It’s a space saddle.
Okay, I’m starting my re-read of UC, trying to get back into the narrative flow, and remind myself of what this particular iteration of Unification Chronicles looks like, since there have been oh so many.
Unification Chronicles actually began back in 1994, I believe, maybe early ‘95. I know I got some early backstory work done on it during the Great 95 Government Furlough, when federal employees like myself (I was active duty USAF working at that largish 5-sided building in DC) had a lot of time off while Clinton and Gingrich played a game of chicken (for the record, Gingrich blinked).
Originally, UC was a more pedestrian space opera, as I hadn’t been exposed to as much epic SF as I have been now and didn’t know what had already been done and done and done again. Not to say that UC is completely original, I’m sure there are themes and ideas that have been done before, but keep in mind that any truly original creative work will be an enormous flop since no one will have the frame of reference to understand it.
Anyway, in the original drafts the bad guys were bugs (I know, I know) and there was a lot more certainty among the military characters. More Starship Troopers than Babylon 5 and I shudder to look at those notes today. But hey, some stories take time to ferment.
Back to the present. I’m about halfway through issue 1 of UC and I’m suprised how well it holds up. It’s been over a year since I’ve looked at this and I don’t cringe. It’s pretty much what I would have written today, which means that as far as I’m concerned, it’s done and I’m happy with it. Jack and Robyn are both interesting characters and I like the feel of Envoy. Feels like a real starship.
More tomorrow when I get to issue 2.
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