Fredric Brown’s “Arena” (1944)

The June 1944 issue of Astounding Science Fiction had a cornerstone tale of Science Fiction with Fredric Brown’s “Arena”. Rather foolishly it didn’t get the cover. Instead Murray Leinster’s “Trog” did with an uninspired shot of a ship’s propeller. (John, what were you thinking? Probably didn’t want people to think ASF was that trashy Pulp SF.) All is forgiven when you get inside the issue and read “Arena” with its A. Williams illustrations.

Fredric Brown

Fredric Brown is known in Science Fiction circles (as opposed to Mystery circles, where is equally famous) as one of the sardonically humorous writers, like William Tenn or Robert Sheckley. “Arena” was a bit of departure with both a more action-oriented and puzzle-oriented story. The tale has a nice core of sardonic truth about war to it as well but this often gets lost in the later adaptations. What is perhaps more important is that Brown set one of Science Fiction’s key tropes in writing stories about alien cultures clashing. The idea would appear again and again but never without a bit of Brown being there.

The plot has two warring races, the humans and the rollers, fighting a space war. Carson, the human pilot, and one specimen of the other side, are placed inside a force field dome by some other cosmic race to fight for the survival of their species. The player who wins, saves his species from eradication. Inside the dome there is little to work with so both man and monster must stretch their abilities to the extreme to win.

The Roller

The other contest looked like this:

“It seemed to have no legs or arms that he could see, no features. It rolled across the sand with the fluid quickness of a drop of mercury. And before it, in some manner he could not understand, came a wave of nauseating hatred.It seemed to be studying him although, for the life of him, Carson couldn’t find external evidence of sense organs on the thing. Nothing that looked like eyes or ears, or even a mouth. There was though, he observed, a series of grooves, perhaps a dozen of them altogether, and he saw two tentacles push out from two of the grooves and dip into the sand as though testing its consistency. These were about an inch in diameter and perhaps a foot and a half long…The tentacles were retractable into the grooves and were kept there except when in use. They retracted when the thing rolled and seemed to have nothing to do with its method of locomotion; that, as far as Carson could judge, seemed to be accomplished by some shifting —just how he couldn’t imagine —of its centre of gravity.He shuddered as he looked at the thing. It was alien, horribly different from anything on Earth or any of the life forms found on the other solar planets. Instinctively, he knew its mind was as alien as its body.”

The roller is a foe that no Earthman can ever parlay with it. It wants nothing more than unstoppable destruction and hatred. Carson can feel it using its limited telepathy to send messages of death to him. The roller creates a catapult to shoot sharp rocks at Carson. The very arena itself is a challenge, being very warm, with no water or food.

Carson must find a way to win (solve the puzzle) and show that we are worthy of existing. (This tale is unusual in that Campbell allowed an ethereal race to be superior to man. That Carson defeats the roller is more Campbellian.) Carson ultimately wins because he examines his surrounding and makes a weapon. Having defeated the enemy he is instantly back in his ship, where his companions jest he has missed all the fun.

The Outer Limits

The first television show to adapt the story was The Outer Limits, with an unacknowledged episode called “Fun and Games” (March 30, 1964). It is a rather dull affair with a boxer and a mate being chased by a lumbering alien. The writers thought to make it more fun by having two couples compete. The alien kills his mate to increase his food supply. (Guaranteed to make the audience boo.) The writers, Joseph Stefano and Robert Specht, don’t credit Brown’s story.

Star Trek

When Star Trek used the tale, Gene L. Coon acknowledged the debt and kept the title, “Arena” (January 19, 1967). This story was adapted into one of my favorite episodes. The roller became the Gorn, taking on more strength than the Captain. Kirk had to use his intellect rather than muscles to defeat it.Good thing Kirk paid attention in chemistry class, creating a primitive cannon.

Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics adapted the story first in Worlds Unknown #4 (November 1973) then reprinted it in black & white in  Marvel’s Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction Giant Special (1976). Gerry Conway did the script with John Buscema and Dick Giordano doing the art. Conway’s adaptation is pretty accurate though the roller is given a face and is more of a walker. They even made Carson naked, which A. Williams hadn’t back in 1944. The big thing here is the final fight with using his knife. John Buscema draws the conflict wonderfully but it is more Marvel than Fredric Brown.

Space 1999

Space 1999 recycled the plot with “The Rules of Luton”(October 16, 1976). When Koenig and Maya land on a strange plant, they pick some of the local vegetation. Turns out it is intelligent. The two are set against three opponents to prove their innocence through trial-by-combat. each alien has its own ability. In the end Koenig wins their freedom by showing mercy and judgment. As a new version of “Arena” it offers something different though is still the classic alien-verus-human plot.

Starlog

Boris Vallejo painted a new image of the two combatants for Starlog Magazine #4 (March 1977), when they reprinted the story. They also included a piece on the Kirk-Gorn Fight of 1967.

The “Arena” trope shows up every so often in SF and non-SF shows. It is a classic plot with an obvious conflict, making it a go-to scenario whether in an alien jungle or on a star cruiser. We will see it again, nod knowingly, and think of Fredric Brown (and the Gorn, try and stop yourself!)