The Trail Remains the Same
"Dust" the tall lanky stranger thought as the wind picked up outside the frontier settlement. He wiped his face clean, and headed towards the dimly lit façade that read "Slims Bar and Grill".
"Bar, then grill" he said out loud and laughed to dispel the atmosphere of gloom surrounding him.
By all accounts, he looked like death warmed over. The wound in his chest had left a dirty crimson spot on his vest that attracted dirt like a magnet. His pants were torn and stained with trail dirt, his Stetson worn and nudged by sandstone terraces. The Pistol that hung in the draggled holster was scratched and menacing. Spots where inlaid ivory once sat spoke volumes about their use.
This man, spoke not a word. He didn't have to.
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The Martian landscape challenged O'Brien through the thick Plexiglas window.
"Tame me, discover me!"
He put his synthehol down and shook his head. Last time I went out, whew. That was a close one. Three weeks, ran out of supplies, then lost my weapons. And the cold, oh the Cold.
O'Brien shivered subconsciously. His nervous system still suffered the effects of Martian Syndrome. He was the only one that survived. By God, he was lucky. "I remember" he said to the table next to him.
"I remember when I came back. And the captain of the guard said 'What does he think he is, a 49'er?' And I thought, I was. I was. My ancestors chased gold, and I was chasing, well, adventure.
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What makes these passages similar? This is not an English essay by the way, but I asked myself the question, what makes a western, western?
You can read all of Louis L'Amour, Zane Grey, Elmer Keaton, Spur, Longarm, Lone Ranger, Joe Landsdale, or any of the current authors, and still not really find an answer. The answer lies, I believe, in the theme, not the setting.
A science fiction story relies on the Man Vs Space/Monsters/Galactic forces theme. The elements of characters, setting, and props can add or detract from the total effect. Star Wars without Luke Skywalker? It would have bombed. It was an amazing total package.
A good musical has to have three things, a good leading lady/man, a good story ( boy/girl finds / or loses girl/boy only to lose/ or find, again or any patriotic theme) and of course, great music. Crime dramas, comedies, and romances each have their required elements, just like the Olympics.
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