The Voyage of the Space Beagle by A. E. Van Vogt
"The Voyage of the Space Beagle" is a science fiction novel by A. E. van Vogt that weaves together themes of knowledge, conflict, and survival in an interstellar setting. The narrative follows Elliott Grosvenor, a Nexialist—practitioner of a philosophy focused on integrating various fields of knowledge—as he navigates the complexities of a scientific mission aboard the Space Beagle, named after Darwin's ship. The crew, composed of 804 scientists and 180 officers, faces numerous challenges, including confrontations with advanced alien species like the Coeurl, the Riim, and the Ixtl, which test their understanding and adaptability.
Grosvenor's role becomes crucial as he attempts to harmonize the diverse expertise onboard, particularly in the face of opposition from Gregory Kent, head of the chemistry department. As tensions rise, especially when the crew encounters the enigmatic Anabis, a life-form that poses a hidden threat, Grosvenor must employ his Nexial techniques to unite the team and devise a solution. The novel explores the impact of individual perspectives within a collective mission, highlighting the necessity of interdisciplinary cooperation in overcoming existential threats in the vastness of space. Through its rich narrative, "The Voyage of the Space Beagle" offers a thought-provoking commentary on the challenges of scientific discourse and human conflict when confronted with the unknown.
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The Voyage of the Space Beagle
First published: 1950 (episodes originally published in Astounding, 1939-1943, and Other Worlds, 1950; also published as Mission: Interplanetary, 1952)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—cosmic voyage
Time of work: An indefinite time in the future
Locale: Intergalactic space
The Plot
The Voyage of the Space Beagle incorporates A. E. van Vogt’s first two published science-fiction stories, “Black Destroyer” and “Discord in Scarlet,” along with additional material, to form a cohesive plot. The novel centers on Elliott Grosvenor’s attempts to educate the specialized scientific community aboard the Space Beagle—named for Charles Darwin’s ship—in the science of Nexialism, or “applied whole-ism,” as the ship courses through intergalactic space on a dangerous scientific expedition. As the only Nexialist on board, Grosvenor must contend with the egos and fragmentary knowledge of 804 scientists and 180 officers as they encounter a succession of highly evolved aliens.
The tension between Grosvenor and his main antagonist, Gregory Kent, the overly emotional head of the chemistry department, accelerates after the ship’s encounter with the Coeurl, a highly skilled catlike creature capable of interfering with energy sources in search of its food source, “id,” or potassium suspended in living tissue. Grosvenor’s synthesis of knowledge from each of the scientific communities, along with an explanation of Spenglerian cycles by historian/archaeologist Dr. Korita, leads to success in an encounter with the Coeurl.
Because of his Nexial conditioning, Grosvenor proves similarly successful in resisting the hypnotic images thrust on the ship by the Riim, an overspecialized civilization of birdlike creatures whose quest for emotional fulfillment through communal thought leads to chaos aboard the Space Beagle. He prevails as well in the even more difficult encounter with the Ixtl, a cylindrical scarlet being capable of living in intergalactic space but incapable of reproducing without living beings, or “guuls,” to hatch its eggs.
These achievements lead to some recognition for Grosvenor, particularly from Director Hal Morton, geology department head McCann, and military leader Captain Leeth. They also, however, deepen Kent’s hostility toward Grosvenor. When Morton is wounded severely in the attack on the Ixtl, Kent becomes acting director and threatens Grosvenor’s position on the ship. This situation arises as the Space Beagle meets its greatest challenge, the Anabis, a “nebular-dust intelligence” that extracts life and knowledge from dying creatures and has solved the problems of hyperspace. Because the Anabis has posed no clear threat to the Space Beagle, the rest of the scientists resist accepting the notion of such a life-form on the basis of nothing more than scanty evidence of murmurings, heard only by Grosvenor, and a slight electric charge in space dust. In a last-ditch effort to save not only the spaceship but intergalactic life as well, Grosvenor uses hypnosis and other Nexial techniques to evade capture by Kent and to convince the scientists that they must take desperate measures to destroy the Anabis.
After the Space Beagle has traveled far enough into intergalactic space to deprive the Anabis of its two necessities, ultraviolet light and food, Grosvenor achieves victory. Glancing into the audience as he delivers a lecture on the fragmentation of science, he observes Kent taking notes on Nexialism while the Space Beagle advances through the endless night.