Prophets of Science Fiction (2011–2012): Season 1, Episode 6 - Jules Verne - full transcript

Narrator: WHAT DOES IT TAKE
TO PUT A MAN ON THE MOON

IN THE 19th CENTURY?

OR ANTICIPATE THE GAS CRISIS
IN AN AGE OF STEAM?

SCI-FI VISIONARY JULES VERNE
PREDICTS WONDERS OF THE FUTURE.

VERNE IS THE PATRON SAINT
OF ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY.

Siuntres: VERNE SAW THESE
INNOVATIONS IN TECHNOLOGY

AND WAS ABLE TO REALLY TAKE THEM
TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

Narrator: TODAY CUTTING-EDGE
SCIENCE RACES TO KEEP UP

WITH THE IMAGINATION
OF LITERATURE'S FIRST FUTURIST.

Gavin: HE GALVANIZED THE PEOPLE
IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

TO SEE IF THEY COULD MAKE
HIS VISIONS COME TRUE.



Narrator:
JULES VERNE CHALLENGES US

TO EXPLORE
HOW TODAY CREATES TOMORROW.

Scott: TOMORROW BEGINS
WITH A SPARK OF IMAGINATION,

A FLASH OF INSIGHT

THAT DEMOLISHES
YESTERDAY'S LIMITATIONS

AND INSPIRES TECHNOLOGIES
TO CREATE NEW WORLDS.

I'M RIDLEY SCOTT, AND THESE ARE
THE PROPHETS OF SCIENCE FICTION.

JULES VERNE WAS HITTING A PERIOD
OF HUGE SUCCESS

IN THE CENTER
OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION,

WHERE HE'D BE LOOKING

AT A BRAVE, NEW WORLD
OF ARCHITECTURE IN THE FUTURE,

AND THAT MUST HAVE BEEN A PERIOD
OF ARTISTRY.

HIS ARTISTRY WAS ON PAPER,

AND HE WAS VERY AWARE
OF THE WAY THE WORLD'S GOING.



AND FOR HIM TO BE THINKING
ALONG THE LINES HE WAS THINKING

AT THAT PARTICULAR TIME IS
KIND OF REALLY TRULY REMARKABLE.

HE PRESENTED
A VERY OPTIMISTIC VIEW.

OCCASIONALLY,
IT WOULD DRIFT TO THE DARK SIDE.

Narrator: 23-YEAR-OLD
LAW-SCHOOL DROPOUT JULES VERNE

VISITS A FAMILY FRIEND,
JACQUES ARAGO,

AN INTERNATIONALLY CELEBRATED
AUTHOR AND WORLD EXPLORER.

ARAGO WEAVES TALES
OF HIS PERILOUS VOYAGES

IN FAR-OFF LANDS.

YOUNG VERNE WONDERS, IS THERE
ANYTHING LEFT TO DISCOVER?

THE ANSWER BECOMES CLEAR.

VERNE WILL EXPLORE
THE GRANDEST OF ALL FRONTIERS...

THE FUTURE.

Brin: JULES VERNE WAS THE FATHER
OF SCIENCE FICTION,

THE REAL DEAL, THE HARD SCI-FI

THAT'S ABOUT DOING STUFF...

GOING PLACES...

THINGS.

Siuntres: HE HAD IDEAS
THAT REALLY WEREN'T REALIZED

UNTIL THE 20th
AND 21st CENTURIES,

AND HE WAS ABLE TO USE

THE LANGUAGE OF THE DAY
AND THE TECHNOLOGY OF THE DAY

TO SIMULATE THOSE ACHIEVEMENTS.

IT'S REALLY INCREDIBLE.

VERNE WAS IMMESHED IN
THE TECHNOLOGY OF HIS OWN TIME.

HE TOOK IDEAS
THAT HAD NEVER BEEN REALIZED,

AND HE PUT THEM TOGETHER
IN EXOTIC PLACES

THAT HE WANTED TO SEND
HIS EXPLORERS TO.

Narrator: VERNE'S RESTLESS
IMAGINATION IS A TRAIT

DISTINCTLY AT ODDS
WITH HIS VICTORIAN UPBRINGING.

JULES VERNE
HAD A BOURGEOIS UPBRINGING.

NOTHING WAS MORE BORING
TO JULES VERNE.

SO HE TOLD HIS FATHER,
"I WANT TO BE A WRITER."

HIS FATHER THOUGHT HE WAS CRAZY.

Gavin: JULES VERNE WAS ONE OF
THE KIND OF STARVING ARTISTS

HUDDLED AROUND THE GAS FIRE

TRYING TO MAKE A LIVING
AS A WRITER

LONG BEFORE
HE INVENTED SCIENCE FICTION.

Narrator:
VERNE'S VISIONARY TALES

ARE DISCOVERED BY PUBLISHER
PIERRE-JULES HETZEL.

Taves: HETZEL REALIZES,

"HERE IS AN IDEA FOR
A WHOLE NEW TYPE OF FICTION."

Narrator: A GENRE
OF SWASHBUCKLING ADVENTURE

PROPELLED
BY FUTURISTIC TECHNOLOGY

FAR BEYOND THE REALM
OF VICTORIAN POSSIBILITY

IS BORN.

IN 1865's
"FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON,"

VERNE IMAGINES
A MANNED LUNAR MISSION.

JULES VERNE MOVED
BEYOND THE PEOPLE WHO THOUGHT,

"WOULDN'T IT BE INTERESTING
TO GO TO THE MOON?"

WITHOUT ANY IDEA
OF HOW TO GET THERE.

HE MADE THE CALCULATIONS

THAT SHOWED
HOW YOU COULD GET TO THE MOON

AND HELPED INSPIRE THE PEOPLE
WHO SAID,

"LET'S BUILD A ROCKET."

Narrator:
OVER A CENTURY LATER,

HIS PROPHECY COMES BLAZING
TO LIFE WITH APOLLO 11.

WHEN YOU READ JULES VERNE,
"FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON,"

IT'S DOWNRIGHT SPOOKY.

IT'S EERIE.

TO WITHIN 10% ACCURACY,
HE GOT IT RIGHT.

HE GOT THE SIZE
OF THE CAPSULE CORRECT.

HE SAID IT WOULD TAKE THREE DAYS
TO GO TO THE MOON.

I MEAN, HOW DID HE DO THAT?

HE NOT ONLY NAILED
WHERE WE WOULD LAUNCH FROM

WITHIN 50 MILES...

THAT IT WOULD BE AMERICANS...

THAT THEY'D SET UP A FACILITY
IN SOUTHERN FLORIDA.

HE HAD THE REASONS RIGHT,
THE ORBITAL REASONS RIGHT.

HE HAD THEM SPLASH DOWN
IN THE OCEAN,

RECOVERED AT SEA.

VERNE'S PASSENGERS
EXPERIENCE WEIGHTLESSNESS,

WHICH WAS ONLY BEGINNING
TO BE GUESSED AT.

Gavin: THE SHEER HUMOR

OF THE THREE MEN IN THEIR
TOP HATS AND SIDE-WHISKERS

FLOATING ABOUT INSIDE THE CABIN
OF THIS SPACESHIP

WHICH HAS THE VELVET BROCADE
AND THE BOOKSHELVES

IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE
OF JULES VERNE

COMBINING THE 19th CENTURY
AND THE 20th.

Narrator: VERNE'S NOVEL

ACCURATELY FORESEES
THE 1969 MOON MISSION,

WITH ONE NOTABLE EXCEPTION...

IN A PRE-ROCKET AGE,

VERNE IMAGINED
AN ENORMOUS CANNON

WOULD BE POWERFUL ENOUGH TO
LAUNCH HIS EXPLORERS INTO ORBIT.

ONLY TODAY HAS SCIENCE
FINALLY CAUGHT UP

WITH THIS PREDICTION.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT,
YOU CAN ACTUALLY SHOOT A PAYLOAD

INTO ORBIT AROUND THE EARTH.

Narrator: QUICKLAUNCH
INCORPORATED IN SAN DIEGO

IS TESTING
A MODERN-DAY SPACE GUN,

DESIGNED TO LAUNCH FUEL SUPPLIES
INTO OUTER SPACE.

MANKIND AS A RACE HAS GOT TO
EXPLORE AND GO OUTWARD.

I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT
TO LOOK AT THE OTHER PLANETS,

SEE IF THERE'S LIFE THERE,
AS WELL.

DO WE HAVE ANY COMPANIONS
IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM?

AND QUICKLAUNCH IS DEDICATED
TO PROVIDING PROPELLANT

VERY INEXPENSIVELY
IN LOW EARTH ORBIT.

Narrator:
QUICKLAUNCH'S GAS GUN

COULD REPLENISH
ORBITING FUEL DEPOTS,

MAKING MANNED EXPLORATION
OF MARS POSSIBLE.

Hunter:
IF YOU WANT TO EXPLORE MARS,

YOU NEED MASSIVE AMOUNTS
OF PROPELLANT.

IN FACT, THE METRIC FOR MARS

IS ONE MILLION POUNDS
OF PROPELLANT PER PERSON.

THAT'S ONE MILLION POUNDS
PER PERSON

TO GO TO MARS AND BACK SAFELY.

THERE'S NO WAY
IT'S GONNA HAPPEN.

YOU HAVE TO BRING THE COST OF
PROPELLANT WAY, WAY, WAY DOWN.

Narrator: A SINGLE CANNON COULD BE
CAPABLE OF 10 SPACE LAUNCHES EACH DAY,

DELIVERING PAYLOADS
OF 100 TO 1,000 POUNDS

INTO LOW EARTH ORBIT.

Hunter: THE BIGGEST SYSTEM
IS ABOUT 3,000 FEET LONG.

IT'S ESSENTIALLY A GUN, BUT
WE USE HYDROGEN AS PROPELLANT.

AND THE IDEA IS THE HYDROGEN
LAUNCHES THIS VEHICLE

VERY, VERY FAST.

THE PROJECTILE
GOES OUT THE BARREL,

AND THEN THE VEHICLE
CONTINUES TO GO

AT THIS 30-DEGREE
LAUNCH ANGLE INTO SPACE.

ONCE IT GETS
TO ABOUT 100 KILOMETERS,

YOU BLOW THE AEROSHELL OFF.

THE AEROSHELL
IS A PROTECTIVE SHELL

THAT MAKES SURE
THIS THING IS INSULATED,

'CAUSE YOU WANT TO PROTECT YOUR
PAYLOAD AND YOUR ROCKET MOTOR.

Narrator: THE PAYLOAD
HAS A CENTRAL DESTINATION.

THERE'S A SMALL ROCKET
THAT PROVIDES

ABOUT 3-KILOMETERS-PER-SECOND
SPEED INCREASE.

IT BURNS FOR ABOUT 100 SECONDS,

AND IT GETS TO THE DEPOT
AND RENDEZVOUS WITH THE DEPOT.

AND THEN IT PROVIDES PROPELLANT
FOR THE DEPOT,

YOUR FLOATING GAS STATION.

Narrator: VERNE'S PREDICTION

WILL OPEN THE COSMOS
TO UNPRECEDENTED EXPLORATION.

I THINK SCI-FI
INFLUENCED A WHOLE LOT,

BASICALLY A GENERATION
OF YOUNG SCIENTISTS.

IMAGINATION IS THE HUGE DRIVER.

YOU HAVE TO SEE THE SOLUTION
AND PROJECT IT INTO THE FUTURE.

AND, THEN, OF COURSE
THAT'S THE EASY PART.

IF YOU'RE
A TENACIOUS INDIVIDUAL,

YOU'LL TRY AND REALIZE THAT
AND MAKE IT HAPPEN.

YOU CAN TRACE
ALMOST EVERY JULES VERNE STORY

BACK TO BEFORE THE FIRST WORK

TO THIS BRILLIANT MAN
STANDING SOMEWHERE

SPINNING AROUND AND SAYING,

"THIS TIME I'LL GO... THERE.

"THIS TIME I'LL GO THERE.

AND WE'RE OFF."

Narrator: AT 37, JULES VERNE
HAS BEEN TO THE MOON AND BACK,

BUT HIS LITERARY CAREER
IS JUST TAKING OF.

HE EVOLVES THE TECHNOLOGY
OF HIS TIME

INTO FUTURISTIC WONDERS

THAT WILL PROPEL
HIS NEXT GREAT EXPEDITION.

AND FOR JULES VERNE,
SPACE IS NOT THE FINAL FRONTIER.

[ BELL TOLLS ]

Narrator: JULES VERNE ATTENDS
THE WORLD'S FAIR IN PARIS.

IMMERSED IN STATE-OF-THE-ART
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

FROM AROUND THE GLOBE,

VERNE SEARCHES FOR INSPIRATION.

AT A NAVAL PRESENTATION,
VERNE GETS A FIRSTHAND LOOK

AT A SUBMERSIBLE...

THE PLONGUER,
A NOVELTY OF THE AGE.

AS VERNE STUDIES THE PLONGUER,

HIS IMAGINATION
EVOLVES THE VESSEL

INTO FUTURISTIC MARVEL.

THE NAUTILUS,

THE CENTERPIECE OF
"20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA."

THE NAUTILUS WAS IN THE VANGUARD

OF ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY.

NOBODY HAD EXPLORED
THE FLOOR OF THE OCEAN.

THIS WAS TERRA INCOGNITA
COMPLETELY.

READERS WERE AVID FOR THIS KIND

OF SCIENTIFIC DOCUMENTARY,
IF YOU WILL...

FICTION AND DOCUMENTARY
AT THE SAME TIME...

'CAUSE THEY'D LEARN SOMETHING.

HERE'S WHAT IT MIGHT BE LIKE
ON THE FLOOR OF THE OCEAN.

HERE'S WHAT IT MIGHT BE LIKE
IF WE ENCOUNTERED NEW SPECIES

OF FISH OR MAMMALS OR WHATEVER.

AND SO, VERNE WOULD SEND HIS
HERO THERE WITH HIS SUBMARINE

TO EXPLORE THIS.

Narrator:
VERNE'S NAUTILUS IS HELMED

BY THE ENIGMATIC CAPTAIN NEMO.

HE'S BUILT TECHNOLOGY

TO IMPLEMENT HIS VISION
OF A WORLD WITHOUT WAR.

BUT IN ORDER TO DO THAT,

HE HAS TO CREATE
A WAR OF HIS OWN MAKING...

ONE MAN AGAINST THE WORLD.

Vebber: NEMO AT FIRST GLANCE
IS THIS CRAZY MAD SCIENTIST,

AND AS A KID, I THINK
YOU CAN APPRECIATE HIM THAT WAY.

AND, THEN, AS AN ADULT,

YOU GET TO LOOK AT HIM
AND APPLY FANCIER WORDS...

LIKE, HE WAS A BIG ICONOCLAST,

AND HE WAS A PERSON
WHO RECOGNIZED

THAT HE DIDN'T WANT TO LIVE
BY ANYONE'S LAW BUT HIS OWN.

Narrator:
CAPTAIN NEMO CIRCLES THE GLOBE

ENGAGED IN NONSTOP ADVENTURES.

HE NAVIGATES
A TREACHEROUS PASSAGE

UNDER THE ANTARCTIC ICE CAP,

PLANTS A FLAG ON THE SOUTH POLE,

AND UNCOVERS THE RUINS
OF ANCIENT ATLANTIS.

Scott:
"20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA"

PARTICULARLY WAS A GREAT
AND WONDERFUL, IMAGINATIVE IDEA.

SO IT STILL LIVES ON
IN TERMS OF WHERE WE ARE TODAY

AND IN TERMS OF OUR CAPABILITIES
AND OUR OWN TECHNOLOGY,

WHICH, OF COURSE,
NOW IS EXTRAORDINARY,

WHERE YOU CAN GO DOWN TO THE
BOTTOM OF THE DEEPEST TRENCH.

Narrator: VERNE CREATES
NEMO'S HIGH-TECH NAUTILUS

AT A TIME
WHEN EVEN THE CAN OPENER

IS CONSIDERED
AN EXCITING, NEW CONCEPT.

Dr. Slusser: THERE WERE OTHER
PROTOTYPES OF THAT SUBMARINE,

BUT THIS WAS A BRAND-NEW CONCEPT

OF HOW AN UNDERWATER VEHICLE
WOULD RUN.

Gavin: JULES VERNE POWERED
THE NAUTILUS WITH A PHRASE

WHICH NEMO HIMSELF
USED TO PROFESSOR ARONNAX...

"ALL BY ELECTRICITY."

AT THAT TIME, I MEAN,

ELECTRICITY
WAS CERTAINLY WELL-KNOWN,

BUT IT WAS NOT IN ANY WIDE USE.

SO THIS IS SOMETHING

THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY
MIND-BOGGLING AT THE TIME.

THE HINTS OF NUCLEAR POWER,
UNLIMITED POWER,

THE USE OF SUBMARINES

FOR WARFARE
AND FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.

THE CLEVER UNDERSTANDING

OF BALLAST RATIOS
AND PRESSURE RATIOS

THAT VERNE DISPLAYED.

Narrator:
ALMOST A CENTURY LATER,

VERNE'S VISION OF A MASSIVE,
HIGH-POWERED SUBMERSIBLE

IS REALIZED.

Brin: IT'S NO ACCIDENT
THAT THE U.S. NAVY

NAMED ITS FIRST NUCLEAR
SUBMARINE THE NAUTILUS.

Narrator: BUT SOME OF NEMO'S
MOST MEMORABLE TECHNOLOGY

IS ALSO HIS MOST DANGEROUS.

VERNE ARMS HIS ANTIHEROES

WITH HIGH-TECH
ELECTRICAL WEAPONS,

FICTIONAL AMMUNITION CALLED
"LEYDEN BALLS"...

18th-CENTURY ELECTRICAL BULLETS

LAUNCHED FROM THE FICTION
OF JULES VERNE

INTO THE REALITY
OF MODERN SCIENCE.

WE JUST DELIVERED
A 21st-CENTURY METHOD

OF INCAPACITATING A SUSPECT
JUST LIKE JULES VERNE THOUGHT OF

WITH THE LEYDEN GUN
OVER A CENTURY AGO.

[ GUN COCKS ]

Narrator:
STEVE TUTTLE OVERSEES

TASER INTERNATIONAL'S
DEVELOPMENT

OF CUTTING-EDGE
ELECTROSHOCK WEAPONS.

THE ABILITY TO SUBDUE A THREAT
WITHOUT RISKING FATALITIES

HAS MADE ELECTROSHOCK DEVICES
POPULAR WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT.

RIGHT NOW, OUR X26 IS USED

BY ABOUT 16,700 LAW-ENFORCEMENT
AGENCIES

IN 107 COUNTRIES.

IT'S A HANDHELD DEVICE,

BUT WE'RE LIMITED
BECAUSE WHEN YOU DEPLOY IT,

IT DEPLOYS TWO WIRES,
AND THOSE WIRES ARE TETHERED

TO THE HANDHELD UNIT
FOR THE POWER SUPPLY.

THIS IS ONE OF THE TASER
CARTRIDGES WE MANUFACTURE

HERE ON OUR PRODUCTION LINE.

YOU PUT THIS INSIDE
ONE OF OUR HANDHELD DEVICES.

NOW, THESE TWO PROBES
ARE DESIGNED

TO HIT TOP AND LOWER HERE.

NOW, ONCE WE DO THAT,

WE CAN SEND THROUGH THIS
A CURRENT OF ENERGY,

HOPEFULLY KNOCKING YOU
RIGHT DOWN TO THE GROUND.

AS YOU CAN SEE HERE,
WE'RE TETHERED BY WIRES.

THESE WIRES SUPPLY THE POWER
FROM THE HANDHELD DEVICE

DOWNRANGE TO COMPLETE
THAT CIRCUIT.

THIS, HOWEVER,
DOES LIMIT THIS ON RANGE,

AND THAT'S WHY WE DEVELOPED
THE NEXT-GENERATION TECHNOLOGY

CALLED THE XREP ROUND.

THE EVOLUTION OF THE PRODUCT
BEGAN WITH THE X26,

A HANDHELD DEVICE.

AND THAT HAS A RANGE
OF ABOUT 25 TO 35 FEET.

THE INSPIRATION WAS A DEMAND

FROM THE LAW ENFORCEMENT
THEMSELVES

THAT WANT TO HAVE THE ABILITY

TO STOP SOMEBODY
AT FURTHER RANGES.

THE XREP IS PRIMARILY
FOR S.W.A.T. TEAMS

AND FOR STANDOFFS
FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT.

MOST OF OUR, YOU KNOW,
TYPICAL TASER SITUATIONS

ARE FROM ABOUT 7 TO 10 FEET...

CONFRONTATIONS
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL.

WE'RE VERY LIMITED,
LAW ENFORCEMENT,

ON WHAT WE CAN DO LONG RANGE
OTHER THAN A SNIPER RIFLE.

AND IN MANY SITUATIONS,
THAT JUST CAN'T BE USED.

THE NEXT EVOLUTION
WAS TO GET IT WIRELESS,

AND THAT QUEST MEANT GOING
BACK IN TIME, IF YOU WILL.

THIS MAY BE JULES VERNE'S
LEYDEN GUN AMMUNITION RIGHT HERE

THAT WE MANUFACTURE
HERE AT TASER INTERNATIONAL.

INSIDE THIS 12-GAUGE
SHOTGUN SHELL

IS AN EXTENDED-RANGE
ELECTRONIC PROJECTILE

DESIGNED TO INCAPACITATE ANYONE.

IT'S THE XREP.

WE HAD TO COMPACT ALL
THAT STOPPING POWER OF AN X26

AND SHRINK IT DOWN
INTO A 12-GAUGE SHOTGUN ROUND.

Narrator: THE TASER XREP IS
HOUSED INSIDE A STANDARD SHELL.

IT CAN BE FIRED
FROM ANY PUMP-ACTION SHOTGUN.

IF WE'RE GOING TO USE SOME TYPE
OF RIFLING SYSTEM,

WE HAD TO USE A BASE PLATFORM

THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT
WAS FAMILIAR WITH.

MOST OF THE SQUAD CARS TODAY
CARRY SOME TYPE OF SHOTGUN.

YOU CAN STOP SOMEBODY
FROM THE FURTHER RANGE,

BUT THAT KEEPS THE OFFICER SAFE

SO THAT WE'RE NOT GETTING CLOSE
TO SOMEONE

THAT MAY HAVE A WEAPON
OF SOME TYPE.

Narrator:
THE XREP IS A DIRECT EVOLUTION

OF THE 18th-CENTURY CONCEPTS
EMPLOYED BY JULES VERNE.

VERNE DISCUSSED ELECTRIC BULLETS
USING CAPACITORS,

AND THIS IS A FLYING CAPACITOR,
IF YOU WILL.

WHEN WE DEPLOY THE XREP ROUND
FROM THIS DEVICE...

YOU PULL THE TRIGGER.
[ GUN FIRES ]

AS IT GOES DOWN
THROUGH THE TWISTED BARREL,

IT GETS SOME SPIN,
AND AS IT LEAVES,

IT ALSO PULLS THE PULL TAB
OFF THE BATTERY COMPARTMENT.

THAT EXPOSES THE BATTERY
TO THE CAPACITORS,

FUELING UP, IF YOU WILL,
THIS DEVICE

AND PUTTING POWER INSIDE
THE ACTUAL CAPACITOR ITSELF.

AS IT COMES OUT,
SINCE IT'S IN A TWISTED BARREL,

IT'S ALSO SPINNING,

AND THAT ALSO LAUNCHES
THESE FINS.

THIS BECOMES
A FIN-STABILIZED DEVICE,

GIVING YOU MUCH GREATER ACCURACY
DOWNRANGE.

WE'RE HERE IN
TASER INTERNATIONAL'S RANGE,

AND THIS IS WHERE WE CAN
ACTUALLY DEPLOY, SAFELY,

OUR X12 MOSSBERG SHOTGUN
WITH OUR XREP ROUNDS.

Narrator: WHEN THE CHARGED ROUND
STRIKES THE HUMAN BODY,

IT BREAKS
INTO TWO CONNECTED COMPONENTS.

THE UPPER UNIT
IMMEDIATELY RELEASES

THE FIRST ELECTRICAL CHARGE,

COUPLED WITH THE KINETIC ENERGY
OF IMPACT.

TINY BARBS WIRED
TO THE BASE PROJECTILE

DROP DOWN AND CREATE
A POSITIVE/NEGATIVE SEPARATION.

Tuttle: WHEN YOU GET HIT
BY THIS, THERE'S KINETIC ENERGY.

YOUR FIRST REACTION
PROBABLY IS TO GRAB IT.

THERE'S A COUNTERMEASURE
ON THERE.

WE WANT YOU TO GRAB IT,
'CAUSE ONCE YOU DO,

YOU NOW SEND THAT CIRCUIT OF
ENERGY THROUGH YOUR ENTIRE ARM,

THROUGH YOUR SHOULDERS,
UP TO THE POINT OF CONTACT.

THIS IS HOW WE CAUSE
INCAPACITATION,

BY CREATING A LARGE CIRCUIT
OF ENERGY

THROUGH A LARGE MUSCLE TISSUE
AND LOTS OF NERVES.

[ TASER CRACKLING ]

OTHERWISE, WE LET THIS
CHOLLA BARB COME DOWN HERE.

AND AS YOU CAN SEE HERE,
IT SPLITS THE BELT LINES.

WE'VE INCAPACITATED A LITTLE BIT OF
THIS AREA UP HERE IN THE UPPER BODY.

WE'VE ALSO ATTACKED
THE LOWER PART.

WHEN YOU DO THAT, YOU TEND
TO STIFFEN THE PERSON UP,

AND THEY FALL OVER IN WHAT'S
CALLED THE PLYWOOD STAGE.

Narrator: THE XREP'S CHARGE

INCAPACITATES A SUBJECT
FOR 20 SECONDS.

Tuttle: WE CAN GET DOWN THERE,
CUFF THAT GUY,

WITHOUT HIM HAVING ANY ABILITY
TO FIGHT BACK.

AND, THEN, ONCE THIS IS DONE,
THERE'S FULL RECOVERY.

THEY'LL COMPLETELY RECOVER
FROM THE ELECTRICAL SHOCK.

[ GUN COCKS, FIRES ]

Narrator:
VERNE'S CUTTING-EDGE ADVENTURE

OF ELECTRICAL BULLETS
AND MONSTROUS MACHINES

IS A HUGE SUCCESS.

HE CELEBRATES BY BUYING A YACHT.

THE YACHT WAS SPECIAL TO VERNE
BECAUSE IT GAVE HIM A SENSE OF,

"WELL, I WRITE
ABOUT EXPLORATIONS,

BUT I CAN ALSO DO IT."

Narrator: ON THE OPEN WATER,
VERNE CAN ALSO ESCAPE THE STRESS

OF A TROUBLED MARRIAGE
AND A REBELLIOUS SON.

Taves: BY THE TIME
MICHEL IS IN HIS TEENS,

HE WAS SPENDING
EGREGIOUS SUMS OF MONEY,

GETTING INTO FIGHTS,
GETTING INTO SCRAPES.

HE SEEMED TO BE
THE CLASSIC PROBLEM CHILD.

Narrator: THE YACHT BECOMES
VERNE'S FLOATING SANCTUARY.

Taves:
HE TRIED WRITING AT SEA.

HE WENT AS OFTEN
AS HE POSSIBLY COULD.

THERE, HE FELT
HE WAS HIS OWN MASTER.

Narrator: ATOP THE WAVES,
VERNE CHARTS A COURSE

FOR HIS NEXT GREAT DISCOVERY.

AFTER NAVIGATING READERS

TO THE SURFACE OF THE MOON
AND THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA,

JULES VERNE CREATES A NEW STORY,
PURSUING AN IDEA SO ADVANCED,

IT IS ONLY NOW UNFOLDING
IN THE 21st CENTURY.

Narrator:
JULES VERNE IS WORLD-RENOWNED

FOR HIS PIONEERING
SCIENCE FICTION,

EXTRAORDINARY VOYAGES
THAT LAUNCH READERS

TO THE EDGE OF THE FUTURE
FOR A VISION OF TOMORROW'S TECH.

PART OF THE REASON VERNE SEEMS

SO ASTONISHINGLY ACCURATE
IN HIS TIME

IS THAT HE WAS USING
SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE OF HIS DAY

TOGETHER WITH THE NEW FORMULAS
HE'S DEVELOPING.

HE WAS AN AMATEUR ASTRONOMER,
AN AMATEUR SCIENTIST.

ANYTIME SOMEONE
WOULD PASS THROUGH PARIS,

HE WOULD BUTTONHOLE THEM
FOR ALL THE LATEST INFORMATION.

Dr. Slusser: HE LITERALLY SPENT
10 YEARS WORKING IN THE LIBRARY,

WRITING HIS STORIES,
CHECKING HIS FACTS.

HE WAS DOING AN IMMENSE AMOUNT
OF RESEARCH OF THIS NATURE

SO THAT HE COULD WRITE
A SCIENTIFIC ADVENTURE

WHICH WOULD REALLY BE SEEN
AS SCIENTIFIC.

Narrator:
VERNE POURS HIS RESEARCH

INTO 1874's
"THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND."

A GROUP OF CIVIL WAR PRISONERS

ENACT A DARING ESCAPE
IN A HOT-AIR BALLOON

ONLY TO CRASH-LAND ON AN ISLAND
WHERE THEY'RE CONFRONTED

BY HOSTILE WILDLIFE,
NATURAL DISASTERS,

AND EVEN A PIRATE INVASION.

BUT IN THEIR MOST DESPERATE
MOMENTS,

FOOD, MEDICINE, AND WEAPONS
MAGICALLY APPEAR,

SEEMINGLY PROVIDED
BY THE ISLAND ITSELF.

IT HAS A TERRIFIC MYSTERY
BEHIND IT,

BECAUSE IT BECOMES CLEAR
SOMEONE IS TRYING TO HELP THEM,

AND WE DON'T KNOW WHO.

AND IT HAS
A HUGELY SATISFYING DENOUEMENT

IN THAT WE RE-MEET
HIS GREATEST HERO,

CAPTAIN NEMO IN THE SUBMARINE,
IN THE NAUTILUS,

WHICH WE THOUGHT HAD BEEN LOST
DEEP IN THE EXTINCT VOLCANO.

Narrator: CAPTAIN NEMO HAD RETURNED
TO THE ISLAND YEARS EARLIER.

IT IS NOW HIS PERSONAL UTOPIA,

COMPLETE WITH A REVOLUTIONARY
SOURCE OF ENERGY.

Dr. Slusser:
DIRTY-BURNING COAL

WAS THE FUEL
OF THE 19th CENTURY.

AND A CLEAN AND EFFICIENT SOURCE
OF ENERGY

WAS IMPORTANT TO VERNE
UP TO A POINT.

SO THAT NOVEL IS INDICATIVE
OF HOW VERNE SEES

THE POTENTIAL
OF ATOMIC POWER OR HYDROGEN

USED AS SOME KIND OF A FUEL

FOR THE WESTERN CULTURE
TO SURVIVE.

Narrator:
CAPTAIN NEMO REVEALS

THAT HE CAN DERIVE
HYDROGEN POWER FROM SEAWATER.

Captain Nemo:
"YES, MY FRIENDS.

"I BELIEVE THAT WATER WILL
ONE DAY BE EMPLOYED AS FUEL,

"THAT HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN,
WHICH CONSTITUTE IT,

WILL FURNISH AN INEXHAUSTIBLE
SOURCE OF HEAT AND LIGHT."

Narrator:
THAT DAY IS NOW ON THE HORIZON.

CAPTAIN NEMO'S RADICAL CONCEPT

IS BEING EXPLORED
WITH HYDROGEN-CELL ENGINES.

THE TRUTH IS, OUR AIR IS DIRTY,

AND WE CAN'T KEEP USING FOSSIL
FUELS THE WAY WE HAVE BEEN.

ONE OF THE EXCITING THINGS
THAT I THINK JULES VERNE SAW

WAS THAT WATER HAS BOTH HYDROGEN
AND OXYGEN AS ITS COMPONENTS.

AND, SO, THERE ARE A LOT
OF REALLY GOOD WAYS

TO USE THOSE TWO GASES
TO CREATE POWER.

Narrator: THE CALIFORNIA
FUEL CELL PARTNERSHIP

IS DEVELOPING THE EFFICIENT,
CLEAN ENERGY OF TOMORROW.

White: SO, THIS IS FUEL-CELL,
HYBRID-ELECTRIC VEHICLE.

IT'S KNOWN AS THE FCHV-adv.

THE HYDROGEN-FUEL-CELL CAR
WORKS WITH HYDROGEN FUEL

AND IN A FUEL-CELL SYSTEM
THAT'S VERY EFFICIENT.

Narrator:
FUEL CELLS IN THE FCHV

ALLOW THE ENGINE
TO BE POWERED BY HYDROGEN.

DOCTOR DAVID BLEKHMAN
LEADS CAL STATE L.A.'s

ENERGY AND TRANSPORTATION
PROGRAM.

A FUEL CELL
IS AN ELECTRIC CHEMICAL DEVICE

THAT PRODUCES ELECTRICITY.

FUEL CELLS ARE VERY SIMILAR TO
BATTERIES IN WHAT WE THINK OF.

BATTERIES STORE CHARGES.

FUEL CELLS REQUIRE A FUEL
TO GO THROUGH THEM

TO CREATE THE CHARGE.

Dr. Blekhman:
THE HYDROGEN COMES IN AND FLOWS

THROUGH THESE CHANNELS
INSIDE THE FUEL CELL,

AND IT FLOWS OVER THE MEMBRANE.

AND BASICALLY,
ELECTRONS HAVE TO FLOW

THROUGH THIS GRAPHITE
AND INTO THE METAL.

AND THIS IS WHERE WE COLLECT
OUR ELECTRICITY.

THE NICEST THING ABOUT THE
EXHAUST IS THAT IT'S PURE WATER.

YOU DON'T HAVE
ALL THE OTHER CHEMICALS

ASSOCIATED WITH THE GASOLINE
COMBUSTION PROCESS.

YOU COULD PUT YOUR HAND
UNDER THE EXHAUST AND TASTE IT.

THIS CAR HAS ABOUT 20%

OF THE MOVING PARTS
OF A REGULAR VEHICLE,

SO YOU DON'T HAVE THE BELTS
OR HOSES.

YOU DON'T HAVE THE FLUIDS
AND OILS.

YOU DON'T HAVE THE OTHER CHEMICALS
THAT ARE IN REGULAR CAR ENGINES.

HYDROGEN-FUEL-CELL VEHICLES
CAN BE FILLED WITH HYDROGEN

THAT'S MADE
FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES.

ONE OF THE BEST WAYS
FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

IS THROUGH ELECTROLYSIS.

Narrator: THIS PROCESS OCCURS
INSIDE AN ELECTROLYZER.

Dr. Blekhman: ELECTROLYZER
IS TWO LARGE CYLINDERS

WITH A FUEL CELL INSIDE

THAT WILL RUN BACKWARDS
AND PRODUCE HYDROGEN.

NOW, THAT HYDROGEN
WILL BE STORED IN TANKS,

AND, THEN, FROM THE TANKS, IT
WILL BE FUELING UP THE VEHICLE.

White: THE HYDROGEN STATION
IS VERY SIMILAR TO A GAS STATION

THAT YOU'RE USED TO
DRIVING UP TO TODAY.

THE DISPENSERS ARE SIMILAR.

THERE'S A PUMP THAT YOU ATTACH,

YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE YOU DO
TO YOUR GAS TANK TODAY.

THERE ARE SOME
MINOR DIFFERENCES,

BUT ESSENTIALLY,
IT'S VERY, VERY SIMILAR.

Narrator:
LIKE ALL EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES,

FUEL-CELL ENGINES ARE FACED
WITH THEIR OWN CHALLENGES.

YOU HAVE TO TRY TO FIND
HOW TO MAKE IT COMPETITIVE,

HOW TO MAKE
THE PRICE POINTS WORK,

AND HOW TO GET PEOPLE EXCITED
ABOUT A NEW TECHNOLOGY

WHEN THEY HAVE SOMETHING THAT'S
WORKING IN THE BACKGROUND.

Narrator:
FUEL-CELL TECHNOLOGY

IS TASKED
WITH AN IMPORTANT MISSION.

FUEL CELLS
HAVE A GREAT POTENTIAL

TO SAVE THE WORLD
FROM FOSSIL-FUEL DEPENDENCY.

WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE
RIGHT NOW...

INDUSTRIES
AND REALLY TREMENDOUS LEADERS...

THAT SEE THE PROMISE
OF FUEL CELLS,

AND THEY'RE REALLY TAKING
THOSE EARLY STEPS

TO BRING THEM
INTO EVERYDAY TECHNOLOGY.

THEY'RE POWERING THEIR
BUILDINGS, THEIR FACTORIES,

THEIR BREWERIES.

THEY'RE USED IN SO MANY
DIFFERENT WAYS RIGHT NOW,

AND IT'S EXCITING
TO HEAR THE NEWS EVERY DAY.

Narrator:
MANUFACTURERS PLAN

TO MASS PRODUCE HYDROGEN-CELL
VEHICLES BY 2020...

FROM FAMILY SEDANS
TO MOTORIZED BIKES.

JULES VERNE'S
ONCE FICTIONAL TECHNOLOGY

COULD SOON BE POISED
TO START AN ENERGY REVOLUTION.

VERNE'S PREDICTIONS
MAKE HIM SYNONYMOUS

WITH SCIENTIFIC OPTIMISM
IN HIS OWN TIME,

BUT THE POSITIVE OUTLOOK
BELONGS TO HIS PUBLISHER.

Gavin: HETZEL AND JULES VERNE
WERE AN AMAZING DOUBLE ACT,

BECAUSE HETZEL KNEW
WHAT THE PUBLIC WANTED

AND HE STEERED JULES VERNE AWAY

FROM SAYING THINGS,
WRITING THINGS

THAT THE PUBLIC
WOULDN'T WANT TO HEAR.

Dr. Slusser: VERNE, IN A SENSE,
MAY HAVE BEEN,

SHALL WE SAY,
A DARKER PERSONALITY

THAN MANY PEOPLE THINK
BY READING HIS WORKS TODAY,

BECAUSE THE ENDINGS
WERE CHANGED.

YOU PUT A HAPPY ENDING
ON A SAD STORY,

IT BECOMES A HAPPY STORY.

Gavin: AND JULES VERNE
BECAME THE WRITER

THAT HETZEL KNEW HE COULD BE...

THE POPULAR EDUCATOR,
THE POPULAR ENTERTAINER.

HIS DARK SIDE WAS HIDDEN AWAY.

Narrator: VERNE CHANNELS
THIS HIDDEN DARKNESS

INTO HIS BIGGEST ANTIHERO...

A STRAIGHT-UP SUPER-VILLAIN

TERRORIZING
ALL WHO CHALLENGE HIS WAYS,

A SKY-BOUND TYRANT

PILOTING VERNE'S
BOLDEST CREATION...

A PROPHECY THAT MIGHT BE TOO BIG
FOR THIS WORLD.

Narrator: THE 1880s.

AVIATION IS AN ELITE GENTLEMAN'S
PURSUIT,

AND JULES VERNE IS AT
THE FOREFRONT OF THE TREND.

BUT AS A FUTURIST,
VERNE SEEKS THE CUTTING EDGE,

AND BALLOONS REMAIN AT THE MERCY
OF WIND AND WEATHER.

FELLOW SOCIETY MEMBER,
PHOTOGRAPHER, AND ILLUSTRATOR

FéLIX NADAR

INTRODUCES VERNE
TO A NEW CONCEPT.

PROPELLER-DRIVEN AIRCRAFT.

VERNE ENVISIONS HOW THIS
STILL THEORETICAL TECHNOLOGY

COULD EVOLVE...

...AND IMAGINES THE ALBATROSS,

A MASSIVE AIRSHIP AT THE HEART
OF HIS 1886 NOVEL,

"ROBUR THE CONQUEROR."

ROBUR, A MAD GENIUS,

CONFRONTS
A PHILADELPHIA AVIATION CLUB,

DEMANDING RESPECT
FOR PROPELLER TECHNOLOGY.

WHEN CLUB MEMBERS LAUGH OFF
HEAVIER-THAN-AIR FLIGHT,

ROBUR SEIZES CAPTIVES
TO WITNESS THE SUPERIORITY

OF HIS HUGE,
ROTO-POWERED VESSEL,

A SOARING STRONGHOLD,

A MOBILE PALACE
THAT CAN RISE ABOVE THE CLOUDS

AND RAIN DOWN TERROR
ON THE EARTH BELOW.

"ROBUR THE CONQUEROR"
CREATES AN INTERESTING VILLAIN.

JULES VERNE DIDN'T HAVE
MANY VILLAINS IN HIS BOOKS.

HE CERTAINLY DIDN'T HAVE
MANY OF THE MASTERMINDS,

WORLD-DOMINATION ENTHUSIASTS

WHICH POPULATE MODERN FICTION.

BUT IN SOME WAY,
YOU COULD SAY HE CREATED HIM

IN "ROBUR THE CONQUEROR"

WITH HIS WONDERFUL MACHINE,
THE ALBATROSS,

THE HEAVIER-THAN-AIR
FLYING MACHINE

HELD UP BY ALL THOSE PROPELLERS

AND ABLE TO LOOK DOWN
ON THE WORLD BENEATH IT.

ONE OF THE DELIGHTS
OF JULES VERNE'S WORKS

IS THE FACT THAT SOME OF
THE THINGS THAT HE PREDICTED

STILL ARE JUST OUTSIDE
OUR GRASP,

AND WE WANT TO GRASP THEM.

AND THAT'S SOMETHING
THAT POPULAR CULTURE

HAS BUILT ON EVER SINCE.

Fraction:
I THINK THE ONLY THING COOLER

THAN HAVING
A SECRET HEADQUARTERS

IS HAVING A SECRET HEADQUARTERS
THAT FLIES.

WHO DOESN'T WANT TO FLY

WHILE BEING IN YOUR AWESOME
SECRET HEADQUARTERS?

Narrator:
IN 2006, THE AEROS CORPORATION

RESURRECTS VERNE'S IDEA
OF A FLYING COMMAND CENTER.

THE AEROSCRAFT
IS A HEAVIER-THAN-AIR HYBRID

LAUNCHED
BY SIX TURBOFAN ENGINES.

THE AIRSHIP IS HELD ALOFT

BY 14 MILLION CUBIC FEET
OF HELIUM

AND HYDROGEN-FUEL-CELL-POWERED
PROPELLERS.

ENGINEERS AND PEOPLE
WHO ARE FASCINATED

WITH TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS

TAKE JULES VERNE
AS THEIR PATRON SAINT.

YOU KNOW, "HE DID IT FIRST.

SO, HE DID IT IN FICTION.
WE DID IT IN REALITY."

HE ACTED AS SOMEONE

WHO GALVANIZED THE PEOPLE
IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

TO SEE IF THEY COULD MAKE
HIS VISIONS COME TRUE.

Narrator: THE AEROSCRAFT
MATCHES THE ALBATROSS' ABILITY

TO TRAVEL THE GLOBE FOR WEEKS
AT A TIME WITHOUT LANDING.

ITS VERTICAL PROPULSION SYSTEM
ALLOWS THE CRAFT

TO ACCESS THE MOST TREACHEROUS
LOCATIONS ON EARTH,

FROM REMOTE DESERTS
TO FROZEN WASTELANDS,

WHERE IT CAN DELIVER
OVER 400 TONS OF CARGO.

Dr. Slusser:
JULES VERNE AND HIS AIRSHIP

BECOMES A SYMBOL
OF TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT.

AND THE AMERICANS DID IT,
BUT VERNE SAW IT FIRST.

Narrator: THE AEROSCRAFT'S
NEXT INCARNATION

WILL BE THE AEROS CRUISER,

AN AIRBORNE HOTEL
WITH LUXURY STATE ROOMS,

SPAS, AND RESTAURANTS,

CUTTING THROUGH THE CLOUDS

OF A FUTURE ENVISIONED
BY JULES VERNE.

BUT IN 1866,

IT LOOKS AS THOUGH VERNE'S
FUTURE WILL BE CUT SHORT...

[ LEAVES RUSTLING ]

...WHEN THE CREATOR
OF A VILLAIN LIKE ROBUR

COMES FACE-TO-FACE WITH
A REAL-LIFE MADMAN OF HIS OWN.

[ INSECTS CHIRPING ]

Narrator:
JULES VERNE IS 58 YEARS OLD.

HIS FUTURISTIC FICTION
IS CELEBRATED THE WORLD OVER.

AS HE WALKS TOWARD HOME
ONE MARCH EVENING,

VERNE GROWS UNEASY.

HE IS NOT ALONE.

A DARK FIGURE WAITS
ON HIS PORCH.

[ LEAVES RUSTLING ]

AAH!

THE NEWS WENT AROUND THE WORLD

THAT THE FAMOUS AUTHOR
HAD BEEN SHOT.

INITIALLY, REPORTS WERE UNSURE
ABOUT THE ASSAILANT.

JULES VERNE HAD A NEPHEW
NAMED GASTON

WHO, IN A SENSE,
WAS JEALOUS OF HIM

AND SLIGHTLY CRAZY.

HE MUST HAVE BEEN SCHIZOPHRENIC.

AND HE ONE DAY JUST
TOOK UP A GUN AND SHOT VERNE.

HE SHOT AT HIM TWICE.

THAT GUNSHOT TO HIS LEG

WAS LIKE A TURNING POINT
IN HIS LIFE,

BECAUSE THE BULLET HIT HIS KNEE

AND THE SURGEON WHO PUT IT BACK
TOGETHER DIDN'T DO A GOOD JOB.

AND VERNE WAS CRIPPLED FOR LIFE
AFTER THIS,

OR AT LEAST HE WALKED
WITH A LIMP.

SO THIS IS AN IMPORTANT EVENT
FOR VERNE,

BECAUSE IT DEMORALIZED HIM.

Narrator:
ONE WEEK AFTER THE SHOOTING,

JULES VERNE'S PAIN
IS COMPOUNDED.

HIS LONGTIME PUBLISHER
AND FRIEND,

PIERRE-JULES HETZEL, DIES.

HETZEL'S SON TOOK OVER
THE EDITING,

AND HE WAS
AN INDIFFERENT EDITOR,

AND SO VERNE
WAS REALLY RUDDERLESS.

HE HAD NO ONE TO CENSOR HIM,
SHALL WE SAY,

KEEP HIM ON THE RIGHT TRACK.

AND VERNE LOST HIS EQUILIBRIUM
IN MANY WAYS, THERE.

AND MANY PEOPLE SAY
THAT THE DARK SIDE OF VERNE

BEGAN TO APPEAR.

Narrator:
HINTS OF VERNE'S DARK SIDE

ARE EVIDENT
THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER.

IN 1879, VERNE PUBLISHED A TALE

INSPIRED BY
THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR.

THE CONFLICT LED
TO THE CONSOLIDATION

OF GERMANY'S POWER,

INSTIGATING AN ARMS RACE
AMONG EUROPEAN NATIONS.

IN THE WAR OF 1870 IN FRANCE,

FRANCE WAS SOUNDLY BEATEN.

PARIS WAS OCCUPIED.

AND IT CAUSED A LOT OF FRENCH
WRITERS TO BECOME VERY GLOOMY.

Narrator:
IN THIS ENVIRONMENT,

JULES VERNE WRITES
"THE BEGUM'S FORTUNE."

IT'S A STORY
OF RIVAL SCIENTISTS.

GERMAN PROFESSOR SCHULTZE
AND FRENCH DOCTOR SARRASIN

PLAN TWO UTOPIAN COMMUNITIES

IN THE UNITED STATES'
PACIFIC NORTHWEST.

THIS NOVEL
IS NOT AN OPTIMISTIC NOVEL.

IT'S A NOVEL
ALL ABOUT RACIAL HATRED,

NATIONALISM, IMPENDING WAR.

IT COULD BE LOOKED AT
AS A BLUEPRINT OF WORLD WAR I.

A VERY, VERY DARK NOVEL.

Narrator:
WITH "THE BEGUM'S FORTUNE,"

JULES VERNE PROPHESIES WEAPONS
OF MASS DESTRUCTION IN 1879.

SCHULTZE IS THE NAME
OF THIS GERMAN.

HE IS PRODUCING POISON GAS.

HE IS PRODUCING
AIRBORNE MISSILES

THAT WILL DELIVER
THIS TYPE OF GAS

TO AN ENEMY
AT A GREAT DISTANCE...

HUGE CANNONS, THINGS LIKE THIS

THAT 30 YEARS LATER
WILL BE PART AND PARCEL

OF THE GERMAN WAR MACHINE.

Schultze: [ German accent ]
"THANKS TO MY CANNON,

"MY 50,000 GERMANS
WILL EASILY MAKE AN END

OF THE HUNDRED THOUSAND
DREAMERS OVER THERE."

IT IS A CAUTIONARY TALE

ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AS A BAD THING,
YOU KNOW,

SCIENCE IN GENERAL
AS EVIL CONSTRUCTIONS BY MANKIND

OR THINGS THAT SEEM GOOD
AT FIRST

BUT TURN OUT
TO BE FORCES OF DESTRUCTION.

Dr. Slusser: MOST OF HIS FICTION
TURNED TO WAR MACHINES.

THERE'S A LOT OF WAR MACHINES
IN THOSE LATER NOVELS,

AND THERE'S A LOT OF DARKNESS.

Fraction:
SCIENCE FICTION CAN WARN YOU,

AND IT CAN PREPARE YOU
FOR JUST HOW BAD WE CAN GET.

BUT IT CAN ALSO SHOW YOU
HOW MAGNIFICENT WE ARE

WHEN WE LOOK AROUND BEYOND
OUR OWN SORT OF SELF-INTERESTS.

BECAUSE THE WORLD
IS AN UNENDING NIGHTMARE

THAT IS CONSPIRING
TO KILL US ALL.

PEOPLE DON'T PAY YOU
TO HEAR ABOUT THE GOOD STUFF.

THEY WANT TO KNOW
WHAT TO PREPARE FOR.

Narrator:
AS VERNE GROWS OLDER,

THE SENSE OF DOOM AND DISMAY

IS DARKLY MIRRORED
IN HIS PERSONAL LIFE.

Dr. Slusser:
NOW HE'S A CRIPPLED MAN.

HE SUFFERS FROM DIABETES.
HE'S SICK.

HE BECAME MORE AND MORE INVALID,

MORE AND MORE UNABLE
TO SOMEHOW PLACE HIMSELF

IN THE ROLE OF THOSE CHARACTERS
WHO WERE HEROES.

Narrator: HIS SENSE OF ADVENTURE
LONG DORMANT,

JULES VERNE'S SPIRIT WANES.

DISILLUSIONED, HE DECIDES

THAT WHATEVER TALES HE HAS LEFT
TO TELL WILL REMAIN HIS OWN.

HE GATHERS
A LIFETIME OF PAPERS...

NOTES, WORKS IN PROGRESS,
UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPTS...

AND BEGINS TO DESTROY
HIS OWN LEGACY.

Narrator: AT THE AGE OF 70,
JULES VERNE IS DESPONDENT.

ANY PROMISE OF FUTURE TRAVEL
AND DISCOVERY

HAS BEEN ALL BUT DESTROYED
BY FAILING HEALTH.

HIS WORLD OF SCIENCE
IS CHANGING.

TECHNOLOGY,
ONCE A GATEWAY TO ADVENTURE,

IS EVOLVING INTO A BLUEPRINT
FOR THE HORRORS OF WAR.

VERNE QUESTIONS HIS PLACE
IN LITERATURE...

...AND BEGINS
TO BURN A LIFETIME'S WORTH

OF UNFINISHED
AND UNPUBLISHED STORIES.

BUT HE DOESN'T ALLOW ALL
OF HIS WORK TO GO UP IN FLAMES.

HE STILL HAS A STORY TO TELL...

AND A PROPHECY TO REVEAL.

"PARIS IN THE 20th CENTURY."

HALF HIS LIFETIME AGO,
AT AGE 35,

JULES VERNE HAD SUBMITTED
THE DYSTOPIAN FUTURE TALE

TO HIS PUBLISHER.

HETZEL TOOK ONE LOOK AT IT
AND SAID,

"THIS IS TERRIBLE!
I'M NOT PUBLISHING THIS.

"YOUR PUBLIC DOESN'T WANT IT.

"KEEP ON WRITING THE EXCITING,
POPULAR, OPTIMISTIC STUFF

"YOU'VE BEEN DOING BEFORE,

"AND YOU'LL BECOME RICH
AND FAMOUS.

"AND I'M NOT GONNA PUBLISH

'PARIS IN THE 20th CENTURY.'"

Narrator:
VERNE DOESN'T PURSUE IT,

BUT THE WRITER MAKES CERTAIN

HIS LOST TALE WILL REMAIN
PRESERVED FOR THE FUTURE.

"PARIS IN THE 20th CENTURY"

REMAINED IN A VAULT
FOR OVER A CENTURY.

Narrator:
VERNE'S LOST NOVEL FROM 1863

IS FINALLY PUBLISHED IN 1996.

"PARIS IN THE 20th CENTURY"

PAINTS A DISTURBING PICTURE
OF A THEN-FUTURE ERA...

THE 1960s.

Gavin:
"PARIS IN THE 20th CENTURY"

IS JULES VERNE LOOKING
AT THE FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY

AND SAYING,
"THIS AIN'T GONNA GO SO WELL."

IT'S ALL ABOUT
THE LAST CLASSICAL SCHOLAR

IN 20th-CENTURY FRANCE.

FRANCE HAS BECOME
A TOTALLY MATERIALISTIC,

MECHANIZED WORLD.

Narrator:
THE HERO STRUGGLES IN VAIN

TO ESTABLISH A MEANINGFUL LIFE
AND FIND LOVE

IN A COLD FUTURISTIC SOCIETY.

VERNE AND THE PROTAGONIST
OF THE STORY

ISN'T CONVINCED THAT THE
CIVILIZATION IS READY FOR THIS.

SO, AS MUCH AS HE WAS EXCITED

ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGICAL
ADVANCES,

HE WASN'T SURE
THAT MAN WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE

AND USE THEM WISELY.

THIS SCHOLAR
IS PUSHED OUT OF EVERYTHING.

HE HAS NO MONEY.

HE HAS NOTHING.
HE'S ON THE STREET.

HE DIES IN THE SNOW.

Narrator: BEHIND THE DISMAL TONE
OF HIS STORY,

VERNE CRAFTS
ONE OF HIS BIGGEST PREDICTIONS.

BEYOND ANY SINGLE INVENTION,

JULES VERNE UNVEILS
AN ENTIRE WORLD OF TOMORROW.

SOME OF THE ASTOUNDING
PREDICTIONS MADE BY JULES VERNE

IN "PARIS IN THE 20th CENTURY"

ARE, FIRST,
THERE WOULD BE GLASS SKYSCRAPERS

IN AN ERA WHERE MANY PEOPLE
LIVED IN WOODEN HUTS...

THERE WOULD BE
GASOLINE-FIRED CARS

IN A TIME WHERE PEOPLE
HAD HORSES AND CARRIAGES...

THERE'D BE SOMETHING
LIKE FAX MACHINES

AND SOMETHING
RESEMBLING THE INTERNET.

YOU CAN SEE HOW HE COULD HAVE
COME TO THAT QUITE LOGICALLY

WITHOUT LEAPING TOO FAR AHEAD.

AFTER ALL, THE TELEGRAPH

HAD BECOME A REALITY
DURING HIS LIFETIME.

THERE WERE CABLES
ACROSS THE ATLANTIC.

MORSE CODE WAS BEING DEVELOPED.

PEOPLE WERE USING ELECTRICITY
FOR COMMUNICATIONS.

SO IN SOME WAYS,
VERNE WAS IN A GOOD POSITION

TO PUT THOSE THINGS TOGETHER
AND IMAGINE A CONNECTED WORLD.

Dufrénoy: [ French accent ]
"THE SUBSCRIBERS

"NOT ONLY HEAR THE NEWS
BUT SEE THE OCCURRENCES

"WHEN AN INCIDENT IS DESCRIBED.

"PHOTOGRAPHS
OF ITS MAIN FEATURES

ARE TRANSMITTED
WITH THE NARRATIVE."

IT'S ONE THING
FOR SOMEONE LIKE ME

TO PROJECT 20 MINUTES
INTO THE FUTURE.

IT'S ANOTHER THING FOR SOMEONE
LIKE JULES VERNE IN 1870

TO [CHUCKLES] INVENT
THE INTERNET AS A CONCEPT.

YOU KNOW, THAT'S RIGHT ON.

THAT IS SOME DEEP-LEVEL,
NOSTRADAMUS STUFF, MAN.

Narrator: AS JULES VERNE
APPROACHES THE 1900s,

HE IS CONFINED TO HIS HOME,

BUT IT IS HERE THAT HE MAKES
HIS GREATEST DISCOVERY OF ALL.

NEARING THE END
OF A RESTLESS LIFE,

VERNE BEGINS TO RECONNECT
WITH HIS FAMILY...

HIS LONG-NEGLECTED WIFE
AND WAYWARD SON.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT HAPPENED

BETWEEN FATHER AND SON
AT THIS POINT.

THE TWO MEN BECOME MUCH CLOSER.

HE WAS CONVINCED,
WHEN THE SON WAS YOUNG,

THE SON WAS GONNA BE A MADMAN.

IN FACT,
JULES VERNE'S SON, MICHEL,

TURNED OUT TO BE HIS STAFF

AND SUPPORT FOR HIS FATHER
IN HIS OLD AGE.

Narrator:
ON MARCH 16, 1905,

JULES VERNE SUFFERS
A SEVERE DIABETES ATTACK.

HE PASSES AWAY EIGHT DAYS LATER.

NEWSPAPERS WORLDWIDE
REPORT VERNE'S DEATH.

HIS FUNERAL IS ATTENDED
BY OVER 5,000 PEOPLE.

FROM CYBERSPACE TO OUTER SPACE,

FROM THE CENTER OF THE EARTH
TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA,

JULES VERNE'S STORIES
HAVE INFLUENCED GENERATIONS

OF SCIENTISTS, INVENTORS,
STORYTELLERS, AND TRAILBLAZERS

INSPIRED TO PUSH THE BOUNDARIES
OF TECHNOLOGY AND POSSIBILITY.

JULES VERNE TRIED TO MAKE THINGS
AS SCIENTIFIC AS POSSIBLE,

AND I THINK HE SET A BENCHMARK

FOR OTHER SCIENCE-FICTION
WRITERS

THROUGHOUT THE REST
OF THE GENRE'S HISTORY.

VERNE SAW THESE INNOVATIONS
IN TECHNOLOGY

AND WAS ABLE TO REALLY TAKE THEM
TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

IF THEY'RE ABLE
TO DO THESE THINGS TODAY,

IMAGINE WHAT THEY CAN DO
TOMORROW.

JULES VERNE KEPT ONE EYE
ON THE DARK SIDE,

BUT AT THE HEART,

CELEBRATES THE POWER
AND POSSIBILITY OF SCIENCE.