If you asked someone on the street what the bestselling science fiction series in the world is, the likely answers are Dune, Foundation, or possibly The Expanse But the true answer, and the answer you might receive if you asked the question in Germany, is the Perry Rhodan series. Perry Rhodan’s space opera has been collected in over three thousand short novellas in a space-faring narrative that is still ongoing to this day. Despite the extended longevity and staying power of the original Perry, its 50th anniversary was marked by a return to its roots - a reboot in the form of Perry Rhodan NEO. In this essay I would like to examine the crux behind the creation of Perry Rhodan NEO, the significant divergences and parallels between the two series as told through the initial Visions of Terrania story arc, and the depictions of a space-faring utopia when compared to more dystopian depictions of the same subject.
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The original Perry Rhodan series - which will from this point forward be referred to as Classic, was first published in 1961 as a form of Romanhelft, a format whose closest Anglophone equivalent would be the pulp magazine of yesteryear. Beginning with Perry’s expedition to the moon alongside his fellow astronauts, discovery of the Arkonides, and declaration of mankind’s overall unity rather than fragmentation as separate countries, it boldly goes forth into the rest of the universe as Perry and his comrades acquire an immortality that allows them to experience millenia worth of adventures. It has been in continuous publication since that day and stands at over 3000 printed volumes, collected across 150 individual story arcs.
NEO, meanwhile, was conceived as both a celebration and reboot to coincide with Perry’s 50th anniversary in publication. It brings our hero to the 22nd century, retreading, retelling, and expanding Perry’s first beginnings at a slower, and more expanded, monthly pace. According to Klaus Frick, the current editor-in-chief at Pabel-Moewig Verlag, the publishers of Perry Rhodan, what they discovered in surveys was that there were a number of prospective readers who balked at the idea of attempting to get into Perry Rhodan due to its daunting backlog. This presented an opportunity to not just reissue the classic Perry but to bring him up to date with modern sensibilities, creating a reboot that would run side by side with the original and has done so for the past 13 years.
The fundamental story beats and - on the surface - ideological intentions between Classic and NEO are effectively identical. We have the same astronauts, the same aliens, the same unity of mankind, mutants who exist out of earth’s natural order, and political machinations as various countries vie for a voice in a universe where mankind isn't alone. But the precepts behind these story beats differ greatly between the 20th and 21st centuries, not only due to scientific and technological advancements, but also due to a conscious attempt to address the more controversial, problematic, and old-fashioned views of the past Perry Rhodan.
Classic’s first authors Ernsting and Kneifel assert that Perry was written with a lack of political slant in mind. According to Ernsting, he wrote the Classic stories with the view “that they (characters and readers) are all only men, whether black, yellow, or white; that we are all in the same boat (on the same planet); that wars are idiotic and no way to achieve ends; that in politics only a readiness to compromise presences peace”. Kneifel, on the other hand, states that “I try to show that man will take all his personal problems, advantages, and disadvantages with him into the future. I want neither to destroy social systems, nor to build new ones.”
This demonstrates to us a desire to create fiction with a view towards compromise and without a specific political leaning, one not dissimilar to Star Trek. Much like Ernsting and Kneifel, Rodenberry wanted to emphasize space, exploration, and Starfleet as envoys of peace. However, where Classic differs from Star Trek is that in its desire to create an apolitical setting, it accidentally enforces its Earth and Perry’s subsequent reign as Heir of the Universe as being built on strife and the threat of violence.
One of the cornerstones of both Classic and NEO’s Visions of Terrania plot is the twofold threat of alien technology and implanted bombs which serve as threat levied at the earth itself. In NEO, the threats of terrorism and bombs beneath the Gobi desert are planted not by Perry himself but by fanatics within both the Chinese and American governments. Moreover it is Thora, one of the Arkonides, who threatens destruction against the monuments of mankind because she sees violence as the only language our planetary governments will speak. This comes only after one of her own is captured and put on trial by human laws, before a human court, and threatened with execution for conspiracy to commit destruction.
In Classic, it is a threat first perpetuated by Perry and his crew. A means to bring the governments of the world to the negotiation table. The governments of the world, defined as the Western Bloc, Eastern Bloc, and Asian Federation, attempt to eliminate Perry’s new nation via nuclear strike and are thwarted by Arkonide shield technology.
Historically, terrorist threats and organizations that are identified as such on the global scale often come from persons on the backfoot. Those in historically oppressed locations, such as Hamas, or an oppressed subset of society, like the Black Panthers. What change they are able to eke out is done through violence or the threat of such, with a tendency for the historians to paint them as misguided at best or outright villainous at worst.
However, this threat of violence is no longer violent when retold through the histories of the victorious. As the protagonist of the universe, though Perry and his crew may occasionally err in their judgments, we follow him as the ultimate hero and moral victor. By asserting that Perry’s way is correct and that he is without error in judgment, Ernsting, Kneifel, and those who followed in their wake demonstrate that war itself may be idiotic, but that the threat of war is leverage. That they do not destroy or build new social systems, instead co-opting that oldest tradition of leadership - Perry Rhodan as benevolent tyrant. God-King. While it is asserted that Perry is democratically elected by the peoples of earth, what choice do they have when the man holds a gun to the planet itself?
NEO, however, reframes this so-called terrorism through a more modern lens - the deliberate manipulation of non-American, non-Earth anger to provide the grounds for war. Much as Thora’s threats of destruction are only prompted due to the unjust detainment and possible execution of her mentor, so too have many organizations and persons labeled terrorists or villains in the international narrative. Crucially, it tackles plot points that existed in the Visions of Terrania arc in a post 9/11 world. An Earth where governments do not bow down to threats of violence in order to enact peace, but create powder keg situations in order to suit their advantage. It never, however, compromises on the values of Perry Rhodan himself and arguably stays truer to the intentions of Classic’s authors. Of Perry as a symbol of peace brokered without war. Of politics derived from compromise, not the threat of violence, even when Perry finds himself on the run from the governments of the world.
One of the core tenets that Ernsting wished to impress upon readers of Classic, as stated above, is that all persons regardless of race are in the same boat. That is to say, we all endure the human struggle as equals. Together. However, there is a marked difference between the statement of these values and their expression, both upon Earth and in the farthest reaches of space. The majority, if not the entirety, of major characters who take an active part in the politics of Earth in classic are typically identified as white and male. They speak on behalf of all the races of Earth, taking over the Gobi desert out of the belief the “yellow” people have no need for it. After all, what say do they require, when Perry and his crew know best?
Equality- or lack thereof - seems to exist only by the major white cis male protagonists. Female characters, both primary and secondary, find their importance as secondary characters at best. Kneifel, one of the co-authors on Perry, justifies the depiction (or lack thereof) of women throughout his adventures as thus: “How can anyone who has never in his life known a clever, emancipated independent woman think of describing one?” (Pulkallus, Sylvia et al). The irony of this statement, coming from an author of science fiction that brings its protagonists in contact with hundreds of alien species, has not been lost on this writer. What it speaks to is the explicit biases which constrained the earliest volumes of Classic, where women find themselves falling under the charms of Perry Rhodan and being reduced to accessories in the struggles of men.
Even when- or perhaps especially when- Classic Perry ventures into the farthest reaches of space it is he who speaks on behalf of humanity, and eventually his will is imposed upon the furthest reaches of alien kind through force. A necessary force, as perceived by his readers, all for the good of mankind. He is a universal good, his antagonists the perpetual ill which plagues the universe, and ergo he acts only in defense of all that is good and forthright in the universe.
Such a conquest is not dissimilar to the antagonism displayed by the forces of the Imperium in Warhammer 40,000 - merely framed through a different lens. The Crusades of their Emperor are made with the intention of subjugating or eliminating forces hostile to humanity, preaching the good word of the Emperor as the arbiter of mankind’s hope. This, too, is perceived as being necessary for the good of mankind. What differs between these two universes is the framing of these stories. In Warhammer 40,000 there are no good guys. No one faction is morally superior to another, and the Emperor and his followers who fight for “the good of mankind” do so at the expense of millions of lives across the universe. With hindsight and wider reading, this makes Classic read more like propaganda for Perry’s rule rather than the actions of a truly benevolent leader. A dystopia hidden beneath the veneer of public good. Ergo, the human struggle of Classic is not, in fact, equal. Democracy may exist but it hews much closer to the democracy of Ancient Greece, where all could have a vote - provided that all meant white men of means.
Where NEO is more successful in displaying the common struggle of humanity is by depicting it as a true tug of war between the people of the world and the private interests of politicians and outside parties. When Perry announces his desire to create a world free from the constraints of politics and governments, millions flock to the newly minted Terrania in the hopes of finding freedom from the systems of their nations. There has always been an appeal to this call of a world without borders and governments, both in the 1960s when Classic was written and in the 21st century, but it is throughout NEO where we see the desperation with which governments rewrite narratives to suit their own purposes. It is most exemplified in the interference of the Chinese government, which plants bombs beneath Terrania, and the American government, who bring the Arkonide Crest to trial in the hopes of secretly taking him in for study and interrogation.
Politics is a game of optics, and these plots are partially successful inasmuch as they force Perry and his crew into hiding. We, the reader, understand that they come from a morally brighter place - a desire for a unified world and a more peaceful galaxy. But, much like in real life, the news can easily turn admiration into disgust, picking and choosing how it portrays any given figure. Even so, it does not stop the desire for change .While it can read somewhat heavy handed, the messaging is clear - true peace and contentment is being undermined by those with power and in power. And those powers will just as easily destroy their own people, whether they be Perry or the unsung masses, for the sake of maintaining their status quo. It shows an evolution in the ethos of the Perry Rhodan universe - a willingness to see that changes to structures are both necessary and difficult for the creation of a better world.
Perry is not a lone hero going against the governments of the world, but only one of many seeking a greater path forward. The people of the United States, former members of their secret services and the ridiculously wealthy such as Homer G. Smith, are of course involved in making his dream a reality. Sid and Sue, both orphaned and possessed of latent mutant powers, also play a crucial part, with Sid transporting the Chinese government’s bombs to a remote location away from Terrania. Crucially, NEO introduces the new character of Bai Jun - first an antagonist to Perry’s cause before he recognizes that his own government is complicit in the plot to blame Perry. Crucially, Bai Jun’s inclusion and eventual importance as a member of Perry’s team demonstrates Neo’s willingness to change the conversation surrounding its hero and his adventures - in particular, its desire to truly showcase a Perry Rhodan where mankind truly is in the same boat. Along the same struggles.
Where the metaphor falls apart somewhat is the influence of Mr. Smith, the billionaire philanthropist who has made it his life’s work to bring peace to mankind. In a work featuring mutants, aliens, and technology far beyond the stars, this supposed kindness seems far more unrealistic. Perhaps when the character was first conceived for Classic, in much the same role, it was logical to make him a man of benevolence. But in the year 2024 when our lives and livelihoods have been strung out at the whims of Bezos, Musk, Zuckerberg and their ilk, the selflessness of a billionaire will always become particularly suspect.
Still, what we see in the post-Visions of Terrania NEO is closer to the utopian starfaring of Star Trek, in which the ships of Earth carry with them fleets of men and aliens that traverse the galaxy on a diplomatic mission. Perry, too, leads such missions with the intention of peace - or, at least, to prevent war. While it cannot be said that Perry is a pacifist, he no longer reads as especially conquest heavy, and far more willing to hear out the intentions of others.
Fundamentally, Classic and NEO Perry Rhodan diverge primarily because of the role that Perry plays in these stories. In the first 100 or so volumes of Classic, Perry Rhodan is the ur-hero. He is the moral center of reality, and the universe itself distorts around him. While initially he might be seen as an antagonistic force of sorts to the outside powers of the world, and indeed the universe, it is clear that he will always win no matter what. That he will triumph because of it is the will of the narrative
However, in NEO, Perry is not the end-all and be-all of the universe. Although he is a beacon by which others follow, he is not the only hero in his universe. His is not the only story worth telling. There is equal, if not more, time devoted to the side stories and anecdotes of his peers and allies. To Thora in her quest to save Crest and understand the role that the Arkonides have played in the greater universe. To the billionaire Homer G. Smith and the mutants Sid and Sue, who save the fledgling citizens of Terrania and seek to further his desire for a free Terrania. To the doctor in his quest to cure the Arkonide Crest, and the building of trust between human and alien. To Bai Jun, who takes on the role of Perry’s proxy on Earth and must contend with the shadows of his past as part of the Chinese government complex. Of course, it is still a work of pulp fiction, and as befits the genre violence is almost a necessity of its make. Still, the Perry of NEO does speak first and shoot later, rather than asserting violence as the tool of his imperial rule.
NEO benefits not only from the passage of time but from the development and experiences of newer authors. One of the advantages of serial fiction is the ability for the fiction to shift direction as it shifts hands. Frank Bosch, who was once a writer for Classic up until and beyond the 2006 Lemuria arc, was one of the front-runners for the opening overtures of NEO. It is under his pen and that of other authors such as Arndt Hellmer and Hubert Haensel, the author who conceived the critically acclaimed Lemuria arc, that Perry has begun to find himself transformed into a hero not of the 20th century but the 21st. Flawed, but understandably so, never letting go of his own With the monthly pacing of its chapters, as opposed to the weekly frequency of the original, Perry’s progress through the galaxy also slows down. We discover the universe as he discovers it, carefully unfolding and understanding that is far larger and greater than any one man can comprehend.
All of this being said, Classic, too, is an ever-changing beast. While predicated on fundamental principles and technologies that cannot be compromised (including the absence of black holes due to the non-Einsteinian nature of its universe), the values that Perry holds and even the format of the serial itself have begun to shift. Much like NEO, the new Classic benefits from its authors not only gaining experience in their writing but also the changing of society. Women have a foremost role in the world, and discrimination is much less tolerated (though certainly still in existence). Readers of science fiction have become more attuned to a future society where impossible technologies in the 20th century have been realized in there, here and now. And so it is the onus of the author to ensure that even if the worlds they create are fictional, as they present a more hopeful vision of the future, they do so in a way that provides hope to all.
Ultimately, while Classic is beloved in German science fiction for being long-running and well-established in its tradition of science fiction, it suffers from being a product of both its time and environment. It is not the first work that reads poorly in light of the world of today, and most certainly not the first in pulp fiction. Even its intent and ideology is sound, if misguided and colored by the environment and upbringing of its authors. What we see in NEO is a manifestation of Perry’s written intention but updated to a modern sensibility, an alignment that sees it running parallel to the current run of Classic. Perry Rhodan’s universes ask us to believe in one astronaut and his allies as they strive to make the galaxy a better, kinder place, while also grappling with the difficulties of doing so.
© Kyle Tam
Author’s Note: Perry Rhodan NEO is available for purchase through J-Novel Club digitally, copies of which were obtained at personal expense and which I recommend you buy as well. The text of Perry Rhodan Classic’s first 150 original issues was sourced from the Internet Archive, as I couldn’t find a way to procure copies of Classic in English that were not both physical and expensive. They also, unless I’m mistaken, have been out of publication since 1979, although from my understanding of copyright law the rights to Perry Rhodan are still held by its original English publishers.I believe that authors should be fairly compensated for their work, so in lieu of being able to purchase the original 150 would like to direct readers to the Perry Rhodan: Lemuria arc under the Classic line. It is available digitally via Kindle.
SOURCES
Buhlert, Cora. “[July 8, 1963] the Future in a Divided Land, Part 2 (an Overview of Science Fiction in East and West Germany).” Galactic Journey, 17 Nov. 2021, galacticjourney.org/july-8-1963-the-future-in-a-divided-land-part-2-an-overview-of-science-fiction-in-east-and-west-germany/.
JNC, and Klaus N. Frick. “Interview with Klaus N. Frick, Editor-in-Chief at Pabel-Moewig Verlag in Germany.” J-Novel Club, J-Novel Club, 3 June 2022.
Fowler, Christopher. “Invisible Ink: No 172 - Perry Rhodan.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 12 May 2013, www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/invisible-ink-no-172-perry-rhodan-8612244.html.
Hare, Kent G. “The Perry Rhodan Reading Project.” The Perry Rhodan Reading Project, perryrhodanreadingproject.blogspot.com/.
Kammerbauer, Mark. “Futuristic Vistas and Cosmic Technoscapes: Perry Rhodan Vol. 3000.” Topos Magazine, 7 Dec. 2021, toposmagazine.com/perry-rhodan-3000/.
Pukallus, Sylvia`, et al. “‘Perry Rhodan’ as a Social and Ideological Phenomenon.” Science Fiction Studies, vol. 6, no. 18, July 1979.
Scheer, K.H., Walter Ernsting, et. al. Perry Rhodan. Vol. 1–10, Ace Books.
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