Here There Be Tygers
Encyclopedia
"Here There Be Tygers" is a short story written by Ray Bradbury
, originally published in the anthology New Tales of Space and Time in 1951. It was later collected in Bradbury's short story collections R is for Rocket
and The Golden Apples of the Sun
. It deals with a rocket expedition sent to a planet to see whether or not its natural resources can be harvested for the human race. They discover a paradise which seems to provide for them whatever they desire even as they think of it. They ultimately decide to leave the planet and report that it is hostile and of no benefit to humans.
The reference is to the phrase "Here be dragons"
used by medieval cartographers as warnings on unexplored portions of their maps.
, but Rod Serling
and the producers of the show deemed it too expensive to film on the show's rather tight budget. This led to the end of Ray Bradbury's rather brief association with the show, which resulted in just one of his stories ("I Sing the Body Electric
") being used. It was later produced as a radio episode of the series Bradbury 13 (June 18, 1984) and the television program Ray Bradbury Theater (November 30, 1990).
A Russian animated adaption of the story was produced, with the plot change that one of the men wishes to harvest the resources and leave, to the point where he sets an anti-matter bomb to blow the planet up. The planet promptly has him killed, whilst the captain takes the bomb on board their spaceship and takes off, although not after one of the men sneaks off to live on the planet. The navigator tells the captain of this, saying it is not too late to turn back and get him, but the captain reveals the bomb, stating that it is too late, and to plot a course as far away as possible. The story ends with the planet giving the remaining astronaut a new pet dog, as well as the promise of a female companion.
episode "Shore Leave", a crew finds a planet where any of their desires once thought are acted out in real life. This is due to an alien lifeform's superior technology as the planet is actually an alien amusement park. The crew eventually comes to relax on the planet before continuing on their journey. This episode aired in 1966, fifteen years after Ray Bradbury's story was first published.
Ray Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury is an American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man , Bradbury is one of the most celebrated among 20th...
, originally published in the anthology New Tales of Space and Time in 1951. It was later collected in Bradbury's short story collections R is for Rocket
R is for Rocket
R is for Rocket is a short story collection by Ray Bradbury, compiled for Young Adult library sections. It contains fifteen stories from earlier Bradbury collections, and two previously uncollected stories.-Contents:* "R Is for Rocket"...
and The Golden Apples of the Sun
The Golden Apples of the Sun
The Golden Apples of the Sun is an anthology of 22 short stories by Ray Bradbury; it was first published in 1953.The book's namesake is one of the short stories in the collection. Bradbury drew the title for the story from the last line of the final stanza to W. B...
. It deals with a rocket expedition sent to a planet to see whether or not its natural resources can be harvested for the human race. They discover a paradise which seems to provide for them whatever they desire even as they think of it. They ultimately decide to leave the planet and report that it is hostile and of no benefit to humans.
The reference is to the phrase "Here be dragons"
Here be dragons
"Here be dragons" is a phrase used to denote dangerous or unexplored territories, in imitation of the medieval practice of putting sea serpents and other mythological creatures in uncharted areas of maps.-History:...
used by medieval cartographers as warnings on unexplored portions of their maps.
Adaptations
A teleplay of this story was written by Bradbury for possible use on the television program The Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
, but Rod Serling
Rod Serling
Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling was an American screenwriter, novelist, television producer, and narrator best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen and helped form...
and the producers of the show deemed it too expensive to film on the show's rather tight budget. This led to the end of Ray Bradbury's rather brief association with the show, which resulted in just one of his stories ("I Sing the Body Electric
I Sing the Body Electric (Bradbury)
I Sing the Body Electric! is a 1969 collection of short stories by Ray Bradbury. The book takes its name from a line in Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman.-Contents:The collection includes these stories:* "The Kilimanjaro Device"...
") being used. It was later produced as a radio episode of the series Bradbury 13 (June 18, 1984) and the television program Ray Bradbury Theater (November 30, 1990).
A Russian animated adaption of the story was produced, with the plot change that one of the men wishes to harvest the resources and leave, to the point where he sets an anti-matter bomb to blow the planet up. The planet promptly has him killed, whilst the captain takes the bomb on board their spaceship and takes off, although not after one of the men sneaks off to live on the planet. The navigator tells the captain of this, saying it is not too late to turn back and get him, but the captain reveals the bomb, stating that it is too late, and to plot a course as far away as possible. The story ends with the planet giving the remaining astronaut a new pet dog, as well as the promise of a female companion.
Similar stories in popular culture
In the Star TrekStar Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
episode "Shore Leave", a crew finds a planet where any of their desires once thought are acted out in real life. This is due to an alien lifeform's superior technology as the planet is actually an alien amusement park. The crew eventually comes to relax on the planet before continuing on their journey. This episode aired in 1966, fifteen years after Ray Bradbury's story was first published.