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Saturn has made appearances in fiction since the 1752 novel Micromégas by Voltaire. In the earliest depictions, it was portrayed as having a solid surface rather than its actual gaseous composition. In many of these works, the planet is inhabited by aliens that are usually portrayed as being more advanced than humans. In modern science fiction, the Saturnian atmosphere sometimes hosts floating settlements. The planet is occasionally visited by humans and its rings are sometimes mined for resources.

The moons of Saturn have been depicted in a large number of stories, especially Titan with its Earth-like environment suggesting the possibility of colonization by humans and alien lifeforms living there. A recurring theme has been depicting Titanian lifeforms as slug-like.

Saturn

Early depictions – solid

In all of these stories, one can discern no general image of the planet, except for the usual tendency to suspect its inhabitants are more advanced than humans.

Gary Westfahl, Science Fiction Literature through History: An Encyclopedia, "Saturn" entry^[2]

For a long time, Saturn was incorrectly believed to be a solid planet capable of hosting life on its surface.^[2] The earliest depiction of Saturn in fiction was in the 1752 novel Micromégas by Voltaire, wherein an alien from Sirius visits the planet and meets one of its inhabitants before both travel to Earth.^[3]^[4]^[5] The inhabitants of Saturn have been portrayed in several different works since then, such as in Humphry Davy's 1830 novel Consolations in Travel and the anonymously published 1873 novel A Narrative of the Travels and Adventures of Paul Aermont among the Planets.^[2]^[4]^[6] They are occasionally portrayed as warlike yet benevolent, as in the 1935 short story "The Fall of Mercury" by Leslie F. Stone where they aid humanity in a war against Mercury and the 1933 short story "The Men without Shadows" by Stanton A. Coblentz where they come to Earth as conquerors in order to turn it into a utopia.^[2]^[7] In other works, they are evil, such as in Clifton B. Kruse's 1935 short story "Menace from Saturn" and its 1936 sequel "The Drums".^[2] In the 1890 novel The Auroraphone by Cyrus Cole Saturnians face a robot uprising, and in the 1900 novel The Kite Trust by Lebbeus H. Rogers they built the Egyptian pyramids.^[2]^[5]^[8]

Saturnians are typically depicted as more advanced than the people of Earth,^[2] including in the 1886 novel A Romance of Two Worlds by Marie Corelli and the 1894 novel A Journey in Other Worlds by John Jacob Astor IV; in both stories they resolve theological questions.^[4]^[5]^[9] Exceptions to this general trend include the 1886 novel Aleriel, or A Voyage to Other Worlds by W. S. Lach-Szyrma where the planet's ecosphere is dominated by fungi and invertebrates and the 1901 novel A Honeymoon in Space by George Griffith where it is populated by seaweed, reptiles, and primitive humanoids.^[5]^[10] Saturn is also sometimes portrayed as devoid of life, as in the 1936 short story "Mad Robot" by Raymond Z. Gallun.^[2] Humanity takes refuge on Saturn in the 1935 short story "Earth Rehabilitators, Consolidated" by Henry J. Kostkos,^[5] and the first crewed voyage to Saturn by humans is depicted in the 1941 short story "Man of the Stars" by Sam Moskowitz.^[2]

Later depictions – gaseous

Once it was established that Saturn is a gaseous planet, most works depicting such an environment were instead set on Jupiter.^[2] Nevertheless, Saturn remains a popular setting in modern science fiction for several reasons including its atmosphere being abundant with sought-after helium-3 and its magnetosphere not producing as intense radiation as that of Jupiter.^[1] Humans live in floating cities in Saturn's atmosphere in the 1976 novel Floating Worlds by Cecelia Holland and the 1991 novel The Clouds of Saturn by Michael McCollum.^[3]^[4] A voyage into the atmosphere is depicted in the 1985 short story "Dreadsong" by Roger Zelazny,^[5] and aliens are depicted as living in the atmosphere in the 1997 novel Saturn Rukh by Robert L. Forward.^[3] In the 1996–1999 The Night's Dawn Trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton, Saturn is a place where biological spaceships are created.^[1] Both Saturn and its largest moon Titan are visited in Ben Bova's Grand Tour series in the 2003 novel Saturn and the 2006 novel Titan, respectively.^[1]^[4]

In cinema, Saturn is visited by means of a recovered alien spacecraft in the 1968 film The Bamboo Saucer,^[4]^[11] serves as the destination for a nature reserve containing post-apocalyptic Earth's remaining plant life in the 1972 film Silent Running,^[1]^[12] and is devoured by Galactus in the 2007 film Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.^[1] The planet has also been featured in several comic books; the DC hero Jemm is from Saturn, and the evil Kronans in Marvel's Thor comics have a base there.^[2] Saturn appears as a major location in the role-playing games Jovian Chronicles, Transhuman Space, and Eclipse Phase, as well as the video games System Shock and Dead Space 2.^[1]

Rings

The rings of Saturn are mined for resources in several works; they are a source of ice in Isaac Asimov's 1952 short story "The Martian Way" and the 1981 short story "The Iceworm Special" by Joe Martino, and provide raw material for a weapon in the 1935 short story "Menace from Saturn" by Clifton B. Kruse.^[4]^[5] One of the rings is painted red by a religious group in the 1977 short story "Equinoctial" by John Varley, while another faction seeks to undo the colour change.^[4]^[13] In Asimov's 1986 novel Foundation and Earth, the rings allow for positive identification of the Solar System in the far future.^[4] Owing to the aesthetic appearance of the rings, the vicinity of Saturn is a popular setting for spacecraft in visual media.^[1]

Moons

Saturn's moons, especially Titan, have generally received more attention from writers than the planet itself.^[2]^[4]^[5] The satellite system hides a large circular sentient artificial world in John Varley's 1979–1984 Gaea trilogy that begins with the novel Titan.^[4]^[5]^[14]^[15]

Titan

As a comparatively Earth-like world, Titan has attracted attention from writers as a place that could be colonized by humans and inhabited by extraterrestrial life.^[5] Early depictions of native inhabitants of the moon appear in the form of giant protozoa in Bob Olsen's 1932 short story "Captain Brink of the Space Marines" and enormous thinking spiders in Edwin K. Sloat's 1932 short story "Loot of the Void".^[2]^[5] Stanley G. Weinbaum's 1935 short story "Flight on Titan" features telepathic threadworms, the first appearance of what would later become a recurring image of Titanian life as similar to terrestrial slugs.^[2]^[4]^[5]^[14]^[16] The 1941 novel Sojarr of Titan by Manly Wade Wellman tells the tale of a human child who grows up orphaned on Titan, inspired by Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan books.^[2]^[17]^[18]

Titan became more popular as a setting for science fiction stories in the 1950s as advances in planetary science revealed the harsh conditions of Mars and Venus.^[14] The 1951 novel The Puppet Masters by Robert A. Heinlein tells the story of an alien invasion by parasitic mind-controlling "slugs" from Titan that can be defeated only by a plague from the jungles of Venus,^[14] and slug-like aliens from Titan exert indirect influence on humans on Earth by having them play games in the 1963 novel The Game-Players of Titan by Philip K. Dick.^[2]^[14] The colonization of Titan is depicted in the 1954 novel Trouble on Titan by Alan E. Nourse,^[3]^[4]^[5] the 1961 short story "Saturn Rising" by Arthur C. Clarke depicts efforts to attract tourists to the moon,^[2]^[5] and the 1975 novel Imperial Earth by Clarke portrays a clone who lives on a Titan colony and journeys to Earth.^[2]^[4]^[19] The 1959 novel The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut is a satire wherein humans are manipulated into journeying to Titan to aid a Tralfamadorian stranded there,^[2]^[20]^[21] and the moon is inhabited by an alien lifeform who travelled to the Solar System to communicate with the Sun in the 1977 novel If the Stars are Gods by Gregory Benford and Gordon Eklund.^[4]^[5]^[22]

The flybys of the Saturnian system by the Voyager probes in 1980 and 1981 revealed that Titan's atmosphere—already known to be thick and methane-rich—was opaque, preventing any observations of (or indeed, from) the surface. Following this, science fiction writers' interest waned, and Titan was more often portrayed as one location among many in the outer Solar System rather than being the primary focus.^[14] The terraforming of Titan appears as a background element in stories such as Kim Stanley Robinson's 1985 novel The Memory of Whiteness and his 1996 novel Blue Mars, while a previously terraformed Titan that has reverted to its natural state appears in Stephen Baxter's 1994 novel Ring.^[14] A voyage to Titan is portrayed in the 1997 hard science fiction novel Titan by Baxter.^[1]^[3]^[4]

Other moons

Tethys is inhabited by intelligent life in the 1934 short story "A Matter of Size" by Harry Bates.^[2] Rhea is colonized by humans in the 1956 novel The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester.^[4] The 1954 novel The Secret of Saturn's Rings by Donald A. Wollheim and the 1958 novel Lucky Starr and the Rings of Saturn by Isaac Asimov are both set partially on Mimas.^[2] Iapetus is the site of an alien artefact in Arthur C. Clarke's 1968 novel 2001: A Space Odyssey (the film version from the same year instead uses Jupiter), a voyage to the moon is depicted in Poul Anderson's 1981 short story "The Saturn Game", and first contact with an alien species happens there in the 1986 novel Saturnalia by Grant Callin.^[2]^[4]^[23] In the 2005 novel Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds, Janus is revealed to be an alien spacecraft.^[1] Following the discovery of liquid water beneath the surface of Enceladus, the moon featured in the 2016 short story "The Water Walls of Enceladus" by Mercurio D. Rivera.^[2]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Caryad; Römer, Thomas; Zingsem, Vera (2014). "Der Herr der Ringe" [The Lord of the Rings]. Wanderer am Himmel: Die Welt der Planeten in Astronomie und Mythologie [Wanderers in the Sky: The World of the Planets in Astronomy and Mythology] (in German). Springer-Verlag. pp. 228–230. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-55343-1_11. ISBN 978-3-642-55343-1.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w Westfahl, Gary (2021). "Saturn". Science Fiction Literature through History: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. pp. 553–555. ISBN 978-1-4408-6617-3.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e McKinney, Richard L. (2005). "Jupiter and the Outer Planets". In Westfahl, Gary (ed.). The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Themes, Works, and Wonders. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 449. ISBN 978-0-313-32951-7. The earliest fiction featuring Saturn is probably Voltaire's Micromégas (1750). Much later, Saturn is central in Poul Anderson's "The Saturn Game" (1981) and Michael A. McCollum's The Clouds of Saturn (1991), where human cities float in Saturn's atmosphere. The planet's atmosphere is also the home of the two-brained, four-kilometer-wide creatures of Robert F. Forward's Saturn Rukh (1997). Saturn's largest satellite, Titan—interesting because of its thick atmosphere—is colonized in Alan E Nourse's 1954 juvenile novel, Trouble on Titan, while Stephen Baxter's Titan (1997) is about a space mission to the satellite.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r Langford, David; Stableford, Brian (2021). "Outer Planets". In Clute, John; Langford, David; Sleight, Graham (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (4th ed.). Retrieved 2021-12-17.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o Stableford, Brian (2006). "Saturn". Science Fact and Science Fiction: An Encyclopedia. Taylor & Francis. pp. 458–459. ISBN 978-0-415-97460-8.
^ Clute, John (2022). "Aermont, Paul". In Clute, John; Langford, David; Sleight, Graham (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (4th ed.). Retrieved 2023-12-25.
^ Westfahl, Gary (2021). "Mercury". Science Fiction Literature through History: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. pp. 442–444. ISBN 978-1-4408-6617-3.
^ Nicholls, Peter; Clute, John (2022). "Cole, Cyrus". In Clute, John; Langford, David; Sleight, Graham (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (4th ed.). Retrieved 2023-12-25.
^ Clute, John (2022). "Astor, John Jacob". In Clute, John; Langford, David; Sleight, Graham (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (4th ed.). Retrieved 2023-12-23.
^
- Darling, David; Schulze-Makuch, Dirk (2016). "Griffith, George (1857–1906)". The Extraterrestrial Encyclopedia. First Edition Design Pub. p. 175. ISBN 978-1-5069-0144-2.
- Darling, David. "Griffith, George (1857–1906)". Encyclopedia of Science. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
^ Stevens, Geoffrey (2017). "Bamboo Saucer, The". In Clute, John; Langford, David; Sleight, Graham (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (4th ed.). Retrieved 2021-12-17.
^ Nicholls, Peter; Brosnan, John (2022). "Silent Running". In Clute, John; Langford, David; Sleight, Graham (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (4th ed.). Retrieved 2022-12-18.
^ Clark, Stephen R. L. (2008). How to Live Forever: Science Fiction and Philosophy. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-80006-3. one army of plant-human symbiotes are painting the rings of Saturn red, as a triumphant monument to human energy, while another as eagerly removes the paint
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Baxter, Stephen (Autumn 1997). "Under Titan's Green Sky: Titan in Science Fiction and Science". Foundation. No. 71. Science Fiction Foundation. pp. 5–18. ISSN 0306-4964.
^ Clute, John (2022). "Varley, John". In Clute, John; Langford, David; Sleight, Graham (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (4th ed.). Retrieved 2023-02-10.
^ Bleiler, Everett Franklin; Bleiler, Richard (1998). "Weinbaum, Stanley G[rauman] (1902–1935)". Science-fiction: The Gernsback Years : a Complete Coverage of the Genre Magazines ... from 1926 Through 1936. Kent State University Press. p. 482. ISBN 978-0-87338-604-3.
^ Ashley, Mike (2000). "The Golden Age". The Time Machines. The Story of the Science-Fiction Pulp Magazines from the Beginning to 1950. History of the Science Fiction Magazine. Liverpool University Press. p. 138. ISBN 978-0-85323-855-3.
^ Clute, John; Langford, David (2024). "Wellman, Manly Wade". In Clute, John; Langford, David; Sleight, Graham (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (4th ed.). Retrieved 2024-02-03.
^ Samuelson, David N. (1999). "Sir Arthur C. Clarke". In Bleiler, Richard (ed.). Science Fiction Writers: Critical Studies of the Major Authors from the Early Nineteenth Century to the Present Day. Revision and update by Gary Westfahl (2nd ed.). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. p. 209. ISBN 0-684-80593-6. OCLC 40460120.
^ Stableford, Brian; Clute, John (2023). "Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr". In Clute, John; Langford, David; Sleight, Graham (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (4th ed.). Retrieved 2023-12-25.
^ Elkins, Charles L. (1999). "Kurt Vonnegut". In Bleiler, Richard (ed.). Science Fiction Writers: Critical Studies of the Major Authors from the Early Nineteenth Century to the Present Day (2nd ed.). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 855–856. ISBN 0-684-80593-6. OCLC 40460120.
^ Stableford, Brian (1999). "Gregory Benford". In Bleiler, Richard (ed.). Science Fiction Writers: Critical Studies of the Major Authors from the Early Nineteenth Century to the Present Day (2nd ed.). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 59–60. ISBN 0-684-80593-6. OCLC 40460120.
^ Clute, John (2022). "Callin, Grant". In Clute, John; Langford, David; Sleight, Graham (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (4th ed.). Retrieved 2022-12-17.

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+{{Short description|Depictions of the planet}}
-{{refimprove|date=February 2011}}
+{{good article}}
+[[File:Saturn - April 25 2016 (46435379305).jpg|alt=Image of Saturn that emphasizes the rings|thumb|The visual appeal of the [[rings of Saturn]] makes the planet a popular location in fiction.<ref name="WandererAmHimmelSaturn" />]]
+[[Saturn]] has made appearances in fiction since the 1752 novel ''[[Micromégas]]'' by [[Voltaire]]. In the earliest depictions, it was portrayed as having a solid surface rather than [[Saturn#Physical characteristics|its actual gaseous composition]]. In many of these works, the planet is inhabited by [[Extraterrestrial life|aliens]] that are usually portrayed as being more advanced than humans. In modern [[science fiction]], the [[Atmosphere of Saturn|Saturnian atmosphere]] sometimes hosts [[Floating cities and islands in fiction|floating settlements]]. The planet is occasionally visited by humans and [[Rings of Saturn|its rings]] are sometimes [[Space mining|mined for resources]].
+The [[moons of Saturn]] have been depicted in a large number of stories, especially [[Titan (moon)|Titan]] with its [[Earth-like world|Earth-like environment]] suggesting the possibility of [[Space colonization|colonization by humans]] and alien lifeforms living there. A recurring theme has been depicting Titanian lifeforms as slug-like.
-The picturesque [[planet]] '''[[Saturn]]''' is featured in numerous  works of [[science fiction]]. Early works of science fiction used Saturn itself as a location for stories, but modern science has shown that the planet has no solid surface on which one could land, and that its atmosphere and temperature are hostile to human life. As a result, the Saturnian system as a whole, including its [[rings of Saturn|planetary rings]] and its [[moons of Saturn|extensive system of moons]], is a more common setting for science fiction.
-==On Saturn==
+== Saturn ==
-=== Literature ===
+=== Early depictions – solid ===
+{{Quote box|quote=In all of these stories, one can discern no general image of the planet, except for the usual tendency to suspect its inhabitants are more advanced than humans. |author=[[Gary Westfahl]] |source=''[[Science Fiction Literature through History: An Encyclopedia]]'', "Saturn" entry<ref name="WestfahlSaturn" /> |width=350px}}
-* ''[[Micromégas]]'' (1752) by [[Voltaire]]. Micromégas, an extraterrestrial visitor, arrives at Saturn first (Uranus and Neptune had not yet been discovered in 1752<ref>[[Willy Ley]]: ''Die Himmelskunde.'' Econ, Düsseldorf / Vienna 1965, p. 188</ref>). Saturn's citizens are "only a thousand fathoms high", have 72 senses and live for about 15,000 years. Micromégas forms a close friendship with the secretary of the Academy of Saturn, who accompanies him to Earth.
+For a long time, Saturn was incorrectly believed to be a [[Rocky planet|solid planet]] capable of hosting life on its surface.<ref name="WestfahlSaturn" /> The earliest depiction of Saturn in fiction was in the 1752 novel ''[[Micromégas]]'' by [[Voltaire]], wherein an [[Extraterrestrial life|alien]] from [[Sirius]] visits the planet and meets one of its inhabitants before both travel to Earth.<ref name="GreenwoodOuterPlanets">{{Cite book |last=McKinney |first=Richard L. |title=[[The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Themes, Works, and Wonders]] |date=2005 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-313-32951-7 |editor-last=Westfahl |editor-first=Gary |editor-link=Gary Westfahl |page=449 |language=en |chapter=Jupiter and the Outer Planets |quote=The earliest fiction featuring Saturn is probably Voltaire's ''Micromégas'' (1750). Much later, Saturn is central in Poul Anderson's "The Saturn Game" (1981) and Michael A. McCollum's ''The Clouds of Saturn'' (1991), where human cities float in Saturn's atmosphere. The planet's atmosphere is also the home of the two-brained, four-kilometer-wide creatures of Robert F. Forward's ''Saturn Rukh'' (1997). Saturn's largest satellite, Titan—interesting because of its thick atmosphere—is colonized in Alan E Nourse's 1954 juvenile novel, ''Trouble on Titan'', while Stephen Baxter's ''Titan'' (1997) is about a space mission to the satellite. |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/greenwoodencyclo0000unse_k2b9/page/449/mode/2up}}</ref><ref name="SFEOuterPlanets" /><ref name="StablefordSaturn" /> The inhabitants of Saturn have been portrayed in several different works since then, such as in [[Humphry Davy]]'s 1830 novel ''[[Consolations in Travel]]'' and the anonymously published 1873 novel ''[[A Narrative of the Travels and Adventures of Paul Aermont among the Planets]]''.<ref name="WestfahlSaturn" /><ref name="SFEOuterPlanets" /><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2022 |title=Aermont, Paul |encyclopedia=[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]] |url=https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/aermont_paul |access-date=2023-12-25 |edition=4th |author1-last=Clute |author1-first=John |author1-link=John Clute |editor1-last=Clute |editor1-first=John |editor1-link=John Clute |editor2-last=Langford |editor2-first=David |editor2-link=David Langford |editor3-last=Sleight |editor3-first=Graham |editor3-link=Graham Sleight}}</ref> They are occasionally portrayed as warlike yet benevolent, as in the 1935 short story "[[The Fall of Mercury]]" by [[Leslie F. Stone]] where they aid humanity in a war against [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]] and the 1933 short story "[[The Men without Shadows]]" by [[Stanton A. Coblentz]] where they come to Earth as conquerors in order to turn it into a [[utopia]].<ref name="WestfahlSaturn" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Westfahl |first=Gary |title=[[Science Fiction Literature through History: An Encyclopedia]] |date=2021 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-4408-6617-3 |pages=442–444 |language=en |chapter=Mercury |author-link=Gary Westfahl |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WETPEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA442}}</ref> In other works, they are evil, such as in [[Clifton B. Kruse]]'s 1935 short story "[[Menace from Saturn]]" and its 1936 sequel "[[The Drums (short story)|The Drums]]".<ref name="WestfahlSaturn" /> In the 1890 novel ''[[The Auroraphone]]'' by [[Cyrus Cole (author)|Cyrus Cole]] Saturnians face a [[robot uprising]], and in the 1900 novel ''[[The Kite Trust]]'' by [[Lebbeus H. Rogers]] they built the [[Egyptian pyramids]].<ref name="WestfahlSaturn" /><ref name="StablefordSaturn" /><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2022 |title=Cole, Cyrus |encyclopedia=[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]] |url=https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/cole_cyrus |access-date=2023-12-25 |edition=4th |author1-last=Nicholls |author1-first=Peter |author1-link=Peter Nicholls (writer) |author2-last=Clute |author2-first=John |author2-link=John Clute |editor1-last=Clute |editor1-first=John |editor1-link=John Clute |editor2-last=Langford |editor2-first=David |editor2-link=David Langford |editor3-last=Sleight |editor3-first=Graham |editor3-link=Graham Sleight}}</ref>
-* ''[[Off on a Comet]]'' (1877) by [[Jules Verne]]. Adventurers pass within 415,000,000 miles of Saturn while riding on a comet.  The book describes Saturn as having 8 satellites and 3 rings. It contains a black and white illustration showing what night might look like from the surface of the planet. The rings are brightly illuminated by the sun, and an elliptical shadow is cast on them by the planet. The drawing shows the surface of Saturn as a rocky, desolate, solid surface.
-* ''[[A Journey in Other Worlds]]'' (1894) by [[John Jacob Astor IV]]. Explorers from Earth reach Saturn from Jupiter (which is a tropical jungle world, much like ancient Earth) and find that the planet is a dark, dry, dying planet. The only inhabitants of Saturn are gigantic, [[ghost]]like creatures that communicate telepathically and can predict the future.
-* [[Cthulhu Mythos]] by [[H. P. Lovecraft]] et al.  Saturn was known as [[Cykranosh]] in the [[Hyperborean cycle|Hyperborean Era]], both [[Tsathoggua]] and [[Great Old One compendium#Atlach-Nacha|Atlach-Nacha]] came to Earth from there, and Tsathoggua's paternal uncle [[Tsathoggua#Hziulquoigmnzhah|Hziulquoigmnzhah]] still resides there.
-*''[[Operation Saturn (Dan Dare)|Operation Saturn]]'' (27 Feb. 1953-21 May 1954) by [[Frank Hampson]]. A [[Dan Dare]] story that ran in the original ''[[Eagle (comic)|Eagle]]'' comic from Volume 3, Issue 47 to Volume 5, Issue 21.
-*In [[Captain Marvel (DC Comics)|Captain Marvel]] Adventures #1: 'The Monsters of Saturn,' Saturn has been invaded by a race of Dragon-men from another planet who have enslaved the humanoid inhabitants. The natives of Saturn have a legend of a Thunder God freeing them one day. One of them contacts Earth with a radio, causing Cap to travel to Saturn. Captain Marvel wipes the Dragon-men out before returning to Earth.
-*''[[Jemm|Jemm, Son of Saturn]]'' (1984). Saturn's atmosphere is home to immense, enclosed floating cities, the homes of the Red and White Saturnians, twin races that began as cloned offshoots of the nearly extinct Martian race. Red Saturnians were cloned from [[Martian Manhunter|Green Martians]]; White Saturnians were cloned from [[White Martian]]s. The two species have a rivalry. Like Martians they have mental powers, allowing them to control or read minds.
-*In [[Strange Tales]] #1 (1951) the first story 'The Strange Men' involves beings from the planet Saturn, who, in a subterranean city on an island in the Atlantic ocean, are creating an array of weaponry with which they plan to invade Earth and all the other planets in the Solar System. They are humanoid, but require gas masks to protect themselves from our "vile earthly atmosphere". They are so technologically advanced they can walk through walls.
-*In [[Journey into Mystery]] #83 (1962) "The Stone Men From Saturn", in which [[Thor (Marvel Comics)]] appears for the first time, a race of humanoids made of stone come to Earth with the intention of invading.  They are made extra strong by the high oxygen content of Earth's atmosphere.
-*In All-Star Comics #13 the [[Justice Society of America]] are sent to different planets after being [[Unconsciousness|gassed]] by [[Nazi]]s and placed into rockets. [[Hawkman]] awakens to find himself in a rocketship and getting ready to crash-land on Saturn. Exiting the ship before it crashes, he sees a man being menaced by a vulture and saves his life. Hearing that the inhabitants are being menaced by a tyrant named Hora, Hawkman agrees to lend his services to the populace. He defeats Hora and is rewarded with a leaden box of [[radium]], enabling him to rocket back to Earth.
-*There are many references to Saturn in the Superman comics.
-**The sixth planet from the sun. Superman No. 147/3 describes Saturn as a planet “where there has been no crime at all for centuries .. . and where everyone can perform amazing mental feats!” The complete absence of crime on Saturn is caused by the weird “radiations” emanating from the “meteor- fragments that form Saturn’s rings,” radiations which somehow “cancel out Saturn people’s criminal traits!” (Aug 1961: “The Legion of Super-Villains!").
-**Among the particles that make up Saturn’s rings, asserts Superman No. 122/1, are those composed of a so-called “musical mineral,” an exotic substance that emits musical sounds (Jul 1958: “The Secret of the Space Souvenirs”).
-**According to Superman No. 128/1, Saturn’s “smaller moons” are actually “gigantic, porous ‘snowballs,’ “satellites that are literally “composed of frozen snow” (Apr 1959: chs. 1-2—”Superman versus the Futuremen”; “The Secret of the Futuremen”).
-**Saturn Queen, a member of the Legion of Super-Villains, is a native of Saturn (S No. 147/3, Aug 1961: “The Legion of Super-Villains!”).
-**Saturn Girl a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, hails from Titan, the largest, brightest, and most massive of Saturn’s ten satellites (Adv No. 247/1: "The Legion of Super-Heroes!").
-**In February–March 1951, Superman demolishes an unidentified planet that may one day strike Earth, blasting it apart with asteroids diverted from Saturn’s rings (WF No. 50: “Superman, Super Wrecker”).
-**In February 1957, for a twelve-hour period, Superman’s personality is imprisoned in the body of Jimmy Olsen and vice versa, as the result of both men’s having unwittingly exposed themselves to the effects of a Saturnian “mentality exchanger” discovered by Superman while exploring the remnants of a long-dead Saturnian civilization (S No. 111/1: "The Non-Super Superman”).
-**In July 1958, Superman journeys to Saturn to obtain a sample of the exotic “musical mineral” from Saturn’s rings, and later to Rhea, one of Saturn’s moons, to obtain a strange knotted tree. These are but two of a series of eight so-called “space trophies” which the Man of Steel gathers during this period for inclusion in a time capsule which the Metropolis Museum plans to bury in the ground as a gift for the people of the fiftieth century A.D. (S No. 122: “The Secret of the Space Souvenirs”).
-**During a time-journey to the twenty-first century CE, a time when all life on Earth is threatened with imminent extinction as the result of the oceans having been accidentally dissolved “by an atomic experiment,” Superman tows several of Saturn’s “snowball” moons to Earth to alleviate Earth’s catastrophic scarcity of water (S No. 128/1, Apr 1959: chs. 1-2—-”Superman versus the Futuremen”; “The Secret of the Futuremen”).
-**In August 1961, Superman transforms Saturn Queen from an adversary into an ally, and there turns the tables on the Legion of Super-Villains, by exposing her to the radiations of meteor fragments taken from Saturn’s rings and thus curing her of her “villainous tendencies” (S No. 147/3: “The Legion Super-Villains!”). (TGSB)
-*''[[Saturn Rukh]]'' (1997), novel by [[Robert L. Forward]]. Saturn has inhabitants that live within the planet's clouds.
-*''[[The Clouds of Saturn]]'' (1998), novel by [[Michael McCollum]]. Saturn is a new place for humanity after [[Earth]] was heavily boiled by the flaring sun.
-*''[[Accelerando (book)|Accelerando]]'' (2005), short story collection by [[Charles Stross]]. Humans colonize Saturn's upper atmosphere as the inner planets are dismantled into a [[Matrioshka Brain]].
-*''[[Larklight]]'' (2006) by [[Philip Reeve]]. The First Ones, who inhabited the [[Solar System]] before the planets were formed, live in Saturn's rings because of the lighter gravity, which is only a tenth of Earth's. They weave their webs into the rings, and resemble white 12 legged spiders. Saturn has a breathable [[atmosphere]], but it is harder to breathe than Earth's.
-*''[[The Taking of Chelsea 426]]'' (2009) by [[David Llewellyn (author)|David Llewellyn]]. The human colony Chelsea 426 floats on Saturn's gas clouds.
-*''[[The Night's Dawn Trilogy]]'' by [[Peter F. Hamilton]]. The rings of Saturn are used in the reproductive flights of the biological starships of the series' Edenists, the Voidhawks, for their combination of magnetosphere and matter to nourish the eggs.
-*''[[2312 (novel)|2312]]'' (2012) by [[Kim Stanley Robinson]]. Includes a sequence in which characters fly into Saturn's atmosphere to hunt a missing spacecraft.
-*''[[Saturn Run]]'' (2015) by [[John_Sandford_(novelist)|John Sandford]] and [[Ctein]]. Humanity sees evidence of an extraterrestrial ship to Saturn orbit in 2066. The Chinese and the Americans race to find out what (or who) is there, and how it can be used to their own advantage.
+[[File:A Journey in Other Worlds - 08 - Ayrault's Vision.jpg|alt=An illustration from A Journey in Other Worlds|thumb|Characters on the surface of Saturn in ''[[A Journey in Other Worlds]]'', with the rings visible in the sky]]
-===Film, television and radio===
+Saturnians are typically depicted as more advanced than the people of Earth,<ref name="WestfahlSaturn" /> including in the 1886 novel ''[[A Romance of Two Worlds]]'' by [[Marie Corelli]] and the 1894 novel ''[[A Journey in Other Worlds]]'' by [[John Jacob Astor IV]]; in both stories they resolve [[theological]] questions.<ref name="SFEOuterPlanets" /><ref name="StablefordSaturn" /><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2022 |title=Astor, John Jacob |encyclopedia=[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]] |url=https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/astor_john_jacob |access-date=2023-12-23 |edition=4th |author1-last=Clute |author1-first=John |author1-link=John Clute |editor1-last=Clute |editor1-first=John |editor1-link=John Clute |editor2-last=Langford |editor2-first=David |editor2-link=David Langford |editor3-last=Sleight |editor3-first=Graham |editor3-link=Graham Sleight}}</ref> Exceptions to this general trend include the 1886 novel ''[[Aleriel, or A Voyage to Other Worlds]]'' by [[W. S. Lach-Szyrma]] where the planet's [[Ecosphere (planetary)|ecosphere]] is dominated by [[fungi]] and [[invertebrate]]s and the 1901 novel ''[[A Honeymoon in Space]]'' by [[George Griffith]] where it is populated by seaweed, reptiles, and primitive [[humanoid]]s.<ref name="StablefordSaturn" /><ref>{{multiref2|{{Cite book |last1=Darling |first1=David |title=The Extraterrestrial Encyclopedia |last2=Schulze-Makuch |first2=Dirk |date=2016 |publisher=First Edition Design Pub. |isbn=978-1-5069-0144-2 |pages=175 |language=en |chapter=Griffith, George (1857–1906) |author-link=David J. Darling |author-link2=Dirk Schulze-Makuch |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R9OVCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA175}}|{{Cite web|last=Darling|first=David|author-link=David J. Darling|title=Griffith, George (1857–1906)|url=http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/G/Griffith.html|access-date=2021-12-28|website=Encyclopedia of Science}}}}</ref> Saturn is also sometimes portrayed as devoid of life, as in the 1936 short story "[[Mad Robot]]" by [[Raymond Z. Gallun]].<ref name="WestfahlSaturn" /> Humanity takes refuge on Saturn in the 1935 short story "[[Earth Rehabilitators, Consolidated]]" by [[Henry J. Kostkos]],<ref name="StablefordSaturn" /> and the first crewed voyage to Saturn by humans is depicted in the 1941 short story "[[Man of the Stars]]" by [[Sam Moskowitz]].<ref name="WestfahlSaturn" />
-* ''[[Betty Boop's Ups and Downs]]'' (1932), The planet Saturn buys Earth and pulls its magnet out, eliminating Earth's Gravity.
-* ''[[Space Patrol (1962)|Space Patrol]]'' (1962), puppet television series.
-** "The Rings of Saturn" episode. Observing Saturn, Dart and his crew notice a [[meteor]] shadowing the Galasphere. On discovering it is actually a Saturnian spacecraft, Dart makes contact and brings a tape of Saturnian language back to Earth for decoding. When contact is finally made with the planet it transpires that Dart has inadvertently offended the Saturnians by picking leaves of their sacred tree.
-** "The Miracle Tree Of Saturn" episode. A [[fungus]] is destroying crops at an alarming rate. By chance Professor Heggarty discovers a cutting from the Saturnians' sacred tree on Raeburn's desk destroys the fungus and Dart is dispatched to Saturn to obtain further supplies. However, their plan has been overheard by an unscrupulous technician.
-* In ''[[Star Trek]]'' (1966), Colonel Shaun Jeffrey Christopher is identified as the leader of the first manned mission to explore Saturn.
-* ''[[Silent Running]]'' (1972) is set in a future in which all plant life on Earth is extinct. Only a few specimens have been preserved in a fleet of space freighters, one of which travels to Saturn.
-*[[Tim Burton]]'s film ''[[Beetlejuice]]'' (1988) is partly set on a fictional Saturn, populated by giant sandworms.
-* In the movie ''[[Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer]]'', [[Galactus]] consumes Saturn while en route to consume Earth. The planet and the rings are seen dissolving as Galactus, depicted as a spherical nebula with appendages, is en route to Earth.
-* In [[Futurama]], [[Leela (Futurama)|Leela]] fills sugar and potato in Mr Wong's exhaust pipe. This scene took place on [[Saturn]].
-* In the anime series ''[[Sailor Moon]]'', one of the supporting characters is named Sailor Saturn, her civilian form is known as Hotaru Tomoe. She fights along with the other Outer Senshi for the Moon Kingdom and defending the Solar System of outside enemies. She carries her Silence Glaive, she is known as the guardian of ruin and birth and also the guardian of silence.
-* In the film [[Interstellar (film)|Interstellar]], NASA sends a four astronauts aboard a spacecraft called the Endurance to Saturn in order to enter a wormhole next to the planet in order to find a new habitable planet for the people of Earth.
+=== Later depictions – gaseous ===
-===Games===
+Once it was established that Saturn is a [[gaseous planet]]<!-- Do not change to "gas giant"; Westfahl uses the term in the broader sense which includes Uranus and Neptune, see page 486. -->, most works depicting such an environment were instead set on [[Jupiter]].<ref name="WestfahlSaturn">{{Cite book |last=Westfahl |first=Gary |title=[[Science Fiction Literature through History: An Encyclopedia]] |date=2021 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-4408-6617-3 |pages=553–555 |language=en |chapter=Saturn |author-link=Gary Westfahl |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WETPEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA554}}</ref> Nevertheless, Saturn remains a popular setting in modern [[science fiction]] for several reasons including [[Atmosphere of Saturn|its atmosphere]] being abundant with sought-after [[helium-3]] and [[Magnetosphere of Saturn|its magnetosphere]] not producing as intense radiation as [[Magnetosphere of Jupiter|that of Jupiter]].<ref name="WandererAmHimmelSaturn" /> Humans live in [[Floating cities and islands in fiction|floating cities]] in Saturn's atmosphere in the 1976 novel ''[[Floating Worlds]]'' by [[Cecelia Holland]] and the 1991 novel ''[[The Clouds of Saturn]]'' by [[Michael McCollum]].<ref name="GreenwoodOuterPlanets" /><ref name="SFEOuterPlanets" /> A voyage into the atmosphere is depicted in the 1985 short story "[[Dreadsong]]" by [[Roger Zelazny]],<ref name="StablefordSaturn" /> and aliens are depicted as living in the atmosphere in the 1997 novel ''[[Saturn Rukh]]'' by [[Robert L. Forward]].<ref name="GreenwoodOuterPlanets" /> In the 1996–1999 ''[[The Night's Dawn Trilogy]]'' by [[Peter F. Hamilton]], Saturn is a place where [[Bioship|biological spaceships]] are created.<ref name="WandererAmHimmelSaturn" /> Both Saturn and its largest moon Titan are visited in [[Ben Bova]]'s [[Grand Tour (novel series)|''Grand Tour'']] series in the 2003 novel ''[[Saturn (Bova novel)|Saturn]]'' and the 2006 novel ''[[Titan (Bova novel)|Titan]]'', respectively.<ref name="WandererAmHimmelSaturn" /><ref name="SFEOuterPlanets" />
-*In the role-playing game [[Transhuman Space]] (2002), the isotope [[helium-3]] is harvested from Saturn's atmosphere for use in [[fusion power|fusion reactors]].
-*In a [[The Magic School Bus|Magic School Bus]] game, Saturn is shown being visited by the school bus.
-* In the video game ''[[Galaga: Destination Earth]]'', Saturn is featured as the second stage of this game.
-* In the video game ''[[Destiny]]'', the Hive God, Oryx, parks his Dreadnaught in Saturn's rings.
+In cinema, Saturn is visited by means of a recovered [[alien spacecraft]] in the 1968 film ''[[The Bamboo Saucer]]'',<ref name="SFEOuterPlanets" /><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2017 |title=Bamboo Saucer, The |encyclopedia=[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]] |url=https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/bamboo_saucer_the |access-date=2021-12-17 |edition=4th |author1-last=Stevens |author1-first=Geoffrey |editor1-last=Clute |editor1-first=John |editor1-link=John Clute |editor2-last=Langford |editor2-first=David |editor2-link=David Langford |editor3-last=Sleight |editor3-first=Graham |editor3-link=Graham Sleight}}</ref> serves as the destination for a [[nature reserve]] containing [[Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction|post-apocalyptic]] Earth's remaining plant life in the 1972 film ''[[Silent Running]]'',<ref name="WandererAmHimmelSaturn" /><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2022<!-- 14 February --> |title=Silent Running |encyclopedia=[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]] |url=https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/silent_running |access-date=2022-12-18 |edition=4th |author1-last=Nicholls |author1-first=Peter |author1-link=Peter Nicholls (writer) |author2-last=Brosnan |author2-first=John |author2-link=John Brosnan |editor1-last=Clute |editor1-first=John |editor1-link=John Clute |editor2-last=Langford |editor2-first=David |editor2-link=David Langford |editor3-last=Sleight |editor3-first=Graham |editor3-link=Graham Sleight}}</ref> and is devoured by [[Galactus]] in the 2007 film ''[[Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer]]''.<ref name="WandererAmHimmelSaturn" /> The planet has also been featured in several [[comic book]]s; the [[DC Comics|DC]] hero [[Jemm]] is from Saturn, and the evil [[Kronan (comics)|Kronans]] in [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]]'s ''[[Thor (Marvel Comics)|Thor]]'' comics have a base there.<ref name="WestfahlSaturn" /> Saturn appears as a major location in the [[role-playing game]]s ''[[Jovian Chronicles]]'', ''[[Transhuman Space]]'', and ''[[Eclipse Phase]]'', as well as the video games ''[[System Shock]]'' and ''[[Dead Space 2]]''.<ref name="WandererAmHimmelSaturn" />
-==Saturnian system==
-This section lists fictional works set in the Saturnian system as a whole, including the rings. For works set on specific Saturnian moons, see [[Saturn's moons in fiction]] and [[Titan in fiction]].
-=== Literature ===
+=== Rings ===
+The [[rings of Saturn]] are [[Space mining|mined for resources]] in several works; they are a source of ice in [[Isaac Asimov]]'s 1952 short story "[[The Martian Way]]" and the 1981 short story "[[The Iceworm Special]]" by [[Joe Martino]], and provide raw material for a weapon in the 1935 short story "Menace from Saturn" by Clifton B. Kruse.<ref name="SFEOuterPlanets" /><ref name="StablefordSaturn" /> One of the rings is painted red by a religious group in the 1977 short story "[[Equinoctial (short story)|Equinoctial]]" by [[John Varley (author)|John Varley]], while another faction seeks to undo the colour change.<ref name="SFEOuterPlanets" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Clark |first=Stephen R. L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oRKGAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT174 |title=How to Live Forever: Science Fiction and Philosophy |date=2008 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-80006-3 |language=en |quote=one army of plant-human symbiotes are painting the rings of Saturn red, as a triumphant monument to human energy, while another as eagerly removes the paint |author-link=Stephen R. L. Clark}}</ref> In Asimov's 1986 novel ''[[Foundation and Earth]]'', the rings allow for positive identification of the [[Solar System]] in the [[Far future in fiction|far future]].<ref name="SFEOuterPlanets" /> Owing to the aesthetic appearance of the rings, the vicinity of Saturn is a popular setting for spacecraft in visual media.<ref name="WandererAmHimmelSaturn" />
-*In [[Isaac Asimov]]'s short story ''[[The Martian Way]]'' (1952), Martian colonists use a chunk of ice from Saturn's rings to bring water to the dry world.
-*[[Hugh Walters (author)|Hugh Walters']] juvenile novel ''[[Spaceship to Saturn]]'' (1967) - the tenth in a series chronicling the exploits of the (fictional) "United Nations Exploration Agency" - features the first mission to Saturn, which features a journey through the [[Cassini Division]] in Saturn's rings.
-*In [[Arthur C. Clarke]]'s novel version of ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (novel)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'' (1968), a spacecraft visits the Saturnian system.  The film version is set in the [[Jupiter|Jovian system]] instead, and the sequel novel ''[[2010: Odyssey Two]]'' (1982), follows the film.
-*In the sixth book of the [[Yoko Tsuno]] comic book series (''[[Les Trois soleils de Vinéa]]'', 1976), a small part of the action takes place on a [[Vinean]] space station in orbit around Saturn. Saturn's moon [[Titan (moon)|Titan]] is also briefly mentioned and depicted. Other Saturnian moons are visible but not named.
-*[[Ben Bova]]'s novel ''Saturn'' (2003) is about a spacecraft traveling toward the planet; Saturn itself does not figure greatly in the story.
-*In [[Orson Scott Card]]'s [[Ender's Game]] series, Saturn is where [[Mazer Rackham]] fought and defeated the Formics with a small reserve patrol fleet during the Second Invasion.
-*Several sequences in [[Kim Stanley Robinson]]'s ''[[2312 (novel)|2312]]'' take place in the Saturnian system. In one scene, characters engage in 'ring surfing' by riding the gravity waves induced in Saturn's [[Rings of Saturn|F Ring]] by the moon [[Prometheus (moon)|Prometheus]].
-=== Film and television ===
+== Moons ==
+[[Moons of Saturn|Saturn's moons]], especially [[Titan (moon)|Titan]], have generally received more attention from writers than the planet itself.<ref name="WestfahlSaturn" /><ref name="SFEOuterPlanets">{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2021<!-- 19 May --> |title=Outer Planets |encyclopedia=[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]] |url=https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/outer_planets |access-date=2021-12-17 |edition=4th |author1-last=Langford |author1-first=David |author1-link=David Langford |author2-last=Stableford |author2-first=Brian |author2-link=Brian Stableford |editor1-last=Clute |editor1-first=John |editor1-link=John Clute |editor2-last=Langford |editor2-first=David |editor2-link=David Langford |editor3-last=Sleight |editor3-first=Graham |editor3-link=Graham Sleight}}</ref><ref name="StablefordSaturn">{{Cite book |last=Stableford |first=Brian |title=[[Science Fact and Science Fiction: An Encyclopedia]] |date=2006 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0-415-97460-8 |pages=458–459 |language=en |chapter=Saturn |author-link=Brian Stableford |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uefwmdROKTAC&pg=PA458}}</ref> The satellite system hides a [[Rotating wheel space station|large circular]] sentient [[Macrostructure (science fiction)|artificial world<!-- Do not link [[Artificial planet]]; that's a different concept. This is what's discussed at https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/macrostructures  -->]] in John Varley's 1979–1984 [[Gaea trilogy|''Gaea'' trilogy]] that begins with the novel ''[[Titan (Varley novel)|Titan]]''.<ref name="SFEOuterPlanets" /><ref name="StablefordSaturn" /><ref name="Baxter" /><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2022 |title=Varley, John |encyclopedia=[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]] |url=https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/varley_john |access-date=2023-02-10 |edition=4th |author1-last=Clute |author1-first=John |author1-link=John Clute |editor1-last=Clute |editor1-first=John |editor1-link=John Clute |editor2-last=Langford |editor2-first=David |editor2-link=David Langford |editor3-last=Sleight |editor3-first=Graham |editor3-link=Graham Sleight}}</ref>
-* "[[Sailor Moon]]" animation franchise.
-Sailor Saturn is one of the Sailor soldiers. Part of the outer soldier team, she possess immense power of destruction and is the soldier of"death and revolution". She appears when evil has consumed the planet and the situation is beyond hope. By swinging down her scythe, she destroys everything- evil and the planet itself, completing the cycle of death and rebirth
-* ''[[Star Trek]]'' film and television franchise.
-** "[[Tomorrow Is Yesterday]]" (1967), ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]'' episode. Sean Jeffrey Christopher is mentioned as having headed the first "Earth-Saturn probe".
-** "[[The First Duty]]" (1992), ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' episode. The Starfleet Academy Flight Range is located in the vicinity of Saturn, with an emergency evacuation center on Mimas.
-** ''[[Star Trek (film)|Star Trek]]'' (2009), re-imagined film. The crew of the USS ''Enterprise'' hides behind Titan, using Saturn's magnetic field as a shield, while beaming Captain Kirk and Commander Spock aboard the ''Narada'', which is about to attack Earth.
-* The episode "Blitzkrieg" from the [[science fiction]] [[anime]] series ''[[The Super Dimension Fortress Macross]]'' (1982&ndash;1983) takes place in Saturn's rings, where the SDF-1 engages the enemy alien [[Zentradi|Zentraedi]] forces from a concealed location. The beginning of the movie adaptation ''[[Macross: Do You Remember Love?]]'' also takes place near the moon Titan and Saturn's rings.
-* ''[[Megas XLR]]'' (2004), animated TV series. Main character Coop Cooplowski accidentally creates a big gap in Saturn's rings, saying "it looks better that way".
-* In ''[[WALL-E]]'', the title character brushes a hand through the ice comprising Saturn's rings while riding on the outside of a spaceship passing the planet.
-* In Zathura: A Space Adventure, Saturn is seen in the space background; the house lies on Saturn's rings.
-=== Games ===
+=== Titan ===
+[[File:Avon Fantasy Reader 15.jpg|alt=Refer to caption|thumb|March 1951 cover of ''[[Avon Fantasy Reader]]'', featuring [[Stanley G. Weinbaum]]'s "[[Flight on Titan]]" (here under the variant title "A Man, A Maid, and Saturn's Temptation") and its telepathic Titanian threadworm]]
-* The ''Citadel'' research and mining space station, setting of the [[computer game]] ''[[System Shock]]'' (1994), is in orbit of Saturn for most of the game.
+As a comparatively [[Earth-like world]], Titan has attracted attention from writers as a place that could be [[Space colonization|colonized by humans]] and inhabited by extraterrestrial life.<ref name="StablefordSaturn" /> Early depictions of native inhabitants of the moon appear in the form of giant [[protozoa]] in [[Bob Olsen]]'s 1932 short story "[[Captain Brink of the Space Marines]]" and enormous thinking spiders in [[Edwin K. Sloat]]'s 1932 short story "[[Loot of the Void]]".<ref name="WestfahlSaturn" /><ref name="StablefordSaturn" /> [[Stanley G. Weinbaum]]'s 1935 short story "[[Flight on Titan]]" features [[Telepathy|telepathic]] [[Nematode|threadworms]], the first appearance of what would later become a recurring image of Titanian life as similar to terrestrial slugs.<ref name="WestfahlSaturn" /><ref name="SFEOuterPlanets" /><ref name="StablefordSaturn" /><ref name="Baxter">{{Cite magazine |last=Baxter |first=Stephen |author-link=Stephen Baxter (author) |date=Autumn 1997 |title=Under Titan's Green Sky: Titan in Science Fiction and Science |magazine=[[Foundation (journal)|Foundation]] |publisher=[[Science Fiction Foundation]] |issue=71 |pages=5–18 |issn=0306-4964}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bleiler |first1=Everett Franklin |title=[[Science-fiction: The Gernsback Years : a Complete Coverage of the Genre Magazines ... from 1926 Through 1936]] |last2=Bleiler |first2=Richard |date=1998 |publisher=Kent State University Press |isbn=978-0-87338-604-3 |pages=482 |language=en |chapter=Weinbaum, Stanley G[rauman] (1902–1935) |author-link=E. F. Bleiler |author-link2=Richard Bleiler |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PbMdeizaCNcC&pg=PA482}}</ref> The 1941 novel ''[[Sojarr of Titan]]'' by [[Manly Wade Wellman]] tells the tale of a human child who grows up orphaned on Titan, inspired by [[Edgar Rice Burroughs]]' ''[[Tarzan (book series)|Tarzan]]'' books.<ref name="WestfahlSaturn" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Ashley |first=Mike |title=The Time Machines. The Story of the Science-Fiction Pulp Magazines from the Beginning to 1950 |date=2000 |publisher=Liverpool University Press |isbn=978-0-85323-855-3 |series=History of the Science Fiction Magazine |pages=138 |language=en |chapter=The Golden Age |author-link=Mike Ashley (writer) |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BjI4-qex0JgC&pg=PA138}}</ref><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2024<!-- 29 January --> |title=Wellman, Manly Wade |encyclopedia=[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]] |url=https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/wellman_manly_wade |access-date=2024-02-03 |edition=4th |author1-last=Clute |author1-first=John |author1-link=John Clute |author2-last=Langford |author2-first=David |author2-link=David Langford |editor1-last=Clute |editor1-first=John |editor1-link=John Clute |editor2-last=Langford |editor2-first=David |editor2-link=David Langford |editor3-last=Sleight |editor3-first=Graham |editor3-link=Graham Sleight}}</ref>
-* In ''[[MegaMan V (Game Boy)|MegaMan V]]'', there is a Stardroid named Saturn.
-* In the game ''[[XGRA: Extreme-G Racing Association]]'' (2003) two race circuits are on an asteroid in orbit around Saturn. On the outdoor sections, Saturn is clearly visible.
-* In the RPG ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'', Saturn's ring system is destroyed in [[Sephiroth (Final Fantasy)|Sephiroth's]] Super Nova spell sequence during the final battle.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye0dJhSH_LU "Sephiroths Super Nova"]</ref>
-* In the [[Science-Fiction]]/Horror game ''[[Dead Space 2]]'', the game's setting is a large space station known as 'The Sprawl', which orbits Saturn.
-* One of the stages of the [[Arcade game|arcade]] ''[[Xain'd Sleena|Solar Warrior]]'' takes place on an airless, unspecified, moon of Saturn.
+Titan became more popular as a setting for science fiction stories in the 1950s as advances in [[planetary science]] revealed the harsh conditions of [[Mars]] and [[Venus]].<ref name="Baxter" /> The 1951 novel ''[[The Puppet Masters]]'' by [[Robert A. Heinlein]] tells the story of an [[alien invasion]] by parasitic [[Mind control in popular culture|mind-controlling]] "slugs" from Titan that can be defeated only by a plague from the [[Venus in fiction#Jungle and swamp|jungles of Venus]],<ref name="Baxter" /> and slug-like aliens from Titan exert indirect influence on humans on Earth by having them play games in the 1963 novel ''[[The Game-Players of Titan]]'' by [[Philip K. Dick]].<ref name="WestfahlSaturn" /><ref name="Baxter" /> The [[colonization of Titan]] is depicted in the 1954 novel ''[[Trouble on Titan]]'' by [[Alan E. Nourse]],<ref name="GreenwoodOuterPlanets" /><ref name="SFEOuterPlanets" /><ref name="StablefordSaturn" /> the 1961 short story "[[Saturn Rising]]" by [[Arthur C. Clarke]] depicts efforts to attract [[Space tourism|tourists]] to the moon,<ref name="WestfahlSaturn" /><ref name="StablefordSaturn" /> and the 1975 novel ''[[Imperial Earth]]'' by Clarke portrays a [[Human cloning|clone]] who lives on a Titan colony and journeys to Earth.<ref name="WestfahlSaturn" /><ref name="SFEOuterPlanets" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Samuelson |first=David N. |title=Science Fiction Writers: Critical Studies of the Major Authors from the Early Nineteenth Century to the Present Day |date=1999 |publisher=[[Charles Scribner's Sons]] |others=Revision and update by [[Gary Westfahl]] |isbn=0-684-80593-6 |editor-last=Bleiler |editor-first=Richard |editor-link=Richard Bleiler |edition=2nd |location=New York |pages=209 |chapter=Sir Arthur C. Clarke |oclc=40460120 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/sciencefictionwr0000unse/page/209/mode/2up}}</ref> The 1959 novel ''[[The Sirens of Titan]]'' by [[Kurt Vonnegut]] is a [[satire]] wherein humans are manipulated into journeying to Titan to aid a [[Tralfamadorian]] stranded there,<ref name="WestfahlSaturn" /><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2023<!-- 25 September --> |title=Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr |encyclopedia=[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]] |url=https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/vonnegut_kurt_jr |access-date=2023-12-25 |edition=4th |author1-last=Stableford |author1-first=Brian |author1-link=Brian Stableford |author2-last=Clute |author2-first=John |author2-link=John Clute |editor1-last=Clute |editor1-first=John |editor1-link=John Clute |editor2-last=Langford |editor2-first=David |editor2-link=David Langford |editor3-last=Sleight |editor3-first=Graham |editor3-link=Graham Sleight}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Elkins |first=Charles L. |title=Science Fiction Writers: Critical Studies of the Major Authors from the Early Nineteenth Century to the Present Day |date=1999 |publisher=[[Charles Scribner's Sons]] |isbn=0-684-80593-6 |editor-last=Bleiler |editor-first=Richard |editor-link=Richard Bleiler |edition=2nd |location=New York |pages=855–856 |chapter=Kurt Vonnegut |oclc=40460120 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/sciencefictionwr0000unse/page/855/mode/2up}}</ref> and the moon is inhabited by an alien lifeform who travelled to the [[Solar System]] to communicate with the Sun in the 1977 novel ''[[If the Stars are Gods]]'' by [[Gregory Benford]] and [[Gordon Eklund]].<ref name="SFEOuterPlanets" /><ref name="StablefordSaturn" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Stableford |first=Brian |title=Science Fiction Writers: Critical Studies of the Major Authors from the Early Nineteenth Century to the Present Day |date=1999 |publisher=[[Charles Scribner's Sons]] |isbn=0-684-80593-6 |editor-last=Bleiler |editor-first=Richard |editor-link=Richard Bleiler |edition=2nd |location=New York |pages=59–60 |chapter=Gregory Benford |oclc=40460120 |author-link=Brian Stableford |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/sciencefictionwr0000unse/page/59/mode/2up}}</ref>
-==Other==
-* In [[C. S. Lewis]]'s novel ''[[That Hideous Strength]]'' (1945), we learn of a prophecy that [[Elwin Ransom|Ransom]] "shall be Pendragon in the time when Saturn descends from his [[celestial spheres|sphere]]". This prophecy is fulfilled when Lurga, the [[Oyarsa]] of Saturn, appears in the top floor of the house at St. Anne's along with the Oyéresu of [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]] (Viritrilbia), [[Venus]] (Perelandra), [[Mars]] (Malacandra), and [[Jupiter]] (Glund).
+The [[Exploration of Saturn#Voyagers|flybys of the Saturnian system]] by the ''[[Voyager program|Voyager]]'' probes in 1980 and 1981 revealed that [[Atmosphere of Titan|Titan's atmosphere]]—already known to be thick and [[methane]]-rich—was opaque, preventing any observations of (or indeed, ''from'') the surface. Following this, science fiction writers' interest waned, and Titan was more often portrayed as one location among many in the [[outer Solar System]] rather than being the primary focus.<ref name="Baxter" /> The [[terraforming]] of Titan appears as a background element in stories such as [[Kim Stanley Robinson]]'s 1985 novel ''[[The Memory of Whiteness]]'' and his 1996 novel ''[[Blue Mars (novel)|Blue Mars]]'', while a previously terraformed Titan that has reverted to its natural state appears in [[Stephen Baxter (author)|Stephen Baxter]]'s 1994 novel ''[[Ring (Baxter novel)|Ring]]''.<ref name="Baxter" /> A voyage to Titan is portrayed in the 1997 [[hard science fiction]] novel ''[[Titan (Baxter novel)|Titan]]'' by Baxter.<ref name="WandererAmHimmelSaturn" /><ref name="GreenwoodOuterPlanets" /><ref name="SFEOuterPlanets" />
+=== Other moons ===
+[[Tethys (moon)|Tethys]] is inhabited by [[Extraterrestrial intelligence|intelligent life]] in the 1934 short story "[[A Matter of Size (short story)|A Matter of Size]]" by [[Harry Bates (author)|Harry Bates]].<ref name="WestfahlSaturn" /> [[Rhea (moon)|Rhea]] is colonized by humans in the 1956 novel ''[[The Stars My Destination]]'' by [[Alfred Bester]].<ref name="SFEOuterPlanets" /> The 1954 novel ''[[The Secret of Saturn's Rings]]'' by [[Donald A. Wollheim]] and the 1958 novel ''[[Lucky Starr and the Rings of Saturn]]'' by Isaac Asimov are both set partially on [[Mimas (moon)|Mimas]].<ref name="WestfahlSaturn" /> [[Iapetus (moon)|Iapetus]] is the site of an alien artefact in Arthur C. Clarke's 1968 novel ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (novel)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'' ([[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|the film version]] from the same year instead uses Jupiter), a voyage to the moon is depicted in [[Poul Anderson]]'s 1981 short story "[[The Saturn Game]]", and [[First contact (science fiction)|first contact]] with an alien species happens there in the 1986 novel ''[[Saturnalia (Callin novel)|Saturnalia]]'' by [[Grant Callin]].<ref name="WestfahlSaturn" /><ref name="SFEOuterPlanets" /><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2022<!-- 12 September --> |title=Callin, Grant |encyclopedia=[[The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction]] |url=https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/callin_grant |access-date=2022-12-17 |edition=4th |author1-last=Clute |author1-first=John |author1-link=John Clute |editor1-last=Clute |editor1-first=John |editor1-link=John Clute |editor2-last=Langford |editor2-first=David |editor2-link=David Langford |editor3-last=Sleight |editor3-first=Graham |editor3-link=Graham Sleight}}</ref> In the 2005 novel ''[[Pushing Ice]]'' by [[Alastair Reynolds]], [[Janus (moon)|Janus]] is revealed to be an alien spacecraft.<ref name="WandererAmHimmelSaturn">{{Cite book |last1=Caryad |first1=<!-- None; mononymous --> |title=Wanderer am Himmel: Die Welt der Planeten in Astronomie und Mythologie |last2=Römer |first2=Thomas |last3=Zingsem |first3=Vera |date=2014 |publisher=Springer-Verlag |isbn=978-3-642-55343-1 |pages=228–230 |language=de |trans-title=Wanderers in the Sky: The World of the Planets in Astronomy and Mythology |chapter=Der Herr der Ringe |trans-chapter=The Lord of the Rings |doi=10.1007/978-3-642-55343-1_11 |author-link2=<!-- No article at present (December 2022); editor for Phantastische Medien, Wikidata Q126753 --> |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y_WJBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA228}}</ref> Following the discovery of [[Extraterrestrial liquid water|liquid water]] beneath the surface of [[Enceladus]], the moon featured in the 2016 short story "[[The Water Walls of Enceladus]]" by [[Mercurio D. Rivera]].<ref name="WestfahlSaturn" />
 == See also ==
+<imagemap>
-* [[Saturn's moons in fiction]]
+File:Solar system.jpg|alt=A photomontage of the eight planets and the Moon|thumb|Clicking on a planet leads to the article about its depiction in fiction.
-* [[Titan in fiction]]
-* [[List of real astronomical locations in fiction]]
+circle 1250 4700 650 [[Neptune in fiction]]
+circle 2150 4505 525 [[Uranus in fiction]]
+circle 2890 3960 610 [[Saturn in fiction]]
+circle 3450 2880 790 [[Jupiter in fiction]]
+circle 3015 1770 460 [[Mars in fiction]]
+circle 2370 1150 520 [[Earth in science fiction]]
+circle 3165 590 280 [[Moon in science fiction]]
+circle 1570 785 475 [[Venus in fiction]]
+circle 990 530 320 [[Mercury in fiction]]
+</imagemap>
+* [[Sun in fiction]]
+{{Clear}}
 == References ==
 {{reflist}}
+== Further reading ==
+* {{Cite web |last=Fraknoi |first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Fraknoi |date=January 2024 |title=Science Fiction Stories with Good Astronomy & Physics: A Topical Index |url=https://astrosociety.org/file_download/inline/7b5edc23-7a89-46c1-a6b3-33a30ed4c876 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240210011957/https://astrosociety.org/file_download/inline/7b5edc23-7a89-46c1-a6b3-33a30ed4c876 |archive-date=2024-02-10 |archive-format=PDF |access-date=2024-03-23 |website=[[Astronomical Society of the Pacific]] |pages=15–16 |format=PDF |ref=none |edition=7.3}}
+* {{Cite web |last=Stanway |first=Elizabeth |author-link=<!-- No article at present (July 2024); Stanway is an astrophysicist at the University of Warwick who has been published in [[Foundation (journal)]], among others (see https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/physics/research/astro/people/stanway/sciencefiction); Wikidata Q127710708 --> |date=2022-06-12 |title=Dan Dare's Saturnia |url=https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/physics/research/astro/people/stanway/sciencefiction/cosmicstories/dan_dares_saturnia |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401142437/https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/physics/research/astro/people/stanway/sciencefiction/cosmicstories/dan_dares_saturnia/ |archive-date=2023-04-01 |access-date=2024-03-25 |website=[[Warwick University]] |series=Cosmic Stories Blog}}
 {{Astronomical locations in fiction}}
 {{Saturn}}
+[[Category:Fiction set on Saturn| ]]
-{{DEFAULTSORT:Saturn In Fiction}}
+[[Category:Fiction about gas giants]]
-<!--Categories-->
-[[Category:Gas giants in fiction]]
-[[Category:Saturn in fiction| ]]

v t e Saturn
Outline
Geography	Dragon Storm Great White Spot Hexagon Magnetosphere Rings
Moons	S/2009 S 1 Ring moonlets Pan Daphnis Atlas Prometheus Pandora Epimetheus Janus Aegaeon Mimas Methone Anthe Pallene Enceladus Tethys Telesto Calypso Dione Helene Polydeuces Rhea Titan Hyperion Iapetus Inuit group Kiviuq Paaliaq Siarnaq Gallic group Albiorix Norse group Phoebe
Astronomy	Delta Octantis Saturn-crossing minor planets
Exploration	Cassini–Huygens (Huygens) timeline retirement Pioneer 11 Voyager program Voyager 1 Voyager 2
Related	Fiction The Day the Earth Smiled In Saturn's Rings (2018 documentary)
Category