Space shuttle in popular culture and Silverberg family: Difference between pages

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{{Notability|fiction|date=May 2007}}

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{{in-universe}}

Even before the first '''[[Space Shuttle program|space shuttle]]''' was launched, [[science fiction]] filmmakers were featuring the craft in their productions. The laws of physics have traditionally been no impediment to creativity, as some of the following demonstrate:

The Silverberg family is a family of renoun military strategists from [[Konami]]'s [[Suikoden]] series of games. Among the characters listed are also those who have close ties to the Silverberg family.

{{spoiler}}

In the ''Suikoden III'' manga, Caesar Silverberg attributes the countless successful strategists who have emerged from the Silverberg family as a result not only of the family passing down their teachings to a subsequent generation, but also because of each tactician's own personality traits. Throughout the course of history in Suikoden, the Silverberg family have been known to be heralds of change because of their involvement in nearly all the conflicts which have occurred.

==On screen==

Members of the Silverberg family frequently occupy the Tenki Star, the Star of Wisdom, amongst the [[108 Stars of Destiny (Suikoden)|108 Stars of Destiny]], which is the star assigned to the primary tactician of the hero or the Chikai Star, the Chief Star of Earth, which is assigned to the secondary tactician of the story.

The first major appearance of a space shuttle on the big screen was the [[Pan Am]] "Orion" shuttle that dazzled audiences with its ballet type flight manuevers in Stanley Kubrick's epic space drama "2001: A Space Odyssey"(1968). In Kubrick's film, one of the first to attempt to portray space flight as realistically as possible, the Orion shuttle is used to transport scientist Heywood Floyd from the earth to a giant revolving space station. Reportedly, Kubrick went to great effort to portray the appearance of the shuttle (at that time in the early design phase at NASA) as accurately as possible, relying on expert technical advisors from NASA.

==Julian Silverberg==

Another early fictional use of the space shuttle in a major motion picture was in the [[1979]] [[James Bond]] film ''[[Moonraker]]'', in which a fleet of privately produced shuttles was used to ferry personnel to a [[space station]] operated by the evil [[Sir Hugo Drax]]. That film was actually intended to premiere concurrently with the first shuttle launch, which was ultimately delayed. One goof shows a shuttle, being carried atop a jetliner, being launched with the firing of its engines and destroying the jetliner; in reality, the shuttle would not have fuel in such a piggy-back arrangement. Also, six shuttles launch from the Amazon jungle, their fiery exhausts less than a quarter mile from the control room.

A legendary strategist who helped Karnach Rugner, ancestor of [[Barbarossa Rugner]], become independent from [[Harmonia]] without any bloodshed, creating the Scarlet Moon Empire more than 200 years ago.

==Elenor Silverberg==

That same year, a new version of ''[[Buck Rogers|Buck Rogers in the 25th Century]]'' produced for television had the titular hero frozen in space for 500 years aboard ''Ranger 3'', a deep-space probe that looked exactly like a traditional shuttle. The low-budget [[1980]] film ''[[Hangar 18]]'' features a shuttle crew that encounters an alien craft in orbit. The fourth [[Quatermass]] serial also included a sequence where the shuttle is used to attempt communication with an alien craft.

Elenor Silverberg is the earliest known Silverberg since Julian himself. She was originally tactician for the Scarlet Moon Empire, but she was banished due to the actions of her subordinate, Graham Cray.

After this she headed south into the Island Nations where she settled on Hermitage Isle with her new apprentice, Agnes. She was recruited by the Island Nation Forces after hearing of Graham Cray's involvement and she eventually lead the army to victory against the Kooluk Forces. After the final battle she confront Graham Cray at the top of Fort El-Eal to question his actions which lead to his flight from the Scarlet Moon Empire and her exile. Fort El-Eal was destroyed in a massive explosion shortly after and it is believed that it was here that Elenor lost her life.

A version of the shuttle also appeared in the comedy film ''[[Airplane II: The Sequel]]'' in the early [[1980s]], in which it was used as a passenger liner between [[Earth]] and the [[Moon]] and experiences a traditional "airline disaster film" scenario en route.

Elenor appears in [[Suikoden IV]].

After the shuttle's launch, the craft played a role in a number of [[NASA]]-themed films such as ''[[SpaceCamp]]'' (in which a group of teenagers are launched aboard a shuttle into orbit after a goofy robot fakes a "thermal curtain failure") and a late-[[1990s]] series titled ''[[The Cape]]'' that followed the lives of a group of fictional shuttle astronauts. The [[1999]] science fiction series ''[[Farscape]]'' featured footage of an actual shuttle launch in its first episode, although the name of the craft shown was digitally altered to a fictional one. The [[1983]] TV movie ''[[Starflight: The Plane That Couldn't Land|Starflight One]]'' also uses actual shuttle launch footage when ''[[Space Shuttle Columbia|Columbia]]'' is used to rescue an experimental plane that gets trapped in low Earth orbit.

==Leon Silverberg==

In the [[1985]] horror movie ''[[Lifeforce (movie)|Lifeforce]]'', a modified shuttle is sent on a mission to [[Halley's Comet]].

The current head of the Silverberg family, the uncle of Odessa and Mathiu Silverberg, whom he took care of after the death of their parents, and grandfather of Albert and Caesar Silverberg. He appears in [[Suikoden I]] and [[Suikoden II]].

Leon is well-known throughout the world as a genius strategist and was involved in many wars, including the Succession War, the Toran Liberation Wars, and Dunan Unification Wars. He lives by his strategic maxim of "ending war as fast as possible with the fewest casualties", using whatever means necessary, regardless of the morality of it, and regardless of who will win the war. His philosophy is shared by his grandson, Albert.

''Columbia'' was seen in episode 19 ("Wild Horses") of the [[1998]] [[anime]] series ''[[Cowboy Bebop]]''. In the episode, the disabled space fighter of main character Spike Spiegel docks inside the payload bay. This episode was temporarily pulled from the rotation on [[Cartoon Network]] after the real shuttle was lost.

As a strategist, he is responsible for the Kalekka Incident which legitimized Scarlet Moon Empire's act of war against Jowston. During the Gate Rune Wars, Leon acted as tactical advisor for the Toran Liberation Army and aids them in ending the war. During Suikoden II, he is requested to become the strategist of the Highlands by [[Jowy Atreides]] (Jowy Blight). He aids the Highland until its defeat at the end of the Dunan Unification War.

The [[1998]] film ''[[Armageddon (movie)|Armageddon]]'' features two spacecraft resembling shuttles, called ''Freedom'' and ''Independence'', which are used to carry a crew of astronauts and oil drillers to an asteroid where they plant a nuclear device. ''Independence'' is destroyed but ''Freedom'' carries the survivors back to Earth after the successful completion of the mission. Digitally modified footage of actual shuttle launches is used in the launch scene. At the beginning of the film, the shuttle ''[[Space Shuttle Atlantis|Atlantis]]'' is destroyed in orbit by comet debris. ''Armageddon'' producer [[Jerry Bruckheimer]] revisited the shuttle theme later that year with the TV movie ''Max Q''. The similarly themed movie ''[[Deep Impact (movie)|Deep Impact]]'', released that same year, also featured shuttle ''Atlantis'' which carried a crew to the spaceship ''Messiah'' (which itself is a shuttle-derived vehicle in design).

==Mathiu Silverberg==

In [[2000]], the movie ''[[Space Cowboys]]'' featured a shuttle mission to repair a failing [[Soviet]] [[satellite]]. Among other things, it features a damaged shuttle re-entry and a complete power loss on landing, with results markedly different from what happened two years later to ''Columbia''.

Mathiu Silverberg is the brother of Odessa and nephew of Leon, and is a well known strategist. He is also the mentor of strategists Shu and Apple. Mathiu's tactical philosophy contrasts with his uncle's, where upon Mathiu believes that the method is more important that achieving the end goal as quickly as possible. He appears in [[Suikoden I]].

He became a member of the Scarlet Moon military during his youth and participated in the Succession War as a strategist for Kasim Hazil, then served as a vice-strategist for Barbarossa Rugner under his uncle Leon. When Leon devised the plan to slaughter the town of Kalekka, Mathiu reluctantly carried out his duty, but retired from his position soon after, having realized that war inevitably causes innocents to suffer.

In the same year, Space Shuttles were used to transport passengers from the earth to the moon in the comedy [[2001: A Space Travesty]].

Over a decade later, Mathiu became the head strategist for the Toran Liberation Army during the Gate Rune Wars following the death of Odessa. Near the end of the war, he was fatally wounded during the attack on the floating fortress by a spy. He dies shortly thereafter, just after the fall of Barbarossa.

The [[2002]] disaster movie ''[[The Core]]'' featured a shuttle having to make an emergency landing. After the ''Columbia'' accident, references to this in the film's trailer were removed.

==Odessa Silverberg==

The series ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]'' paid tribute to ''Columbia'' in a [[2004]] episode by giving [[Starfleet]]'s [[Columbia (NX-02)|second Warp 5 starship]] that name. Since the first ship of the ''[[NX class starship|NX class]]'' was named ''[[Enterprise (NX-01)|Enterprise]]'', it is believed by many that all ships of the ''NX Class'' will be named coinciding with the space shuttles. For example, the NX-03 will be named ''[[Space Shuttle Challenger|Challenger]]'', the NX-04 will be named ''[[Space Shuttle Discovery|Discovery]]'', the NX-05 will be named ''[[Space Shuttle Atlantis|Atlantis]]'' and the NX-06 will be named ''[[Space Shuttle Endeavour|Endeavour]]''.<!-- THE "FOR EXAMPLE" LIST HERE IS ALREADY TOO LONG A [[2005]] episode involving an alternate universe showed the NX-09 ''Avenger'', so perhaps in the ''[[Star Trek]]'' universe, at least three more shuttles were constructed, one of them being OVA-109 ''Avenger''.-->

Odessa Silverberg is the sister of Mathiu and niece to Leon. She appears in [[Suikoden I]].

As an aristocrat, Odessa had lived most of her life in relative comfort and was unaware of the suffering of the common people. When she came to see the corruption within the Scarlet Moon Empire, she became one of the original founders of the Toran Liberation Army, an anti-imperial movement started by her late fiancé, Achilles.

In the toy and cartoon franchise ''[[Transformers series|The Transformers]]'', three robots transform into space shuttles: [[Decepticon]] [[Triple Changer]] [[Astrotrain]], [[Combaticon]] Blast-Off, and [[Autobot]] [[Sky Lynx]]. There have been even more space shuttle Transformers in the [[Transformers (toyline)|Transformers toyline]] but they have not appeared in the cartoon.

As the leader of the Toran Liberation Army, Odessa also acted as the group's chief strategist, using her knowledge of military strategy as taught by Mathiu. She welcomes a young [[Tir McDohl]] into the army and begins to see him as a potential successor as he gained her respect. When the Imperial Army attacked the rebels' base, taking advantage of the absence of a considerable number of their forces, Odessa is assassinated while attempting to save a child.

Another toy and cartoon franchise, [[G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero]] where the [[G.I. Joe]] Team have their own space shuttle to carry on orbital missions, the space shuttle complex [[Defiant (G.I. Joe)|Defiant]].

The surviving members of the Liberation Army seek out Mathiu to take up Odessa's place as chief tactician and nominate Tir as their new leader. Thanks to Odessa's foresight and advanced planning, the Toran Liberation Army is ultimately victorious in the war.

The series ''[[The West Wing (television)|The West Wing]]'' featured ''Columbia'' in its season 1 final episode ("What Kind of Day Has It Been", 2000). The shuttle was trapped in space, first because one of its payload bay doors failed to close, then due to a failure in its Orbital Maneuvering System when the door was closed manually. ''Atlantis'' was also mentioned in the episode as potentially mounting a rescue mission, but apparently this was unnecessary and ''Columbia'' landed safely. Late in the show's sixth season, a super-secret [[military space shuttle]] was mentioned, which could theoretically be used for long-range and undetectable bombing from space.

==??? Silverberg==

A shuttle (vehicle name unknown) also made a brief appearance in episode "The Shock Will Kill You" of the 1980s TV series ''[[The Greatest American Hero]]''. The main character discovered an alien aboard that super-electrified him, and killed all crew aboard.

Mathiu and Odessa had a younger brother, but his name is unknown as is his current whereabouts. It is certain that he is still alive.

==Shu==

In the TV movie "I Dream of Jeannie: 15 Years Later", Tony Nelson agrees, over Jeannie's objections, to make one more space flight before retiring, and it is aboard the shuttle. However, something goes wrong, and the shuttle is on collision course with a meteoroid (that seems to be in orbit of Earth). It miraculously survives when Jeannie gets special dispensation to save Tony's life, and for some reason, right after the meteoroid explodes, the shuttle's OMS engines are functional again and it can brake to return to Earth.

Shu is the chief tactician of the Allied Forces during the Dunan Unification War. As a child, he studied military strategy under Mathiu Silverberg and alongside Apple, whom he views as a surrogate sister. He appears in [[Suikoden II]].

Under Mathiu, he learned everything about military strategy. Mathiu saw great potential in this young pupil. However, Shu used his knowledge for personal gain and was cast out from Mathiu's school. Since then, Shu has become a trader in Radat. With his uncanny grasp of the movements in the world, he quickly became rich through trade.

In the short-lived Showtime television series ''[[Odyssey 5]]'', the crew of the space shuttle ''Odyssey'' are the only survivors of the human race after witnessing the destruction of the planet. They are later rescued by a man called the Seeker, who sends them five years back in time to stop the destruction of [[Earth]].

During the Dunan Unification War, the Allied Forces asked Shu to join them. He initially refused, but with persistent begging by Apple and Riou, he agreed and quickly whipped the Allied Forces into shape by scoring an initial victory against the Highland Army, resulting in the execution of Solon Jhee. He quickly devised cunning strategies to rally support from other city-states and established an alliance with the Toran Republic.

In the second season premier of the Showtime/Scifi Channel show [[Stargate SG-1]], three members of the SG-1 team and one of their [[Jaffa (Stargate)|Jaffa]] allies [[Bra'tac]] were rescued by the shuttle ''[[Endeavour]]'' along with two "Death Gliders".

However, Leon Silverberg suddenly sides with the Highland Army and causes disruption to Shu's plans. After the Dunan Army's retreat against Luca Blight, Leon helped Shu defeat Luca Blight by informing him of a planned night raid and Shu did not let that chance go by. Throughout the war, Shu's attitude towards military strategy had transformed. Originally, his philosophy was identical to Leon Silverberg's philosophy, where soldiers were pawns and strategists were never supposed to risk themselves.

In the short [[Computer_graphics|CG]]-animation [[2001: A Space Oddity]], created by the [[South Africa]]n company [[Atomic-vfx]], one of the Space Shuttles makes an emergency landing in [[Cape Town]].

However, with the influence of Apple and Nanami, he started to see that it is sometimes necessary to put himself on the line in order to truly win. In the end, he leads the Allied Forces to victory after he defeats Leon Silverberg. After the war, he became the Chancellor for the new Allied Nation while awaiting the return of the hero to his rightful post. He later retires, but then is brought out of retirement by the Higheast Rebellion, in which he secretly planned a plot to cause internal discord within Harmonia, which caused them to withdraw from the Highland territory.

In the anime [[Magical Project S]], villain Pixy Misa steals the shuttle [[Endeavour]] and uses it to chase after Pretty Sammy.

==In gamesApple==

Like Shu, Apple is not a member of the Silverberg family, but was actually a student of Mathiu Silverberg. She appears in [[Suikoden I]], [[Suikoden II]] and [[Suikoden III]].

In the video games [[Pokémon Red and Blue|Pokémon Red, Blue]] and [[Pokémon Yellow|Yellow]] for the [[Gameboy]] the space shuttle ''Columbia'' can be found in the space museum in [[Pewter city]], though following the disaster, new edited versions of the game have removed the ''Columbia'' and replaced it with the ''[[Space Shuttle Discovery|Discovery]]''.

Apple deeply respects her mentor and aids him during the Toran Liberation Wars (Suikoden I). She becomes tactician to Viktor's mercenaries early in the Dunan Unification War (Suikoden II). After the fall of Muse, she successfully recruits Shu for the Allied Forces and helps him as a secondary strategist.

==In print==

In [[Larry Niven]] and [[Jerry Pournelle]]'s alien invasion book [[Footfall]], all the shuttles except Enterprise (Endeavour did not exist at the time of writing) are used as spacefighters launched from a carrier spacecraft derived from [[Project Orion]] to attack the alien mothership. The shuttles used External Tanks as microwave and laser shields.

During Suikoden III, Apple works as a historian gathering information to compile a biography on Mathiu. She travels with a student of her own, Caesar Silverberg, and assists the young tactician as he acts as strategist for the Flame Champion during the Second Fire Bringer War. According to Apple, Caesar's tactical mindset is likely the closest to that of her master's.

==George Silverberg==

[[Category:Space Shuttle program|Fiction]]

George is the son of Leon Silverberg and the father of Albert and Caesar Silverberg. Nothing else is known about him.

[[Category:Science fiction themes]]

In the manga, Caesar describes his father as a "true tactician", a strategist who was capable of knowing when to choose between winning more battles or watching out for the soldiers under his command, which is what Caesar himself strives to become.

==Caesar Silverberg==

Caesar Silverberg is the son of George and the younger brother of Albert Silverberg. He travels with his mentor, Apple. Caesar appears in [[Suikoden III]].

Caesar is the youngest and most inexperienced of the strategists, though still possessing the talent his family is known for. Initially appearing to be a lazy and disinterested teenager, he possesses a keen and watchful mind and while he never demonstrates the elaborate plans of his predecessors his cunning misdirections and ability to see the situation stripped of emotional attachment serve the Flame Champion well.

His motivation to pursue the life of a tactician comes from his sibling rivalry with Albert, hoping to best his older brother. Caesar believes in Mathiu's ideology, where reducing the amount of casualties on both sides involved holds priority to the goal in mind so that neither opposing forces loses their strongest human resources such that they will be able to rebuild and manage a peaceful resolution because each side remains able to empathize with the other.

Caesar is initially dismissed by the Grasslanders, despite how his tactics saved the Chisha clan from Harmonia forces, and becomes discouraged, though Apple assures him that as a strategist, he must find generals to guide in battle. He eventually earns his place as their strategist when he reveals that he is familiar with the tactical advisor of the Harmonian forces: Albert Silverberg. Karaya clan chief Lucia convinces the other chiefs to accept Caesar as their tactician since she knows of Caesar's grandfather, Leon Silverberg, and the value of having Silverberg tactician on their side.

He proves himself to be a skillful tactician (though assisted by Apple and Salome Haras of the Zexen Confederacy) and intends to test his skills against Albert by pledging his support to the new Flame Champion. While the Grasslanders and the Zexen Confederacy defeat the Harmonians and the Destroyer forces, Caesar realizes that Albert remains the superior tactician and decides to return to his studies in hopes of surpassing his brother some day.

==Albert Silverberg==

Albert Silverberg is the son of George and the older brother of Caesar Silverberg. He appears in [[Suikoden III]].

Albert excelled in his studies and is an excellent strategist, eventually gaining the role of Harmonia's chief tactical advisor during Harmonia's invasion of the Grasslands. His ideals are largely similar to that of his grandfather, Leon, where bringing about the end goal as quickly as possible to spare lives takes priority over the methods used, no matter how amoral the methods may be or how much suffering must be caused as a result. He and Caesar, as a result of their differing ideologies, is a sore point between the brothers along with their contrasting personalities, especially since Albert is much more serious in comparision to his younger brother.

He initially works alongside [[Sasarai]], a bishop of Harmonia and the commander of the Harmonian invaders searching for the [[27 True Runes|True Fire Rune]], but reveals that he is actually working for Luc, the Masked Bishop. Albert's motives are unclear, but it appears that he believes supporting Luc will allow him to gain power within the Harmonian bureaucracy. It is revealed that he chose to follow Luc in hopes of lessening the amount of casualties in Luc's war through strategic means.

He eventually disappears at the end of the Second Fire Bringer War, intending leave the continent and start again under an assumed name. Caesar finds him before he leaves and informs his older brother that he will surpass him some day.

==External links==

* [http://www.suikosource.com '''Suikosource''']

[[Category:Suikoden characters]]