I just saw this document in my drafts and forgot to post it before.
Reflecting on Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand, two main themes arouse throughout my reading that really resonated with me. First, the immergence of GI technology and the development of the Web to connect the 6000 galaxies in the novel. The Web compiles data on every individual in the galaxy: their personal preferences, personality type, and ideal sexual partners. This GI technology is a somewhat more advanced form of Asimov’s Multivac in “The Last Question” and “All the Troubles in the World.” Multivac compiled data on the citizens based on the questions they asked to the system, yet the Web is more complex and comprises data on individuals without them even giving out their personal information. Marq Dyeth and Rat Korga are ideal sexual partners without even knowing each other, and they were brought together based on the information generated by the Web. The Web emulates our modern day internet and the World Wide Web. Amazon uses our search history to gather information on our hobbies and interests, while Facebook provides information about and images of our friends and families. In addition, Twitter serves as a form of social media to express your everyday thoughts and feelings. Thus, the internet has become remarkably similar to the Web described in Delany’s novel, and we are providing this information via our online presence.
In addition, gender and sexual identity play a huge role in this novel. In some galaxies, there are multiple genders, and when Rat Korga arrives on Velm, he is exposed to a whole new world of sexuality. On Velm, homosexual and heterosexual encounters within one species and between species is accepted, and relationships are not exclusive on Velm. Partners are encouraged to branch out and experience new sexual relations to achieve fulfillment and satisfaction. In 1984, homosexual and transgender individuals were outcasts in contemporary society, and Delaney depicts a world where those ideas were not only accepted but were the norm. As a homosexual author himself, I believe Delany is making a call to push for more acceptance of homosexual individuals to welcome those ideas into society. His novel depicts an advanced society—more advanced than society at the time—where these ideals have arisen, and if science fiction is a prediction of the future, then Delany could be describing a future time period where homosexuality is finally a common occurrence.