230:". Doctorow notes that the constraints under which the characters operate are decided by the writers, and not "the inescapable laws of physics". He argues that the decision of the writer – to give the vessel no margin of safety and a critical supply of fuel and to focus readers' attention onto the necessity of tough decisions at a time of crisis, rather than mulling over the responsibility for proper planning from the onset - is intellectually dishonest and that "stories about how we can’t afford to hew to our values in time of crisis are a handy addition to every authoritarian’s playbook".
292:. I don't believe that coincidence could have created plots so similar in detail" and ends with "The plot is such an obvious steal from the comic that I think Godwin would have concealed it better if he hadn't intended to use a completely different ending. I can also imagine that Godwin wouldn't have expressed his qualms at changing the ending to Campbell, who wouldn't have winked at direct plagiarism. (Not that EC had any legitimate gripe:
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Barton sadly explains to her that her additional weight would make it impossible to land safely; they would crash on the planet, killing both them and the colonists needing the medicine. After recovering from her shock and horror, and contacting Gerry, Marilyn willingly climbs into the airlock and is
134:
By law, all EDS stowaways are to be jettisoned because an EDS carries only enough fuel to reach its destination. Marilyn wanted merely to visit her brother Gerry on the remote planet and was unaware of the law. When she saw the "UNAUTHORIZED PERSONNEL KEEP OUT!" sign while she was sneaking onboard,
186:
Richard Harter wrote a detailed analysis of the story in 1977, with special attention to the possible negligence of those who designed the situation in which dilemmas like this could occur, and how this paralleled similar concerns involving industrial safety legislation.
165:
on the basis that (in
Campbell’s words) there was "no viewpoint that has zero validity — though some have very small validity, or very limited application." Nevala-Lee also revealed that Campbell described the story as a
279:, 1952) also have been cited as potential inspirations. In all three, as in "The Cold Equations", a stowaway must be ejected from a spaceship because the fuel aboard is only sufficient for the planned mission mass.
1415:
233:
In a 2019 essay, Doctorow condemned
Campbell for turning the story "into a parable about the foolishness of women and the role of men in guiding them to accept the cold, hard facts of life".
696:
157:, who sent "Cold Equations" back to Godwin three times before he got the version he wanted because "Godwin kept coming up with ingenious ways to save the girl!" Campbell's biographer
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to deliver desperately needed medicine to the frontier planet Woden. The EDS pilot, Barton, soon discovers a stowaway: 18-year-old
Marilyn Lee Cross.
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laughed in later years about the way he and his staff at EC stole plots from SF stories and ran them without credit.)"
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selected it as one of the best science-fiction short stories published before 1965, and it was therefore included in
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stated "The plot is lifted directly from 'A Weighty
Decision,' a story in the May–June, 1952, issue of the EC
370:
1177:
194:' short story "The Cold Solution" deconstructs the premise. In 1992 it was awarded "the readers' favorite"
19:
This article is about the science fiction story. For the New
Twilight Zone episode based on the story, see
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In the year 2178, a small
Emergency Dispatch Ship (EDS) is launched from the interstellar cruiser
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481:. Vol. LIII, no. 6. New York City: Street & Smith Publications. pp. 62–84.
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63:
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It is the basis of the award-winning 2014 short film, "The
Stowaway", which was released on
207:
wrote that because the story's premise is based on systems that were built without adequate
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226:
made a similar argument: he sees the situation presented in the story as an example of a "
8:
556:
251:
259:, 1890) as having a subplot very similar to "The Cold Equations". "A Weighty Decision" (
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soon after broadcast, but an audio-only recording has survived and is available on DVD.
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in
September 2002 by Joe Mahoney. The program was hosted by science fiction writer
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noted in 2016 that the story was published at a time when
Campbell had embraced
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Feldstein, Al; Wood, Wally (pencils) (May 1952). "A Weighty
Decision".
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In Dreams Awake: A Historical-Critical Anthology of Science Fiction
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The Bulletin of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
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she thought that at most she would have to pay a fine if caught.
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The story was also adapted into an episode of the radio program
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The following anthologies have included "The Cold Equations":
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Works originally published in Analog Science Fiction and Fact
629:
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There was a similar concept in a number of earlier stories:
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In 1999 Richard Harter posted his 1977 critical study in a
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1289:"The Road to Science Fiction #3: From Heinlein to Here"
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The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929–1964
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The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929–1964
446:
magazine's 1971 All-Time Poll short fiction category.
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The Road to Science Fiction #3: From Heinlein to Here
351:
An adaptation of the story aired on the 1962 British
1178:"How 'Stowaway' Solves a 67-Year Old Sci-Fi Problem"
611:
465:
119:. It has been widely anthologized and dramatized.
851:Cosmic Engineers: A study of hard science fiction
1387:
1325:"The Ascent of Wonder: The Evolution of Hard SF"
1033:
1175:
781:"'The Cold Equations': A critical study (1977)"
398:is named for and takes elements from the story.
931:
798:Sakers, Don (July 1991). "The Cold Solution".
718:
564:The Ascent of Wonder: The Evolution of Hard SF
712:
897:
873:
427:A similar premise is used for the 2021 film
1122:"The Cold Equations (TV Movie 1996) - IMDb"
797:
686:
1015:. Vol. 5, no. 15. pp. 28–39
903:"Jeannette Ng was right: John W. Campbell
778:
759:
757:, and reprinted it on a personal web page:
704:(interviewee). p. 13. Archived from
325:Another adaptation featured as a part of
16:Science fiction short story by Tom Godwin
845:
762:"'The Cold Equations': A critical study"
1160:Sci-Fi Short film 'The Stowaway' | DUST
299:
1388:
1203:"1971 Astounding/Analog All-Time Poll"
1063:. "Afterword: Sometime It All Works".
1061:The Cold Equations & Other Stories
456:
401:The story formed the basis for a 1996
345:
21:The Cold Equations (The Twilight Zone)
1370:Internet Speculative Fiction Database
825:Internet Speculative Fiction Database
692:"Our five days with John W. Campbell"
1307:"Asimov/Greenberg: Great SF Stories"
740:– via NevalaLee.wordpress.com.
968:The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
269:, 1952) and the story "Precedent" (
246:The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
13:
1176:Berlatsky, Noah (April 22, 2021).
808:(illustrations). pp. 211–219.
111:Science Fiction Writers of America
14:
1427:
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879:"Cold equations and moral hazard"
1007:; Clothier (illus.) (May 1952).
944:. London: Frederick Warne and Co
779:Harter, R. (30 November 1999) .
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103:(1915–1980), first published in
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544:The Great SF Stories: 16 (1954)
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1343:"The World Turned Upside Down"
1034:Brotherton, Mike (July 2011).
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316:in 1955. In a 1958 episode of
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1406:Short stories about stowaways
1401:Science fiction short stories
760:Harter, R. (December 1999) .
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377:Another television adaptation
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203:In 1996, critic and engineer
170:"gimmick on the proposition ‘
109:in August 1954. In 1970, the
584:The World Turned Upside Down
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993:. Vol. 1, no. 13.
607:
10:
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1237:"1999 Locus All-Time Poll"
787:– via Google Groups.
479:Astounding Science Fiction
395:Martian Successor Nadesico
175:is absolutely unacceptable
150:Astounding Science Fiction
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1411:Fiction set in the 2170s
1271:"Modern Science Fiction"
147:The story was shaped by
1095:Out of This World (DVD)
766:RichardHartersWorld.com
519:(Dell, 1975) edited by
449:Placed 8th in the 1999
392:Episode 8 of the anime
724:"'The Cold Equations'"
636:Science fiction portal
503:Modern Science Fiction
461:Original publication:
442:Tied for 9th place in
379:aired as part of the
1368:title listing at the
413:, which aired on the
211:, the story is "good
200:short story of 1991.
1313:. November 28, 2018.
1082:"The Cold Equations"
1059:Godwin, Tom (2003).
475:"The Cold Equations"
453:for best novelette.
300:Dramatic adaptations
139:ejected into space.
29:"The Cold Equations"
1036:"The Cold Legacies"
970:. November 13, 2019
938:A Plunge into Space
901:(4 November 2019).
820:"The Cold Solution"
785:rec.arts.sf.written
772:on 8 December 2013.
557:Martin H. Greenberg
457:Publication history
369:. The episode was
346:Film and television
252:A Plunge into Space
106:Astounding Magazine
1396:1954 short stories
1365:The Cold Equations
1349:. August 23, 2014.
1331:. August 19, 2014.
1295:. August 21, 2014.
1277:. August 23, 2014.
729:Astounding Stories
650:Spaceflight portal
591:, 2005) edited by
571:, 1994) edited by
551:, 1987) edited by
535:, 1979) edited by
509:, 1974) edited by
319:Exploring Tomorrow
93:The Cold Equations
1375:Text of the story
573:David G. Hartwell
521:Leslie A. Fiedler
497:Robert Silverberg
495:(1970) edited by
444:Astounding/Analog
403:made-for-TV movie
386:The Twilight Zone
381:1985–1989 revival
358:Out of This World
327:Faster Than Light
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1215:. Retrieved
1211:the original
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60:Published in
1251:December 8,
1217:December 8,
1106:DVD details
1009:"Precedent"
853:. Praeger.
688:Green, J.L.
593:David Drake
467:Godwin, Tom
313:X Minus One
305:Radio plays
294:Bill Gaines
283:David Drake
217:engineering
143:Development
84:August 1954
55:Publication
35:Short story
1390:Categories
1380:Lightspeed
1040:Lightspeed
1013:New Worlds
918:2019-11-05
907:a fascist"
736:7 November
674:References
597:Eric Flint
589:Baen Books
367:Jane Asher
276:New Worlds
271:E. C. Tubb
249:points to
237:Precursors
192:Don Sakers
101:Tom Godwin
65:Astounding
39:Tom Godwin
569:Tor Books
549:DAW Books
405:starring
353:anthology
331:CBC Radio
182:Reception
1187:28 April
1182:Observer
1045:28 April
1019:28 April
974:29 April
948:28 April
935:(1890).
849:(1996).
831:29 April
608:See also
601:Jim Baen
430:Stowaway
129:Stardust
75:magazine
45:Genre(s)
1165:YouTube
422:YouTube
355:series
213:physics
190:Writer
153:editor
95:" is a
1067:
857:
801:Analog
752:Usenet
533:Signet
438:Awards
287:comic
197:Analog
1377:, at
1241:Locus
1207:Locus
942:(PDF)
912:Locus
884:Locus
1253:2019
1219:2019
1189:2021
1135:2015
1127:IMDb
1065:ISBN
1047:2021
1021:2021
976:2021
950:2021
855:ISBN
833:2021
738:2020
599:and
575:and
409:and
371:lost
365:and
1163:on
1108:at
905:was
383:of
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273:in
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