Abstract:
I have always been interested in the impossibly large and unknown in science fiction and up until recently I haven’t been able to explain why such things appeal to me. The result of my findings has led me to the concept of the BDO and macroconstruct themes in science fiction. BDOs or “Big Dumb Objects” embody the alien, immense, enigmatic constructs we are all familiar with in Science Fiction. Constructs such as Arthur C. Clarks’ Rama to the Halo Array of the Halo franchise, give consumers a feeling of awe that continues to perpetuate through the years. The question is why? What makes these objects of immense size and unknown origin appeal to the masses? Are there deeper layers of the human condition being commented on by the use of these BDOs in literature? These are some of the questions I attempt to answer in my report on the Big Dumb Objects of science fiction.
