Ridley Scott hates ebooks!

[khalleron]

Well, maybe not.

I went to see 'Prometheus' this weekend, and couldn't help noticing a scene where there were lots of pbooks lying on the floor, their pages flapping in the breeze.

The movie takes place in 2093 - and while I believe there will still be paper books then, I don't think they'll be the norm and I certainly don't think people will be taking them along on a space ship.

[QuantumIguana]

It depends on how expensive it is to get goods into space, and how much space on the ship is at a premium. In a lot of science fiction, getting to space seems like little more than getting on an airplane. And the ships are much more spacious than you would expect. In reality, paper books in space might be a pretty uncommon thing, because of the cost of lifting them into space and cramped quarters.

But a paper book is an easy way to let the audience know that the character reads. A bookshelf tells a lot about you.

[JoeD]

Creative license

[steven522]

I fall back to the "Star Trek salt shaker" on any of these.

The general idea in the story is that they needed a salt shaker for a scene where the salt vampire needed to react to the salt being used. The production crew went out to find the most futuristic looking salt and pepper sets they could find. These ended up being used as extra medical and engineering equipment and a standard salt shaker from the cafeteria used instead. The reasoning: "People watching the show need to know without a doubt that they are looking at a salt shaker."

So I agree with QuantumIguana above, they want the audience to know the character reads books. Any electronic tablet type device would probably be playing Angry Birds anyway.

[caleb72]

Of course paper books making an appearance was the least of that film's problems - although it certainly had a lot to do with the writing.

[Edward M. Grant]

Originally Posted by QuantumIguana

And the ships are much more spacious than you would expect. In reality, paper books in space might be a pretty uncommon thing, because of the cost of lifting them into space and cramped quarters.

Not to mention fire risk. If I remember correctly, NASA uses specially treated paper in space because fire on a spacecraft is a really bad idea.

[tecweston]

Originally Posted by Edward M. Grant

Not to mention fire risk. If I remember correctly, NASA uses specially treated paper in space because fire on a spacecraft is a really bad idea.

That bugged me about the original ALIEN when I watched it with my wife recently to get ready for PROMETHEUS. They're in a spaceship, running around with a flame thrower, applying it liberally to darkened passages and bulkheads. It seems like one of the last things you'd want to use on a spaceship would be a flame thrower.

[Edward M. Grant]

That's a good point about Alien's flamethrower, though it was probably the safest weapon they could easily build; a pointy stick would spray alien blood all over the ship when they stabbed it and melt the hull.

[DrNefario]

Of course, if there were paperbacks in Alien, then Prometheus couldn't really go with ebooks.

[AndrewH]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

Of course, if there were paperbacks in Alien, then Prometheus couldn't really go with ebooks.

There is that.

[Connallmac]

I think the reason for the paper books was to help illustrate how luxurious the company director's attached shuttle was in relation to the spare furnishings that the remainder of the crew lived in. This character also had a grand piano and a wet bar in her shuttle!

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by Connallmac

I think the reason for the paper books was to help illustrate how luxurious the company director's attached shuttle was in relation to the spare furnishings that the remainder of the crew lived in. This character also had a grand piano and a wet bar in her shuttle!

Spoiler:

I think that the attached shuttle was meant for her father since the medical unit was designed for a male. Since he was very old he might have preferred paper books.

[theapatra]

I noticed it too! And then I realized that most of the audience would need the visual clue of the DTBs to decide Charlize character was a reader. Mind you, most of the audience didn't groan over the Csection and rampant running about thereafter. I pretty much shut down after that. After my section, I couldn't even laugh without pain.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by theapatra

Mind you, most of the audience didn't groan over the Csection and rampant running about thereafter. I pretty much shut down after that. After my section, I couldn't even laugh without pain.

In space, you get the best meds.

I agree, books are easy visual tools in movies, even when they make no sense. To establish her as a reader, they could've just had her reading intently from a screen (I remember how often Picard was found reading in his ready room, and usually from a pad, not a paper book).

I often wonder whether the future of ebook reading includes some way to display your collection for visitors, but the very idea of ostentatiously displaying your media is so nineteenth-century that the spread of digital media might finally kick that icon to the curb.

[steven522]

Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan

I often wonder whether the future of ebook reading includes some way to display your collection for visitors,

Next advancement in ebook readers: Pico projectors that put an image of a fully stocked library of your books up on a blank wall.