For 17 year old George Forster, it is the beginning of a new life. Full of danger and discovery. In the summer of 1772, he embarks on a journey that will take him to the edges of the known world.
and beyond. I set off in search of a man who is today all but unknown except among naturalists, but who was world famous during his lifetime. My quest takes me halfway around the world. George Forster's journey lasts three years.
His experiences will shape him for the rest of his life and turn all of his beliefs upside down. Alongside many discoveries, the young German brings back the idea of a new and better society. The foray into the South Seas 230 years ago changed not only one young man, but the whole world. July 1772. Reinhold Forster and his 17 year old son George arrive heavily laden at the port of Plymouth. Their luggage includes books, everything that has been written about the South Sea so far.
The Germans accompany the renowned Captain James Cook, who is tasked with the search for the mysterious Terra Australis Incognita, the legendary southern continent. The knowledge about this world is based solely on vague assumptions, myths, and vivid seafaring tales. The Foresters are not put off by this.
Their interests lie in science and gaining knowledge. Plymouth is a fateful place. The victory against the Spanish Armada, the colonization of the Americas, Cook's voyages around the world, everything began here.
This lighthouse in Plymouth, the Smeaton's Tower, was the... last George Forster saw of Europe before he left for an entirely foreign world. Imagine to board a ship at the age of 17 that will explore completely different worlds over the next years, far away from home.
A young lad with no experience in life follows his strict father and the most renowned seafarer of his time on a daring expedition. In those days, a voyage around the world is an adventure of indefinite time and with an uncertain outcome. Nevertheless, Reinhold Forster and his son embark on the challenge, driven by their thirst for knowledge. The 17-year-old is one of the youngest aboard the Resolution, but he has already seen a lot.
For years, he accompanied his father on his expedition and has witnessed much injustice in Russia and England. On this journey, George hopes to find a better world. No one knows if there will be a return.
What are George Forster's thoughts when he looks at the Smeden's Tower for the last time? Does he believe to find answers to the most important questions of humankind on this journey? Could there be a place where...
where people are not categorized in top and bottom, first and second class, where people are free and live together in harmony? Important questions for a 17-year-old. It's the same question that I asked myself at his age and to which I haven't found answers until this day. George Forster was willing to risk his life for them. The journey was unpredictable, although he probably had the best captain of his time with James Cook.
Captain James Cook is a living legend. His first expedition to the South Sea took place only... One year ago, but there is still one unanswered question.
Does the legendary Terra Australis Incognita, a vast, fertile land at the South Pole, really exist? Many scientists believe in its existence since they are convinced that the landmass in the north requires a counterweight. Otherwise, the earth would spin out of control. England has high hopes for new wealth through its discovery.
Due to Cook's efforts, this question will be answered once and for all. I have read a lot about him. He was a great captain.
However, the voyage to the other side of the world is anything but easy. The crew has to obey Cook's orders without question, and so has George Forster. What a situation.
Right in the middle of a great adventure on a journey into the unknown, but in the shadows of two great men, the one of his father and the one of the famous Captain James Cook. It is cramped on board. The only 34 meters long resolution has a crew of 112 men. among them the Forsters.
The father being a well-known scientist at the time was hired by Captain Cook as a researcher. His son George is accompanying him as an illustrator. But just like the rest of the crew, the Forsters have no knowledge of the plans and secrets of the captain.
Especially not about how he intends to exactly determine the location of the legendary southern continent. The contents of this box will play a decisive role in this matter. The secret of this box leads me to this planetarium in a suburb of London. At that time, everything here revolves around the measuring of the world, and around the question of how to exactly determine longitudes.
In the 18th century, this line in Greenwich, the so-called prime meridian, becomes the focal point for the accurate positioning of a ship. Starting at this point, all longitudes around the world were determined. For seafaring, Greenwich is the center of the world. I know that the Earth is divided into 360 longitudes and revolves around itself in 24 hours.
When it is 12 p.m. here in Greenwich and already 1 p.m. in Berlin, then Berlin must be around 15 longitudes away. This line in Greenwich is a great idea, but the problem is how to monitor this during an expedition that lasts several years, far away from England, in the unknown expanses of the South Pacific. Theoretically, determining a position only requires two precise timepieces.
One with the time on board, the other with the time in Greenwich. What sounds simple today was a huge problem at that time. Because watches were far from being precise. Therefore, by the order of the English Parliament, two completely new timepieces that will revolutionize positioning are manufactured for Cook. One is made to show the exact time in Greenwich over many years.
The other will show the respective local time. With both times, it is possible to precisely determine the longitudes. The box with these high-tech watches is accordingly well-guarded during transport.
Its contents are worth a fortune. And the success of the circumnavigation of the world depends on them. No one is allowed to get near the timepieces.
Neither is George Forster. Sir. Captain.
Each day, James Cook has to determine time and position by comparing both watches. For the first time in the history of seafaring, the captain knows exactly at what position he is located. Cook's watches are until this day masterpieces of precision.
But I realize that the old... Longitude in Greenwich is a mere tourist attraction. Today, the exact position of the prime meridian is determined by modern satellite measurement, which has shifted its position considerably.
Three, two, one, zero. That's great. 80 meters. At the time, this deviation almost doesn't make a difference.
Cook and his crew are facing other problems. During their weeks at sea, there are neither fruits nor fresh vegetables. These men are threatened with the dreaded scurvy, a lack of vitamin C. On earlier voyages, countless seafarers have died because of this. Therefore, the captain orders his men to eat sauerkraut every day.
Cook hopes to avoid the disease with this method. Forster observes this experiment and meticulously records the results. George is astonished by the amount of liquor consumed by the men.
Hardly a minute passes on board without a cup of rum making the rounds. No wonder that numerous rumors and stories about the strange creatures that await the ship and its crew at the other end of the world spread on board. At that time, the cargo holds were always well equipped with liquor.
The crew guzzles 65 of these barrels per month. That makes 3.5... liters per head a day. Hard to imagine, but there is a good reason for it. Drinkable water quickly turns into a nasty brackish liquid on board.
Alcohol lasts longer and has the side effect of making the hard daily routine. on board more bearable. On the other hand, I wouldn't want to be part of a crew of 112 men sailing across the seas intoxicated every day.
George Foster does not get distracted by that, but he has no choice. During this time, he studies the travel journals of earlier seafarers and is taught some Polynesian by one of the sailors who was part of Cooke's first voyage into the South Sea. Toe we oa you, Keogh. From the southern tip of Africa, the resolution heads for Antarctica.
James Cook is obsessed with his mission to reach the southern continent as fast as possible. For all men on board, the hardest time is just beginning. Even in December and January, when it is summer in the Antarctic Ocean, the temperature is rarely above zero degrees centigrade.
In this world of eternal ice and snow, the ship provides almost no protection from the biting cold. Still, Cook relentlessly pursues his course. For the first time in the history of seafaring, a ship crosses the Antarctic Circle.
The anticipated fertile southern continent is nowhere in sight. All the land is covered in ice, and there are only few living beings that survive here. George uses every moment to draw them. He is not daunted by the icy cold.
For his observations, he's ready to take on anything. I remember my own craving for new experiences that drove me out of the house. I just wanted to get out and find my own identity.
I would have given a lot to have a chance like George Forrester to discover entirely new worlds. He is constantly aware of his surroundings and always ready to discover new things. That makes him notice a mysterious spectacle of light during one night.
He names it Aurora Australis. Its name until today. This is the barely 18-year-old George Forster's first scientific discovery.
On February 24th, 1773, the resolution leaves the Antarctic Ocean. Forster writes about a gloomy sadness among the crew caused by the lack of sunlight. Cook does not stop in Australia, but sails further to the east.
On his first voyage around the world two years ago, Cook had already spent some months in New Zealand, where he is heading again this time around. On March 17th, the long-awaited call finally sounds through the air. After 122 days at sea, the ship finally arrives at the southern tip of New Zealand. George and his father are eager to leave the ship, although they have no idea what awaits them.
Peaceful inhabitants or fierce warriors? As was usual at that time, James Cook lets fire some warning shots just to make sure. To George, New Zealand appears to be a paradise.
He writes in Self-Deprecation, After a long time away from land, it is easy to regard even the most barren of coasts as the most beautiful land in this world. For weeks the men have been dreaming of fresh water. Since the last shore leave in Africa, they did not have a chance to bathe.
And that was already four months ago. Despite the joy at the long-awaited bath, the men are constantly on alert. There's always someone standing guard.
At the same time, the captain and his officers experience firsthand how fast a situation can change. With gestures and grimaces, the local Maori express their readiness for battle. Now, everything depends on how Cook handles the first encounter with these warriors. Fortunately for the captain, he has been here before and knows the customs and how to behave.
The nose kiss is a symbol of peace and friendship. For the time being, they are out of danger. George is deeply impressed by these people and their rituals.
Open and full of curiosity, he seeks contact himself. He is interested in everything and immediately thinks about the collection he hopes to take home. Tools and weapons would make a good start.
He is especially fond of the mare, a short melee weapon. The owner of a mare made of pure jade is regarded as a mighty warrior by the Maori. Here are the famous clubs?
Right, we see them here. Forrester's mare are some of the most beautiful pieces in the ethnographic collection in Göttingen. It really was Forrester's? Yeah, right. How is it used?
All right. And this lands as well? Yes, this is also one of the pieces he brought back home by himself.
Forrester's discoveries are captivating even today. Absolutely beautiful. Okay, thanks a lot.
They show that he was repeatedly looking for contact with the local population. He saw his task not in drying weeds and collecting butterflies, as he wrote self-mockingly, but in the understanding how to protect the environment. how people outside of Europe were living together. He was curious about their customs and practices and their religions.
He stands out for his open-minded and unbiased view, which makes him the founder of modern ethnology. Soon, however, the old horror stories and legends seem to become reality in New Zealand. One evening the seafarers meet a local who carries a terrifying prey with him.
The warrior has brought a trophy from a fight and wants to sell it. The sailors trade it for an iron nail. It is the head of a young mayor. Warrior from a hostile tribe.
Back at the beach, the traded item causes different reactions from the Maori and the Europeans. The white men are horrified by the basket's content. They have never seen something like this before.
The Maori, however, are completely unimpressed by it and indicate that they are even willing to eat it. George, the cool observer, quickly realizes that this is an old Maori tradition and not barbarism. In the library at the University of Göttingen, I look for old reports about encounters with cannibals.
These depict the indigenous people only as savages, without culture, cruel and repulsive. Forrester, in contrast, sees things in a completely different light. Forrester is the first eyewitness from Europe who observes cannibals in a scientific way. But here as well, the only 18-year-old keeps a cool head and has remarkable thoughts for that time.
He notes, what is the difference between the New Zealand... who kills his enemy at war and eats him, compared to the Europeans. We may not be cannibals anymore, but we do not think of it as cruel or unnatural to kill thousands of people just to satisfy the ambition of a ruler.
This bold view, which is bound to displease the sovereigns of Europe, will change Forster's life. Forever. After two months on shore, the captain orders to weigh anchor.
Cook wants to reach the Polynesian islands before the southern winter begins. Once again, the crew faces weeks at sea. It's a waste of time for the scientists on board.
George's father is angry. He does not want to leave. He wants to continue his research and openly challenges Captain Cook. But Cook simply ignores the renowned scientist. Quarrel achieves nothing.
I will take care of it for you. Trust me. I'm gonna handle it, alright? George attempts to mediate. Captain, please excuse the manners of my father.
But you need to understand his position. We are here to do research and... Well, his...
The captain is impressed by George's calm manner. With his respect for the young man growing, old Forster's reputation is diminishing. Weeks at sea pass without changes in the tense atmosphere. Two differences.
James Cook reigns without restrictions and tolerates no opposition. One year, one month and two days have passed since their departure from Plymouth. But with the help of the watches from London, Cook navigates his ship masterfully from one location to the next. Cook's next destination is the island Tahiti. For the crew, this is paradise on Earth.
Two months after their departure from New Zealand, George Forster writes in his diary. It was morning. A poet could hardly have described it more beautifully when we spotted the island Otehiti two miles in front of us. In no time at all, the sailors prepare for shore leave faster than ever before. They know the island from earlier voyages and are looking forward to what awaits them here.
For George, it is the arrival in a different world. He and the men are greeted with open arms and countless presents. One carries a weapon, and George is fascinated by the gentle nature of the island people. Which enthuses him from the beginning. Not long after, father and son leave the beach for the unexplored forests.
For the scientists, this is the Garden of Eden. Almost all the plants are edible. There is an abundance of food.
George thinks if something like this existed in Europe, everyone would be as happy and carefree as the people are here. Nobody would have to sell themselves for a loaf of bread. Even the poorest would be free.
The foresters eagerly start to collect samples. In Göttingen, I discover their legacy. The city's university collection houses folders full of dried plants. Real treasures for science. And one of its biggest, the South Sea collection of the Forsters.
For this, George Forster and his father were hired. They are supposed to explore the foreign animals and plants. They bring back thousands of illustrations and objects, most of them unknown in Europe.
The Forsters discover 270 new plants and 241 animals, and they name all of them. Even today's scientists benefit from the Forster collection. They dried plants and they have been lying here for almost 250 years, are analyzed for genetic material.
With this, the scientists hope to gain important clues about what types of plants have spread around the world in what way. George Forster could not have imagined how important his collection would become in the future. While on Tahiti, George realizes that there is no paradise on earth.
In his journal, he writes, the sight of the women is enough to rob the sailors of the last prudence required to keep their passions under control. Even though most of the men have venereal diseases, they thoughtlessly infect the women and bring them doom. George cannot condone this behavior and visits the captain.
Captain, you have seen what the men out there... Captain, shouldn't you do something about it? Captain. Thank you. But Cook feels closer to his men than to the people of this island.
Years later, George writes about his experiences in Tahiti and questions science. Because if knowledge can only be gained by jeopardizing the happiness of entire peoples, then the South Sea should have remained forever unknown to all the Europeans. This is an astonishing perspective for an 18 year old who himself experiences tender love in Tahiti. Emi Roa is the name of the beautiful woman who turns George's head.
And for the first time in his life, the usually eager to learn George, wishes that time would stand still. Come, George. But his father, a former pastor, does not appreciate the feelings of his son. For the old man, who has left his wife and children behind without any regard, only science is of importance.
With each passing day George spends on Tahiti, he learns that even in a would-be paradise, not everyone is equal. A religious ceremony proves to him that here too, top and bottom exist, and that the society is divided into rulers and servants. It's a bitter realization for George that all over the world, people are similar in their strengths and their weaknesses.
The plump shaman chieftain in the South Sea lives at the expense of his subjects. Exactly like the clergy and nobility in England. I discovered the last vestiges of this culture on Hawaii, 4,000 kilometers away from Tahiti.
There is not much left of the exoticism of Forster's time. But nevertheless, the word South Sea alone has a special ring to it still today. The temptations of the islands must have been irresistible for the sailors from Europe. But after weeks of idleness, Cook gives the order to set sail.
John Mara, a sailor from Ireland, does not want to return home. There, only hunger and hardship await him. Come on, hurry up! But the rules at sea are relentless.
Without the captain's permission, no one is allowed to leave the ship. Mara fights for a life and freedom, but has no chance to flee. The same strict rules of seafaring forced the captain to set an example. Because of him, Mara's attempted escape is a threat to his authority.
George is shocked by this brutal punishment. But he does not dare to openly revolt against Cook. Even though he fully understands Mara's desire for freedom from the bottom of his heart, as is evident from a note in the diary of the 18-year-old.
The highest happiness he might have achieved in England didn't give Mara more hope than to live as happily as an ordinary Tahitian. Cook's treatment of Mara's is a severe blow to him. Forster had hoped for a positive outcome of the voyage, but now he does not expect it any longer, especially not to the sailors, whose same unfortunate life awaits them at home. the sweet life the men enjoy here will never become a reality for them in Europe.
But Forster's thoughts revolve not only around the sailors. Like no one before, the young man realizes how fast the life of the Polish... has been changing since the arrival of the white men in an irreversible manner.
The sailors brought diseases with them that didn't exist before. The conclusion he reaches is devastating for him. Paradise cannot be found without destroying it. So Cook's quest for the southern continent has changed the world, although the hope for fertile land does not exist.
Instead, he discovers on his journey west. west, that at this time still uncharted small island of Tanna. Like most islands in the South Sea, Tanna was created by a volcano that is still active.
A chance of a lifetime for the foresters to observe this natural phenomenon at close range. They immediately set out on a journey to the crater. Sulfur is leaking out of it.
They have no idea how great a sacrilege this is in the eyes of the natives. A sacrilege which may even be punishable by death. Shortly before they reach the rim of the crater, their path is blocked. But George's father does not want to let these savages stop him. Da boo!
Da boo! Hold it! George can barely stop his father from shooting the natives.
And thereby saves their own lives as well. Unlike the Foresters at that time, I can walk up to the peak. But I have an uneasy feeling that probably everyone knows who has climbed a volcano. Man does not belong here.
This is a taboo zone of... nature it was a taboo today everybody knows the word taboo it originates with the peoples of the South Sea their taboo stands for something positive meaning respect it forbids the entering of a a sacred place georg forster's hears the word for the first time as he is about to explore a volcano together with his father for him it is natural to respect the taboos of the native people in his eyes every person has the same rights this is a really decisive moment in his still young life for the first time ever he opposes his father the son becomes a man who makes his his own decisions. In this moment, George Forster overthrows the entire old European order because he takes the natives and their foreign culture seriously. This required tremendous courage at the time.
With his keen eye, George more and more frequently witnesses conflicts that occur because one side does not understand the other and is oblivious to their customs and practices. The Europeans have laid a demarcation line to keep the natives away from their anchorage. But the men from Tanna cannot understand the division of their own beach.
This is our line. We've established it. You will not cross the line. If you cross this line, you will be shot by my men. Despite all warnings, they crossed the line.
Shoot him! Following their orders, the sailors punish this violation. For George, this is nothing but murder. He is certain. The captain has to punish the officer who gave the order to shoot.
After George has already prevailed against his father, now the 18-year-old even challenges the untouchable captain. But both conflicts have the same underlying issue. James Cook has no intention to punish his officer just because a young, starry-eyed idealist speaks up against him.
Forster has to realize that even the great captain believes to always be in the right against the native people. A thought that is completely alien to him. George Forster does not divide people into first and second class. In his eyes, every person has the same rights and obligations.
But he experiences how his father would even accept a murder for the sake of science. And even the world famous captain... is no better. He does not punish the deadly shot at a native so his mission can continue uninterrupted.
These are crucial experiences for the young scientist. The fight for greater justice becomes his purpose in life. Here, at the end of the world, George Forster turns into a revolutionary.
George has spent over three long years on board. He came as an assistant to his father, but he soon developed into an explorer and natural scientist himself. But George learned the most about humans. About what they love and fear. How they understand or condemn others.
And that paradises only exist as long as they are never discovered. The Smitens Tower was the first of Europe that George Forrester saw at his return from the South Sea. The foray into the South Sea 230 years ago has not only changed the history of the city, ...the young man, but the whole world.
Already at the end of the 18th century, George Forrester realizes that research is not conducted in a vacuum, but that it also revolves around humans. Research can change the world, sometimes for the better, but often enough for the worse. 18 years later in Mainz, George Forster learns that everything comes at a price. In 1793, he is one of the founding fathers of the Republic of Mainz. He still believes in the inherent good in people, that everybody has the right to be free, and that all humans are equal.
Thoughts that matured on his voyage through the South Sea with Captain Cook. He's now on his way to Paris, where he's supposed to petition for a union with a revolutionary France. Johann Wolfgang Goethe mentions in his Faust a power that eternally wills evil and eternally creates good. For Forster, of whom Goethe was an admirer, By the way, oh, a taxi.
It often seemed to be the other way round. To the railway station, please. Often he had experienced that people wanted to create something good, but the outcome was bad, be it in the heavenly South Sea.
Or in revolutionary mines. Forster is still in Paris when Prussian troops invade mines and destroy the dream of freedom for all. The First Democratic Republic on German soil is no match for the weapons of these soldiers.
What's up? I'm up with your hat. George Forster is declared a traitor.
While seriously ill with pneumonia, he has to witness the guillotine's reign of terror in France. He, who always stood up for freedom and justice, will never experience them himself. And despite all his experiences, at the bottom of his heart, George Forrester remains the young man who once set out from Plymouth at the age of 17 in search of a better world. And for that, I have admired him since the first time I heard about him.