Revolt in the Stars

Last updated

Revolt in the Stars is a science fiction film screenplay written by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard in 1977. [1] It tells the space opera story of how an evil galactic dictator, named Xenu, massacres many of his subjects by transporting them to Earth and killing them with atomic bombs. L. Ron Hubbard had already presented this story to his followers, as a true account of events that happened 75 million years ago, in a secret level of Scientology scripture called Operating Thetan, Level III. [1] [2] [3] [4] The screenplay was promoted around Hollywood circles in 1979, [2] but attempts at fundraising and obtaining financing fell through, and the film was never made. [4] [5] Unofficial copies circulate on the internet. [3] [6] [7]

Contents

Plot

In the screenplay's story, which takes place 75 million years before modern times, an evil galactic ruler, named Xenu, massacres millions of people with assistance from Chu, the Executive President of the Galactic Interplanetary Bank, and Chi, the Galactic Minister of Police. [1] : 248  Xenu's psychiatric advisers, Stug and Sty, help him gather "unwanted" beings from all of the planets in his control and transport them to Earth. [2] The beings are stacked around the bases of Earth's volcanoes including Loa, Mount Vesuvius, Mount Shasta, Mount Fuji, Mount Etna and others, and exterminated by detonating planted charges of atomic bombs. [8] In his script, Hubbard wrote: "great winds raced simultaneously across the face of Earth, spreading tales of destruction..." [8] Xenu's massacre of these beings is called "Phase III." [2] A character named Mish is one of the only "Loyal Officers" who survives Xenu's organized massacre, and other characters include Lady Min and a hero figure, Rawl. [1] : 248 

Connection to Scientology teachings

The story of Revolt in the Stars provides a dramatized account of events which Hubbard said took place 75 million years ago. [3] [9] [10] [11] In Scientology space opera theology, the villain Xenu (or "Xemu") addressed an over-population problem in his Galactic Confederacy by trapping beings, flying them to the volcanoes of Earth, then known as "Teegeeack", [12] and exterminating all of them by detonating hydrogen bombs. [4] [10] The spirits, which Hubbard refers to as "thetans," [3] [10] were trapped in frozen alcohol and glycol and implanted with bizarre imagery. According to the story, they subsequently became attached to present-day human beings, in the form of "body thetans." [4] [11] Scientology teachings identify this event as "Incident II." [12] Scientologists learn from OT III that by removing body thetans, they can progress spiritually and free themselves of problems. [5] Belief in the reality of Xenu and body thetans is a condition for progressing beyond OT III along Scientology's Bridge to Total Freedom. [1] : 382 

Development

Hubbard wrote the screenplay in 1977, [2] [12] while living in seclusion in Sparks, Nevada with three members of the Commodore's Messenger Organization from the Church of Scientology. [1] [9] He went into seclusion in July 1977, and by December of that year, he had finished his work on the 140-page screenplay and was ready to begin the production of a film version. [1] [13] Revolt in the Stars was registered as a screenplay with the United States Copyright Office in November 1977, with Diana Meredith DeWolf Hubbard, Hubbard's daughter, [5] listed as copyright claimant, [14] and registered for release as a novel in May 1978, with Hubbard himself as the claimant. [15] A former Scientologist and Sea Org member told the Los Angeles Business Journal that Hubbard intended to distribute the film publicly so that people inhabited with thetans would become "restimulated and upset," and be motivated to learn more about Scientology. [11] Hubbard moved to the Scientology facilities at La Quinta, California and began production on Scientology training films which demonstrated the practice of auditing. [1] A 10-acre (40,000 m2) ranch in Indio, California was purchased in addition to a 140-acre (0.57 km2) ranch called Silver. [1] : 248  The Tech films were produced at the Silver location, and by 1980 Hubbard had made plans to film Revolt in the Stars and publicize the Scientology OT III theology. [1] : 261 

Hubbard's screenplay for Revolt in the Stars was passed around Hollywood in 1978. [2] : 3, 4  A production company called "A Brilliant Film Company" [16] and also called "Brilliant Films" announced plans, in October 1979, to produce Revolt in the Stars as an independent film production. [17] The New York Post reported that the film had a $49 million budget, and was described as "a science fiction thriller." [17] Bent Corydon writes in L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman? that millions of dollars in funding for film production of Revolt in the Stars was raised from investors, but he adds: "highly questionable methods of fund raising brought the project to a halt." [5] Efforts to promote the screenplay and get it developed as a film were unsuccessful, and Hubbard focused on writing "Man, the Endangered Species" which later became the novel Battlefield Earth. [2] This was produced as a feature film in 2000, starring John Travolta as one of the villains, but it drew hostile critical response and performed poorly at the box office.

Author Services Inc., the for profit subsidiary company of the Church of Spiritual Technology, controls development of Revolt in the Stars in addition to Hubbard's other writings. [1] : 286  In a 1983 press release announcing that the independent feature film company Salem Productions Inc. had acquired motion picture and ancillary rights to Battlefield Earth in a deal with Author Services Inc., Revolt in the Stars is listed as one of Hubbard's "classics." [18] Copyright was transferred in 1993 with the Church of Spiritual Technology and trustee for L. Ron Hubbard, Norman F. Starkey, listed as parties. [19] Scientologist and actor John Travolta was involved in developing Battlefield Earth into a film of the same name, and in 1996 New York Daily News wrote of reports that he also wanted to develop Revolt in the Stars into a film. [20] According to the website Operation Clambake, a synopsis of the screenplay was posted to the newsgroup alt.religion.scientology in 1995. [21] Scientology critic Grady Ward published a summary of the material. [22] The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements notes that Revolt in the Stars remains one of Hubbard's unpublished science fiction works but unofficial copies circulate on the internet, [3] and this is confirmed in The Encyclopedic Sourcebook of UFO Religions and New Religions: A Guide. [6] [7]

Analysis

In The Encyclopedic Sourcebook of UFO Religions, James R. Lewis cites Revolt in the Stars when comparing Hubbard's science fiction works to Scientology. [6] "Scientology in itself would also be an interesting case for studying 'ufological' strands - e.g., the relation between L. Ron Hubbard's science fiction novels and the Whole Track mythology, which is probably most evident in the case of Hubbard's unpublished novel Revolt in the Stars," writes Lewis. [6] Revolt in the Stars is cited in New Religions: A Guide, in a subsection on "Non apocalyptic ufology": "According to Scientology, a fierce intergalactic ruler named 'Xenu' carried the thetans to Earth." [7] The author finds it interesting that L. Ron Hubbard explored the story of the "ancient ruler Xenu" further in the form of Revolt in the Stars. [7]

The Washington Post reported that "The plot of 'Revolt' mirrors a sacred Scientology text called 'OT III.'" [2] Former Scientologist Gerry Armstrong said that the screenplay story is identical to the Scientology space opera theology, [4] and in his book Bare-faced Messiah author Russell Miller described Revolt in the Stars as "...a dramatization of high-level Scientology training about events which happened seventy-five million years ago when an evil ruler by the name of Xenu massacred the populations of seventy-six planets, transported their frozen spirits back to earth and exploded them in volcanoes." [9]

Jim Emerson, editor of the Roger Ebert website previously hosted by the Chicago Sun-Times, compared elements of the Xenu story and Revolt in the Stars to the 2005 film remake War of the Worlds starring Scientologist Tom Cruise. [12] Emerson noted that some critics drew parallels between War of the Worlds and Scientology mythology. [12] In a January 2008 article in Frankfurter Rundschau, Christian Schlüter commented on the screenplay and recounted the Xenu story. [10] Schlüter wrote that the Scientology mythology was appropriate for cinema and fit into the environment of Hollywood. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xenu</span> Figure in Scientology space opera

Xenu, also called Xemu, is a figure in the Church of Scientology's secret "Advanced Technology", a sacred and esoteric teaching. According to the "Technology", Xenu was the extraterrestrial ruler of a "Galactic Confederacy" who brought billions of his people to Earth in DC-8-like spacecraft 75 million years ago, stacked them around volcanoes, and killed them with hydrogen bombs. Official Scientology scriptures hold that the thetans of these aliens adhere to humans, causing spiritual harm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scientology beliefs and practices</span> Scientology beliefs and practices

The Church of Scientology maintains a wide variety of beliefs and practices. The core belief holds that a human is an immortal, spiritual being (thetan) that is resident in a physical body. The thetan has had innumerable past lives, some of which, preceding the thetan's arrival on Earth, were lived in extraterrestrial cultures. Based on case studies at advanced levels, it is predicted that any Scientologist undergoing auditing will eventually come across and recount a common series of past-life events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thetan</span> Scientology concept of life-force

In Scientology, the concept of the thetan is similar to the concept of self, or the spirit or soul as found in several belief systems. The term is derived from the Greek letter Θ, theta, which in Scientology beliefs represents "the source of life, or life itself." In Scientology it is believed that it is the thetan, not the central nervous system, which commands the body.

In Scientology, an implant is a form of thought insertion, similar to an engram but done deliberately and with evil intent. It is "an intentional installation of fixed ideas, contra-survival to the thetan".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Body thetan</span> Scientology concept

A body thetan or BT is a concept in Scientology of a disembodied thetan (being) that is stuck in, on, or near a human body. All human bodies are said to be infested by these disembodied thetans, or clusters of them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operating Thetan</span> In Scientology, an ostensibly spiritual status above Clear

In Scientology, Operating Thetan (OT) is a state of complete spiritual freedom in which one is a "willing and knowing cause over life, thought, matter, energy, space and time". The Church of Scientology offers eight "levels" of OT, each level costing thousands of US dollars. The OT levels are confidential and not revealed to Scientologists until they reach the third Operating Thetan level. In practice, the objective of these levels is to remove "body thetans" which are "confused, disembodied souls from other planets who have attached themselves to us".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Space opera in Scientology</span>

Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard explicitly compared his teachings to the science-fiction subgenre space opera. In his writings, wherein thetans were reincarnated periodically over quadrillions of years, retaining memories of prior lives, to which Hubbard attributed complex narratives about life throughout the universe. The most controversial of these myths is the story of Xenu, to whom Hubbard attributed responsibility for many of the world's problems.

According to Church of Scientology doctrine, Helatrobus was an "interplanetary nation", now extinct, which existed trillions of years ago.

<i>Scientology: A History of Man</i> Book by L. Ron Hubbard

Scientology: A History of Man is a book by L. Ron Hubbard, first published in 1952 under the title What to Audit by the Scientific Press of Phoenix. According to the author, it provides "a coldblooded and factual account of your last sixty trillion years." It has gone through many editions since its first publication and is a key text of the Church of Scientology. The book has been ridiculed by critics of Scientology for its unusual writing style and pseudoscientific claims; it has been described as "a slim pretense at scientific method ... blended with a strange amalgam of psychotherapy, mysticism and pure science fiction; mainly the latter."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OT VIII</span> Highest auditing level in Scientology

OT VIII or OT 8 is the highest current auditing level in Scientology. OT VIII is known as "The Truth Revealed" and was first released to select high-ranking public Scientologists in 1988, two years after the death of Scientology's founder, L. Ron Hubbard. OT VIII is only delivered to members of the Church of Scientology in one place—aboard the organization's private cruise ship, the Freewinds, and is additionally available from independent Scientology groups. There are a few advanced auditors that are able to deliver the level to those who meet the prerequisites.

<i>The Bridge</i> (2006 drama film) 2006 film

The Bridge is a 2006 drama film directed by filmmaker Brett Hanover.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bibliography of Scientology</span> Books by Hubbard and Church of Scientology

This bibliography of Scientology includes Scientology and Dianetics-related books, periodicals and other issues authored by L. Ron Hubbard and those produced by the Church of Scientology and its related organizations. Books bearing L. Ron Hubbard's name are considered texts of Scientology's canon.

The amount of material on Dianetics and Scientology is extensive, to say the least. This material is composed of books by L. Ron Hubbard ; compilations of his works; taped lectures; auditor training materials ; course packages; booklets; a large number of magazines and annuals; and video recordings of the major annual events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Incident (Scientology)</span> Scientology creation myths

An incident in Scientology beliefs is something that happened to a person that continues to have a grip on their mind or spirit, and is negatively affecting them. It could be an accident or traumatic event that includes pain and subconscious commands, whether from this life or in past lives. Scientology auditing procedures are used to locate incidents in the mind, and relieve them.

According to the beliefs of the Church of Scientology, the Marcab Confederacy is said to be one of the most powerful galactic civilizations still active. Church founder L. Ron Hubbard describes it as:

Various planets united into a very vast civilization which has come forward up through the last 200,000 years, formed out of the fragments of earlier civilizations. In the last 10,000 years they have gone on with a sort of decadent kicked-in-the-head civilization that contains automobiles, business suits, fedora hats, telephones, spaceships — a civilization which looks almost an exact duplicate but is worse off than the current US civilization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scientology and religious groups</span>

The relationship between Scientology and religious groups is very complex. There are significant contradictions between Scientology and most religions, especially the major monotheistic religions. Scientology texts written by its inventor, L. Ron Hubbard, claim that it is fully compatible with all existing major world religions, and that it does not conflict with them or their religious practices. Members are not allowed to engage in other similar mental therapies or procedures, religious or otherwise. Part of Scientology's claimed compatibility with religions lies in its leaving open the question of God's existence. According to James R. Lewis, Scientology instead "focuses on improving one's conditions in this life. As part of this openness to other religious alternatives, Scientologists are simultaneously allowed to be practicing members of other religions."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scientology</span> Beliefs and practices and associated movement

Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices invented by the American author L. Ron Hubbard, and an associated movement. It is variously defined as a cult, a business, a religion, a scam, or a new religious movement. Hubbard initially developed a set of ideas that he called Dianetics, which he represented as a form of therapy. An organization that he established in 1950 to promote it went bankrupt, and Hubbard lost the rights to his book Dianetics in 1952. He then recharacterized his ideas as a religion, likely for tax purposes, and renamed them Scientology. By 1954, he had regained the rights to Dianetics and founded the Church of Scientology, which remains the largest organization promoting Scientology. There are practitioners independent of the Church, in what is referred to as the Free Zone. Estimates put the number of Scientologists at under 40,000 worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Clambake</span> Website and organization critical of Scientology

Operation Clambake, also referred to by its domain name, xenu.net, is a website and Norway-based non-profit organization, launched in 1996, founded by Andreas Heldal-Lund, that publishes criticism of the Church of Scientology. It is owned and maintained by Andreas Heldal-Lund, who stated that he supported the rights of all people to practice Scientology or any religion. Operation Clambake has referred to the Church of Scientology as "a vicious and dangerous cult that masquerades as a religion". The website includes texts of petitions, news articles, exposés, and primary source documents. The site has been ranked as high as the second spot in Google searches for the term "Scientology".

This is a bibliography of books critical of Scientology and the Church of Scientology, sorted by alphabetical order of titles.

From 1967 to 1975, L. Ron Hubbard presided over the Sea Org, a paramilitary group modeled after the US Navy.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Atack, Jon (1990). A Piece of Blue Sky: Scientology, Dianetics and L. Ron Hubbard Exposed. Lyle Stuart Books. pp. 248 248, 261, 286, 382. ISBN   081840499X. OL   9429654M.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Leiby, Richard (November 28, 1999). "John Travolta's Alien Notion: He Plays a Strange Creature In a New Sci-Fi Film, but That's Not the Only Curious Thing About This Project". The Washington Post . Retrieved June 3, 2008. (pages 2, 3, 4, 5)
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Grünschloß, Andreas (2004). "Waiting for the "Big Beam" : UFO Religions and "Ufological" Themes in New Religious movements". In Lewis, James R. (ed.). The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements. Oxford University Press. p. 427. ISBN   0-19-514986-6. OL   7389927M.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Koff, Stephen (December 23, 1988). "Xemu's cruel response to overpopulated world". St. Petersburg Times . p. 10A.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Corydon, Bent; L. Ron Hubbard Jr. (1987). L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman? . New Jersey: Lyle Stuart. pp. 172–173, 184–185, 363–364. ISBN   0-8184-0444-2.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Lewis, James R., ed. (November 2003). The Encyclopedic Sourcebook of UFO Religions. Prometheus Books. p. 42. ISBN   1-57392-964-6.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Partridge, Christopher; J. Gordon Melton (May 6, 2004). New Religions: A Guide: New Religious Movements, Sects and Alternative Spiritualities. Oxford University Press. p. 374. ISBN   0-19-522042-0.
  8. 1 2 Savino, John; Jones, Marie D. (2007). Supervolcano: The Catastrophic Event That Changed the Course of Human History. Career Press. p.  55. ISBN   978-1-56414-953-4.
  9. 1 2 3 Miller, Russell (1987). Bare-faced Messiah : The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard. Henry Holt and Company. pp. 352–353. ISBN   0805006540. OL   26305813M.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Schlüter, Christian (January 23, 2008). "Superkolossales Kino - Scientology und Hollywood: Kein Einzelfall, sondern Wahnsinn mit Methode". Frankfurter Rundschau (in German). p. 31.
  11. 1 2 3 Rackham, Anne (September 2, 1991). "Scientologists emerge as creators of mystery-shrouded movie firm". Los Angeles Business Journal . Retrieved June 3, 2008.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "Xenu-phobia: Scientology in 'War'?". RogerEbert.com . March 7, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  13. ↑ Gerard, David (October 1995). "VICE 1995: Revolt In The Stars (No News Is Xenu's)". Xenu (Victorian Inter-Campus Edition 1995). www.suburbia.com.au. Retrieved June 3, 2008.
  14. ↑ United States Copyright Office - Revolt in the Stars by L. Ron Hubbard, Type of Work: Dramatic Work and Music; or Choreography, Registration Number / Date: RE0000928392 / 2005-12-08, Renewal registration for: DU0000105973 / 1977-11-07, Copyright Claimant: Diana Meredith Dewolf Hubbard
  15. ↑ United States Copyright Office - Revolt in the Stars by L. Ron Hubbard, Type of Work: Text, Registration Number / Date: TXu000004150 / 1978-05-17, Title: Revolt in the stars / by L. Ron Hubbard., Copyright Claimant: L. Ron Hubbard, Date of Creation: 1978, Previous Registration: Prev. reg. as a screenplay, Revolt in the stars, DU105973, 1977., Basis of Claim: New Matter: rearrangements for release as a novel.
  16. ↑ Henderson, Gregory F. v. A Brilliant Film Co. et al. No. 164213. California Superior Court, San Joaquin County, California. Filed May 14, 1982
  17. 1 2 Staff (October 11, 1979). "Coast cult chieftain backs big $49 million sci-fi movie venture". New York Post .
  18. ↑ Press release (October 14, 1983). "PR Newswire - October 14, 1983, Friday". PR Newswire Association, Inc. Contacts listed: Ed Margulies of Salem Productions and Bill Widder of Dateline Communications for Salem Productions.
  19. ↑ United States Copyright Office - Model of OT ship organization and operation based on 7 division system & 7,730 other titles. (Part 004 of 040), Document: V2927 P238-724, 145: Revolt in the stars (1977) DU105973. 146: Revolt in the stars (1978) TXu 4-150. Date of Recordation: 1993-12-13, Date of Execution: 1993-11-29, Notes: Transfer of copyright. Party 1: Norman F. Starkey, trustee, Author’s Family Trust-B. Party 2: Church of Spiritual Technology (Los Angeles)
  20. ↑ Rush, George; Molloy, Joanna; Jones, Baird (June 10, 1996). "Scientologists Say This Crusade's By the Book". New York Daily News .
  21. ↑ Keller, Rod (August 27, 1995). "Revolt in the Stars". Alt.religion.scientology Week in Review. Operation Clambake . Retrieved June 3, 2008.
  22. ↑ Ward, Grady. "Revolt In The Stars - summary by Grady Ward". www.suburbia.net. Retrieved June 3, 2008.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.