Elite Dangerous System Col 285 Sector WL-L c8-40 - The Grand Tour 07 - Wise - Darnielle - Underwood - Platt - Allen

Elite Dangerous 006 Col 285 Sector WL-L c8-40
Wise Town - Darnielle Relay - Underwood Vista - Platt Terminal - Allens Folly
The Grand Tour, PAGE 7

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.  :^)

06A Orbital 00
Wise Town
Satellite Installation (Hermes)
DOCK: NONE

David Wise (1955–2020) was an oft-unsung, architect of science fiction television in the 1970s and 80s. A child prodigy once dubbed the "Mozart of Cinema", Wise transitioned into professional writing under the mentorship of  Frank Herbert and Harlan Ellison. He is most celebrated in space-faring circles for writing the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode "How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth," which won the entire franchise its very first Emmy Award.

Beyond Star Trek, he was the most prolific writer for the original Transformers series, crafting classics like the origin of Optimus Prime in "War Dawn" and the creation of the Dinobots. His career—including Buck Rogers, Wonder Woman, and Batman: The Animated Series— represents broad spectrum of late-20th-century speculative media.

06A Orbital 01
Darnielle Relay
Relay Installation (Ichnaea)
DOCK: NONE

Darnielle’s Progress is a historic site in Elite Dangerous for Meta-Alloy synthesis in the Pleiades.  Also associated with Elite Dangerous history via Salome's story.  And who can forget the betrayal by Harry Potter.  There's always a showboat whose ego demands attention at all costs.  In hindsight, it's amazing how easily he insinuated himself into the command structure.  He would have been frighteningly good as a spy...

And back to the author theme:

John Darnielle is an acclaimed American novelist and musician, recognized for his distinct contributions to contemporary literary fiction and psychological suspense. He made an immediate impact on the literary landscape with his 2014 debut novel, Wolf in White Van, which was long-listed for the National Book Award and finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.

Not traditional science fiction, Wolf in White Van focuses on Sean Phillips, a severely disfigured young man who orchestrates Trace Italian, an intricate, text-based science fiction role-playing game conducted entirely through the mail.

Darnielle structured the story to unfold in reverse, examining how the boundaries between a creator's imagined future and the harsh realities of the physical world can tragically collapse.

I have to admit here, Darnielle isn't strictly a sci-fi writer.  He wouldn't have been my preference here, had this not been one of those times the random name generator was being vindictive.  After wasting wisely investing way too much time, it turned out that Darnielle's dual points of interest (In-game, and the real-world novelist) made it acceptable for a Relay Installation with no landing pads.

  

06B Orbital 00
Underwood Vista
Mining/Industrial Installation (Euthenia)
DOCK: NONE

Michael R. Underwood
Known for urban fantasy, space opera, and science fiction.
Key Works:
Annihilation Aria (found family space opera).
Genrenauts (novella series).
Ree Reyes series (Geekomancy, Celebromancy), which focuses on "geek magic".
Michael Underwood worked in the publishing industry as a bookseller, sales representative, and as the North American Sales & Marketing Manager for Angry Robot Books.

He's certainly qualified to be on this list as an acclaimed sci-fi writer, and other related categories.  Maybe it's my age, but until researching names, I had never heard of him.  Sounds like someone I'd enjoy reading.  If I didn't already have a to-read list that will probably take more than my allotted lifespan to complete.  

06B Orbital 01
Platt Terminal
Mining/Industrial Installation (Phorcys)
DOCK: NONE

Charles Platt is a British-born science fiction author, editor, and electronics engineer whose work focused heavily on technological advancement and human sociology. During the 1960s and 1970s, Platt was a prominent figure in the "New Wave" science fiction movement, serving as an editor for the British magazine New Worlds.
His fiction, including novels like The Silicon Man, explored early concepts of ultra-humanism, mind uploading, and the transition of human consciousness into virtual networks. Platt approached these themes with precision, analyzing the legal, economic, and psychological friction that occurs when biological entities merge with digital infrastructure.

Beyond his literary career, Platt transitioned into real-world electronics, computer science, and cryonics, working as a senior editor for Make magazine and authoring highly regarded instructional textbooks on electronics engineering.
This practical, hardware-focused background gave him a unique perspective on the physical durability and logical systems required to sustain technology. His writing consistently treated automated networks and computing architecture not as abstract concepts, but as physical components that require strict maintenance and constant oversight.

Honorable Mention accorded also to Marc Platt, a British writer best known for his work on Doctor Who, including the famous novel Lungbarrow and the audio drama Spare Parts (which inspired the modern TV origin of the Cybermen).
For the record, I'm not a modern Dr. Who fan; I loved Tom Baker as Dr. Who; the others didn't hold my attention like he could.

06B Orbital 02
Allen’s Folly
Civilian Outpost (Vesta)
DOCK: Medium

As mentioned with Grabthar’s Hammer, this one is a tribute to Tim Allen.
He’s famous for a lot of things, especially as a Tool Man who grunted his way through years of TV sitcom episodes. But to me, he’ll always be Commander Peter Quincy Taggart (or “Taggert”, if you know the inside story of the in-movie actual canon mispelling.)

One of the best movies ever. I worked at Blockbuster in its final years, and every time we pulled overstock videos I’d buy all the used Galaxy Quests. And when I ran into people who’d never seen it, but seemed like they’d enjoy it, I gave them one of my “used stockpile.” No strings attached. Without fail, the next time they came in, they’d be raving about how great Galaxy Quest was.

(As of June 2026) In a beautiful piece of poetic justice, my son and his wife just used my old blockbuster playbook against me. Two days ago for my 66th birthday, they gifted me the 4K Ultra HD edition of Galaxy Quest. The movie I spent a lifetime giving away has been given back to me.
What a beautiful way to bring a favorite movie full circle!