Warren Ellis’ novelette “Watchtower” explores the ethics and challenges of space exploration
Acclaimed comics writer and novelist Warren Ellis recently published the 10,000-word prose story “Watchtower” on his website; the near-future science fiction novelette features a four-person crew that is recruited by a wealthy entrepreneur and sent into space to investigate an extraterrestrial spacecraft. Although “Watchtower” is an overall hopeful narrative, Ellis uses the story to highlight space travel’s scientific constraints and also voice ethical concerns regarding the exploitation of space, issues that Ellis has explored previously in his comics fiction.
The story’s protagonist, Sam Finn, is an archeologist with a tragic past, driven to find unexplored places and investigate the world’s ancient, long-gone cultures. He is approached by Peak Saxon, an apparent analogue of Elon Musk; Finn learns that Saxon’s spaceflight company has developed a revolutionary new propulsion system of incredible speed that seems to have triggered the activation of alien technology on the asteroid Tiree in orbit between Earth and Mars.
Finn joins the crew Saxon assembles to investigate Tiree: veteran space pilot Levi Marvin; information technology specialist Jessie Yi; and engineer Amanda Bakare. Saxon’s propulsion system gets the team to Tiree in a matter of days, and the crew explores the alien habitat.
“Watchtower” is clearly inspired by Arthur C. Clarke’s 1973 novel Rendezvous with Rama. Ellis acknowledges Clarke’s influence on the story; in his April 10, 2022 newsletter, Ellis references Rendezvous with Rama in his announcement of the story’s publication:
“I dunno how I’d describe it. Indiana Holmes And The Case Of Elon Musk’s Rendezvous With Rama? It’s a bit of fun, but it’s also about human damage, exploration and colonising. It probably makes no sense at all. If you decide to read it, I hope it at least amuses you.”
“Watchtower” is not the first Ellis story to be inspired by Rendezvous with Rama. In issues 19 and 20 of the comic series Planetary, the protagonists investigate a cylindrical extraterrestrial craft moving through the Earth’s solar system, similar to the alien spacecraft in Clarke’s story. Issue 20 is even titled “Rendezvous.”
Another Ellis comic, Ocean, also features humans racing to uncover the mysteries of alien technology discovered in the solar system. In both Planetary and Ocean, Ellis uses this premise to raise concerns about the exploitation of knowledge. In the pulp-inspired comic Planetary, the protagonists seek to foil The Four (villainous analogues of Marvel Comics’ Fantastic Four characters), who seek to seize and keep the world’s secret knowledge for themselves; in Ocean, the protagonists stand against the Doors corporation’s desire to exploit alien technology.
In “Watchtower,” Ellis highlights concerns about the exploitative nature of privatized space exploration. Although Saxon can be charming (“‘I want my grandkids to email me from Mars when I’m old. Is that such a bad thing?’”), he is smug in his assessment of the status quo:
“‘Spaceflight isn’t the work of states any more. States have no real meaning outside of legal documents. Spaceflight is the work of corporations, just like everything else you can think of. The US Army hires what it’s pleased to call “military contractors” to fight wars for them, and wars were pretty much the last thing left for the states to do. I paid them, Sam. This world, and all the others, belong to people like me now.’”
Finn is a skeptic about Saxon’s vision for space:
“In his view, humans can and should achieve anything they can imagine, especially if they have access to unimaginable riches through selling bad cars and sneaking ten cents off the top every time you have to send money to your mom over the internet. In my view, the solar system is an uninhabitable shithole and no amount of wishful thinking will make it otherwise.”
Bakare, who helped build Saxon’s propulsion system, is critical of Saxon’s objectives: “‘He’s a colonizer. He doesn’t want to land on Mars. He doesn’t even want to go to Mars. He wants to send people to colonise it for him. And I’ve never felt good about that.’”
When Finn points out the likely high mortality rate of space colonization, Bakare even compares Saxon’s practices to America’s colonial slave trade:
“‘Colonists kept coming back, trying to make it work. And after a while they brought slaves to do the work for them. Jamestown is where slavery started in America. What bothers me is that Peak sees Tiree as an island to colonise, like Roanoke. Is this how we want to go to space? As colonisers?’”
The story examines an apt topic, the ethics of privatizing space exploration, given the significant growth of commercial space activity in recent years; commercial space activity in 2020 totaled $357 billion, about 80 percent of the estimated global space economy that year.
Despite the well-argued pessimism of Finn and Bakare, “Watchtower” is a hopeful story. The presence of aliens — the affirmation that humans are not alone in the universe and that outer space is more grand than we currently comprehend — confirms that space is more than just a cold, deadly vacuum.
Ellis has displayed this optimism regarding space exploration in previous comics work; in the graphic novel Orbiter, Ellis presents characters awakening to the hope of space travel after alien contact reveals greater possibilities. Published in the aftermath of the 2003 Columbia disaster and the subsequent suspension of space shuttle flights, Orbiter expresses a human need to explore the universe and reach for the stars.
In his introduction to Orbiter, Ellis dedicates the book to the seven astronauts lost on Columbia and recognizes space exploration’s dismal contemporary status before declaring the book’s optimistic argument for renewed exploration:
“This is a book about returning to space in the face of fear and adversity. It’s a book about glory. About going back to space, because it’s waiting for us, and it’s where we’re meant to be. We can’t allow human space exploration to become our history.”
As a story, the narrative pace of “Watchtower” moves with spaceship velocity. Ellis utilizes short paragraphs and sparse description, allowing the reader’s imagination to fill in the details. In Orbiter and Planetary, Ellis seems to relish explaining the technology and physics — both practical and theoretical — of space flight, yet “Watchtower” is more restrained in this respect; experienced spaceflight characters share concise vignettes of their life in space, and Ellis drops a few words of scientific jargon, to establish the story’s technological plausibility.
Eschewing technical terminology, the novelette focuses on Finn, his traumatic past and how it both drives his work and impacts his ability to connect with others. The other characters’ backgrounds and motivations are less explored, but all the characters are nevertheless well-realized and interesting. Saxon is a fun rogue, and the tensions between Saxon’s financial ambitions and the crew’s ethics provide a heady conflict.
Ellis published “Watchtower” on his website, offering it to readers as a “pay-what-you-like/tip jar situation.” The novelette is Ellis’ latest public creative project; despite the author’s acclaim, so far it has been promoted primarily by Ellis via his newsletter and social media. The story’s quiet debut may reflect Ellis’ current professional circumstances.
In June 2020, over 60 people accused Ellis of sexual misconduct; these individuals launched a website titled “So Many of Us” that documents their experiences with Ellis. Ellis apologized for his mistakes and ceased public comment for about a year. A June 2021 announcement from artist Ben Templesmith that he and Ellis would be working on the comic series Fell at Image Comics resulted in public outcry, with Image issuing a statement that it would not work with Ellis until he “made amends to the satisfaction of all involved.” That same month, Ellis announced via his newsletter that he was having mediated conversations with So Many of Us, and these conversations appear to be ongoing.
With its considered commentary on the commercialization of modern space travel, “Watchtower” is a timely, engaging, and well-crafted science fiction novelette that deserves attention; the story reflects Ellis’ hopes and concerns about space exploration, and is reminiscent of the writer’s previous examination of these issues in his comics work. Readers will likely be thinking of outer space — its possibilities, and the ethics surrounding privatized space travel — long after finishing the story.
NOTES AND FURTHER READING:
DISCLOSURE: As works published by DC Comics are referenced in the above article, it should be disclosed that the article’s author is a former DC Comics contributor. There are no current financial arrangements between the author and DC Comics.
“Watchtower” (Warren Ellis, warrenellis.ltd, April 10, 2022)
Planetary: Spacetime Archeology [collects issues 19 and 20 of Planetary, referenced above](written by Warren Ellis; art by John Cassaday; colors by Laura Martin; letters by Comicraft, DC Comics, 2010)
Orbiter (written by Warren Ellis; art by Colleen Doran; letters by Clem Robins; colors by Dave Stewart, DC Comics, 2003)
Ocean (written by Warren Ellis; art by Chris Sprouse and Karl Story; colors by Randy Mayor/Wildstorm FX; letters by Jared K. Fletcher, DC Comics, 2005)
“Companies are commercializing outer space. Do government programs still matter?” (Svetla Ben-Itzhak, www.washingtonpost.com, January 11, 2022)
So Many of Us (website)
“Warren Ellis abused star power in fan relationships, say dozens of women” (Adi Robertson, www.theverge.com, July 13, 2020)
“Image Backtracks on Publishing Warren Ellis Comic After Outcry” (Graeme McMillan, www.hollywoodreporter.com, June 25, 2021)
Orbital Operations [Warren Ellis’ newsletter] (June 18, 2020)
Orbital Operations (June 24, 2021)
Orbital Operations (February 6, 2022)
Orbital Operations (April 10, 2022)
Attention, Secret Dictionary Club members — use Code Eight to decipher the following message: WCZ AXQMA KWVNQZU BPIB DIBQKIV KWUUIVLWMA PIDM KIXBCZML KWCVB LZIKCTI.
POST-CREDITS SCENE:
THE BLACK TERROR WILL RETURN…
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