooneyMatthew Looney is the title character in a series of four science fiction books for children by Jerome Beatty Jr . Matthew's sister Maria Looney is the title character in Beatty's three subsequent books...
series of children's books by Jerome Beatty JrJerome Beatty JrJerome M. Beatty Jr. was a 20th-century American author of children's literature. He was also an accomplished feature writer for magazines...
(written 1961 - 1978) is an amusing set of stories about an inhabited Moon whose government is intent on invading the Earth. - The Lathe of HeavenThe Lathe of HeavenThe Lathe of Heaven is a 1971 science fiction novel by Ursula K. Le Guin. The plot revolves around a character whose dreams alter reality. The story was first serialized in the American science fiction magazine Amazing Stories. The novel received nominations for the 1972 Hugo and the 1971 Nebula...
(1971) by Ursula K. Le GuinUrsula K. Le GuinUrsula Kroeber Le Guin is an American author. She has written novels, poetry, children's books, essays, and short stories, notably in fantasy and science fiction...
. In one of the alternate realities in the novel lunar bases are established by 2002, only to be attacked by aliens from Aldebaran (who in another reality turn out to be benign). - The Gods ThemselvesThe Gods ThemselvesThe Gods Themselves is a 1972 science fiction novel written by Isaac Asimov. It won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1972, and the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1973....
(1973) by Isaac AsimovIsaac AsimovIsaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
. The third section of the novel takes place in a Lunar settlement in the year 2100. - Dark, Dark Were the Tunnels (1974) by George R. R. MartinGeorge R. R. MartinGeorge Raymond Richard Martin , sometimes referred to as GRRM, is an American author and screenwriter of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He is best known for A Song of Ice and Fire, his bestselling series of epic fantasy novels that HBO adapted for their dramatic pay-cable series Game of...
. This story takes place on Earth, devastated by nuclear war 500 years earlier and being explored by descendants of a small remnant of humanity that survived on a lunar colony. - Inherit the Stars (1977) by James P. HoganJames P. Hogan (writer)James Patrick Hogan was a British science fiction author.-Biography:Hogan was born in London, England. He was raised in the Portobello Road area on the west side of London...
is the first book of the Minervan Experiment series. The Moon turns out to have previously orbited Minerva, a planet that exploded to form the asteroid beltAsteroid beltThe asteroid belt is the region of the Solar System located roughly between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter. It is occupied by numerous irregularly shaped bodies called asteroids or minor planets...
50,000 years ago. - Welcome to Moonbase (1987) by Ben Bova. A fictional history of a potential moonbase. ISBN 0-345-32859-0.
- Lunar Descent by Allen SteeleAllen SteeleAllen Mulherin Steele, Jr. is an American science fiction author.Steele began publishing short stories in 1988. His early novels formed a future history beginning with Orbital Decay and continuing through Labyrinth of Night...
(19911991 in literatureThe year 1991 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Douglas Coupland publishes the novel Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, popularizing the term Generation X as the name of the generation....
) Set in 2024, the novel describes a base called Descartes Station. - Assemblers of Infinity (19931993 in literatureThe year 1993 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Professor Stephen Hawking's book, A Brief History of Time, becomes the longest running book on the bestseller list of The Sunday Times....
) by Kevin Anderson and Doug Beason. A lunar base and a mysterious structure are assembled on the far side of the Moon by tiny machines. ISBN 0-553-29921-2. - De Maan (19931993 in literatureThe year 1993 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Professor Stephen Hawking's book, A Brief History of Time, becomes the longest running book on the bestseller list of The Sunday Times....
) by Carl Koppeschaar (translated into English as Moon Handbook: A 21st-Century Travel Guide). A DutchNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
"travel guide" to the Moon. ISBN 1-56691-066-8. - Transmigration of Souls (19961996 in literatureThe year 1996 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is removed from an advanced placement English reading list in Lindale, Texas because it "conflicted with the values of the community."* In the United Kingdom, the first...
) by William Barton. An expedition from a moon base discovers an alien base with technology that allows teleportation and time travel. ISBN 0-446-60167-5. - Ice (20022002 in literatureThe year 2002 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*March 16: Authorities in Saudi Arabia arrested and jailed poet Abdul Mohsen Musalam and fired a newspaper editor following the publication of Musalam's poem The Corrupt on Earth that criticized the state's Islamic...
) by Shane Johnson. A fictional Apollo 19Cancelled Apollo missionsSeveral planned missions of the Apollo manned Moon landing program of the 1960s and 1970s were canceled for a variety of reasons, including changes in technical direction, the Apollo 1 fire, hardware delays, and budget limitations...
mission takes a disastrous turn when the LMApollo Lunar ModuleThe Apollo Lunar Module was the lander portion of the Apollo spacecraft built for the US Apollo program by Grumman to carry a crew of two from lunar orbit to the surface and back...
ascent engine fails to fire. The astronauts then set out on their own as far as their new heavy lunar roverLunar roverThe Lunar Roving Vehicle or lunar rover was a battery-powered four-wheeled rover used on the Moon in the last three missions of the American Apollo program during 1971 and 1972...
will take them. Their exploration leads miraculously to an ancient—but still functioning—lunar base. - People Came From Earth by Stephen BaxterStephen BaxterStephen Baxter is a prolific British hard science fiction author. He has degrees in mathematics and engineering.- Writing style :...
, printed in The Year's Best Science Fiction: Seventeenth Annual Collection. - In the novels A Fall of MoondustA Fall of MoondustA Fall of Moondust is a hard science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke, first published in 1961. It was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Novel, and was the first science fiction novel selected to become a Reader's Digest Condensed Book....
, EarthlightEarthlightEarthlight is a science fiction novel by British writer Arthur C. Clarke, published in 1955. It is an expansion to novel length of a short story that he had published four years earlier.-Overview:...
, Rendezvous with RamaRendezvous with RamaRendezvous with Rama is a novel by Arthur C. Clarke first published in 1972. Set in the 22nd century, the story involves a cylindrical alien starship that enters Earth's solar system...
, and 2001: A Space Odyssey2001: A Space Odyssey (novel)2001: A Space Odyssey is a science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke. It was developed concurrently with Stanley Kubrick's film version and published after the release of the film...
,by Arthur C. ClarkeArthur C. ClarkeSir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
, colonies of various sizes and functions exist on the moon—some the size of cities - The Moonrise and Moonwar books by Ben BovaBen BovaBenjamin William Bova is an American science-fiction author and editor. He is the recipient of six Hugo Awards for Best Professional Editor for his work at Analog Science Fiction in the 1970's.-Personal life:...
tell the story of a lunar base built by an AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
corporation, which eventually rebels against Earth control. The books form part of the "Grand Tour" series. - Moonfall by Jack McDevittJack McDevittJack McDevitt is an American science fiction author whose novels frequently deal with attempts to make contact with alien races, and with archaeology or xenoarchaeology....
features a cometCometA comet is an icy small Solar System body that, when close enough to the Sun, displays a visible coma and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena are both due to the effects of solar radiation and the solar wind upon the nucleus of the comet...
heading for a collision with the Moon just as the first base is being opened. ISBN 0-06-105036-9. - Byrd Land Six by Alastair ReynoldsAlastair ReynoldsAlastair Preston Reynolds is a British science fiction author. He specialises in dark hard science fiction and space opera. He spent his early years in Cornwall, moved back to Wales before going to Newcastle, where he read physics and astronomy. Afterwards, he earned a PhD from St Andrews, Scotland...
includes a Moon colony centered around mining helium 3. - In the Hyperion stories by Dan SimmonsDan SimmonsDan Simmons is an American author most widely known for his Hugo Award-winning science fiction series, known as the Hyperion Cantos, and for his Locus-winning Ilium/Olympos cycle....
, the Moon is one of several hundred colonized celestial bodies; however, it is left almost entirely abandoned as 99% of the existing colonized planets are preferable to the moon. - Life As We Knew ItLife As We Knew ItLife As We Knew It is a young adult science fiction novel by American author Susan Beth Pfeffer, first published in 2006 by Harcourt Books. It is the first book in the "Moon Crash Trilogy", followed by The Dead and the Gone....
(2006) by Susan Beth PfefferSusan Beth PfefferSusan Beth Pfeffer is a New York Times bestselling author best known for young adult science fiction. She is also known for writing "About David" and the series often called "The Last Survivors," consisting of Life as we Knew it, The Dead and the Gone, This World we Live in, and the forthcoming ...
, a novel focusing on the effects of an asteroid colliding with the Moon and knocking its orbit closer to Earth.
Film
- Le Voyage dans la LuneLe Voyage dans la LuneA Trip to the Moon is a 1902 French black-and-white silent science fiction film. It is based loosely on two popular novels of the time: Jules Verne's From the Earth to the Moon and H. G. Wells' The First Men in the Moon....
(1902) written and directed by Georges MélièsGeorges MélièsGeorges Méliès , full name Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès, was a French filmmaker famous for leading many technical and narrative developments in the earliest cinema. He was very innovative in the use of special effects...
. Released in the US as "A Trip to the Moon". A French silent film loosely based upon the Jules VerneJules VerneJules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
novel From the Earth to the MoonFrom the Earth to the MoonFrom the Earth to the Moon is a humorous science fantasy novel by Jules Verne and is one of the earliest entries in that genre. It tells the story of the president of a post-American Civil War gun club in Baltimore, his rival, a Philadelphia maker of armor, and a Frenchman, who build an enormous...
and the First Men in the Moon. Includes a famous scene where the rocket hits the Man of the Moon in the Eye. - Frau im MondFrau im MondWoman in the Moon is a science fiction silent film that premiered October 15, 1929. It is often considered to be one of the first "serious" science fiction films...
("Woman in the Moon", 1929), written and directed by Fritz LangFritz LangFriedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang was an Austrian-American filmmaker, screenwriter, and occasional film producer and actor. One of the best known émigrés from Germany's school of Expressionism, he was dubbed the "Master of Darkness" by the British Film Institute...
. Based on the novel Die Frau im MondDie Frau im MondDie Frau im Mond is a science fiction novel written in 1928 by Thea von Harbou, about a fictitious moon mission. The book was turned into a movie one year later by Fritz Lang, Thea's husband. The movie was titled Frau Im Mond ....
(1928) by Lang's then-wife and collaborator Thea von HarbouThea von HarbouThea Gabriele von Harbou was a German actress, author and film director of Prussian aristocratic origin. She was born in Tauperlitz in the Kingdom of Bavaria.-Early work:...
, translated in English as The Rocket to the Moon (1930). The film was released in the USA as By Rocket to the Moon, and in the UK as Woman in the Moon. A silent movieSilent MovieSilent Movie is a 1976 satirical comedy film co-written, directed by, and starring Mel Brooks, and released by 20th Century Fox on June 17, 1976...
often considered to be one of the first "serious" science fiction films, in which the basics of rocketRocketA rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
travel were presented to a mass audience for the first time. - Destination MoonDestination Moon (film)Destination Moon is an American science fiction feature film produced by George Pal, who later produced When Worlds Collide, The War of the Worlds, and The Time Machine. Pal commissioned the script by James O'Hanlon and Rip Van Ronkel...
(1950) was a groundbreaking science fiction film, based on a story treatment by Robert A. HeinleinRobert A. HeinleinRobert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
and directed by George PalGeorge PálGeorge Pal , born György Pál Marczincsak, was a Hungarian-born American animator and film producer, principally associated with the science fiction genre...
. - Project MoonbaseProject MoonbaseProject Moonbase is a black-and-white 1953 science fiction film directed by Richard Talmadge. The film is also known as Project Moon Base and is based on a story by Robert A. Heinlein, who shares screenwriting credit...
(1953). A failed television pilot converted into a film. - First Men in the MoonFirst Men in the MoonFirst Men in the Moon, also known as H.G. Wells' First Men in the Moon, is a 1964 science fiction film directed by Nathan Juran. It is an adaptation by the noted science-fiction scriptwriter Nigel Kneale of the H. G...
(1964) is a science fiction film loosely based on H. G. Wells' novel The First Men in the Moon. - 2001: A Space Odyssey2001: A Space Odyssey (film)2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, and co-written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, partially inspired by Clarke's short story The Sentinel...
(1968) by Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke. Includes a scene at a lunar administrative base in the Clavius craterClavius (crater)Clavius is one of the largest crater formations on the Moon, and it is the third largest crater on the visible near side. It is located in the rugged southern highlands of the Moon, to the south of the prominent ray crater Tycho.- Description :...
. - Moon Zero TwoMoon Zero TwoMoon Zero Two is a science fiction film produced by Hammer Films and released in 1969. It was billed as a 'space western' and followed shortly after the release of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968...
(1969). Billed as a 'space western', this Hammer Films production followed shortly after 2001: A Space Odyssey. In the year 2021 the moon is in the process of being colonized, and this new frontier is attracting a diverse group of people. - Star Trek: First ContactStar Trek: First ContactStar Trek: First Contact is the eighth feature film in the Star Trek science fiction franchise, released in November 1996, by Paramount Pictures. First Contact is the first film in the franchise to feature no cast members from the original Star Trek television series of the 1960s...
(1996). By the 24th century there were approximately 50 million people living on the moon, and on a clear day, at least two cities and man-made Lake Armstrong were visible from Earth - as such, time-traveler William RikerWilliam RikerWilliam Thomas Riker, played by Jonathan Frakes, is a fictional character in the Star Trek universe primarily appearing as a main character in Star Trek: The Next Generation...
, sitting in the cockpit of the first warpWarp drive (Star Trek)Warp drive is a faster-than-light propulsion system in the setting of many science fiction works, most notably Star Trek. A spacecraft equipped with a warp drive may travel at velocities greater than that of light by many orders of magnitude, while circumventing the relativistic problem of time...
prototype, marvels at the sight of the "unspoiled" moon in 2063. - Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged MeAustin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged MeAustin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, released in 1999, is the second film in the Austin Powers series that began with 1997's Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and continued with Austin Powers in Goldmember. The film was directed by Jay Roach, co-written by Mike Myers and screenwriter...
(1999). Dr. EvilDr. EvilDr. Evil is a fictional character, played by Mike Myers in the Austin Powers film series. He is the antagonist of the movies, and Austin Powers' nemesis. He is a parody of James Bond villains, primarily Donald Pleasence's Ernst Stavro Blofeld . Dr...
attempts to destroy Washington D.C. with a giant laser from his moon base, but Austin Powers is able to stop him. - The Time MachineThe Time Machine (2002 film)The Time Machine is a 2002 American science fiction film loosely adapted from the 1895 novel of the same name by H. G. Wells, and the 1960 film screenplay by David Duncan...
(2002). The moon is destroyed by human efforts at colonization in 2037. The film is not specific as to how exactly it occurs, but the use of nuclear weapons for creating underground caverns is cited as a cause. The destruction causes humanity to divide into Morlocks and Eloi. - MoonMoon (film)Moon is a 2009 British science fiction drama film about a man who experiences a personal crisis as he nears the end of a three-year solitary stint mining helium-3 on the far side of the Earth's moon. It is the feature debut of director Duncan Jones. Sam Rockwell stars as the employee Sam Bell, and...
(2009) Film about a solitary lunar employee mining for new energy resources who experiences a personal crisis as the end of his three-year contract nears. It is the feature debut of director Duncan Jones starring Sam RockwellSam RockwellSam Rockwell is an American actor known for his leading roles in Lawn Dogs, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Choke and Moon, as well as for his supporting roles in The Green Mile, Iron Man 2, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Frost/Nixon, Galaxy Quest, Matchstick Men, The Assassination of...
. - Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) The Apollo 11Apollo 11In early 1969, Bill Anders accepted a job with the National Space Council effective in August 1969 and announced his retirement as an astronaut. At that point Ken Mattingly was moved from the support crew into parallel training with Anders as backup Command Module Pilot in case Apollo 11 was...
mission to the Moon in 1969 turned out to be a top secret mission to examine the remains of an ancient Transformer Spacecraft containing deceased alienExtraterrestrial lifeExtraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
robots. - Apollo 18Apollo 18 (film)Apollo 18 is a 2011 American science fiction horror film directed by Gonzalo López-Gallego and produced by Timur Bekmambetov and Ron Schmidt. The film's premise is that the officially canceled Apollo 18 mission was actually launched in December 1973 but never returned, and as a result the United...
(2011) follows a fictional Apollo 18Cancelled Apollo missionsSeveral planned missions of the Apollo manned Moon landing program of the 1960s and 1970s were canceled for a variety of reasons, including changes in technical direction, the Apollo 1 fire, hardware delays, and budget limitations...
mission and its discovery on the Moon.
Television
- Several episodes of the long-running British television series Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
feature the Moon:- The MoonbaseThe MoonbaseThe Moonbase is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 11 February to 4 March 1967...
(1967). A four-part serial set in the year 2070, where a moonbase has been established to use a gravity-control device called the “Gravitron” to control the weather on Earth. - The Seeds of DeathThe Seeds of DeathThe Seeds of Death is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in six weekly parts from 25 January to 1 March 1969...
(1969). A base on the Moon is used as a relay station for T-Mat a powerful teleportationTeleportationTeleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
technology that has replaced all conventional forms of transport. - Silver NemesisSilver NemesisSilver Nemesis was the 25th anniversary serial of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast in the UK in three weekly parts from 23 November 1988, to 7 December 1988....
(1988). The Cybermen's Cyber-Fleet is in orbit around the moon when it is destroyed by the Nemesis statue. - Frontier in SpaceFrontier in SpaceFrontier in Space is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from February 24 to March 31, 1973...
(1973). Features a penal colonyPenal colonyA penal colony is a settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general populace by placing them in a remote location, often an island or distant colonial territory...
on the Moon in the year 2540. - Smith and JonesSmith and Jones (Doctor Who)"Smith and Jones" is the first episode of the third series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 31 March 2007. It sees the debut of Freema Agyeman as new companion Martha Jones...
(2007). The JudoonJudoonThe Judoon are a fictional extraterrestrial species of mercenary police from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and its spin-offs. They first appeared in the episode Smith and Jones in 2007....
take London Hope Hospital to the moon as they have no rights over the Earth to arrest a Plasmavore.
- The Moonbase
- Moonbase 3Moonbase 3Moonbase 3 is a British science fiction television programme that ran for six episodes in 1973. It was a co-production between the BBC, 20th Century Fox and the American ABC network...
(1973). Another British science fiction television show about a lunar base; aired only six episodes. - Two Gerry AndersonGerry AndersonGerry Anderson MBE is a British publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
series featured moonbases:- UFOUFO (TV series)UFO is a 1970-1971 British television science fiction series about an alien invasion of Earth, created by Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Anderson with Reg Hill, and produced by the Andersons and Lew Grade's Century 21 Productions for Grade's ITC Entertainment company.UFO first aired in the UK and Canada...
(1970). A moonbase is used as the launch site for interceptor spacecraft sent to destroy invading alien spaceships. - Space: 1999Space: 1999Space: 1999 is a British science-fiction television series that ran for two seasons and originally aired from 1975 to 1977. In the opening episode, nuclear waste from Earth stored on the Moon's far side explodes in a catastrophic accident on 13 September 1999, knocking the Moon out of orbit and...
(ITC EntertainmentITC EntertainmentThe Incorporated Television Company was a British television company largely involved in production and distribution. It was founded by Lew Grade.-History:...
, 1975–1977). Featured "Moonbase Alpha" on a Moon that had been blasted out of its orbit by a nuclear explosion at phenomenal velocity. The opening episode indicates that the base coordinated nuclear waste disposal, spaceflight operations and training, and subsequent episodes suggest mining, surface surveys and exploration, indicating a versatile base for multiple use, overseen by an international organization on Earth, the "International Lunar Commission".
- UFO
- Star CopsStar CopsStar Cops is a British science fiction television series first broadcast on BBC Two in 1987. It was devised by Chris Boucher, a writer who had previously worked on the science fiction television series Doctor Who and Blake's 7 as well as crime dramas such as Juliet Bravo and Bergerac...
(1987). The titular police force has its base of operations on the Moon. - Colonization of the Moon is mentioned several times in the Star TrekStar TrekStar Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
franchise.- Star Trek: EnterpriseStar Trek: EnterpriseStar Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series. It follows the adventures of humanity's first warp 5 starship, the Enterprise, ten years before the United Federation of Planets shown in previous Star Trek series was formed.Enterprise premiered on September 26, 2001...
. The Moon has already been colonized in this series. - The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
. The character Dr. Beverly CrusherBeverly CrusherCommander Beverly Crusher, M.D. , played by actress Gates McFadden, is a fictional character on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and its subsequent spinoff films...
was born in Copernicus City on the surface of the moon. - Deep Space NineStar Trek: Deep Space NineStar Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
mentions settlements on the Moon called Tycho City, New Berlin, and Lunaport. It is also revealed that Earth's moon is referred to by its LatinLatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
name, Luna, probably to distinguish it from the thousands of moons throughout the universe. It is also revealed that living on the moon is seen by many humans as something of a novelty, as Jake SiskoJake SiskoJacob "Jake" Sisko, played by Cirroc Lofton, is a character on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He is the son of Deep Space Nine's commanding officer, Benjamin Sisko.-Overview:...
uses the slang term Lunar schoonerSchoonerA schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
somewhat affectionately when he meets a girl from there.
- Star Trek: Enterprise
- The 1991 television movie Plymouth was about a fictional Maine town whose populace became the inhabitants of the first lunar colony. Astronaut Charles "Pete" ConradPete ConradCharles "Pete" Conrad, Jr. was an American naval officer, astronaut and engineer, and the third person to walk on the Moon during the Apollo 12 mission. He set an eight-day space endurance record along with command pilot Gordon Cooper on the Gemini 5 mission, and commanded the Gemini 11 mission...
played himself in a cameo.
Animation
- Sailor MoonSailor MoonSailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
. In this Japanese anime series, the Moon was once home to the Silver MillenniumSilver MillenniumThe Silver Millennium, a fictional kingdom in the Sailor Moon metaseries, lies on the moon. It provides a setting for the past lives and future selves of most of the series' major characters, and functions as a major driving force behind both plot and characterization.The series first shows the...
(Moon Kingdom in the dub). Eventually conflict destroyed the Kingdom and caused the Moon to take its current form. Usagi TsukinoUsagi Tsukinois a fictional character in the Sailor Moon metaseries and the main protagonist of the franchise, as well as its title character. Her civilian name, , becomes Serena Tsukino in the English-language versions...
(Serena in the dub) is a play on words for Moon RabbitMoon rabbitThe Moon rabbit, also called the Jade Rabbit, in folklore is a rabbit that lives on the moon, based on pareidolia that identifies the markings of the moon as a rabbit. The story exists in many cultures, particularly in East Asian folklore, where it is seen pounding in a mortar and pestle...
, the translation for "tsuki no usagi" in Japanese. - In the manga and anime series NarutoNarutois an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become the Hokage, the ninja in his village who is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of...
, the primary antagonist Madara Uchiha's goal, known as the "Eye of the Moon Plan", involves casting an illusion on the moon, allowing him to gain dominance over everyone in the world. According to the series' mythology, the moon was created when the originator of ninjutsu imprisoned the body of a powerful demon within it. - PlanetesPlanetesis a Japanese hard science fiction manga by Makoto Yukimura. It was adapted as a 26-episode television anime by Sunrise, which was broadcast on NHK from October 2003 through April 2004...
(2003). A JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese animeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
TV series set at a time when travel to the Moon has become an everyday occurrence. - Mobile Suit GundamMobile Suit Gundamis a televised anime series, created by Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting Network on April 7, 1979, and lasted until January 26, 1980, spanning 43 episodes...
. Throughout most of this anime saga, the Moon has been extensively colonised, with underground cities built inside of the larger craters. - ExosquadExosquadExosquad is an American animated television series created by Universal Cartoon Studios as a response to Japanese anime. The show is set in the beginning of the 22nd century and covers the interplanetary war between humanity and Neosapiens, a fictional race artificially created as workers/slaves...
. In this American military science fictionMilitary science fictionMilitary science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction in which the principal characters are members of a military service and an armed conflict is taking place, normally in space, or on a planet other than Earth...
series, the Moon is the site of the fiercest battle between Terran and NeosapienNeosapienThe Neosapiens , featured in the science fiction animated television series Exosquad, are a fictional race of genetically engineered sentient humanoids.-Background:...
forces. The victory achieved by the Terrans on the Moon soon leads to the liberation of Earth. - FuturamaFuturamaFuturama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
. By the year 3000, a theme park has been constructed on the moon inside a giant dome with an artificial atmosphere, and an artificial gravity. - Megas XLRMegas XLRMegas XLR is an American animated television series that aired on the Toonami block on Cartoon Network and is produced by Cartoon Network Studios. It was created by Jody Schaeffer and George Krstic...
. on one episode the Glorft attempt to convert the moon into a Missile. Coop also ends up Blowing half the moon up. (in the credits he's seen putting the moon back together) - Aqua Teen Hunger ForceAqua Teen Hunger ForceAqua Teen Hunger Force , retitled Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1 in 2011, is an American animated television series on Cartoon Network late night programing block, Adult Swim, as well as Teletoon's Teletoon at Night block and later G4 Canada's ADd block in Canada...
. Among the recurring characters are The Mooninites, which hail from the moon. - Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. The moon is used by the Anti-Spirals as the "Human Extermination System", and is designed to fall on the Earth once a million humans live on the surface. It is later discovered that the moon is actually one of Lord Genome's battleships.
- Origin: Spirits of the Past. An anime movie set in Japan 300 years in the future. An apocalypse was brought about by extensive genetic engineering on trees, conducted at a research facility on Earth's moon, in order to produce trees capable of growing in harsh, arid conditions. The trees became conscious and spread to Earth in a fiery holocaust, wiping out most of modern civilization and fragmenting the moon.
- The TickThe TickThe Tick is a fictional character created by cartoonist Ben Edlund in 1986 as a newsletter mascot for the New England Comics chain of Boston area comic stores. He is an absurdist spoof of comic book superheroes. After its creation, the character spun off into an independent comic book series in...
. Supervillain Chairface ChippendaleChairface ChippendaleChairface Chippendale is a character from The Tick comics and TV series. He was voiced by Tony Jay.-Biography:Chairface Chippendale is a tuxedo-clad, suave supervillain from the Tick Universe who has a small wooden chair for a head...
attempts to create the ultimate act of vandalism by writing his name on the moon's surface with a powerful laser. He is only able to write "CHA" before being thwarted by The Tick. Some time later a mission to the moon is mounted with the intent of repairing this damage. The Tick is given a backpack full of explosives and told to wait in the carved-out "C". When the backpack explodes, The Tick is hurled out of the Solar System, but the "C" is repaired, leaving "HA" still visible from Earth. - In Despicable MeDespicable MeDespicable Me is a 2010 American computer-animated 3D comedy film from Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment that was released on July 9, 2010 in the United States. The film features the voices of Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Will Arnett, Kristen Wiig, and...
the world’s #1 super villain, Gru, decides to steal the moon in an attempt to prove himself better than his arch-rival (#1 super villain), Vector. - Avatar: The Last AirbenderAvatar: The Last AirbenderAvatar: The Last Airbender is an American animated television series that aired for three seasons on Nickelodeon from 2005 to 2008. The series was created and produced by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, who served as executive producers along with Aaron Ehasz...
: In this Nickelodeon cartoon series the Moon is a major part of the lore and spirituality of the Water Tribes. According to legend the first waterbenders learned how to bend water by watching the moon push and pull the water and were eventually able to do so themselves. - In Space JamSpace JamAside from Jordan, a number of NBA players and coaches appeared in the film. Larry Bird portrays a friend of Jordan who joins him for a game of golf. When the Monstars steal the NBA players' talent, they invade a game between the Phoenix Suns and the New York Knicks, causing the Knicks' Patrick...
, Mr. Swackhammer, the villain of the film gets sent there at the end of the game by the Monstars. - In Transformers: ArmadaTransformers: ArmadaTransformers: Armada, known in Japan as , is a Transformers animated series, comic series and toy line which ran from 2002–2003. It was originally scheduled for 2001, however was delayed until early-2002...
, The Mini-ConMini-ConMini-Cons are a human-sized race and faction of power-enhancing transforming robots in the Transformers: Armada universe and its sequels, one of the assorted universes in Transformers fiction...
ship Exodus crash-landed on the Moon, scattering its stasis-locked passengers all over Earth. Later, the Decepticons would set up a base inside the derelict ship, from where they would teleport to various locations on EarthEarthEarth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
to search for the Mini-Cons.
Computer and video games
- Call of Duty Black Ops - The moon is one of the maps available through the Rezurection map pack.
- Command & Conquer: Yuri's RevengeCommand & Conquer: Yuri's RevengeIn Command and Conquer: Yuri's Revenge, the true story starts off assuming the Allies won in Red Alert 2. The plot is based around Yuri, the former head of the Soviet Psychic Corps, coming out of hiding to take over the world by using his Psychic Dominators...
- In one of Soviet Campaign missions, the general was assigned to establish his base there in order to destroy Yuri's Lunar Command Center to prevent the Earth from falling under his psychic mind control. - Darius IIDarius II (arcade game)Darius II, released outside of Japan as Sagaia, is a 1989 arcade video game by Taito. It is the direct sequel to Darius, first released in arcades in 1989. The arcade version kept the same three-screen format as the first game...
- The moon is inhabited by enemy forces and underground bases players must confront on the fourth level. - Dead Moon - Aliens crash land on the moon and use it as their headquarters for invading Earth.
- DescentDescent (video game)Descent is a 3D first-person shooter video game developed by Parallax Software and released by Interplay Entertainment Corp. in 1995. The game features six degrees of freedom gameplay and garnered several expansion packs...
– the main character (the Material Defender) has to clean the Solar System of infected PTMC mines, starting from the moon. Consequently, the first three levels of the game take place in an outpost, a sci-lab, and a military base on the moon. - Destroy All Humans! 2Destroy All Humans! 2Destroy All Humans! 2 is a video game for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles and is the sequel to Destroy All Humans!. It was released on October 17, 2006, in North America. It marks the last game in the series to be developed by Pandemic Studios...
- The final area of the game takes place on a Russian moon base called "Solaris". - Donkey Kong Country ReturnsDonkey Kong Country ReturnsDonkey Kong Country Returns, known as in Japan, is a side-scrolling 2.5D platform game developed by Retro Studios and released by Nintendo for the Wii console on November 21, 2010, in North America, December 3, 2010, in Europe, and on December 9, 2010, in Japan...
- After the final boss, Donkey Kong is blasted into space, as he falls, he powers up a punch and punches the moon, causing to fall on the Volcano. - Duke Nukem 3DDuke Nukem 3DDuke Nukem 3D is a first-person shooter computer game developed by 3D Realms and published by GT Interactive Software. The full version was released for the PC . It is a sequel to the platform games Duke Nukem and Duke Nukem II published by Apogee...
- The second episode of the game, Lunar Apocalypse, takes place on a series of space stations that lead to the moon's surface. - Final Fantasy IVFinal Fantasy IVis a role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1991 as a part of the Final Fantasy series. The game was originally released for the Super Famicom in Japan and has since then been rereleased for many other platforms with varying modifications. An enhanced remake with 3D graphics...
/II (U.S SNES version)- in the last part of the game the characters travel to the moon to confront the final boss. - Infinite UndiscoveryInfinite Undiscoveryis an action role-playing video game developed by tri-Ace and published by Square Enix exclusively for the Xbox 360. The game was released during September 2008 in Europe, Japan, and North America.-Gameplay:...
- The main antagonist has enchained the moon in order to gain its power. - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's MaskThe Legend of Zelda: Majora's Maskis an action-adventure video game developed by Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis and Development division for the Nintendo 64. It was released in Japan on April 27, 2000, North America on October 26, 2000, and Europe on November 17, 2000. The game sold approximately 314,000 copies during its first...
- Link, the protagonist, must prevent the moon from crashing to Earth within 3 days. - Mass EffectMass EffectMass Effect is an action role-playing game developed by BioWare for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows by Demiurge Studios. The Xbox 360 version was released worldwide in November 2007 published by Microsoft Game Studios...
- One of the sidemissions is set on the Moon. - Metal Black (video game)Metal Black (video game)Metal Black is an arcade shoot 'em up released by Taito. It is the end result of "Project Gun Frontier 2," being made by the same development staff, though it bears little resemblance to the original Gun Frontier. It is more similar to another Taito shooter, Darius.Players control the Black Fly on...
- After a massive alien invasion on Earth, the moon is overtaken by the aliens so as to involve it in their plot and its darkside sets the scene for the second level boss fight. - Military MadnessMilitary MadnessMilitary Madness is sci-fi-themed, hex map turn-based strategy game for the TurboGrafx-16. The first game in the Nectaris series, it was developed by Hudson Soft....
– moon colonization wars exist between the Union and Xenon. - Moonbase – add-on for SimCity ClassicSimCitySimCity is a critically acclaimed city-building simulation video game, first released in 1989, and designed by Will Wright. SimCity was Maxis' first product, which has since been ported into various personal computers and game consoles, and spawned several sequels including SimCity 2000 in 1994,...
to build a lunar colony rather than an earthbound city. - Moonbase CommanderMoonbase CommanderMoonbase Commander is a strategy computer game released in 2002 by Humongous Entertainment. In it, the player controls a main hub, which can send out other hubs, attack enemy structures, create defensive buildings, and collect energy for further expansion; this is accomplished through launching...
- Moon PatrolMoon Patrolis a classic arcade game by Irem that was first released in 1982. It was licensed to Williams for distribution in North America.The player controls a moon buggy, viewing it from the side, that travels over the moon's surface. While driving it, obstacles such as craters and mines must be avoided....
(IremIrem (company)is a Japanese video game console developer and publisher, and formerly a developer and manufacturer of arcade games as well. The company has its headquarters in Hakusan, Ishikawa Prefecture....
) - Moon TycoonMoon TycoonMoon Tycoon is a city-building computer game released in 2001 by Anarchy Enterprises and Unique Entertainment. It is based on the creation of a lunar colony or city...
- A colony building game, Claims to be the first 3-D Sim game ever. - Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year DoorPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year DoorPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, or Paper Mario 2, released in Japan as , is a console role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube...
- Mario must journey to the moon to recover a Crystal Star. - Portal 2Portal 2Portal 2 is a first-person puzzle-platform video game developed and published by Valve Corporation. The sequel to the 2007 video game Portal, it was announced on March 5, 2010, following a week-long alternate reality game based on new patches to the original game...
- Chell, having learned that moon rocks are very good portal conductors, fires a portal at the moon to save herself from death. - Serious Sam 3: BFESerious Sam 3: BFESerious Sam 3: BFE is a first-person shooter video game developed by Croteam and published by Devolver Digital. It is the latest game in the Serious Sam series and a prequel to Serious Sam: The First Encounter. The game's story takes place in the 22nd century, during Mental's invasion of Earth, as...
- In the ending, Sam Stone calls Judy Mental and she said the moon will be facing the Earth, Sam Stone had time to get to Time-Lock and Earth has been destroyed by Mental. - Star Control 2Star ControlStar Control is a science fiction computer game that was developed by Toys for Bob and published by Accolade in the early 1990s. Star Control still enjoys a cult following...
– features a now uninhabited moon base. - Star Ocean: Till the End of TimeStar Ocean: Till the End of Timeis the third main game in the Star Ocean series. The game was developed by tri-Ace and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2 console. It was released in Japan, North America, and the PAL territories. The original Japanese release date was in February of 2003 by Enix, its penultimate...
– features a moonbase. - Sonic Adventure 2Sonic Adventure 2Sonic Adventure 2 is a platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Dreamcast video game console. It was released in North America on June 19, 2001 and in Japan on June 23, 2001 to mark the 10th anniversary of the release of the first Sonic the Hedgehog game. It is the sequel...
- Dr. Robotnik destroyed half the moon with the eclipse cannon. - Strikers 1945Strikers 1945Strikers 1945 is a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game released in 1995 by Japanese company Psikyo. It was followed by two sequels, Strikers 1945 II in 1997 and Strikers 1945 III , as well as a version for SNK's Neo Geo called Strikers 1945 Plus Strikers 1945 is a vertically scrolling...
- In the original Japanese release of the game, players are rocketed towards the enemy's real headquarters situated on the moon's surface for the last two levels. - Terra DiverTerra Diveris a vertically scrolling shooter game released by Raizing in 1996. The game is unusual in that, rather than using a 3:4 aspect ratio to simulate the arcade feel of other shooters, it uses a horizontal monitor in the style of Giga Wing and Radiant Silvergun....
- In the future, the moon is one of many points of galactic resources utilised by companies on Earth and hosts a company owned outpost stationed on a nearby asteroid where the fourth boss awaits. - TsukihimeTsukihimeis a Japanese eroge dōjin visual novel game created by Type-Moon, who first released it at the Winter Comiket in December 2000. It was adapted in 2003 into an anime series, Shingetsutan Tsukihime, produced by J.C.Staff and Geneon, and a manga series, which has been serialized since 2004 in...
- Of the five 'paths' that the storyline may progress in, two are categorized as 'near side of the moonNear side of the MoonThe near side of the Moon is the lunar hemisphere that is permanently turned towards the Earth, whereas the opposite side is the far side of the Moon. Only one side of the Moon is visible from Earth because the Moon rotates about its spin axis at the same rate that the Moon orbits the Earth, a...
' paths and the remaining three unlockable ones as the 'far side of the moonFar side of the MoonThe far side of the Moon is the lunar hemisphere that is permanently turned away, and is not visible from the surface of the Earth. The far hemisphere was first photographed by the Soviet Luna 3 probe in 1959, and was first directly observed by human eyes when the Apollo 8 mission orbited the Moon...
' paths. - Touhou ProjectTouhou ProjectThe , also known as Toho Project or Project Shrine Maiden, is a Japanese dōjin game series focused on bullet hell shooters made by the one-man developer Team Shanghai Alice, whose sole member, known as ZUN, is responsible for all the graphics, music, and programming for the most part...
- In Imperishable NightImperishable Nightis the eighth official game of the Touhou Project scrolling shooter series by Team Shanghai Alice. It is the third Touhou game to be released specifically for the Windows operating system...
, the two characters selected by the player must defeat Eirin Yagokoro and Kaguya Houraisan, two immortals from the moon, who have replaced the real moon with a fake one.
Comics
- In the DC UniverseDC UniverseThe DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
, the Moon is the location of the Justice League WatchtowerJustice League WatchtowerThe Watchtower is the name of various bases used by the Justice League of America in DC Comics and various other media. It has been portrayed in DC comics as a building on Earth's moon, and as a space-station in orbit in the Justice League Unlimited cartoon.The Watchtower debuted in JLA #4 during...
until its destruction by Alexander Luthor and also a former home of EclipsoEclipsoEclipso is a fictional supervillain in the DC Comics Universe. The character is the incarnation of the Wrath of God and the Angel of Vengeance that turned evil and was replaced by the Spectre...
. - In an early Ibis the InvincibleIbis the InvincibleIbis the Invincible is a fictional character, a comic book superhero originally published by Fawcett Comics in the 1940s and then by DC Comics beginning in the 1970s. Like many magician superheroes introduced in the Golden Age of Comics, Ibis owes much to the popular comic strip character Mandrake...
story the Moon has members of a humanoid race composed of stone that competed with humanity over the Earth and were exiled to the Moon thousands of years ago where they are frozen. A Professor makes a rocket ship to go to the Moon with Taia, and Ibis follows them. Two of the creatures are take on the ship, and revive on a journey back to Earth, but are killed when the spaceship crashes. - In the Marvel UniverseMarvel UniverseThe Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
, the Moon contains the Blue Area, the home of the InhumansInhumansThe Inhumans are a fictional race of superhumans, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. This race appears in various comic book series published by Marvel Comics and exists in that company's shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe....
. It was built by the Skrull race, in events which led to their Inter-galactic war with the Kree race. The powerful Watcher, Uatu, watches the Solar System from a base on the Moon. In FF #13 the Fantastic Four make the first landing on the Moon (this was published before 1969), and battle the communist villain the Red GhostRed GhostThe Red Ghost and his Super-Apes are a group of Marvel Comics supervillains, who started their career fighting the Fantastic Four, before confronting other Marvel heroes like Iron Man and Spider-Man...
and his Super-apes. - In Judge DreddJudge DreddJudge Joseph Dredd is a comics character whose strip in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD is the magazine's longest running . Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner...
the moon is the site of a small colony named Luna City One. - In HergéHergéGeorges Prosper Remi , better known by the pen name Hergé, was a Belgian comics writer and artist. His best known and most substantial work is the 23 completed comic books in The Adventures of Tintin series, which he wrote and illustrated from 1929 until his death in 1983, although he was also...
's Destination MoonDestination Moon (Tintin)Destination Moon is the sixteenth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero...
and Explorers on the MoonExplorers on the MoonExplorers on the Moon, published in 1954, is the seventeenth of The Adventures of Tintin, a series of classic comic-strip albums, written and illustrated by Belgian writer and illustrator Hergé, featuring young reporter Tintin as a hero. Its original French title is On a marché sur la Lune...
, TintinTintin (character)Tintin is a fictional character in The Adventures of Tintin, the series of classic Belgian comic books written and illustrated by Hergé. Tintin is the protagonist of the series, a reporter and adventurer who travels around the world with his dog Snowy....
and his companions make the first voyage to the moon and Tintin becomes the first Explorer on the Moon. - In Issue 11 of Weird ScienceWeird Science (comic)Weird Science was a science fiction anthology comic book that was part of the EC Comics line in the early 1950s. Over a four-year span, the comic ran for 22 issues, ending with the November–December, 1953 issue...
, the Moon is privately owned and colonised by The Uranium-Development Corporation.
See also
- MoonMoonThe Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
- Colonization of the MoonColonization of the MoonThe colonization of the Moon is the proposed establishment of permanent human communities on the Moon. Advocates of space exploration have seen settlement of the Moon as a logical step in the expansion of humanity beyond the Earth. Recent indication that water might be present in noteworthy...
- Bad MoonBad MoonBad Moon is a 1996 American horror film written and directed by Eric Red and produced by James G. Robinson. The plot involves a family man who struggles to overcome his curse....
- Bad Moon RisingBad Moon RisingBad Moon Rising may refer to:* "Bad Moon Rising" , by Creedence Clearwater Revival* Bad Moon Rising: The Best of Creedence Clearwater Revival, a compilation album* Bad Moon Rising , by Sonic Youth...