University Place

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futuristic musical tones

>> This is Skywave Theater coming to you live from the Forum in the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

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Tonight, we bring you the 9XM Players in Forbidden Planet Decoded, as part of the 2013 Wisconsin Science Festival. And now, join us as we journey past the sun, through the Milky Way to a galaxy far, far beyond our own to the Forbidden Planet. >> Talk to me, Lieutenant. What word from the fleet? >> Still nothing, Captain. Whatever that thing is, it's cut us off completely. >> Take us out of it, helmsman, before we get sprayed all over the galaxy. Bear off! >> Sir, whatever it is, it's matching us move for move. It's always right in front of us. >> Lieutenant, it's a storm. Storms don't have minds of their own.

tearing metal sounds

alarms blaring

>> Sir, this one mimics every move we make. >> We'll see about that. What about the probe? Lieutenant Brinker. >> Atomized. >> Atomized? >> It happened instantaneously, but the playback suggests that it was dissolved into its constituent atoms and then-- >> What the devil is going on here, Captain Frazier? Get this vessel turned around and rejoin the fleet! >> We're working on it, Mr. Director. And since I'm the skipper of this vessel, kindly allow me to command it. >> Anyone can see that we've hit a squall. So just steer around it and get us back to the fleet. >> With all due respect, Mr. Director, that thing out there is not a squall. [metallic sounds and alarms continue] Now may I suggest that you return to your quarters and let us deal with it? >> You're flirting with insubordination, Captain. One more crack like that and I'll write you up. >> Sir, given the circumstances, I hope you get the chance. In the meantime, please go below and leave the driving to us.

alarms blaring

sharp feedback tones

>> Sir, all channels are scrambled. It's as if the signals themselves are being atomized, including our own. >> What about the planet? Send a distress call. >> Contact with that planet is forbidden, Captain. Forbidden by galactic statute. Send no distress call. >> Director Riddle, since you're the one who ordered this flyby in the first place, you bear some responsibility for what happens to this vessel and her crew. But it's up to me to save them. And since that planet is our only hope for survival, I'm going to override your statutes. Send the signal, Lieutenant. >> Belay that! This is mutiny, Captain. >> You can put that on my tombstone, Mr. Director. If you're not blowing around the solar system in a subatomic cloud. Send the signal, Lieutenant. That's an order. >> Sending.

beeping pulses

It's breaking up. Nothing's getting out. >> Captain? >> You've gotten us all killed with your incompetence. >> Your orders, Captain? >> Continue to take evasive maneuvers. >> The only way left is toward the planet. >> Any port in a storm, Mr. Bowman. Take us down. Good luck to us.

spaceship hum accelerates

power meters hum

>> It's as if the fabric of the sky is dissolving. Did you really make it happen, Father? >> Don't be afraid, Miranda. As surely as I set it in motion, I can stop it. The storm has done its work. We'll soon have company! Now watch it subside like a summer thunderstorm. >> And the people from Earth are safe? >> We'll see soon enough. Now the time has come for another bit of magic. >> Who are they? And why did you force them to come down? >> Before I tell you that, I have to tell you how we came to be here on Altair 4, and the time to tell is short. What do you remember about coming here? >> Almost nothing. >> Well, after all, you were just a toddler. >> And yet, something. Some women who took care of me on Earth. >> How strange the way the memory works. You recall that little detail, and nothing else from the dark backward and abysm of time. You recall nothing of how we got here? >> No. >> Twenty-two years ago, I was the director of something called Earth Intel. It was an organization that tracked the doings of millions of people, their commerce, their communications, even their very thoughts. >> For what purpose? >> Here on Altair 4, where we've been alone all this time, with just the animals in the garden, it's hard to imagine the purpose for an organization like Earth Intel, and yet in a crowded world where the treachery of even one man in a million could spell disaster, I believed it had its place. And then, like any complex powerful organization, it became uncontrollable. >> But you say you were the head of it? Couldn't you control it? >> I tried. I issued directives. I launched hearings and investigations. But it was simply too big to rein in by legal means. And then I made a discovery that made me determined to stop its growth, with or without the law. >> You turned against the organization you directed? What discovery could be so devastating? >> I discovered that Earth Intel had gone from reading people's thoughts to manipulating them. I don't mean in the sense of debate and dialogue, that's always been part of human progress, and even coercion through external forces, but actually entering the subconscious of the enemies of the people and altering their thoughts. >> Were there so many enemies of the people? >> Not at first, it seemed. But then the logic was that if we could manipulate the minds of our enemies, why not take it a step further and manipulate the minds of our potential enemies, a kind of pre-emptive defense. >> But how could you tell who they were? >> Well, you see, the line got more and more blurred, and so before long, Earth Intel was getting very preemptive indeed, manipulating the minds of its friends and then its own personnel. It had become an organism whose priority was its own survival, regardless of its original mission. >> Why didn't people speak out? >> Because it was still protecting them from real enemies, even as it began to strike out at imaginary ones. >> But you were the head of it. Couldn't you reform it by going through channels? >> No, because by then Earth Intel was divided against itself. The Deputy Director, Fabius Riddle, by name, was conspiring to depose me. So I began to leak incriminating Earth Intel communications to the media. >> That sounds brave, and dangerous. >> Sooner or later, a parliamentary investigation was going to catch up with me. So I issued a memorandum of my own on every open communication channel in the galaxy. By then, of course, considerable good had been done, or damage, depending on your point of view. >> And so you escaped, here to Altair 4? >> No, no, no. I didn't even try to escape. I wanted the trial and the exposure that it would bring. I wanted to make a point. >> If they found out you were doing it for a good a reason, surely you were acquitted. >> The courts were sharply divided. Did the end justify the means? That's what it came down to. Acquittal would've meant freedom, although a cloudy freedom blighted by lawsuits and harassment. Conviction would've meant the ultimate price. The result was a compromise, banishment for life, with a twist. You and I and your mother were set adrift in an obsolete space probe to make our way as best we could to some inhabitable planet. Not long after we landed here, she died of cadmium poisoning. And here, you and I have been for the last 22 years. >> The prosecutors didn't know about the Sycorax? >> That was the irony of it. They had no way of knowing that chance would bring us to a planet once inhabited by a race that had intellectual powers beyond anything comprehensible to humans, a trove of knowledge and power they could scarcely dream of, a place where I would have complete control. And now, the time is short. Our visitors will soon be here. It's time to prepare. I want you to promise me something. >> If I can. >> We're about to collide with a world full of new promises, and new threats. Your first encounter with humans after all these years. >> It's exciting! >> And for the time being, I want you to be immune from them. So for now, you will not be my natural-born daughter, but an echo, a highly sophisticated interactive three-dimensional solid holograph, Version 5.7. >> A 5.7 echo? I've never heard of such a thing. Robby's only a 5.5. >> We'll get to Robby in a moment. I'll explain later. >> How will I ever convince them? >> You must remain cool and aloof. Other than that, it'll be easy because unlike lesser creatures, as a 5.7, you have a grasp of the figurative. Earth conversation is full of casual comparisons, and you can comprehend even the murkiest metaphors of the poets. And since you have knowledge far beyond the reach of most humans, you can easily give a convincing performance as a highly sophisticated echo. >> You mean acting? >> Ah yes, exactly. >> Oh, anyone can act.

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>> It'll be just like in the little plays that you, and I, and your puppets, used to put on for our entertainment. Think of this as an entertainment for our visitors. But you must never get out of character, not till I tell you the performance is over. Do you promise? >> Sounds like fun! Okay, I promise. >> That's my girl. Now, go into the garden and wait for me to call you. >> I'll practice my aloofness. >> Yes!

footsteps retreat

force field door opens

bell rings

>> I want to commend you, Robby. Spectacular job with the storm. It had just the effect we wanted. >> I detect two individuals approaching on foot. The rest have remained in the saucer. >> And that means that time is short. Robby, I think we're going to give you a promotion. >> Sir? >> Have you ever been curious about the mind expander? >> Of course, but it's off limits. >> Well, the time has come. Here, put the crown on. >> Honored. Do we know what effect it will have on artificial intelligence? >> Don't worry. This will be just a minimum input. You know I'd never do anything to harm you. >> Yes, of course.

adjusting dials

>> Comfortable, Robby? >> Very. It feels pleasantly warm. >> I'm going to give you some memories, pleasant dreams. >> What is it? Darkness. Something rhythmical, a beating heart, I think, getting faster. Pulsing, pushing. A great pressure. Bright light and cold, and sounds, all kinds of sounds.

baby crying

What is it? >> Congratulations, Robby. You've just been born. Now, relax and let the memory recede, recede into the lower levels of your life log. >> Recede. >> That's right. Now here's another memory. You and I, my brilliant son, and I, creating an echo, a 5.7 named Miranda. >> Brilliant. >> Yes, an accomplishment to be proud of. She's a splendid young woman, virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. >> I can hardly tell the difference myself. >> A masterpiece! And now, get ready for your brave new life as a human. [mind expander's pitch lowers and slows] >> Well, Robby, how do you feel? >> Well, I feel, I don't know, happy. >> And I'm happy, too, because I have a son, an intelligent, charming, imaginative son. >> Dad!

light laughter

>> Where's the fleet? >> Running away, Dad! Certain they saw the Avatar dispersed into massless particles. They got the heck out of there. >> Good! And now, Robby, I believe our guests are here. >> I'm detecting stresses from under ground. >> Never mind that. It's just a passing tremor.

footsteps approach

force field door opens

>> Welcome to Altair 4, gentlemen! I trust you've arrived safely. >> A little rattled, but in one piece. Professor Mobius, I assume. I'm Andrew Frazier, skipper of the Avatar. And this is my helmsman, Lieutenant Zak Bowman. >> Gentlemen, allow me to introduce, a little sooner than expected, one of the marvels of Altair 4. This is Miranda. >> What are they, Professor Mobius? Are they echoes? >> No, they're men. >> I'm Captain Andrew Frazier of the Avatar, and this is my helmsman, Lieutenant Zak Bowman. We've come from Earth. >> They've braved the hazards of the galaxy to find new worlds. >> Oh, brave new world that has such people in it. >> Ah, ditto. A pleasure to meet you. >> Miranda is an echo. >> You've got to be kidding. They don't make them like they used to. >> An echo? But every feature is so... >> It sure is.

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>> Miranda is a creature of Altair 4. The former inhabitants of this planet, the Sycorax, were a race with technology beyond anything we can imagine. As a linguist, a biochemist, and a physicist, I felt that I had been cast ashore in paradise. I've not even scratched the surface of Sycorax knowledge, but what little I've learned enabled me to construct an echo far more sophisticated, far more human, than anything accomplished by Earth Intel. >> I'll say! >> And now, meet my son, Robby. He's grown up with the benefit of the Sycorax legacy, and he's become my invaluable partner in all of my research. >> You appear to be slightly dehydrated, gentlemen. Can I offer you a beverage? We have 17 species of camellias in the garden, five of which have at least 91 percent of their genome in common with that of the Earthly tea plant, the Camellia sinensis. >> No kidding? >> He's very precise, isn't he? >> I could use something stronger, if you've got it. >> Perhaps later, thank you. >> You'll find that Robby is quite capable when it comes to using the resources of the planet, and sometimes a little too detailed. >> Then I suggest that he batten down the hatches. There's a storm out there. Something we've never seen before, some kind of elemental destructive force. >> Yes, I know, I've been following your progress. >> Then you must know that the storm is coming this way. >> Rest easy, Captain Frazier. The storm has passed. It was just a little parlor trick. Something called a Higgs Boson Inversion.

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It takes the mass away from matter. A rather thorough reduction to nothingness of whatever it touches. >> You say you created it? >> I did. >> And sent it against my ship? >> It was a small, controlled phenomenon, the space equivalent of a game of dodge ball. I assure you, you were in no danger. >> But you did bring us down. >> Guilty as charged on that count. After 22 years of exile, a man begins to long for the company of his fellow beings, even if they are his jailers. >> You were set adrift for a reason, Mobius. Top-level security leaks at Earth Intel. A flagrant abuse of power. >> And I'm a good deal more powerful now than I was then, thanks to the chance encounter that brought me to this planet and the Sycorax. >> So, what became of them? If they were so brilliant, what happened to the Sycorax? >> That's the biggest of the ten thousand mysteries this planet holds, Lieutenant. A race that flourished for 2,000 centuries, and then disappeared virtually overnight, leaving not one remnant or representation of their physical selves. It's as if they wanted to wash the planet clean of their existence. But, of course, they left all of this, the sum of their knowledge, for us to decode. >> If you know so much about our mission, perhaps you'll be good enough to tell us where the fleet is. >> It's safe, Captain. Just a little scattered and scared at the moment. Now, I'd like to see my successor, my successor and usurper Fabius Riddle, the Director of Earth Intel. >> You've been listening to Act 1 of the Skywave Theater Production of Forbidden Planet Decoded.

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Performed by WPR's 9XM Players, coming to you live from the Forum in the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery. We'll be back with Act 2 in a moment. But first...

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speaking in Martian voices

>> Be careful, you're going to land in the bathtub. >> Who's driving this flying saucer, you or me? >> Well, what do you see? >> Ugh! Germs! Millions and millions of germs!

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>> Sure! Here on Earth, disease germs and viruses live in bathrooms. >> Wait! Here comes a lady! She's putting a dash of Lysol in with those suds, and she's mopping the floor! Wow! Look at all those germs and viruses drop dead! >> Boy, are you stupid! I thought that all Martians knew that Lysol brand disinfectant kills disease germs and many deadly viruses on contact, disinfects from one cleaning to the next as nothing else can! >> That's right! I remember my seven grandmothers saying Lysol makes your favorite cleaner work better, including many that claim to sanitize. >> I'm sorry you learned to speak English from listening to commercials. >> And Lysol comes in regular or pine fragrance for as little as 29 cents. >> How much is that in Martian money?

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>> And now, Act 2 of Forbidden Planet Decoded. >> What's your report, Lieutenant Brinker? >> I've checked with the entire crew, Mr. Director. The Avatar seems to be intact, right down to the last air processor. That was one lucky encounter. >> Except that for some reason, we can't fly. >> We're working on it, sir. It's baffling. >> And still no word from Frazier and Bowman? >> Nothing. We lost them at a distance of 20.4 kilometers, on a heading of 275 degrees. >> A force field of some kind, perhaps. >> The defense perimeter is up. The ship is secure within a half-kilometer radius. >> Defenses tested? >> They are, Mr. Director. >> Good. We may need those defenses before we get out of here. And mark my words, Lieutenant, we will get out of here. >> Sir, we can send a search party. We have volunteers. >> I don't like sitting around here any more than you do, but I'm not about to throw more men at this thing until I've got a better idea of what it is. There may be more than meets the eye to this forced landing. >> A trap, sir? How could that be possible? Mobius and his wife and daughter were cast adrift with nothing but a few essentials. It's a miracle they're still alive. >> Yes, well, Mobius was always a worker of miracles, wasn't he? >> But the planet's a desert and our readings have revealed no sign of a power source. >> I repeat, commander. Mobius is a miracle worker. He has a way of turning lead into gold. He is out there somewhere, waiting for us to make the next move. And wouldn't that be a coup? For the deposed head of Earth Intel to snare his successor? Wouldn't that be a turnabout for the ages?

defense perimeter alarms

>> Unidentified entity approaching! >> Organic or synthetic? >> I'm getting organic readings and brainwaves. >> Not an echo? >> It would have to be more sophisticated that anything we've seen. >> All right, then. Sound general quarters.

alarm sounds

>> What more can you tell me? What's the shape of it? >> Humanoid, sir. Driving a space buggy, but not like one I've ever seen. >> Not surprising. We are on an unexplored planet. What about the humanoid itself? >> Well, sir, he's... >> He's what, Lieutenant? >> He's smiling, sir. >> Well, be sure you put that in your report.

space buggy approaches

>> Good day, gentlemen! I'm Robby Mobius. On behalf of my dad, welcome to Altair 4! >> Your father? Who might that be? >> Why, Prosper Mobius, of course! Sovereign of this planet. >> Sovereign? As if being head of Earth Intel wasn't enough to stoke his megalomania. And I never knew he had a son. I was told that he was cast adrift with his wife and an infant daughter. >> An understandable confusion. And yet upon my soul, I am as his son. >> Well, you've got a good strong handshake. I'll say that for you. >> I must get that from Dad. He's very dynamic. >> Where would your father be at this time? >> Back at the compound. He sent me to bring you. He's looking forward to seeing you. >> No doubt. Are two of our crew there with him? >> Yes, Captain Frazier and Lieutenant Bowman. >> Well, that solves one mystery anyway. Lieutenant, you and I will go. We'll leave the rest of the crew here to hold the ship. Can you get a clear channel? >> I can. It's as if some kind of jamming has been lifted. >> I don't doubt it. Climb in. I'm anxious to see Professor Mobius. I have some things I have to say to him. [space buggy starts and accelerates] >> And this is the power source that the Sycorax devised, so massive that it could provide enough energy for the entire planet. Those meters going around the walls, they are logarithmic. So you can see that right now the planet is drawing only a tiny fraction of the power available to it. >> Which raises the question, what did the Sycorax do with all that power? >> Well, since I've never seen it draw past the third set of meters, I can only guess. >> That's still a hundred times what they're drawing now. What was the occasion? >> Well, it was some sort of--

knocking on metal surface

>> Ah, I believe some of our other guests have arrived.

footsteps approach

force field door opens

>> Welcome, gentlemen. Welcome. I'm glad to see you've arrived intact. >> If you forced us down, I'll hold you accountable, Mobius! >>

chuckles

Go ahead, Fabius, because I'm solely responsible. Feel free to prosecute me. It worked out pretty well for me the last time. Now more introductions are in order. I surmise that you are Lieutenant Brinker. >> A pleasure, so far. >> You've met my son, Robby. >> I didn't hear anything about a son. I was told that you were exiled with your wife and daughter. >> Well, apparently even Earth Intel doesn't know everything. I kept my family a well-guarded secret for security reasons. And as you know, Mr. Director, I was in an excellent position to manipulate the data. >> Then who's this? >> Tell him, Miranda. >> I am an echo, Version 5.7. >> Aw, come on, there's no such thing. I heard a rumor once about a 5.1, but that was just chatter. >> She's very sophisticated. I've checked her out.

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Uh, visually, I mean. >> It's easy enough to look this up. Database, article on... >> Don't bother, Mr. Director. The links are all down. >> I suppose we have to thank you for that, too, Mobius. >> Once again, guilty as charged. I thought it best not to have any distracting communications during our time together. It's just common courtesy, don't you think? They've been an annoyance ever since the invention of the cell phone.

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>> What is this circus you've conjured up, Mobius? Is there no end to your treachery? >> Mr. Director, it was you who came to me, not the other way around. >> Yes, for a routine check on a prisoner in the context of a planet survey. Now, what happened to that fleet out there? >> Nothing at all! They saw your ship dissolve into mass-less particles and rightly assumed that to follow would be folly. So they have gone their merry way and reported the Avatar and her crew lost in a tempest of unknown nature and origin. >> What do you intend to do with us? >> Well, you've got me there! For all my design in things technical, I haven't yet come up with a policy for visitors. >> Fish and visitors smell in three days. Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanac, 1736. >> You'll forgive Miranda, I hope! She has a remarkable database, but she's not entirely schooled in the social graces. >> You've set yourself up very nicely, Mobius. We had no idea from the surveys. >> Well, my predecessors on this planet were rather secretive. With force fields and other technology I haven't begun to understand, they hid themselves away for a good long time and they made Altair 4 look like a wasteland to anyone scanning the place. >> What about defenses? >> There's hardly any need for them. But the place does have a few tricks for any intruder. Observe.

carbon plates slapping shut

These plates are made of grapheme, layers of carbon atoms in hexagonal configurations. A single strand of it a thousandth the diameter of a human hair is strong enough to suspend a space buggy and its crew. Interlocking sheets of it are impervious to any force I've been able to bring against them, including proton lasers. >> I thought that grapheme technology was lost in the 22nd century. >> Lost on Earth, but not here on Altair 4. >> So anyone held here could be held here permanently with no chance for rescue. >> Absolutely true, Captain. But perhaps you'd like to see some of the botanical models the Sycorax have left us. The gardens are a wonder to behold. >> What's this thing? It looks like a crown. >> Put it down, Lieutenant! In the wrong hands, it's the most deadly thing on the planet. >> A weapon? >> That depends on how it's used. I call it the mind expander. It has the power to enhance the user's intellectual abilities. I gather it was some kind of toy for the Sycorax, but for humans it can be deadly. I have an IQ 50 points above that of the average physicist,

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and yet I nearly killed myself when I moved it from the lowest to the second lowest setting. >> With what result? >> Flashes of insight, Captain. Of course, despite the danger and discomfort, I was tempted to put the crown on again, but instead I brought to bear all of my mental discipline to retain those flashes of insight and build on them. The resulting knowledge enabled me to create Miranda. >> Well worth the hangover.

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>> Captain, I suggest that you and the lieutenants go ahead and survey the garden. I'll join you in a moment. >> Allow Robby and Miranda to show you around. There's really quite a lot to see. >> All right, we'll be nearby if you need anything, Mr. Director. >> Lieutenant.

footsteps retreat

force field door opens

>> You needn't be so smug, Mobius. You and I both know that you've gone off the deep end. Your 20 years... >> Twenty-two. >>...of information overload on this planet have destroyed what was left of the mind of Prosper Mobius. >> Oh, now, don't be such a poor sport, Fabius. I have no intention of holding you here. You see, I have become quite particular about the company I keep. I just wanted to see how you were bearing up under the pressure of being the director of Earth Intel. >> No, you wanted to prove your superior intellect. >> Now, you said that. I didn't.

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It was always just under the surface at Intel. The second in command didn't quite measure up intellectually. >> That was all in your mind. A powerful force to be sure, even for you. >> Well, if you think you're so smart, go ahead and ratchet up your brain with that gizmo till your head pops! As for me, I'd rather be a loyal second-rate intellect than over-think everything and turn traitor! >> It doesn't take deep thinking to determine that what I did was right. >> I for one don't have the luxury of letting my personal sense of what's right endanger the institutions designed to protect us all. >> Oh, so Intel is still at it? Has it now begun worming its way into the minds of children? Or is it now manipulating the thoughts of the unborn? Do you even know? Perhaps your own mind, what there is of it, is being molded like clay as you toss in restless sleep. >> Captain! Captain Frazier!

force field door opens

footsteps approach

>> Mr. Director? >> It's time to go back to the Avatar. I have reports to prepare for the fleet, even if I can't send them yet. >> Gentlemen, please allow Robby to drive you back to your ship. You'll find it a faster and more comfortable trip than your coming here. >> You've already been too generous with your hospitality. >> Oh, but your time is so valuable, Director. And I assure you, you'll learn a lot more about this planet for having a native guide. >> Well, here's a mission that's gotten a little off track. A nice boring little spin through the galaxy to check on the neighbors, and suddenly we're in Wonderland. >> Those magenta flowers are edible, but they make you see blue rabbits everywhere.

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>> You put that in your notes? >> Nope, every time I open my e-pad, more bunnies jump out.

laughter

I'll make mental notes and record them later. You want to split up at this fork in the path? >> Suits me. Check your charge. You need anything, just holler. >> Weapon charged. I'll see you in a few. Profusion of unknown succulents. Blossoming eudicots resembling magnolias and roses. Similarly fragrant. Fauna has yet to manifest itself. Dusk at these coordinates. Primary moonrise imminent. Secondary moonrise about two hours away. Any fauna sighted may be nocturnal. Temperature, a balmy 22.2. All in all, not a bad night at all for a... Ooh, possible fauna sighting. Investigating.

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>> Oh! You startled me.

to herself

: Oh no, I wasn't aloof. >> Take note. What we have here is not fauna, but an echo. An extremely sophisticated echo. >> A beautiful night for a swim. >> I've never heard of an echo swimming. How's the water? >> Delicious. >> Well, you certainly make it look delicious. >> Would you like to come in? >> I think so, but I'm on duty. >>

to herself

: Aloof, I can't seem to pull it off. I'll try to more analytical.

to Bowman

: How long will you be here on Altair 4? >> Only until tomorrow. In the meantime, we'll be gathering all the data we can. Who knows when we'll have another chance? >> Don't go, you just got here! >> You are one intense echo, or mermaid, or siren, or whatever. Believe me, I'd like to stay. I really like... collecting data here. >> Me, too. What kind of data do you collect? >> Oh, about the plant life. It's all so new. What's that suit you're wearing? >> Oh, graphene. It's very strong but very thin. >> I see that, I see that. >> I like to collect data about men. They're so different. >>

to himself

: Oh, get a grip on yourself, Zak. This is an echo you're talking to, an echo. This is science, not nature you're talking to here.

to Miranda

: So, Mobius created you? What's it like to be an echo? I mean, do you remember, you know, being a kid? How does that work? >> Oh, I remember it as if it were today Mobius pronounced me a completed echo. But I remember other things from the beginning, almost as if, no, I can't quite remember. My life log is not fully accessible at this time. >> I know how that is. The first time I tried Martian rum, it took me three days to remember my own name. >> Tell me about this world you come from, Earth. >> If you're an echo, you should have all that stuff in your database. >> I want to hear you say it, in order to correlate the data. >> Well, okay. Earth, if you could see it from here, would be right there in that constellation called the Hour Glass. >> I always thought it looked more like a harp. >> What? Me, too! All my friends thought I was nuts. They just didn't see it the same way. >> No, it's definitely a harp. See the strings there and there? >> You know, sweetheart, we could form a club, you and I. >> You smell nice.

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>> Gosh, no one's ever told me that. Must be this Venusian cologne they say is... >> Why don't you kiss me? Everybody else has.

laughter

>> What?! Okay, well, for the sake of collecting data...

they kiss

>> Oh, I like the way you do it best.

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>>

to himself

: Oh, Bowman, get a grip on yourself. It's an illusion. >> My heart's beating so fast, it's terrible! Again? >> Okay, all right, okay. Okay, I'm a little revved up myself. It must be these magnolias.

a fierce, tiger-like roar

Miranda screams

Bowman fires laser weapon

>> What was it? >> I don't know. It was weird. It had the shape, the image of a tiger, but it seemed to be some kind of pure energy. My weapon scattered it, I think. >> Yeah, well, we've got bigger fish to fry. The ship's had a security breach and sabotage. We need to get back there on the double before this whole thing blows up in our faces. >> Cooking disasters can be inconvenient and downright embarrassing when you're expecting company for dinner. Why not do what millions of smart housewives do and replace that tired old oven with a brand new stainless steel Blodgett Chef-Master 5500? The Blodgett Chef-Master 5500 has auto-temperature control, so that even an inattentive blockhead like that husband of yours can't mess things up by opening the oven too soon, or forgetting to remove that precious souffl or truffle almondine that you've spent so much time preparing. You see, the Blodgett Chef-Master 5500 has a patented automatic temperature control that knows the right time and temperature for hundreds of dishes. If it were any smarter, it would have a college degree in broadcasting, or some other fairly easy major.

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It protects that fragile what-have-you from falling when some dolt opens the door early, because it locks the door until the food is ready. When the food is ready, the door automatically unlocks and the patented Blodgett Chef-Master 5500 rack system sets the prepared dish right on your kitchen counter! The Blodgett Chef-Master 5500 is affordable in just a 108 convenient payments with low interest rates and modest late penalties applied. Warranty invalid in states with vowels in their names. The Blodgett Chef-Master 5500. Get yours today! We now pause for station identification. You're listening to Forbidden Planet Decoded live from Madison, Wisconsin. This is Wisconsin Public Radio.

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>> And now, back to our live broadcast from the Forum in the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery for Act 3 of the 9XM Players in the Skywave Theater production of Forbidden Planet Decoded.

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>> I understand there was an incident during your patrol in the garden. >> Not really an incident, sir. I had an encounter with an unidentified entity. It may have been some kind of energy burst. My report's on file. >> Strange that it should come so close to the security breach. >> On this planet, strange is the new normal, sir. Is the damage assessment complete? >> It was all in the propulsion unit. The main impeller's been fused. The vectoring is going to require a 13-degree compensation. If we ever get propulsion. >> Sounds like whoever it was wants us to stick around for a while. Have you ruled out crew? >> All accounted for. Whoever or whatever it was that got in here, got through all three security layers. That's all we can figure out. >> Everything's secure out here. Robby's been out there in the field buggy sweeping the hills with a seeker beam. >> Useless to us, of course, since he may well be working for the other side. >> Oh, I don't think so, sir. He seems okay. He was taking the same risks we were in setting up the perimeter. >> He seems as concerned about the Avatar as we are. >> The galaxy's full of illusions, gentlemen. You're no doubt aware of the actors on Charybdis 9? >> The ones that transform themselves physically for each part? I saw one actor change from an exotic dancer into a dog. >> Yeah, well, take away the makeup and a lot of actors would turn into dogs.

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>> I think you get the point, gentlemen. You're to keep an eye on him whenever he's near the perimeter, clear? >> Clear, sir. >> There's a guy with a lot on his plate. >> A fused impeller, and he still figures us to get out of here by 1200 tomorrow? Yeah, that's a plate-full. >> And the heat's coming from the top. Riddle's got his pants on fire for liftoff. He came out here to rub Mobius' nose in it, and ended up with his wings clipped. What do you suppose Mobius is up to? >> We'll have a lot better idea at 1200 tomorrow. Here comes junior.

field buggy approaches

>> Your field buggy is a handy little runabout. I flushed the fuel cells. It's 20% more efficient now. I hope you don't mind. >> Not at all. In fact, we could probably come up with a list of other things you can improve on the Avatar. >> Yeah, like the food. >> The food? >> After the first couple of parsecs, it leaves a little something to be desired. And the beverages could definitely use a little zing. >> The beverages? >> Yeah, I think the quartermaster got a deal on a boatload of Neptunian ice tea. >> The stuff's made with frozen methane. >> I'd be glad to make up something for you. It's just chemistry. >> You mean, like, say Bourbon? >> Sure! It's the least I can do. >> Oh, man. I'm sure there's some really vital mission that can require us to stay here for another week or two. >> I for one am involved in some very important research. >> Suddenly everything on the Avatar lacks a certain je ne sais quois >> That's French for- >> I don't know what. I know. I'm fluent in 32 languages. A little slow in Sycorax though. It has 14 conditional moods and quite a few ornamental words based on social status. Dad's a great linguist, you know. >> Right, that's how he's able to decode some of the Sycorax inscriptions. That's how he was able to create Miranda. She's what, a 5.1? >> A 5.7. >> That's a pile of technology. So what does a 5.7 have that, say, a 5.1 wouldn't have? >> Ah, well, a sense of the figurative. >> How's that again? >> A sense of the figurative. You know, the ability to associate dissimilar things. To comprehend how a girl might compare to a summer day. >> Well, I've got to admit, I've never run into an echo that could do that. I knew a 5.1, and this is classified, Brinker, who was a dead ringer for a genuine human being, but for the life of him, he couldn't get the simplest poem. And he had no sense of irony, no sense of humor. >> Where is he now, in government?

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>> No, he got too far from his power base and imploded. Last time I saw him, he was a little gray cloud floating across the Fourth Polar Quadrant of Citheron. Which raises an interesting question, Robby. If Miranda is so sophisticated, what kind of power base does she have? I mean, has your old man figured out how to extend the range of an echo? >> I'm afraid that's one thing Dad hasn't discovered. In fact, the more sophisticated the echo, the more power base it takes to keep it from imploding. Miranda has all of Altair 4 as her power base, but to leave it would-- >> Weapons up half! >> Up half! >> Avatar, arm the strafing units! >> Why did this not appear in my sweep? >> Good question!

force field crackles

>> Up full, and fire!

firing laser weapons

>> Fall back! Resume firing!

firing laser weapons

[monster screams, then disappears] >> That thing, whatever it was, killed two of my men. Now level with me, Mobius, or I'll bring you back to Earth in grapheme chains. >> Captain, you know as much about that entity as I do. Why would I bring your ship to the surface and then attack it? I could just as easily have annihilated it in the Higgs Boson inversion. >> A rational question that may well have an irrational answer. >> The solution is there, Captain, in that crown. Expand your intellect and you'll see into the minds of the Sycorax. You'll see what's going on here. >> It's far too dangerous. I should've destroyed it years ago. >> But you were too attracted to the idea of greater and greater intellect. Your arrogance wouldn't let you destroy it. You had to go further and further. The truth behind the entity is in that crown. You think you're the only one who can wear it? >> Fabius, don't risk your life for the sake of an old enmity! >> It has to be me! Who else besides the great Mobius has the intellect to see into the minds of the Sycorax? Let's find out. >> Mr. Director, don't! >> Stay back, Captain! That's an order! >> Can't we stop him! >> To stop him in mid-elevation would be fatal. All we can do is wait for his own mind to take control and tell him to stop. >> Ahhhhh! >> Mr. Director! Are you okay? >> Monsters! >> What's he talking about? >> I don't know. >> Monsters from the Id! The Sycorax. They could project anything, anything, anywhere on the planet. At first, it was recreation. Then it was madness. >> No, no, no, the Sycorax were far too advanced. They were advanced beyond anything... >> Ahhh!

Miranda screams

>> You've done it, Mobius. You've gotten your revenge. The director is dead. >> Revenge? I didn't want revenge. I brought him to the surface safely, remember? >> But the entities. The monsters from the Id. >> What does it mean, the monsters from the Id? >> Isn't it in your database? It's an outmoded psychological term. >> The part of the psyche, residing in the unconscious that's the source of instinctive impulses that seek satisfaction in accordance with the pleasure principle. >> Which come from the dark depths of the mind. You let them loose, Mobius, when you unleashed your intelligence and your pride. But you denied it, even to yourself. >> Out, gentlemen, out! This is all nonsense! Don't you think that I know more about it than you do? I've put on that crown on and lived! So don't presume to lecture me on your archaic theories of the mind! >> Think about it, Mobius. Let your genius of a mind give it all due thought. See if it can look itself in the mirror and recognize the truth. And while you're doing it, we'll take the director's body with us and bury it beside the other graves out there by the Avatar. >> Tell me you won't harm them. >> Of course I won't. I'm a man of peace. Everything that I have done has been for the sake of doing no harm. The leaks at Earth Intel. The quest for the knowledge of the Sycorax. All for peaceful purposes. >> Will they be able to leave? >> I hope so. >> I'd like to go with them, to see the galaxy. >> Robby, you can't do that. >> I've been happy here. But I'd like to go out and see other places. It's human nature to explore. >> You have to change him back, Father. Change him back before he... >> He's building human longings on the implanted memories. He's so sophisticated that he's developing longings of his own. >> Do you think they'd take me with them? >> I think that would be a very bad idea. >> I'd come back, Dad. I'd visit you on vacations and holidays.

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>> Robby, I tell you, that can't be. You must always remain here. >> I don't understand. Why? >> Because-- Because this is where you belong. It's a whole world. Isn't that enough for you? >> But I see the stars and I want to travel. >> I'd like to travel, too, with Bowman. >> Miranda, remember. Remember your promise. >> I remember. I'm an echo, a 5.7. >> A 5.7, the best. The best ever. >> The best, capable of figurative thought. But I'm in love.

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>> Control, control. It's all out of control. Go into the garden and wait for me there. >> I'm afraid. >> We're all afraid, but this will be for the best.

footsteps retreat

force field door opens

>> Now, Robby, listen to me. There's something I have to set straight. Do you know what forgiveness is? >> To pardon for a transgression, to feel no ill will against the transgressor. >> To feel, Robby. Tell me what you've felt since the Avatar has landed here? >> I felt happy, happy just to be with you, Dad. I don't know why. But now I want to see the stars. It's only human. >> Robby, I want you to put the crown on, just for a moment. >> I'd rather not do that. I'm happy the way I am. >> It'll be all right. I promise. Think of it as a little adjustment. >> I'm an echo, is that it? >> What gave you that idea? >> Call it a deduction or a feeling based on something scrambled in my earliest memories. >> Will you put on the crown? >> What will happen? What will I lose? >> A delusion. A delusion brought on by a vain old man who put pride and knowledge above what was right. >> Sounds reasonable. >> Ready? >> Can you leave in the part where I'm your son? I kind of like that.

crown hums

>> You have the life log of an echo. From creation, day to day, to this moment. You are a 5.5 echo, no more, no less. Without a human fiber in your being. Synthetic.

crown beeping, hum slows

>> Well, Robby, how do you feel? >> All systems are functioning normally. But I seem to have some memory impairment. >> Yes, well, we've all been off our game a little bit the last few days. >> Off what game? >> It's just a figure of speech. >> We're prepared for departure. I suppose the Sycorax could've repaired that fused impeller in five minutes, but we mere humans, it was all we could do to get that backup system installed. >> Safe travels, Captain. Rest assured that I won't interfere. What will you report when you rejoin the fleet? >> That's a good question, isn't it? Forced to land on Altair 4 by a cosmic disturbance of unknown nature. Attacked by some kind of entity, possibly some form of pure energy. >> Except that it left footprints. >> What? >> After the attack on the Avatar, Lieutenant Bowman and I found footprints in the hardpan leading to the defense perimeter. >> What kind of footprints? >> Big enough to belong to a medium-size t-rex, but with a central talon. >> Lieutenant, you'd better have a closer look. Evolution could never produce anything like that. >> Maybe evolution didn't produce it. Maybe something else on this planet did. >> What about it, Mobius? What other fauna have you observed out here? >> Only small, mammal-like creatures, some marsupials and harmless reptiles, and insects, of course. >> Then there was that predator that Bowman brought down. He said it was like a tiger. >> Where is Lieutenant Bowman? >> Making one last sweep of the garden, sir. He wanted make the most of his last chance to investigate the life forms here.

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>> Maybe next time I'm in the neighborhood, I'll take you up on that invitation to go swimming. >> Why do you have to go so soon? Up there, they don't even know that you're alive. >> What's the matter with me anyway? I'm having a dialogue with a piece of equipment. I may as well be talking to a lawnmower, or myself. >> Bowman, there's something you don't know about me. >> You can say that again. But there's one big thing I do know and that-- I need to be going before I lose my mind completely. >> Don't go! There's worlds to see. The future's up there, and we can see it together. >> A 5.7? For curb appeal, I'm calling this at least a 5.9! >> 5.7, 5.9, none of it matters, I'm human! >> The survival instinct. I've seen it in echoes. Abel Firth on Citheron. He was only a 5.1, but he had it. It's one of the most basic components of identity, natural or artificial. It was behind the clone uprising on Cepheus 7. >> I'm human, Zak, I'm human! >> Cries real tears. If you're human, why did Mobius tell us you were an echo? >> Don't you see? Robby's the echo. My father wanted to protect me from-- from humans. And I think at the same time, he wanted to prove that you couldn't tell the echo he created from a real person. >> There's an over protective dad with a twist.

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>> He made me promise not to tell, but I couldn't help myself. >> I tell you, life was a lot simpler when we were all made the natural way. >> Don't you like me? >> Are you kidding?! I'm crazy about you. I don't know what's the matter with me. Despite my better judgment, I'm stuck on you big time. >> Doesn't that tell you something? >> Maybe it tells me I've been in space too long.

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They say that after a while that even the Daulian pandas start to look cuddly, and their breath can blister steel. >> Zak, do you love me? >> Whoa, whoa, whoa! Now you're starting to act like a genuine female earthling.

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>> Well, there's one proof. >> Going up there? Beyond your power base? >> No, my power base is here. In my heart.

they kiss

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>> This is going to take some getting used to. >> Captain's looking for you. You about got it wrapped up out here? >> You know, your timing-- I was hoping to do some more wrapping, but orders are orders. >> We're past due to begin the departure sequence. Where the devil have you been? >> Researching the Mobius family tree, sir. >> Gentlemen, I'm afraid you've been caught in a duel of pride and vanity between the late Director Riddle and me. I realize now that I brought him down here to prove my superior intellect. Was it for revenge? Yes, I must now admit that it was, although I denied it even to myself at the time. >> You wanted him to kill himself in the mind expander? >> No, no, not that! I simply wanted to control his movements, which I did with the Higgs Boson inversion. I wanted to prove that I could create an echo so sophisticated that nobody would be able to tell the difference between it and a human, which I did. >> With Miranda. >> No, with Robby. I pulled a switch on you, gentlemen, and I succeeded. And I convinced myself that it was for her sake, but it was ego that drove me to do it. When you get back to the fleet, report that science and arrogance are a deadly mix. >> A mix that Director Riddle paid for with his life. I'll tell them that. What about the sabotage, what about disabling my ship? >> Believe me, I know nothing about that. >> Well, we'll be on our way. >> Don't leave me, Zak! >> Miranda! >> I'm sorry, Father. I told him. I couldn't help myself.

meters get louder

>> What's that? >> The defenses. They're drawing more power from the reactors. >> Are you saying we're under attack? >> I don't know. I don't understand. >> It's the same thing that attacked the Avatar. Only this time it means business. >> Close the defense panels!

panels slap shut

Nothing can touch us now.

force field crackling

>> No, those panels are not going to stop it. >> Those panels are two meters of graphene lattice. >> It's not going to be enough. >> Robby, kill it! >> Logic error. Command aborted. >> What's the matter with him? >> It's the logic path. The created can't kill the creator. >> You mean, your father is the entity? >> Monsters from the Id! >> Don't be absurd. I'd never harm you, my own daughter. >> But you would destroy your daughter's suitor. >> The tiger! It attacked when Miranda and I were together. >> How could I have known that? >> The former head of Earth Intel? I'm sure you know something about surveillance. >> I bear you no ill will, I tell you. >> Not consciously. But remember, this is a monster from the Id, from the subconscious, from the primitive part of the psyche, the seat of jealousy and selfishness that predates the finer, higher parts, affection and compassion and self-sacrifice.

alarms sounding

>> The reactors. They're going into meltdown. >> The override, father. Use the override! It's the only way to stop the monsters from the Id. >> The override would destroy the entire compound, everything we've learned, everything we've built for 22 years. >> But the monster will destroy us all if we don't use the override!

alarms continue

>> Gentlemen, when I throw the switch, you will have 17 minutes before this entire compound turns into an inferno of super-ionized plasma. [pulsing sound as override goes into effect] >> Father, you have to come with us. >> To what future, my dear Miranda? My punishment was banishment or death. >> What you've learned here, Mobius, far outweighs the sentence imposed by some stupid court. And your revelations of wrongdoing at Earth Intel have already created a backlash that put Director Riddle in the hot seat. That's why he wanted to come way out here in the first place, to put as much distance as possible between himself and the blow-up. >> Which I suggest we do also. >> Well, I-- >> Mobius, you can be of far greater service to your cause by coming with us than by staying here and dying in a radiation storm. >> Father, you don't need the crown to tell you that what he says is true. >> Sixteen minutes until meltdown. Get into the buggy, please. >> After you, professor.

footsteps retreat

>> I believe that was record time for the distance covered in a field buggy. Shall I check the data to confirm? >> That won't be necessary, Robby. >> You've gotten us here with time to spare. Congratulations. >> My pleasure. >> Well, Robby, the time has come, hasn't it? >> Yes, I'm afraid it has. >> What will you do? >> Well, there's still a lot to discover. I've always been sort of curious about the lack of avian forms. Maybe I'll go on a little expedition and see if I can find some. And if I do, a bird would make a good companion, don't you think? >> Oh, Robby, I'm so sorry. >> It's been my pleasure to serve you. I hope I've been up to snuff. Do you like that? I just found it in the Dictionary of American Regional English.

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Up to snuff. It's figurative. >> Robby, I couldn't have asked for a better companion. >> Two minutes and twenty-one seconds until meltdown. Time to go. >> I'll put all my energy into developing a power base that can free you from this planet. >> I'd like that. I do seem to have this recollection of wanting to travel to the stars and see Earth with grand companions. >> That impeller is one cobbled-together piece of junk. We're going to need some extra time to get out of the planet's gravitational field. Are you ready, sweetheart? >> Good-bye, Robby! >> Be on your way then. Safe travels. Don't forget to write.

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>> I promise. Until we meet again, Robby!

footsteps retreat

Avatar closing ports

>> Safe travels until we meet again, Dad! >> You've been listening to the Skywave Theater production of Forbidden Planet Decoded. We'll be back in a moment, but first...

speaking in Martian voices

>> Now that's what I call a successful mission. Toilets shining white as the Milky Way, tub and tile glistening like the Horseshoe Nebula, kitchen germs atomized. >> Wait till our friends on Mars get a load of this. >> The greatest cleaning agent known to man... >>

Both

And Martians! Lysol disinfectant. >> Kills nasty germs on contact. >> And it smells as fresh as a balmy spring morning, when it gets up to 57 degrees below zero.

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Both

>> Which is more than I can say about you. >> And remember, each 16-ounce bottle... >> Weighs just 6.08 ounces. >> Know what I'm going to use my Lysol on first? >> You should use it to clean that Martian-cave of yours, it smells like a human in there. After all, Lysol has so many applications. >> It's strong enough to use on everything in the spaceport. >> And so gentle on my hands. All ten of them. >> Now, who's starting to sound like an earthling commercial? >> I can't help it. Lysol cleans it all, knocks off grimy germs for as little as 29 cents! >> And its fast cleaning action will leave you more time for leisure activities. >> Such as long romantic walks by the light of the moon. >> Which one?

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Both

>> Lysol, makes cleaning so easy you can use it standing on your head. >> Which one?

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Both

>> You've been listening to the 9XM Players in Skywave Theater's production of Forbidden Planet Decoded, coming to you live from the Forum in the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery at the University of Wisconsin.

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Our cast included

Gregory Brumfield as Fabius Riddle; Gilman Halsted as Captain Frazier; Adam Hirsch as Lt. Bowman; Stephen Montagna as Lt. Brinker; Anthony Lamarr and Michele Good were our Martians; Jenna Stoeber as Miranda; Bruce Bradley as Prosper Mobius; and Cody Luck as Robby. Our play was written for radio by yours truly and directed by Michele Good. Our engineer was Joe Hardtke, with assistance from Sally Pitman; Foley was by Britny True; and our sound design was by Todd Welbourne.

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Our cast included

Our stage manager was Angie Whitiken. Wisconsin Public Television producers were Tina Hauser, Bruce Johnson and Lynn DeRolf. Costumes were by Liz Stattelman-Scanlon. And our thanks to Ann of the Wisconsin Institute of Discovery and Felly's Flowers for our Garden of Eden and to Sunny G. for floral guidance. I'm Norman Gilliland. Thanks for joining us. Next up, as old-time radio drama continues, it's NBC theater from 1948 with Gulliver's Travels, right here on the Ideas Network of Wisconsin Public Radio.