Bungie Universe
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  • Subject: Something I realized last night
Subject: Something I realized last night
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This probably goes in the Library, but nobody goes there, but feel free to lock it.

So most people know about some books that supposably Bungie got a lot of ideas for Halo from. But one thing that I'm surprised has never come up (and if it has I must have missed it *apologies) is the movie Soldier. Does anyone remember that? It starred Kurt Russell, and in the beginning it's about this military program where they raise children from birth into super soldiers. Now there's nothing about augmentations or super body armor, but it seems pretty damn similar to me. Any one else?

  • 08.21.2004 5:10 PM PDT

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I believe that Halo was already in production in 1998, the year that Soldier came out, so I doubt that the movie itself was an influence. However, for a while it was a relatively common theme in written SF... the set that jumps to mind is Timothy Zahn's Cobra series.

I'm pretty sure that Soldier itself was inspired by an SF novel or short story, just as Blade Runner was inspired by P.K. Dick's "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" Alas, I can't remember which one though... and IMDB, to my surprise, doesn't list it.

It wouldn't surprise me if any of these stories/novels were an influence; Bungie's pretty thorough with their looting and pillaging of plot lines. That's one of the reasons I like their games so much!

-- Steve knows that if you're gonna steal, ya gotta steal from MANY places or it'll just look like a knock-off.

  • 08.21.2004 5:48 PM PDT
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I must congratulate your work Anton P Nym, you always seem to have the perfect answer, and I bet you aslo like to have the last laugh at everything. Well you certainly did here. I wonder, how ever did you get so smart?

  • 08.21.2004 6:05 PM PDT

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Posted by: ChubbOnWall1
I wonder, how ever did you get so smart?

I did my homework... it's easier to do with Google, the Internet Movie Database, the Internet Speculative Fiction Database, and other search engines.

On this one... well, I've been an SF nut since 1977. Reading it for twenty-se7en years helps a lot too.

-- Steve realises that the second bit isn't available to everybody... but the first is and it really helps a lot.

  • 08.21.2004 8:17 PM PDT
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Its possible that bungie was influenced by these sources. However, the idea of raising children to be soldiers form six, that comes from the spartans of anciant greek history, whom 300 of them slayed 10,000 persians in an attempt to protect a mountain pass to greece. Alas, they were all killed. This battle of Thermopylae is also where i derived my signature.

  • 08.21.2004 8:32 PM PDT
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Blade Runner was awesome. Did anybody notice the similarities between Alien Vs. Predator (the movie) and Pathways Into Darkness? They both had an aztec pyramid, and aliens that are worshipped as Gods on Earth, and Special Forces going into the temple (in AVP they had archeologists who, for some unknown reason, carry assault rifles when they go exploring). But I did notice a huge difference between AvP and PiD: Pathways into Darkness was good.

  • 08.21.2004 8:39 PM PDT
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ChubbOnWall1 @
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On this one... well, I've been an SF nut since 1977. Reading it for twenty-se7en years helps a lot too. Dude that must mean that you are like at least ... 2004 subtract 1977 multiply by the square root of how many rice crispies are in the avg faimily size bag minus the current angle the moon the and the earth make with the sun. Gasp! You must me at least 27, no offence dude but your kinda old for video games. Well actually retract my last statement. If it's what you like to do and it makes you happy, then i'm all for ya man. It;s just odd thats all, never seen a 27(or older)year old gamer.lol.

And I guess that does more then explain why you know what you were talking about.

Hail, hold of all knowledge.lol. I wish i could no that much about stuff. Can I me your apprentice or something? lol

Peace

  • 08.21.2004 10:59 PM PDT
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I didnt realize there was a maximum age to enjoy video games...

Sorry, not trying to be an ass but I see and hear so much of this. I happen to know quite a few 30+ year old gamers. Why should one medium of entertainment be seen as 'for kids' yet no one questions it if someone who is 76 watches TV or goes to movies. It is all the same. If you enjoy something, then do it.

  • 08.21.2004 11:39 PM PDT
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Blade_Runner, Coolest movie [ever]

and yes! harrison ford WAS a replicant!

bwahaha!

  • 08.22.2004 1:05 AM PDT

I was under the impression that Blade Runner was the film-ification of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, rather than just inspired by it. I haven't seen the movie myself; I've only read the book, but from what people who've seen it have told me, it's basically the same.

Unless you don't mean the kind of "inspired" that people use when referring to I, Robot. :)

- Reiginko

  • 08.22.2004 4:22 AM PDT
Subject: Bungie's literary influences.

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Thanks for the input, Woc Cixelsid... can't believe that I'd forget the Three Hundred at Thermopylae. Coffee, need more coffee...

It's a heck of a story, and probably it inspired all the rest, either directly or indirectly through other works. One of these days I'll get around to finding and reading Gates of Fire.

Posted by: Reiginko
I was under the impression that Blade Runner was the film-ification of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, rather than just inspired by it. I haven't seen the movie myself; I've only read the book, but from what people who've seen it have told me, it's basically the same.

Unless you don't mean the kind of "inspired" that people use when referring to I, Robot. :)


When I use "inspired by", I mean more than just "used the same 26 letters of the alphabet." :)

Actually, I gotta confess that I haven't read Electric Sheep. I was going by memory of the press propaganda around the release. I hope it's close... closer than Total Recall was to "We Can Remember it for you Wholesale".

(Hmm... Dick's had a lot of movies made from his work, hasn't he? But that's starting to drift off-topic, unless anybody thinks that Screamers or Minority Report influenced Bungie work...?)

To bring this back to Bungie influences, Jason Jones expressly said that The Mote in God's Eye and Starhammer had influenced the plot of Halo. (Gaah! Can't find the interview... it used to be in Tru7h and Reconciliation before the New Hotness hit.) There's good evidence that the Culture novels by Banks pulled some strings, too... not the least of which is that Halo is an Orbital, and that the ship names are reminiscent.

This could be interesting... what other literary influences can we find?

-- Steve's afraid to see I, Robot... he loved Dr. Asimov's work, and it's always received shabbier treatment in movies than Dick's.

  • 08.22.2004 6:52 AM PDT
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Hey...there's alot of good potential reading material in this topic.

How many books are in the Culture series? And is The mote in Gods Eye part of a series too, or just a single novel?

Oh yeah, I just ordered Starhammer and a few others that are part of that series, but Im not sure if I got them all...is Starhammer the first one I should read, if anyone knows?

  • 08.22.2004 10:34 AM PDT

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Posted by: MasterChief420
Hey...there's alot of good potential reading material in this topic.

Oh, yeah. I'm looking forward to seeing some interesting recommendations here.

How many books are in the Culture series? And is The mote in Gods Eye part of a series too, or just a single novel?
ISFDB lists se7en (dunh dunh dunh...) of which six have been nominated for or received literary awards. Hmm... I'll have to break down and read them too.

Mote has one direct sequel, The Gripping Hand. It's not quite as good as the original, but since the original rawked multi-worlds it's still worth reading. (Heh heh, my copy's autographed by Niven. In person. Whee!) The two books are set in the same universe as Pournelle's Codominium series, which has some interesting reading in it. Mote is the best of them, though.

Oh yeah, I just ordered Starhammer and a few others that are part of that series, but Im not sure if I got them all...is Starhammer the first one I should read, if anyone knows?
Starhammer is indeed the first in the series. I haven't read the others as the Vang really don't float my boat, but I've had friends look at me funny and edge away from me when I say that so Your Milage May Vary.

-- Steve's glad to see so many records of our lost time. Human fiction, is it? [o]

  • 08.22.2004 11:19 AM PDT
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Thanks, Anton P Nym. I really started getting back into sci-fi books after Halo, after a few years of reading mostly military history (interestingly enough, the last time I read science fiction novels as much I do now was around the time Marathon was out...).

I'm sure you've either read or heard of them, but the 'Ender' series from Orson Scot Card are a good read as well. I just finsihed Speaker for the Dead (2nd in the series) last week. Good stuff.

  • 08.22.2004 11:58 AM PDT