Suspended animation in fiction refers to the temporary cessation of life processes experienced by

fictional characters In fiction, a character is a person or being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, in which case the distinction o ...

, followed by their subsequent revival. This process is commonly employed as a

plot device A plot device or plot mechanism is any technique in a narrative used to move the plot forward. A clichéd plot device may annoy the reader and a contrived or arbitrary device may confuse the reader, causing a loss of the suspension of disbelief ...

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

narratives. It is frequently utilized to transport a character from the past to the future (a form of forward-only

time travel Time travel is the hypothetical activity of traveling into the past or future. Time travel is a concept in philosophy and fiction, particularly science fiction. In fiction, time travel is typically achieved through the use of a device known a ...

) or to facilitate interstellar space travel, which necessitates an extended journey for months or years (referring to space travel in fiction). In addition to accomplishing the character's primary objective in the future, they often encounter the unfamiliarity of a new world, which may bear only faint resemblance to their previous surroundings. On occasion, a character is portrayed as possessing skills or abilities that have become lost to society during their period of suspension, enabling them to assume a heroic role in their new temporal setting.

Mechanisms

The methods employed for the suspension and subsequent revival of characters can vary greatly. In early stories, a general approach involves the use of magical enchantments that induce a prolonged slumber. In contrast, many modern narratives aim to present the concept as

scientific Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

suspended animation Suspended animation is the slowing or stopping of biological function so that physiological capabilities are preserved. States of suspended animation are common in micro-organisms and some plant tissue, such as seeds. Many animals, including l ...

cryonics Cryonics (from ''kryos'', meaning "cold") is the low-temperature freezing (usually at ) and storage of human remains in the hope that resurrection may be possible in the future. Cryonics is regarded with skepticism by the mainstream scien ...

, often simplifying and disregarding most of the intricacies involved. Within numerous science fiction settings, the challenges associated with contemporary cryonics are overcome prior to the development of

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

travel, making it a viable means of interstellar transportation. In fictional renditions, the cells typically remain viable, and the revival process is depicted as straightforward or even spontaneous. Accidental freezing scenarios are prevalent in many stories, with

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. Use of technobabble in the ''Star T ...

utilized to rationalize how the characters managed to survive the process.

Terms

Various terms are employed to describe the state of suspended animation, including ''cryosleep'', '' hypersleep'', ''

hibernation Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic reduction entered by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It is mos ...

'', and ''soma''.

Corpsicle

The term "corpsicle" is utilized in

to describe a deceased body that has been

cryopreserved Cryopreservation or cryoconservation is a process where biological material - cells, tissues, or organs - are frozen to preserve the material for an extended period of time. At low temperatures (typically or using liquid nitrogen) any cell m ...

through

. It is a combination of the words "corpse" and " popsicle." The earliest known printed usage of this term in its current form can be traced back to science fiction author

Frederik Pohl Frederik George Pohl Jr. (; November 26, 1919 – September 2, 2013) was an American list of science fiction authors, science-fiction writer, editor, and science fiction fandom, fan, with a career spanning nearly 75 years—from his first ...

's book '' The Age of the Pussyfoot'' in 1969, where a corpsicle is depicted as "a zombie frozen in Alaska." An earlier variation of the term, "corpse-sicle," also credited 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'', ...

''. Author

Larry Niven Laurence van Cott Niven (; born April 30, 1938) is an American science fiction writer. His 1970 novel ''Ringworld'' won the Hugo Award for Best Novel, Hugo, Locus Award, Locus, Ditmar Award, Ditmar, and Nebula Award for Best Novel, Nebula award ...

also employed the term in his 1971 short story "''Rammer''" and later expanded it into the novel ''

A World Out of Time A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is '' a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes''. It is similar in shape to the Ancient ...

'' (1976). In Niven's work, the protagonist awakens in a society that denies any legal rights 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 Fac ...

also incorporates the term in his 2001 novel '' The Precipice'', where numerous subjects have been cryonically preserved, but upon revival, they have lost all their memories. In cinema, the term appears in Paul W. S. Anderson's film ''

Event Horizon In astrophysics, an event horizon is a boundary beyond which events cannot affect an outside 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 c ...

'' (1997), although it is used to refer to frozen remains with no possibility of revival.

Literature

Suspended animation often plays a role in stories about kings or heroes who are believed to be slumbering or kept alive until they are needed to confront great dangers. Examples include

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 * H ...

and

King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...

in mountain sleep tales. In the fairy tale of ''

Sleeping Beauty "Sleeping Beauty" (, or ''The Beauty Sleeping in the Wood''; , or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess curse, cursed by an evil fairy to suspended animation in fi ...

'', an evil fairy places a curse on a princess, causing her to sleep for 100 years until she is awakened by a king's son. To ensure the princess does not wake up alone and frightened, the good fairy uses her wand to put everyone in the palace, including humans and animals, into a sleep state.

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 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 natio ...

's works, such as ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'' and ''

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 concer ...

'', incorporate plot devices involving a drug that induces a state of suspended animation, resembling death. In American fiction, one of the earliest stories involving suspended animation is "

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 history of the United States, colonial America named Rip Van Winkle who meets mysterious Du ...

," a

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single 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 old ...

written 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 wrote the short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy ...

in 1819. The tale revolves around a British individual in the American colonies who stumbles upon fairies in the

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

and consumes their moonshine. As a result, he falls into a 20-year slumber and awakens to find his village and country dramatically transformed due to the passage of time. This story has since become a prototype for narratives exploring social displacement.

Science fiction literature mentions

In the 19th century, notable science fiction short stories featuring suspended animation, both deliberate and accidental, include

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

's "Rodger Dodsworth: The Reanimated Englishman" (written in 1826, published in 1863),

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

's " Some Words with a Mummy" (1845), and

Lydia Maria Child Lydia Maria Child ( Francis; February 11, 1802October 20, 1880) was an American Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist, women's rights activist, Native Americans in the United States, Native American rights activist, novelist, journalis ...

's "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 numer ...

's "''

Looking Backward ''Looking Backward: 2000–1887'' is a utopian time travel science fiction novel by the American journalist and writer Edward Bellamy first published in 1888. The book was translated into several languages, and in short order "sold a million ...

''" and

Jack London John Griffith London (; 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 t ...

's " A Thousand Deaths" (1899) also explore the theme. Moving into the 20th century, science fiction stories featuring suspended animation include V. Mayakovsky's '' Klop'' (1928), H.P. Lovecraft's " Cool Air" (1928), and Edgar Rice Burroughs's " The Resurrection of Jimber-Jaw" (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 American newspapers on January 7, 1929, and subsequently appearing in Sunday newspapers, international newspapers, b ...

was introduced in the August 1928 issue of ''

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 appearance ...

''.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 issue ...

'', Buck Rogers, a World War I veteran, becomes trapped in a mine and is preserved for 500 years by mine gasses. This concept continued in the 1930s radio show ''Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' and subsequent film and television adaptations. John W. Campbell Jr.'s 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. Campbell renewed the copyright in 1965. Its story follows a group of people trapped in a scientific out ...

'' features a malevolent alien creature that crashed into Earth's polar regions and was frozen for millennia. The creature is inadvertently revived by human explorers in the 20th century, leading to a suspenseful story that inspired the 1951 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 Corporatio ...

'' and its remakes. While many early stories depict unwilling subjects in suspended animation, Neil R. Jones' 1931 short story "The Jameson Satellite" explores deliberate cryopreservation after death, laying the groundwork for the concept of cryonics.

Arthur C. Clarke Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (16 December 191719 March 2008) was an English science fiction writer, science writer, futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host. Clarke co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film '' 2001: A ...

incorporates suspended animation in works 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 invasion of Earth by the mysterious Overlords, whose arrival begins decades of apparent utopia under indi ...

'' (1953), ''

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

'' (1986), and the ''

Space Odyssey ''Space Odyssey'' is a science fiction media franchise created by writer Arthur C. Clarke and filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, consisting of two films and four novels. The first novel was developed concurrently with Kubrick's film version and publish ...

'' series (1968–1997) to enable interstellar travel. In Clarke's '' 3001: The Final Odyssey'', the character Frank Poole is cryopreserved in space and revived a thousand years later. In 1964,

Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...

, a comic book superhero popular in the 1940s, was reintroduced, explaining his absence by accidentally freezing 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 ...

's science fiction work '' The Age of the Pussyfoot'' (1966–1969) tells the story of a man revived from cryopreservation in the year 2527, having died in a fire 500 years earlier. Although relatively few stories explore cryonics for medical time travel, Edgar Allan Poe's mentioned story (1845) includes a mummy, mentioning the use of mummification for time travel in Egyptian civilization.

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 ...

's national best-seller '' The First Immortal'' (1998) delves deeply into cryonics in a contemporary setting.

Giles Milton Giles Milton FRHistS (born 15 January 1966) is a British writer and journalist, who specialises in narrative history. He writes non-fiction, historical fiction, and children's history books, and is best known for ''Churchill's Ministry of Unge ...

's thriller ''The Perfect Corpse'' (2014) is set in a fictional cryonics laboratory and revolves around the resurrection of a perfectly frozen body found in the Greenland ice sheet.

Film

Movies featuring suspended animation include '' A Long Return'' (1975), ''

Late for Dinner Late or LATE may refer to: Everyday usage * Tardy, or late, not being on time * Late (or the late) may refer to a person who is dead Music * ''Late'' (The 77s album), 2000 * Late (Alvin Batiste album), 1993 * Late!, a pseudonym used by Dave Groh ...

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

Idiocracy ''Idiocracy'' is a 2006 American science fiction comedy film co-produced and directed by Mike Judge from a screenplay written by Judge and Etan Cohen based on a story written by Judge. The plot follows United States Army librarian Joe Bauers ...

'' (2006), '' Realive'' (2016), '' Sexmission'' (1984), the

Woody Allen Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...

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

Vanilla Sky ''Vanilla Sky'' is a 2001 American science fiction psychological 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 writ ...

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

'' and its 1979 remake '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'' depict the title character entering suspended animation during the 20th century and awakening in a vastly different future. In the 1939 version, Buck Rogers and his sidekick Buddy Wade intentionally preserve themselves using experimental "Nirvano Gas" after their

dirigible An airship, dirigible balloon or dirigible is a type of aerostat ( lighter-than-air) aircraft that can navigate through the air flying under its own power. Aerostats use buoyancy from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding ...

crashes over the North Pole. In the 1979 version, Buck Rogers, an astronaut, inadvertently enters suspended animation when his spacecraft encounters a space phenomenon, only to be discovered centuries later in 2491. The 1984 film '' Iceman'' revolves around a prehistoric man who is revived after being frozen for 40,000 years, while the 1992 film ''

Encino Man ''Encino Man'' (also known as ''California Man'' in several territories) is a 1992 American comedy film directed by Les Mayfield in his directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates ...

'' uses a comedic approach to the same concept. Both movies depict prehistoric individuals being naturally flash-frozen without any special preparation and thawing without lasting damage to their physical or mental abilities. In ''Iceman'', scientists theorize that something in the caveman's diet acted as a natural antifreeze, preventing cell crystallization. Suspended animation, referred to as "cryosleep", "hypersleep", or "hibernation", is used during space travel in films such as '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'' (1968) and its sequel '' 2010: The Year We Make Contact'' (1984), ''

Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is a science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic world in which humans and intelligent apes c ...

'' (1968), '' Alien'' (1979) and its sequels and prequels, '' Pitch Black'' (2000),

James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker, who resides in New Zealand. He is a major figure in the post-New Hollywood era and often uses novel technologies with a Classical Hollywood cinema, classical filmmaking styl ...

's ''

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

'' (2009), ''

Pandorum ''Pandorum'' is a 2009 science fiction horror film directed by Christian Alvart, produced by Robert Kulzer, Jeremy Bolt and Paul W. S. Anderson (the latter two through their Impact Pictures banner), and starring Dennis Quaid and Ben Foste ...

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

Passengers A passenger 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 vehicles may be bicycles, ...

'' (2016). In ''

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),

Han Solo Han Solo () is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was introduced in the 1977 film ''Star Wars (film), Star Wars'', and later appeared in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980), ''Return of the Jedi'' (1983), ''Star Wars: The F ...

is temporarily frozen to demonstrate the concept of suspension, which serves as a means of restraining prisoners for travel. The ''

Austin Powers ''Austin Powers'' is a series of American satirical spy comedy films created by Mike Myers, who stars as the British spy Austin Powers as well as his arch-nemesis, Dr. Evil. The series consists of '' International Man of Mystery'' (1997), ' ...

'' films (1997, 1999, 2002) use suspended animation to transport a 1960s spy character and arch villain to a future world, highlighting the contrast in their behavior and expectations. In the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...

, Steve Rogers and

Bucky Barnes James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes is a 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 in '' ...

undergo suspended animation. Steve Rogers was frozen in the Arctic after World War II and the same happens with Bucky. Later, they wake up in the 21st century. Bucky is placed in suspended animation again in

Wakanda Wakanda (), officially the Kingdom of Wakanda, is a fictional country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the country first appeared in ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' ...

following '' Captain America: Civil War'' (2016) until his recovery in ''

Black Panther A black panther is the Melanism, 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 Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...

'' (2018). 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, ge ...

''Batman'', the character Prince Daka uses suspended animation on a corpse to receive a message from Emperor Hirohito, featured in the chapter titled "The Living Corpse".

Television

On television, suspended animation has been featured in various shows since the 1960s. In the original '' Twilight Zone'' episode " The Rip Van Winkle Caper" (1961), a band of thieves utilizes suspended animation. The concept is prominently showcased in the opening episode of the 1965 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. Lightly dramatic, sometimes comedic in tone, the series was inspired by the 1812 J ...

'', where a family of space travelers undergoes suspended animation for a five and a half-year journey to the star

Alpha Centauri Alpha Centauri (, α Cen, or Alpha Cen) is a star system in the southern constellation of Centaurus (constellation), Centaurus. It consists of three stars: Rigil Kentaurus (), Toliman (), and Proxima Centauri (). Proxima Centauri ...

. The original ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...

'' series episode "

Space Seed "Space Seed" is the 22nd episode of the Star Trek: The Original Series season 1, first season of the American science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek''. It was first broadcas ...

" (1967) involves the discovery of 72 humans adrift in space, preserved in a state of suspended animation, led by

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 Montalb� ...

, portrayed 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 widely known for performances ...

. Khan's character returns in the 1982 film '' Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan'', and a similar storyline is used in ''

Star Trek Into Darkness ''Star Trek Into Darkness'' is a 2013 American science fiction film, 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 ...

'' (2013), with

Benedict Cumberbatch Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (born 19 July 1976) is an English actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Benedict Cumberbatch, various accolades, including a BAFTA TV Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Laurenc ...

as Khan. The 1970s television series

changed the origin story of its main character, depicting him as an astronaut frozen during a deep space mission for 500 years due to a life support system failure. The 1973 TV movie '' Genesis II'', created by

Gene Roddenberry Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Sr. (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American television screenwriter and producer who created the science fiction series and fictional universe ''Star Trek.'' Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up ...

, shares a similar premise with ''Buck Rogers''. It follows the story of (fictional) NASA scientist Dylan Hunt, who volunteers for a suspended animation test but awakens in the year 2133 after an earthquake traps him underground. He emerges into a post-apocalyptic world. In TV shows such as ''

L.A. Law ''L.A. Law'' is an American legal drama television series created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher for NBC. It ran for eight seasons and List of L.A. Law episodes, 172 episodes from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. The series cente ...

'' (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 ran from September 18, 1992, to June 26, 1996, on CBS in the United States. ...

'' (1994), and ''

Boston Legal ''Boston Legal'' is an American legal 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, to Decem ...

'' (2005), producer David E. Kelley presents well-researched portrayals of cryonics. These shows depict dying individuals seeking the right to elective

cryopreservation Cryopreservation or cryoconservation is a process where biological material - cells, tissues, or organs - are frozen to preserve the material for an extended period of time. At low temperatures (typically or using liquid nitrogen) any cell ...

''before'' death. Cryonics is also featured in an episode of ''

Castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

'' titled "Head Case," where the investigation is complicated by a cryonics company recovering the murder victim's body before the police can examine it. In the '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episode " The Neutral Zone" (1988), the protagonists criticize cryonics despite its success in their fictional world, considering it a primitive concept rooted in the fear of death. The comedy series ''

Red Dwarf A red dwarf is the smallest kind of star on the main sequence. Red dwarfs are by far the most common type of fusing star in the Milky Way, at least in the neighborhood of the Sun. However, due to their low luminosity, individual red dwarfs are ...

'' (1988) and ''

Futurama ''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company and later revived by Comedy Central, and then Hulu. The series follows Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1 ...

'' (1999) use accidental long-term suspended animation as a plot device to transport contemporary characters into the distant future. The Australian 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 ...

(2004) revolves around 550 people undergoing cryonic suspension for a 90-year journey to the planet Silversun. The Spanish soap opera ''

Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

'' (2010) centers around the theme of suspended animation, with the protagonist being frozen for 20 years before coming back to life and facing a changed world. In '' Star Trek: Voyager'', the crew encounters aliens who placed themselves in suspended animation to escape a solar flare in the episode " The Thaw" (1996). In the episode "

One 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

," the Voyager crew enters stasis pods to survive a radiation-filled nebula, while in " Dragon's Teeth" (1999), the crew revives a warlike alien race, the Vaadwaur, 900 years after their suspension. 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 boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand the ...

'' episode " Prehistoric Ice Man" mocks the difficulties of adjusting to the future by depicting a man who was frozen for 32 months but struggles to adapt to the changes in fashion and music. Another South Park episode features

Cartman Eric Theodore Cartman, commonly referred to as just Cartman, is a fictional character in the adult animated sitcom ''South Park'', created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. He is voiced by Parker, and is one of the series' four main characters, a ...

freezing himself to wait for the release of the

Nintendo Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, ...

, only to end up far in the future. In ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'',

Time Lords The Time Lords are a fictional ancient race of extraterrestrial people in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. Time Lords are so named for their command of time travel Time travel is the hypothetical activity o ...

can voluntarily enter a suspended state, which allows brief survival without oxygen and may be mistaken for death. 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 enters suspended animation after being captured by the Daleks, enabling her to escape. The concept is central to 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 to b ...

," where suspended bodies are used to create a new race of

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

. The season finale for the first season of ''

Clone High ''Clone High'' is an adult animated science fiction sitcom created by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Bill Lawrence for MTV. It premiered on November 2, 2002, in Canada, and January 20, 2003, in the United States. Set at a high school popu ...

'' (2003), " Changes: You Got A Prom Wit Dat?", saw all the main characters cryogenically frozen in a freezer. The first episode of the series' second season/2023 revival saw most of the clones being thawed out with a

hair dryer A hair dryer (the handheld type also referred to as a blow dryer) is an electromechanical device that blows ambient air in hot or warm settings for styling or drying hair. Hair dryers enable better control over the shape and style of hair, by a ...

20 years later, but they mistakenly believe that only a day has passed before being informed of the truth a few days later by their principal. 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 enco ...

'' episode "Original Sin," the founder of the Mr. Meaty food chain cryogenically freezes himself in 1904 to continue his domination plan in the future. He is later thawed out by Josh and Parker, the show's protagonists. In the TV series '' The 100'', during season 5, a group of prisoners is awakened from cryopreservation after over 100 years. They had been in suspended animation while Earth was temporarily uninhabitable, serving their sentences aboard a ship mining asteroids. Later, earthlings used cryopreservation to survive after an explosion destroyed the only habitable land on Earth. In the end of the fifth season, they find out that Earth didn't recover fast enough so instead they have been in the cryopreservation for 125 years and have traveled to another planet.

Manga and anime

In the anime series ''

Cowboy Bebop is a 1998 Japanese neo-noir space Western anime television series that aired on TV Tokyo and Wowow from 1998 to 1999. It was created and animated by Sunrise (company), Sunrise, led by a production team of director Shinichirō Watanabe, ...

'', one of the main characters,

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-act ...

, appears to be a young woman in her early twenties. However, she is actually around 77 years old. After a space shuttle accident, Faye is put into a cryogenic freeze for 54 years, which halts her aging process. When she awakens from cryogenic suspension, she finds herself in a world she doesn't understand, surrounded by people who claim to help her but take advantage of her vulnerability. She suffers from total amnesia, and even her real name and past remain a mystery. Throughout the series, her true identity and past are gradually revealed. Faye carries a significant amount of debt and has experienced betrayal, which has hardened her personality. It is hinted that she came from Singapore and belonged to a wealthy family. Memories and a video tape from her childhood show her living in a large mansion, and it is implied that her accident and cryogenic suspension were related to an orbital gate. In the manga/anime '' InuYasha'' and its sequel '' InuYasha: The Final Act'', the character Inuyasha, a half-demon, was sealed on the Sacred Tree of Ages for fifty years. The sealing arrow was fired by his lover, Priestess Kikyo, causing him to enter a deep sleep and preventing him from aging. In the spinoff series '' Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon'', which follows the events of '' InuYasha: The Final Act'', Rin, an older character, is in a state of suspended animation and perpetual slumber within the Sacred Tree of Ages. This was done at the request of her demon lover, Sesshomaru, and she has remained in this state for a decade.

Video games

Suspended animation is a recurring concept in various video games. For example, in the ''

Halo HALO, halo, halos or haloes may refer to: Most common meanings * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head * ''Halo'' (franchise), a sci-fi video game series (2001–2021) Arts and en ...

'' series, it is used to prevent aging during long interstellar voyages. In the Portal series, the protagonist named Chell wakes up from suspended animation. ''

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 and was released worldwide on November 10, 2015, for Microsoft Windo ...

'' features the main

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 ...

, known as the Sole Survivor, who undergoes suspended animation through cryosleep as part of a Vault-Tec experiment in Vault 111. In '' Mass Effect: Andromeda'', the main protagonist, Pathfinder Ryder, along with other passengers on arks, are placed in cryosleep for a 600-year journey to colonize the

Andromeda Galaxy The Andromeda Galaxy is a barred spiral galaxy and is the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way. It was originally named the Andromeda Nebula and is cataloged as Messier 31, M31, and NGC 224. Andromeda has a Galaxy#Isophotal diameter, D25 isop ...

. '' The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild'' revolves around the main protagonist, Link, who awakens from a century-long stasis without memories. This occurs after sustaining fatal injuries during the Great Calamity and being brought to the Shrine of Resurrection for healing.

Princess Zelda is a Character (arts), character in Nintendo's ''The Legend of Zelda'' video game series. She was created by Shigeru Miyamoto for the original 1986 game ''The Legend of Zelda (video game), The Legend of Zelda''. As one of the central characters ...

, in the form of a disembodied voice, guides Link on his quest to regain his memories and defeat

Calamity Ganon is a character and the main 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. In his humanoid Gerudo form, he is known as A massive and male ...

. ''

The Outer Worlds ''The Outer Worlds'' is a 2019 action role-playing game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Private Division. Set in an alternate future, the game takes place in Halcyon, a distant star system colonized by megacorporations. In ...

'' features a main protagonist who is a space colonist placed in suspended animation during transportation to the Halcyon Colony. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the journey takes 70 years instead of the intended 10 years. The colony's scientists are unable to unfreeze the colonists due to their extended time in suspended animation. Resuscitation efforts by a rogue scientist aim to disrupt the control of the Halcyon Holdings Company and save the other colonists trapped in suspended animation. ''

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a 2022 Action game, action-Platformer, platform game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the thirteenth mainline installment in the Kirby (series), ''Kirby'' series, second on the Switch, as ...

'' features an alien life-form dubbed specimen ID-F86 held in suspended animation within the Eternal Capsule at Lab Discovera after it was captured by the research team and an accident occurred that resulted in the alien splitting in two. One half, Fecto Forgo, was the one kept within the capsule while the other, Elfilin, escaped. ''

Perfect Dark ''Perfect Dark'' is a 2000 first-person shooter developed and published by Rare for the Nintendo 64. The first game of the '' Perfect Dark'' series, it follows Joanna Dark, an agent of the Carrington Institute research centre, as she attempts ...

'' in its final mission, Battle Shrine, the protagonist, Joanna Dark, recognizes that the Skedar

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, a lifeform with ext ...

are in a state of suspended animation, and must be killed as a part of an objective. In the ''

Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese developers Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, and Hirokazu Yasuhara for Sega. The franchise follows Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battle ...

'' series,

Shadow the Hedgehog is a character created by the Japanese game developers Takashi Iizuka (game designer), Takashi Iizuka, Shiro Maekawa, and Kazuyuki Hoshino. He is a major character in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. An Anthropomorphism, anthropomorph ...

is placed into suspended animation after being deemed as a threat by a military organization named the Guardian Units of Nations (G.U.N.). Fifty years later, during the events of ''

Sonic Adventure 2 is a 2001 platform game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega for the Dreamcast. It features two Conflict between good and evil, good-vs-evil stories: Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, and K ...

'', he is liberated from his stasis capsule by

Doctor Eggman Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik is a Character (arts), character created by the Japanese game designer Naoto Ohshima. He is the main antagonist of Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Eggman is a mad scientist who seeks to steal the mystical Cha ...

. In

Helldivers 2 ''Helldivers 2'' is a 2024 cooperative third-person shooter game developed by Arrowhead Game Studios and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 5 and Windows. The game is the direct sequel to '' Helldivers'' (2015). Set ...

, the playable character(s) that are summoned in-game use a form of suspended animation to travel between star systems, even though it is shown that most vessels in that game are capable of faster than light travel.

Music

Suspended animation and cryonics can sometimes play into music, typically in heavy metal. *The US

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...

band

Slayer Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them ...

has a song titled "Crionics" from their

Show No Mercy ''Show No Mercy'' is the debut studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer, released in December 1983 by Metal Blade Records. Brian Slagel signed the band to the label after watching them perform an Iron Maiden cover. The band self-finance ...

album. *The Austrian

death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...

band

Pungent Stench Pungent Stench is a death metal band from Vienna, Austria, formed in 1988. Their current lineup consists of Martin Schirenc (vocals/guitar), Jacek Perkowski (bass), and Mike G. Mayhem (drums). Pungent Stench achieved prominence in the death metal ...

has a song titled "Suspended Animation" from their For God Your Soul... For Me Your Flesh album.