Bruce Sterling, in his introduction to Mirrorshades, illustrates multidimensional literary, cultural and technological concepts assigned to the word “cyberpunk.” He terms the genre “a new kind of integration,” “the realm of high tech, and the modern pop underground” (Sterling xi). Unique in their perspective, the cyberpunks are the first generation of science fiction writers to grow up with the reality of a “truly science-fictional world,” where technological literacy is described as being an aid to daily life. Common themes of the body and mind being invaded by technology illustrate how, to cyberpunks, “technology is visceral” (Sterling xiii). Presented in a visage inspired by Eighties counter-culture, the movement “is considered by some to be fashion conscious to a fault.” The aesthetic, however, is truly reflective of the integration and hybridized influences that were so common in the 1980's (Sterling xiv). Having noted these concepts, one can begin to explore the Cyberpunk themes delivered in “Red Star, Winter Orbit” by William Gibson.
"Red Star, Winter Orbit" takes place in a Soviet space station named Kosmograd. It is implied that the Soviets have won the “space race” and the cold war, when during a newscast an American disarmament group is mentioned. While currently this would be considered an alternate history, when it was written in the early 1980's it was a work of very near science fiction. According to Tatiani G. Rapatzikou, “The writers make use of solid factual information in order to reinforce the literal concept behind the story and the plausibility of the real-life experiences described.” (65) To reinforce the idea of the relative unimportance of America, Gibson includes a short anecdote where American entertainment is smuggled onto Kosmograd for viewing by the cosmonauts. This suggests that the identity of America, as a country, is mainly a source of entertainment to the world, rather than a super power or threat to be taken seriously.
As the story begins, Colonel Korolev's damaged physical condition is explained in great detail. His body has been irreparably damaged from an accident, in addition to extreme bone loss from an environment without gravity. The Soviet Government has decided to abandon the Kosmograd station, their last presence in outer space. The physical dilapidation of the Colonel, as well as the abandonment of the space program can be viewed as an example of the influence of the outside world being exerted on individual reality (Rapatzikou 66). In contrast to the original vision of the development of outer space being an optimistic enterprise, its reality is a bleak and damaged piece of technology run by a traumatized and disabled man.
After a failed attempt at a coup, Korolev submits himself to the entropy of Kosmograd. Shortly after he has accepted death to be his ultimate fate, the station is found by a group of hopeful and idealistic Americans. Despite the fact that he has come in contact with other human life forms, the Colonel is not comforted. Instead, he finds their sunny dispositions and optimism to be be disconcerting. He is left feeling more alone and segregated in the company of others (Rapatzikou 69), despite once being a celebrated Military hero. His experience is a juxtaposition to that of the American squatters, who have come from hopelessness (“They said we'd never make it, living in balloons.”) to find even a decaying Kosmograd to be a beacon of hope, while the Colonel is crippled, unable to return to earth, and is given up on by the Soviets along with the space station.
The possibility of the Americans losing the cold war is certainly considered dystopian to an audience of Americans. However, Gibson shows us in "Red Star, Winter Orbit" that the success that comes with the advent of technology is truly what one (or one's government) chooses to make of it. From the perspective of a disenfranchised squatter, Kosmograd appears to be a wasted opportunity. Through the eyes of an impotent Soviet Colonel, the space station is representative of an inescapable entropy which is only exacerbated by the implementation of advanced technology.
Works Cited
Rapatzikou, Tatiani G. Gothic Motifs in the Fiction of William Gibson. Postmodern studies, 36. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2004.
Sterling, Bruce. Mirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology. New York: Arbor House, 1986.
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