History Creator / LRonHubbard

As a writer, Hubbard was extraordinarily prolific during the '30s and '40s, writing both short stories for pulp magazines and longer work such as ''Buckskin Brigades'' and ''Ole Doc Methuselah''. While writing in many genres, he was best known for his science fiction. Opinions of his work are sharply divided, and his later notoriety has rendered it almost impossible to judge his work objectively ([[http://www.agonybooth.com/agonizer/Fear_by_L_Ron_Hubbard.aspx although some have tried]]). Most critics grant that he had at least some talent, and his novel ''To The Stars'' was respected enough to be nominated for a [[UsefulNotes/HugoAward Retro Hugo]] in 2001. But Hubbard's love for tall tales also comes into play in his writing career. Another of his most frequently repeated stories centred around a dental procedure he had underwent in 1938, where he had reacted to the drug used in the procedure by, in his own words, having a revelatory near-death experience. The incident had inspired him to write a script titled ''Excalibur'', the contents of which Hubbard insisted were so utterly terrifying that it would drive most people insane and in a some cases even to suicide if they were to read it. The risks assoicated with this highly dangerous piece of writing meant that Hubbard could in good conscience of course not release the full manscript publicly; he kept it in a safe for most of his life and would only very occasionally show a few highly trusted associates some selected snippets of it. For their own safety of course.

As a writer, Hubbard was extraordinarily prolific during the '30s and '40s, writing both short stories for pulp magazines and longer work such as ''Buckskin Brigades'' and ''Ole Doc Methuselah''. While writing in many genres, he was best known for his science fiction. Opinions of his work are sharply divided, and his later notoriety has rendered it almost impossible to judge his work objectively ([[http://www.agonybooth.com/agonizer/Fear_by_L_Ron_Hubbard.aspx although some have tried]]). Most critics grant that he had at least some talent, and his novel ''To The Stars'' was respected enough to be nominated for a [[UsefulNotes/HugoAward Retro Hugo]] in 2001.

Had his life continued on this path, he would probably be remembered today as a significant writer of the Golden Age of Science Fiction, though probably not one of "the greats". Instead, he created ''Literature/{{Dianetics}}'', a style of therapy based on digging up traumatic memories, including PastLifeMemories, through persistent questioning. Although roundly criticized by the medical and scientific communities, ''Dianetics'' found a following. The Hubbard Dianetic Research Foundation, set up to train Dianetic auditors, soon became a multimillion-dollar enterprise, but mismanagement, scandals, and a public backlash caused it to fail in 1952.

Due to some of Scientology's more controversial activities, Hubbard ended up being wanted for questioning in multiple legal matters by several authorities in several different countries. Paranoid about this, Hubbard went into hiding in 1972, and would remain underground for much of the rest of his life. During this time, he was surrounded by an entourage of loyal Scientology members, who saw to it that his very need was statesfied and his every directives for the church was carried out. Also during this time, Hubbard tried his hand at making films with himself as producer, writer, and director, but the process quickly frustraded him due to several logistic issues that even his loyal followers couldn't solve and he had problems with communicating his creative vision to his actors, and eventually he gave up on it entirely, one of the few times he had been known to openly admit failure with a personal project.

Due to some of Scientology's more controversial activities, Hubbard ended up being wanted for questioning in multiple legal matters by several authorities in several different countries. Paranoid about this, Hubbard went into hinding in 1972, and would remain underground for much of the rest of his life. During this time, he was surrounded by an entourage of loyal Scientology members, who saw to it that his very need was statesfied and his every directives for the church was carried out. Also during this time, Hubbard tried his hand at making films with himself as producer, writer, and director, but the process quickly frustraded him due to several logistic issues that even his loyal followers couldn't solve and he had problems with communicating his creative vision to his actors, and eventually he gave up on it entirely, one of the few times he had been known to openly admit failure with a personal project.

Due to some of Scientology's more controversial activities, Hubbard endd up being wanted for questioning in multiple legal matters by several authorities in several different countries. Paranoid about this, Hubbard went into hinding in 1972, and would remain underground for much of the rest of his life. During this time, he was surrounded by an entourage of loyal Scientology members, who saw to it that his very need was statesfied and his every directives for the church was carried out. Also during this time, Hubbard tried his hand at making films with himself as producer, writer, and director, but the process quickly frustraded him due to several logistic issues that even his loyal followers couldn't solve and he had problems with communicating his creative vision to his actors, and eventually he gave up on it entirely, one of the few times he had been known to openly admit failure with a personal project.

Lafayette Ronald Hubbard was born March 13, 1911, and was both a sailor and a classic science fiction writer before founding one of the most controversial religious movements of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Due to some of Scientology's more controversial activities, Hubbard endd up being wanted for questioning in multiple legal matters by several authorities in several different countries. Paranoid about this, Hubbard went into hinding in 1972, and would remain underground for much of the rest of his life. During this time, he was surrounded by an entourage of loyal Scientology members, who saw to it that his very need was statesfied and his every directives for the church was carried out. Also during this time, Hubbard tried his hand making films with himself as producer, writer, and director, but the process quickly frustraded him due to several logistic issues that even his loyal followers couldn't solve and he had problems with communicating his creative vision to his actors, and eventually he gave up on it entirely, one of the few times he had been known to openly admit failure with a personal project.

L. Ron Hubbard was born in 1911 in Tilden, Nebraska. For much of his life, Hubbard was often noted to both be a notorious charmer and a notorious [[TheMunchausen Münchausen]]. He often told tall, wildly extraggerated tales about his childhood and his service history in the US Navy in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. Amongst his most often repeated stories was claiming to have been made a honorary member of the Blackfoot tribe, who lived near his family's home, as a young boy (no actual member of the Blackfoot tribe has ever confirmed this story), and having been in a fierce battle with Japanese submarines during his time as lieutenant junior grade in the United States Naval Reserve (all rapports suggest that he had mistaken a magnetic deposit for an enemy sub and subsequently bombed it with depth charges for 68 hours).

L. Ron Hubbard was born in 1911 in Tilden, Nebraska. For much of his life, Hubbard was often noted to both be a notorious charmer and a notorious [[TheMunchausen Münchausen]]. He often told tall, widely extraggerated tales about his childhood and his service history in the US Navy in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. Amongst his most often repeated stories was claiming to have been made a honorary member of the Blackfoot tribe, who lived near his family's home, as a young boy (no actual member of the Blackfoot tribe has ever confirmed this story), and having been in a fierce battle with Japanese submarines during his time as lieutenant junior grade in the United States Naval Reserve (all rapports suggest that he had mistaken a magnetic deposit for an enemy sub and subsequently bombed it with depth charges for 68 hours).

L. Ron Hubbard was born in 1911 in Tilden, Nebraska. In his young years, Hubbard was often noted to be a notorious charmer and a notorious [[TheMünchausen Münchausen]]. He often told tall, widely extraggerated tales about his childhood and his service history in the US Navy in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. Amongst his most often repeated stories was claiming to have been made a honorary member of the Blackfoot tribe, who lived near his family's home, as a young boy (no actual member of the Blackfoot tribe has ever confirmed this story), and having been in a fierce battle with Japanese submarines during his time as lieutenant junior grade in the United States Naval Reserve (all rapports suggest that he had mistaken a magnetic deposit for an enemy sub and subsequently bombed it with depth charges for 68 hours).

-->-- '''L. Ron Hubbard'''

* YouAreInCommandNow: The protagonist of ''Final Blackout'', known only as "the Lieutenant", starts as a low-ranking officer before being catapaulted into command.

This page NeedsWikiMagicLove, but respect the Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement.

Undaunted, Hubbard used Dianetics as the basis for a religious movement called Scientology (known on this wiki as the ChurchOfHappyology). Supporters claim that Hubbard's shift from a psychological movement to a religious one was due to "having discovered that man is most fundamentally a spiritual being". Skeptics have suggested that his true motive was to exploit tax breaks and insulate himself from criticism from the scientific community, as well as government regulations (the earlier Dianetics Foundation had been hit with injunctions from the FDA for making unsubstantiated medical claims and practicing medicine without a license). This isn't helped that [[WordOfGod Hubbard himself]] has made jokes making light of him founding Scientology, such as the page quote above.

This page NeedsWikiMagicLove, but respect the RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement.

To cut a very, very long story short, Scientology was incredibly successful and secured Hubbard's fortunes for the rest of his life, but controversy has dogged the movement to the present day. Critics have alleged that the church practices fraudulent medicine, financially exploits adherents, and has a cult-like atmosphere. The church in turn has been very public (sometimes criminal) in battles against its critics. Scientology has gathered a massive {{Hatedom}}, and modern pop culture uses it as a stock punchline, although aside from several high-profile and vocal apostates, members of the church remain devoted.

As a writer, Hubbard was extraordinarily prolific during the '30s and '40s, writing both short stories for pulp magazines and longer work such as ''Buckskin Brigades'' and ''Ole Doc Methuselah''. While writing in many genres, he was best known for his science fiction. Opinions of his work are sharply divided, and his later notoriety has rendered it almost impossible to judge his work objectively ([[http://www.agonybooth.com/agonizer/Fear_by_L_Ron_Hubbard.aspx although some have tried]]). Most critics grant that he had at least some talent, and his novel ''To The Stars'' was respected enough to be nominated for a [[HugoAward Retro Hugo]] in 2001.

* AuthorTract: ''Masters of Sleep'' promotes Dianetics and features as a villain a mad psychiatrist, Doctor Dyhard, who persists in rejecting Dianetics after all his abler colleagues have accepted it, and believes in prefrontal lobotomies for everyone.

----
!!Tropes commonly associated with Hubbard and his work include:
* AuthorTract: His final novels, ''Film/BattlefieldEarth'' and the 10-volume ''Mission Earth''. In ''Battlefield Earth'', psychiatry is what caused the evil space overlords to turn from their generally happy live-and-let-live prior existence into amoral PlanetLooters who regularly commit planetary genocide just so nobody will get in the way of their mining operations. Psychiatry is also the big bad in ''Mission Earth'', to the extent that ''every single antagonist'' is either a supporter of the profession, a practitioner, exporting it off-world, or using it to take over the world. It doesn't help that almost every character is a StrawCharacter.
** For example, the evil Psychlos. This isn't a play on 'psycho'--it's a reference to ''psychologists'', who are considered evil in Scientology doctrine.
** His earlier work ''Masters of Sleep'' promotes Dianetics and features as a villain a mad psychiatrist, Doctor Dyhard, who persists in rejecting Dianetics after all his abler colleagues have accepted it, and believes in prefrontal lobotomies for everyone.
** Other common targets for Hubbard's ire include journalists, federal investigators, bankers, elected officials, policemen, doctors, college professors, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and modern art]]. The first two had conducted investigations of Scientology, earning them his animus.
%%* {{Doorstopper}}
* SpaceOpera: In fiction and in his religion.

* WriterOnBoard: Particularly on the subject of clinical psychology/psychiatry, which he strongly disapproved of. His ten-volume ''Mission Earth'' series also contains veiled and not-so-veiled attacks on [[NoHeterosexualSexAllowed homosexuals]], governments, corporations, academia, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking public relations]], and various other groups. At times, it veers into AuthorTract.

As a writer, Hubbard was extraordinarily prolific during the 30s and 40s, writing both short stories for pulp magazines and longer work such as ''Buckskin Brigades'' and ''Ole Doc Methuselah''. While writing in many genres, he was best known for his science fiction. Opinions of his work are sharply divided, and his later notoriety has rendered it almost impossible to judge his work objectively. ([[http://www.agonybooth.com/agonizer/Fear_by_L_Ron_Hubbard.aspx Although some have tried.]]) Most critics grant that he had at least some talent, and his novel ''To The Stars'' was respected enough to be nominated for a [[HugoAward Retro Hugo]] in 2001.

Had his life continued on this path, he would probably be remembered today as a significant writer of the Golden Age of Science Fiction, though probably not one of "the greats". Instead, he created ''Literature/{{Dianetics}}'', a style of therapy based on digging up traumatic memories, including PastLifeMemories, through persistent questioning. Although roundly criticized by the medical and scientific communities, ''Dianetics'' found a following. The Hubbard Dianetic Research Foundation, set up to train Dianetic auditors, soon became a multimillion dollar enterprise, but mismanagement, scandals, and a public backlash caused it to fail in 1952.

Undaunted, Hubbard used Dianetics as the basis for a religious movement called Scientology (known on this wiki as the ChurchOfHappyology). Supporters claim that Hubbard's shift from a psychological movement to a religious one was due to "having discovered that man is most fundamentally a spiritual being". Skeptics have suggested that his true motive was to exploit tax breaks and insulate himself from criticism from the scientific community, as well as government regulations (the earlier Dianetics Foundation had been hit with injunctions from the FDA for making unsubstantiated medical claims and practicing medicine without a license). This isn't helped that [[WordOfGod Hubbard himself]] has made jokes making light of him founding Scientology, such as the page quote above.

To cut a very, very long story short, Scientology was incredibly successful and secured Hubbard's fortunes for the rest of his life, but controversy has dogged the movement to the present day. Critics have alleged that the church practices fraudulent medicine, financially exploits adherents, and has a cultlike atmosphere. The church in turn has been very public (sometimes criminal) in battles against its critics. Scientology has gathered a massive {{Hatedom}}, and modern pop culture uses it as a stock punchline, although aside from several high-profile and vocal apostates, members of the church remain devoted.

Near the end of his life, Hubbard returned to his roots as a science fiction author, releasing ''Literature/BattlefieldEarth'' in 1982 and the ten-volume, four thousand page SpaceOpera ''Mission Earth'' (no relation) over a two-year period starting in 1985. Both were bestsellers, although how much of this is attributable to Scientologists buying multiple copies in a effort to drive the books up the lists is a matter of debate. ''Battlefield Earth'' did get some respect from fans of pulp adventure ([[Film/BattlefieldEarth The movie]], not so much.), but ''Mission Earth'' did not. Hubbard died January 24, 1986, three months after the first volume of ''Mission Earth'' was published.

* AuthorTract: His final novels, ''Film/BattlefieldEarth'' and the 10-volume ''Mission Earth''. In ''Battlefield Earth'' psychiatry is what caused the evil space overlords to turn from their generally happy live-and-let-live prior existence, into amoral PlanetLooters who regularly commit planetary genocide just so nobody will get in the way of their mining operations. Psychiatry is also the big-bad in ''Mission Earth'', to the extent that ''every single antagonist'' is either a supporter of the profession or a practitioner or exporting it off-world or using it to take over the world. It doesn't help that almost every character is a StrawCharacter.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The mythos of Scientology is actually based on a screenplay called "Revolt in the Stars" that Hubbard invoked when tried to pitch to studios in the early 70s. It was...complex, to say the least.

Lafayette Ronald Hubbard was born March 13, 1911, and was both a sailor and writer before founding one of the most controversial religious movements of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Had his life continued on this path, he would probably be remembered today as a significant writer of the Golden Age of Science Fiction, though probably not one of "the greats". Instead, he created ''Dianetics'', a style of therapy based on digging up traumatic memories, including PastLifeMemories, through persistent questioning. Although roundly criticized by the medical and scientific communities, ''Dianetics'' found a following. The Hubbard Dianetic Research Foundation, set up to train Dianetic auditors, soon became a multimillion dollar enterprise, but mismanagement, scandals, and a public backlash caused it to fail in 1952.

Lafayette Ronald Hubbard was born March 13, 1911, and was both a sailor and writer before founding one of the most controversial religious movements of the 20th century.

* BrokenPedestal: For some readers, ex-Scientologists, and especially for Hubbard's grandson.
** Creator/IsaacAsimov recounts how L. Ron Hubbard accepted many of his stories and in fact gave him his boost forward. They only had minor disagreements over Asimov in some stories not showing human beings as the "superior race".

Had his life continued on this path, he would probably be remembered today as a significant writer of the GoldenAgeOfScienceFiction, though probably not one of "the greats". Instead, he created ''Dianetics'', a style of therapy based on digging up traumatic memories, including PastLifeMemories, through persistent questioning. Although roundly criticized by the medical and scientific communities, ''Dianetics'' found a following. The Hubbard Dianetic Research Foundation, set up to train Dianetic auditors, soon became a multimillion dollar enterprise, but mismanagement, scandals, and a public backlash caused it to fail in 1952.

As a writer, Hubbard was extraordinarily prolific during the 30's and 40's, writing both short stories for pulp magazines and longer work such as ''Buckskin Brigades'' and ''Ole Doc Methuselah''. While writing in many genres, he was best known for his science fiction. Opinions of his work are sharply divided, and his later notoriety has rendered it almost impossible to judge his work objectively. ([[http://www.agonybooth.com/agonizer/Fear_by_L_Ron_Hubbard.aspx Although some have tried.]]) Most critics grant that he had at least some talent, and his novel ''To The Stars'' was respected enough to be nominated for a [[HugoAward Retro Hugo]] in 2001.

* {{Doorstopper}}