Thinking about Murderbot

[galadhir]

So I bought the latest Murderbot book, System Collapse as soon as it came out, on both audiobook and ebook, and I have to say that I was ever so slightly disappointed. It is a really good example of a Murderbot novella, just like the other ones in the series, but my problem is that with it coming after Network Effect I was hoping for other things.

When Network Effect finished with ART excitedly cleaning its interior because Dr. Mensah would be coming aboard, I was excited to be able to read about ART and Mensah meeting and learning to appreciate each other.

When we got the blurb for System Collapse and it became obvious that SecUnit was having something of a breakdown due to accumulated trauma, while Barish Estranza was up to its corporate worst, I was excited at the thought that Three might have to take over some of SecUnit's more running-about-and-murdering-people duties, while SecUnit had to take the trauma treatment.

I wanted to see how the Preservation humans and ART's crew got along. Which I guess happened with Ratthi and Tarik. But I suppose I had got used to the extra space and slightly more leisurely pace of the novel, and was not prepared to go back to the tight focus of a novella.

This is all entirely my fault for having expectations, rather than just trying to enjoy what I got for its own sake. And in fact I remember feeling a little disappointed with Network Effect when that came out, while now it is my favourite in the series. So I'm sure after a few more reads and listens I will also learn to appreciate System Collapse for what it is, instead of what it isn't.

And let's face it, SecUnit was due a collapse! And now I'm eager to find out if Three gets a starship of its own with Holism. I like the fact that they are the serious non-fiction nerds of the series, while Perihelion and SecUnit are the sci-fi geeks. Bless!

~

Also I'm excited (and a little nervous) at the thought of a Murderbot TV series.

I'm excited because

1. you can do so much with a series in which a SecUnit is the pov character - think about how you could tell a story from the perspective of a being who is regularly experiencing life through security cameras and flying drones and
2. I'm not sure I can think of another series with a protag like SecUnit, who avoids eye contact, expresses emotional discomfort by turning and facing the wall, is extremely touch averse, and above all is agender and asexual and quite vocal about that.
3. When have we ever had a tv series where the main character's pronouns are 'it'? If they only keep that, the series will be revolutionary.

But I'm nervous because

1. Look at the guy they cast as SecUnit. Did he have to be so white? MB lives in a universe where most of the important characters are black or various shades of brown. It kind of defeats the importance of having so many important characters of colour if they're mostly there in order to be rescued by a white main character.

2. The show runners are both male. It would be so easy for a pair of straight cis male writers to ignore the widespread queerness of the setting and all the things most queer/non-neurotypical readers find so endearing about SecUnit and turn it into yet another male power fantasy where a heavily armed and deadly cyborg solves everyone's problems with ultra-violence.

3. It would be so easy for them to call SecUnit 'he' and churn out something like Robocop or Judge Dredd where the uncommunicative white guy with a heart of gold and a big gun gets to be the hero again. That would make it more marketable. It would make it more relatable to the straight cis white guys who make up the desired audience for SF shows (or so I've heard.) And it would take away from this agender asexual person someone who was very rare and precious to them.

Honestly listening to cis people talking about Murderbot is painful enough now when they must have read the book and they must have been bombarded for thousands of words with instances of it being called 'it' and insisting that gender was inapplicable to it and it found sex distasteful. Somehow even after all of that they will insist on calling it 'he' or 'she.' God knows how much worse it could get if the TV series did it too.

Comments

[galadhir]

Yeah, even on Tumblr half the time the people in the murderbot tag are calling it 'he' or 'she' or even 'they.' And if people on Tumblr can't get their heads around it, it's not surprising that completely ignorant cis people also have a problem. But of course if they don't include things like the importance to MB that it is an object, and not human - its revulsion, in fact, of the thought of being human, then it will really lose so much of what makes the series unique and fun.

It could so easily be defanged, as you say, and that would be so disappointing. But I'm going to continue hoping that it will be a good adaptation just out of sheer bloodymindedness :)

[mistressofmuses]

I also want to be optimistic about the series turning out well, even if I am so far skeptical. I wish they'd cast someone less white, but I still want to see how everything else turns out!

[galadhir]

Apparently whatever his name is who is cast as MB really pushed for it and is behind the series getting an adaptation at all, so I'll hope that he's a genuine fan, and I won't start being dismayed until we hear more about the rest of the casting :)

[mistressofmuses]

That is encouraging! And I've seen that he has some interviews and things where he's talked about pushing against ideas of toxic masculinity and playing with gender expression and things. While it's still unfortunately white casting, I am really hopeful that his apparent excitement makes the role work!

[galadhir]

Oh interesting! I must see if I can look those up because that sounds very encouraging. Maybe he's one of us. Things are almost always better when there is a fan of the books involved.

[mistressofmuses]

I of course didn't save any of the links, which came up at random on FB! It is at least encouraging, as is hearing that he's apparently a fan of the series. Having the cast be fans of something can really do a lot to improve a series, so I'll continue hoping for the best!

[galadhir]

Oh, could it have been this one on the Mary Sue?

They say "...it seems Skarsgård enjoys challenging traditional notions of masculanity. Not only did his role in The Northman take on traditional notions of masculanity, but he’s also on record saying that he can’t stand toxic masculinity and hates “alpha dudes” who act like “Silverback Gorillas.”

Which is indeed encouraging.

I'm a little disappointed at the Mary Sue thinking that the reason fans are upset is with the casting of a cis man as an agender person - honestly agender people can look like anything! Afaik the main reason fans are really upset is the casting of a white man to play someone who has never been described and could therefore easily have been played by a poc. It's nice that people are standing up for agender folks, but honestly you don't need a special look for that.

[mistressofmuses]

I think that was at least one of the articles I saw! That definitely sounds like the quote I was thinking of.

Though agreed - my issue is way more with the *whiteness* of the casting rather than the *masculinity* of the casting. Like yeah, having an nb or agender actor in the role would be cool! But gender expression isn't a specific "look" that I would expect for the character, whereas it's such an overwhelmingly NONwhite world, having the protag be white feels unfortunate.

Though still! I'm planning to see how it actually shakes out!

(And even if it winds up not being a great adaptation... I'm still thrilled for Martha Wells - I know that getting a movie or a tv deal can represent SO MUCH in terms of things like royalties and the like, and her work deserves it.)

[galadhir]

having an nb or agender actor in the role would be cool! But gender expression isn't a specific > "look" that I would expect for the character, whereas it's such an overwhelmingly NONwhite world, > having the protag be white feels unfortunate.

Yes, that's it exactly! OTOH it may help sneak the program past a lot of dudebros who would not have given it a chance before. And you're right that it's a great thing for Martha Wells, particularly if she is having to pay for cancer treatments atm. I hope it is a success just for that.

[mistressofmuses]

That is also true! The Trojan Horse approach, lol. WE WILL TRICK YOU INTO WATCHING THIS, DAMMIT.

And yes, especially considering the crappy health stuff going on, she deserves all the successes.