To the Stars
Revision as of 21:28, 4 March 2017 by Julian Bradshaw (talk | contribs)
After centuries of turmoil, a Utopian AI/human government has seized control of Earth, heralding a new age of post-scarcity and space colonization. An unexpected encounter with a hostile, technologically superior alien race has broken the peace, forcing magical girls to come out of hiding to save human civilization. In the midst of it all, Shizuki Ryouko, an ordinary girl, looks to the sky, wondering at her place in the universe.
This page summarizes the entire story, volume by volume and chapter by chapter, for those who want a refresher on events. It also includes the names of all future volumes and interludes, as released by Hieronym many years ago.
Each section is collapsed by default, to avoid unwanted spoilers; use the right-hand "Expand" button to view descriptions.
Synopses
Volume I: Quantum Entanglement
- Quantum entanglement is a phenomenon where groups of particles cannot have their state completely described independently of each other, even if separated by large distances.
- This perhaps describes the position Ryouko finds herself in.
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Chapter 11: "Remains of a Life"
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Chapter 13: "Differences of Knowledge"
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Chapter 16: "Light of the Sky"
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Interlude I: Underworld Dreams
- Unusually, this a title with relatively direct meanings.
- Kugimiya Ito dreams of his old girlfriend Nakanishi Aiko, as he digs into a transformed Japanese underworld.
Interlude I: Underworld Dreams 17
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Volume II: Inflationary Expansion
- This is the universe's theorized early period of exponential inflation.
- Here, it likely refers to the escalation of plot and stakes, especially for Ryouko.
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Chapter 25: "Piercing the Sky"
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Chapter 32: "Decisions, Implications"
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Interlude II: Madeleines
- Madeleines (small sponge cakes) feature in Proust's "In Search of Lost Time", a famous French novel noted for its theme of involuntary memory.
- Likewise, this interlude centers on the peculiar role of memory in an episode of Asaka's past. The first snippet even includes relevant sections from Proust's novel.
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Volume III: Ontological Paradox
- In an ontological paradox, events occur as part of a causal loop: an 'initial' event, in terms of linear time, eventually causes itself.
- This may refer to the nature of Ryouko's wish and/or the logic of the Goddess's interventions.
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Chapter 34: "The Bonds that Make Us"
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Chapter 40: "Through a Mirror"
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Chapter 41: "Cause and Effect"
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Chapter 42: "No Light Without Shadow"
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Chapter 45: "The Body Electric"
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Chapter 46: "Wheels Within Wheels"
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Chapter 48: "To Know Thyself…"
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Chapter 49: "Transition State"
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More chapters expected; Volume currently incomplete.
Interlude III: Manifest Destiny
- Manifest Destiny is a term describing the belief that the United States, due to its special virtues, had both a duty and a destiny to expand west into North America.
- It also describes similar beliefs in the MSY during its fifth phase, as it reached further and further beyond the island nation of Japan. Perhaps may detail its struggle and eventual merger with the rival SMC in Europe.
Volume IV: Einstein-Rosen Bridge
- An Einstein-Rosen Bridge is a hypothetical way of connecting two spacetime coordinates; in other words, a wormhole.
- The subject of Ryouko's power and the Cephalopod's wormhole tech will likely feature.
Interlude IV: Ubermensch
- Übermensch is Nietzsche's idea that humanity should turn away from the other worlds and values promoted by "dead" religions and gods, setting instead the goal of advancing new, superior generations of humans on earth.
- This may refer to FA ideologies, or even aspects of Governance thought. It notably stands in contrast to Ryouko's life and wish.
Volume V: Dark Energy
- Dark energy is a proposed form of energy that drives the accelerating expansion of the universe towards eventual heat death.
- This may imply topics ranging from the role of the Incubators to the magical girl system itself.
Interlude V: Destroyer of Worlds
- Part of a quote by the god Vishnu in the Bhagavad Gita, "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." Made famous by J. R. Oppenheimer, who later said he thought of the line after witnessing the first test of an atomic bomb.
- Perhaps covers the Unification Wars, which saw heavy use of atomic weapons. May include Clarisse van Rossum's role, a character who notably was also present for the first atomic detonation.
Volume VI: Singularity
- A singularity is a point at which a function takes an infinite value, especially in space-time when matter is infinitely dense, as at the center of a black hole. It is also a term used for the hypothetically unknowable changes to the human condition caused by superintelligence.
- In former sense, it may reference Ryouko's or Asami's powers. In the latter, perhaps it refers to Governance's Emergency Mode Level Four.
