Elite Dangerous 021 Col 285 Sector WL-L c8-40
Lucas' Inheritance - Moore Watch - Moore Command Site - Bester Depot - Niven's Folly
Matheson's Progress - Verne Outpost - Pohl Command Garrison
The Grand Tour, PAGE 21
NOTE: All 138 facilities built in this system are listed (and shown) in order of distance from the sun. At least, according to the in-game architect’s view. There's a total of slightly over 18 hours of video, so the video, and the descriptions, are broken into smaller portions across multiple posts.
Some descriptions were written by myself, some with the help of AI. I've personally edited all of them, so if you must blame someone, blame me. :^)
10C Orbital 00
Lucas’ Inheritance
Industrial Outpost (Vulcan)
DOCK: Medium
It is impossible to discuss space exploration in popular culture without honoring George Lucas (born 1944), the visionary creator of Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
Lucas completely revolutionized science fiction in 1977 by introducing the concept of a "used universe." Before him, sci-fi movies featured pristine, clinical, shiny white starships. Lucas insisted that everything look dirty, rusted, scratched, and heavily lived-in—the exact gritty, industrial aesthetic that defines a majority of modern sci-fi.
To build his galaxy, Lucas founded Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). His team single-handedly invented modern computer-generated imagery (CGI), digital film editing, and theater surround-sound systems.
10C Surface 00
Moore Watch
Military Settlement Medium (Enyo)
DOCK: Medium
Alan Moore (born 1953) is a legendary English author who is widely recognized as one of the most influential, ground-breaking figures in the history of graphic novels and speculative fiction. Renowned for his complex, structurally innovative storytelling, he revolutionized sequential art with iconic, dark, and politically charged masterpieces like Watchmen (1986–87) and V for Vendetta (1988–89).
Long before his American mainstream breakout, Moore started out writing short science fiction for the British weekly anthology 2000 AD. His Future Shocks series and his deep-space merchant ship epic The Ballad of Halo Jones showcased his talent for exploring the crushing socio-economic pressures of space travel on regular working-class people.
In Watchmen, Moore applied unprecedented psychological realism and complexity to the superhero mythos. He examined how human geopolitics, corporate militarism, and a truly detached, godlike being (Doctor Manhattan) would realistically alter the timeline of a Cold War-era society.
Unusually for me, I liked Watchmen. Normally I prefer clear-cut good guys, bad guys, and want the good guys to win and the bad guys to go to prison. Watchmen isn't my usual cup of tea, but I couldn’t resist the pun inherent in honoring Alan Moore for Watchmen, with the randomly generated name “Moore Watch”, which is a security installation, vaguely similar in name to a super-hero headquarters.
10C Surface 01
Moore Command Site
Military Settlement Medium (Enyo)
DOCK: Medium
(There are 3 Moore facilities in this system; this marks the last of the three.)
Joseph Ward Moore, (1903–1978) was a highly influential, classic American author who wrote deeply intricate speculative fiction during the mid-20th century. He is credited with writing some of the absolute earliest cornerstone classics of the alternate-history and post-apocalyptic genres.
He wrote the legendary 1953 novel Bring the Jubilee, which details a reality where the Confederacy won the American Civil War, and features an eminent historian using a time machine to travel back to the Battle of Gettysburg.
He also wrote terrifying, classic post-nuclear survival stories like "Lot" (1953) and "Lot's Daughter" (1954). His first major science fiction novel, Greener Than You Think (1947), was a brilliant, apocalyptic dark comedy inspired entirely by his real-world side job as a contract gardener. The entire premise is that a salesman invents a miracle fertilizer that accidentally causes a patch of grass to mutate, grow uncontrollably, and slowly swallow the cities of Los Angeles, North America, and eventually the entire planet.
And this concludes my trilogy of “Moore” facilities. I won’t repeat myself with any…more...Moores.
Pretty cool that there were actually 3 different authors of that last name, all of whom were well-qualified to represent each of the three locations in this system.
10D Orbital 00
Bester Depot
Commercial Outpost (Plutus)
DOCK: Medium
Alfred Bester (1913–1987) was one of the most innovative and influential American science fiction writers of the 20th century. Often praised for his bold experimental style, psychological insight, and twisted sense of humor, Bester helped elevate science fiction from pulp adventures into a more literary and character-driven genre.
Before becoming a major name in SF, Bester worked as a comic book writer (contributing to titles like Green Lantern and Superman), as well as writing scripts for radio and television.
He is best known for two groundbreaking novels:
The Demolished Man (1953), which won the very first Hugo Award for Best Novel. It is a tense, stylish murder mystery set in a future where telepaths (called Espers) dominate society. The protagonist attempts the perfect crime in a world where murder is nearly impossible because intent can be read in the mind.
The Stars My Destination (1956, also known as Tiger! Tiger!), widely regarded as one of the finest science fiction novels ever written. A revenge-driven space opera loosely inspired by The Count of Monte Cristo, it follows a brutal, uneducated man named Gully Foyle who gains the ability to teleport (called “jaunting”) and wages a one-man war across the solar system.
Bester’s short fiction was equally brilliant, often exploring themes of identity, obsession, revenge, and the fragility of the human mind. His stories frequently combined wild imagination with sharp social commentary with unexpected twists.
A colorful and sometimes cantankerous personality, Bester left a lasting legacy as one of the true originals of science fiction — an author who proved the genre could be both wildly entertaining and deeply thought-provoking at the same time.
10D Orbital 01
Niven’s Folly
Commercial Outpost (Plutus)
DOCK: Medium
Larry Niven (born 1938) is one of the most influential American science fiction writers of the late 20th century. Renowned for his “hard” science fiction, Niven is celebrated for scientific accuracy and grand-scale imagination. And he's an incredibly fun read!
A trained mathematician who studied at Caltech and UCLA, Niven began publishing in 1964 and quickly established himself as a leading voice in the genre. He is best known for his Known Space universe, a meticulously crafted future history spanning thousands of years.
His most famous work is Ringworld (1970), which won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards. The novel follows a crew of explorers who travel to a massive, artificial ring-shaped world orbiting a distant star — an engineering marvel with a surface area three million times that of Earth.
It was the first time I'd ever read the concept of a ringworld, and I was overwhelmed at the potential mystery and variety it might contain. As far as I was concerned, he could have kept writing adventure stories exploring the Ringworld without running out of good plots.
Other major works include the short story collection Neutron Star (1968), the collaboration with Jerry Pournelle The Mote in God’s Eye (1974) — often called one of the best first-contact novels ever written — and many other tales featuring inventive aliens, advanced technologies, and intricate world-building.
Personal note... I didn't really care for "Mote." It felt slow, dense, and far from Niven's usual fast read.
I blame it on Pournelle; he's a good author own his own, but it didn't feel like he and Niven blended well.
(Noticeably, I have no Pournelle in my system. Not on purpose, but it's just as well.)
Niven’s writing is characterized by optimistic visions of human expansion into space and deep interest in physics and sociology. He had a talent for making complex scientific concepts accessible and exciting. His influence on the genre remains enormous, particularly in how later writers approach large-scale engineering, alien cultures, and consistent plots.
10D Orbital 02
Matheson’s Progress
Commercial outpost (Plutus)
DOCK: Medium
Richard Matheson (1926–2013) was a highly influential American author and screenwriter whose work left a deep mark on horror, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Known for his psychologically intense storytelling, Matheson helped bridge the gap between pulp fiction and modern genre writing.
Matheson rose to prominence in the 1950s with his short stories, many of which were adapted for television. He wrote some of the best episodes of The Twilight Zone, including “The Last Flight,” “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” and “Steel.” His 1954 novel I Am Legend — about the last human survivor in a world of vampires — is considered a cornerstone of post-apocalyptic fiction and has been adapted into multiple films.
Other major works include The Shrinking Man (1956), a tense story of a man who begins shrinking after exposure to radiation, and Hell House (1971), widely regarded as one of the most frightening haunted house novels ever written. His 1971 novella Duel was adapted into Steven Spielberg’s first major directing project.
Matheson’s writing was characterized by relatable protagonists suddenly thrust into extraordinary (and often terrifying) circumstances. He had the a masterful ability to blend horror with emotion. His influence can be seen in the works of Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, and many others who followed. Often called “the father of modern horror,” Matheson remains one of the most respected and widely adapted genre writers of the 20th century.
10D Surface 00
Verne Outpost
Military Settlement Medium (Bellona)
DOCK: Small
Jules Verne (1828–1905) was a French author, poet, and playwright who is widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of modern science fiction. Verne had an extraordinary gift for imagining futuristic technologies and grand adventures that later proved remarkably prophetic.
Originally trained as a lawyer, Verne began writing in the 1850s and found massive success with his novel series known as Voyages Extraordinaires (Extraordinary Voyages). His stories combined scientific speculation, adventure, and vivid world-building.
His most famous works include:
• Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1870), featuring the mysterious Captain Nemo and his advanced submarine, the Nautilus.
• Around the World in Eighty Days (1873), a high-stakes race against time that became one of the most beloved adventure stories ever written.
• Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864), which popularized the “hollow earth” and subterranean exploration tropes.
Verne’s novels predicted (or at least popularized) many concepts that later became reality, including submarines, space travel, television, skyscrapers, and air conditioning. His optimistic vision of human ingenuity and exploration had an enormous influence on generations of scientists, engineers, and writers, including Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, and countless others.
I've read several of Verne's novels, and enjoyed them all though it's been many years. Except for 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas, which I'm currently re-reading. Still loving the adventure, but it's slow going because this is my backup book for when I'm not at home. I have it digitally on my phone.
10D Surface 01
Pohl Command Garrison
Military Settlement Medium (Polemos)
DOCK: Medium
There are 4 different facilities with Pohl's name.
See “Pohl’s Deposit” 10Ba Surface 00, to read the full description.
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