Science fiction fact. Not as much fun.
When reality exits the pages of a book or falls from the silver screen, and lobs into the lap of reality, somehow the magic of science fiction is lost. Especially when it is over my breakfast.
In a severe blow to fantasy, an Italian doctor from Turin, Sergio Canavero, is in the midst of making plans to conduct the world’s first head transplant within two years. As I read the article in The Guardian (of course), over my bowl of Fruit Loops, my disappointment was replaced by a head full of crazy ideas. Yes, my head that is.
The first that hit was a mental image of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Frankenfurter saying, ‘Come up to the lab, and see what’s on the slab!’ This was quickly followed by wondering how long the impatient queue of cryogenically frozen heads is around the world, and whether there are enough defrosted bodies to go around.
Some famous words came rushing into my scrambled thoughts as it dawned on me that this new reality could have unforeseen eventualities. What if a man’s head could be attached to a woman’s body?
“I could never be a woman, ’cause I’d just stay home and play with my breasts all day.” Steve Martin.
Now, this is all still, of course, a little way from becoming reality, but two years is not a long time when it comes to making important life changing decisions. With grey hair, a grey beard and a face full of wrinkly worry lines, what sort of body would be suitable for me? Abs and a six pack might be stretching it a bit, but a bit taller would be good, and perhaps a body that had been working on using up its lifetime membership to a gym would ease my guilt about having never been remotely near a gym in my life.
As I finished my Fruit Loops to make a coffee, Cold Lazarus hit me. In the story, only the mind of Daniel Feeld was revived from his cryogenically frozen head, but now there is the possibility to make a whole new set of reality TV sequel episodes, and give Dr Sergio Canavero a chance at real stardom, as he prepares, over twenty advertising packed prime time episodes, to stitch Daniel Feeld’s head onto the viewer-voted body of choice in the finale.
Luckily, after drinking my coffee, the caffeine kicked in and had a stabilising effect on my racing brain. No, let’s no get ahead of ourselves here. This is all still science fiction, isn’t it?
