My God Its Full Of Stars

The famous line "My God, it's full of stars!" were Dave Bowman's final words as he entered the monolith in the book version of 2001: A SpaceOdyssey, in Chapter 39. That line did not occur in the original movie, although it was retrofitted to the various sequels, e.g., in the movie sequel 2010: The Year We Make Contact as being uttered by Dave Bowman as he entered the monolith.

note that the chat version, OMG it g0ts *s!!1!, was left on the editing room floor as "too improbable"...

ArthurCeeClarke wrote the book version as a protest against StanleyKubrick's obscurism and mysticism in the movie version; they had a major falling out over this. Clarke made sure the book was rushed into print in time for people to be able to read it before the movie came out. This is thus a slightly unusual situation; it's not just that the book and movie vary from each other somewhat randomly, or somewhat stupidly, as is the usual case, it's that the movie was based on Clarke's ideas, with additions by Kubrik, most of which Clarke went along with, but those that he did not agree with, are exactly where the book deviates from the movie. The two are otherwise a close match. In particular this complicated history means that it's not really possible to definitively call either the book or the movie version "the original".

Kubrik did not participate in later movies, which were based purely on Clarke's sequel books and production input.

I don't see "major falling out" over such majestic collaboration - both the book and movie are better than what either Kubrick or Clarke could have come up with alone. PairProgramming strikes again! -- PhlIp

I think it would be better to read the book first - the film is a bit hard to comprehend, but the book isn't. Both are brilliant.

KenMacLeod's ScienceFiction novel The Cassini Division (ISBN 0812568583 ) has the line 'My stars, it's full of gods!'. He put another Clarke in-joke in his later novel Engine City (ISBN 076530502X ).

And here I expected this to be a comment on typical CeeLanguage source.

cf: ThreeStarProgrammer

Dave Bowman opens an editor window and sees twelve-level-deep pointer indirections everywhere... "My mind is going, Hal; I can feel it."

Is this a variation on IsaacAsimov's "The sky! It's full of... stars!" (from his short story "Nightfall")?

2001 makes MUCH more sense if you read the book, which I highly encourage.

Yeah, but I would add, See the movie first!. Maybe you can work the message from the movie alone (all the info is there, in form of music and great directing skills). The book is just a by-product of the movie.

+1. the book is for engineers with a special need to dissect god. the movie is simply what the participants would experience, from their murky & befuddled point of view...

Not true at all, the two were written concurrently, with discussion between Clarke and Kubrick. Some stuff was missed in the movie - for instance, the trip to Saturn was much better for the story line, but the effects guys weren't up to it - and it doesn't make as much sense. On the other hand, the movie takes a different angle. Isn't this discussed on SpaceOdyssey? Anyways, I read the book first and enjoyed the movie more than most people I know, but to each their own.

Part of the 2001 audio book available from audible contains an interview with Clarke where he talks about the film and the book. They wanted to base the movie on a novel, but the original ideas where a mix taken from several of Clarke's short stories. The novel was written so the movie could be built around a solid plot.

A sample of this quote is buried in the background of the music in the tune "amber" on Banco de Gaia's Last Train to Lhasa cd. Which is a very cool cd, btw.

When I saw the movie in the UnitedKingdom when it first came out (in Cinerama) those words were in it! Rumour has it that they were cut at the demand of the UnitedStates religious right, and since all critique seems to be from US sources that piece of history is unmade... It's not the only time Kubrick was the victim of the UK/US divide 'cos his version of ClockworkOrange is based on a US edition which lacked the final chapter - the ultimate horror of little Alex on the reproduction trail! But think about it. All those scenes of people (Dave B...) acting like automata in front of the beauty of space and in the face of threats to life, and then the humanizing revelation. It was a wonderful moment. Shame really. -- drnickjefferies@aol.com

I recall hearing that exact line in the movie when I saw it. I also remember the part in 2010 when he is listening to the words of Dave Bowman over and over saying "My God, it's full of stars." What is so funny is how when I rented the movie some 10 to 15 years later to watch it (synchronizing PinkFloyd's Echoes with the Jupiter And Beyond section of the movie), I was utterly confused when I did not hear those words in the movie. That would make sense though if the movie were to have been edited for religious reasons because I know that the first couple times I saw that movie, I remember that exact line from the movie. It really just jumps out at you and grabs you. Which is probably why the religious right would want to go so far as to edit one small phrase out of a movie. I'm glad to know that I am not the only one now who remembers that line being in the original movie. -- mbc@madbeatfactory.com

Rumor has it the East Indian version says, "My stars! It's full of gods!"

This quote can also be found at about 1:05 in the beginning of the track Be Serious by Etnica.

(Note: WardsWiki is not WikiPedia - we don't list every cultural reference for everything here on principle!!!)

"My God, its full of stars!" is used in Solarstone's "Rain stars eternal" track, which comes from their debut album with the same title.

Obviously they like using movie quotes: in their other famous classic track "Solarcoaster" they used words from "True Romance" movie with Tarantino's script:

 I look back and I'm amazed
 That my thoughts were so clear and true;
 That three words went through my mind endlessly,
 Repeating themselves like a broken record...
 You're so cool
 You're so cool
 You're So cool

GregEgan's short story "Singleton" mentions "an anthology of cheesy “alternate (sic) history” stories from the '90s, entitled My God, It's Full of Tsars!". Does that actually exist? From the description I wouldn't be surprised if he made it up, but then I originally thought he'd made up Repo Man, too.

A LispLanguage programmer discovers the secret of the universe: http://xkcd.com/224/

Sample with the phrase ,"My God, it's full of stars", used on Billy Idol's Album, "Cyberpunk".

I just recently had the privilege to view an original road show 70mm print on July 11, 2010, it even had the "The Stylized Lion" MGM leo the lion logo. I don't remember hearing the line during that viewing. I could have just missed it, but I was pretty focused through the whole viewing... especially at the end, knowing what I was about to experience. Slitscan in 70mm :)

I recall that the phrase also crops up in The X Files (movie?) as a voice print password. I can't exactly place it though; anyone else?