Suspended animation in fiction is the temporary halting of life processes of

fictional characters In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, Play (theatre), play, Radio series, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or b ...

followed by their later revival. The process often serves as a

plot device A plot device or plot mechanism is any narrative technique, technique in a narrative used to move the Plot (narrative), plot forward. A clichéd plot device may annoy the reader and a contrived or arbitrary device may confuse the reader, causing ...

and is used in innumerable

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

stories as a means to transport a character from the past into the future (a form of forward-only

time travel Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a w ...

) or to aid

interstellar space travel Interstellar travel is the hypothetical travel of spacecraft from one star system, solitary star, or planetary system to another. Interstellar travel is expected to prove much more difficult than interplanetary spaceflight due to the vast dif ...

which requires a long journey of months or years (See Space travel in fiction). Often, in addition to accomplishing whatever the character's primary task is in the future, he or she must cope with the strangeness of a new world, which may contain only traces of his or her previous surroundings. In some instances, a character is depicted as having skills or abilities that have been lost to society during their period of suspension, allowing them to function as a

hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...

ic figure in their new time.

Mechanisms

The mechanisms for the suspension and revival can vary widely. Early stories tend to use magical enchantment that induces a long sleep. Many modern stories attempt to portray it as scientific

suspended animation Suspended animation is the temporary (short- or long-term) slowing or stopping of biological function so that physiological capabilities are preserved. It may be either hypometabolic or ametabolic in nature. It may be induced by either endogen ...

cryonics Cryonics (from el, κρύος ''kryos'' meaning 'cold') is the low-temperature freezing (usually at ) and storage of human remains, with the speculative hope that resurrection may be possible in the future. Cryonics is regarded with skepticis ...

, while glossing over and ignoring most of the complexities. In many science fiction worlds, the difficulties of modern cryonics are resolved earlier than the invention of

faster-than-light Faster-than-light (also FTL, superluminal or supercausal) travel and communication are the conjectural propagation of matter or information faster than the speed of light (). The special theory of relativity implies that only particles with zero ...

travel, and thus is used as a means to travel to other star systems. In the fictional versions, all the cells are usually viable and the revival process is simple or even spontaneous. Many stories feature accidental freezing and use

technobabble Technobabble (a portmanteau of ''technology'' and ''babble''), also called technospeak, is a type of nonsense that consists of buzzwords, esoteric language, or technical jargon. It is common in science fiction. See also * Academese * Bullshit ...

to explain how the characters survived the process.

Terms

Terms used include ''cryosleep,'' ''hypersleep,'' ''hibernation,'' and ''soma''.

Corpsicle

Corpsicle is a term that has been used in

to refer to a

corpse A cadaver or corpse is a dead human body that is used by medical students, physicians and other scientists to study anatomy, identify disease sites, determine causes of death, and provide tissue to repair a defect in a living human being. Stu ...

that has been cryonically

cryopreserved Cryo-preservation or cryo-conservation is a process where organisms, organelles, cells, tissues, extracellular matrix, organs, or any other biological constructs susceptible to damage caused by unregulated chemical kinetics are preserved by co ...

. It is a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordspopsicle". Its earliest printed usage in the current form dates from 1969 in science fiction author

Frederik Pohl Frederik George Pohl Jr. (; November 26, 1919 – September 2, 2013) was an American science-fiction writer, editor, and fan, with a career spanning nearly 75 years—from his first published work, the 1937 poem "Elegy to a Dead Satelli ...

's book ''

The Age of the Pussyfoot ''The Age of the Pussyfoot'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Frederik Pohl, first published as a serial in ''Galaxy Science Fiction'' in three parts, starting in October 1965. It was later published as a standalone novel in 1969. ...

'', in which a corpsicle is referred to as "a zombie frozen in Alaska." The previous spelling, "corpse-sicle", also attributed to Pohl, appeared in the essay ''Immortality Through Freezing'', published in the August 1966 issue of ''

Worlds of Tomorrow ''Worlds of Tomorrow'' is an anthology of science fiction stories edited by American writer August Derleth. It was first published by Pellegrini & Cudahy in 1953. Many of the stories had originally appeared in the magazines '' Worlds Beyond'', ...

''.

Larry Niven Laurence van Cott Niven (; born April 30, 1938) is an American science fiction writer. His best-known works are ''Ringworld'' (1970), which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards, and, with Jerry Pournelle, ''The Mote in God's Eye'' ...

employed the term in ''Rammer'' (1971), a short story in his collection ''

A Hole in Space ''A Hole in Space'' (U.K. edition ) is a collection of nine science fiction short stories and one essay, all by Larry Niven, published in 1974. This 1975 winner of the Locus Poll Award, Best Single Author Collection (place: second) includes: * " ...

'', originally published in ''

Galaxy Science Fiction ''Galaxy Science Fiction'' was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published in Boston from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by a French-Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break into the American market. World Editi ...

'', later enlarged into the novel, ''

A World Out of Time ''A World Out of Time'' is a science fiction novel by Larry Niven and published in 1976. It is set outside the Known Space universe of many of Niven's stories, but is otherwise fairly representative of his 1970s hard science fiction novels. The m ...

'' (1976). Niven's protagonist is awakened in a society which gives no legal rights whatsoever to corpsicles.

Ben Bova Benjamin William Bova (November 8, 1932November 29, 2020) was an American writer and editor. During a writing career of 60 years, he was the author of more than 120 works of science fact and fiction, an editor of '' Analog Science Fiction and F ...

uses the term in his 2001 novel '' The Precipice''. In this novel, many subjects have been cryonically preserved; however those who are revived have lost all their memories. In cinema, the term features in Paul W. S. Anderson's ''

Event Horizon In astrophysics, an event horizon is a boundary beyond which events cannot affect an observer. Wolfgang Rindler coined the term in the 1950s. In 1784, John Michell proposed that gravity can be strong enough in the vicinity of massive compact obj ...

'' (1997), albeit used to refer to frozen remains with no hope of revival.

Literature

Some form of suspended animation often occurs as an element in many

king asleep in mountain The king asleep in mountain (D 1960.2 in Stith Thompson's motif index system) is a prominent folklore trope found in many folktales and legends. Thompson termed it as the Kyffhäuser type. Some other designations are: king in the mountain, king ...

stories, a genre in which folk heroes from past eras are believed to be sleeping or otherwise kept alive for extended periods until they are needed to return to deal with some great peril, for example,

Holger Danske Holger may refer to: People * Holger (given name), includes name origin, plus people with the name * Hilde Holger, stage name of dancer, choreographer and dance teacher Hilde Boman-Behram (née Hilde Sofer, 1905–2001) Fictional characters * Holg ...

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...

. In the classic fairy tale of ''

Sleeping Beauty ''Sleeping Beauty'' (french: La belle au bois dormant, or ''The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest''; german: Dornröschen, or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess cu ...

'', a princess is cursed to sleep for 100 years by an evil fairy, where she would be awakened by a king's son. When the good fairy hears this, she knew that the princess would be frightened if she found herself alone when she wakes up. So the fairy uses her wand to put every living person and animal in the palace to sleep until the princess awakes. In

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, several tales (''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'', ''

Cymbeline ''Cymbeline'' , also known as ''The Tragedie of Cymbeline'' or ''Cymbeline, King of Britain'', is a play by William Shakespeare set in British Iron Age, Ancient Britain () and based on legends that formed part of the Matter of Britain concerni ...

'') employ plot devices of a drug which induces a suspended animation state which is indistinguishable from death. In American fiction, one of the first stories to deal with suspended animation is the tale of

Rip Van Winkle "Rip Van Winkle" is a short story by the American author Washington Irving, first published in 1819. It follows a Dutch-American villager in colonial America named Rip Van Winkle who meets mysterious Dutchmen, imbibes their liquor and falls aslee ...

, a

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

by American author

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and " The Legen ...

published in

1819 Events January–March * January 2 – The Panic of 1819, the first major peacetime financial crisis in the United States, begins. * January 25 – Thomas Jefferson founds the University of Virginia. * January 29 – Si ...

as well as the name of the story's fictional

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

. In the story, a British subject in the American colonies wanders into the

Catskill Mountains The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined as those areas c ...

in the years before the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, and finds a group of fairies, whose moonshine he drinks. He then falls asleep for 20 years, and returns to his village in what is now the United States, finding his home town and country utterly changed. The story has become a prototype for social dislocation tales of the type.

Science fiction literature mentions

Notable later science fiction short stories of the 19th century featuring suspended animation, deliberate or accidental, include

Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic fiction, Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of scie ...

’s “Rodger Dodsworth: The Reanimated Englishman” (written 1826 but not published until 1863),

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

's short story "

Some Words with a Mummy "Some Words with a Mummy" is a satirical short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. It was first published in '' The American Review: A Whig Journal of Politics, Literature, Art and Science'' in April 1845. It is recognized as an important earl ...

" (1845), and

Lydia Maria Child Lydia Maria Child ( Francis; February 11, 1802October 20, 1880) was an American abolitionist, women's rights activist, Native American rights activist, novelist, journalist, and opponent of American expansionism. Her journals, both fiction and ...

's short story "Hilda Silfverling, A Fantasy" (1845),

Edward Bellamy Edward Bellamy (March 26, 1850 – May 22, 1898) was an American author, journalist, and political activist most famous for his utopian novel ''Looking Backward''. Bellamy's vision of a harmonious future world inspired the formation of numerou ...

's ''

Looking Backward ''Looking Backward: 2000–1887'' is a utopian science fiction novel by Edward Bellamy, a journalist and writer from Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts; it was first published in 1888. The book was translated into several languages, and in short or ...

'' and

Jack London John Griffith Chaney (January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to ...

's first published work " A Thousand Deaths" (1899). In the 20th century science fiction featuring suspended animation include the notable V. Mayakovsky's '' Klop'' (1928), H.P. Lovecraft's "

Cool Air "Cool Air" is a short story by the American horror fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft, written in March 1926 and published in the March 1928 issue of '' Tales of Magic and Mystery''. Plot The narrator offers a story to explain why a "draught of co ...

" (1928), and Edgar Rice Burroughs' "

The Resurrection of Jimber-Jaw "The Resurrection of Jimber-Jaw" is a 1937 short story by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, about an unfrozen 50,000-year-old caveman. The story was originally printed in ''Argosy'' magazine, and later reprinted as one of three stories in the ...

" (1937). The character of

Buck Rogers Buck Rogers is a science fiction adventure hero and feature comic strip created by Philip Francis Nowlan first appearing in daily US newspapers on January 7, 1929, and subsequently appearing in Sunday newspapers, international newspapers, books ...

was introduced in the August 1928 issue of the pulp magazine ''

Amazing Stories ''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearances i ...

''.Garyn G. Roberts, "Buck Rogers", in Ray B. Browne and Pat Browne (.ed) ''The Guide To United States Popular Culture''. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 2001. (p.120) In the novella, ''

Armageddon 2419 A.D. ''Armageddon 2419 A.D.'' is a science fiction novella by Philip Francis Nowlan that first appeared in the August 1928 issue of the pulp magazine ''Amazing Stories''. A sequel called '' The Airlords of Han'' was published in the March 1929 iss ...

'', he is described as a World War I veteran who became trapped in a mine and was preserved for 500 years by mine gases, a mythology that continued in the 1930s radio show, ''Buck Rogers in the 25th Century''. The subsequent film and television adaptations of ''Buck Rogers'' used variations of this plot device (see below). The 1938 novella ''

Who Goes There? ''Who Goes There?'' is a 1938 science fiction horror novella by American author John W. Campbell, written under the pen name Don A. Stuart. Its story follows a group of people trapped in a scientific research outpost in Antarctica with shapesh ...

'' by John W. Campbell Jr., featured a malevolent shapeshifting alien creature that crashed into Earth's polar regions millennia ago and was frozen by the extreme temperatures, only to be inadvertently thawed out and revived by human explorers in the 20th century. The story was the basis of the 1951 sci-fi horror film ''

The Thing From Another World ''The Thing from Another World'', sometimes referred to as just ''The Thing'', is a 1951 American black-and-white science fiction-horror film, directed by Christian Nyby, produced by Edward Lasker for Howard Hawks' Winchester Pictures Corporati ...

'' and its subsequent remakes. Many of the subjects in these early stories are unwilling ones, although a 1931 short story by

Neil R. Jones Neil Ronald Jones (May 29, 1909 – February 15, 1988) was an American writer who worked for the state of New York. Not prolific, and little remembered today, Jones was ground-breaking in science fiction. His first story, "The Death's Head Meteo ...

called "The Jameson Satellite", in which the subject has himself deliberately preserved in space after death, has been credited with giving

Robert Ettinger Robert Chester Wilson Ettinger (December 4, 1918 – July 23, 2011) was an American academic, known as "the father of cryonics" because of the impact of his 1962 book ''The Prospect of Immortality''. Ettinger founded the Cryonics Institute ...

the seed of the idea of cryonics, when he was a teenager. Ettinger would later write a science fiction story called ''The Penultimate Trump'', published in 1948, in which the explicit idea of cryopreservation of legally dead persons for future repair of medical causes of death is promulgated. Fictional application of suspended animation as rescue after freezing in space has continued since ''The Jameson Satellite'' in 1931. Arthur C. Clarke has used the concept of suspended animation in several of his works. In novels such as ''

Childhood's End ''Childhood's End'' is a 1953 science fiction novel by the British author Arthur C. Clarke. The story follows the peaceful alien invasionBooker & Thomas 2009, pp. 31–32. of Earth by the mysterious Overlords, whose arrival begins decade ...

'' (1953), ''

The Songs of Distant Earth ''The Songs of Distant Earth'' is a 1986 science fiction novel by British writer Arthur C. Clarke, based upon his 1958 short story of the same title. He stated that it was his favourite of all his novels. Clarke also wrote a short step ...

'' (1986), and the ''

Space Odyssey The ''Space Odyssey'' series is a series of science fiction novels by the writer Arthur C. Clarke. Two of the novels have been made into feature films, released in 1968 and 1984 respectively. Two of Clarke's early short stories may also be c ...

'' series (1968-1997), it is used to facilitate interstellar travel, allowing humans to endure journeys that take months, years, even decades. In the novel '' 3001: The Final Odyssey'', it is revealed that

Frank Poole The ''Space Odyssey'' series is a series of science fiction novels by the writer Arthur C. Clarke. Two of the novels have been made into feature films, released in 1968 and 1984 respectively. Two of Clarke's early short stories may also be c ...

, murdered by

HAL 9000 HAL 9000 is a fictional artificial intelligence character and the main antagonist in Arthur C. Clarke's ''Space Odyssey'' series. First appearing in the 1968 film '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'', HAL ( Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer ...

in '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'' was cryopreserved by his exposure to the vacuum of space, and found and revived by advanced scientific methods a thousand years later. In 1964, the comic book super-hero

Captain America Captain America is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character First appearance, first appeared in ''#Golden Age, Captain America Comics'' #1 (cover ...

, popular in the 1940s and discontinued in the 1950s, returned to publication with the explanation that he had been accidentally frozen in the

Arctic ice pack The Arctic ice pack is the sea ice cover of the Arctic Ocean and its vicinity. The Arctic ice pack undergoes a regular seasonal cycle in which ice melts in spring and summer, reaches a minimum around mid-September, then increases during fall a ...

. ''

'', a work of science fiction by

, concerns a man who is revived from

cryopreservation Cryo-preservation or cryo-conservation is a process where Organism, organisms, organelles, cell (biology), cells, Biological tissue, tissues, extracellular matrix, Organ (anatomy), organs, or any other biological constructs susceptible to damage ...

in the year 2527, having been killed in a fire 500 years earlier. This story was first published as a serial in ''

'' in three parts, starting in October 1966, and was later published as a novel in 1969. Relatively few stories have been published concerning using cryonics for medical time travel. In the Edgar Allan Poe story mentioned above (1845), the electrically-revived mummy mentions that his Egyptian civilization uses mummification for time travel. The most in-depth novel based on contemporary cryonics is the national best-seller '' The First Immortal'' by

James L. Halperin James L. Halperin (born October 31, 1952) is an American businessman and author, who is the co-founder and co-chairman of Heritage Auctions, now the largest American auction house with 2022 sales in excess of $1.45 billion. In 1985 Halperin author ...

(1998).

Giles Milton Giles Milton FRHistS (born 15 January 1966) is a British writer who specialises in narrative history. His books have sold more than one million copies in the UK. and been published in twenty-five languages. He has written twelve works of non-fi ...

's 2014 thriller ''The Perfect Corpse'' is set in a fictional cryonics laboratory in

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

; the narrative revolves around the resurrection of a perfectly frozen body discovered in the Greenland ice sheet.

Film

Movies featuring suspended animation include ''

Late for Dinner ''Late for Dinner'' is a 1991 American science fiction drama film directed by W. D. Richter and starring Peter Berg, Brian Wimmer and Marcia Gay Harden. The supporting cast features Peter Gallagher and Richard Steinmetz, along with Janeane Garof ...

'' (1991), '' Forever Young'' (1992), '' Demolition Man'' (1993), ''

Idiocracy ''Idiocracy'' is a 2006 American science fiction comedy film directed by Mike Judge and co-written by Judge and Etan Cohen. Starring Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, and Terry Crews, the film tells the story of Corporal Joe Bauers (Wi ...

'' (2006), '' Realive'' (2016), ''

Sexmission ''Sexmission'' ( pl, Seksmisja) is a 1984 Polish cult comedy science fiction action film. It also contains a hidden political satire layer specific to the time and place of its production (the socialist-feminist system as proposed by the Communi ...

'' (1984), the

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

comedy '' Sleeper'' (1973), and '' Open Your Eyes'' (''Abre los Ojos'') (1997), remade as ''

Vanilla Sky ''Vanilla Sky'' is a 2001 American science fiction thriller film directed, written, and co-produced by Cameron Crowe. It is an English-language remake of Alejandro Amenábar's 1997 Spanish film '' Open Your Eyes'', which was written by Amenábar ...

'' (2001). The 1939 movie serial ''

'', and its 1979 remake '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'', both featured the title character being put into suspended animation during the 20th century for 500 years, thus emerging in a futuristic world far different from the one they belonged to. In the 1939 serial, the character (and his sidekick Buddy Wade) deliberately cryo-preserve themselves by using an experimental "Nirvano Gas", as they await rescue after their

dirigible An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air. In early ...

crashes over the North Pole. In the 1979 version, the character is an astronaut whose spacecraft inadvertently flies through a space phenomenon that freezes his life support systems (and himself) until his ship is found drifting in space in the year 2491. The 1984 film '' Iceman'' centered on a prehistoric man who was found and revived after being frozen for 40,000 years. Played dramatically in that film, the same concept was used for comedic effect in the 1992 film ''

Encino Man ''Encino Man'' (known as ''California Man'' in France, Finland, Sweden, Great Britain, Asia, South Africa, and New Zealand) is a 1992 American comedy film directed by Les Mayfield in his directorial debut. The film stars Sean Astin, with a suppo ...

''. In both films, the prehistoric individual was depicted as having been flash-frozen naturally, with no special preparation to permit survival of the freezing experience, and thawing with no apparent lasting damage to their physical or mental abilities. In ''Iceman'', the scientists examining the caveman before his thaw speculate that something in his diet acted as a natural antifreeze to prevent cell crystallization. Suspended animation (also referred to as "cryosleep", "hypersleep" or simply "hibernation") is used during space travel in the film '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'' (1968), and its sequel '' 2010: The Year We Make Contact'' (1984). It was also used in the 1968 film ''

Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...

''. It was similarly used in the film ''

Alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...

'' (1979) and its various sequels and prequels.

James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post-New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability w ...

, the director of the second film in the series (1986's ''

Aliens Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrate ...

'') also used it in his 2009 film ''

Avatar Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearanc ...

''. Cryosleep was also used in Christian Alvart's ''

Pandorum ''Pandorum'' is a 2009 German/British science fiction horror film, with elements of Lovecraftian horror and survival adventure. The film was directed by Christian Alvart and produced by Robert Kulzer, Jeremy Bolt and Paul W. S. Anderson, the l ...

'' (2009), Christopher Nolan's '' Interstellar'' (2014), and in Morten Tyldum's ''

Passengers A passenger (also abbreviated as pax) is a person who travels in a vehicle, but does not bear any responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination or otherwise operate the vehicle, and is not a steward. The ...

'' (2016). ''

The Empire Strikes Back ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic film, epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based o ...

'' (1980) involves the test freezing of

Han Solo Han Solo is a fictional character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. The character first appeared in the 1977 film '' Star Wars'' portrayed by Harrison Ford, who reprised his role in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) an ...

as proof of concept for suspension, though this was intended as a means of restraining prisoners for travel and caused temporary blindness upon his revival. ''

Austin Powers ''Austin Powers'' is a series of American spy action comedy films: '' Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'' (1997), '' Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'' (1999) and ''Austin Powers in Goldmember'' (2002). The films were produced an ...

'' (1997) and its sequels (1999, 2002) use suspended animation as a plot device to insert a 1960s spy character and archvillain into a world decades later in which their behavior and expectations are often jarringly

outdated Obsolescence is the state of being which occurs when an object, service, or practice is no longer maintained or required even though it may still be in good working order. It usually happens when something that is more efficient or less risky r ...

. In the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...

, Steve Rogers and

Bucky Barnes James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Originally introduced as a sidekick to Captain America, the character was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and first appeared ...

are placed under suspended animation in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

(as depicted in the films '' Captain America: The First Avenger'' and '' Captain America: The Winter Soldier'') until their recovery by

S.H.I.E.L.D. S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in ''Strange Tales'' #135 (August 1965), it often deals ...

and Hydra in the 21st century. Following the events of '' Captain America: Civil War'', Barnes is placed "on ice" once again in

Wakanda Wakanda () is a fictional country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Wakanda has been depicted as being in East Africa. It is located in sub-Saharan Africa, and is home to the superhero Black Panther. Wakanda first app ...

while Shuri figures out how to cure him, and is recovered by the events of ''

Black Panther A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been d ...

''. In the 1943

movie serial A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, gene ...

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...

, Prince Daka,

's nemesis, uses the concept of suspended animation on a corpse transported from Japan in order to receive a message from Emperor

Hirohito Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...

in the fifth chapter, which is fittingly titled "The Living Corpse".

Television

On television, suspended animation has appeared occasionally since the 1960s. In the original '' Twilight Zone'' (1961) "

The Rip Van Winkle Caper "The Rip Van Winkle Caper" is episode 60 of the American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series), The Twilight Zone'' , and is the 24th episode of the second season. It originally aired on April 21, 1961 on CBS, and was wr ...

". Suspended animation is used by a band of four thieves. It was prominently featured in the opening episode of the space adventure series ''

Lost in Space ''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series, created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. The series was inspired by the 1812 novel ''The Swiss Family Robinson.'' The series fo ...

'' (1965), in which a family of space travelers was placed in suspension for a five and a half year interstellar journey to a planet of the star

Alpha Centauri Alpha Centauri ( Latinized from α Centauri and often abbreviated Alpha Cen or α Cen) is a triple star system in the constellation of Centaurus. It consists of 3 stars: Alpha Centauri A (officially Rigil Kentaurus), Alpha Centaur ...

. In the original series of ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

'' episode "

Space Seed "Space Seed" is the twenty-second episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by Gene L. Coon and Carey Wilber and directed by Marc Daniels, it first aired on February 16, 1967. In the e ...

" (1967), 72 humans are found adrift in space in a state of suspended animation. Their leader,

Khan Noonien Singh Khan Noonien Singh is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' science fiction franchise, who first appeared as the main antagonist in the ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' episode "Space Seed" (1967), and was portrayed by Ricardo Montalbán ...

, is played by

Ricardo Montalbán Ricardo Gonzalo Pedro Montalbán y Merino, KSG (; ; November 25, 1920 – January 14, 2009) was a Mexican and American film and television actor. Montalbán's career spanned seven decades, during which he became known for performances in a var ...

who reprised the role in the film '' Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan'' (1982). Many elements of the "Space Seed" plot, including the cryogenic preservation of Khan and his followers, were used in the updated ''

Star Trek Into Darkness ''Star Trek Into Darkness'' is a 2013 American science fiction action film directed by J. J. Abrams and written by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof. It is the 12th installment in the ''Star Trek'' franchise and the sequel to the 2 ...

'' (2013) with Khan played by

Benedict Cumberbatch Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (born 19 July 1976) is an English actor. Known for his work on screen and stage, he has received various accolades, including a British Academy Television Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Laurence O ...

. The 1970s revival of Buck Rogers as a television series changed the origin story of its main character from that of a soldier preserved in a mine for 500 years to that of an

astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

on a deep space mission who became frozen for that length of time due to the failure of his life support systems. The 1973 TV movie '' Genesis II'' by

Gene Roddenberry Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Sr. (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American television screenwriter, producer, and creator of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'', its sequel spin-off series ''Star Trek: The Animated Series,'' and ''Sta ...

, featured a premise very similar to ''Buck Rogers''. 20th century NASA scientist Dylan Hunt (Alex Cord) is working on "Project Ganymede", a suspended animation system for astronauts on long-duration spaceflights. As chief of the project, he volunteers for the first multi-day test. He places himself in chemically induced hibernation in his lab deep inside

Carlsbad Caverns Carlsbad Caverns National Park is an American national park in the Guadalupe Mountains of southeastern New Mexico. The primary attraction of the park is the show cave Carlsbad Cavern. Visitors to the cave can hike in on their own via the natura ...

, but an earthquake occurs and his lab is buried. The monitoring equipment is damaged and fails to awake him at the intended end of the test, and he awakens instead in 2133, emerging into a chaotic post-apocalyptic world. Producer

David E. Kelley David Edward Kelley (born April 4, 1956) is an American television writer, producer, and former attorney, known as the creator of '' Doogie Howser, M.D.'', '' Picket Fences'', ''Chicago Hope'', ''The Practice'', '' Ally McBeal'', ''Boston Publi ...

wrote well-researched portrayals of cryonics for the TV shows ''

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series that ran for eight seasons on NBC, from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it centers on the partners, associates and staff of a Los ...

'' (1990), ''

Picket Fences ''Picket Fences'' is an American family drama television series about the residents of the town of Rome, Wisconsin, created and produced by David E. Kelley. The show initially ran from September 18, 1992, to June 26, 1996, on the CBS televisio ...

'' (1994), and ''

Boston Legal ''Boston Legal'' is an American legal drama and comedy drama television series created by former lawyer and Boston native David E. Kelley, produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC. The series aired from October 3, 2004, t ...

'' (2005). In each case, a dying plaintiff petitions a court for the right to elective

''before'' death. Cryonics features as a plot element in the ''

Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

'' episode "Head Case", where the episode's murder victim is recovered by a cryonics company before the team can discover the body, with the subsequent investigation being complicated by the legal battle to claim and analyse the body without jeopardizing the client's potential for future reanimation. In the '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episode " The Neutral Zone" (1988), the 24th-century protagonists criticize cryonics despite its in-universe success, regarding it as "a fad" of primitive 20th-century people who were "afraid of death". In two comedy series, ''

Red Dwarf ''Red Dwarf'' is a British science fiction comedy franchise created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, which primarily consists of a television sitcom that aired on BBC Two between 1988 and 1999, and on Dave since 2009, gaining a cult following. T ...

'' (1988) and ''

Futurama ''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of the professional slacker Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1000 years a ...

'' (1999), accidental long-term suspended animation is used as an initial plot device to permanently thrust a hapless contemporary protagonist into the far future. In the 2004 Australian Broadcasting Corporation's series ''

Silversun ''Silversun'' is a science fiction children's television series made in Australia by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). The show features the adventures of the adolescent members of the crew of the ''Star Runner,'' an interstella ...

'', 550 people are cryonically suspended for 90 years as they travel to the new planet Silversun, 45 light years away from Earth. The series is set in the year 2050. In 2010, a Spanish soap opera titled ''

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

'' premiered on the television network Telemundo. The theme of this soap is suspended animation and everything centers around it. It tells the story of Aurora Ponce de Leon, a 20-year-old who is frozen by her father after her death from a rare and mysterious disease. She comes back to life 20 years later and finds out how everything changed after her death. She has to adjust to life 20 years later; to being chronologically 40 years old, but looking like her 20-year-old self. In the '' Star Trek: Voyager'' episode " The Thaw" (1996), the crew discover members of an alien race who placed themselves into suspended animation 19 years earlier to escape the effects of a solar flare that ravaged their planet. The aliens' stasis pods are all linked to a central computer that enables their minds to live in a shared virtual reality while their bodies sleep. Though intended to be a virtual

utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', describing a fictional ...

, the simulation actually became a nightmare realm from which they cannot escape. In the episode " One", the crew of Voyager are placed in stasis pods for several weeks in order for them to survive crossing through a vast radiation-filled nebula. In the episode " Dragon's Teeth" (1999), Voyager encounters a warlike alien race called the Vaadwaur who placed themselves in suspended animation after losing an interplanetary war and their world become enveloped in a

nuclear winter Nuclear winter is a severe and prolonged global climatic cooling effect that is hypothesized to occur after widespread firestorms following a large-scale nuclear war. The hypothesis is based on the fact that such fires can inject soot into th ...

. Although they had planned to be suspended for only five years, the Voyager crew revives them 900 years after the event when the balance of power in their region of space has shifted significantly. The 1999 ''

South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...

'' episode " Prehistoric Ice Man" mocked conventions about people being having difficulty adjusting to life in the future by depicting a man who was thawed after having been frozen for only 32 months, but who was unable to accept the changes in fashion and music in that period. The dilemma is resolved by the man being taken to live in Iowa, which is shown to be three years behind the rest of the country in such areas. In another episode, Cartman froze himself so he could unfreeze when the Nintendo Wii came out, but ended up far in the future. In the series ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'',

Time Lords The Time Lords are a fictional ancient race of extraterrestrial life, extraterrestrial people in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', of which the series' main protagonist, The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor, is a memb ...

can enter a suspended state at will, though they have to learn how. This can allow brief survival without oxygen, and may be mistaken for death by those unfamiliar with the ability. In the serial "

Destiny of the Daleks ''Destiny of the Daleks'' is the first serial of the 17th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 1 September to 22 September 1979. The story introduces ...

", the Doctor's companion Romana entered such a state after being captured by the titular cyborgs. They had her 'corpse' dumped outside, and she got up and walked away once they left. Suspended animation is a key element of the 1985 serial "

Revelation of the Daleks ''Revelation of the Daleks'' is the sixth and final serial of the 22nd season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in two weekly parts on 23 and 30 March 1985. This was the final serial t ...

", where the Doctor lands on a facility on the planet Necros where the wealthy are placed into suspended animation for future revival.

Davros Davros () is a character from the long-running British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was created by screenwriter Terry Nation, originally for the 1975 serial ''Genesis of the Daleks''. Dav ...

then uses the suspended bodies to create a new race of

Daleks The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrials in fiction, extraterrestrial race of mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction on television, science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by write ...

. In the TV sitcom ''

Mr. Meaty ''Mr. Meaty'' is a teen sitcom created by Jamie Shannon and Jason Hopley. The show centers on two lazy teenage boys, Josh Redgrove and Parker Dinkleman, who work at a fast food restaurant called Mr. Meaty inside a shopping mall as they often enc ...

'' episode "Original Sin", Edward R. Carney, the founder of the Mr. Meaty food chain with his renowned pork rib recipe, cryogenically froze himself in 1904 in order to carry on the Mr. Meaty world domination in the future. 100 years later, Josh and Parker thaw him out (thinking that he might give them a raise if they did). In ''

The 100 The 100 may refer to: Arts and entertainment * 100 (DC Comics), fictional organized crime groups appearing in DC Comics * ''The 100'' (novel series), a 2013–2016 science fiction novel series written by Kass Morgan * ''The 100'' (TV series), 20 ...

'', during season 5, a group of prisoners awakes from cryopreservation after a little more than 100 years. They were on penal labor on a ship mining asteroids, but were put into cryopreservation for this period when the Earth had become temporarily uninhabitable.

Manga and anime

Faye Valentine The following is a list of major and minor characters from the anime series '' Cowboy Bebop'', directed by Shinichiro Watanabe and written by Keiko Nobumoto, its manga series adaptation, written by Kuga Cain and Yutaka Nanten, and its live-a ...

, one of the main characters in '' Cowboy Bebop'' is actually around 77 years old, though only appears to be no more than 23 years old due to having been put into cryogenic freeze after a space shuttle accident, wherein she spent 54 years in cryogenic suspension and who, upon awakening from her cryogenic suspension, has to contend with her massive amount of debt that she had no means to pay, but she was also diagnosed with total amnesia, a stranger in a mysterious world that she was not a part of and did not understand, surrounded by people who claimed to be helping her, but were only there to take advantage of her naiveté, to the point that even her surname "Valentine" was merely a name given to her by the doctor, leaving the circumstances of her accident, her previous life, and even her real name all remain a mystery, and are only gradually revealed as the series progresses. Utterly betrayed by someone she thought she could trust after waking, Faye found herself burdened with even more debt, and the situation hardened her personality to an extreme degree. It is eventually hinted that she came from Singapore on Earth, and was the daughter of a very wealthy family, as the city's famous

Merlion The Merlion () is the official mascot of Singapore. It is depicted as a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. Being of prominent symbolic nature to Singapore and Singaporeans in general, it is widely used to repre ...

statue features prominently in scenes of her childhood, and that memories and an old video tape from her childhood showed her living in a large mansion and it is implied that the accident that lead to her cryogenic suspension was due to an accident with an orbital gate. In the hit manga/anime of ''

InuYasha is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from November 1996 to June 2008, with its chapters collected in fifty-six '' ...

'' and '' InuYasha: The Final Act'', half-demon

Inuyasha is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from November 1996 to June 2008, with its chapters collected in fifty-six '' ...

was sealed on the Sacred Tree of Ages for half a century due to a deep sleep from the sealing arrow fired by his own lover Priestess Kikyo. The process had stopped him from aging, even though possessing longevity from his demon side. In '' Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon'', the spinoff to '' InuYasha: The Final Act'', an older Rin is in a state suspended animation and ceaseless slumber within the Sacred Tree of Ages for a whole decade at the request of her demon lover Sesshomaru.

Video games

Suspended animation is found in numerous video games, including games such as ''

Halo Halo, halos or haloes usually refer to: * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head HALO, halo, halos or haloes may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Video games * ''Halo'' (franch ...

'' that use it as a means of preventing aging during lengthy interstellar travel. *In

Portal (series) ''Portal'' is a series of first-person puzzle-platform video games developed by Valve. Set in the ''Half-Life'' universe, the two main games in the series, ''Portal'' (2007) and '' Portal 2'' (2011), center on a woman, Chell, forced to undergo ...

the Protagonist Chell wakes up from suspended animation *In ''

Fallout 4 ''Fallout 4'' is a 2015 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the fourth main game in the Fallout (series), ''Fallout'' series and was released worldwide on November 10, 2015, for P ...

'', the main

, the Sole Survivor, is in suspended animation through cryosleep as an experiment conducted by Vault-Tec in Vault 111. *In '' Mass Effect: Andromeda'', the main protagonist, Pathfinder Ryder, along with entire arks full of passengers, are kept in cryosleep, while on a 600-year long journey to

colonize Colonization, or colonisation, constitutes large-scale population movements wherein migrants maintain strong links with their, or their ancestors', former country – by such links, gain advantage over other inhabitants of the territory. When ...

the

Andromeda Galaxy The Andromeda Galaxy (IPA: ), also known as Messier 31, M31, or NGC 224 and originally the Andromeda Nebula, is a barred spiral galaxy with the diameter of about approximately from Earth and the nearest large galaxy to the Milky Way. The gala ...

. *In '' The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild'', the main protagonist, Link, awakens from a century-long period of stasis without his memories after sustaining fatal injuries during a cataclysm known as the Great Calamity and being taken to a chamber known as the Shrine of Resurrection to heal.

Princess Zelda is the titular character in Nintendo's ''The Legend of Zelda'' video game series. She was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and introduced in the original 1986 game ''The Legend of Zelda''. She is one of the central characters in the series, having ...

, as a disembodied voice, awakens him at the beginning of the game and guides him on his quest to regain his memories and defeat

Calamity Ganon is a Character (arts), fictional character and the primary antagonist of Nintendo's ''The Legend of Zelda'' video game series and franchise, as well as the final Boss (video games), boss in many ''Zelda'' titles. A massive and malevolent creatu ...

. *In the upcoming seventh '' Dead or Alive'' game, the fighters from books are in frozen, sleep and suspended animated for many years until they are revived in the present day. *In ''

The Outer Worlds ''The Outer Worlds'' is a 2019 action role-playing game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Private Division. The game was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows in October 2019, with a Nintendo Switch ...

'', the main protagonist is a space colonist that was put into suspended animation during transport to the Halcyon Colony. Due to unforeseen circumstances the ship was forced to finish its journey at sub-light speeds, turning what should have been a 10-year trip to a 70-year trip. The scientists in the colony are unable to unfreeze the colonists due to the extended time they have spent in suspended animation, and research to fix the problem would impact the bottom-line of the Halcyon Holdings Company that administers the system, so the ship is dumped at the edge of the colony until a rogue scientist resuscitates the protagonist in an effort to disrupt the Halcyon Holding Company's grip over the system and save the rest of the colonists trapped in suspended animation.

References

{{Reflist Fantasy tropes