Saturn in fiction

{{Short description|Depictions of the planet}} {{good article}} [[File:Saturn - April 25 2016 (46435379305).jpg|alt=Image of Saturn that emphasizes the rings|thumb|upright=1.4|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.

== Saturn ==

=== 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}} 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>

[[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]] 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" />

=== Later depictions – gaseous === Once it was established that Saturn is a [[gaseous planet]], 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 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 |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" />

=== 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" />

== 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 |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]] 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>

=== 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]] 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 |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>

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 |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>

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 |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= |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= |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> 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. 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> * [[Solar System in fiction]] * [[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= |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}} * {{Cite web |last=Stanway |first=Elizabeth |author-link= |date=2024-12-29 |title=Exploring Titan |url=https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/physics/research/astro/people/stanway/sciencefiction/cosmicstories/exploring_titan |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241229203623/https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/physics/research/astro/people/stanway/sciencefiction/cosmicstories/exploring_titan |archive-date=2024-12-29 |access-date=2024-12-29 |website=[[Warwick University]] |series=Cosmic Stories Blog}} {{Astronomical locations in fiction}} {{Saturn}}

[[Category:Fiction set on Saturn| ]] [[Category:Fiction about gas giants]]