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Back to the Future ; Sci-Fi Museum, Hall of Fame a Showcase of Genre's Best

Posted on: Monday, 23 August 2004, 06:00 CDT

Editor's Note: News Unreal Worlds critic Mark Graham recently traveled to Seattle to visit the new Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. Today, we offer his report.

How much do you spend on your hobby?

If you're a golfer, $1,000 for a new set of golf clubs might not be unreasonable. If you love to listen to music, you might pop for a $400 iPod. What about Broncos season tickets at a minimum of $350 each (if you can actually get them)?

Then, of course, if your hobby is science fiction, and you happen to be Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen - worth around $21 billion, according to Forbes magazine - $20 million for a science fiction museum might not seem out of line.

On June 18, the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame opened to the public. The two-story, 13,000-square-foot building is the realization of Allen's dream - and proof that with enough money and imagination, you can make a monument out of your own mania.

Now visitors from across the country can enjoy such memorabilia as a signed first edition of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, a life- sized Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet, Darth Vader's mask, a computer-generated Blade Runner city of tomorrow and a zero-gravity toilet complete with a plaque of instructions explaining how to use it (not to worry, the actual restrooms provide more mundane-styled - and easy to use - commodes).

Allen grew up addicted to rock 'n' roll and science fiction books, comic books and movies. In 2000, he indulged his music passion by founding the Experience Music Project. The futuristic architectural structure, under Seattle's famed Space Needle, pays homage to the greats and near-greats of rock music.

When EMP's virtual reality ride, "Artist's Journey," proved inordinately expensive, it was closed, leaving space for something else. The solution: Why not use the space to display Allen's extensive science fiction collection?

And when we say extensive, we mean more than your average bookcase of paperbacks and shoeboxes full of Star Wars figures.

While Allen had collected books and science fiction ephemera since he was a boy, his passion took on mammoth proportions after he became one of the five richest men in the world. His collection comprises approximately half of the museum's exhibits.

Many of the museum's advisory board members - which include Ray Bradbury, Octavia Butler, Orson Scott Card, Arthur C. Clarke, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg - also contributed books, art and memorabilia. Spielberg, for example, came through with the original E.T.; director James Cameron supplied the queen from Alien; and Bradbury, Butler, Card and other authors lent original manuscripts and rare books.

Other highlights:

* Theodore Sturgeon's 1954 Hugo award for his novel More Than Human. Not so politically correct today, the rocket ship trophy includes a cigarette lighter.

* Original costumes worn in movies and television shows, including those from TV's Superman and Batman. They look pretty cool on the screen, but are humorously tacky close up.

* The captain's chair from the deck of Star Trek's Enterprise.

* One of the Martian ships from the movie version of War of the Worlds.

* Alien spaceship models from The Day the Earth Stood Still, E.T., Close Encounters and others.

The memorabilia is arranged according to themes in the 25 current exhibitions, including "The Changing Face of Mars," which examines the past, present and future of the Red Planet; "Not-So-Weird Science," which connects science fiction concepts with advancements in technology; and "Amazing Places," which displays fantastic settings from literature, art and film.

The museum board has been successful in acquiring most of the items it hoped for, says the museum's director, Donna Shirley. Still some coveted pieces weren't available.

"Most props from early science fiction movies and television shows simply don't exist anymore," she said, "and many manuscripts have been lost."

Other properties aren't available now, but will soon be on display. For example, R2D2, C3PO and most of the original Star Wars material are currently touring Japan. But these will become part of the museum at the end of the tour.

The coup de grâce was the inclusion of the Hall of Fame.

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame was created by the Kansas City Science Fiction and Fantasy Society, one of science fiction's oldest and most prestigious clubs. Each year since 1996, working with the J. Wayne and Elsie M. Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas, the Kansas City club has inducted four individuals (two living and two deceased) "on the basis of their continued excellence and long-time contribution to the science fiction field."

After much discussion with Allen's corporation, Vulcan Inc., the Kansas City group agreed to give the Hall of Fame a permanent home in Seattle.

Images of the Hall's 36 members are laser engraved on glass bricks, and interactive kiosks enable visitors to learn their biographies and thumbnail sketches of their works.

There are plenty of blank blocks left to include the countenances of future inductees, which will surely feature some with Colorado ties. Consider those whose works are currently displayed in the museum: John Stith (Redshift Rendezvous), Dan Simmons (Hyperion), Connie Willis (Doomsday Book), Kevin J. Anderson (prequels to Dune) and the late Blade Runner author Philip K. Dick (buried in Fort Morgan), whose works have become more important each year since his death in 1982.

Visitors may be surprised by the lack of unique literary exhibits. Although a few first editions, like Huxley's Brave New World, Isaac Asimov's I Robot and Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, and occasional manuscripts are displayed, most titles are represented by paperbacks, trade paperbacks and later editions.

Part of the reason, according to Shirley, is the difficulty of locating the rare books. But museum officials also feel it's important to show visitors editions they can own. Lists of recommended books are available throughout the museum, and an Amazon.com kiosk allows folks to order bookson the spot..

The museum is a work in progress. A War of the Worlds exhibit is scheduled to open on Halloween. And a giant plasma screen will soon preview upcoming science fiction motion pictures. The museum also features ongoing workshops and educational projects.

Although the size of the museum is a bit disappointing - I was thinking of something more along the lines of the Smithsonian - it's well worth a visit when you're in Seattle. Even Jules Verne would be pleased to see what's become of the genre he started 150 years ago.

INFOBOX

If you go

* What: Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame

* Where: 325 Fifth Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98108

* Cost: Ages 7-17 and over 65, $8.95; 18-54, $12.95; 6 and under, free

* More information: Call 1-877-SCIFICT or visit www.sfhomeworld.org.

* Approximate time needed to tour the museum: 2-3 hours

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