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Saluting Sci-Fi; Paul Allen Turns Lifelong Love of Science Fiction into Museum, Hall of Fame

Posted on: Tuesday, 24 January 2006, 18:00 CST

By MIKE BAILEY Columbian staff writer

Not too long ago, in city not so far away, Paul Allen championed a home for space travelers, creepy creatures, mad scientists and the fans who love them.

The Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame landed in Seattle two years ago and immediately began providing sensory overload to sci- fi fans. From its expansive look at the history of science fiction to the set props from today's most successful sci-fi movies, the museum takes visitors on a wild ride of past, present and future.

And that journey takes on a new dimension next month when the museum hosts the first Science Fiction Short Film Festival from 4 to 9 p.m. on Feb. 4. The top 20 films submitted last year will be shown in two screenings at the Seattle Cinerama Theatre, 2100 Fourth Ave., Seattle.

It's an international list of entries and winners will be announced at the end of the screenings.

Allen, a Microsoft Corp. co-founder and the world's fifth wealthiest person according to Forbes magazine, invested $20 million in 2004 to add the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame to his Experience Music Project in Seattle, a city already rich in sci-fi history.

Nearby Mount Rainier was the site of the first recorded UFO sighting in 1947, a whole year before the dust-up over near Roswell, N.M.

"And the Pacific Northwest has long been a hotbed of science fiction writers -- William Gibson, Frank Herbert, Terry Brooks and Octavia Butler to name a few," said Jacob McMurray, senior curator for the Science Fiction Museum as well as the Experience Music Project.

But the reason the museum ended up in the Emerald City is because Allen, who lives in the area, indulges his personal interests with the billions he made. He has had a lifelong fascination with the sci- fi genre, which propelled him to amass an extensive personal collection of ray guns used as movie props now displayed at the museum. As an adult, he's been investing millions of dollars to explore intelligent life in outer space.

Allen has made the science fiction museum a world-class attraction that melds artifacts and antiques with futuristic images of life in coming centuries.

Some of the museum's artifacts, including Captain Kirk's chair from the original set of the "Star Trek" series, a poster for the movie "Attack of the 50-Ft. Woman" and those ray guns are from Allen's personal collection of sci-fi memorabilia. Others, such as a giant replica of the creature from "Alien," and the loin cloth worn by Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes," have come from movie sets or been donated by motion picture studios and directors.

Even sci-fi buffs can feel overwhelmed with the depth of items available for viewing. There's a first edition printing of H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine," movie props from "Blade Runner" and "The Day the Earth Stood Still" to the "Star Wars" anthology. Visitors can watch a television broadcast of one of the original "Lost in Space" shows or view drawings and paintings from the late 1800s and early 1900s of how artist William A. MacKay and others envisioned life in the 21st century and beyond.

All await those entering the museum. A long corridor leading from the museum entrance to the exhibits is better than anything you'll see waiting in line at Disneyland's Space Mountain or Star Wars rides. You are instantly transported into steel tubes lined with flashing panels as if you had just entered a space ship ready to launch on a tour of the galaxy.

Once inside, there are four galleries to explore -- Homeworld, Brave New Worlds, Them! and Make Contact.

In Homeworld, take a stroll along the science fiction timeline and see when significant events took place; see how science fiction influenced architecture and cities decades later. This also is where you'll find a free-floating three-dimensional replica of a planet hovering in the middle of the room. Four projectors create the illusion of the planets, alternating from our own galaxy's Jupiter to the imaginary world of Hoth from "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back."

Fantastic Voyages examines the elements of science fiction, from real and make-believe planets to space ships and characters. It prompts you to consider what science fiction suggests could be future ways to travel -- worm holes, time travel and getting from one planet to another in the comfort of your own transport pod. Fantastic Voyages is home to one of the most popular exhibits -- a space station dock with a 12-foot window into space with 25 different ships -- from "Star Trek's" Enterprise to the cartoon ship from "Futurama." Punch in a code and the ship flies up to the window for close inspection and details of the ship appear on the screen panel.

In Brave New Worlds, you can explore theories on what will survive when worlds come to an end and how humans will evolve in future centuries. Among the many interactive exhibits in this area is Cities of Tomorrow, where visitors can create cityscapes from legendary urban areas of sci-fi, including "Blade Runner,""The Matrix" and even "The Jetsons."

Remember the 1960s movie "Them!" based on colonies of ants the size of an RV? That's the origin of the Them! gallery in the museum devoted to creatures and creations (think robots and other forms of artificial beings) as well as a exhibit by the SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence) Institute. It shows how SETI searches for signs of life in outer space with scale models of telescopes used on display.

Science fiction and fantasy go together like Batman and Robin, but with just 13,000 square feet devoted to exhibits in the museum, officials used a phaser to eliminate anything considered to be pure fantasy.

Well, almost.

You won't find tributes to Harry Potter or "Lord of the Rings."

But Godzilla made it. King Kong didn't.

If you're having a hard time navigating that gray line between science fiction and fantasy, imagine the struggle museum curators went through. Even after George Lucas described his "Star Wars" series as fantasy, museum officials politely disagreed and put items from the movie, including Darth Vader's mask, on display.

Sci-fi geeks and fantasy freaks may argue for millenniums over the definition of science fiction, but the bottom line of inclusion at the museum is it qualifies if it involves some form of science and it is based on the possibility that it could happen in the real world some day.

After a walk through the museum, let's hope possibility isn't the day after tomorrow.

Quiz

Before visiting the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame in Seattle, take stock of just how much science fiction trivia you already know. Warning, Will Robinson -- the following questions are not a test for those who are simply casual fans of the genre. And no turning to Captain Kirk or Spider-Man aficionados on the Internet for help. Let this test be a Hans Solo excursion. If you score 10 or more correct answers, consider yourself an honored member of the Jedi Council. Get 6-9 correct and you qualify to join the Fantastic Four. For those with less than six correct, don't expect Scotty to beam you up anytime soon.

1. Which volume is not part of Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" Trilogy?

A. "Foundation."B. "Second Foundation."C. "Third Foundation."D. "Foundation and Empire."

2. The peace-loving race in H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine" was the Eloi. What race lived underground and ate the Eloi?

A. Morks.B. Pipers.C. Anthrops.D. Morlocks.

3. What was the name of the computer in the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey?"

A. BEN.B. DAN.C. HAL. D. ACE.

4. What is the name of Ray Bradbury's semi-autobiographical recollection of life in a small town in the summer of 1928?

A. "A Graveyard for Lunatics."B. "Dandelion Wine."C. "The October Country."D. "The Golden Apples of the Sun."

5. Which character was not portrayed by actress Veronica Cartwright?

A. Felicia Alden in "Witches of Eastwick."B. Lambert in "Alien."C. Cathy Brenner in "The Birds."D. Rheya in "Solaris."

6. Ray Bradbury wrote the original manuscript of "Fahrenheit 451" on a rented typewriter in a public library. It first appeared in print in which magazine?

A. Playboy.B. Ladies Home Journal.C. Scientific Journal.D. New Yorker.

7. Richard Dreyfuss portrayed Roy Neary in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." Which actor was not among those in the running for the role before Dreyfuss was chosen?

A. Al Pacino.B. Dustin Hoffman.C. Robert DeNiro.D. James Caan.

8. Flash Gordon's mortal enemy is:

A. Kayne the Killer.B. Tomrac the Terrible.C. Grol of Grale.D. Ming the Merciless.

9. What is the name of a Pat Frank novel published in 1959 about residents of a small Florida town who survive a nuclear war?

A. "Mushroom Alley."B. "Alas, Babylon."C. "Mr. Adam."D. "Hold Back the Night."

10. Arnold Schwarzenegger was cast to play the hero in 1984's "The Terminator" before he was reassigned as the menacing terminator. Who was originally cast as the terminator?

A. Lance Henrikson.

B. Charlie Sheen.

C. Clint Eastwood.

D. Sylvester Stallone.

11. This member of the Legion of Super-Heroes could eat anything, including glass, metal, and chemicals.

A. Matter-Eater Lad.

B. Iron Stomach Man.

C. Ingest Boy.

D. Gastric Girl.

12. Who wrote the book "Dune"?

A. Frank Herbert.

B. Isaac Asimov.

C. Ursula K. LeGuin.

D. Edgar Rice Burroughs.

13. In the "Star Wars" movies, C-3PO is familiar with how many forms of communication?

A. 10,000.

B. 6 million.

C. 100,000.

D. 239.

14. Who wrote the trilogy, "Red Mars,""Green Mars," and "Blue Mars"?

A. Aldous Huxley.

B. C.S. Lewis.

C. Kim Stanley Robinson.

D. Ray Bradbury.

15. These two authors are considered be the "fathers" of modern science fiction with their works in the late 19th century.

A. Jules Verne and H.G. Wells.

B. Isaac Asimov and Frederic Brown.

C. Lewis Padgett and H.G. Wells.

D. Jules Verne and Isaac Asimov.

If you go

What: Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame.

Where: 325 Fifth Ave. North, Seattle; attached to the Experience Music Project at the base of the Space Needle in Seattle Center.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday through May 26. Closed Mondays and Christmas Day.

Cost: Science Fiction Museum admission only: $12.95, $8.95 seniors and ages 7-17. Combined Science Fiction Museum and Experience Music Project admission: $26.95, $19.95 seniors and ages 7-17. Both attractions free for ages 6 and younger.

Information: 877-724-3428 or www.sfhomeworld.org.

Sci-fi short film festival

The museum will hold its first Science Fiction Short Film Festival from 4-9 p.m. Feb. 4. The top 20 films submitted last year will be shown in two screenings at the Seattle Cinerama Theatre, 2100 Fourth Ave., Seattle.

The international list of entries and winners will be announced at the end of the screenings.

Admission is $7 for one screening (10 films) or $10 for both screenings (20 films and the awards ceremony).

Call the Science Fiction Museum box office at 206-770-2702 for more information or to buy tickets.

Answers

1. C2. D3. C4. B5. D 6. A 7. C8. D9. B10. A11. A12. A13. B14. C15. A

Source: Columbian

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