Looking for origin of quote along the lines of "we make our own stars".

December 18, 2008 2:42 PM

Quote filter: I have heard a quote regarding light pollution where the characters are looking over the city and talking about how people complain that the city lights block out all the stars. The character says something along the lines of "Screw the stars. We make our own stars." I can't figure out what the exact quote is or where it came from.

Googling "we make our own stars" came up with no relevant results. It's possible this is from a book, a movie or a comic.

posted by NoraReed to Media & Arts (6 answers total)

Nothing to do with light pollution, but in Heinlein's novel have Space Suit, Will Travel the protagonist is standing trial in front of a galactic tribunal which seems to see mankind as a possible threat in the distant future; this tribunal deals with such threats by removing the home planets of those species from normal space-time, cutting them of from their suns and freezing them.
Failing to convince them of mankinds potential he gets enraged and loses his temper:

I looked around at the hall. -the cloud-capped towers . . . the great globe itself- 'Just this!' I said savagely. 'It's not a defense, you don't want a defense. All right, take away our star- You will if you can and I guess you can. Go ahead! We'll make a star! Then, someday, we'll come back and hunt you down-all of you!'

Doesn't quite fit with the theme, but the mood seems similar...
posted by PontifexPrimus at 3:08 PM on December 18, 2008

It wasn't here, was it?
posted by phoenixy at 3:14 PM on December 18, 2008

Reading the OP's description, I get the funny feeling that they are in the hills overlooking LA, and the person making the statement is a Hollywood producer, talking about movie stars, not pinpoints in the sky.
posted by exphysicist345 at 4:03 PM on December 18, 2008

Response by poster: If I remember correctly, they were talking about the cityscape as the stars-- the city lights are the new stars, I guess?
posted by NoraReed at 12:07 AM on December 19, 2008

I don't have a copy in front of my and as I'm leaving on vacation this evening (weather permitting), I won't be able to check...but I seem to recall a line like this in Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin. Here's the Search Inside results if you want to check it out.
posted by JaredSeth at 10:30 AM on December 19, 2008

Response by poster: I've never read Winter's Tale, so it's unlikely that was it (unless someone else quoted it and I remember that).
posted by NoraReed at 10:40 AM on December 19, 2008