VALERIAN City of a Thousand Planets
For those of us who are SF aficionados the opening scene of VALERIAN: THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS is worth the price of admission. The film brings us full circle— from the beginning of the space program — to the ultimate end— contact with alien spacemen, astronauts from all over the galaxy.
Our fascination with contact is unquenchable. Why? Because anyone who has thought the matter through has to come to the obvious conclusion: that if WE are here looking OUT, there must be others OUT THERE looking IN. THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS takes this for granted.
I deal with this at length in the Analogyman episode CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. But there are some aspects I didn’t cover in that episode, which this film raises, and which makes for an another incredible analogy.
Let me start by explaining that the “city of a 1000 planets” is actually the city of ALPHA. The narrator at the beginning of the film explains:
“The Alpha intergalactic space station has reached critical mass in orbit. It’s weight and size now poses a serious threat to Mother Earth. In it’s great wisdom, the Central Committee has decided to use all resources necessary to release the space station from the Earth’s gravity. It’s new course is set for the Magellan Current. Like the great explorer Magellan, the Alpha station will journey into the unknown. A symbol of our values and knowledge, it will carry a message of peace and unity to the farthest reaches of the Universe. Our thoughts and prayers go with you. God’s speed. And good luck.”
So what began as the Alpha Intergalactic Space Station becomes Alpha, The City of a Thousand Planets— “an ever-expanding metropolis where diverse species gather to share knowledge and culture.” And of course such a concept is incredibly encouraging, because it presents a positive, ever-widening future full of hope, adventure, discovery and excitement.
I think that’s the reason I became an SF fan when I was a boy. When I couldn’t find much cause for hope and joy in the past or in the present, I felt confident it had to be in the future. And the prospect of science and technology leading us into this bright future made me want to be involved. I was one of the four hundred thousand people in the capsule with Commander Tom which David Bowie sang about in the film’s opening song, “Space Oddity.” James A. Michener in his novel Space described the vicarious thrill of orbiting with the first astronauts:
“Stand by for engine shutdown,” CapCom said. He was the final link in a tremendous chain of persons and machines around the world. At Mission Control in Houston hundreds of highly skilled men traced every item of the flight with their computers and charts. At radio stations in Australia, Spain, Madagascar, and across America men listened to signals which assured them that this Gemini was sailing serenely, and on all the oceans ships kept silent watch.
Also, in the headquarters of every one of the 319 private companies that had supplied
parts for the flight, men waited on call to provide immediate analysis if one of their parts failed to function, and in some ways they were the most expert of all, because they had made the parts and were intimately familiar with them.
Finally, at each of the many simulators in Houston or Canaveral or the other sites across America, men familiar with their operation waited in case it was necessary to visualize just what was going wrong in the capsule. At a signal, they would jump into the simulators and feed in data which would place them in a jeopardy imitating the one aloft.
When Ferdinand Magellan explored the earth’s oceans he and his men travelled alone in their frail ships, out of touch for years with their supporters in Spain, but when [the first astronauts] sought to explore the oceans of the upper sky they had immediate call upon four hundred thousand assistants, and at times it was difficult to determine who was doing the exploring, [the astronauts] or the men…on the ground who fed them their information and their commands.”
We were all in the capsule with those first astronauts, just as we are all waiting with bated breath for the future to unfold.
Question is, is there something we’ve got to do while we’re waiting?
Yes indeed.
Let me try to explain the best I can. You noticed how even in Science Fiction the characters speak familiar truths? “A symbol of our values and knowledge, it will carry a message of peace and unity to the farthest reaches of the Universe”. I’ve spoken about peace and unity in other Analogies— for instance the District 9 Analogies. I’ve tried to tie all these concepts together into a set of video clips I called TRUE NORTH— the bottom line is that the Creator of the universe designed the universe and all the life in it, and all choices in harmony with that design are good— and all choices in conflict with that design are bad. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Space Program, where the failure of even one small part can mean catastrophe for the whole mission. A complex designed System can only accommodate so many gaffs— whether accidental or intentional.
So a Universe crawling with creatures like those depicted in The City of a Thousand Planets, while they may be different in shape and size, they can’t have essentially different values. They can’t have values and knowledge in conflict with the Designer’s design boundaries. Especially if they’re going to carry and implement a message and a policy of peace and unity throughout the universe.
What am I saying? I’m saying that the most critical ingredient for abundant life and glorious freedom and peace in the Universe would have to be UNITY of VALUES, and specifically unity over what the Designer deems to be the source of LAW in the universe.
Let’s face it, only the Designer would have the knowledge and wisdom to lay down the laws necessary for peace, security, orderliness, and prosperity throughout the Universe. And who is this Designer? Certainly not the phantom Force dubbed evolution. I debunk the current ideology of secular humanism — the force behind the teaching of evolution— in TRUE NORTH, as do many others far more talented and qualified than I. (TRUE NORTH is the factual side of my writings— Analogyman is the fictional. But do not be deceived. Whether factual or fictional, all reasonable, rational, believable modes of communication are based on truth. Fiction not based on the essential obvious truths of reality and existence is not believable. But even science fiction, as outrageously inventive as The City of a Thousand Planets, can’t help but brush either purposely or accidentally against eternal truths.
One of those truths is the existence of an actual city which could be dubbed The City of a Thousand Planets. This city is described in detail in the last book of the Bible, the Revelation:
(Rev 21:2) “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband….” (Rev 21:10)…. “and he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God…”
and from here we have an extensive description which you can read for yourself in Revelation 21:11 through 27. For sake of time and space let me quote only the following select verses:
Rev 21:25-27 “And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
Rev 22:14-15 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
What’s this all about? It’s about the fact that the Bible has been warning for thousands of years that one day we will have a close encounter of the 3rd kind— when a city will descend to earth that will for all intents and purposes resemble this fictional City of a Thousand Planets.
Will you be ready?
What do you suppose you’d have to do to be ready? Notice it says that no evil, wicked, abominable person— no liar, murderer or whoremonger will be allowed in. This means the Creator makes a distinction between the good and the bad. But we know that all men are sinners. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) If EVERYBODY is a sinner, who will be allowed to enter this City?
Rev 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
So how do I get my name into the Lamb’s book of life? You need to be washed.
1Co 6:9-11 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
What this means is that all sinners who will admit they are sinners and who will come humbly to Jesus Christ for salvation will have their sins washed away and will be declared righteous by the Creator God. That’s what a Christian is— a sinner who’s has had his sins forgiven and washed away and who’s been declared clean (righteous) by God.
Maybe you’ve heard this story before. It’s called the Gospel. But maybe in the past the story has been clouded by a lot of religious jargon and the sort of earth-bound lack of imagination that surrounds so much religious orthodoxy.
So keep in mind that the God of the Bible is the creator of the Universe— the creator of galaxies and black holes and every creature small and great, familiar and strange, that walks, crawls, slithers and soars, and every bit of high-tech nanotechnology and robotics mankind has been able to copy from the microbiological microcosm— from the microcosm to the macrocosm this Creator designed ALL, created ALL, KNOWS ALL, PLANNED ALL, CARES FOR ALL— HE IS ALL-IN-ALL.
So certainly if you’ve been drawn here by the marvelous fiction of The City of a Thousand Planets you owe it to yourself and to HIM to check out the facts about what you must do to be ready to face HIM— so that you will be there to see and enter “the New Jersualem come down from heaven, like a bride adorned for her husband.”
He wants you READY. What must you do to be ready? “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” (Romans 10: 9-11). If you’re not too proud to admit you need Christ, pray for Him to save you, you’ll not be disappointed or ashamed. And if you’re not too ashamed to call on Christ, He’ll not be ashamed to be called your God and saviour. “Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.” (Heb 11:16)
Let me start by explaining that the “city of a 1000 planets” is actually the city of ALPHA. The narrator at the beginning of the film explains:
“The Alpha intergalactic space station has reached critical mass in orbit. It’s weight and size now poses a serious threat to Mother Earth. In it’s great wisdom, the Central Committee has decided to use all resources necessary to release the space station from the Earth’s gravity. It’s new course is set for the Magellan Current. Like the great explorer Magellan, the Alpha station will journey into the unknown. A symbol of our values and knowledge, it will carry a message of peace and unity to the farthest reaches of the Universe. Our thoughts and prayers go with you. God’s speed. And good luck.”
So what began as the Alpha Intergalactic Space Station becomes Alpha, The City of a Thousand Planets— “an ever-expanding metropolis where diverse species gather to share knowledge and culture.” And of course such a concept is incredibly encouraging, because it presents a positive, ever-widening future full of hope, adventure, discovery and excitement.
I think that’s the reason I became an SF fan when I was a boy. When I couldn’t find much cause for hope and joy in the past or in the present, I felt confident it had to be in the future. And the prospect of science and technology leading us into this bright future made me want to be involved. I was one of the four hundred thousand people in the capsule with Commander Tom which David Bowie sang about in the film’s opening song, “Space Oddity.” James A. Michener in his novel Space described the vicarious thrill of orbiting with the first astronauts:
“Stand by for engine shutdown,” CapCom said. He was the final link in a tremendous chain of persons and machines around the world. At Mission Control in Houston hundreds of highly skilled men traced every item of the flight with their computers and charts. At radio stations in Australia, Spain, Madagascar, and across America men listened to signals which assured them that this Gemini was sailing serenely, and on all the oceans ships kept silent watch.
Also, in the headquarters of every one of the 319 private companies that had supplied
parts for the flight, men waited on call to provide immediate analysis if one of their parts failed to function, and in some ways they were the most expert of all, because they had made the parts and were intimately familiar with them.
Finally, at each of the many simulators in Houston or Canaveral or the other sites across America, men familiar with their operation waited in case it was necessary to visualize just what was going wrong in the capsule. At a signal, they would jump into the simulators and feed in data which would place them in a jeopardy imitating the one aloft.
When Ferdinand Magellan explored the earth’s oceans he and his men travelled alone in their frail ships, out of touch for years with their supporters in Spain, but when [the first astronauts] sought to explore the oceans of the upper sky they had immediate call upon four hundred thousand assistants, and at times it was difficult to determine who was doing the exploring, [the astronauts] or the men…on the ground who fed them their information and their commands.”
We were all in the capsule with those first astronauts, just as we are all waiting with bated breath for the future to unfold.
Question is, is there something we’ve got to do while we’re waiting?
Yes indeed.
Let me try to explain the best I can. You noticed how even in Science Fiction the characters speak familiar truths? “A symbol of our values and knowledge, it will carry a message of peace and unity to the farthest reaches of the Universe”. I’ve spoken about peace and unity in other Analogies— for instance the District 9 Analogies. I’ve tried to tie all these concepts together into a set of video clips I called TRUE NORTH— the bottom line is that the Creator of the universe designed the universe and all the life in it, and all choices in harmony with that design are good— and all choices in conflict with that design are bad. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Space Program, where the failure of even one small part can mean catastrophe for the whole mission. A complex designed System can only accommodate so many gaffs— whether accidental or intentional.
So a Universe crawling with creatures like those depicted in The City of a Thousand Planets, while they may be different in shape and size, they can’t have essentially different values. They can’t have values and knowledge in conflict with the Designer’s design boundaries. Especially if they’re going to carry and implement a message and a policy of peace and unity throughout the universe.
What am I saying? I’m saying that the most critical ingredient for abundant life and glorious freedom and peace in the Universe would have to be UNITY of VALUES, and specifically unity over what the Designer deems to be the source of LAW in the universe.
Let’s face it, only the Designer would have the knowledge and wisdom to lay down the laws necessary for peace, security, orderliness, and prosperity throughout the Universe. And who is this Designer? Certainly not the phantom Force dubbed evolution. I debunk the current ideology of secular humanism — the force behind the teaching of evolution— in TRUE NORTH, as do many others far more talented and qualified than I. (TRUE NORTH is the factual side of my writings— Analogyman is the fictional. But do not be deceived. Whether factual or fictional, all reasonable, rational, believable modes of communication are based on truth. Fiction not based on the essential obvious truths of reality and existence is not believable. But even science fiction, as outrageously inventive as The City of a Thousand Planets, can’t help but brush either purposely or accidentally against eternal truths.
One of those truths is the existence of an actual city which could be dubbed The City of a Thousand Planets. This city is described in detail in the last book of the Bible, the Revelation:
(Rev 21:2) “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband….” (Rev 21:10)…. “and he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God…”
and from here we have an extensive description which you can read for yourself in Revelation 21:11 through 27. For sake of time and space let me quote only the following select verses:
Rev 21:25-27 “And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.
And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
Rev 22:14-15 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
What’s this all about? It’s about the fact that the Bible has been warning for thousands of years that one day we will have a close encounter of the 3rd kind— when a city will descend to earth that will for all intents and purposes resemble this fictional City of a Thousand Planets.
Will you be ready?
What do you suppose you’d have to do to be ready? Notice it says that no evil, wicked, abominable person— no liar, murderer or whoremonger will be allowed in. This means the Creator makes a distinction between the good and the bad. But we know that all men are sinners. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) If EVERYBODY is a sinner, who will be allowed to enter this City?
Rev 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
So how do I get my name into the Lamb’s book of life? You need to be washed.
1Co 6:9-11 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
What this means is that all sinners who will admit they are sinners and who will come humbly to Jesus Christ for salvation will have their sins washed away and will be declared righteous by the Creator God. That’s what a Christian is— a sinner who’s has had his sins forgiven and washed away and who’s been declared clean (righteous) by God.
Maybe you’ve heard this story before. It’s called the Gospel. But maybe in the past the story has been clouded by a lot of religious jargon and the sort of earth-bound lack of imagination that surrounds so much religious orthodoxy.
So keep in mind that the God of the Bible is the creator of the Universe— the creator of galaxies and black holes and every creature small and great, familiar and strange, that walks, crawls, slithers and soars, and every bit of high-tech nanotechnology and robotics mankind has been able to copy from the microbiological microcosm— from the microcosm to the macrocosm this Creator designed ALL, created ALL, KNOWS ALL, PLANNED ALL, CARES FOR ALL— HE IS ALL-IN-ALL.
So certainly if you’ve been drawn here by the marvelous fiction of The City of a Thousand Planets you owe it to yourself and to HIM to check out the facts about what you must do to be ready to face HIM— so that you will be there to see and enter “the New Jersualem come down from heaven, like a bride adorned for her husband.”
He wants you READY. What must you do to be ready? “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” (Romans 10: 9-11). If you’re not too proud to admit you need Christ, pray for Him to save you, you’ll not be disappointed or ashamed. And if you’re not too ashamed to call on Christ, He’ll not be ashamed to be called your God and saviour. “Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.” (Heb 11:16)