But conflict isnt only a machine from which to hang big action sequences.
The science in his fiction never felt rushed or unlikely.
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Kneale died in 2006.
From politics to psychology, Quatermass used science fiction to discuss issues that affected us all.
Its a challenging end to his story.
Their popularity was certainly a factor in Hammers decision to turn the adventures into films.
It was hugely popular, even if critics were appalled and disgusted.
The Hammer version ofQuatermass IIfollowed in 1957, andQuatermass And The Pitturned up in 1967.
Kneales trick of examining the paranormal through a scientific lens did not stop with Quatermass.
Faith, science, and the inexplicable captured the imagination of its huge audience throughout its nine year run.
Do we still think that there are events out there that science cannot explain?
Do we hope science will save us, or worry that it will condemn us?
Its a subject that surely still has mileage.
It might also be accurate to describe this rivalry as our primitive instincts against our evolved sensibilities.
What parts of our animalistic natures do we suppress, and what does it take to make them resurface?
It leads up to the kind of conclusion that Hammer would have loved.
The opposite sex is one of those mysteries in which deep, dangerous feelings lurk.
Can they learn to share the same objectives, the same hopes and fears?
Its particularly noticeable in some of theBeastsepisodes.
It wouldnt work with a longer piece, but for thirty minutes this is madly entertaining stuff.
Conflict drives drama and Kneale understood that conflict comes from both without and within.
His great gift as a writer was to give conflict in these forms a clear voice.
A voice that is still resonant and exciting to hear today.
