Space Odyssey File") and also made a non-speaking cameo appearance in the film. Kubrick had no involvement in the "2010" novel or film, or any of the later projects. The "Space Odyssey" series combines several science-fiction narrative conventions with a metaphysical tone. Since the stories and settings in the books and films all diverge, Clarke suggested that the "continuity" of the series represents happenings in a set of parallel universes. One notable example is that in the "2001" novel, the voyage was to the planet Saturn. During production of the film, it was decided that the special effects for Saturn's rings would
2001: A Space Odyssey (novel) a Space Shuttle launch, the adhesive sauces used to keep food firmly in place on one's plate, and even the zero-gravity toilet. Over the course of the novel, several minor characters either appear very briefly or are named only in passing, including other man-apes, spaceflight staff, lunar station security, and "Discovery" crew members. Among the novel's minor characters, some of the more consequential are listed below (often having direct film equivalents, or else being recurring characters in the "Odyssey" novel series). A sequel to the book, entitled "", was published in 1982 and adapted as a motion picture in 1984.