Editorial

Friends, Libertarians, Unindicted Co-conspirators, lend me your eyes.

Once again I have delivered another issue of Prometheus. This one is late, again, but nowhere nearly as late as the last one. I think I’m getting better at this.

To make up for the tardiness, this issue is chock-a-block full of goodies. I rejected a lot of timely material, as well as material that was too good to delay. I hope you enjoy it.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

This show has certainly improved from its horrible first season and Melinda Snodgrass is definitely part of the reason. Ever since she became script editor and now “executive script consultant” the show has turned its back on its policy of just remaking shows from the original.

Snodgrass has also written two of the best episodes for ST:TNG: “The Measure of a Man” and “The High Ground”. The first concerned the definition of humanity and sentience as applied to the android character, Data. The second had much more radical politics: it concerned the role of the Federation in a civil war between a planetary Government and a “bunch of terrorists.” There were parallels and comparisons to the PLO and IRA of today.

There has been some talk about Prometheus awards for TV shows and movies. I don’t know if there is enough libertarianism in the respective media to warrant an award, but I do recommend a plaque of some sort for Snodgrass’s work in keeping thoughts of freedom on TV.

Speaking of other media, the comic book (or graphic novel) has long been a favourite of mine. It is currently one of the most exciting and freest of the media in which to work. William Stoddard has sent in a review and nomination for Alan Moore’s anarcho-libertarian masterpiece, V for Vendetta. Since DC is publishing this series as a graphic novel later this year, I think it is the perfect nomination for the 1991 Prometheus award for best novel. I read its first few chapters ten years ago when it was serialized in the ill-fated British magazine Warrior. I was shocked then by its unequivocal libertarian message. It is one of the best libertarian works I have ever read. When DC Comics finished its serialization here in America they did us all a service.

Marvel Comics has done us a similar service in its comic Open Space. Issue 3 contains the marvelous (no pun intended) story “There Ain’t No Such Thing as a Free Launch” by L. Neil Smith. It is a fun story about a bunch of misfit libertarians buying a rocket and attempting to relocate to a planet aptly named “Hell”.

Back to British comics, I have a long review of the magazine 2000 A.D. Unfortunately, I separated the review from the envelope in which is came, and the review is not signed. Please, who wrote this wonderful piece? [Editor: — The author was identified in the following issue, and is listed correctly in the review now.]

APOLOGIES

Ignoring John Wayne's dictum in The Searchers, I am going to apologise to people whose articles have gotten lost in the shuffle.

Firstly, Neal Wilgus. I am sorry. Between Len and myself, we have lost your review of Charlie Platt’s Free Zone. I just don’t know what became of it. I am glad that you could get it to me.

Secondly, I have stepped all over the toes of Anders Monsen. He submitted a review of Henry Martyn in November of 1989, but it did not reach my eyes until after I had published my own review in the last issue. Since we agree too much about the book, I have decided not to include his review in this issue. I hope you will submit again.

Bill Stoddard, I realise now that you wanted to nominate V for Vendetta for the 1990 Prometheus. But since DC has just published the graphic novel, I figure it should be eligible for next year’s Prometheus if we treat it with the same rules as a novel serialized in a magazine.

NEXT ISSUE: Bill Ritch’s review of the restored Heinlein books: The Puppet Masters and Red Planet.