History Literature / TalesOfPirxThePilot

In this future, [[CasualInterplanetaryTravel travel within the Solar System]] is an everyday thing, and mankind has begun to colonize it. Most stories are thus set either in space or on the moon, as "Luna" represents one of the most important bases of humanity. Later on in the book, Mars is also being colonized.

* AbsentAliens: Played straight, [[spoiler: and subverted (maybe?) in ''Pirx's Tale'']]

* TheCoconutEffect: Happens in-universe in ''Albatross''. The [[StarshipLuxurious luxury liner]] Pirx is travelling on has an observation deck modeled after a classic ocean-going vessel. Including an AC system designed to provide it with chilling "sea" wind "blowing" from the bow, while cozy blankets are neatly folded on the seats, waiting for passengers. Pirx comments how pointless it all is - and how expensive to maintain - but at the same time fitting the "civilian expectations".

* ContrivedCoincidence: One of Lem's specialties. For instance, in ''The Conditional Reflex'' the incident Pirx is investigating could only have happened in a very specific set of circumstances, one of which is that a member of the crew was ''cooking ommelettes''. Pirx and his crewmate still manage to recreate it.

* GenreShift: ''The Conditional Reflex'' is like a mystery story [[InSpace ON THE MOON!]].

* NoNameGiven: We never learn what's Pirx first name. Not even in ''Literature/{{Fiasco}}''.

* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Pirx outright says that in ''Ananke''

** In ''Pirx's Tale'' the narrator mentions reading [[RayGunGothic early science-fiction books]] and thinking they are absolutely [[SoBadItsGood ridiculous]] and unrealistic with their [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe female alien spies]], [[AIIsACrapshoot rebelling computers]] and [[TheEmpire evil alien empires]]. Could also count as a TakeThat to other Sci-Fi writers -- the book in question sounds suspiciously like [[Creator/IsaacAsimov Asimov's]] ''Stars, Like Dust''.

* TheSpock: The Nonlinears in ''The Inquest'' are RidiculouslyHumanRobots to the point where you'd need a medical examination to tell they're not human. But they lack intuition and ability to pick the relevant out of a flood of data or to approximate solutions, since these are connected to creativity, of which [[CreativeSterility they have none]]. The two Pirx meets also claim to have no emotional life, although he notes the prideful tone in what they say. It's unclear whether or not they can lie.

* WorkingClassHero: Pirx combines being no-nonsense, outside-the-box thinking guy that in the same time has lowly origins, isn't particularly well-educated or trained (for his station, that is) and considers the whole space piloting a job like any other. It's even used as a plot point in ''The Inquest'', where his unflappable common sense is both what saves the day and why he's picked for the test in the first place.

* TheAllegedCar: Blue Star from ''Terminus'' is a literal piece of space junk rebuild into a new ship from bits and pieces and outfitted with a new reactor. How bad it is? It can barely generate 2nd cosmic velocity during the lift-off, while overloading said reactor in the process and leaking all sorts of fluids from its piping. Pirx's entire comfort comes from the fact that others managed to flew this bucket of bolts and the safety commission still allowed their flight, so maybe he will luck out with his freight, too.

* TheCoconutEffect: Happens in-universe in ''Albatross''. The [[StarshipLuxurious luxury liner]] Pirx is travelling on has an observation deck that's modeled after an ocean-going vessel. Including an AC system designed to provide it with chilling "sea" wind "blowing" from the bow, while cozy blankets are neatly folded on the seats, waiting for passengers. Pirx comments how pointless it all is - and how expensive to maintain - but in the same time how fitting for "civilian expectations".

* ContrivedCoincidence: One of Lem's specialties. For instance, in ''The Conditional Reflex'' the incident Pirx is investigating could have happened only in a very specific set of circumstances, one of which is that a member of the crew was ''cooking ommelettes''. Pirx and his crewmate still manage to recreate it.

* ForbiddenFruit: After two incidents leading to rockets going missing in space with no apparent cause, pilots in ''The Patrol'' are forbidden from bringing unauthorised or personal items to their ships. Directly as a result of that regulation, Pirx takes pride from managing to smuggle in a small skill toy about [[Literature/TheThreeLittlePigs saving three little pigs]] - even if he can't play with it due to lack of gravity.

* GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: Pirx does this to ''himself'' in ''The Patrol''. But instead of slapping himself, he proceeds to [[spoiler: kick his face with a knee - since he's otherwise braced in a piloting chair - until his face is a bloodied, bruised mess with one of teeth knocked out]]. But at least the pain and adrenaline allowed him to finally sync out of a seizure-inducing [[spoiler: blinking on one of his display panels]].

* HelplessObserverProtagonist: In ''Albatross'', two spaceships are lost due to a nuclear reactor explosion in full view of Pirx, and he can do nothing at all to help. First, he is currently flying as a passenger and not as a pilot, second, the ship he is on is a luxury liner and the crew can't risk the passengers' safety by getting closer to the disaster, so the space traffic controller commands them to leave.

* LackOfEmpathy: PlayedWith. In ''Albatross'', the passengers of the Titan space liner aren't informed about the emergency rescue of other ships, solely to prevent panic on-board. The resulting maneuvers and acceleration means the on-going dance in the ball room has to be stopped, making the dancers impatiently demand to know when they will be allowed to go back to the party. Their demand reaches the bridge right when the crew is witnessing the destruction of the two ships they were trying to assist after picking a distress signal.

* NoNameGiven: We never learn what's Pirx first name.
* OnlySaneMan: Pirx has a streak of WorkingClassHero-style common sense and decency which makes him appear as such throughout the tales.
* OurGraphicsWillSuckInTheFuture: [[TruthInTelevision Navigation in space mostly consists of looking at trajectories and calculator outputs.]]

* SpaceIsAnOcean: Heavily downplayed. Apparently space ships still fall under the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyds_Register Lloyd's Register]], some ranks and terminology match and at least civilian flights are given an extra appearance of being "just like in the ocean" as a marketing gimmick, but other than that, space itself is treated like a [=3D=] environment, with all the physics, navigation and actions matching real science attached to it.

* StarshipLuxurious: The Titan in ''Albatross'' is a luxury liner InSpace.

* UniversalUniverseTime: Inverted, as every planet, moon and spaceship has its own time, often leading to extreme jetlags for the ships' crews.

* SpaceIsAnOcean: Heavily downplayed. Apparently space ships still fall under the [[https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd's_Register_of_Shipping Lloyd's Register]], some ranks and terminology match and at least civilian flights are given an extra appearance of being "just like in the ocean" as a marketing gimmick, but other than that, space itself is treated like a [=3D=] environment, with all the physics, navigation and actions matching real science attached to it.

* TheAllegedCar: Blue Star from ''Terminus'' is a literal piece of space junk rebuild into a new ship from bits and pieces and outfitted with a new reactor. How bad it is? It can barely generate 2nd cosmic velocity during the lift-off, while overloading said reactor in the process and leaking all sorts of fluids from its piping. Pirx's entire comfort comes from the fact that others managed to flight this bucket of bolts and the safety commission still allowed their flight, so maybe he will luck out with his freight, too.

* TheAllegedCar: Blue Star from ''Terminus'' is a literal piece of space junk rebuild into a new ship from bits and pieces and outfitted with new reactor. How bad it is? It can barely generate 2nd cosmic velocity during lift off, while overloading said reactor in the process and leaking all sorts of fluids from its piping.

* StarshipLuxurious: The Titan in ''Albatross'' is a luxury liner InSpace

* UsedFuture: So run-down there are shady South-American companies cashing in on the scrap metal orbiting Mercury.

* CharacterDevelopment: Only natural, considering that we follow Pirx from a green-behind-the-ears rookie to an experienced space captain. His calm, inquisitive nature is pretty much a constant, but young Pirx has some adorably boyish notions he gets disabused of.

* UnwinnableTrainingSimulation: Subverted. [[spoiler: While ''The Test'' involves a tough virtual simulation, it is perfectly winnable and ''expected'' to be passed. The "trick" is to [[NervesOfSteel keep your head clean]], remember your training and stay focused on your task no matter what, which are pre-requested qualities for a future space pilot]]. And if you can't do that, you're simply not cut for the job.
* UsedFuture: So run-down there are shady South-American companies cashing in on the human garbage orbiting Mercury.

* TwoDSpace: Averted. The protagonist navigates above the ecliptic in ''Pirx's Tale''.

In this future, [[CasualInterplanetaryTravel travel withing the Solar System]] is an everyday thing, and mankind has begun to colonize it. Most stories are thus set either in space or on the moon, as "Luna" represents one of the most important bases of humanity. Later on in the book, Mars is also being colonized.

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: For all the [[UsedFuture grit in the setting]], the stories have a rather optimistic tone of mankind somehow getting on.

* WorkingClassHero: Pirx combines being no-nonsense, outside-the-box thinking guy that in the same time has lowly origins, isn't particularly well-educated or trained (for his station, that is) and considers the whole space piloting as a job like any other. It's even used as a plot point in ''The Inquest'', where his lack of sophistication is both what saves the day and why he's picked for the test in the first place.

** ZeerustCanon: Eventually, with the final short story ''Ananke'' and especially ''Literature/{{Fiasco}}'', the outdated technology remained part of the setting, irregardless of real-life advances in computing and space technologies. To put it in some perspective, ''Fiasco'' came out the same year as the disaster of the space shuttle ''Challenger'' happened.

* ContinuityNod: In ''The Inquest'' Pirx discovers a fly on his ship and mentions that he hates them. This is a nod to the very first story, ''The Test'', where flies were responsible for some tomfoolery. Also, in ''The Accident'' he thinks back to ''Terminus'' and decides it's plainly and simply ''unfair'' of humans to build thinking robots to slave away for them. He also decides that, in a unlikely event of robots revolting, he'll take their side, which he doesn't actually do in ''Inquest''.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: ''Terminus'' begins with some SceneryPorn regarding the Blue Star and spaceships launching. In the middle of it, Pirx hears a disembodied voice calling and tries to find the person who spoke. It ''might'' have been just a dockhand, but... [[spoiler: Later he encounters many more disembodied voices of people who aren't there, see FateWorseThanDeath above.]]

* AIIsACrapshoot: Played with a lot. Computers and robots become more human over the course of the stories, up to and including human flaws. [[spoiler: Played dead straight in ''The Inquest'']]. Mostly, though, technology is unreliable in a MillionToOneChance simply because no human has ever imagine this MillionToOneChance ocurring.

* AllJustADream: [[spoiler: In ''The Test'', even though it's actually a simulation.]]

* AsteroidThicket: Averted. In ''Pirx's Tale'' the spaceship Pirx is on was maneuvering in an asteroid cloud for several hours without even seeing one asteroid, although people not in the business tend to [[RealityIsUnrealistic expect it]] like it's in the movies.

* ContinuityNod: In ''The Inquest'' Pirx discovers a fly on his ship and mentions that he hates them. This is a nod to the very first story, ''The Test'', where flies were responsible for some tomfoolery.

* ContinuityNod: In ''The Inquest'' Pirx discovers a fly on his ship and mentions that he hates them. This is a nod to the very first story, ''The Test'', where flies were responsible for some tomfoolery (see FlyCrazy below).

* ScalingTheSummit: Pirx's hobby (AuthorAppeal, too - Lem was an avid mountaneer). In ''Conditional Reflex'' he takes time to discuss mountaneering and get some useful tips on climbing on the Moon from a scientist stationed there. In ''The Accident'', he climbs a mountain in search for a robot which, as Pirx notes, didn't have to climb to fulfill its task - but the summit ''[[RidiculouslyHumanRobots was there]]''. Afterwards, when they prepare to leave the planet without the robot, Pirx finds himself doing the tasks the robot would normally be doing. This [[NotSoDifferent gives him pause]].

* DudeWheresMyRespect: Played for some very dark laughs in the end of ''The Patrol'' - Pirx manages to shake off his SpaceMadness, knocks his own tooth in the process and figures out what was causing the other pilots to gget seizures and vanish in space. Once he goes back to Earth and hands in his report... the whole credit for this discovery goes to the scientists analysing Pirx telemetry and testimony, while the pilot remains anonymous. The narration then dryly notes Pirx had to pay for the new tooth from his own meager wage.

* AIIsACrapshoot: Played with a lot. Computers and robots become more human over the course of the stories, up to and including human flaws. [[spoiler: Played dead straight in ''The Inquest'']].

* DudeWheresMyRespect: Played for some very dark laughs in the end of ''The Patrol'' - Pirx manages to shake off his SpaceMadness, knocks his own tooth in the process and figures out what was causing the other pilots to go nuts. Once he goes back to Earth and makes a report... the whole credit for this discovery goes to the scientists analysing Pirx telemetry and testimony, while the pilot remains anonymous. The narration then dryly notes Pirx had to paid from his own meager wage for the new tooth.

* DudeWheresMyRespect: Played for some very dark laughs in the end of ''The Patrol'' - Pirx manages to shake off from SpaceMadness, knocks his own tooth in the process and figures out what was causing the other pilots to go nuts. Once he goes back to Earth and makes a report... the whole credit of this discovery goes to the scientist analysing Pirx telemetry and testimony, while the pilot remains anonymous. The narration then dryly notes Pirx had to paid from his own meager wage for the new tooth.

* SpaceMadness / SanitySlippage: In ''The Patrol'' Pirx goes through one of those. [[spoiler: He gets better, though.]] In another story, set in Pirx's cadet days, he lasts seven hours in a sensory deprication tank, a record for his class, and the description of his experiences is pretty trippy.

* ContinuityNod: In ''The Inquest'' Pirx discovers a fly on his ship and mentions that he hates them. This is a nod to the very first story, where flies were responsible for some tomfoolery [[spoiler: like almost ''crashing'' into the freaking moon.]]

* ScalingTheSummit: Pirx's hobby (AuthorAppeal, too - Lem was an avid mountaneer). In one of the stories, he climbs a mountain in search for a robot which, as Pirx notes, didn't have to climb to fulfill its task - but the summit ''[[RidiculouslyHumanRobots was there]]''. Afterwards, when they prepare to leave the planet without the robot, Pirx finds himself doing the tasks the robot would normally be doing. This [[NotSoDifferent gives him pause]].

* SpaceMadness / SanitySlippage: In ''The Patrol'' Pirx goes through one of those. [[spoiler: He gets better, though.]]
* StarshipLuxurious: The Titan in ''Albatross''.

* VirtualTrainingSimulation: [[spoiler: In ''The Test''. Pirx doesn't know about it, which is the point of the test (they're testing new pilots coping skills in an actual crisis situation).]]

%% * FlyCrazy: ''The Test''.

** more like XanatosSpeedChess, really - it all boiled down to Pirx being unpredictable.

* ScalingTheSummit: Pirx's hobby (AuthorAppeal, too - Lem was an avid mountaneer). In one of the stories, he climbs a mountain in search for a robot which, as Pirx notes, didn't have to climb to fulfill its task - but the summit ''[[RidiculouslyHumanRobots was there]]''.
* SceneryPorn: The spaceport scene in "Terminus".

* HelplessObserverProtagonist:
** In ''Albatross'', two spaceships are lost due to a nuclear reactor explosion in full view of Pirx, and he can do nothing at all to help. First, he is currently flying as a passenger and not as a pilot, second, the ship he is on is a luxury liner and the crew can't risk the passengers' safety by getting closer to the disaster, so the space traffic controller commands them to leave.
** In ''Ananke'', a ship of a hundred thousand tons crashes on a Martian landing field, again in full view of Pirx ([[spoiler:due to faulty computer programming]]). Neither Pirx nor anyone else can do anything to help, as everything happens in the course of seconds: the most Pirx can do is investigate the crash afterwards.

* HelplessObserverNarrator: