Ziggy Stardust, The Spiders of Mars, and the Bowieverse (Mythology of Major Tom: Part 2) | Curation

My research in the previous music curation led me down a Bowie bunny hole — one that connects Major Tom, Ziggy Stardust, and the Spiders of Mars into a single evolving mythos.

This episode explores Bowie’s shifting alter egos — Ziggy, Aladdin Sane, Halloween Jack, and The Thin White Duke — and how they might all be reincarnations of the same cosmic traveler: Major Tom reborn.

We break down the original Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders of Mars story arc, Bowie’s Cold War-era prophecy of an alien rock messiah who comes to Earth to warn of doom through music.

Then, we trace how Aladdin Sane, Diamond Dogs, and Ashes to Ashes carry the thread forward — turning Ziggy into a Martian resurrected, uploaded, and reborn as an amnesiac wanderer.

Special thanks to dacalpha on Reddit and Kacyn Jackson F.P. on Song Genius for parallel theories and insights that helped connect the dots.

Fan art credits appear watermarked within the video; thumbnail art by @all60s on Instagram.

All content belongs to its respective creators; I act as a curator and pop-culture theorist aggregating the mythos for analysis and appreciation.

Synopsis of the Bowieverse Theory:

Major Tom → Ziggy Stardust:

In Ashes to Ashes, Tom’s lifeless body is retrieved and reanimated by an organic Martian machine (“the Spider of Mars”). Ziggy is that reincarnation — Tom’s mind merged with Martian consciousness.

Ziggy Stardust → Halloween Jack → The Thin White Duke:

Each persona is a new form after catastrophe — the Martian rock prophet, the zombified post-apocalyptic wanderer, and finally the government-controlled Duke — all sharing memory echoes of the same cosmic being.

Life on Mars (1971) and Ashes to Ashes (1980) serve as bookends of this metaphysical cycle, tying Earth’s absurd spectacle to a divine question: is there life on Mars — or are we it?

Ziggy Stardust / The Bowieverse Canon (In-Universe Chronology)

(Mythology of Major Tom: Part 2 – Ziggy, Jack, and the Duke)

“Ashes to Ashes” (1980) – David Bowie, Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)

Major Tom’s fall becomes prophecy; his ghost readies for rebirth as Ziggy.

“Five Years” (1972) – Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

Earth faces extinction; faith turns to music.

“Starman” (1972)

The alien savior calls out across the stars and chooses his vessel.

“Ziggy Stardust” (1972)

The hybrid messiah rises, preaching through electric guitars.

“Moonage Daydream” (1972)

Ziggy’s gospel: pleasure as revelation, chaos as communion.

“Rock ’n’ Roll Suicide” (1972)

The martyrdom. Ziggy ascends, leaving humanity behind.

“Aladdin Sane (1913–1938–197?)” (1973)

Resurrection through madness — “a lad insane.”

“Cracked Actor” (1973)

Fame becomes necromancy; the idol decays from within.

“Diamond Dogs” (1974)

The world after the apocalypse. Ziggy’s echo survives as Halloween Jack among the ruins.

“Rebel Rebel” (1974)

Defiance as religion in a dying culture.

“1984” (1974)

The prophecy fulfilled — dystopia replaces divinity.

“Station to Station” (1976)

The Thin White Duke emerges: a soulless, occult traveler seeking the divine through control.

“Golden Years” (1975)

The Duke’s seductive hypnosis — glamour masking entropy.

“Warszawa” (1977) – Low

After collapse, the being drifts through limbo — a wordless exile between identities.

“Heroes” (1977) – “Heroes”

Love pierces the void. Two souls cling to life at the Wall — redemption flickers for the first time.

“V-2 Schneider” (1977) – “Heroes”

The ghost learns humility; motion replaces mania.

“Fantastic Voyage” (1979) – Lodger

Awareness returns — the cosmic wanderer accepts mortality.

“Look Back in Anger” (1979) – Lodger

Angels and memory collide; atonement begins.

“Sound and Vision” (1977) – Low

The self reintegrates — silence, color, and creation reborn.

“Modern Love” (1983) – Let’s Dance

Re-entry into the world — spirituality through movement and connection.

“Loving the Alien” (1984) – Tonight

The former alien now prays to understand humanity’s faith.

“I’m Afraid of Americans” (1997) – Earthling

The hybrid watches the culture he once warned about. The Starman has become the observer.

“Where Are We Now?” (2013) – The Next Day

Reflection: the traveler stands in Berlin once more, haunted but peaceful.

“Blackstar” (2016) – Blackstar

The apotheosis. All incarnations — Tom, Ziggy, Jack, the Duke — dissolve into the cosmic Blackstar, completing the mythic cycle.

Interpretive Arc

Ashes to Ashes → Ziggy: the death and resurrection of Major Tom as the Starman’s vessel. → Aladdin Sane → Jack → Thin White Duke: Resurrection, excess, apocalypse, and fall. A continuous cycle of fame, fall, and transfiguration synced with cultural shifts.

Low → Heroes → Lodger – Purgatory and redemption; the immortal learns to be human again.

#DavidBowie #ZiggyStardust #MajorTom #TheCurio #SnideStudios #MusicLore #Bowieverse #spaceoddity