# Prologue explained — The Black Star Passes

> Chapter companion for The Black Star Passes by John W. Campbell.

## What happens

In the year 2126, a transcontinental airliner carrying over three thousand passengers and a shipment of negotiable securities is mysteriously attacked mid-flight. All aboard are rendered unconscious by an unknown gas, but a note left by the attacker—who calls himself 'The Pirate'—reveals that the victims are in a state of suspended animation and can be revived with a specific treatment. The Pirate has stolen the bonds but left stock certificates for a new company called 'Piracy, Inc.' Despite precautions on a subsequent flight, the Pirate strikes again, penetrating sealed steel chambers and defeating the Air Guard's efforts, demonstrating the gas's ability to penetrate any material.

## Themes in this chapter

### Scientific Progress and Innovation

The chapter showcases advanced technology: automated flight, radio beam navigation, and a mysterious gas that induces suspended animation while curing diseases like cancer.

### War and Conflict

The Pirate's attacks on airliners represent a new form of aerial piracy, with the Air Guard mobilizing to protect shipments, leading to a cat-and-mouse conflict.

### The Unknown and Alien Encounter

The Pirate's gas is an unknown substance that defies known materials and masks, creating an element of mystery and the uncanny.

## Character check-ins

### Robert Arcot

Not present in this chapter.

### President Arthur Morey

Not present in this chapter.

### Wade

Not present in this chapter.

### Taj Lamor

Not present in this chapter.

### John Fuller

Not present in this chapter.

### Dick

Not present in this chapter.

## Key lines

> High in the deep blue of the afternoon sky rode a tiny speck of glistening metal, scarcely visible in the glare of the sun.

A small, shiny aircraft was barely noticeable against the bright afternoon sky.

_Opening description of the airliner._

> The passengers are not dead! They have been put in a temporary state of suspended animation. Any doctor can readily revive them by the injection of seven cc of decinormal potassium iodide solution for every 100 pounds of weight.

The victims are alive but in a deep sleep; a specific dose of potassium iodide will wake them up.

_The Pirate's note explaining how to revive the passengers._

> I have left stock in my new company to replace the bonds I have taken. Piracy Incorporated is incorporated under my own laws.

I've substituted the stolen bonds with shares in my own company, Piracy Inc., which I've founded under my own rules.

_The Pirate's audacious replacement of stolen securities with his own stock._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_black_star_passes_se/chapters/prologue
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_black_star_passes_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_black_star_passes_se/chapters