Frederick R. Smith Speaks: Logan’s Lesson

Frederick R Smith has moved to Frederick R. Smith Speaks (substack.com)
Foreword

William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson authored the novel Logan’s Run in 1967. The novel depicts a dystopic future society where the consumption of resources remains sustainable through the programmed death of everyone reaching the age of 21. Called Carousel, [1] this “Rite” keeps the population at the precise amount. No more “useless eaters.” The film holds to the basic premise from the novel, but everyone must die at 30 years of age. It is for the good of society!

Logan’s Run film adaptation was made in 1975, directed by Michael Anderson. He also produced Fantastic Voyage in 1966 at Fox and developed Westworld at MGM. The film, produced by Saul David, a former MGM executive and well-known science fiction supporter, is a prelude to our world today as it links to many aspects of society we live in now. It may very well show us the future in many ways. Logan’s Run may seem like a “B” movie for many viewers because of the technological advances in cinematography. However, the storyline and key points supply a truly prophetic message.

The film won a Special Academy Award. Tied with the remake of the Lion King, Logan’s Run visual and special effects prompted the award. Few science fiction movies had achieved this award up to that time (1976). It also earned six awards at the Saturn Awards to include Best Science Fiction Film.

For your enjoyment, the following narrative is your author’s “CliffsNotes” of the motion picture. Much different from other overviews, your author has the events of recent history in mind. Enjoy!

The Story

In the year 2274, a population consisting of just young people lives in a sterile city-state environment covered under a cluster of geodesic domes. Previously, an apocalyptic “event” occurred with most of the civilization wiped out. The survivors formed a new micro-society and built the domes (NewTopia) [2] to establish a utopian paradise. In this new society, people have no needs nor self-determination, the Overlord Computer System (The System) supplies, and guides. [3] To ensure a pristine environment and support sustainable development, [4] babies are born out of wedlock in a test tube-like nursery. [5] The System’s programming excludes history, [6] and it gives reference to the world outside to be a poisonous environment. [7]

All pleasure imaginable exists to include digital dating services [8] to surf then teleport and meet in person for pure pleasure (no love). Logan (Michael York) stumbles onto Jessica (Jenny Agutter) while surfing the network. She is a member of the underground resistance. [9] She appears in the teleporter at Logan’s flat and materializes much like the Star Trek system. Jessica rebuffs Logan’s advances, a surprise move for anybody surfing for entertainment. He even asks if she “prefers women.” [10] Jessica wears a special charm on her neck called an Ankh. [11] This special icon will become a “key” element of the plot. Stay tuned.

When a person reaches 30 years of age, the Carousel sends them to “renewal.” The belief: Carousel Rite includes a portal to a new life. The reality — death. Logan is an enforcer or “Sandman” [12] who tracks down and kills citizens on the “run” from the Carousel. The runners know about society’s lethal demand, not from the mainstream, but through the underground or alternative sources. [13]

Logan, holding an Ankh from a runner he killed, went to The System Interface [14] for a debriefing. He placed the Ankh in the digital scanner and The System tells him that it is a symbol of the underground resistance and synonymous with Sanctuary [15]. The System directs Logan to go undercover and travel outside NewTopia and destroy Sanctuary to exterminate 1,056 unaccounted runners. [16] During the interrogation, he found out this icon is synonymous with Sanctuary and The System directs him to take it with him. The System code-named the mission “Procedure 033-03” and Logan must keep it a secret from the other Sandmen. The System then changes the 26-year-old Sandman’s palm flower (“life clock”) [17] to show him as approaching “Lastday.” He asks if he will get back his four years upon mission completion. The System, unable to answer, spurns Logan causing him to think something is wrong. Realizing NewTopia is a big lie, he contemplates becoming a runner. Loan now knows the runners are on the right side of history. He reestablishes contact with Jessica to help him plot his “run.”

Jessica’s comrades plot to kill Sandman Logan. However, Jessica breaks from the underground resistance to go with Logan during the pursuit of a runner in the Cathedral [18] dome. The children dregs of society exist in the run-down Cathedral dome and the pair meet a gang of misfits. [19] Logan scares off the gang and meets up with the woman runner. Logan shows he no longer is a Sandman loyalist by setting the runner free. Logan’s enforcement partner, Sandman Francis (Richard Jordan), secretly sees the encounter. Once they leave, he kills the runner. Francis now has knowledge of the breakout plan.

Logan and Jessica return to the “Arcade.” [20] There, Logan goes to a receptionist [21] for a doctor’s appointment to get a new face as a disguise. This procedure is at an automated plastic surgery center. The doctor running the surgical machine is a member of the underground resistance and has instructions to kill Logan. Once in the surgery chamber, Logan realizes the doctor has programmed the machine to kill him. He breaks free and engages in a fight with the doctor. Logan wins the struggle, and the now unattended marauding machine cuts up the doctor.

The pair now outside the medical office, Francis confronts Logan. Breaking free, Logan and Jessica end up in a slow-motion orgy pleasure chamber. The participants try to seduce the pair, but they make it through the psychedelic-colored smoky haze. Now away from Francis, Jessica shows Logan a secret door to exit the Arcade. As they get to the portal near the perimeter, Logan has second thoughts. He secretly activates his remote alert system [22] thus supplying the Deep Sleep Authority [23] a notification of their location. Francis, a Deep Sleep Authority agent, along with Deep Sleep troops pursue Logan and Jessica.

The running pair meet the Underground Group [24] guarding the perimeter. During this encounter, the plastic surgery office receptionist appears in a disheveled manner. She begins to rat on Logan. Jessica reminds the receptionist that the other Sandman pursued Logan and she recanted. Then, all heck breaks out. The Sandmen army explodes their way into the area and attack. Logan and Jessica escape from the melee but, as usual, with Francis trailing behind.

The running pair make it to the last gate. The remote gatekeeper displays an electronic version of the Ankh and directs Logan to use their key to open the gate. He yanks the Ankh off Jessica but drops it into the shallow water at the gate. Logan remembers the Ankh in his pocket that he took from a runner and uses it to open the gate. The gate shuts closed just prior to the arrival of Frances.

Once past the gate, Logan and Jessica find themselves in an abandoned water farming plant and power system. Meanwhile, Francis sees a reflection of the Ankh under the shallow water, picks it up, and by accident gains access. Francis catches up to the pair and fires his electronic gun. [25] Missing the intended target, the gun’s energy bullet breaks an underwater window causing a flood. The running pair swim to safety but with Francis on their trail (as usual).

As the running pair exit the machinery surrounding the NewTopia, they see scores of earlier runners frozen in a lineup much like a factory freezer. A silly looking and chatty but malfunctioning food processing robot [26] tries to freeze them into the food stock. Logan successfully fights the robot causing the destruction of the frozen food processing center. Once fully “outside,” they find themselves in an alien world, the natural environment. For the first time, they see the sun and feel its warmth. However, they see no people. Looking at their palms, in astonishment, they see the life clocks are no longer functioning.

Logan and Jessica continue the trek “outside” looking for Sanctuary. They end up in the dead city of Washington, DC at the halls of Congress. There, they find only one person an “Old Man” (Peter Ustinov) with his pet cats and ask about Sanctuary. The Old Man has no knowledge of Sanctuary and Logan and Jessica fully realize the dream of NewTopia is a lie too. Francis, the other Sandman, one last time catches up. Francis points his electronic gun to kill. Logan begs Francis to look at his palm to see the blank life clock. Startled by the change to his palm Francis drops the gun, and he engages in a hand-to-hand fight with Logan. After a brutal battle, Logan kills Francis in self-defense.

Logan and Jessica convince the Old Man to go back to NewTopia to show the citizens that they can live beyond 30 to grow old. Along the way, the Old Man teaches the pair about real-life experiences such as the marriage between a man and a woman, natural procreation, the hustle-and-bustle of a thriving society, etc. Walking along an abandoned road, the Old Man whimsically said the people moved about the road on “bits of metal.” He misses a thriving society. [27] As the trio arrives at the periphery of the NewTopia, the Old Man stays outside for safety until they can come back out with the citizens.

Returning to the Arcade to lead a revolt against the mainstream, neither Loan nor Jessica can make anyone believe or listen to them. The Sandmen capture the pair. The System interrogates Logan asking if he found Sanctuary. The information that Sanctuary is a lie makes The System malfunction and self-destruct. Logan and Jessica then flee, along with the citizens now free from the mental captivity of The System. They all travel to the outside and the young citizens are awe-struck seeing the Old Man then touch wrinkled skin for the first time. All the life clocks are dead and that equals more life.

Reflection

As a 19-year-old in 1975 (now you know my age), the Logan’s Run motion picture captivated my imagination, despite the few rotten reviews. As with other movies, watching Logan repeated times over many decades, further details appeared. Logan’s Run is indeed very prophetic given the precarious state of our society today. Below are my honest reflections about my self-proclaimed key points contained in this entertaining flick.

Carousel - Spelled Carrousel in the novel, the push for “universal health care” fits the narrative with end-of-life care (murder). With test tube babies exclusively and the elimination of natural conception, no need for abortion. Oh my, the writers unwittingly dissed a liberal sacrament – abortion!
NewTopia - Your author’s term given to the entirety of the cluster of domes, The System (see No. 3 below), and inhabitants. Just like Utopia, it is a flawed and failed promise.
Overlord Computer System (The System) supplies, and guides - Well, well children (and others), here we have socialism (Communism lite). Big Brother computer will take care of everything – free, it is free! No need to work, robots will build, support, and create for you. The replication machine in Star Trek could also take care of your material needs. This way, no worries about hyperinflation, no money needed. So, my woke friends, with no incentive, who will have the drive and desire to build, program, and support the robots? Will it be ET?
Sustainable development - These are my chosen words to describe the overarching premise. This is the mantra of the United Nations, the big bad New World Order.
Test tube-like nursery - just another dandy population control measure. Heck, it is here today in good old USSA. The more people evolve into gender whatever, no need for natural procreation, hence few conceptions (life). The system will decide the volume of test-tube babies and give the population Bread and Circuses as an alternative to the joys of family life.
Programing excludes history - Those in control know that to erase or revise history gives them a strategy to win a war without destroying the infrastructure. That nondestructive reality is here and now (except BLM/Antifa). For those with children in the school system, just inquire about the history curriculum. Do you even care, and if you dare, is it even possible to make an inquiry? Are you even allowed to sit in any school class? Even with no school-age children, as a taxpayer can you ask to sit in a class? The school system is the ultimate weapon. For more info check out the Nauseating NEA, The Infiltration of Marxism Into Higher Education (Part 1), and The Infiltration of Marxism Into Higher Education (Part 2).
World outside to be a poisonous environment - For decades and more so today, the drumbeat of gaslighting persists whereby the mainstream is deemed to be a bad person for polluting. You shall reduce your carbon footprint or else face doom, like the “event” that triggered the building of NewTopia. Curious, the movie depicts a clean environment at the “outside.” Mother Earth must have rejuvenated herself.
Digital dating services - The movie depicts one aspect of modern dating (and “other” things) as done with the internet.
Underground resistance - Those who know the truth are characterized as fugitives or terrorists. Sound familiar?
Prefers woman - In 1967, the producers were well ahead of their time in a subtle manner. Today, heterosexuals form the oppressed. We are subject to heterophobia.
Ankh - From https://www.ancient.eu/Ankh/ - “The Ankh is one of the most recognizable symbols from ancient Egypt, known as ‘the key of life’ or the ‘cross of life,’ and dating from the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3150 - 2613 BC). It is a cross with a loop at the top sometimes ornamented with symbols or decorative flourishes but most often simply a plain gold cross. The symbol is an Egyptian hieroglyph for ‘life’ or ‘breath of life’ (`nh = ankh) and, as the Egyptians believed that one’s earthly journey was only part of eternal life, the ankh symbolizes both mortal existence and the afterlife.”
Sandman - Akin to police, the Sandmen primary goal is to stop and kill the runners. No arrests and no jails. Just kill. Since work to produce is an unknown quality in NewTopia, The System reward sandmen with certain privileges. The Sandmen are agents of the Deep Sleep Authority. See No. 22 below.
Not from the mainstream, but through the underground or alternative sources - Today the mainstream includes the alphabet mind programming of ABC, NBC, FOX (yes FOX), CBS, et. al. In the movie, just one entity supplies education and information, The System. The alternate or underground today includes web sites and news organizations such as One America News and Epoch Times. The fix, just gaslight people to think these sources are just fake news. In the movie, the underground supplies the truth and any member caught face immediate death. Are we getting there?
The System Interface - The walk-in “Star Chamber” of the automated computer (The System) controlling all aspects of the NewTopia. It is a Big Brother-like apparatus. Think about how we now talk to a computer on the phone for such things as banking transactions. Do you remember the days talking to a real live phone operator?
Sanctuary - The underground believes there is a safe-haven but runners that almost make it to the “outside” get frozen into a food stock. Sanctuary does not really exist, just like today. Our “Sanctuary Cities” are anything but a utopian paradise. Just ask the many thousands of liberals moving out of their very own progressive utopias to the suburbs. They really must believe that they are taking their progressive goodies out with them to remake the rest of society “good” in their intellectual but pea brain thinking, or they are just simply hypocrites. This is no joke as home sales in the progressive city suburbs (and beyond) are ultra-hot.
Exterminate 1,056 unaccounted runners - As a guess, the total number of the young runners who live in the Cathedral section, the runner leaders at the perimeter, and the runners frozen by the food processing robot. It is a wonder how the unaccounted runners like the Cubs (see [19]) avoid remote detection.
Life clock - These crystals were embedded in the actor’s right-hand palm to indicate age. In the Sci-Fi film, a person’s age is revealed by the crystal color. It changes — white from infancy to age 8, yellow from 9 to 15, green from 16 to 23, and red from 24 until Lastday. Ten days before one’s 30th birthday, the crystal begins to blink black-and-red. Today we have such things as Social Security Card, Medicare ID, and Driver’s license. But of course, we will soon have a Covid-1984 Vaccination Card but no need for a Voter ID (Doublespeak).
Cathedral - Curious why the producers used Cathedral an otherwise solemn location. It is a dead part of NewTopia. Long abandoned by residents of the other Domes, the Cubs, or Gang of Misfits (see below) live in this sector. Clearly, this is an allegory that true religion will be dead in the future. Most religions are now a secular thing.
Gang of misfits - These teens, called Cubs in the novel, somehow have figured out how to live independently from The System. The subtle message (intended or not); to live outside the system will place you in squalor. The reality, we all (except our overlords) will live under a socialist equality Utopia that will be squalor! For critical thinkers, it is so obvious this is exactly what is occurring today under the guise of COVID-1984 precautions. Simply shut down small business just like the USSR did to the Kulaks. Big corporations are partnering with big government to take care of you and me (not). Public-Private Partnerships = el stinko.
Arcade - The main Dome where people meet, play, entertain, and get renewed by the Carousel. Central planning is a wonderful thing (not).
Receptionist - Not a reflection but this is an interesting tidbit. Here, Farah Faucet Majors appears in a cameo role.
Deep Sleep Authority - Deep State.
Remote alert system - The producers had a good inkling of the modern GPS tracker.
Underground Group - This is a mature version of the Cathedral Cubs who live in the periphery of NewTopia. They use a curious device to hold Logan and Jessica captive. It is a long stick with a glowing white light at one end. It has a trigger to emit a fog-like stun/truth gas. Something the writers prophesied to become a reality soon. (?) With all the commotion about police and guns these days, I say they were onto something!
Electronic gun - Right out of the progressive playbook; only the enforcers (Sandmen) have weapons. You shall have no weapons; the overlords will relegate your rights as a vestigial relic of the past. The Deep Sleep Authority weapon has very unusual attributes. It is like a stun gun but without the messy wire apparatus. And unlike the stun gun of today, it has electric bullets with a lethal kick.
Malfunctioning food processing robot - A cheesy looking robot with a machine-like bottom and a human-like upper torso and head. The robot sure sounds like one of those exhausting computer phone trees we “converse” with these days.
Thriving society - Pre Covid-1984. If you think the Great Reset will bring back prosperity, think again. After all, the good Doctor Fauci says anti-social spacing thresholds and face hiders will endure long after we all get our magical shots. In case you have not figured it out, we currently live in the equivalent of a sci-fi novel, but it is real.