Prophets of Science Fiction (2011–2012): Season 1, Episode 7 - Robert Heinlein - full transcript

Narrator: WHAT IS FREEDOM,

AND WHAT WOULD IT MEAN
TO LOSE IT?

COULD OUR CIVILIZATION COPE
WITH MIND CONTROL,

SUPER SOLDIERS,
THE END OF DEATH ITSELF?

ONE AUTHOR FORESEES TECHNOLOGY
TRANSFORMING OUR LIVES

AND UPENDING SOCIETY.

ROBERT HEINLEIN IS THE FATHER OF
MODERN SOCIAL SCIENCE FICTION.

Narrator: ARE HEINLEIN'S
GROUNDBREAKING WORKS

A PROPHECY
OF MANKIND'S LIBERATION

OR AN ENDORSEMENT OF FASCISM?

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.

THERE'S AN INGENUOUS QUALITY
TO ALL THESE EARLY AUTHORS...

SAY VERNE OR ASIMOV OR CLARKE...
WHICH WASN'T CYNICAL,

BUT I THINK HEINLEIN STARTED TO
GET A LITTLE BIT MORE GNARLY

AND INTO THE 20th CENTURY.

WE JUST PASSED THROUGH
A DISASTROUS FINANCIAL TIME

IN THE UNITED STATES,

STARING AT THE BEGINNING
OF FASCISM IN EUROPE.

AND SO HEINLEIN
WAS STARTING TO GET INFLUENCED

BY WHAT IS HAPPENING
IN FRONT OF HIM,

I.E. THE POLITICS OF THE WORLD.



Narrator: 1939, THE TAIL END
OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION

AND THE EVE OF WORLD WAR II.

32-YEAR-OLD ROBERT HEINLEIN

WALKS THE STREETS
OF LOS ANGELES.

HARD LUCK AND FAILED CAREERS
IN THE MILITARY AND POLITICS

HAVE LEFT HIM
WITH NOTHING BUT DEBT.

Heinlein: "THE BEGINNING OF 1939
FOUND ME FLAT BROKE

FOLLOWING A DISASTROUS
POLITICAL CAMPAIGN.

I OWNED
A HEAVILY-MORTGAGED HOUSE."

Narrator: HE SCOURS THE WANT ADS
FOR A JOB... ANY JOB.

ONCE AGAIN, HE'S OUT OF LUCK.

BUT IN THE PAGES
OF A SCI-FI PULP,

A MAGAZINE THAT HE'S LOVED
SINCE CHILDHOOD,

ROBERT HEINLEIN FINDS SOMETHING
THAT THE WANT ADS LACK...

OPPORTUNITY.

"ABOUT THEN, THRILLING WONDER
STORIES RAN AN AD READING,

'GIANT PRIZE CONTEST.
AMATEUR WRITERS.

FIRST PRIZE $50.'"

Narrator: THE FUTURISTIC FANTASIES
OF HEINLEIN'S YOUTH RETURN

AND WITH THEM, THE FREEDOM
TO REWRITE HIS DESTINY.

[ CREATURE ROARS ]

[ GUNFIRE ]

ROBERT HEINLEIN WILL GO ON
TO REINVENT THE SCI-FI GENRE,

INFUSING TALES OF TOMORROW

WITH BITING SOCIAL COMMENTARY
ABOUT THE HERE AND NOW.

Brin: HEINLEIN
WAS THE ESSENTIAL AMERICAN.

I SAY THAT LARGELY BECAUSE
HE WAS A NEST OF CONTRADICTIONS.

HE WAS AN INDIVIDUALIST,
LIBERTARIAN,

WHO BELIEVED IN SOCIETY,

AN INDIVIDUALIST
WHO BELIEVED THE MILITARY

COULD PLAY A WHOLESOME,
IMPORTANT ROLE IN A DEMOCRACY.

IDEALLY, A DEMOCRACY
OF CITIZEN SOLDIERS.

Patterson: HEINLEIN
CAME TO ANNAPOLIS IN 1925

AS SOMETHING OF A RUSTIC.

HE WAS FROM THE AMERICAN MIDWEST
FROM A POOR FAMILY,

NOT PRIVILEGED AT ALL.

Narrator: HEINLEIN THRIVES
IN THE MILITARY.

THE VALUES FORGED AT ANNAPOLIS

WILL SERVE AS A COMPASS
FOR EVERY ASPECT OF HIS LIFE.

Stanley Robinson:
EVER AFTERWARDS,

HE WAS VERY INSISTENT

ON HIMSELF BEING A MILITARY MAN
WITH THE MILITARY VIRTUES.

SO, DISCIPLINE, SELF-RELIANCE,
OPPOSITION TO COMMUNISM...

THESE ARE ALL HEINLEIN QUALITIES

THAT YOU SEE
THROUGH MANY OF HIS STORIES.

Narrator:
HEINLEIN'S NAVAL CAREER

ALSO ARMS HIM
WITH THE LIFELONG DESIRE

TO DEFEND THE SOIL AND SANCTITY
OF HIS COUNTRY.

James: FROM THE BEGINNING
OF THE COLD WAR

UNTIL THE LAST DAY OF HIS LIFE,

I THINK HIS FEAR OF LOSING
WHAT WAS SPECIAL ABOUT AMERICA,

LOSING THOSE ENLIGHTENED VALUES,

LOSING THOSE FREEDOMS
OF LIBERTIES,

LOSING THE CONSTITUTION,
THE BILL OF RIGHTS,

DROVE MUCH OF HIS WRITING.

Narrator:
HEINLEIN SEES POLITICS

AS THE WAY TO ADVANCE
HIS AGENDA.

BUT HIS PLAN IS SHORT-LIVED.

Pournelle: POLITICAL CANDIDATES
HAVE TO BE WILLING TO SAY THINGS

THAT MAYBE THEY DON'T QUITE
SO THOROUGHLY BELIEVE.

ROBERT COULD NEVER
HAVE DONE THAT.

THERE IS NO WAY HE COULD
EVER HAVE BEEN A POLITICIAN

IN THAT SENSE.

Narrator:
YET EVEN FROM THE SIDELINES,

HEINLEIN NEVER TAKES HIS EYE
OFF THE POLITICS OF THE DAY.

AS THE 1952 PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION HEATS UP...

SO DO ACCUSATIONS OF COMMUNIST
PENETRATION IN AMERICA.

HEINLEIN'S PARANOIA
OF COMMUNISM GUTTING FREEDOM

COMES ALIVE IN THE PAGES
OF HIS 1952 NOVEL,

"THE PUPPET MASTERS."

SET IN THE 21st CENTURY,
ALIEN SLUGS INVADE EARTH

AND SEIZE CONTROL
OF HUMAN ACTIONS

BY LATCHING ONTO
THEIR SPINAL CORD.

Brin: WHAT WOULD BE
THE MOST HORRIBLE THING

TO THIS INDIVIDUALIST

THAN TO HAVE ALIENS
TAKE YOU OVER

AND MAKE YOU
BETRAY EVERYTHING...

WILLINGLY BETRAY YOUR COUNTRY,

BETRAY YOUR OWN
INDIVIDUAL BELIEFS?

Narrator: IN HEINLEIN'S STORY,

ALIENS USE THEIR POWERS
OF MIND CONTROL

TO CHANGE THE ETHICAL BEHAVIOR
OF THE HOST.

DR. REBECCA SAXE OF M.I.T.

IS PUZZLING OUT
HOW IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE

TO CONTROL ANOTHER PERSON'S
MORAL CHOICES.

Saxe: WE DON'T THINK OF ANY PARTS
OF OUR THOUGHTS OR CONSCIOUSNESS

AS BEING PATTERNS
OF NEURAL ACTIVITY IN OUR BRAIN,

BUT EVERYTHING YOU THINK,
EVERY EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE,

ANY IDEA
THAT GOES THROUGH YOUR HEAD,

WHAT THAT IS IS A PATTERN
OF ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY,

ELECTRICAL FIRING
GOING FROM ONE CELL TO ANOTHER

INSIDE YOUR BRAIN.

MORAL JUDGMENTS
ARE JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE.

Narrator:
IN HER QUEST TO UNCOVER

HOW AN OUTSIDE FORCE CAN AFFECT
A PERSON'S MORAL JUDGMENT,

DR. SAXE USES A NEW TECHNOLOGY

CALLED "TRANSCRANIAL
MAGNETIC STIMULATION,"

OR T.M.S.,

TO TEMPORARILY SHORT-CIRCUIT
SPECIFIC REGIONS

OF A PERSON'S BRAIN.

Saxe: WHAT WE DO IS PUT A COIL
THAT MAKES A MAGNETIC PULSE

UP AGAINST THE SKULL,

AND THEN WHEN WE CAN PULSE ON
A REALLY STRONG MAGNETIC FIELD,

THE RESULT IS THAT
IT INDUCES ELECTRICAL CURRENTS

IN THE NEURONS
THAT ARE RIGHT UNDERNEATH IT.

AND THAT WILL CAUSE THEM

TO BRIEFLY FIRE ALL AT ONCE
SIMULTANEOUSLY

AND THEN AFTER THAT, BASICALLY
SHUT DOWN A LITTLE BIT.

Narrator: TO MANIPULATE THE
NEURONS GUIDING MORAL JUDGMENT,

DR. SAXE FOCUSES
ON THE REGION OF THE BRAIN

WHERE SCIENTISTS BELIEVE
THESE DECISIONS ARE MADE.

Saxe: SO, WE THINK
THAT THIS BRAIN REGION,

THE RIGHT TEMPORO
PARIETAL JUNCTION,

OR RIGHT T.P.J. FOR SHORT,

IS PARTICULARLY INVOLVED

IN LETTING YOU THINK ABOUT
OTHER PEOPLE'S THOUGHTS.

WE HAD SHOWN THAT WHEN YOU THINK
ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE'S THOUGHTS,

THERE'S ACTIVITY
IN THIS BRAIN REGION.

IF WE MADE THOSE NEURONS
SLUGGISH,

IF WE MADE THEM
BAD AT THEIR JOB,

THEN WE COULD CHANGE
YOUR MORAL JUDGMENTS

IN A VERY PREDICTED WAY.

Narrator: TO GAUGE HOW MUCH
T.M.S. IS AFFECTING JUDGMENT,

DR. SAXE USES A MORALITY TALE

ABOUT A FICTIONAL WOMAN
NAMED GRACE.

Saxe: GRACE IS ON A TOUR
OF A CHEMICAL FACTORY

WITH HER FRIEND.

THERE'S A COFFEE BREAK.

GRACE GOES TO MAKE THE COFFEE.

HER FRIEND ASKS FOR SUGAR.

NEXT TO THE COFFEE
IS A JAR OF WHITE POWDER

LABELED DANGEROUS TOXIC POISON.

SO GRACE THINKS THAT THE POWDER
CONTAINS DANGEROUS TOXIC POISON.

AND SHE PUTS THAT POWDER
IN HER FRIEND'S COFFEE.

ACTUALLY, THAT POWDER
IS JUST THE SUGAR

THAT THE SCIENTISTS USE
EVERY DAY,

AND SO WHEN GRACE'S FRIEND
DRINKS THE COFFEE

WITH THAT WHITE POWDER IN IT,
SHE'S FINE.

NOTHING BAD HAPPENS.

SO, HOW MUCH BLAME
DOES GRACE DESERVE

FOR PUTTING THAT WHITE POWDER
IN THE COFFEE?

Narrator: AVERAGE TEST SUBJECTS
WILL CONSIDER GRACE'S ACTIONS

TO BE A 7 OUT OF 10
ON A SCALE OF EVIL BEHAVIOR.

EVEN THOUGH HER FRIEND
IS UNHARMED,

MOST CONSIDER GRACE'S INTENTION
TO KILL AS IMMORAL.

BUT WHEN A TEST SUBJECT
READS THE SAME TALE

WHILST UNDERGOING T.M.S.,
THE RESULTS ARE SURPRISING.

RIGHT BEFORE HE'S GONNA MAKE
THAT MORAL JUDGMENT,

THEN HE WOULD GET THE MAGNETIC
FIELD PULSE IN HIS RIGHT T.P.J.

WE KNOW THAT GRACE THOUGHT

THAT THE POWDER
WAS DANGEROUS TOXIC POISON,

SO WE WOULD SAY IT WAS
TOTALLY MORALLY WRONG

TO PUT IT IN THE COFFEE.

AND WHAT T.M.S.
TO YOUR RIGHT T.P.J. WILL DO

IS MAKE YOU SAY
THAT'S A LITTLE LESS WRONG.

WE CAN SHIFT THAT BALANCE

BY MAKING NEURONS
IN YOUR RIGHT T.P.J.

A LITTLE LESS GOOD AT THEIR JOB.

Narrator:
BUT HEINLEIN'S PROPHECY

IS STILL
IN ITS SCIENTIFIC INFANCY.

Saxe:
HEINLEIN'S INTERESTED IN,

"HOW DO WE DECIDE
WHAT OUR ACTIONS WILL BE

IN LIGHT
OF OUR MORAL PRINCIPLES?"

IF YOU COULD AFFECT THEIR BRAIN
IN EXACTLY THE RIGHT WAY,

THEN, OF COURSE, YOU COULD
CHANGE THEIR MORAL INTUITIONS.

BECAUSE MORALITY,
LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE,

IS BEING GENERATED
BY YOUR BRAIN.

THE HEINLEIN SLUGS
HAD AN ADVANTAGE, RIGHT?

THEY COULD PLUG RIGHT IN
TO THE ENTIRE SPINAL COLUMN

AND GET DIRECT ACCESS
TO YOUR WHOLE BRAIN.

I THINK
THAT'S INCREDIBLY DISTANT

FROM THE KINDS OF THINGS
THAT WE CAN DO TODAY.

Narrator: SENATOR McCARTHY'S
HEARINGS IN THE 1950s

CONVINCE AMERICANS

THAT COMMUNISM
CAN DESTROY THE COUNTRY.

AND HEINLEIN KNOWS THE SOVIETS
NOW HAVE THE MILITARY CAPABILITY

TO DO IT.

Patterson: THE SOVIETS HAD
SOLVED THE TECHNICAL PROBLEM

OF GETTING AN I.C.B.M.
TO THE UNITED STATES.

Narrator: AS THE ENEMIES
OF AMERICA AMASS TERRIBLE POWER,

HEINLEIN IS ANGERED BY A GROWING
ANTI-NUCLEAR SENTIMENT.

Patterson:
A COMMITTEE PLACED FULL-PAGE ADS

IN NEWSPAPERS
ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTRY

ASKING FOR THE UNILATERAL
CESSATION OF NUCLEAR TESTING...

UNILATERAL CESSATION
OF THE ONLY THING

THAT LET THE SOVIET UNION KNOW
THAT WE MIGHT STAND UP TO THEM.

WHAT HEINLEIN THOUGHT AT THE
TIME JUST RAISED OUTRAGE IN HIM.

Narrator:
HEINLEIN IS SPURRED INTO ACTION

AND WRITES
A POLARIZING WAR STORY,

A CALL FOR A HIGH-TECH
NATIONAL DEFENSE

AND AGGRESSIVE MILITARY ACTION.

WHERE SOME SEE
A RUGGED DECLARATION OF FREEDOM,

OTHERS SEE A FASCIST MANIFESTO.

Narrator: 1958.

HEINLEIN SETTLES WITH HIS WIFE
IN COLORADO SPRINGS,

AN IDYLLIC WRITERS PARADISE.

BUT AS THE COLD WAR HEATS UP,

HEINLEIN PRIZES THE LOCATION
FOR MORE THAN SIMPLE SOLITUDE.

Patterson:
HE WAS LOOKING FOR PLACES

OUTSIDE OF EXISTING
FALLOUT ZONES.

HE WAS LIVING IN LOS ANGELES
AT THE TIME,

AND LOS ANGELES WAS ONE OF
THE PRIMARY NUCLEAR TARGETS.

Narrator: EIGHT YEARS
AFTER MOVING TO COLORADO,

THE AIR FORCE
ANNOUNCES ITS LOCATION

FOR THE NORTH AMERICAN AEROSPACE
DEFENSE COMMAND HEADQUARTERS...

NORAD.

THE HEART OF AMERICA'S
NUCLEAR ARSENAL

LIES SEVEN MILES
FROM HEINLEIN'S FRONT DOOR.

Patterson: THE FALLOUT PATTERNS
KIND OF FOLLOWED HIM.

HE HAD THESE
BIG PICTURE WINDOWS,

AND THEY LOOK OUT
ON CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN.

WELL, CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN
IS WHERE THEY CITED NORAD,

MAKING IT THE NUMBER-ONE
NUCLEAR TARGET IN THE WORLD.

Narrator: HEINLEIN RESPONDS
WITH TRADEMARK TENACITY.

Pournelle: HE BUILT
AN ACTUAL FALLOUT SHELTER,

EQUIPPED WITH AN ACTUAL DOOR
AND PUMPS AND THE REST OF IT.

IT WAS NOT CHEAP.

Narrator: IN THIS ATMOSPHERE,

ROBERT HEINLEIN WRITES
THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL NOVEL

OF HIS CAREER...

"STARSHIP TROOPERS,"
A MILITARISTIC FANTASY

OF INTERPLANETARY WAR BETWEEN
HUMANITY AND GIANT ALIEN BUGS.

Pournelle:
HE WAS VERY CONCERNED

THAT THE UNITED STATES
MIGHT NOT SURVIVE THE COLD WAR.

Narrator:
HEINLEIN PENS THE STORY

AS AN ODE TO MILITARY GRIT.

Brin: THE MARTIAL VIRTUES,

THESE WERE THINGS THAT WERE
CENTRAL TO HEINLEIN'S HEART.

"STARSHIP TROOPERS"
IS BASED ON THE PREMISE

THAT CITIZENSHIP
HAS TO BE EARNED.

A CITIZEN HAS THE COURAGE

TO MAKE THE SAFETY
OF THE HUMAN RACE

THEIR PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY.

Narrator:
"STARSHIP TROOPERS" ARGUES

THAT FREEDOM IS FOUNDED
ON EACH INDIVIDUAL

TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR
SOMETHING GREATER THAN HIMSELF.

BUT MANY CRITICS CHARGE

THAT THE NOVEL
GLORIFIES MILITARY CONFLICT.

Goldsman: THE SPIRIT OF THE BOOK
IS, "THEY'RE BAD.

WE'RE IN TROUBLE.
WE MUST KILL THEM."

AND HEINLEIN,
THAT WAS MORE HEINLEIN.

HEINLEIN WAS MORE BLACK
AND WHITE THAN HE WAS GRAY.

Narrator: HEINLEIN'S TROOPERS
FIGHT FOR FREEDOM

AIDED BY AN ARSENAL
OF FUTURISTIC TECH.

TO SQUARE OFF AGAINST AN ARMY OF
PHYSICALLY SUPERIOR ALIEN BUGS,

HUMAN SOLDIERS DON POWER SUITS,

HIGH-TECH ROBOTIC EXOSKELETONS

THAT GRANT SOLDIERS SUPER-HUMAN
STRENGTH AND ABILITIES.

TODAY,
THE UNITED STATES MILITARY

IS DEVELOPING A VERSION
OF HEINLEIN'S TECHNOLOGY.

Kaku: IT'LL BE A LITTLE BIT
LIKE THE BIONIC MAN.

WE'LL BE ABLE TO HAVE
EXOSKELETONS

WHICH INCREASE THE STRENGTH
OF OUR MUSCLES,

NANOTECHNOLOGY

WHICH WILL MINIATURIZE
MANY OF THESE DEVICES,

SO WE WILL HAVE, IN SOME SENSE,

THE CAPABILITIES OF A SUPERMAN
ON THE BATTLEFIELD.

Narrator: THE POTENTIAL
OF EXOSKELETON TECHNOLOGY

EXTENDS BEYOND COMBAT.

ARMY VETERAN MONTY REED

IS DEVELOPING HIS OWN
HEINLEIN-INSPIRED POWER SUIT

FOR CIVILIAN USE.

Reed: IN 1986, I WAS
AN ARMY AIRBORNE RANGER.

THIS PARTICULAR JUMP,
WE WERE JUMPING FROM 800 FEET,

AND WHEN I LEFT THE PLANE,
EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL.

MY PARACHUTE OPENED,

BUT SOMEBODY'S PARACHUTE
CAME UNDERNEATH MINE.

AND THEIR PARACHUTE
CAUSED MY PARACHUTE TO COLLAPSE.

AND I HIT THE GROUND,
BROKE MY ANKLE, BROKE MY BACK.

DOCTORS TOLD ME
I WAS A QUADRIPLEGIC.

THEY SAID
THAT IT WOULD GET WORSE

AND IT WAS PERMANENT AND
THAT I JUST NEEDED TO ACCEPT IT.

Narrator:
AT REED'S LOWEST POINT,

HE DISCOVERS A NEW MISSION.

WHEN I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL,
A FRIEND OF MINE GAVE ME A COPY

OF ROBERT HEINLEIN'S
"STARSHIP TROOPERS."

WHEN I DISCOVERED THIS IDEA OF
THIS POWERED SUIT IN THIS BOOK,

IT WAS AN ANSWER TO PRAYER.

I THOUGHT, "MAN,
IF I COULD BUILD

A LIGHTWEIGHT VERSION OF THIS
THAT COULD LIFT 175 POUNDS,

THEN I WOULD BE ABLE TO WALK
AND GET MY LIFE BACK.

AND THAT'S WHERE I GOT THE
INSPIRATION FOR THE LIFE SUIT.

Narrator: AFTER HIS ACCIDENT,

MONTY REED STRUGGLES
TO BEAT THE ODDS.

HE REGAINS LIMITED MOBILITY
AND FOUNDS "THEY SHALL WALK."

Reed: THEY SHALL WALK

IS A NON-PROFIT
MEDICAL RESEARCH COMPANY

THAT IS COMMITTED
TO DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGY

THAT IMPROVES
THE QUALITY OF LIFE,

GIVING PARALYZED PEOPLE
THE GIFT OF WALKING.

OUR PRIMARY PROJECT

IS CALLED THE LIFE SUIT
ROBOTIC EXOSKELETON.

IT'S A 2-LEGGED
WALKING, BALANCING ROBOT

THAT ALLOWS PARALYZED PEOPLE
TO WALK.

Narrator: MONTY REED HAS BEEN
DEVELOPING ROBOTIC EXOSKELETONS

AT HIS SEATTLE LAB
FOR OVER A DECADE.

Reed:
WHEN NOBODY'S LOOKING,

I'LL COME SNEAK INTO THE LAB
WHEN I'M HAVING A BAD DAY,

FIRE IT UP, AND GO FOR A WALK.

AND IT'S GREAT.

IN THE FUTURE,
IT'LL BE AUTOMATED

SO AN INDIVIDUAL
PARALYZED PERSON

WILL BE ABLE TO PARK THEIR CHAIR
AND CLIMB IN AND GET GOING.

Narrator:
REED'S CURRENT LIFE-SUIT MODEL,

PROTOTYPE 13, WEIGHS 75 POUNDS
AND IS DRIVEN BY COMPRESSED AIR.

THE SUIT'S USER DOES NOT
POWER ITS MOVEMENTS.

ROBOTIC LEGS DO ALL THE WORK.

SO, ONCE WE TURN THAT ON, THEN
THE AIR FLOWS INTO THE MANIFOLD

AND IT STARTS
GETTING DISTRIBUTED

DOWN TO THE CONTROLLERS.

AND THERE'S AN INDIVIDUAL
CONTROLLER FOR EACH LEG.

WHEN I PUSH THE TRIGGER,
IT STRAIGHTENS THE LEGS.

WHEN I LET OFF, THEN THE LEGS
CAN BEND WITH GRAVITY.

AND THEN THERE'S A CENTER
POSITION ON EACH OF THE SWITCHES

THAT ACTUALLY KEEPS IT PARKED.

[ AIR HISSING ]

I HAVE TO SAY
WHEN I'M IN THE LIFE SUIT,

I DO FEEL SUPER-HUMAN.

ORIGINALLY, I DID WANT TO
CALL IT THE HEINLEIN SUIT,

AND IT'S BECAUSE I GIVE
ROBERT HEINLEIN CREDIT

FOR INVENTING IT.

HE WROTE ABOUT IT.
ALL I DID WAS BUILT IT.

HE CALLED IT 'SCIENCE FICTION,"

BUT I DON'T CALL IT
"SCIENCE FICTION."

I JUST CALL IT
"SCIENCE PROPHECY."

Narrator: REED HOPES A MORE
REFINED VERSION OF LIFE SUIT

WILL SOMEDAY GIVE MANY PEOPLE
BACK FREEDOM OF MOBILITY.

Reed:
IT WILL BE A GAME CHANGER.

WE HAVE A HOSPITAL LINED UP
THAT'S READY.

THEY HAVE THOUSANDS OF PATIENTS
READY TO GET INTO THE MACHINE.

THE PATIENT'S GONNA SMILE,
AND THEN THEY'LL PUSH A BUTTON

AND THE SUIT WILL STAND UP,
AND THEY SHALL WALK.

BEAUTIFUL DAY FOR A WALK.

Narrator: AMID THE CONTROVERSY
OF "STARSHIP TROOPERS,"

HEINLEIN PENS A NEW NOVEL,
POSING REVOLUTIONARY QUESTIONS

ABOUT A DIFFERENT KIND
OF FREEDOM... PERSONAL LIBERTY.

Kaku: WHAT IS AN ANTI-COMMUNIST
CONSERVATIVE

LIKE ROBERT HEINLEIN

DOING WRITING A BOOK CALLED,
"STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND,"

WHICH BECOMES THE BIBLE
FOR THE COUNTER CULTURE?

Narrator:
HEINLEIN WRITES THE PLAYBOOK

FOR THE FREE-LOVING
HIPPY MOVEMENT.

THE MILITARY HARD LINER

BECOMES A RELUCTANT GURU
OF FLOWER-POWER COUNTER CULTURE.

Narrator: 1960.

IT IS ONE YEAR

SINCE THE PUBLICATION
OF "STARSHIP TROOPERS,"

AND ROBERT HEINLEIN
IS STILL UNDER FIRE

FROM ACCUSATIONS
HE'S GLORIFYING MILITARISM.

HEINLEIN'S FOLLOW-UP,
"STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND,"

IS EVERY BIT AS PROVOCATIVE,

BUT IN A RADICALLY
DIFFERENT DIRECTION.

Heinlein: "I HAVE UNDERTAKEN TO
CRITICIZE AND EXAMINE DISRESPECTFULLY

THE TWO UNTOUCHABLES...
MONOTHEISM AND MONOGAMY."

Vebber: IT'S AMAZING TO ME
THAT THE GUY WHO WROTE

"STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND"
ALSO WROTE "STARSHIP TROOPERS."

"STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND"
IS JUST THE HIPPIES PLAYBOOK.

HIS NEXT BOOK WAS ALWAYS
AN AMUSED ATTEMPT

TO DEMOLISH THIS NOTION

THAT PEOPLE KNEW
WHO ROBERT HEINLEIN WAS.

Narrator:
"STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND"

TELLS THE STORY
OF MICHAEL VALENTINE SMITH,

A HUMAN RAISED BY MARTIANS
WHO TEACH HIM LEVITATION,

TRANSMUTATION, AND MOST
IMPORTANTLY, HOW TO GROK.

Vebber: GROK IS TO FEEL
A ONENESS WITH SOMETHING.

IT CAN BE USED AS A VERB AS IN,
LIKE, "I REALLY GROK YOU, MAN."

Narrator:
HEINLEIN FINDS HIMSELF IDOLIZED

BY A GENERATION
OF FLOWER CHILDREN.

Ellison:
BOB HEINLEIN SAID TO ME,

"THOSE KIDS WITH THEIR DAISIES,
THE FLOWER CHILDREN,

THEY KEEP TRYING TO COME AND
OFFER OBLATIONS AT MY ALTAR."

HE SAYS, "I'VE GOT
A 12-FOOT ELECTRIFIED FENCE

PUT UP AROUND MY HOUSE."

Narrator: UNCONSTRAINED
BY TRADITIONAL MORALITY,

HEINLEIN'S HERO
CONFRONTS EARTHLINGS

ON SEVERAL INCENDIARY TOPICS.

Patterson:
THE MOST TABOO OF ALL TABOOS

IS TO BE THE PERSON
WHO THINKS FOR HIMSELF.

AND THAT'S WHAT HEINLEIN WANTED.

Narrator: HEINLEIN CREATES
INCREASINGLY PROVOCATIVE PLOT LINES,

SHOWCASING SCI-FI TECHNOLOGY
INSPIRED BY EVERYTHING

FROM CURRENT EVENTS
TO TIME TRAVEL.

HIS BOOK,
"THE DOOR INTO SUMMER,"

FOCUSES ON A SUCCESSFUL INVENTOR
NAMED DANIEL BOONE DAVIS.

DAN UNCOVERS A PLOT BY
HIS BUSINESS PARTNER AND FIANCéE

TO STEAL HIS COMPANY
OUT FROM UNDER HIM.

BETRAYED AND DEPRESSED,

DAN SEARCHED FOR A WAY
TO ESCAPE HIS PRESENT SITUATION.

Patterson:
THE YOUNG ENGINEER DECIDES

TO USE CRYONIC PRESERVATION
TO GET AWAY FROM THE ENVIRONMENT

FROM WHICH HE WAS
BILKED OUT OF HIS COMPANY.

SO HE FIGURES 30 YEARS
IS ABOUT TIME ENOUGH,

BECAUSE HE WILL STILL BE YOUNG

AND THE WOMAN
WHO BILKED HIM OF HIS FORTUNE

WOULD THEN BE A 60-YEAR-OLD.

SO, HE TAKES THE "COLD SLEEP,"
TRAVELS FORWARD IN TIME.

Narrator:
"COLD SLEEP" IS HEINLEIN'S TERM

FOR SUSPENDED ANIMATION...

NOW KNOWN AS THE MODERN-DAY
SCIENCE OF CRYONICS.

Kaku: CRYONICS IS A CHEAP
AND DIRTY WAY FOR TIME TRAVEL.

WHY NOT SIMPLY FREEZE YOURSELF
AND WAKE UP IN THE FUTURE?

WHY BOTHER
TO CREATE A TIME MACHINE

WHEN YOU CAN SIMPLY
PUT YOURSELF IN LIQUID NITROGEN?

Narrator:
DR. MARK VOELKER WORKS WITH

THE ALCOR LIFE EXTENSION
FOUNDATION.

Voelker: CRYONICS HOPES TO
PRESERVE THE ESSENCE OF A PERSON

IF THEY'RE DYING

AND PUT THEM IN A STATE
OF VERY COLD SUSPENDED ANIMATION

UNTIL SUCH TIME AS MEDICINE

HAS THE ABILITY TO CURE
WHAT IS CAUSING THEM TO DIE

AND BRING THEM BACK
TO LIFE AND HEALTH.

Narrator: WHEN A DOCTOR
DECLARES A PATIENT LEGALLY DEAD,

THE CRYOPRESERVATION PROCESS
BEGINS.

AS THE PATIENT IS COOLED,
PUMPS REPLACE BLOOD

WITH ALCOR'S LATEST GENERATION
CRYOPROTECTIVE CHEMICAL, M22.

M22 CONTAINS CELL AND TISSUE
PRESERVATIVES

DIMETHYL SULFOXIDE
AND FORMAMIDE,

AS WELL AS ANTIFREEZE CHEMICALS
SUCH AS ETHYLENE GLYCOL.

THIS SOLUTION ALLOWS THE BODY
TO BE RAPIDLY FROZEN

AND PRESERVED INDEFINITELY.

Slusser:
HEINLEIN WAS WAY IN ADVANCE

OF THAT AS A SOCIAL MOVEMENT.

IT'S BOTH PROPHETIC
AND ANACHRONISTIC

IN THE SENSE THAT IT'S
A REWRITE OF RIP VAN WINKLE.

YOU ARE LOOKING FORWARD
TO CRYONICS.

YOU'RE LOOKING FORWARD
TO THE ALCOR CORPORATION,

THE ACTUAL FREEZING
OF HUMAN BEINGS.

Narrator: THE HUMAN BODY
CAN BE CRYONICALLY FROZEN,

BUT AVOIDING DAMAGE
TO BRAIN CELLS

STILL REMAINS ALCOR'S
GREATEST CHALLENGE.

Voelker: YOUR BRAIN CONTAINS
YOUR MEMORIES, YOUR PERSONALITY.

REALLY IT CONTAINS
WHATEVER IT IS THAT'S YOUR SOUL.

SO PRESERVING THE DETAILED
STRUCTURE OF THE BRAIN

IS THE ESSENCE OF CRYONICS,

AND THAT'S REALLY
WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO.

Narrator:
THERE IS ONGOING DEBATE

AS TO WHETHER CRYOPRESERVATION

CAN PRESERVE CELL STRUCTURE
THROUGH FREEZING.

Kaku: THERE'S A PROBLEM
WITH CRYONICS,

AND THAT IS ICE CRYSTALS
FORM INSIDE THE CELL

AND EXPAND AND RUPTURE THE CELL

WHEN YOU FREEZE THE HUMAN BODY
INCORRECTLY.

Narrator: VOELKER BELIEVES

THAT RECENT BREAKTHROUGHS
IN CRYOPRESERVATION TECHNIQUES

AND THE ADVANCE OF M22

HAVE MINIMIZED THE RISK
OF DAMAGING CELLS.

Voelker: THERE'S AN ADVANCED
TECHNIQUE FOR CRYOPRESERVATION

CALLED VITRIFICATION,

WHICH COMPLETELY SUPPRESSES
THE FORMATION OF ICE CRYSTALS

IN TISSUES

WHEN YOU COOL THEM DOWN
TO DEEP CRYOGENIC TEMPERATURES.

WE'VE LOCKED ALL THE MOLECULES
IN POSITION

WITHOUT CAUSING
CRYSTALS TO FORM.

Patterson: AS TO WHETHER OR NOT
HEINLEIN PUT STOCK IN CRYONICS,

IT REALLY DEPENDS
ON WHAT YOU MEAN.

HE CERTAINLY DIDN'T DO IT
FOR HIMSELF,

EVEN THOUGH HE WAS ESSENTIALLY
OFFERED FREE CRYONIC SUSPENSION.

Narrator:
HEINLEIN'S VISION OF IMMORTALITY

LIES IN A DIFFERENT KIND
OF DIMENSION.

AS THE SPACE RACE PREPARES
TO LAND A MAN ON THE MOON...

HEINLEIN IS ALREADY
TURNING THE LUNAR SURFACE

INTO A STAGING GROUND
FOR BLOODY REVOLUTION.

Narrator: BY THE MID 1960s,

ROBERT HEINLEIN HAS BEEN
CELEBRATED AND DERIDED

AS BOTH A RIGHT-WING WAR MONGER

AND AN ICON
OF THE FLOWER-POWER MOVEMENT.

TWO DECADES EARLIER,
THE WRITER PLAYED A ROLE

IN ANOTHER KIND
OF MAJOR REVOLUTION.

ON THE GROUNDS OF A TOP-SECRET
U.S. GOVERNMENT TEST SITE,

HEINLEIN FINDS HIMSELF
ON THE THRESHOLD OF THE FUTURE.

James: HEINLEIN SAID
HE TOOK A DEEP BREATH

WHEN THE ROCKET STARTED OFF.

HE TOOK A PICTURE, REWOUND,
TOOK ANOTHER PICTURE, REWOUND,

TOOK ANOTHER PICTURE, REWOUND.

AND THEN BY THAT POINT,

THE ROCKET WAS 25 MILES
UP IN THE AIR,

AND HE FINALLY REALIZED
WITH A GASP

HE HADN'T TAKEN A BREATH
THE ENTIRE TIME.

Heinlein:
"IT IS THE MOST THRILLING THING

I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE.

THE GRAND CANYON DID NOT GIVE
ME THE BOOT THIS THING DOES."

Narrator: HEINLEIN INSTANTLY
SEES LONG-RANGE ROCKETS

NOW MAKE SPACE EXPLORATION
A REALITY.

AS THE SUPERPOWERS SQUARE OFF
IN THE SPACE RACE,

SCIENTISTS EXPLORE
HOW TO LAND A MAN ON THE MOON.

IN "THE MOON
IS A HARSH MISTRESS,"

HEINLEIN UPS THE ANTE,

INSISTING MAN WILL NOT
JUST VISIT THE MOON,

HE WILL LIVE THERE.

THE 1966 NOVEL

ENVISIONS THE MOON
AS A PRISON WORK COLONY IN 2076,

AN ORBITING DEVIL'S ISLAND
FOR THE CRIMINALS OF OUR WORLD.

3 MILLION PERMANENT
LUNAR RESIDENTS

TOIL TO HARVEST HYDROPONIC WHEAT
FOR THE OVERPOPULATED EARTH.

THE LUNAR CONVICTS,
KNOWN AS "LOONIES,"

DECIDE TO REBEL
FOR THEIR FREEDOM.

James:
"THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS"

IS THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

PLAYED IN THE FUTURE
ON THE MOON.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE LOONIES IN
"THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS,"

THERE IS THAT DESIRE
TO STAND ON YOUR OWN,

TO HAVE YOUR OWN SOCIETY,

TO NOT SERVE OTHERS,
BUT TO SERVE YOURSELVES.

AND THAT'S THE KIND OF FUTURE

THAT ROBERT HEINLEIN
WOULD HAVE WANTED.

Narrator: HEINLEIN'S VISION
OF A LUNAR COLONY

HAS BEEN CAPTIVATING THE PUBLIC
AND SCIENTISTS FOR DECADES.

AT THE NASA LANGLEY
RESEARCH CENTER,

SENIOR STRUCTURES AND MATERIALS
RESEARCH ENGINEER JUDITH WATSON

REVEALS A NEXT-GENERATION
LUNAR HABITAT,

WHICH IS A FIRST STEP TOWARDS
LIVING ON THE MOON INDEFINITELY.

THIS HABITAT THAT WE HAVE RIGHT
HERE... INFLATABLE HABITAT...

IS WHAT WE CALL
A HYBRID HABITAT.

THE MAIN POINT ABOUT IT

IS THAT IT'S GOT
MORE THAN JUST SOFT GOODS.

YOU GOT A HARD SECTION
AT EITHER END,

AND THE CENTER SECTION IS
THE INFLATABLE SOFT GOODS PART.

Narrator: THE COMBINATION
OF FABRIC AND HARD SHELL

IS A CRITICAL ELEMENT

OF THE HYBRID HABITAT'S
BREAKTHROUGH DESIGN.

THE HABITAT,
WHEN WE TAKE IT TO THE MOON,

IS GOING TO BE PACKAGED
BEFORE IT GOES.

AND THE TWO HARD-END SECTIONS
HERE ARE TOGETHER.

THEY'RE TIGHT.

ALL THAT SOFT-GOODS SECTION

IS PACKAGED UP
ON THE INSIDE OF THE HABITAT,

ALONG WITH AS MUCH EQUIPMENT
AS WE CAN GET IN THERE.

ONCE IT'S ON
THE SURFACE OF THE MOON,

THEN WE WILL TURN ON
THE INFLATION.

BASICALLY, IT'LL START THE AIR

THAT THE PEOPLE
WILL BE BREATHING,

BUT IT'LL ALSO INFLATE
THE STRUCTURE.

SO, VERY MUCH LIKE A SLINKY.

IT JUST PULLS ITSELF OUT
INTO PLACE

WITH THIS PARTICULAR DESIGN

WITH THE WHEELS
ON THE BOTTOM OF IT.

NOW WE HAVE TWICE AS MUCH SPACE
AS WE HAD BEFORE FOR THE CREW.

Narrator: NASA IS EXPERIMENTING
WITH SEVERAL MATERIALS

FOR THE HABITAT'S HARD-SHELL
AND SOFT-SHELL COMPONENTS.

THE DOME ENDS ARE, IN THIS CASE,
MADE OUT OF STEEL.

BUT IT'LL BE MUCH LIGHTER
MATERIAL FOR THE REAL HABITAT.

Narrator: THE FABRIC NEEDS TO BE
FLEXIBLE, YET STRONG ENOUGH

TO WITHSTAND THE PRESSURES
GENERATED INSIDE THE HABITAT.

SO, WATSON AND HER TEAM
ARE USING VECTRAN,

A LIQUID, POLYMER FABRIC THAT'S
FIVE TIMES STRONGER THAN STEEL.

Watson: THIS IS YOUR
STRUCTURAL RESTRAINT LAYER

ARE THESE STRAPS,
AND THEN THIS IS YOUR BLADDER.

THIS IS WHAT'S HOLDING
THE AIR IN BEHIND IT.

THIS IS VECTRAN STRAPS WEBBING,

AND THEN THIS IS JUST LARGE
PIECES OF VECTRAN AS A FABRIC.

AND IT'S ALSO BEEN COATED
ON THE INSIDE

TO GIVE IT
A LITTLE BIT MORE PROTECTION.

THE MAJORITY OF THE LOAD

IS MOSTLY CONTAINED
BY THESE STRAPS.

THESE STRAPS ARE HOLDING
EVERYTHING IN SHAPE.

Narrator: WHEN ASTRONAUTS
VENTURE OUT OF THE HABITAT

INTO THE VACUUM
OF THE LUNAR SURFACE,

THEY RISK VENTING OXYGEN.

THIS MAKES AN AIR LOCK
VITAL TO THE HABITAT'S DESIGN.

Watson: YOU HAVE TO GO
FROM ONE PRESSURE,

WHICH IS ZERO ON THE MOON.

YOU GO INTO AN AIR LOCK,

WHICH, AT THAT POINT IN TIME,
WOULD BE ZERO PRESSURE.

YOU LET THE AIR FLOW IN.
YOU PRESSURIZE IT.

NOW YOU HAVE EQUAL PRESSURE
ON THE INSIDE.

YOU CAN TAKE OFF YOUR SPACE SUIT

AND GO INTO THE MAIN PART
OF THE HAB.

Narrator:
THE MAIN CABIN'S OPEN DESIGN

GIVES MISSION PLANNERS
THE FLEXIBILITY

FOR SEVERAL LAYOUT SCENARIOS.

Watson: SO, HERE WE ARE IN
THE MAIN SECTION OF THE HABITAT.

IT'S NOT OUTFITTED.

IT'S MAINLY, PRETTY MUCH EMPTY
AT THIS POINT IN TIME.

BUT NORMALLY, YOU WOULD PROBABLY
HAVE EQUIPMENT DESIGNS

AND YOU HAVE EQUIPMENT RACKS
ALONG THE EDGES HERE.

Narrator: NASA ENGINEERS
DESIGNED THE HYBRID HABITAT

FOR A 60-DAY LUNAR MISSION.

BUT AS EXPEDITIONS
BECOME MORE COMPLEX,

HABITATS WILL BE
COMBINED AND CUSTOMIZED.

Watson: YOU WOULD START TO
DESIGN THEM SO THEY'RE SPECIFIC.

THIS ONE MIGHT BE
FOR THE CREW QUARTERS

WHERE THEY BUNK DOWN AT NIGHT.

ANOTHER ONE MIGHT BE
THE SCIENCE CENTER.

THAT MIGHT BE WHERE THEY'RE
DOING SOME SORT OF CALCULATIONS

IN REGARDS TO
SCIENCE ON THE MOON.

BUT THE FIRST ONE THAT GOES UP

IS PROBABLY GONNA HAVE TO DO
A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING.

Narrator: UNTIL RECENTLY,

LONG-TERM MOON HABITATION
WAS CONSIDERED IMPRACTICAL,

LARGELY BECAUSE THE COST
OF TRANSFERRING WATER

TO THE MOON
IS PROHIBITIVELY HIGH.

HEINLEIN FORESEES A SOLUTION.

HEINLEIN PREDICTED IN
"THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS"

THAT THERE WOULD BE
ICE ON THE MOON

AND WE'VE JUST
RECENTLY DISCOVERED THAT

WITH THE NASA ROCKETS
LANDING ON THE MOON.

Narrator: FOR NASA,

THE DISCOVERY OF WATER
ON THE MOON

IS THE LAST IMPORTANT PIECE
OF THE LUNAR COLONY PUZZLE.

THAT DOES MEAN THAT WE CAN TRY
TO BE A SELF-SUSTAINING HABITAT.

WE CAN TAKE THAT WATER.

WE CAN USE IT
FOR THE HUMANS LIVING THERE.

OR YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO USE IT
AS PART OF YOUR FUEL SYSTEM.

IF YOU WANT TO TRY TO GROW
SOME OF YOUR OWN FOOD,

YOU WOULD ALSO BE ABLE
TO USE THAT WATER FOR THAT.

Narrator: 1969.

ON THE HEELS OF
"THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS,"

HEINLEIN'S DEDICATION
TO THE SPACE RACE IS REWARDED.

AS THE WORLD WATCHES,

HE CELEBRATES A LANDMARK EVENT
HIS IMAGINATION HELPED INSPIRE.

James: ON THE DAY
OF THE APOLLO MOON LANDING,

ROBERT HEINLEIN
AND ARTHUR C. CLARKE

WERE TOGETHER
WITH WALTER CRONKITE

ON THE BROADCAST.

AND ROBERT HEINLEIN,
HE LOOKS LIKE A LITTLE BOY

WHO'S JUST BEEN TOLD
THAT CHRISTMAS IS HERE

AND ALL THE PRESENTS
ARE GOING TO BE HIS.

Heinlein: TO REALIZE HOW
TERRIBLY IMPORTANT THIS IS,

NOT TO THEM ALONE,
BUT TO THEIR CHILDREN,

THEIR GRANDCHILDREN

FOR THOUSANDS
AND THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

THIS IS IT.
THIS IS THE GREAT DAY.

Narrator: HEINLEIN IS LIVING IN
THE VERY FUTURE HE PROPHESIED.

I ONCE SAID TO THE SCIENTISTS,
"HOW OFTEN DO YOU READ FICTION?

DOES FICTION
EVER INFLUENCE YOU?"

AND THESE ARE NASA GUYS
THAT SAID, "ABSOLUTELY."

MATHEMATICS
AND SCIENTIFIC THINKING

AND REALLY GOOD...

REALLY GOOD CREATIVE WRITING
ARE VERY SIMILAR.

IT FUNDAMENTALLY BOILS DOWN
TO IMAGINATION.

Narrator: WITH MANKIND
FREE TO EXPLORE OUTER SPACE,

THE DEAN OF SCIENCE FICTION

ENVISIONS
ANOTHER KIND OF FRONTIER.

CYBERSPACE...

TECHNOLOGY
THAT WILL EMPOWER HUMANITY

WITH FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

OR CREATE A FASCIST STATE.

Narrator:
AS THE 1970s DRAW TO A CLOSE,

ROBERT HEINLEIN'S HEALTH
IS DETERIORATING.

A SERIES OF NEAR STROKES

THREATEN TO END
HIS WRITING CAREER.

DOCTORS ATTEMPT
A RADICAL PROCEDURE.

Patterson: HE HAD
A CAROTID BYPASS OPERATION,

ONE OF THE VERY FIRST.

THE DAY AFTER THE OPERATION,

IT WAS LIKE
A LIGHT BEING TURNED ON.

HE WAS BRIGHT, ALIVE,
AND VIGOROUS.

Narrator: POST SURGERY,

ROBERT HEINLEIN REMAINS
ONE STEP AHEAD OF THE FUTURE

WITH "FRIDAY."

Kaku: IN 1982, WHEN
ROBERT HEINLEIN WROTE "FRIDAY,"

HERE WAS ROBERT HEINLEIN ALREADY
TALKING ABOUT THE INTERNET,

BEING ABLE TO WIRE THE ENTIRE
PLANET WITH INFORMATION.

THIS WAS TRULY VISIONARY.

THE LEGOS FOR THAT IDEA

WERE ALREADY ON THE CARPET
IN FRONT OF HIM,

AND HE WAS SMART ENOUGH TO CLICK
'EM TOGETHER IN THE RIGHT WAY.

Narrator: THE INTERNET IS BORN
OF THE SAME EXISTENTIAL FEARS

THAT PLAGUE ROBERT HEINLEIN
THROUGHOUT THE COLD WAR.

Ihnatko: THE EARLY HISTORY
OF COMPUTER NETWORKING,

IT REALLY COMES DOWN
TO BEING PREPARED

TO BEING ANNIHILATED
BY THE RUSSIANS.

BACK IN THE '60s,
THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SAID,

"HOW CAN WE BUILD
A COMPUTER SYSTEM

THAT WON'T GET DESTROYED?"

THE PLAN IS TO GET LOTS
AND LOTS OF COMPUTERS TOGETHER

INTO A NETWORK
SO THAT NO ONE COMPUTER

IS INTRINSICALLY MORE IMPORTANT
THAN ANY OF THE OTHERS.

Narrator:
CIVILIANS CLAMOR FOR ACCESS

TO THE PRIMITIVE
WORLDWIDE NETWORK.

BUT SCIENTISTS ACROSS THE GLOBE

MUST FIRST DEVELOP
A SHARED SET OF PROTOCOLS.

Ihnatko:
SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS,

"WHAT NUMBER SHOULD
THE LETTER 'A' REPRESENT?

"CAN WE ALL AGREE, PLEASE,

"THAT THE LETTER 'A'
IS REPRESENTED BY THE NUMBER 65?

EVERYBODY? EVERYBODY?
GOOD, THAT'S ONE THING SETTLED."

SO, NOW YOU CAN BUY YOUR
COMPUTERS FROM DIFFERENT PLACES,

DIFFERENT COMPANIES
RUNNING DIFFERENT SOFTWARE,

AND THEY COULD ALL COMMUNICATE
WITH EACH OTHER.

Narrator: AT THE DAWN
OF THE PERSONAL COMPUTER,

HEINLEIN FORESEES
THE PRIVACY CONCERNS

OF A FULLY WIRED SOCIETY.

IN "FRIDAY'S" FUTURE,
CREDIT CARDS,

TRACKED BY A NATIONWIDE
COMPUTER NETWORK,

ALLOW THE GOVERNMENT

TO RELENTLESSLY
MONITOR CITIZEN ACTIVITY.

Brin:
YOU HAD PERSONAL COMMUNICATION,

YOU HAD
ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION.

YOU HAD TRACKING
OF CREDIT CARDS.

YOU HAD INSTANT ACCESS
TO INFORMATION USED BY SPIES,

USED BY COMMON CITIZENS.

IT WAS STILL CLUNKY.

HE DIDN'T HAVE THE FULL PICTURE,

BUT IT BECAME INSTANTLY OBVIOUS
THAT, "WHAT WERE WE THINKING?

OF COURSE EVERYBODY'S
GOING TO HAVE IT."

Narrator: HEINLEIN WARNS HOW THE
FREEDOM TO RAPIDLY ACCESS INFORMATION

CAN LEAD TO A NEW KIND OF
SLAVERY... INTERNET ADDICTION.

Scott:
THAT'S WHERE WE ARE TODAY.

WE'RE COMPLETELY OBSESSED
BY CYBER EXPERIENCE.

UM...

WAS HEINLEIN PREDECESSOR
OF ALL THAT?

I THINK SO.

Narrator: THE GENESIS
OF HEINLEIN'S OBSESSION

WITH FREEDOM OF INFORMATION

CAN BE TRACED BACK TO HIS
1938 NOVEL "FOR US, THE LIVING."

Brin:
IN "FOR US, THE LIVING,"

HE HAS PNEUMATIC TUBES TAKING
INFORMATION ALL OVER THE COUNTRY

AT VERY RAPID SPEEDS.

OBVIOUSLY, HE HAD AN INKLING

THAT WE REALLY OUGHT TO BE
COMMUNICATING WITH EACH OTHER

A WHOLE LOT FASTER,
A WHOLE LOT BETTER.

Narrator: BEFORE COMPUTERS,

PNEUMATIC TUBES OFFER
A FEASIBLE SOLUTION

FOR THE RAPID DELIVERY
OF INFORMATION.

BUT THE SYSTEM
WAS AT THE MERCY OF PHYSICS.

Ihnatko:
IT HAD LIMITATIONS.

YOU COULD SEND IT ONLY
FOR ABOUT 100 YARDS,

200 YARDS
BEFORE BEING IMPRACTICAL,

BUT IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC,

THEY EVEN HAD
A WHOLE MAIL SYSTEM

THAT WAS BASED ON JUST...
SHOOMP! PNEUMATIC TUBES.

Narrator: IN 1983,

HEINLEIN'S PROPHETIC VISIONS
OF FUTURE TECHNOLOGIES

EARN HIM A PLACE ON A
TOP-SECRET GOVERNMENT PROJECT...

DARING TO EQUIP EARTH'S ORBIT
WITH THE WEAPONS OF TOMORROW.

Narrator: 1983.

THE WHITE HOUSE INITIATES
A THINK TANK,

DEDICATED TO BOLSTERING
AMERICA'S NATIONAL DEFENSE

WITH SCI-FI WEAPONRY
OF THE FUTURE.

Reagan:
WHAT IF FREE PEOPLE

COULD LIVE SECURE
WITH THE KNOWLEDGE

THAT WE COULD INTERCEPT
AND DESTROY

STRATEGIC, BALLISTIC MISSILES

BEFORE THEIR REACHED OUR OWN
SOIL OR THAT OF OUR ALLIES?

Pournelle: RONALD REAGAN
WON ELECTION TO THE PRESIDENCY.

AND HE ASKED A RETIRED
4-STAR AIR FORCE GENERAL

TO WRITE THE TRANSITION TEAM
PAPERS ON SPACE AND AIR DEFENSE.

Narrator: JERRY POURNELLE
CONVENES A COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS

TO ADVISE ON THE PROJECT.

ONE NAME SPRINGS
IMMEDIATELY TO MIND.

Pournelle: IT WAS IMPORTANT
NOT TO JUST COME UP WITH PAPERS

THAT HAD SCIENTIFIC MERIT,

BUT THAT THEY BE READABLE...

THAT SOMEBODY MIGHT ACTUALLY SIT
DOWN AND READ THE DARN PAPER.

SO WE HAD HEINLEIN.

AT ONE OF THE MEETINGS
CAME CLARKE.

THERE WERE A NUMBER
OF SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS

INTERSPERSED IN WITH PEOPLE
LIKE THE BEST ROCKET SCIENTISTS

THIS COUNTRY HAD ALIVE
AT THAT TIME.

Narrator: AS THE GROUP IS BRIEFED ON
THE POTENTIALS OF SPACE TECHNOLOGY,

HEINLEIN ENVISIONS A NEW
PARADIGM FOR DEFENDING FREEDOM.

James: WHEN HE BEGAN TO BE AWARE
IN THE SCIENCE COMMUNITY

THAT THERE WAS A POSSIBILITY
OF PUTTING UP SATELLITES

THAT COULD SHOOT DOWN
NUCLEAR WEAPONS,

HE BECAME HIGHLY COMMITTED
TO THIS.

THEY WROTE A LETTER,
GOT IT TO REAGAN'S DESK,

AND THEN REAGAN ANNOUNCED WHAT
EVENTUALLY BECAME STAR WARS.

Pournelle:
ONE OF THE PHRASES WAS,

"WOULD IT NOT BE BETTER

TO PREVENT THESE DEATHS
THAN TO AVENGE THEM?"

AND REAGAN USED THAT
IN HIS ADDRESS TO THE CONGRESS

ON THE SUBJECT.

Narrator: STAR WARS WOULD CONSIST
OF SEVERAL NEW TECHNOLOGIES

TO CREATE
A VIRTUAL MISSILE SHIELD.

WHEN SOVIET MISSILES
ARE LAUNCHED,

HEAT FROM THEIR BOOSTER ROCKETS
IS DETECTED

BY A NETWORK
OF GEOSYNCHRONOUS SATELLITES

SCANNING SOVIET AIRSPACE
WITH INFRARED SENSORS.

ONCE THE MISSILES ARE ACQUIRED,

THE SYSTEM'S TARGETING COMPUTER

CAN DEPLOY
SEVERAL WEAPON PLATFORMS

TO KNOCK THEM OUT...

SATELLITE-BASED
KINETIC WARHEADS,

SATELLITE-BASED X-RAY LASERS,
AND GROUND-BASED X-RAY LASERS.

THE STRATEGIC DEFENSE
INITIATIVE'S WORK

CONTINUES TODAY AS THE RENAMED
"MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY."

MODERN M.D.A. LASERS

ARE CAPABLE OF INTERCEPTING
INCOMING MISSILES

JUST AS HEINLEIN'S GROUP
PREDICTED.

NOT ALL
OF HEINLEIN'S PREDICTIONS

HAVE HAD SUCH DRAMATIC,
REAL-WORLD EFFECTS,

BUT THAT MAY HAVE BEEN
HEINLEIN'S POINT ALL ALONG.

Brin: I THINK HEINLEIN WOULD
PROBABLY BE MORE INTERESTED

IN HOW MANY PEOPLE HELPED
TO AVOID

SOME OF THE THINGS
HE WARNED ABOUT.

HE'D BE AT LEAST
AS INTERESTED IN THAT

AS HOW MANY OF HIS PREDICTIONS
CAME TRUE.

Narrator:
ON MAY 8, 1988 AT THE AGE OF 81,

ROBERT HEINLEIN DIES PEACEFULLY
IN HIS SLEEP.

Patterson:
A FEW MONTHS AFTER HIS DEATH,

HEINLEIN'S ASHES WERE TAKEN OUT
TO SEA ON A MILITARY VESSEL.

HIS ASHES WERE STREWN
TO MILITARY HONORS.

Narrator:
HEINLEIN'S GREATEST LEGACY

IS THE DECLARATION OF EACH MAN'S
RIGHT TO CHOOSE HIS OWN PATH.

James: ROBERT HEINLEIN
WAS DEEPLY INVESTED

IN THE CONCEPT OF FREEDOM.

ANY TIME SOMETHING
THREATENS FREEDOM,

THAT IS WHERE TYRANNY BEGINS.

Kaku:
ROBERT HEINLEIN IS FAMOUS

FOR PORTRAYING
RUGGED INDIVIDUALISM

CENTURIES INTO THE FUTURE.

IT'S THE POWER
OF ONE INDIVIDUAL,

ENERGIZED WITH A SUDDEN MISSION
THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING.

Goldsman: ROBERT HEINLEIN

IS THE FATHER OF MODERN
SOCIAL SCIENCE FICTION,

THIS NOTION
OF TAKING SCIENCE FICTION

AND USING IT EXPLICITLY
AS SOCIAL PARABLE.

Scott: ROBERT HEINLEIN WAS A
REBEL AND A FIERCE ICONOCLAST.

HE FORCED US TO THINK ABOUT

OUR FUTURE RESPONSIBILITY
TO SOCIETY

AND THE PRICE OF FREEDOM.