Jon Del Arroz of Fandom Pulse posted an article on "The Dragonriders of Pern: How One of Science Fiction’s Most Beloved Sagas Faded from the Zeitgeist," and a corresponding video on his YouTube channel.
The series was written by Anne McCaffrey--now deceased--who was one of the top women writers in science fiction and fantasy in her day, and the Dragonrider books were her most popular series. Although a lot of fans characterize the Dragonrider books as fantasy, it is actually science fiction, taking place far in the future on a human colony world, Pern, that for some reason lost contact with the rest of human space. At several hundred year intervals, a planet (the Red Star) passes close enough to Pern to cause alien worm-like creatures ("thread") to drop onto the planet devastating the areas where it lands. The early colonists responded by using genetic engineering to create telepathic, fire breathing dragons from smaller "fire lizards" native to the planet. (They are also able to teleport which gives them a huge advantage when combating the thread).
While immensely popular in the 1980s and into the 1990s, the series has largely disappeared from the zeitgeist as Del Arroz explains. The reason, according to Del Arroz, is that (i) the author died and the authors that tried to continue the series weren't able to capture the same spirit that made the series popular in the first place; and (ii) it has never been adapted into a movie or television series which would draw the attention of a new generation of fans.
It is actually surprising to me that the series hasn't been adapted into a movie or television series because it features quite a few strong female characters central to the different stories. You would think that the female directors and producers in Hollywood would be falling all over themselves to get the rights. But I suspect that they are not interest is because while Anne McCaffrey had strong female characters, she also had strong male characters as well, and she did not use the female characters to demean or tear down the male characters. As Del Arroz explains:
... McCaffrey created a world where women were dragonriders, leaders, and heroes at a time when most fantasy relegated female characters to supporting roles. She blended science fiction and fantasy in ways that felt organic rather than gimmicky. She built a universe with deep history, complex politics, and a lived-in feel that made readers want to stay.
The dragon-rider bond was the emotional core of the series. The telepathic connection between dragon and rider, the Impression ceremony where young candidates bonded with newly hatched dragons, and the idea that losing your dragon meant losing part of yourself—these were powerful, resonant concepts that gave the series its heart.
And that complexity and real human drama is probably too much for modern Hollywood to stomach, particularly in a science fiction/fantasy setting. Again, as Del Arroz continues:
... It requires a creative team that understands what made Pern special—the dragon-rider bond, the existential threat of Thread, the blend of medieval society and science fiction underpinnings. It requires a studio willing to spend the money on CGI dragons and large-scale production without demanding the story be dumbed down or modernized into unrecognizability.
Until that happens, Pern will remain what it is now: a beloved series that older fans remember fondly, that younger readers have never heard of, and that the culture has largely forgotten. It’s a tragedy, because Pern deserves better. Anne McCaffrey created something special, and it’s a shame that the series she built has faded so completely from the conversation.
Maybe one day, someone will give Pern the adaptation it deserves. Until then, the dragons sleep, and the world has moved on.
I will do my own small part to introduce a new generation to Pern. My youngest son has started reading one of the Pern books--one that I had first read while back in junior high school--and tells me he is enjoying it.
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