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| Region | Milkyway - Orion Arm |
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| System | Alpha Aquilae |
| Number of suns | 1 |
| Number of moons | 2 |
| Population | 2 |
| Points of Interest | Dr. Morbius's Home, The underground Krell Laboratory, The gigantic power plant |
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Altair IV, is a fictional planet featured in the 1956 MGM classic science fiction film Forbidden Planet. The fourth planet orbiting the star Altair - 16.7 light-years distance away from our Sun. It is a rocky terrestrial world that can support life because it has an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere and an approximate Earth gravity field. The planet was home to Doctor Edward Morbius Ph.D. philologist (Walter Pidgeon) and his daughter Altaira (Anne Francis) the only survivors of the ill-fated Bellerophon Expedition. The one other inhabitant was the "Remarkable Gentleman" Robby the Robot. The planet was once home to the great non-human Krell civilization before they annihilated themselves. Finding the remains of the Krell civilization marked the first time humans had encountered an alien race. It was visited by the United Planets Cruiser C-57D, captained by Cmdr J.J. Adams (Leslie Nielsen), with Exec Officer Lt J.P. Farman (Jack Kelly) & ship's physician Dr C.X. Ostrow (Warren Stevens). The ship was dispatched to Altair IV, located in the star-system Alpha Aquilae, to search for survivors of the Bellerophon Expedition, lost some twenty years before. Unlike the novel version (mentioned below), in the 1956 Forbidden Planet movie version, the C-57D did not mention any 'time-squeeze' effect to contend with. Thus, the C-57D's voyage to Altair IV required only about 1 year (as stated in it's dialogue: "378 days in hyperspace"). Therefore the speed of the movie version C-57D to Altair IV is: 16.7 light years / 1 year voyage = 16.7 Light-speed. Ten times faster than the ship speed presented in the later novelization of the movie. And the movie version did not specify any event dates beyond 2200 A.D. Thereafter, event dates are subject to interpretation.
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The Novel
- The novel by W.J. Stuart is based on the film, and approaches the story as chapter narrations, from the viewpoints of each of the main characters: Cmdr Adams, Dr Morbius, & ship's medical officer Dr Ostrow.
- Early in the story, the C-57D Cruiser, launched on its 10 year voyage (one year to the crew on-board, due to 'time-squeeze' effect) in 2371, traveling at "More than the speed of light!" in the flight to the Altair star system. Arriving in the year 2381. Note: 16.7 Light-years / 10 year voyage = 1.67 Light-speed.
- Before the C-57D's landing, preliminary findings held that the gravity is .897 of Earth's & that the oxygen level is 4.7 richer. On the ground, ship's engineer Chief Alonzo Quinn notes that broken pieces from nearby blue-gray stalagmite rocks were lighter than pumice, but harder than granite. The planet's soft, heady atmosphere, lit by turquoise sunlight, is described as being so full of oxygen, a breeze would be felt, even when there wasn't one. Also, parts of the desert ground around Morbius' home are covered by a gold-hued grass, with green-gray mountains & deep blue water rivers in the distance. Nearby trees & plants appeared somewhat Earth-like, except for color, shape & foliage. At night, the planet's two moons reflect turquoise light onto the distant mountains, giving them a copper color.
Other Uses
- Altair IV is mentioned in the Stephen King novel The Tommyknockers, as the location to which a child is sent.
- Altair 4 is the designation for the lunar lander in the Orion 19 mission, tentatively scheduled for 2020.
References
- The movie images and subtitles from 1999 and 2006 Forbidden Planet movie DVD releases.
- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049223/ Internet Movie Database.
- 1979 CINEFANTASTIQUE Magazine Double-Issue (Volume 8 - Number 2 & Volume 8 - Number 3) - Article: "MAKING FORBIDDEN PLANET" by Frederick S. Clarke and Steve Rubin.
- Forbidden Planet Screenplay Draft - May 14, 1955.
- 1956 Forbidden Planet novel by W. J. Stuart (published by Bantam Books)
External links
- Altair System summary
- IMDB 1956 "Forbidden Planet": http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049223/
