The discovery of Kepler 186f, an Earth-like planet orbiting a red dwarf star in the constellation Cygnus in our galaxy, does for the imagination what the genre of science fiction has endeavored to do since its very first page. Try to merge the tangible with the fictional, or the constant with the variable. The constant in this case being the existence of Kepler 186f, and the current variable being what we might find there. Science fiction literature and films have mined this plot for many years.Celebrated director Stanley Kubrick had shot a prologue to his masterpiece “2001: A Space Odyssey” that had 20 scientists discussing their views on aliens, space exploration and evolution, but it never made the theatrical cut. Kubrick’s film was influenced by the theories of a scientist named Bernard Lovell, the creator of the giant Lovell Telescope and the Jodrell Bank Observatory. Lovell, in the transcript of this prologue, talks about the inevitable discovery of habitable planets, of which there was no proof at the time of this discussion. We’ve been told now that there are billions of habitable planets in our Milky Way, many of which were discovered by NASA’s Kepler spacecraft in recent years. But Kepler 186f has displayed the chops that make it the stuff of fantasy, a lot of which has already been pitched, marketed and released with brimming bags of popcorn.Here is a list of films that explore the realms of imagination to deliver scenarios for when another habitable planet happens to come into contact with humanity.Another EarthA micro-budget, almost DIY indie film, written and directed by Brit Marling and Mike Cahill, “Another Earth” started out with a single image – that of a duplicate Earth appearing, one sudden day, in the sky. The fact that this planet is a parallel Earth is established when a scientist communicating with a person from Earth 2 realizes that she is talking to another version of herself. The film, however, pegs itself on the sci-fi hook using the sole fact, without a single space suit or teleportation pod in sight. Instead, it chooses to adopt a metaphysical worldview and focus on the very human story of a girl searching for redemption. Marling plays the lead role, alongside actor William Mapother. The film went on to win the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize and the Special Jury Prize at the Sundance film festival. “Another Earth” is a small story with a huge concept. Having watched it, the news about Kepler 186f takes on an eerie, mystical quality.Interstellar Considering the state of our planet, it is not entirely whimsical to wonder if, having wrecked our current galactic postal address, we might find a way to move to another habitable world and start afresh with a clear conscience. That is the premise of Christopher Nolan’s epic 2014 sci-fi film. The discovery of a wormhole enables access to three habitable planets, and a crew shoots off from Earth to explore which of these can be colonized in order to ensure a bankable future for mankind. The film ends up playing with the concept of time more than space and laying its stock by the power of human relationships. Then there’s Michael Caine’s character in the film mouthing the words, “We’re not meant to save the world, we’re meant to leave it,” which might make Generation 3001 turn squinty eyes towards Kepler 186f and view it in a new light.PandorumThis German-British 2009 film also speculates on the future of Earth being bleak, with drastically diminished resources and an unsustainable population. The Earth-like planet that mankind subsequently sets its sights on is called Tanis. Sixty thousand Earthlings are sent off on a 123-year journey to land on and colonize Tanis. The story plays out in the claustrophobic confines of this interstellar ark named Elysium and lays its final trust in all inherent and base human instincts battling against the supreme desire for survival.ContactImagine hearing Adolf Hitler’s 1936 welcome address from the Summer Olympics in Berlin transmitted back to Earth over SETI’s inter-planetary audio signal receiver. In the 1997 film “Contact”, adapted from Carl Sagan’s novel of the same name, Jodi Foster plays a SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence) scientist who receives such a transmission that is evidence of life on a distant planetary object and attempts to make contact. What she experiences finally points towards the existence of an older and more evolved extra-terrestrial race. The film plays out one scenario of mankind making contact with the unknown, and renewing its perspective and place in the order of things.AvatarEveryone, irrespective of their proclivity towards science fiction, knows about James Cameron’s 2009 film “Avatar” and its magnificent world of Pandora. While Pandora is not habitable for humans, it is shown as a planet (moon of a planet, to nitpick) in possession of minerals that can be mined to defuse Earth’s severe energy crisis. Humankind then resorts to manipulation, deception and aggression in order to obtain Pandora’s precious resource. A battle of morality ensues. It is important to remember that at the end of the day, Cameron is a director of extremely palatable summer blockbusters.SolarisAndrei Tarkovsky’s 1972 Russian science fiction film, and the 2002 American remake by Steven Soderbergh starring George Clooney, imagine a far off oceanic planet named Solaris. Warranting human investigation, Solaris has a scientific research station orbiting it. The astronauts in the space station report mysterious sightings and a new crew of scientists from Earth is sent off to the space station to investigate. Though the remake deviates in story from the original, both movies are in part psychological thrillers delving into the realm of the mystical to make sense of the vast unknown. Follow @ARTINFOIndia
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