I write high-speed, strategy-driven Military Sci-Fi & Space Opera, where cunning commanders, elite soldiers, and alien warlords fight for survival on the fringes of space. Subscribe to my newsletter for my latest updates!
The Dream Is Coming
The Dream Is Coming(3-4 minute read) On 20 July 1969, a human being stepped onto the Moon for the first time. I was a little boy then, watching in silence as Neil Armstrong’s boots pressed into the grey dust of another world. That image, that small step, shaped a generation. For a while, we dreamed that by now we would have cities on Mars and ships sailing the stars. But after the Apollo programme ended, the great journey outward paused. The Space Shuttle was an extraordinary machine, but it carried us in circles around Earth, not outwards into the unknown. The International Space Station became a shining symbol of cooperation, yet the frontier beyond Earth orbit went quiet. Now, half a century later, that silence isn’t breaking, it’s shattering. A New Era BeginsThe United States and Europe are leading a new age of exploration. NASA’s Artemis programme is preparing to return astronauts to the lunar surface before the decade’s end, with the European Space Agency building vital modules for the Orion spacecraft and Gateway station that will orbit the Moon. Together, they are not just going back; they are building the foundations for a permanent presence. The first lunar base, likely at the Moon’s south pole, will harness sunlight and harvest water ice. It will be part science lab, part outpost, part symbol of what can happen when humanity stops talking about limits and starts testing them again. China and India are joining the race too, China with its fast-advancing Chang’e missions, and India after its successful south-pole landing. But this time, the future is not only in the hands of nations. The Age of the Space EntrepreneursSpace is no longer the domain of superpowers alone. Visionary entrepreneurs are driving the greatest revolution since Apollo. SpaceX has turned what once cost hundreds of millions into a fraction of that price. Reusable rockets land themselves and fly again. Blue Origin and others are designing vehicles to ferry people and cargo beyond low Earth orbit. Smaller companies are developing robotic landers, asteroid miners, satellite builders, and interplanetary communications systems. They are not just lowering the cost of flight; they are lowering the barriers of imagination. A mission to the Moon is no longer fantasy. A base there is a matter of planning and logistics. A journey to Mars is not myth; it is a scheduled target. Within our lifetimes, we will see humans walk on another world, not as a finale, but as the next beginning. The Years AheadThe next twenty to twenty-five years could redefine us. The United States plans a lunar landing before the decade closes. The first permanent lunar habitats may rise in the early 2030s. From there, the experience, technology, and confidence gained will make a voyage to Mars inevitable. By the mid-2030s, the first ships could depart for the Red Planet. Crews will live and work there, testing the limits of endurance and ingenuity. It will not be easy. It never has been. But for the first time since Apollo, the trajectory of human history is reaching outward again. More Than RocketsWhat makes this moment powerful is not just the engineering. It is the intent. Even with all our divisions and challenges here on Earth, we are looking up again. Across nations and generations, people are building machines of hope, silent arcs of metal and flame that remind us that we still know how to dream. Every launch carries a piece of that same wonder that lit my imagination as a child. And now, as a storyteller and a lifelong lover of science fiction, I can feel that spark returning everywhere, in conversation, in art, in books, in the eyes of the next generation. The Glory of MankindIn the coming decades, humanity will stand on alien soil, look back toward Earth, and see it not as a boundary but as a beginning. We are becoming a spacefaring species, cautiously, haltingly, magnificently. There will be triumphs and mistakes, disasters and miracles, but the direction is set. For all our noise and quarrels, we are building something larger than ourselves. And as science-fiction fans, we are at the forefront cheering them on, the engineers, the astronauts, the dreamers who build rockets and risk everything to push the horizon a little further away. When I watched the first Moon landing as a child, I remember wondering what it would feel like to stand there, to look up and see our blue world shining above. Now I wonder something even greater. What will it feel like for the first child, the same age I was then, to sit and watch the first humans walk on Mars? To see the dust swirl under human footsteps, to hear that moment of silence before a voice crackles across the void: “We made it.” That moment is coming. It is no longer a dream on the horizon. It is within reach, bright, fragile, and glorious. Looking out to space has always been exciting. But now, we are really getting started. BA Gillies Just a man who dreams ***If you've been meaning to dive into the Return to the Galaxy Universe, now’s your chance!Whether you're a new reader or just haven’t grabbed your copies yet, now’s the time to catch up on the award-winning series readers are calling “better than Scalzi” and “the best book since Heinlein died.” There is still time to catch up with the first book. You can also read the series free anytime in Kindle Unlimited:
***Discover More Sci-Fi Adventures Each month, I’ll team up with a group of talented sci-fi authors to bring you an incredible selection of books. Whether you’re looking for thrilling space battles, deep space mysteries, or first-contact encounters, these books are packed with stories to fuel your imagination. Author Spotlight: |
BA Gillies
I write high-speed, strategy-driven Military Sci-Fi & Space Opera, where cunning commanders, elite soldiers, and alien warlords fight for survival on the fringes of space. Subscribe to my newsletter for my latest updates!
Till Life Us Do Part (3-4 minute read) Readers of Wild Prince at the Starfighter Academy may remember the moment when Tovas explains Saret relationships to Beryn. Saret live for centuries, and because of that, no one expects a single bond to last a lifetime. Partnerships form, change, and sometimes end without shame or scandal. What unsettles Beryn is not betrayal, but the idea that permanence itself becomes unrealistic when time stretches too long. That conversation feels increasingly...
The Next Century: Technologies That May Reshape What It Means to Be Human (4-5 minute read) Rather than talking about science fiction this week, I want to look at something slightly different: likely and potential scientific developments that may change the human condition over the next century. Not miracles. Not magic. Just technologies that serious researchers are already working on, with varying degrees of confidence, controversy, and momentum. I’ve broken this into three time horizons....
The Long Game (4-5 minute read) Over the last couple of weeks, a lot of commentators have been focusing on what we might expect to see happening in 2026. I decided to go long instead and look at what we might see by the end of this century. Not in a science-fiction sense. No flying cars or immortality treatments. But in terms of real, observable trends that are already locked in. The kind that unfold slowly, attract little attention, and massively reshape the world. If you fast-forward...