IN ORBIT WITHIN THE NARRATOR RINGS OF SATURN, WE For two million years, it had SEE A BLACK, MILE circled Saturn, awaiting a LONG, GEOMETRICALLY moment of destiny that might PERFECT RECTANGLE, never come. THE SAME PROPORTIONS AS THE BLACK ARTIFACT In its making, the moon had been EXCAVATED ON THE MOON. shattered and around the central PRECISELY CUT INTO ITS world, the debris of its creation CENTRE IS A SMALLER, orbited yet – the glory and the RECTANGULAR SLOT enigma of the solar system. ABOUT FIVE HUNDRED FOOT LONG ON THE SIDE. Now, the long wait was ending. AT THIS DISTANCE, THE On yet another world intelligence RINGS OF SATURN ARE had been born and was escaping SEEN TO BE MADE OF from its planetary cradle. An ENORMOUS CHUNKS OF ancient experiment was about to FROZEN AMONIA. reach its climax.

-Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clark