In Arthur C. Clarke 's Space Odyssey series
Space Odyssey
The Space Odyssey series is a series of science fiction novels by the writer Arthur C. Clarke. Two of the novels have been made into feature films, released in 1968 and 1984 respectively. Two of Clarke's early short stories may also be considered part of the series.
What are monoliths in Space Odyssey?
Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. In Arthur C. Clarke 's Space Odyssey series, Monoliths are machines built by an unseen extraterrestrial species Clarke dubbed the Firstborn, whom he suggests are the earliest highly intelligent species to evolve in the Milky Way.
What does the monolith symbolize?
Of course, the monolith has also become an iconic symbol for the unknowable mysteries of the universe. The computer that runs the Discovery spaceship has also become an iconic symbol of man’s technology turning on its creators.
What is the purpose of the monolith in Star Citizen?
The monolith is the subject of the film's final line of dialogue (spoken at the end of the "Jupiter Mission" segment): "Its origin and purpose still a total mystery".
What does monolith mean in 2001: A Space Odyssey?
Clarke's Space Odyssey series, Monoliths are machines in black cuboids whose sides extend in the precise ratio of 1 : 4 : 9 (12 : 22 : 32) built by an unseen extraterrestrial species whom Clarke dubbed the Firstborn and whom he suggests are the earliest highly intelligent species to evolve in the Milky Way.
What is the black monolith and what does it symbolize?
It can also be seen as a symbol of predestined fate. The monoliths lead humanity to Jupiter like some big black breadcrumbs. Also, it isn't like the early hominids or Bowman decided they wanted to become the fulcrum for the next stage in humanity's evolution.
Where did the monolith come from 2001: A Space Odyssey?
The monoliths were created by an unseen alien race, known only as the "Firstborn." The first monolith to be discovered was officially dubbed Tycho Magnetic Anomaly One, or TMA-1. Three of the other monoliths were also given "TMA" designations, although none of them except the Tycho Monolith were located on the moon.
Why is the monolith important?
Monoliths act as doorways to other worlds, but not everyone can open them. The Deathless Mother needed Ciri's powers — and the monoliths have proven to be a key aspect in explaining just how deep her powers are.
Why did HAL 9000 go crazy?
Dr. Chandra discovers that HAL's crisis was caused by a programming contradiction: he was constructed for "the accurate processing of information without distortion or concealment", yet his orders, directly from Dr.
Whose music is linked to the monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey?
But, thanks in particular to its use in Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey, the fanfare from Also sprach Zarathustra has become a self-contained piece of music, in Kubrick's film heralding The Dawn of Man, and widely used in popular culture as a signifier of impending glories.
What is the monolith supposed to be?
In the most literal narrative sense, as found in the concurrently written novel, the Monolith is a tool, an artifact of an alien civilisation. It comes in many sizes and appears in many places, always in the purpose of advancing intelligent life. Arthur C.
What's the meaning of monoliths?
a single great stoneDefinition of monolith 1 : a single great stone often in the form of an obelisk or column A granite monolith stands at the center of the park. 2 : a massive structure The 70-story monolith is one of Europe's tallest buildings.
Who made the original monolith?
Unlike the Utah and Romania monoliths, we do actually know who is responsible for the California monolith. It was built by Atascadero residents Travis Kenney, his father Randall Kenney, Wade McKenzie, and Jared Riddle. They're local metal artists, and they were inspired by the appearance of the two other monoliths.
What did Ciri do to the monolith?
During the climactic season 2 finale showdown at Kaer Morhen, the Deathless Mother possessed Ciri and used her supernatural powers to break the medallion tree in the keep's great hall apart, revealing yet another monolith. This allowed the Deathless Mother to bring basilisks from another world straight into the keep.
How did Ciri destroy the monolith?
The black ash they discover comes from a monolith that Ciri destroyed through her scream. Only someone as powerful as Ciri could make something like this happen, as the monoliths are usually very hard to destroy. Moreover, it's vital that they remain in place, as they keep monsters and curses from attacking humans.
How did Ciri crack the monolith?
As they leave toward the forest, Ciri sees a burning Cintra. Filled with rage, tension, fear, and more, Ciri uses a powerful scream to escape. Her scream causes the monolith to break and the earth to split open.
What is a monolith in Space Odyssey?
Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. In Arthur C. Clarke 's Space Odyssey, Monoliths are machines built by an unseen extraterrestrial species. In the series of novels (and the films based on these), three Monoliths are discovered in the Solar System by hominids and humans. The response of the characters to their discovery drives ...
What is the function of a monolith?
In Arthur C. Clarke 's Space Odyssey, Monoliths are machines built by an unseen extraterrestrial species. In the series of novels (and the films based on these), three Monoliths are discovered in ...
What is the name of the monolith in the Galaxy?
He nicknames it "Minilith" for its small size compared to other observed Monoliths. At the end of the book it is explained that Halman used the Minilith to replicate Heywood Floyd's consciousness to help him uncover the Monolith's operations.
How long is the Great Wall Monolith?
The Great Wall Monolith is described as being two kilometers long in the 2061 novel but 20 kilometers long in the 3001 novel.
Why did the TMA-2 Monolith decide to convert Jupiter into a new star?
TMA-2 thus converted Jupiter into a new star (dubbed "Lucifer", meaning "light-bringer") to warm Europa into more habitable conditions – at the cost of exterminating the Jovians, ocean-like creatures who swam through the upper atmosphere of Jupiter. The Jovians were judged too primitive, as due to their environment they had no hope of ever developing to become an advanced civilization.
How long can a monolith survive?
The Monoliths are extremely long-lived and reliable machines, able to survive for millions of years buried in the ground or resisting meteorite impacts and radiation in space with no apparent damage. The two Monoliths recovered and examined by humans are virtually indestructible and impenetrable, resisting all attempts to analyze their composition or internal structure right up to the end of the series. Dr. Heywood Floyd proposes they have some sort of force shield, an impression he gets from touching it; this hypothesis is later accepted as probable because the Monoliths resist destructive testing beyond the theoretical limits of material strength. However, they are not completely indestructible: The Great Wall Monolith (perhaps the same as TMA-2) was knocked on its side and suffered from damage caused by a giant meteorite of solid diamond that collided with Europa in 2061: Odyssey Three. In the final book, 3001: The Final Odyssey, all three Monoliths known to humankind are deactivated by being infected with a powerful computer virus .
What is the name of the object that was found in the Odyssey?
This object was dubbed "TMA-2", a term that the book calls "doubly inappropriate": it had no magnetic field, and was millions of miles from Tycho. (TMA-2 was often referred to as "Big Brother" due to David Bowman 's comments on its larger size). TMA-2 acted as a Star Gate and transported Dave Bowman across the galaxy in 2001 and brought his consciousness back again in 2010, at which time it duplicated itself over a million times to transform Jupiter into a star. Afterwards, TMA-2 became the home for the digitized minds of Bowman and HAL and supposedly moved to Europa to watch over the evolution of life there. In 2061: Odyssey Three, it is implied that TMA-2 is the monolith found resting on its side on Europa because it has the same size (2 kilometers long) and contains the digitized minds of Dave Bowman and HAL; however, no character refers to it as TMA-2 or Big Brother, instead christening it "The Great Wall". In 3001: The Final Odyssey, the author changes the description of the Europan monolith to be 20 kilometers long, so it is unclear whether TMA-2 changed size or it is actually a different monolith. In any case, HAL and Bowman infect that monolith with a computer virus after it is learned that its superiors are sending an order to destroy humanity. As a result of the virus, TMA-0, TMA-1, and TMA-2/The Great Wall disappear from the Solar System.
What is the purpose of the Monolith?
The Monolith is a multipurpose tool (a space Swiss knife with millions of unimaginable tools) left by a civilization that many millions of years ago passed through the Solar System, and whose original purpose was to warn these travelers of the appearance of an intelligent species on Earth, capable of traveling through space.
What is the mission of the monolith?
It's based on a technology we never understand within the novel. The goal is to seek out other life forms and, where feasible, push and prod them toward advancement. It's a pretty advanced form of space probe -- a robot -- and presumably, its creator isn't simply advanced -- they're lonely for other advanced species.
What are the black monoliths in 2001?
The black monoliths in the book (and film) 2001: A Space Odyssey were identical-looking devices (although of at least two sizes) created by alien beings and were apparently capable of doing the following things:
How big is the monolith on the moon?
We're inspired to send a mission there, and upon discovering the monolith, which is 1^2 x 2^2 x 3^2 on a side -- perfectly -- we immediately recognize it as the work of an advanced species. Our discovery of the monolith sends a signal back to the creators, letting them know we've advanced enough to travel to another world.
What does the black slab represent in the Apes?
As with the apes (‘dawn of man’), the black slab represents something in which to call attention to and inspire evolutionary reaction. However, as a being already evolved, it is perplexing to understand its context in this room. The man is chasing the meaning to his own human life, representing the human species as a whole. His drive and inspiration is personified as a cold, impersonal metallic slab. The futureman is chasing this until he dies, but with every realization, he finds himself ending up at a goal, with no memory of how he got there. His only memory is standing at his previous position, looking out at the end-goal. He then finds himself at the end-goal, only to not have actually ended anything. Ironically, he finds himself once again on the chase, immediately focusing on the end-goal, until his physical body runs out of life — the entire process fueled by the monolith. Yet even on his deathbed, at the very last moment, with his very last ounce of strength, the futureman sees this black slab once more and MUST reach out to it. He is determined despite knowing that there’s no way he can possibly do such a thing, as he is confined to his bed and limited by his old age. However, he must reach the end-goal and is always searching for an answer that simply cannot be reached.
What year was 2001: A Space Odyssey?
More answers about 2001: A Space Odyssey at 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) - Pedia Box
What is the firstborn's intention?
The Firstborn’s intention is peaceful relations toward the growth of both themselves and interested others. Assuming the other species are really free to choose any type of growth to their liking. Then from there independently grow to their full potential.
What does the monolith represent in the movie?
The Monolith in the movie seems to represent and even trigger epic transitions in the history of human evolution, evolution of humans from ape -like beings to civilised people , hence the odyssey of humankind.
How many times did the monolith appear in 2001?
The monolith appears four times in 2001: A Space Odyssey: on the African savanna, on the Moon, in space orbiting Jupiter, and near Bowman's bed before his transformation. After the first encounter with the monolith, we see the leader of the apes have a quick flashback to the monolith after which he picks up a bone and uses it to smash other bones. Its usage as a weapon enables his tribe to defeat the other tribe of apes occupying the water hole who have not learned how to use bones as weapons. After this victory, the ape-leader throws his bone into the air, after which the scene shifts to an orbiting weapon four million years later, implying that the discovery of the bone as a weapon inaugurated human evolution, hence the much more advanced orbiting weapon four million years later.
What is the meaning of "so spoke Zarathustra"?
Friedrich Nietzsche 's philosophical tract Thus Spoke Zarathustra, about the potential of mankind, is directly referred to by the use of Richard Strauss 's musical piece of the same name. Nietzsche writes that man is a bridge between the ape and the Übermensch. In an interview in the New York Times, Kubrick gave credence to interpretations of 2001 based on Zarathustra when he said: "Somebody said man is the missing link between primitive apes and civilized human beings. You might say that is inherent in the story too. We are semicivilized, capable of cooperation and affection, but needing some sort of transfiguration into a higher form of life. Man is really in a very unstable condition." Moreover, in the chapter Of the Three Metamorphoses, Nietzsche identifies the child as the last step before the Uberman (after the camel and the lion), lending further support to this interpretation in light of the 'star-child' who appears in the final scenes of the movie.
What is the 2001 allegory?
Wheat states that, "Most... misconceptions (of the film) can be traced to a failure to recognize that 2001 is an allegory – a surface story whose characters, events, and other elements symbolically tell a hidden story... In 2001's case, the surface story actually does something unprecedented in film or literature: it embodies three allegories." According to Wheat, the three allegories are:
What is the Star Child allegory?
Conception allegory. The Star Child looking at the Earth. 2001 has also been described as an allegory of human conception, birth, and death. In part, this can be seen through the final moments of the film, which are defined by the image of the "star child", an in utero fetus that draws on the work of Lennart Nilsson.
When was 2001: A Space Odyssey released?
Academic analyses of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Since its premiere in 1968, the film 2001: A Space Odyssey has been analysed and interpreted by numerous people, ranging from professional movie critics to amateur writers and science fiction fans.
Was 2001: A Space Odyssey a religious film?
When asked by Eric Nordern in Kubrick's interview with Playboy if 2001: A Space Odyssey was a religious film, Kubrick elaborated: I will say that the God concept is at the heart of 2001 but not any traditional, anthropomorphic image of God.
What is the purpose of the monoliths in 2001?
In the book 2001: A Space Odyssey it was made explicitly clear that the monoliths were the emissary (s) of a benevolent alien species whose main aim was the advancement of less evolved species; Night after night, the spectacle of those four plump man-apes was repeated, until it had become a source of fascinated exasperation, ...
What movie has black monoliths?
In the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, the nature of the black monoliths is deliberately left unclear.
What did the aliens do to Jupiter?
The aliens then used the monolith (or rather a vast number of duplicate monoliths, described as "avatars") to collapse Jupiter; creating a new star for the night sky and concomitantly creating a number of new liveable habitats for humanity and the life developing on Europa.
What effect did the eyes of Moon Watcher have on the moonwatcher?
The evidence of his eyes could not have produced this effect; it needed psychological reinforcement . There were gaps in Moon-Watcher's life now that he would never remember, when the very atoms of his simple brain were being twisted into new patterns. If he survived, those patterns would become eternal, for his genes would pass them on to future generations.
Did Moon Watcher's father die in the night?
Literarily, this is emphasized by Clarke, since the man-ape Moon-Watcher's father is found to have died in the night, at the beginning of that section of the book.
Was the crystal monolith patient?
It was a slow, tedious business, but the crystal monolith was patient. Neither it, nor its replicas scattered across half the globe, expected to succeed with all the scores of groups involved in the experiment. A hundred failures would not matter, when a single success could change the destiny of the world.
Why does man set out toward Jupiter?
So he sets out toward Jupiter because the monolith beams signals in that direction. And man takes along "Hal 9000," a computer (or tool) so complex that it may, even surpass the human intelligence. The ultimate tool.
Who is the pilot in the movie Spacecraft?
The spacecraft lands in the bedroom, and Keir Dullea, the pilot, looks through the window and sees himself in a space suit standing outside. He gets out, becomes himself in the space suit standing outside, and sees himself seated at a table, eating.
What is a space warp?
Q. What's a space warp? A. A warp in space, and therefore in time, thanks to Einstein.
Is 2001 a parable?
The same process is taking place with "2001." Two out of three people who see it will assure you it is too long, or too difficult, or (worst of all) merely science fiction, In fact, it is a beautiful parable about the nature of man. Perhaps it is the nature of man not to wish to know too much about his own nature.
Did the audience see Kubrick's space infant?
But when Kubrick's space infant looked at the audience the other night, half of the audience was already on its feet in a hurry to get out. A good third of the audience must not have seen the space infant at all.
Do parables explain themselves?
Good parables explain themselves. After you have read the story of Lazarus in the Bible, you don't need anyone to explain it to you. The same is true, I believe, of Stanley Kubrick 's parable " 2001: A Space Odyssey .". It contains the answers to all the questions it advances.
What is the significance of the monolith in the movie?
The central symbol and recurring motif in the film is the big black monolith that heralds important evolutionary moments in the development of the human species. The precise literal meaning of the monolith is never adequately explained, but suffice to say that it is infused with symbolic associations to knowledge and intellectual progress. Of course, the monolith has also become an iconic symbol for the unknowable mysteries of the universe.
What is the significance of the computer in the Discovery spaceship?
The computer that runs the Discovery spaceship has also become an iconic symbol of man’s technology turning on its creators. Beyond that, however, it is in the area of the astronaut’s dependence upon the computer on a more primitive level that is more to the point. The astronauts have essentially turned over the most primitive requirements for their survival to the machine. In the absence of the ability to perform the processes that ensure they don’t die, they have quite literally put their lives in the hands of a machine. HAL thus becomes a symbol for the frustration felt by anyone who can’t get to their destination because the car broke or who can’t get vital information to someone because their cell phone battery has died.
Overview
In Arthur C. Clarke's Space Odyssey series, Monoliths are machines built by an unseen extraterrestrial species whom Clarke dubbed the Firstborn and whom he suggests are the earliest highly intelligent species to evolve in the Milky Way. In the series of novels (and the films based on these), three Monoliths are discovered in the Solar System by Australopithecines and their human descend…
Origins
The species that built the Monoliths is never described in detail, but some knowledge of its existence is given to Dave Bowman after he is transported by the star-gate to the "cosmic zoo", as detailed in the 1968 novel 2001: A Space Odyssey and its 1982 sequel, 2010: Odyssey Two. The existence of this species is only hypothesized by the rest of humanity, but it is obvious because the Monolith was immediately identified as an artefact of non-human origin.
Tycho Magnetic Anomalies
The term "Tycho Magnetic Anomaly" is something of a misnomer when referring to "TMA-0" and "TMA-2", since neither of these is found on the Moon (let alone in Tycho Crater) and neither one of them emits any significant magnetic field, as described in the novel 2010: Odyssey Two. (The characters in some of the novels do refer to this anomalous nomenclature quizzically.) In the novel, the Russian crewmen of the spaceship Alexei Leonov refer to TMA-2 as "Zagadka" (from th…
Other Monoliths
Other than the Monoliths bearing TMA labels, there are many other Monoliths that are seen in the series. In two instances, millions of Monoliths are generated for a limited time purpose. In the first, in 2010: Odyssey Two, millions of Monoliths are generated to transform Jupiter into a star, subsequently named Lucifer. In the second, in 3001: The Final Odyssey, millions of monoliths are generated to block both the Earth and human-settled Ganymede from their primary star in an atte…
Appearance and capabilities
In the movies, all the Monoliths are black, extremely flat, non-reflective rectangular solids. In the first novel, the monolith on the African savannah was transparent and "it was not easy to see except when the morning sun glinted on its edges", but became less transparent when active and was described as a crystal. Also, the final monolith is described as a transparent crystal that becomes less transparent when active.
Actions
The TMA-2 Monolith had judged that it would be desirable to nurture the primitive Europans by preventing the eventual freezing of their moon, and to keep humanity separated from them. TMA-2 thus converted Jupiter into a new star (dubbed "Lucifer", meaning "light-bringer") to warm Europa into more habitable conditions – at the cost of exterminating the Jovians, ocean-like creatures who swam through the upper atmosphere of Jupiter. The Jovians were judged too primitive, as …
Design
The first design for the Monolith for the 2001 film was a tetrahedral pyramid. This was taken from the 1951 short story "The Sentinel" that the first story was based on. A London firm was approached to provide a 12-foot (3.7 m) plexiglass pyramid, and due to construction constraints they recommended a flat slab shape. Kubrick approved, but was disappointed with the glassy appearance of the prop on set, leading art director Anthony Masters to suggest making the mon…
Replicas
Replicas have been displayed in some places as a tribute to the movie.
During the Dutch hacker conference HAL (2001), a replica of the monolith was erected.
In 2016 a replica appeared at NASA Ames Research Center.
In June 2020, a 4.5 meters tall wood-made replica was found in the main court…