Who said “What the hell is nostalgia doing in a science-fiction film? With the whole universe and…”?

Verified

Ursula K. Le Guin. A published source records them saying or writing it.

Source"Close Encounters, Star Wars, and the Tertium Quid" (1978)

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“What the hell is nostalgia doing in a science-fiction film? With the whole universe and all the future to play in, Lucas took his marvelous toys and crawled under the fringed cloth on the parlor table, back into a nice safe hide hole, along with Flash Gordon and the Cowardly Lion and Luke Skywalker and the Flying Aces and the Hitler Jugend. If there's a message there, I don't think I want to hear it.”
— Ursula K. Le Guin
Verified"Close Encounters, Star Wars, and the Tertium Quid" (1978) · evidenceScience Fiction
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Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: "Close Encounters, Star Wars, and the Tertium Quid" (1978).

APA

Guin, U. K. L. (n.d.). What the hell is nostalgia doing in a science-fiction film? With the whole universe and all the future to play in, Lucas took his marvelous toys and crawled under the fringed cloth on the parlor table, back into a nice safe hide hole, along with Flash Gordon and the Cowardly Lion and Luke Skywalker and the Flying Aces and the Hitler Jugend. If there's a message there, I don't think I want to hear it. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/36931-what-the-hell-is-nostalgia-doing-in-a/

MLA

Guin, Ursula K. Le. “What the hell is nostalgia doing in a science-fiction film? With the whole universe and all the future to play in, Lucas took his marvelous toys and crawled under the fringed cloth on the parlor table, back into a nice safe hide hole, along with Flash Gordon and the Cowardly Lion and Luke Skywalker and the Flying Aces and the Hitler Jugend. If there's a message there, I don't think I want to hear it.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/36931-what-the-hell-is-nostalgia-doing-in-a/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Guin, Ursula K. Le. “What the hell is nostalgia doing in a science-fiction film? With the whole universe and all the future to play in, Lucas took his marvelous toys and crawled under the fringed cloth on the parlor table, back into a nice safe hide hole, along with Flash Gordon and the Cowardly Lion and Luke Skywalker and the Flying Aces and the Hitler Jugend. If there's a message there, I don't think I want to hear it.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/36931-what-the-hell-is-nostalgia-doing-in-a/.

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