Fear Of The Unknown In Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles

What Lies Beyond?

Intro

What’s out there? Beyond the atmosphere of the only planet known to contain life, what else really exists out there? Even science, at this point, can only postulate what answers these questions may hold. However, as science begins to develop, the possibility of finding answers continues to create a gravitational pull like a planet may. With so many eyes on the field and a lack of scientific proof, literature and movies in the genre of science-fiction, or more commonly known as sci-fi, explores ideas of the future commonly by expressing a widespread fear. These fears can range from a fear of annihilation to fear of loss of control or even simply to a fear of the unknown. The sci-fi movie Europa Report (2013) decided to rise to the challenge of answering the question of what’s out there. In the movie, a crew of 6 brave men and women set out on a mission to Europa, with the fear of the unknown lurking around every unexplored corner. Similarly, within Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles the story titled “The Third Expedition” operates its plot while commanding the same fear as men land onto a Mars they never expected. As no one knows what exactly lies in the unknown, fear of the unknown is a common choice for science fiction and takes many different forms as explored by Europa Report and “The Third Expedition” from Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles.

Plot Summary As the movie opens, the crew is

Set in the decade it was made (2010s), the watcher of the film joins the crew of Europa One on their journey into the deepest reaches of space. Unfortunately, bad luck befalls the crew driving the conflict of a struggle with nature. With so many unanswered questions, Europa Report explores the fear of the unknown by exploiting an unconventional setting and conflict that lie largely outside of the watcher’s